![\"Portrait](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/haleigh-erramouspe.jpg\")
<\/p>\n From a chance encounter in a rental car that launched a career to transforming real
\n estate education, the Brownlees have turned every opportunity into something bigger.<\/p>\n
\t\tCREATORS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
When you picture the moment your life changes, you often imagine something monumental.<\/p>\n
The setting, the people and the feeling will let you know something unforgettable
\n is about to happen.<\/p>\n
However, life-changing moments can frequently happen in the most unassuming places.<\/p>\n
For example, in an Enterprise Rent-A-Car stuck in heavy traffic on the Dallas North
\n Tollway.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s in this exact location that John Brownlee\u2019s career, and life, would take a decisive
\n turn.<\/p>\n
A Lubbock native, John graduated from Texas Tech University<\/a> with his Bachelor of Business Administration in Marketing<\/a> from the Jerry S. Rawls College of Business<\/a> in 1994.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI actually enjoyed going to classes, but it was just the whole experience,\u201d John Shortly after graduating, he started a job in the Enterprise Rent-A-Car management Abiding by the company motto, \u201cWe\u2019ll Pick You Up,\u201d John found himself transporting The woman worked for Holliday Fenoglio, Dockerty and Gibson (later HFF), and during By the time they arrived at her office, John was sold on changing career paths.<\/p>\n \u201cShe had one of the principals come down and meet me on the curb, and that sounded Support the Brownlee Center for Real Estate at give.ttu.edu.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n That\u2019s John\u2019s humble nature, underselling 30 years of remarkable success.<\/p>\n With the support of his wife, Rachel, and his \u201call-in\u201d attitude, John has built a With this experience under his belt, John and Rachel have embarked on a new endeavor Identification & Origination<\/p>\n Like most \u201covernight successes,\u201d John\u2019s took years.<\/p>\n Although he was excited about his new role, he was thrust into an entirely new industry \u201cMy degree was in marketing, not in finance, but I found myself in the finance world By employing his Texas Tech grit, John naturally rose through the ranks at the company. His career progression continued for roughly a decade until he became a partner in \u201cThe firm continued to grow and became a No. 1 market share nationally for what we In 2019, HFF merged with JLL, a Fortune 500 company and global professional services At that point, John was ready to make a change.<\/p>\n \u201cI wanted a new challenge,\u201d he said. \u201cI wanted to build a new team. I wanted to test The new challenge came in the form of launching his own firm. In 2025, John co-founded As John spoke of navigating the industry, leadership positions in numerous industry \u201cWe got married, and once we started having kids, I made the choice to stay home with It\u2019s hard to argue with Rachel, because this isn\u2019t the only area of his life where Underwriting & Due Diligence<\/p>\n In 2015, Texas Tech\u2019s Rawls College established a new center focused on commercial Paul Goebel, Rawls College professor emeritus, spent decades teaching commercial real \u201cThat was the beginning,\u201d Goebel said in a 2023 story<\/a>. \u201cI was pretty much a caretaker keeping REO alive all those years, and it has grown REO has remained strong over the years, but commercial real estate education had its When the other faculty member left Texas Tech, Goebel needed to make an immediate \u201cWe were so lucky,\u201d Goebel said. \u201cThe stars just kind of aligned, and I was able to From there, Harrell, an associate professor of practice in the Area of Finance<\/a>, took the reins as director and began building the center.<\/p>\n Open to Rawls College students and select majors in the Davis College of Agricultural Sciences & Natural Resources<\/a> and the Edward E. Whitacre Jr. College of Engineering<\/a>, the center promotes excellence in commercial real estate education through academic By completing four real estate courses (12 credit hours), students earn a Certificate However, one of the most important aspects of the center, as well as REO, takes place Combining students\u2019 classroom learning with this boots-on-the-ground experience facilitates \u201cIt creates exposure to a network,\u201d Harrell said. \u201cStudents realize that the idea In an effort to strengthen connections with alumni in the industry, the center and When looking for a keynote speaker for the conference, Harrell had a former student \u201cI was like, \u2018Man, this is the guy,\u2019\u201d Harrell said, nodding his head. \u201cI think it From this first visit back, John was ready to support the center. He spoke at the John\u2019s motivation definitely stemmed from his experience at the conference and his At a funeral service for his childhood best friend over a decade earlier, John spoke \u201cHe told me that five-minute conversation we had that gave him something to focus Closing the Deal<\/p>\n John launched into answering that question. He knew achieving the vision Harrell had He worked closely with Margaret L. Williams<\/a>, dean of the Rawls College, and Harrell to determine the next steps.