Welcoming Karl Parker, P.E., MBA, Six Sigma Black Belt, as Business Development Manager for Southeast Texas

Texas PACE Authority has spent the past decade building a strong foundation for TX-PACE financing across Texas, working with communities, property owners, developers, lenders and other partners to make TX-PACE financing accessible and effective. As the program has grown, so has the opportunity to do more.

Today, TPA is taking an important step in how we engage with the market by welcoming Karl Parker, P.E., MBA, 6σBB, as our new Business Development Manager serving Southeast Texas.

Karl's arrival represents more than the addition of an experienced professional to our team. It reflects an evolution in how TPA approaches the market: moving beyond responding to opportunities to proactively building relationships, educating stakeholders and helping identify opportunities where TX-PACE financing can add value.

A More Proactive Approach to TX-PACE Financing

For much of TPA's history, our work has been driven by the needs of the projects and communities we serve. Property owners and their advisors have come to us when they are exploring TX-PACE, and our Transactions team has worked to help turn those opportunities into financeable projects.

That work remains at the heart of what we do. But as TX-PACE financing has matured in Texas, we see an opportunity to engage earlier and more intentionally. A dedicated business development function allows TPA to spend more time in the market, meeting property owners and developers before financing decisions have been finalized, building relationships with lenders and project professionals, and helping communities and stakeholders better understand where TX-PACE financing may fit within a project's capital strategy.

The goal isn't simply to generate more projects. It's to help create better-informed opportunities and stronger relationships.

TX-PACE Project Eligibility >>

Meet Karl Parker, TPA’s Business Development Manager for Southeast Texas 

Karl brings more than 30 years of experience in business strategy, P&L management, operational excellence and engineering to his new role at TPA. His career includes leadership positions with global organizations including Saudi Aramco, General Electric and Owens Corning, where he held roles spanning service business P&L ownership, growth leadership, global Lean Six Sigma leadership, plant management, program and product management, and engineering management.

Before joining TPA, Karl worked within an engineering services organization supporting capital planning and facilities and also served as an adjunct professor. That combination of technical expertise, business leadership and operational experience gives Karl a valuable perspective as he works with Texas property owners.

“TX-PACE financing is one of the few tools that enables property owners to improve building performance without diverting capital from other project priorities. I look forward to working with owners and developers across Southeast Texas early in the planning process—ensuring PACE is considered from the very beginning."

His focus will be on helping owners and project teams understand how TX-PACE financing can be incorporated into broader project and financial strategies, particularly when high-performance building improvements can contribute to long-term operational value.

Helping Property Owners Move from TX-PACE financing Opportunity to Transaction 

Business development is not intended to replace or duplicate the work TPA already does. Instead, it creates a stronger connection between early-stage market engagement and the transaction process.

The earlier TPA can be part of a conversation, the more effectively we can help property owners and their advisors understand program requirements, identify potential challenges and structure projects for success.

That creates a natural progression:

Relationship → Education → Opportunity → Transaction

Our Transactions team remains focused on turning qualified opportunities into well-designed, well-documented transactions that are ready to close, fund and ultimately stand behind. Business development expands the front end of that process, helping more people understand TX-PACE financing and helping the right opportunities reach the Transactions team with greater clarity.

TX-PACE For Property Owners >>

Expanding TX-PACE Financing in Southeast Texas

Karl will be based in Houston and will initially focus on Southeast Texas, developing relationships and increasing awareness of TX-PACE financing throughout the region. That regional focus is intentional.

Texas is a large and diverse real estate market, and the development environment in Southeast Texas isn't necessarily the same as it is in Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, San Antonio or other parts of the state. Local relationships and market knowledge matter.

As TPA continues to grow, we are exploring additional business development capacity in other regions, including DFW/North Texas and Austin/Southwest Central Texas.

The objective is not simply to put more people in the field. It is to develop regional expertise and relationships that allow TPA to be a more accessible and knowledgeable resource wherever opportunities arise.

TPA's Active Service Areas >>

An Important Next Step for TPA

Dedicated business development leadership marks a significant step in TPA's evolution. We've built a statewide program, developed the processes to support increasingly sophisticated transactions, and established relationships with communities, lenders and property owners across Texas.

Now we're investing in the next layer of that work: being more intentional about how we connect with the people and projects that can benefit from TX-PACE. For property owners, that means a resource to turn to earlier in the process. For lenders and project professionals, another point of connection to understand how TX-PACE financing fits alongside other capital sources. For communities, a stronger ability to educate local stakeholders and surface opportunities that support investment in their jurisdictions.

Welcome, Karl

We're excited to welcome Karl Parker to the Texas PACE Authority team. His experience, perspective and regional focus will help us strengthen relationships across Southeast Texas — and support TPA's broader shift from a program administrator that responds to opportunities into a proactive resource that helps create them.

Email Karl a Welcome Message | Connect with Karl on LinkedIn