Colin Fitzgibbons, president of Hunt Realty Investments, has died, the firm said Friday. He was 46.
“It is hard to put into words how much Colin Fitzgibbons meant to our team,” Chris Kleinert, CEO of Hunt Realty Investments, said in a statement. “Colin had a signature style of leadership that combined loyalty, intellect, strategic purpose, and a unique self-deprecating humor. He led the Hunt Realty team to new heights and was seeing us through some very impactful projects.”
The company declined to give a cause of death.
Fitzgibbons, a Dallas native, graduated from Hillcrest High School in 1997 and Washington & Lee University in Lexington Va. in 2001. He was torn between the world of reporting and development.
His mother, Ruth Fitzgibbons, was a journalist and former editor of D Magazine. His father, John ‘Jay’ Fitzgibbons, was president of JSC Realty and helped develop warehouses for technology companies in Allen, McKinney and Richardson.
The younger Fitzgibbons gave both a try. After graduating college, he worked as a sports reporter at The Washington Post before switching to real estate. He joined The Staubach Co., in New York City as a tenant rep broker for roughly five years.
Colin Fitzgibbons, president at Hunt Realty Investments, Inc. poses for a portrait at Hunt Consolidated Headquarters in Dallas on Wednesday, February 19, 2020. (Vernon Bryant/The Dallas Morning News)
Vernon Bryant / Staff Photographer
Dallas eventually called him home. Fitzgibbons came back to attend SMU for graduate school. After earning his MBA, Fitzgibbons joined KDC in 2010, where he would work on some of the region’s largest projects including Richardson’s $1.5 billion CityLine development and the $3 billion Legacy West in Plano.
Fitzgibbons once said he was most proud of his work Liberty Mutual’s 1-million square foot regional hub at Legacy West.
“If I won the lottery, I’d be right back here the next morning. I can’t picture myself doing anything else. I love being in an industry where people are rewarded if they’re willing to hustle,” Fitzgibbons wrote on his LinkedIn page describing his time at KDC.
Fitzgibbons joined Hunt Realty Investments in 2020. He told The Dallas Morning News that the prospect of working on the big developments in Frisco, Uptown and downtown Dallas attracted him to the firm.
“That is one of the things that spoke to me,” he said. “Another great reason for joining Hunt is the outstanding and experienced team already in place.”
Hunt Realty is one of the largest players on the North Texas real estate scene. The company headed by the son of legendary Texas oil tycoon H.L. Hunt changed the Dallas skyline in the 1970s with its investment in the Reunion project, highlighted by its signature observation tower.
Outside of Hunt Realty, Fitzgibbons was previously involved with the Oak Cliff YMCA, The Real Estate Council, NAIOP North Texas and SMU’s Folsom Institute.
Fitzgibbons is survived by his wife, Jessica, and his three sons.
“Colin’s legacy with Hunt will be long-lasting despite having only worked with the company for just less than six years,” Kleinert said. “He loved working with his Hunt teammates and all our investment partners, and his impact will continue to be felt in the months and years ahead. Colin spoke often and proudly about his family, and his love for them guided how he showed up for all of us.”