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a path to every single conversation I have with John,\u201d Harrell said. \u201cWithout The answer, they agreed, was reconnecting Texas Tech alumni in the commercial real John volunteered to chair the council and helped Williams and Harrell identify other While John spearheaded the effort to gather people who would be interested in supporting \u201cAnyone who knows the Brownlees knows that Rachel\u2019s hospitality is one of the major Bringing together those who had a vested interest in the program\u2019s success seemed And while this growth was a combined effort, Harrell credits a large portion of their \u201cThat\u2019s when our student enrollment started to grow. That\u2019s when our hiring started Similar to his career, John\u2019s hard work and perseverance created a natural progression In every way possible, John and Rachel have been true champions for Texas Tech, Rawls \u201cThey\u2019ve been here in Lubbock almost every weekend,\u201d Harrell said. \u201cJohn has mentored John and Rachel had been consistent donors to the center, and John\u2019s volunteer work They knew that for the center to have the magnitude of impact that it could, it needed This was the final push that motivated them to make a significant financial commitment \u201cFor us, both Rachel and I, we started talking about what the things are that we want Like her spouse, Rachel was equally committed to bolstering the university that had \u201cIt is definitely an honor and a blessing to be able to give back to Texas Tech because The Brownlees\u2019 donation will open doors for the nearly 300 students enrolled in the Their holistic support not only signals to students, faculty, staff, alumni and the The difference the Brownlees have had on the center demonstrates the power of high-quality \u201cThe Brownlees have made an enduring commitment that tells students, faculty, employers, For Harrell, the Brownlees\u2019 greatest legacy was never going to be measured in dollars, \u201cThey have made a remarkable gift, but even more, it\u2019s about the kind of people we Those interested in supporting the Brownlee Center for Real Estate can visit give.ttu.edu<\/a> or contact Ryan Todd, managing director of development, at ryan.todd@ttu.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"From a chance encounter in a rental car that launched a career to transforming real estate education, the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":59864,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[168,170,169],"class_list":["post-201875","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-lubbock","tag-lubbock","tag-lubbock-headlines","tag-lubbock-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201875","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=201875"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201875\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/59864"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=201875"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=201875"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=201875"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n said. \u201cI made a lot of lifelong friends here, and I think all of the things we always
\n talk about when we talk about Texas Tech, about grit and determination, a lot of that
\n came from the experiences I had here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n training program in Dallas.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n a commercial real estate professional within the first two weeks of his new role.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n the drive, she began telling John about the company and opportunities that came with
\n working there.<\/p>\n
\n a lot more fun than what I was doing, which was vacuuming cars in August with a full
\n suit,\u201d John said while laughing. \u201cI ended up interviewing a week later, and they offered
\n me a job, which was essentially a glorified copyboy position at the time, but it got
\n my foot in the door. And from that, I fell in love with the company, fell in love
\n with the industry and the rest is history, honestly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n notable career. Over three decades in the commercial real estate industry, he has
\n originated and structured more than $12 billion in transactions, progressing from
\n \u201cglorified copyboy\u201d to a principal at a firm he co-founded and earning the CRE\u00ae (Counselor
\n of Real Estate) designation.<\/p>\n
\n \u2014 the next generation of commercial real estate professionals \u2014 by investing their
\n time and money at Texas Tech.<\/p>\n
\n and had to spend time learning the ropes.<\/p>\n
