At Gordon Highlander, growth begins with people. Every new opportunity starts with a conversation, a partnership, or a client who trusts us to deliver. When we looked toward Atlanta, we approached it with the same mindset that has guided us in Texas: build relationships first, earn trust, and do great work.
Expansion brings new challenges, but it also tests the strength of a company’s culture. For us, success depends on how well we serve others and how consistently we uphold our standards.
As Tayler Henry, Vice President of our Atlanta Division, explained, “We knew that with the trust and relationships we’d built in DFW, many of our partners there would be able to vouch for us and open doors in Atlanta.”
Those relationships created the foundation for what came next. Clients who had seen our work in Texas were confident we would bring the same commitment to Atlanta.
Finding Familiar Ground in Atlanta
Atlanta has long been a hub for commercial real estate, offering scale, experience, and a strong professional community.
As Tayler shared, “A lot of our client partners in DFW have a presence in Atlanta. They’ve got satellite offices there and a footprint that felt familiar.”
That familiarity mattered. The market already included many of the same organizations and trade partners that had worked with us in Texas. This created a smooth path for collaboration and helped us integrate into the city’s network of builders and developers.
We paid close attention to what made Atlanta such an appealing environment:
- A mature, stable commercial real estate market among the top in the nation.
- Strong overlap between our Dallas–Fort Worth client base and Atlanta’s active development scene.
- An established trade community with experience in complex industrial and interior projects.
Tayler described the experience of meeting local trades and seeing their approach firsthand.
“We started to notice how mature the trade base was, how experienced the trade base was, and how growth-minded everybody was,” he said. “That kind of energy matched our own.”
Atlanta’s environment encourages professionalism and progress. It’s a place where partnerships form quickly because people value results and reliability. From the start, it felt like a natural fit for our way of doing business.
Translating Trust Across State Lines
The work we’ve done in Texas helped open doors in Georgia. Partners who had seen our projects and processes firsthand were confident that we could deliver in another region.
Tayler described one relationship that made the move even smoother. “We built a tremendous amount of trust with a strategic account here in DFW. They were invested in our growth because we’d been able to deliver with excellence across the Texas market,” he said.
Those shared experiences helped create momentum. Conversations with existing clients led to new introductions, and soon we were working with local teams who understood what it meant to collaborate with Gordon Highlander.
For us, reputation begins with consistency. Every meeting, every bid, and every interaction is an opportunity to demonstrate reliability.
Building the Foundation: People and Process
Our strength as a company depends on relationships with the people who build alongside us. When we started in Atlanta, the priority was to connect with trade partners who shared our values and craftsmanship.
Tayler reflected on that process: “Our business is built on the backs of our trade partner relationships. Those folks are the ones who make us successful.”
Under the leadership of Pam Donaldson, we began building a trade network rooted in quality and shared respect. Many introductions came from existing partners in Texas who connected us with trusted trades in Georgia.
To maintain quality and culture, our team focused on a few key areas:
- Building a network of trades aligned with our standards and expectations.
- Relying on home-base support from our Texas preconstruction and operations teams.
- Recruiting professionals who fit our culture and demonstrate strong technical ability.
Recruiting the right people locally was another key step. Every candidate went through a careful evaluation to confirm both fit and capability.
Through this approach, we’ve built a team that understands what it means to represent Gordon Highlander. Each person carries forward the same care, discipline, and teamwork that define our work in Texas.
Let’s Build Together in Atlanta
Our Atlanta team is ready to partner with developers, brokers, and business owners who are shaping the region’s future. We provide full-service commercial construction solutions, including:
- Interior finish-out for office, retail, and industrial environments.
- Industrial construction for warehouses, distribution centers, and manufacturing facilities.
- Tenant improvements that maximize space and reflect each brand’s identity.
- Ground-up construction backed by experience, transparency, and teamwork.
If you’re planning a project in the Atlanta area, let’s connect. Our team would be honored to help you bring it to life with the same dedication and precision that define the Highlander Way.
Connect with our Atlanta Division to learn how we can help you grow your next project.