Rex Glendenning has patiently waited for growth to reach the northern outskirts of Dallas, where his family first settled more than a century ago.
The key to success in real estate starts with a clear vision and strong relationships. Your Whitley Penn advisors recognize this goal and partner with you to deliver unique solutions and connect your vision to your reality. Discuss your business opportunities by visiting www.whitleypenn.com/real-estate
Marcus & Millichap’s best of the best represent the highest level of investment and financing professionals in the industry. To be in this elite group of professionals means that these individuals truly epitomize the firm’s 50-plus year commitment to unparalleled expertise gained through investment specialization, a culture of information sharing and innovations in technology, research, and most importantly, client services. The success of our clients is celebrated by honoring our best of 2022.
Joey Tumminello Dallas IPA - Multifamily
Chris Gomes Dallas Hospitality
Philip Levy Dallas Retail
Adam Abushagur Dallas Industrial
Michael Ware Dallas IPA - Multifamily
Taylor Hill Dallas IPA - Multifamily
Brandon Karr Fort Worth Self Storage
Danny Cunningham Fort Worth Self Storage
Vince Knipp Dallas Retail
Sunny Sajnani Dallas Capital Markets
Todd McNeill Dallas Capital Markets
Robert Denninger Dallas Manufactured Housing
Skyler Cooper Dallas Hospitality
Wes Racht Dallas Multifamily
Ford Braly Fort Worth Multifamily
Chris Gainey Fort Worth Retail
David Fersing Dallas Multifamily
Matt Aslan Dallas Multifamily
Joe Santelli Dallas Retail
Jeff Kindorf Dallas IPA - Multifamily
JBB Advanced Technologies is a Dallas-based holding company that innovates at the intersection of blockchain, artificial intelligence, and clean, renewable energy.
At that intersection, we’re developing blockchain-based solutions for today’s world, including one to integrate ever-increasing amounts of solar energy seamlessly into our electric grid for greater robustness and resiliency.
Scan the QR code to discover what’s waiting for you at the intersection of JBB Advanced Technologies.
i recently had the opportunity to moderate a panel discussion at a Positive Justice event hosted in Dallas by Virgin Hotels and its foundation, Virgin Unite. The goal was to make business leaders aware of programs that help those with criminal records find employment and fully contribute to society—as well as initiatives that help people avoid the justice system altogether.
The issue of social justice reform is especially important in Texas, where about 403,400 people currently are on probation, parole, or in prison. Virgin Hotels CEO James Bermingham, the driving force behind the Positive Justice event, says business leaders have a responsibility to get involved, create good-paying jobs, and invest in the communities where they live, work, and operate their companies.
Bermingham points out that one in three American adults has some form of a criminal record. “For those 70 million people, that can mean lifelong barriers to employment and opportunity,” he says. “The unemployment rate for these individuals is more than eight times the national average.”
Employment is a solution, he says. But business leaders also need to look upstream. That’s why Virgin has gotten involved with a program called Unlock Potential, which aims to confront economic immobility at the source by helping employers give at-risk young people the life chances they deserve. It targets individuals aged 16 to 24 who aren’t in school or working, who may have an incarcerated parent, been a victim of human trafficking, been in the juvenile justice system, or aged out of foster care. These young adults are five times more likely to have a criminal record, and one-third live in poverty.
“By creating career pathways with real opportunities for advancement, we can help break intergenerational cycles of incarceration,” Bermingham says. “I urge the Texas business community to support these projects, create real opportunities for deserving Texans, and help end the inequalities of the justice system in our own backyard.”
Perez Editor
PUBLISHER Noelle LeVeaux
EDITORIAL EDITOR Christine Perez
EXECUTIVE EDITOR Brandon J. Call MANAGING EDITOR Ben Swanger
ONLINE MANAGING EDITOR Kelsey J. Vanderschoot
SENIOR EDITOR Will Maddox
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Richard Alm, W. Michael Cox
EDITORIAL INTERNS Hannah Ezell, Shreeya Khatry, Yvette Romero
ART
DESIGN DIRECTOR Hamilton Hedrick
STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Elizabeth Lavin
ADVERTISING
SALES MANAGER Rachel Gill
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Rhett Taylor
SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Cami Burke, Haley Muse
MANAGING EDITOR OF SPECIAL SECTIONS Jennifer Sander Hayes
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT Palmer McGraw
SALES INTERN Kennadie Drews
MARKETING & EVENTS
MARKETING DIRECTOR Gigi Ekstrom
MARKETING COORDINATOR Natalie Swaim
ADVERTISING ART DIRECTOR Katie Garza
EVENTS PRODUCER Madeline Alford
EVENTS MANAGER Anja Matukic
EVENTS INTERNS Mariam Berberian, Lianne Rodriguez, Daisy Rosas
AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT
SENIOR MANAGER Sarah South
AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR Emma Clingenpeel
EDITORIAL PROGRAMS MANAGER Sarah Masquelier
SPECIAL PROGRAMS COORDINATOR Jade Osseck
RETAIL STRATEGY MANAGER Steve Crabb
MERCHANDISER David Truesdell
DIGITAL
HEAD OF DIGITAL OPERATIONS Katrina Witherspoon
LEAD CAMPAIGN MANAGER AND AD OPERATIONS Riley Hill
DIGITAL ART DIRECTOR Mark Baker-Sanchez
DIGITAL DESIGN ASSOCIATE Andrea Chavez
SOCIAL MEDIA MANAGER Melissa Neely
PRODUCTION
DIRECTOR John Gay
COORDINATOR Grace John
PHOTO RETOUCHER Jasmine Green
BUSINESS
CONTROLLER Sabrina LaTorre
SENIOR ACCOUNTANT Debbie Travis
ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE COORDINATOR Jessica Hernandez
EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT DIRECTOR Patricia Martin
IT TECHNICIAN Luan Aliji
OFFICE MANAGER Will Smith
HOW TO REACH US
MAIL 750 N. Saint Paul St., Ste. 2100, Dallas, TX 75201
MAIN OFFICE 214-939-3636
WEBSITE www.dmagazine.com/dceo
The magazine assumes no responsibility for the return of unsolicited manuscripts.