\n for commercial real estate,\u201d John said. \u201cSo, I knew I had to climb a little bit of
\n a steeper hill than some of the other folks who were already in the business. But
\n it goes back to the lessons I learned at Texas Tech. I had to keep my head down and
\n work hard, but I realized that this was something I wanted to do, and I was very committed
\n to it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n He immersed himself in the finance side of the industry, finding debt and equity for
\n transactions, an aspect of his career he would come to love.<\/p>\n
\n 2003, when he and a group of senior executives purchased their firm. They focused
\n intensively on expanding their client base and growing the company until 2007, when
\n they were able to take the company public.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n did from a real estate capital markets perspective,\u201d John said. \u201cSo really anybody\u2019s
\n win was the team\u2019s win. We were transacting many of the national iconic assets throughout
\n the United States and that was really fun to be part of.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n firm that specializes in real estate and investment management. During this merger,
\n John took on the role of a senior managing director at JLL, a position he held for
\n the next five years.<\/p>\n
\n some different areas of my brain.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n Brownlee Waggoner Holdings, LLC, a Dallas-based real estate investment firm where
\n he is now a principal. The firm is focused on the acquisition of commercial real estate
\n throughout Texas.<\/p>\n
\n organizations and his career growth, he described himself as \u201cfairly proficient at
\n what he did,\u201d which earned a smirk from Rachel, a fellow 1994 Texas Tech graduate
\n with a Bachelor of Arts in Advertising<\/a> and a minor in marketing.<\/p>\n
\n the kids. And so that was my job, so I could just hold down the fort while he continued
\n to build his career,\u201d Rachel said. \u201cI was always proud of him because I knew where
\n he started. I knew he started at the very bottom of a company and had to work his
\n way up and didn\u2019t have all the real estate experience that some of these other people
\n had coming out of college with finance degrees. He worked really, really hard.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n John\u2019s drive is evident. The couple has translated this same determination into support
\n for their alma mater.<\/p>\n
\n real estate education \u2014 then known as the Center for Real Estate. Although the center
\n is thriving today, nearly 40 years of groundwork<\/a> went into its foundation.<\/p>\n
\n estate classes and advising the Real Estate Organization (REO), a student group that
\n strives to create opportunities for students interested in the industry to engage
\n with commercial real estate industry professionals, observe projects firsthand and
\n analyze markets and investments.<\/p>\n
\n and flourished to a prominent student organization with successful graduates.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n ups and downs during Goebel\u2019s 37-year tenure at Texas Tech. At one point, he was one
\n of only two professors teaching commercial real estate courses, and he understood
\n that for the center to succeed, growth was essential.<\/p>\n
\n hire.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n hire Jared Harrell<\/a> in 2015.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Jared](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Harrell-Jared.jpg\")
Jared Harell, J.D., Associate Professor of Practice<\/p>\n
\n programming, student engagement, research initiatives and strong partnerships with
\n alumni and industry experts.<\/p>\n
\n in Commercial Real Estate. The certificate prepares graduates for careers in commercial
\n real estate and related industries, equipping them with skills in brokerage, appraisal
\n and property and asset management.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"REO](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/REO-Students.jpg\")
![\"REO](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/REO-Students---2.jpg\")
![\"Brownlee](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2026_BrownleeEvent_294-.JPG\")
<\/p>\n
\n outside the classroom through internships, industry partnerships and visits.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n opportunities to learn directly from industry experts and gain practical professional
\n skills. This enhances their understanding of the industry and helps them build connections
\n that can benefit their careers. It is precisely this kind of academic excellence,
\n and the innovative partnerships that sustain it, that philanthropy makes possible.<\/p>\n
\n of getting a job or having a successful career is really tied with who they can connect
\n with. I always hear real estate is a personal, relationship-driven industry, but more
\n than anything, I\u2019m encouraging these students to leverage the resources they have.
