John Griggs

John Griggs stands apart in the multifamily market in Dallas-Fort Worth and other Sunbelt markets, where syndicators chased deals for mid-tier apartment complexes during the pandemic only to struggle with rising interest rates. Griggs and Presidium, meanwhile, continued to work the high end of the multifamily market, a segment he and partner Cross Moceri have made a priority since founding the company in 2003.

The firms have acquired, renovated and managed apartment communities across major metro areas in Texas and beyond, including DFW, Austin, Houston, Atlanta and Jacksonville. The firm often targets value-add properties, improving occupancy, rental rates, and overall asset value. 

Beyond apartments, Presidium develops mixed-use projects that combine residential, retail, and office spaces. The firm also owns some office and industrial properties. Griggs and Moceri have amassed a portfolio valued at roughly $2.5 billion and more than 8,000 apartment units. 

The pair has paid a price in legal bills for their investments. In 2021, for example, they faced claims brought under the Racketeering Influence and Corruption (RICO) Act. They tapped Reynolds Frizzell in Houston, a law firm with a national reputation for its stable of trial attorneys, to defend them against the suit brought by an investor in a student-housing project in Austin. Those dollars seem to have been worth it: a federal court in South Florida at one point ordered the plaintiff to “eliminate extraneous allegations, including acrimonious invective” and later dismissed the case altogether.