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Commercial Development Projects and History

In March 1980, Rick Hawthorne founded Hawthorne Development Company and hdc Development. It was at the peak of a successful commercial brokerage career; Rick made the decision to use all the brokerage skills learned to move into commercial development.

Over the next 42 years, Hawthorne went on to develop over 50 buildings including:

  • Class “A” and “B” office building projects,
  • Inland Empire big-box warehouse/distribution buildings, industrial buildings and acquired several existing investment industrial properties,
  • A large Walmart shadow-anchored retail center Tucson, AZ
  • A mixed-use Laguna Woods Town Center in Laguna Woods, CA
  • In all totaling over 3 million square feet throughout Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, and San Diego Counties.

The roots from a successful brokerage career was the foundation of success. Hawthorne’s mission was to develop functional properties to meet occupants’ needs and wants.

The #1 priority  is leasing – the predominant function of all real estate investments learned from his brokerage career.

Venture partners include The Koll Company, Lusk Company, Rodeffer Investments, Warmington, Cal Fed, Union Bank, Marubeni Corporation, Kawasaki Steel TOA, and high net worth individuals.

Commercial Advisory Assignments

Hawthorne provides “Hands On” Advisory and Transactional Services to some of the finest institutions and high net worth individuals in the United States. Owners have trusted Rick, and his team, to handle all aspects of their investment properties including:

  • Loan restructuring with lenders during challenging economic times,
  • Repositioning properties with leading-edge capital improvements, updating ADA requirements, and modernizing the properties,
  • Working with leasing brokers to achieve stabilized occupancy, that which outperforms the occupancy level of the submarket,
  • Negotiating renewals and re-negotiating existing leases from anchor tenants to smaller existing tenants,
  • Acquisitions, dispositions, and leasing oversight is Rick’s primary business during 2023 and 2024, and
  • Rick has never once missed a time schedule or capital budget amount over his entire career.

Rick understands the objectives of each party to any transaction and is 100% relationship and results oriented.