\n They have the entire Texas Tech degree behind them, and then we\u2019ve got this hyper-focused,
\n specialized subset of insanely successful people who genuinely want to help them as
\n a student and even as a young professional, they\u2019re willing to invest.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n REO launched an alumni conference in 2021. It was here that John first connected back
\n with Texas Tech and the center.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"Conference](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Conference-Planning-Committee.jpg\")
Jared Harrell with REO students on the inaugural conference planning committee. <\/p>\n
\n recommend John. After connecting on a brief Zoom call, there was no doubt in Harrell\u2019s
\n mind John would be perfect for the role.<\/p>\n
\n was just his love for Texas Tech really drove being the right speaker in that moment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n conference on a Friday and spent the weekend talking with Harrell about the program\u2019s
\n potential and his hopes for the future. Then that Saturday night, John and Rachel
\n made their first donation to the program.<\/p>\n
\n discussion with Harrell, but it was a conversation with a recent alumnus that really
\n made him start thinking. In that talk, he learned he had created a life-changing moment
\n similar to his own.<\/p>\n
\n with a young man who was still in high school about his job. Fast forward to the conference,
\n that same man was now a Red Raider graduate and had earned his Certificate in Commercial
\n Real Estate while in college.<\/p>\n
\n on towards real estate, and now he\u2019s a very successful asset manager in the industry,\u201d
\n John said. \u201cThat had an impact on me individually, too. I thought to myself, \u2018Okay,
\n if we could do it for one, we can expand that. How can we magnify that to more than
\n just one individual?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\n for the center, a vision in which he also firmly believed, would require more action
\n beyond just his and Rachel\u2019s own commitment. It would take more to truly transform
\n lives, to impact students beyond their own circle and open doors for the next generation.<\/p>\n
\n fail, as we\u2019re getting near the end of the conversation, he says, \u2018Jared, what can
\n I be doing to help you?\u2019 And he genuinely means it. He is always looking for a way
\n to open a door, support a student or move the center forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n estate industry with the college and its program. The pathway: an advisory council.<\/p>\n
\n alumni in the industry who would be willing to invest their time and expertise.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n the center, it was he and Rachel together who created the space for people to learn
\n and get involved.<\/p>\n
\n reasons we\u2019re here today,\u201d Harrell said. \u201cRachel and John have opened their Circle
\n B Ranch up to our real estate community many times, hosting gatherings that have helped
\n knit together a community of alumni and industry partners. Rachel\u2019s sense of grace,
\n her style and her ability to light up a room are the perfect complement to John\u2019s
\n energy and drive. Together they create the kind of welcoming environment where real
\n estate relationships and big ideas can take root.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n to be the key. At their first alumni conference, around 75 people attended. In 2026,
\n they anticipate more than 400 attendees; a growth also reflected in the program\u2019s
\n enrollment and donor contributions. That growth \u2014 in people, in partnerships and in
\n presence \u2014 is exactly what elevates a campus and community.<\/p>\n![\"Real](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Real-Estate-Advisory-Council.jpg\")
![\"Alumni](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Alumni-Conference.jpg\")
Left, the 2024 Center for Real Estate Advisory Council. Right, the opening session
\n of the 2025 Rawls College Real Estate & Banking Conference. <\/p>\n
\n accomplishment back to John and Rachel.<\/p>\n
\n to get better. That\u2019s when our fundraising started to get better,\u201d Harrell said. \u201cThat
\n was his initiative. His fingerprints are all over the program.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n to his involvement. In addition to leading the advisory council, John serves on the
\n Texas Tech Foundation Board and the Rawls College Dean\u2019s Advisory Council and mentors
\n students enrolled in the center.<\/p>\n
