Robert Mitchell is vice president of Construction, TriArc Real Estate Partners’ inhouse construction team, which was formed in December 2019 to increase the value of investor-owned multifamily properties through renovations and physical improvements. Robert’s diverse background includes over ten years of onsite property management, seven years as a multifamily construction vendor, and 15 years as a small business owner. Raised by grandparents who never threw anything away, Robert finds it incredibly satisfying to transform neglected properties into really nice homes for residents while also bringing significant financial benefit to owners. His team recently rehabbed a class C property to a class A, increasing the average value per unit by over $400 per month.

At the age of 19, Robert entered the multifamily industry as an onsite leasing agent with Reliance Management in Austin, Texas. He was first introduced to construction when the company assigned him oversight of the punch list for a property under development. Three weeks later, Reliance promoted him to assistant manager. After managing construction from the ground up on another property in Round Rock, Robert accepted a position at Lincoln Property Company in 2000. A year later, Lincoln transferred him to Houston, where he rehabbed about 1000 units which had to be gutted and completely rebuilt due to serial flooding in 2001, 2003, and 2004. Robert won Business Manager of the Year, Assistant Manager of the year, and Lincoln’s coveted Gold Medallion award before reaching age 25. When Lincoln sold the portfolio he’d been managing, Robert left property management to pursue his own enterprises in 2005.

Driven by a car addiction which grew out of a childhood working at several family-owned car businesses, Robert co-founded Elite Auto Sales and Service in 2003 while still at Lincoln. (He’s restored about 60 automobiles since the age of 14 and currently owns 11 classic models including a 1955 Pontiac.) Robert also founded Fast Forward Freight in 2004. Once the businesses were firmly established, he returned to construction part-time doing business as Mitchell Renovations in 2007. The “side job” led him back to multifamily when Harris County Flood Control began pressing properties to restore their retention ponds to “as-built” conditions. His revenue grew from $800,000 in the first four months to about $2M the following year and 25% annually ever since. The construction company, renamed Fast Forward Services in 2012, now has a full office staff, around 35 employees, and over 200 subcontractors. After Hurricane Harvey in 2017, Fast Forward Services rehabbed about 65 single-family houses and 100 multifamily units. Helping people return to their homes and some semblance of normalcy after the disaster was an incredible experience. Robert also founded Texas Property Evolutions, Elevated Development and Construction, and H&S Investors.

Whether cars, companies, or multifamily residences, Robert has always wanted to build things, and succeeding in business is what makes him most proud. In addition to a lot of hard work and a natural aptitude for math and all things mechanical, he credits his uncle for giving him an early start. Uncle put him in charge of payroll administration when Robert was only 13, and by 17, Robert was managing the family muffler shop. In one year, he grew the business by 60% through marketing and advertising in the Green Sheet (a free newspaper). Now at a place in his career where 16-hour-long workdays are no longer required, Robert still enjoys waking up at 4:30 am and arriving at the yard by 6:00 am to work with his team.