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR feedback@dmagazine.com
CURRENT SUBSCRIPTION 800-732-9673 or subscriberservices@dmagazine.com
NEW SUBSCRIPTION www.dmagazine.com/requestdceo
ADVERTISING 214-939-3636 x 128
REPRINTS 214-939-3636
CUSTOM PUBLISHING 214-540-0113
SUBSCRIPTIONS
11 issues for $54 in the United States, possessions, APO and FPO; $70 per 11 issues elsewhere. Please provide old and new addresses and enclose latest mailing label when inquiring about your subscription.
D MAGAZINE PARTNERS
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF AND CEO Christine Allison
PRESIDENT Gillea Allison
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Thomas L. Earnshaw
FOUNDER Wick Allison
CERTIFIED AS A WOMEN-OWNED SMALL BUSINESS BY
WOMEN'S BUSINESS COUNCIL SOUTHWEST
industry leaders gathered in late october at the arts district Mansion to celebrate D CEO’s fifth annual Energy Awards. The event honored achievements in oil and gas, energy finance, and renewables by executives who drive the sector forward. The program also included a panel moderated by industry journalist Jennifer Warren, featuring Conservation Equity Management and Hayman Capital Management’s Kyle Bass and HEYCO Energy Group’s George Yates. Awards were presented in 10 categories by D CEO Editor Christine Perez, with help from Dan Harris, Rob Opitz, and Willie Hornberger. D CEO’s Legacy Award was presented to Yates. Thank you to title sponsors Forvis, Jackson Walker, Stream Realty, and U.S. Carbon Capture.
hundreds of dallas’ top business leaders gathered at the ma son to celebrate their inclusion in the 2023 Dallas 500. Music from Encore Productions, gourmet food stations, and a Maker’s Mark cocktail bar entertained guests while they networked. D CEO Publisher Noelle LeVeaux and Editor Christine Perez welcomed the crowd and helped reveal the cover. Featured this year are Caren Lock of TIAA, Terrence Maiden of Russell Glen Co., Melbourne O’Banion of Bestow, Dupree Scovell of Woodbine Development Corp., Taylor Shead of STEMuli, Gennéa Squire de Torres of Cadré Talent Consulting, and Megha Tolia of Shondaland. Nearly 200 new faces were added to the 2023 edition. Thank you to title sponsor JBB Technologies and signature sponsors Maker’s Mark, Capital One, Rex Real Estate, and Rogge Dunn Group.
Minutes to everything. Second to none.
With quality as a goal in everything from development and public facilities, to education and recreation, Mansfield is recognized as one of the best places to live, work and play in the country.
when patrick brandt was in his mid-20 s, he met with Craig Hall and asked for a $500,000 investment in a business plan Brandt worked up with Don Braun, the president of various HALL entities. Hall told Brandt he was not going to invest in that business. Instead, Hall said, “I want to invest in you. But $500,000 is not the right number.” Hall wrote a figure on his legal pad and circled it. The number was $5 million.
Since then, Brandt has raised more than $500 million of capital and led more than $1 billion in transactions, inclusive of equity, debt, acquisitions, divestitures, and exits. His newest venture is Grata. Founded in 2019 by Mark Bunting, the app lets consumers review the performance of workers in customer-facing industries. “There has never been a way to memorialize, capture, measure, or communicate a service person’s exceptional work,” says the newly minted CEO.
The app allows servers to build a track record of positive reviews, the employer to view these track records to recruit and retain better talent, and the consumer to build rapport with specific frontline workers.
Brandt’s passion for entrepreneurship revealed itself early. He started a lawn mowing business at 11 and bought Nike stock with that money, which he sold to buy his first car. After graduating from SMU in 1995, Brandt co-founded Cyberpix, which sold on-demand event photos at corporate events. He eventually took the company digital during the dot-com boom. But Cyberpix fizzled. “I always aspired to be in Fortune maga-
zine,” Brandt says. “I was on the centerfold of this ‘RIP.com’ section featuring all the dot-coms that failed.” Brandt ended up selling half of his company stock. “I was perceived as good, but I was lucky,” he says. “But that launched my career.”
After that meeting with Hall, Brandt invested his entire net worth—and some—to launch Skywire Software. He grew it to more than 600 employees, boosted by about $50 million in funding from Hall. Brandt sold the software to Oracle and two other companies for $300 million in 2008.
Brandt moved on to hold stints as CEO and chairman at enterprise-grade social network company Telligent and email and collaboration platform Zimbra. He then joined Shiftsmart, a labor-management tech platform that allows hourly workers to find jobs, in 2016 as president and co-founder. While there, Shiftsmart grew to serve 2 million workers across the globe and raise $117 million in funding.
During the pandemic, Brandt and Anurag Jain of Perot Jain launched Shiftsmart initiative Get Shift Done, which connected hospitality workers who lost their jobs with nonprofits to meet food insecurities. Get Shift Done provided 1 million hours of skilled shifts for 28,000 people to 110 nonprofits in 12 cities.
But come 2022, the desire to become a CEO again began to badger Brandt. So, Brandt became one of Grata’s largest investors, helped raise $6 million, and assembled a team of execs. “Running startups is like running marathons,” Brandt says. “After I’m done, I say, ‘I’m never doing that again.’ But then, I end up doing it again.”
So far, Grata is up and running in Texas, Florida, and Oklahoma. In DFW, it recently debuted at all seven locations of Tex-Mex restaurant Mesero and within First United Banks. In the fourth quarter of 2023, Brandt plans to start a Series A capital fund to raise up to $25 million. Right now, though, he is laying a foundation so that Grata can reach the realm of Uber. “Success is never a straight line,” he says. “Right now, I am maniacally focused on what is in front of me.”
Patrick Brandt has exhaustively studied the launch of Uber. The million-dollar question in the company’s early days was, ‘How do we get someone to book an Uber?’ The question is the same for Grata, Brandt explains. But Grata is testing everything— even tattoos. “We want the staff person to ask their customers how their service was,” Brandt says. “They ask, ‘Would you mind giving me a Grata?’ We are printing post-its, table tents, placemats, and business cards; we’re doing it directly through the phone, we’re doing NFC bracelets (which contain a chip to transfer data to smartphones with a tap), and even temporary tattoos at Miami Beach club SLS. Once everybody in the chain understands the value, they repeat. So, when that first Uber picked up the first customer, they both got value and realized they needed to do it again. We’re starting a flywheel.”
