Former Goldman Sachs Exec Joins The Meridian Group to Help Fuel Expansion
By Keith Loria September 7, 2022 4:43 pm
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The Meridian Group (TMG), a Bethesda, Md.-based developer, has added former Goldman Sachs (GS) Managing Director James Huckaby as the firm’s new partner and chief investment officer of residential and industrial.
The move comes as TMG plans for expansion of its development and investment management businesses into new markets, according to the company.
“It may sound clichéd, but the people are the reason I came to TMG,” Huckaby told Commercial Observer. “The partners have done an incredible job of attracting top-tier private equity talent on par with any national player. TMG is very well positioned for growth, given the top-tier talent, long-standing institutional capital relationships and existing infrastructure. These components paired with the shared vision of growth amongst the partners are what attracted me to TMG.”
Huckaby’s main responsibilities will be crafting the firm’s industrial and residential strategies across the Southeast, Texas, Colorado and other targeted growth markets, and managing TMG’s acquisition and development efforts.
“James has over 20 years of national experience, with deep market knowledge and industry relationships,” Mark King, president and COO of TMG, said in a prepared statement. “He is a top talent and strong leader, and we are very excited about our growth ahead.”
Huckaby’s hiring is just the latest leadership change at TMG as part of a new succession plan at the firm. David Cheek, formerly president, is now chairman and managing partner; King, previously COO and CFO, is now president and COO; and Gary Block remains partner and chief investment officer.
The firm recently diversified its strategy when it launched plans to develop two industrial projects: the 2.7 million-square-foot One Logistics Park in Winchester, Va., and the 180-acre I-70 Gateway industrial project in Hagerstown, Md.
It also recently started a construction arm in response to post-COVID challenges facing the construction industry.
“We have an ambitious growth strategy that we are actively in the process of implementing,” Huckaby said. “Our focus for the remainder of 2022 will be to build our pipeline of opportunities in our target markets and begin to raise capital around our new strategies. In addition, we are focused on attracting more top-tier talent in our new Dallas office.”
Keith Loria can be reached at Kloria@commercialobserver.com.
