Jeffrey S. Hayes is the Managing Partner and Co-founder of Palo Duro Commercial Partners, a retail, real estate firm he founded along with his partner Stephen Pheigaru in 2022. Over a 20-year career, Jeff has represented both national and regional retailers and investors throughout the Houston and south Texas market. His areas of expertise include retail tenant representation, land brokerage, and project development.

The foundation for Palo Duro Commercial Partners is a passion for retail, real estate gained through years of transactional experience and a deep understanding of key clients including Cinemark Theatre, At Home, Verizon Wireless, Five Below, Shipley Do-Nuts, Whole Foods Market, Savory Restaurants, Portillo’s and Conn’s HomePlus. He has advised and represented these retailers and many more in the site selection, market analysis and purchase and/or lease negotiations in all the major submarkets throughout Houston and South Texas.

Over the years, Hayes has been recognized as a Houston Business Journal “Heavy Hitter” (8 times) and won several prestigious awards while at NewQuest Properties including the company’s “Top Land” (1 time), “Top Hybrid Broker” (7 times) and “Overall Top Producer” in in 2016 and 2019. A graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University with a B.A. in Economics Management, Hayes is a licensed real estate agent in the State of Texas and is also currently an active member of the International Council for Shopping Centers (ICSC).