WBrandt started a lawncare business at 11, bought Nike stock with the money he earned, then sold it to buy his first car.
c-level execs, managers, and entrepreneurs make daily sales pitches. Whether you are trying to motivate an employee, sell goods or services, obtain funding, or win an argument with family or friends, persuasion skills are essential. This article details another proven persuasion technique.
Disrespect is a form of elitism and class warfare, whether it is class distinction based on race, wealth, power, looks, athleticism, or a host of other ways people think they are better than someone else. Recall my August 2021 DCEO article demonstrated people are persuaded by someone who thinks, looks, and acts like them. When you disrespect someone and generate a barrier or distinction, you create the opposite of the impression that you look, act, and think like them. People who believe they have underachieved in life are particularly angry about being disrespected and will quickly stop listening to anyone who disrespects them. Respect in the workplace is important to persuading employees to care and use their best efforts. If your executives treat managers like dogs, your managers will treat staff like dogs. If staff are treated like dogs, they will treat customers—your company’s lifeblood— like dogs. If management from the top-down treats employees with respect and dignity, it will result in good customer service—like a smiling and engaging Starbucks barista.
A Global 50 corporate client of mine fired a senior manager the day she returned from maternity leave. She had a problematic pregnancy and took pregnancy disability leave. While the manager was gone, the person caretaking her department found $750,000 unaccounted for. The books and records were such a mess, they couldn’t determine where the $750,000 went. On the morning the manager returned from maternity leave, instead of looking at her baby pictures, the
company put her in a conference room with the books and records and said, “Don’t come out until you find the missing $750,000.” When the department manager was unable to do so, they fired her on the spot. She claimed that postpartum depression prevented her from identifying an “accounting discrepancy” and sued for wrongful termination, false imprisonment, and pregnancy discrimination.
The client didn’t call me before abruptly firing this manager on her first day back from a difficult pregnancy. I thought it was going to be a tough case to defend until I learned about one of the fired manager’s management techniques. One employee was habitually tardy. The manager, at her own expense, bought an old-time bell ringer like those on a hotel reception counter. When the employee was tardy, the receptionist rang the bell and all the employees working in the department were required to come out of their offices, look at the tardy employee, and wag their index fingers back and forth—not exactly a modern management technique.
The same pro-employee jurors who favor plaintiffs do not respond well to disrespect. The bell was a devastating trial exhibit that stayed on my counsel table throughout the entire trial. I was able to use that poor management technique and the fired manager’s disrespect to employees to sour the jury on the plaintiff, which enabled us to totally defeat her lawsuit.
The takeaway: Never disrespect, divide, or distinguish yourself from the person you are trying to persuade.
ROGGE DUNN represents companies, executives, financial advisors, and entrepreneurs in business and employment matters.
Clients include the CEOs of American Airlines, Baker Hughes, Beck Group, Blucora, Crow Holdings, Dave & Busters, Gold’s Gym, FedEx, HKS, Texas Motor Speedway, Texas Capital Bancshares, and Texas Tech University as well as sports figures which include New York Mets manager Buck Showalter, NBA executive Donnie Nelson, and NBA Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown.
Dunn’s corporate clients include Adecco, Beal Bank, Benihana, Cawley Partners, Match.com, Rent-A-Center, and Outback Steakhouse.
In 2021, 2022, and 2023 Dunn was included in DCEO Magazine’s Dallas 500 list, which recognizes the most influential business leaders in North Texas.
He has been named a Texas Super Lawyer every year that award has been given and recognized as one of the top 100 attorneys in Texas by Texas Monthly (a Thomson Reuters service) and a D Magazine Best Lawyer 15 times.
after graduating with a mechanical engineering degree in her home country of Canada, April Allen earned an MBA from Harvard University. She thought she’d live in New York City but instead moved to Dallas to work for Neiman Marcus Group. Community work in the city led her to change course and take the helm of Southern Gateway Public Green Foundation, which will support and oversee a new five-acre deck park spanning Interstate 35-E between Ewing and Marsalis Avenues. “It’s the right time and place for this effort, which will transform our city and community,” she says.
BIRTHPLACE: Toronto, Canada
EDUCATION: Harvard University (MBA), University of Waterloo (BAS)
FIRST JOB:
“I worked at a mall in a popcorn store, making $3.90 an hour. I balanced this job with school and sports. I learned the value of a dollar, hard work, customer service, and multitasking.”
BEST ADVICE:
“Work harder than the person sitting next to you and make time to build relationships—from the person sweeping floors to the CEO.”
DINNER PARTY:
“I’d choose Gary Kelly, the former CEO of Southwest Airlines. I love that he was able to maintain a strong, positive corporate culture, through strong growth. I’d also choose Cynt Marshall of the Mavericks. She was entrusted with a cultural turnaround in a new industry in one of Dallas’
most visible roles. She is a personal inspiration.”
DESTINATIONS OF CHOICE:
“Hawaii’s Big Island and Toronto, Canada”
HOBBY/PASSION:
“I am a gardening nerd. I love reading about gardening, videos, and following others who talk about seeds, plants, natives, and pollinatorfriendly gardens.”
INDUSTRY CHANGE:
“I wish more philanthropists would approach giving like MacKenzie Scott—no jumping through hoops, no restrictions; just support and trust in the organization to make a difference.”
GO-TO ADVISERS:
“I seek advice from my husband and trusted friends from school.”
TOUGHEST CHALLENGE:
“Building awareness and presence for a nonprofit with no brand identity in southern Dallas.”
FIRST CAR:
“A white Nissan 240SX 2door sports car”
PROUD MOMENT:
“Hitting the milestone of raising 75 percent of funds needed for Southern Gateway Park.”
A BETTER DALLAS:
“I want to see more young people from underrepresented backgrounds be involved in decision-making.”
PIVOTAL MOMENT:
“I had a plan to move to NYC after grad school. I lived there for a summer internship and realized I loved to visit New York, but not live there. So, I had to be open to other opportunities. Moving to Dallas was one of those opportunities. I met my husband here; we’re now raising two little Texans and I’m proud to be leading this project for our city.”
WALK-UP SONG: “I’d choose ‘I am Woman’ by Emmy Meli.”
MUST-LISTEN: “I recommend The Daily, produced by The New York Times.”