\n College and the Center for Real Estate \u2014 a quality that has a tangible impact and
\n has been deeply appreciated by Harrell.<\/p>\n
\n students. They\u2019ve helped us recruit advisory council members. They\u2019ve done the slow,
\n sometimes invisible work that it takes to build a program, long before there was any
\n conversation about the name you see on the screen. Yes, their financial contribution
\n is significant, but I truly believe that their greatest contribution is the time,
\n the energy and the sweat equity they have poured into this place, shoulder to shoulder
\n with me and our team at Rawls College.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n gave him an inside perspective, an understanding of the program likely second only
\n to Harrell\u2019s. So, when the couple began discussing their legacy, it went hand-in-hand
\n with their hopes for the future of Texas Tech, the Center for Real Estate and the
\n future of the commercial real estate industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n a steady source of income, and they could be the ones to provide it. They could be
\n the catalyst that would take the center to the next level.<\/p>\n
\n to the center and establish a sizable endowment<\/a>. Honoring that investment, as well as the countless hours they\u2019ve spent supporting
\n the program, Texas Tech renamed the center<\/a> the John and Rachel Brownlee Center for Real Estate<\/a> in March 2026.<\/p>\n![\"Brownlee](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2026_BrownleeEvent_289-.JPG\")
![\"Brownlee](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2026_BrownleeEvent_303-.JPG\")
<\/p>\n
\n to do for the rest of our lives,\u201d John said. \u201cAnd, from a giving standpoint, we\u2019ve
\n established three pillars: faith, family and Texas Tech, candidly. This program, specifically
\n within Texas Tech, hits three of our passions, which again are Texas Tech; two, the
\n real estate industry that\u2019s given us so much in our lives; and then three, helping
\n young people. And if you can find anything that unites your passions in one fell swoop,
\n this is it. So, we are all in, and it\u2019s great to see the growth and to have our part
\n in it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n given so much to them and the people with whom they have become so close.<\/p>\n
\n it has done so much for us,\u201d she said, speaking to the crowd at the announcement of
\n their gift and the center\u2019s new name. \u201cIt gave us our education, it gave us our West
\n Texas grit, and it gave us each other because we met here in 1993. For me, and I think
\n John would agree, the most important part of our time being back here at Texas Tech
\n has just been getting to know the people here \u2014 the friendships and the connections
\n \u2014 it\u2019s made it very special. So, I just hope that everyone knows, although the Brownlee
\n Center for Real Estate will lead to a lasting legacy, I also want them to know how
\n much they all mean to us.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n commercial real estate courses administered by the Brownlee Center for Real Estate,
\n as well as future generations of Texas Tech students. The gift will provide comprehensive
\n support for the Brownlee Center for Real Estate by funding scholarships<\/a>, internships, student travel to conferences and events, faculty and staff support, research<\/a> and other program needs.<\/p>\n
\n real estate industry that Texas Tech is fully committed to commercial real estate
\n education, but it creates momentum and steepens the trajectory of a program already
\n on the rise.<\/p>\n
\n relationships in an industry driven by just that, and it\u2019s a model for others to see
\n the impact they can have when they go invest.<\/p>\n
\n and alumni that Texas Tech is all in on commercial real estate,\u201d Harrell, director
\n of the Brownlee Center for Real Estate, said. \u201cIt gives us a platform to grow academics,
\n student experiences, and industry engagement for decades to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n but rather in the impact they can have \u2014 the spirit at the heart of ON&ON: The Campaign for Texas Tech University<\/a>.<\/p>\n
\n want our students to become,\u201d Harrell continued. \u201cWhen future students see the Brownlee
\n name on the center, I hope they learn that real success in commercial real estate,
\n just like life, is not measured in transactions or deals or buildings developed, it\u2019s
\n measured in the relationships you build, the integrity with which you do your work,
\n and how you invest in the next generation.\u201d<\/p>\n