Bixby Land’s Bill Halford Passes Away

William R. “Bill” Halford, CEO of Bixby Land Company and a leader in the Southern California commercial real estate community, has died. The Southern California native was 58.

Halford, a fourth-generation Bixby and great-grandson of George Bixby, started at Bixby Land Company as a board director in 1994. He was named Bixby Land Company’s eighth president and CEO in 2006, and immediately began reshaping the then 110-year-old privately-held legacy land company into a contemporary real estate investor, developer and operator.

He installed Bixby’s current executive team early on, and was instrumental in changing the company culture and strategic direction for the firm. The company’s real estate portfolio was repositioned through the disposition of non-strategic assets to create a homogenous investment portfolio of institutional quality office and industrial properties.

“Bill’s vision and ability to motivate people to perform at a level higher than they may have thought possible was instrumental in establishing the investment performance and integrated services platform that today defines Bixby Land Company,” said Aaron Hill, president of Bixby. “His leadership has made an immense impact on the company and has left it positioned for future success.”

He also set in motion a value-add investment strategy focused on the redesign and development of creative office projects. As an early adopter in the creative office movement, Bixby created stylish outdoor amenities areas and energized work environments. Bixby has since completed more than 30 creative office buildings throughout California and in the Pacific Northwest.

Halford began his career working for XEROX and IBM in Silicon Valley. His substantial career in real estate began with Transpacific Development Company, where he was eventually responsible for all aspects of the company. In 1994, he returned to Southern California to work for the Irvine Company, where he ultimately presided over the Office Properties Division.

Halford was an active leader in the Southern California real estate industry. He served as a catalyst for and chairman of the Real Estate Advisory Board and the Dean’s Advisory Board for the Center for Real Estate at the Paul Merage School of Business at University of California, Irvine.

Halford was also a member of the Advisory Board for the Fisher Center for Real Estate and Urban Economics at University of California, Berkeley. He was the recipient of the Good Scout Award by the Orange County Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Center for Real Estate at the Paul Merage School of Business at University of California, Irvine.

Halford was a graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara, and completed advanced studies in real estate at Harvard and MIT.

He is survived by his wife Cindy Halford, daughter Ali Halford, son Bixby Halford, mother Suzy Halford and sister Heidi Halford. A celebration of life is planned. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be directed to the CORE Kidney Program at UCLA.

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