SPIRIT ANIMAL: “Honeybee”
ALTERNATE REALITY:
“I’d be growing flowers on a flower farm. I just can’t get enough of it.”
FUTURE FORECAST:
“I’m excited by the trajectory of southern Dallas, our city, and our next gen leaders.”
Led by CEO and creative director Grayson DiFonzo, BuddyLove is bringing Southern Boho to boutiques nationwide.
after graduating from tcu, Grayson DiFonzo sold designer brands wholesale at tradeshows in New York, London, France, and more. While working in Dallas’ World Trade Center in 2012, she introduced her own line. “We launched with $10,000,” she says. “Now, this year, we’ll hit $15 million in revenue.” The brand produces five collections a year, showcasing everything from dresses to swimsuits. “We went from 12–18 pieces per collection to now 1,200 a year,” says Grayson’s husband and brand president Buddy DiFonzo. BuddyLove has also extended into e-commerce and a retail shop in Fredericksburg. Next up? Bolstering the brick-andmortar footprint. The brand aims to begin with North Dallas. “I’m hoping for five shops in five years,” Grayson says.—Kelsey J. Vanderschoot
in 2003 , terry babilla was handed the keys to farmers branch-based bsn Sports—Sport Supply Group at that time—the largest distributor of team sports apparel and equipment in the U.S. The new president and COO role came with $90 million of debt, an impending bankruptcy, and an imminent delisting—the company’s stock was trading at less than $1 per share. “I was scared to death,” Babilla recalls. He went on to voluntarily delist shares, offload the debt in three years, and grow BSN Sports’ revenue north of $1.5 billion.
A former M&A attorney, Babilla was recruited in 1995 to be the company’s general counsel—a title he still holds today alongside COO and president—but one year into his new role, the company restructured: Emerson Radio Corp. became its majority owner, founder Mike Blumenfeld resigned, and most of the C-Suite followed him out the door. “A few years later, we started to flounder,” Babilla says. “We were on the verge of bankruptcy, and the bank called our loan. That’s when my boss asked me to run the company.”
Babilla quickly figured out a way forward. First, he interviewed every employee for ideas. It was a start toward creating a culture of recognition, appreciation, and support. Next, he outlined a four-part strategy to offload the debt: grow sales, reduce the cost of goods, implement tight controls on working capital, and scale the company’s selling, general, and administrative expenses. The team recouped relationships with vendors and resurfaced from the flood waters. Blumenfeld re-entered Sports Supply Group in 2005 via his company Collegiate Pacific, which purchased 53 percent of shares (Emerson’s former holdings). A year later, Collegiate Pacific purchased the remaining shares. Today, BSN is backed by PE firm Bain Capital Private Equity and is a subsidiary of Varsity Brands, which is led by Blumenfeld’s son, Adam.
In 2022, BSN’s 50th year in business, the company distributed and manufactured uniforms and equipment to more than 151,000 youth, club, high school, and college teams. The company works with around 100 brands, including Nike, Under Armour, Puma, and has a pilot account with Lululemon. BSN is also exploring more B2B2C opportunities. “We’re in a digital transformation,” Babilla says. “I want to be the Amazon of team sales.”
BSN Sports ended 2022 with more than $1.5 billion in revenue and closed December 2022 with a robust pipeline.
“We have $175 million of orders that haven’t even shipped yet,” Babilla says.
same home, she says her brother’s experience was very different from her own. “Being able to overcome that and trying to dull that pain through addiction has been his nightmare and his challenge,” Madison says.
story by KELSEY J. VANDERSCHOOT illustration by JAKE MEYERSas we settle into a table at bonton farms’ Coffee House in South Dallas, Gabe Madison tells me that when she met the nonprofit’s leader, Daron Babcock, the now busy shop and its neighboring restaurant were merely ideas. “I was amazed at his vision,” she remembers. A longtime Thomson Reuters executive, Madison recently made a big career switch to become president at Bonton Farms, a nonprofit working to effect change in Dallas’ southern sector with its two farms, farmers market, and more. She shares that her go-to coffee order is an Iced Honey Butter Latte then begins talking about her goals.
Madison is starting big, aiming to break ground on Bonton Farms’ Health and Wellness Center on Bexar Street this year. “Because we started out as a farm, building nutrition as part of the prescription to wellness is what we are looking to provide, as well as access to healthcare and services,” she explains. The nonprofit also hopes to break ground on affordable housing in 2023 and is reactivating its therapy programming alongside Parkland psychiatrist Dr. Michael Selders. “He understands this,” Madison says, “He has his own garden that he utilizes with his patients as a way to heal from a lot of the trauma and pain that many people have.”
Madison knows firsthand about that pain, having watched her brother struggle with addiction and incarceration. “I see so much of him in the people who are in Bonton,” she says. The siblings were raised in a small East Texas town called Pollok, where Madison says they experienced racism. Though they grew up with the same parents in the
For Madison, her upbringing spurred her to dream bigger. She graduated from Baylor University with business and marketing degrees and entered corporate America, accepting an HR leadership role at Georgia-based flooring manufacturer Mohawk Industries before moving over to Thomson Reuters. There, she rose to director of community relations in 2015, guiding the media company’s engagement with North Texas nonprofits during the remainder of her 11-year tenure.
She connected with Babcock through her work with Dallas-based Café Momentum and began bringing groups of Thomson Reuters volunteers to Bonton Farms in 2018. Two years later, she worked with others to help pass the Bonton Farms Bill, which wipes away petty fines for former inmates to help them get a fresh start. “That’s when Daron saw my engagement,” Madison says.
Babcock asked her to join Bonton’s board and she soon became its chair. She realized the founder needed someone to “put legs” to the vision that he had for the nonprofit and began searching for this integrator and executor. “All the time, God was telling me, ‘It’s you,’” Madison laughs. “I kept hanging up on God.”
Madison thought she already had her dream job at Thomson Reuters. “I couldn’t imagine it,” she says, “Why would I leave this good, cushy corporate role to go do something so radically different? But then I said, ‘Impact is really what I’m after.’” Madison took on her new role at Bonton Farms in September 2022, commuting daily from Frisco. The drive is worth it, she says. “It’s not a job. This is my life’s work.”
