Real Estate

Cresa Hires JLL Executive Carl Mueller as Houston Principal

22 July 2025

Cresa named Carl Mueller as a principal in its Houston office, another executive reshuffle in a market expansion strategy reshaping the firm in Texas and nationally.

Mueller, who was previously executive vice president at JLL, joined months after Cresa acquired Axis Tenant Advisors, the Houston firm founded by veteran broker Scot Ison. Cresa is now consolidating offices and personnel in the city as it eyes a larger local presence, according to a news release.

Mueller will help lead the Chicago-based tenant representation firm’s growth across Houston and the broader Gulf Coast, according to the release. He brings nearly three decades of experience in tenant representation, including stints at Studley and Savills before his nearly 13-year run at JLL.

Cresa is in transition after last week’s news that Greg Schementi left his position as president. Cresa Vice Chairman Tom Birnbaum stepped in as interim president.

CEO Tod Lickerman also plans to step down in the next two years as the firm searches for a new chief executive. No reason was given for the shakeup other than long-term growth and succession planning.

Cresa’s Texas push includes the January acquisition of Tenant Advisors, which brought Ison and his decades of local experience into the fold.

At the time, Managing Principal David Anderson said Cresa planned to consolidate its Houston offices, one at 1990 Post Oak Boulevard and the other at 777 Post Oak Boulevard, into a larger location sometime this year.

The firm added 11 brokers to its Houston ranks last June when it bought Fritsche Anderson Realty Partners. That deal brought Cresa’s local headcount to 25; a news release said Mueller’s hiring brings the Houston office to 29 licensed brokers and professionals. Cresa’s expansion in Houston mirrors a national spree that’s included recent acquisitions in Dallas, Seattle, Philadelphia, Detroit and New York.

Houston’s office market showed signs of stabilization in the second quarter, with almost 214,000 square feet of positive net absorption — breaking a two-quarter streak of losses — and a modest year-over-year vacancy decline to 26.2 percent, according to JLL. Most activity was concentrated in top-tier Class A buildings, which posted its lowest-ever vacancy of just 11.1 percent in the second quarter.

Office tenants in Houston have prioritized quality, amenity-rich space and stable ownership. Brokers like Cresa could be well-positioned to help clients navigate a split market where competition for premium assets is fierce and concessions are beginning to tighten.