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John-Michael Kamel and Blake Steele also come aboard from MLB Commercial
Houston, TX – September 30, 2026 – Partners Real Estate—a private partnership-led fully-integrated commercial real estate firm—today announced that land specialist Tommy LeBlanc has joined the firm in its Houston headquarters as an Equity Partner. Mr. LeBlanc comes to Partners from MLB Commercial Real Estate, where he led the Greater Houston land group. He is joined by Vice President John-Michael Kamel and Senior Associate Blake Steele.
“Tommy, John-Michael and Blake are a market-leading land team that has expertise across the full spectrum of land transactions—urban and suburban, on behalf of institutional investors and a wide array of developers and end users,” said Peter Mainguy, Partner and Executive Managing Director, Services, Texas Region. “Their addition underscores our ongoing commitment to partnering with the industry’s top talent, and we’re excited to welcome this trio aboard.”
Mr. LeBlanc brings more than 20 years of award-winning commercial real estate experience to Partners, with expertise spanning land brokerage and development strategy, site selection and sale-leasebacks. He has negotiated over $1 billion in transactions over the course of his career, and been named to the Houston Business Journal’s Heavy Hitters list multiple times, most recently ranking fourth in 2025. His clients have included CenterPoint Energy, Hines, The Lionstone Group, Johnson Development, Avanti Properties Group, Beazer Homes and Wood Partners. He served as a Partner at MLB, and previously spent a decade at Avison Young, rising to Principal in land and capital markets.
“We’re excited to join Partners and fully leverage its unique platform, which will allow our team to advance the high level of service our clients have come to expect from us,” said Mr. LeBlanc. “We’re eager to collaborate across the firm’s services and investments businesses, teaming with Partners’ industry-leading brokerage professionals alongside its Partners Capital and Partners Development groups to deliver superior client outcomes.”
Mr. Kamel and Mr. Steele have worked alongside Mr. LeBlanc on land assignments at MLB Commercial Real Estate for many years. Mr. Kamel, a Houston native, concentrates on tracts suited to large-scale development across the Southeast Texas market, bringing an extensive transactional record and a background in sales and client service that shapes his approach to negotiation. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from St. Edward’s University, and outside the office manages the 5,500-acre Oilton Ranch in Webb County, where he oversees quail and whitetail conservation.
Mr. Steele advises clients on land acquisitions and dispositions throughout the region, connecting them with opportunities for residential and commercial projects and guiding assignments from site sourcing and feasibility review through entitlement coordination and contract execution. He previously held analyst and associate roles at Avison Young, and earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in finance with a real estate concentration from Texas Tech University.
The team’s arrival continues a period of momentous growth for Partners, underscored by a series of high-profile strategic initiatives over the past several months. These include the acquisition of Crown Tenant Advisors in Atlanta to launch the company’s Healthcare Services practice; the addition of top-ranked industrial brokers Joseph Cooper in Dallas and Brad Pope in Atlanta as Equity Partners; and the hiring of Jen Suddreth as Director of Property Management in Houston and Dallas.