In 1985, Glendenning received his first four Longhorn heifers from J.B. Hunn, a client who insisted that he pay half of his commission in cattle. Today, that number has grown to more than 300 head. Glendenning modeled his Longhorn program after Red McCombs, frequently trading, buying, and selling cattle with the Texas billionaire after whom The University of Texas at Austin’s business school is named. The Glendenning Ranch bloodlines are among the best available for breeding; some of the Longhorn have gone on to fetch six-figure price tags at auction.
Rex Glendenning loves the land he grew up on. His appreciation and reverence run deep. So do his roots. Glendenning’s great-grandfather, Alexander, first settled in West Celina after immigrating from Scotland in 1887. Alexander was the beneficiary of the Homestead Act of 1862, which granted new immigrants to the United States a 160-acre plot of public land to settle. He would work from sunup to sundown to put food on the table and provide for his wife and 11 children.
Glendenning’s grandfather, Thomas John, was in the womb during the family’s voyage from Scotland to America. He was born in Texas in October of 1887. Family lore maintains that by age 14, Thomas John (affectionately known as Daddy Tom) had amassed some 40 mules. “That was how you measured success,” Glendenning says. “My grandfather dropped out of school in the eighth grade to work, but he developed a reputation for being one of the hardest workers in Collin County.”
Some of Glendenning’s earliest memories growing up on the family farm involve waking up at daybreak to help in the cotton fields. “By the time I’d get up at 6, my grandfather would have already been out there working for at least an hour,” Glendenning remembers. “He’d always tell me, ‘Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.’ So that’s where I think I gathered some of my work ethic.”
Land broker Rex Glendenning has patiently waited for activity to extend to the far north, where his family first settled a century ago.
I
“To forget how to dig the earth and to tend the soil is to forget ourselves.”
The young Glendenning followed behind the cotton stripper to pick up the green bolls that would fall on the ground. His job was to dump the unripe bolls on a trailer in the sun and then diligently flip them every day or two with a pitchfork until they finally opened. “Whatever that cotton yielded, I’d take it to the gin, and that would be my pay for the summer,” Glendenning says. “One year, my brothers and I split $150, and, boy, did we think we were rich. That was a lot of money back then.”
“Land is the only thing in the world worth workin’ for, worth fightin’ for, worth dyin’ for, because it’s the only thing that lasts.”
THOMAS MITCHELL AS GERALD O’HARA, GONE WITH THE WIND
When it came time for Glendenning to leave home for college, his father, Don, told him that if he got a scholarship, he’d have a brand-new car to take to school. If not, his father said he’d have to find his own transport. Glendenning says his brother, Don Mark, got the brains of the family, being accepted to every Ivy League school except Harvard, and ultimately graduated from Stanford Law School. (He’s now a senior partner at Dallas-based firm Locke Lorde.) His other brother, Craig (now a real estate developer in San Antonio), was a star athlete who was heavily recruited out of high school and ultimately attended Texas A&M on a full-ride football scholarship.
Fortunately for Glendenning, he’d gain enough weight his senior year to help lead Celina High School to its first state championship in 1974. His 26-tackle performance in the championship game caught the eyes of scouts, and Glendenning ultimately accepted a scholarship to play football at North Texas State (now the University of North Texas) under the legendary coach Hayden Fry. Glendenning drove his 1976 White Pontiac Grand Prix to Denton that fall. “It was a chick magnet,” he says.
“’Cause the truth about it is, it all goes by real quick. You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy dirt.”
JORDAN DAVIS (FT. LUKE BRYAN)After graduating from North Texas, Glendenning’s first job out of school was selling land in Collin County for Dan Christie. Back in those days, the Texas Veterans Land Board granted $20,000 for veterans to buy rural property. So, each weekend, Glendenning drove into the country office and waited for the veterans to show up. The experience gave him the perfect opportunity to hone his sales skills: “I’d drive around and show some properties,” he says. “I’d talk about the history, tell some stories about growing up in the area, and then drive back and get a contract signed. My wife, Sherese, was my secretary, and she’d type up the contract. And then we’d do it all over again the following weekend.”
Glendenning sold 43 properties to veterans in 1981. The entire commission was $1,200, and he split it with his boss. “I learned that if I could sell someone a $20,000 plot of land, I could sell a $2 million property,” Glendenning recalls. Knowing he didn’t want to follow a corporate track in commercial real estate, Glendenning founded a land brokerage called North Texas Land Cos. with his brother, Craig. By 1986, though, the market began to cool, and the company faltered. Broke and discouraged, Glendenning received encouragement from broker Robert Grunnah Sr., who was with rival firm Henry S. Miller Cos. at the time. “By then, we had done a few deals together, and he was known as the seasoned veteran broker who had been around the block a few times,” Glendenning says. “He picked up the phone and said, ‘Rex, you’re an up-and-coming young gun in this industry. It’d be a shame if you called it quits now. You need to stay with it.’ He gave me the pep talk I needed.”
Grunnah, now with Younger Partners, says he remembers the conversation well. “Rex is someone I saw a lot of potential in,” he says. “I admired his skills and called to remind him that everything in real estate is cyclical. What goes down must come up again, and he’d be just fine if he stuck it out.”
Glendenning and Sherese founded REX Real Estate in 1987. And just as Grunnah predicted, the market began to improve. “We were plum broke, and my wife and I rolled up our sleeves and worked our way out of a very deep hole,” Glendenning says. “I’m proud that we’ve built our company over the past three decades into the name brand it is today in the commercial and investment real estate brokerage business.”
To this day, Sherese helps maintain the books for the company—and for the farmhouse and 156 acres they bought in 1991. Together, they’d go on to raise three kids and a small herd of Longhorns.
“In the real estate business, you pay your overhead, you pay Uncle Sam, and you pay everybody, and then whatever I had I left, I would buy land,” Glendenning says. “I did that for about 30 years.”
HENRY GEORGE, THE LAND QUESTION, 1881
Glendenning has learned more than a few lessons in his career that made him the broker he is today. First and foremost, he says ethics are of the utmost importance and that young brokers should strive to do business with honorable folks. “My dad used to say, ‘Son, if you hang around with shit long enough, you’re going to get some on you,’” he says.
“Without land, man cannot exist.”
