For Rick Perdue, president of Rosewood Property Co., success in real estate is all about processes and people.
By focusing on strong, sustainable processes and building relationships in the Dallas community, Perdue created the kind of career he’d dreamed of since high school.
With more than 20 years’ experience in Dallas-Fort Worth real estate, Perdue landed a dream job in January.
“In my mind it doesn’t get any better in Dallas real estate development than Rosewood,” he says. “It’s one of the iconic names in Dallas, a brand known literally around the world.”
Rosewood Property Co. is part of the Rosewood Corp. and is wholly owned by the Caroline Hunt Estate.
Through Rosewood, Caroline Rose Hunt developed the Mansion on Turtle Creek, a string of luxury hotels, and the mixed-use Crescent in Dallas, among many other business enterprises. She died Nov. 13, 2018, at the age of 95.
The Rosewood Property Co. continues to make a name for itself in a variety of developments.
The biggest current DFW project is Heritage Creekside, a mixed-use development near the President George Bush Turnpike and Custer Road in Plano.
“We think this is going to be a game changer for the region,” Perdue says. The 156-acre site incorporates the creek, open space, and trails. Phase 1 is multifamily and single-family housing and retail. A second phase includes 2.5 million square feet of Class A office space.
Before Perdue came to Rosewood, he worked for 17 years at Tonti Properties and for five years at national multifamily developer Mill Creek Residential. Although he earned his bachelor’s degree at Auburn University in civil engineering, he knew at a young age that he wanted to go into real estate development. “Real estate is the best profession there is. You’re constantly wearing new hats and learning new things,” Perdue says.
He received an MBA in finance and real estate in 1997 from Tulane University and went to work in DFW real estate. His first office? A job trailer at an apartment community under construction.
As “a process-driven person,” he makes sure his processes in business are top notch.
“If you focus on process and get that right results will follow,” Perdue says.
One way to create best practices in real estate is to learn from others and build relationships. Perdue says his involvement with The Real Estate Council (TREC) and its leadership development program, the Associate Leadership Council (ALC), has helped him with both.
He’s been a part of TREC for nearly 20 years. Between 2013 and 2018, Perdue served on the ALC steering committee as vice chair and as chairman of the Class of 2017-18. Each class has 30 members, so Perdue has worked with150 young real estate professionals.
“These are the smartest young people in Dallas real estate,” he says. Perdue currently serves on the TREC board and continues to mentor younger people and remembers the insights he gained when others mentored him. “Mentoring running both ways is what makes TREC great,” he says.
Each ALC class chooses a charity to enhance and serve during the year. This year’s class collaborated with Bike Friendly South Dallas for a facility that promotes safe bike transportation and education for area residents.
He considers himself fortunate to “live in the best state in the country and the best city and market in the state and work in the best profession.”
Perdue most enjoys spending time with his family: wife Jodi, son Jack, 16, and daughter Kate, 14.
“I count my blessings every day,” he says.
