A chance business meeting about 15 years ago set the stage for inviting Scott McGarity to join Barber Partners. We watched with respect how he built up BlackWatch Partners, a commercial real estate investment and operating company.
So we were happy when he said “Yes!” to joining our team. As Executive Vice President, Scott brings over 30 years of multi-market experience, relationships, and performance to develop, lease, and manage our industrial property portfolio.
“I have always admired Pat’s approach to business and life; he is one of the smartest real estate guys that I know – in Dallas, that is saying something,” Scott says. “Along the way, I was introduced to Nic, Pat’s son, and throughout the years, we looked at doing business together, but the right deal did not surface.”
Fast forward a decade, and some, the trio met for numerous coffees at our favorite Starbucks across the street from Jesuit High School (Nic and Scott both have boys in school there). They discussed a lot of different ideas, but cold storage kept coming to the forefront. All the variables were there – older buildings that couldn’t be easily retrofitted or would be too costly to retrofit, supply constraints, new technology, rapidly changing consumer habits, and more.
“We started doing deep research on markets throughout the United States, and it quickly became apparent that the opportunity was significant. Then Covid hit, and the world as we knew it changed almost overnight,” Scott adds.
Scott’s initial efforts will be directed to helping build out a ±302,400 SF Class-A freezer-cooler prototype for Chill Storage. We’ve selected Denton, Texas, for our first location as it is strategically located in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex with immediate proximity to I-35W. Denton has recently become an epicenter for state-of-the-art food distribution centers. Neighbors include Target, WinCo Foods, and Aldi.
Earlier in his career, Scott was behind the very successful development of Inverness, a Birmingham community of more than than1,650 acres that included commercial centers and office complexes and today also features higher-end single-family homes, townhomes, apartments, all conveniently located along the thriving 280 Corridor. Inverness was the first planned unit development in Alabama. Previously, Scott was vice president of leasing at Taylor & Mathis Inc.
Scott is the proud Dad of three young adults and loves spending his weekends at lacrosse events. He and Cristina enjoy traveling and scuba diving whenever they get the chance.
