Highwoods Properties is a publicly traded office REIT headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. Founded in 1978 by Ronald Gibson and H. Pope Shuford, the company completed its initial public offering in 1994 on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol HIW. The REIT operates a portfolio spanning 26.8 million square feet of office properties concentrated across eight Sun Belt markets. The company's investment approach centers on acquiring, developing, and managing Class A office buildings in Best Business Districts within Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Nashville, Orlando, Raleigh, Richmond, and Tampa. The portfolio strategy emphasizes high-quality, amenity-rich properties positioned to attract creditworthy tenants from legal and professional services, financial services, and technology sectors. Between 1996 and 2022, Highwoods methodically entered each of its current markets through both acquisitions and ground-up development. The company expanded through the 2016 merger with Parkway Properties and has since pursued capital recycling through selective dispositions of non-core assets.