Two Texas commercial real estate firms merge to form DUWEST
What's the deal? DuWest Realty and DBA Commercial Real Estate have merged to create DUWEST, a combined commercial real estate platform focused on retail and land brokerage across Texas. The newly formed firm will be led by five managing partners: Scott Rodgers, Austin Schenkel, Perren Gasc, Will Walters, and Evan Ketabchi. DuWest's Corey Duhon shifts to an advisory role as founding partner.
The combined entity has 45 team members, leases more than 500 properties totalling over 10 million square feet, represents more than 50 tenant clients, and manages nearly 3.5 million square feet of retail properties statewide.
Why now? DuWest, founded in 2008, had already built offices in Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, and Austin. DBA Commercial Real Estate, launched in 2016 and headquartered in Dallas, brought a strong tenant representation book including national brands like Shake Shack, Victoria's Secret, and Hibbett Sports. Leadership at both firms cited complementary services and similar cultures as the catalyst.
"We saw a major opportunity to bring together two firms with similar cultures, strong relationships and a shared drive to build something bigger across Texas," said managing partner Austin Schenkel.
What could go wrong? Merging two established firms always carries integration risk — aligning cultures, systems, and client relationships across multiple Texas offices. The retail real estate sector also faces ongoing headwinds from e-commerce shifts and changing consumer behaviour, which could pressure leasing volumes.
The signal: The deal reflects broader consolidation in commercial real estate brokerage, where mid-sized firms are combining to build statewide or regional scale. Texas's growing population and economy continue to attract retail development, making it a prime market for firms that can offer full-service capabilities — from leasing and tenant representation to property management and investment sales — under one roof. All offices will rebrand under the DUWEST name.
Read more: prlog.org
