Dallas Real Estate World Sees Flurry of Management Changes

DALLAS-The times are a’ changing or at least the roles are as Trammell Crow Co., Crescent Real Estate Equities Inc. and Wyndham International Inc. all announce internal management shifts this week.

Trammell Crow Co. has appointed James R. Groch as president of e-commerce and corporate development. He also will sit on the company’s executive committee, maintaining authority for the firm’s e-commerce strategy, capital allocation and investment strategy for all merger and acquisitions. Groch has been with Trammell Crow since 1985, serving most recently as chief investment officer.

“Our designation of an executive committee member to oversee the e-commerce and corporate development functions indicates the importance of these functions to our company,” says Robert Sulentic, Trammell Crow’s president and CEO. “On the e-commerce front, he has been the force within Trammell Crow Co. behind the formation of the Octane alliance, Octane’s participation in the Constellation Real Technologies consortium and the Octane members’ investments in SiteSuff.com Inc., all of which represents tremendous progress in a compressed time frame.”

Meanwhile, Trammell Crow has named Derek R. McClain to the post of CFO. He joined the firm two years ago as general counsel after a 16-year career as a corporate finance and securities attorney with Vinson & Elkins of Houston. In January, he was named Trammell Crow’s chief administrative officer. His new designation puts him in charge of all corporate finance, treasury, corporate communications and legal functions.

At Crescent Real Estate Equities Co., Kenneth S. Moczulski has been selected as chief investment officer and president of investments. He will assume the post Nov. 1. During his career, Moczulski is credited with establishing Transworld Properties Inc. in 1992. His role at Transworld had been to direct the firm’s equity investments in 50 office, industrial and multifamily projects, with a capitalized value portfolio totaling about $1 billion.

The biggest shakeup, occurring early in the week, is at Wyndham International Inc., where James D. Carreker has tendered his chairmanship of the board of directors. Fred J. Kleisner has been named to Carreker’s post. Ted Teng, COO, was elected to the firm’s presidency.”This is the right time for both the company and for me,” Carreker says of his resignation. “Fred has done an outstanding job of refocusing the company on our upscale and luxury properties, and his appointment as chairman is another logical step in that transition.” Carreker will continue to as a member of the board, a position he has held since March 1999.Carreker has steered Wyndham since 1988, coming on board as president when it had 18 hotels in its portfolio. Last year, he had overseen a restructuring and assumed the role of chairman and CEO.

Kleisner had joined Wyndham last year as president and COO. In April, he was elected CEO. Teng started in May when he replaced Kleisner as the firm’s COO.