DC Partners Names Robert Contreras IV CEO

A new captain has taken the helm of Houston developer DC Partners.

Roberto Contreras IV, the son of founder Roberto Contreras Sr., was named CEO of the development company responsible for luxury projects like The Allen.

The elder Contreras, who will remain chairman of the board, founded DC Partners in 2011 and has overseen its development of 22 projects totaling more than 4 million square feet, according to a press release.

A pillar of the company’s success is the EB-5 visa program, through which foreign investors can attain U.S. residency via real estate development. Roberto Contreras Sr. founded Houston EB5 in 2010. He’s chairman of the program, and his son is managing director, the program’s website says.

Prior to being named DC Partners’ new CEO, the younger Contreras was president of the firm. He joined in 2018, according to his LinkedIn profile. Before joining the family business, Roberto Contreras IV lived in China for five years, establishing EB-5 offices there while serving as the director of the George H.W. Bush Foundation for US-China relations.

The younger Contreras is taking the helm at a critical point for the company as it looks to solidify its reach beyond Houston. DC Partners recently suffered a setback when it faced foreclosure on The Thompson, the luxury hotel it developed in 2021 in San Antonio’s Riverwalk. The firm blamed the default on slower than expected stabilization, a wave of new downtown hotel supply and persistently high interest rates.

DC Partners is chasing the distress with a new project in the popular Hill Country town of Fredericksburg, which is known for its German heritage. The Meuse will bring 22 acres of retail, restaurants, wine tasting rooms and a hotel to the tourist destination. The development will rise near the intersection of Highway 290 and Main Street, adjacent to the city’s historic Klingelhoeffer House.