A former Washington Post sports reporter, Colin Fitzgibbons, now leads the diversified development and investment firm Hunt Realty Investments. As the president, Fitzgibbons’ focus is to convert undervalued real estate assets into open opportunities. He has most notable been involved with the CityLine in Richardson and Legacy West in Plano projects.
In his extended 2022 Dallas 500 Q&A, he gives his key hiring strategies, the future forecast for Dallas, and more.
First Job: “I was a hotel engineer at the Hyatt Regency Dallas and I learned the discipline of getting up early to be at work on time. I also learned I really needed to go to college if I didn’t want to be cleaning hotel rooms for a career.”
Best Advice: “‘Think big’—my dad would always say this to my brother and me. ‘Focus on what you can control’—this came from a football coach and really helped me concentrate. ‘Real Gs move is silence like lasagna’—this comes from Lil’ Wayne. It means a lot of different things to different people, but I take it to mean stay humble. Success is not permanent and failure is not fatal.”
Dinner Party: “What I would really love to do would be to buy dinner for groups of teachers and nurses. Those two groups should come out of the pandemic much more appreciated, and probably with a significant raise as well. The least I could do would be to buy them a meal.”
Destinations of Choice: “I love New York City and am always looking for excuses to get back there. I am a city kid and still need to explore cities like Vancouver, Mexico City, and Dubai to name a few.”
Nonprofit Cause: “I grew up in the YMCA and continue to be involved with the Y. Such a great organization with a great mission that meets different needs in different neighborhoods throughout the city.”
Hobby/Passion: “I like to play golf when I can and desperately wish I could magically get better and have more time to play.”
Local Fare: “Burger House. Double-double with sliced jalapeños.”
Fun Fact: “I love to cook. Especially with Big Shirley, my BBQ smoker.”
Dream Car: “My kids would want me to say a Lamborghini, but I would say and old-school Defender. Or one of those three-wheeled Harley Davidsons. I am not really a ‘Jeep guy’ or a ‘motorcycle guy’ but I could pretend—that would be fun.”
Proud Moment: “I think we have assembled a team and cobbled together a strategy to really take advantage of some great opportunities we see in the near term and in the future. That is a huge relief.”
A Better DFW: “I wish I could magically make everyone appreciate DISD more, or at least realize how tied our city’s success is to the success of our public schools.”
Walk-up Song: “‘Let’s Get Down to Business’ by Tiesto. It became the theme song for my third-grader’s baseball team and we had a successful season so it has good mojo right now. Plus it has a great beat.”
Must-read: “Color of Law. A real eye opener especially as it relates to racism in real estate. Not distant history unfortunately.”
Bucket List: “Riding out a hurricane. Preferably a Category 1 storm from a sturdy building, but I’ve always wanted to witness one up close for some strange reason.”
Future Forecast: “Dallas’ continued growth excites me for the future. I hope we don’t take for granted the factors that have led to our region’s explosive growth over the last 10-15 years. If we don’t, and 300 people keep moving here a day, then the future will be fun.”
Key Hiring Strategies: “We look for self-motivation, competitiveness and personality. We want folks who are self-directed but also nice people.”
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