He got his boots-on-the-ground training during college when he accompanied his dad on business trips to Louisiana and Mississippi to buy farm equipment. Ever the sponge, Glendenning listened to his father negotiate, haggle, and trade to make a deal. “I learned many of my people skills from my father, the stuff you can’t learn in textbooks,” he recalls. “Negotiation skills. When to take a cigarette break. The right thing to say at just the right moment. When to give a little and when to stand firm. That all came from watching my dad work.”
Glendenning and his father had a unique calling card for when they finally reached a handshake deal. “In those days, Coors wasn’t available east of the Mississippi River,” he says. “We’d stop at the Cork and Bottle liquor store before the Louisiana state line on our way out of town and buy eight or 10 cases of Coors and put them in our trunk. Then, we’d go from one dealership to another meeting with managers. I always knew when we were getting close to a deal because my dad would kind of wink at me, and then I’d go and put one of those cases of Coors in the manager’s front seat.”
It’s no surprise that Glendenning has built a reputation for going above and beyond for his clients, helping to rezone, creating municipal improvement zones or land easements, and more to ensure smooth transactions. As a result, he has built up a company where he says 75 to 80 percent of business is repeat. He also tells investors that if they ever want to divest the land they’re buying, they should use his brokerage. This strategy has led Glendenning to negotiate the sale of a single piece of property in Frisco a record 13 times. “A lot of brokers, once they close the deal, they’re gone,” he says. “That’s not me; That’s not what I’ve built my reputation on.”
Glendenning says his best advice to emerging real estate pros is to listen more and focus on developing people skills and relationships. “As a broker, you’ve got to carry around a doctor’s bag and act like a psychiatrist,” he says. “You must learn how to make everyone feel good about what’s going down and how they’re being treated in a deal. They’ve all got to feel like they’re the most special person in the world. A client always wants to know that everything is OK, and if they call at 11 o’clock at night, you’d better be there to answer the phone to reassure them.”
“Buy land, they’re not making it anymore.”
MARK TWAINAfter more than four decades in real estate, Glendenning is being honored with the Legacy Award in D CEO’s 2023 Power Brokers program. Later this year, he will be inducted into the North Texas Commercial Association of Realtors Hall of Fame. They’re high-profile honors for someone who largely operates under the radar, despite orchestrating many of DFW’s most notable developments, including Frisco Bridges, Granite Park, Viridian, Trophy Club, The Gates of Prosper, and more.
One of Glendenning’s biggest deals involved moving the Dallas Cowboys headquarters from Irving to Frisco and establishing the iconic project now known as The Star. “When I found out Nebraska Furniture Mart was headed to The Colony, I looked for other big opportunities for that prime piece of land,” Glendenning says of the property in Frisco. “With my business partner Matthew Kiran, we had our architect draw up plans for a mixed-use project and headquarters.” The next day, the duo took the plans to Stephen Jones. Within 72 hours of their aha moment, Glendenning and Kiran were sitting down with Jerry Jones in Highland Park. Within 30 days, they signed a memo of understanding between the buyer (Jones) and the seller (the city of Frisco). They were able to close the deal in 60 days. And the rest is history.
Glendenning has patiently waited for progress to move ever closer to the far northern regions where his family first settled more than 100 years ago. Along the way, he has learned lessons from the visionary clients and investors he has worked with. “I have been shot at and hit; I have enough lead in my ass to make a cannonball,” Glendenning quips.
He originally estimated that Celina would be ready to sustain a large-scale mixed-use development by 2030, but when COVID-19 sped up housing development in the area at never-before-seen rates, Glendenning now says that payoff is closer to 2024 or 2025.
The timeline coincides with the Dallas North Tollway expansion that’s currently underway. Frontage roads now extend all the way north to the Grayson County line. A bridge over U.S. 380 is expected to open within the next 90 days, and soon, new bids will open and construction will begin on the next phase, which will expand the tollway to six lanes all the way north to F.M. 428. A roughly five-mile stretch of the roadway now bears the name Glendenning Parkway. “It’s an honor not only for me but for my great-grandfather, grandfather, and father,” the broker says.
Glendenning is busy on infrastructure improvements to prime acreage he owns along the planned tollway expansion. The project doesn’t yet have a name, but that’s when Glendenning’s dream will truly come to fruition. That’s when he’ll build his legacy project in the place where he grew up. That’s when he’ll know he has made it. “When you broker deal after deal for 3 percent, you hope that one day not too far off, there’s a deal for you to make,” he says. “That’s when you’re the guy, finally, after 43 years of waiting.”
The complete list of D CEO Power Brokers for 2023 can be found on page 73.
“What we plant in the soil of contemplation, we shall reap in the harvest of action.”
MEISTER EKHART
Living at The Village was a rite of passage in the 1970s and ’80s for countless DFW execs, including Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. Now, with a multimilliondollar redevelopment, the mixed-use project is targeting a new generation of young professionals.
It has lined up permits to expand commercial space from 200,000 square feet to 600,000.
Thirty swimming pools are sprinkled throughout The Village’s 17 apartment neighborhoods.
La Mina offers a modern Mexican menu of drinks and food in the lowest level of The Drey Hotel.
THE SEXUAL REVOLUTION WAS just beginning to peak when The Village opened in 1968. The sprawling, 21-and-up, singles-only apartment complex nestled between Skillman, Greenville, Lovers Lane, and Northwest Highway, was the place to be in the ’70s and ’80s for recent college grads and young professionals. “No community was more vibrant or desirable,” says Larry Good, GFF’s retired founding principal.
The original 14 multifamily neighborhoods—each of which have their own name, like The Corners, The Gate, The Chase, and The Meadow—were built between 1968 and 1986. But in 1988, things changed when the federal government banned adult-only complexes (excluding those for seniors) with the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988. Children moved in, and some thought The Village was ruined forever. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t.
The Village has revived its sex appeal in a big way—this time with striking architecture and resort-style amenities. Under an ownership group that includes Lincoln Property Co.’s founder Mack Pogue and an institutional partner, developer Phoenix Property Co. began constructing the project’s 1.1 million-square-foot Village Town Center in November of 2017 and completed it four years later. The multimillion-dollar upgrade defines a new age for the rite-ofpassage community: luxurious, alluring, amenity-rich living.
The new Town Center is why I was compelled to become a villager last summer. Fresh out of college and a newlywed, I was apartment shopping in Dallas when my father advised me to check out The Village; he lived in its Corners neighborhood from 1989
to 1991. He gave me a warning, however. “At the New Year’s party at the country club reigning in 1991, your mother was overserved free champagne,” my dad told me. “As soon as she walked outside when we were leaving, she passed out cold. I carried her home from the country club all the way to my Corners apartment before she woke back up.”
“We were the only bar where you could drink by the glass since we were a private club back in those times,” explains John Horan, now CEO of The Village and former Lincoln Property Co. executive. Connectivity is what brought the vintage villagers together then—and it is still what brings current villagers together today.
A total of 330 new luxe apartments and townhomes (The Drey) were added to the Town Center, capping out at $5,500 a month for a two-bed, two-bath, 1,300-square-foot unit. Several restaurants, including Meridian (D Magazine’s Restaurant of the Year in 2021), modern Mexican restaurant La Mina, Mediterranean food and wine bar Anise, and sports bar Over Under, headline the square’s new dining options.
The Village Golf Club (which boasts an 18-hole putting green, two golf simulators, and a bar), a 50-key boutique hotel The Drey, a two-story, 32,000-square-foot gym, a revamped country club, dozens of retail spaces that feature dog grooming, a salon, and more, all make main street, and the entire Village, more than just a place to live.
“The Village is the anchor for that part of Dallas,” says Greg Willett, a longtime multifamily market analyst and first vice president of research for Institutional Property Advisors. “The new enhancements have significantly extended the property’s lifespan.”
Aaron Vampran, senior director of development for Phoenix Property Co., says that lifespan is 50 years. And the Town Center is not even fully built out. “There will be a continuation of development that will take place over several years,” Vampran says. “We have a masterplan that has concepts in place, but it doesn’t yet say that we will do X, Y, or Z.”
In terms of the financial value of the asset, which boasts just under 11,000 residents in 7,300 apartments, Willett can’t precisely quantify The Village, but says “the value is so much bigger than everything else in DFW. There’s not another cluster of apartment product, controlled by one company, that approaches The Village.”
THE VILLAGE predates Uptown’s explosion into a mixed-use neighborhood that boasts high-value, high-rise multifamily assets. But in the 1990s, when Uptown began to evolve into a leading live-work-play district in Dallas, Lincoln Property Co. responded with a plan in the early 2000s to enhance The Village—the building blocks that led to today’s iteration of the asset. “Uptown’s development into an entertainment
district with exclusive products could have made life very challenging on The Village, but they adapted the property,” Willett says. “The diversification of price points within The Village’s units, the adaptation of technology, and increased operational efficiencies is what kept The Village competitive.”
GFF was approached to complete a study in the early 2000’s for the redesign proposed by LPC. “Mack Pogue (the co-founder of Lincoln Property Co.) approached me with the idea that The Village needed to be torn down and rebuilt, phase by phase,” Good says. The units LPC built through the 1970s became small and outdated, and rent prices failed to correlate with the land value. Outside of the Town Center area, The Village added the Northbridge apartments in 2001, Westside in 2005, Dakota in 2008, and Upper East Side in 2014.
With new units attracting new tenants, the plan evolved to create a Town Center where the original golf course and country club were situated. “What we envisioned was high-rise living, more mixed-use facilities, and quality restaurants,” Good says. “So, we tried to set the stage for what could happen over time, and it was always intended to be a 15-year or 20-year plan to get all that done.”
In December 2005, the baton was passed to California-based Vita, a boutique planning and landscape architecture studio. Executed by former Vita executive Vampran, who is now with Phoenix Property Co., Vita’s masterplan for the entire Village, including the Town Center, was completed in 2008. “What Pogue wanted to create was something unique for The Village—not to take Uptown and put it in The Village,” Vampran says. “For Uptown residents, life is more about a singular experience, whereas The Village creates social programs to bring people together.”
Horan, who has been involved with residential management of The Village portfolio for just over 25 years and is a current villager, advised from the perspective of a resident.
“As the new development was in the design phase, it was important to provide a voice for the residents to ensure that the future amenities were unparalleled,” Horan says. Vita’s final masterplan reflected that vision.
DALLAS-BASED HKS, which has designed many multi-use projects around the
In 1980, Leon Backes, now CEO, chairman, and founder of Provident Realty Advisors, loaded up his orange Volkswagen Rabbit (sans air conditioning) and moved from Houston to The Corners. His new job with Coldwell Banker Commercial (now CBRE) paid him $800 a month. It was enough to cover his $300 rent. As a villager, Backes balanced a simple routine while climbing the commercial real estate ladder. “It was pool parties on the weekends, the country club on Thursdays, going to every happy hour, and a six-mile run capped off with loaded nachos and beer at the country club,” he says.
globe, was tapped to be the lead architect for The Village Town Center. In Dallas, one of its most recent projects is The Union, a vertical mixed-use development connecting Downtown and Uptown. But unlike other multifamily projects the firm has worked on, the team approached The Village expansion in a different way. “We overlayed resort planning with a focus on leisure, combined with the natural environment to create a community that can be enjoyed,” says Kirk Teske, principal, executive vice president, and global sector director of place at HKS.
High-rise living was pitched, but that never came to fruition. Vita’s 2008 design accompanied by a 2014 plan drawn up by HKS is what came to life. “The typical residential product is really discouraging me,” Teske says. “The Texas wrap is what’s become ubiquitous around here, which is a parking garage that’s wrapped with residential units and then there’s no land leftover for any kind of amenities. But our design was to leverage the space between the buildings, the mature trees in the area, and a modern, fresh architectural design uncommon to the region.”
The common residential build has become flat—we see it across the entire North Texas region. “There’s no articulation to the façade,” Teske adds. “But we combined many different residential topologies to the design.”
What makes it all work, Teske says, is the two-level, 1,200-spot underground parking garage. “I am always amazed that when I go to a good resort there are thousands of
people there, but the number of visible cars could not prove that. We leveraged the topography—and refused to scrape it flat—to make it all happen,” Teske says.
The Town Center’s interiors is where Kellie Sirna’s Dallas-based Studio 11 Design found its place in The Village Town Center. Sirna, founder and principal, led the interior design of the quaint coffee shop Buzz &
Mark Cuban migrated to The Village in 1982 after some coaxing from one of his friends. He called a three-bedroom apartment in The Hill home—alongside five roommates. Split six ways, rent was $125 each, and Cuban didn’t even have a bed or dresser. He stacked his clothes in one of the corners and slept on the floor. “It was a living hell hole, but so much fun,” Cuban says. He got a job as a bartender at the legendary Dallas nightclub Elan’s on Greenville Ave. to pay for rent. Cuban says what he loved most about The Village was the party scene. “We used to get everyone in The Hill to pitch in so we could buy a keg to share,” he remembers. “Those parties got bigger and bigger and led to us renting out a warehouse in Deep Ellum to throw parties there. That venture led to our friend Jeff Swaney opening Club Clearview, which helped kick off clubs being opened in Deep Ellum.”
Bustle, two-story sports bar Over Under, and Roundhouse, the property’s food hall, which houses a bar and seven dining options. “When designing these spaces,” Sirna says, “we started by diving deep into a couple of questions: What is the history of The Village? And what will The Village be moving forward?”
Buzz & Bustle features a vintage vibe with exposed pipes, a retro, reclaimed rug, a hand-painted mural, and a classic bookshelf with a sliding ladder. Over Under is a minimalist sports bar with hidden easter eggs throughout the venue, such as old DFW high school yearbooks and repurposed basketball court flooring. The Roundhouse food hall hosts many personalities under one roof with warm wood tones and neutral backdrops.
Sirna, who has worked with clients like Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt, Caesars Entertainment, Starwood, Thompson, and more, says she wanted to design The Village’s venues in a way that balanced exclusivity to The Village residents with inclusivity to the greater Dallas community. “After all, The Village has turned into a destination,” she says. “The residents themselves are the sales team for The Village—they’re the ones inviting people in, telling them to stay at The Drey hotel, and bringing in the revenue.”
During the nearly 20-year lifecycle of development, approximately 100 consultants, architects, engineers, designers, vendors, and more helped bring The Village Town Center to life.
TODAY, there are 17 distinct apartment complexes (and 30 swimming pools) within The Village’s four city blocks. The value of the asset—which employs about 650 people—rests in the sheer size and location
of the project. “If you were to decide what’s the most prestigious block of 300 to 400 units in Dallas are, you’re not going to pick The Village,” Willett says. “But if you put all The Village properties together, it’s the trophy asset of Dallas.”
The Village is not finished developing the prize asset. It owns entitlements to 12,360 units, which would expand the project’s current unit footprint by nearly 70 percent. Within the 1.1 million-square-foot town square, is 200,000 square feet of commercial space. The Village has entitlements to triple that to 600,000 square feet.
“In 2014, we went to the city and asked to get rid of all the interior boundaries and look at The Village as a whole and give us the flexibility to distribute products in land usage anywhere within our own boundary to be responsive,” Vampran says. “Those zoning classifications were written many, many years ago and it wasn’t responsive to today’s product. So, we asked for a variation of heights to fit our masterplan with a goal of maximizing open space and being green.”
The Town Center’s tallest building is the 5-story Drey Hotel (95 feet), but The Village has zoning permits to build as high as 160 feet. Throughout the life of The Village, just four communities have been redeveloped: Upper East Side, Northbridge, Dakota, and Westside—all on the northern boundary of the development’s 307 acres. In the coming years, “Every other property (also excluding The Drey) is up for redevelopment,” Vampran says. “They will be complete teardowns and rebuilds in the same footprint.”
There is no specific timeline for redevelopment; Vampran says construction will begin when the market seeks a response.
“In the future, every residential product type will have great amenities and spaces ranging from garden style to high-rise living,” Horan says.
On the nonresidential side, Vampran has dreamed up several plans for the additional 400,000 square feet of commercial space. “We could build anything from an office tower to a movie theater; we’re exploring office space, food, beverage, or more retail spaces,” he says. “But lately, we’ve been talking about adding more office space. Our core business is multifamily, so most people activate the town square during the evenings, nights, and weekends. But office space would help activate the space during the middle of the day, as well.”
Although details are still being defined for The Village’s next steps, connectivity is at the center of each decision for the community. “At typical apartments, residents are not engaged or given opportunities to be drawn out, meet their neighbors, or be a part of something larger—be a part of a community,” Vampran says.
It’s 6:30 p.m. as I try to put a bow on this story. I’m grilling fajitas on my porch and thinking about how to end it. A neighbor walks by and says, “It smells good!” Past generations of villagers might (hazily) remember the parties. For me, it will be about the little things that make this place feel like home. The fajitas tasted pretty good, too.
As the president of Klyde Warren Park, Kit Sawers recently captained the expansion of its Children’s Park. Several decades prior to taking the helm of the 5.2-acre urban green space, Sawers lived at The Village from 1990 to 1991 in the shadows of The
Village’s raging party days. The scene at the time was much different than the 1970s and early 80s, she says.
“It was a calmer place when I lived there. I moved into The Village because of convenience, and I thought the country club was cool—but admittedly
I never set foot in it after my tour.” The party location shifted, due in part to Mark Cuban, from The Village to Deep Ellum. While living at The Village Lakes—where she split a $900 rent bill with a roommate— Sawers attended SMU law school. And when
not busy with studies, she moseyed on over from her apartment to Club Dada in Deep Ellum to party where a Grateful Dead cover band performed.
“That was a Saturday night ritual,” she says. “It was swiping right before swiping right was a thing.”
AS HE BUILDS HIS INDEPENDENT PUBLISHING HOUSE AND BOOKSTORE DEEP VELLUM, WILL EVANS IS SPARKING A LITERARY MOVEMENT IN DALLAS.
story by WILL MADDOX
Reaching the Next Generation of Readers
Deep Vellum’s first children’s book is Little Coleman’s debut work, called ABC That Could Be Me! Illustrated by Lindsay Scott, it’s meant to empower children of color by highlighting role models who have broken barriers, such as the country’s first Black architect or chemist.
I had not read it but had been meaning to; after I finished perusing the store, I picked it up to purchase. As I opened the pages to thumb through the colorful hardback, I saw it was a signed copy. What were the chances?
Finding a signed copy from one of my favorite authors was a serendipitous moment. But behind the scenes, Deep Vellum and its CEO Will Evans have been working for years to make these moments happen. The independent publishing house and bookstore is in Deep Ellum, an area known for its embrace of the arts since the days of Blind Lemon Jefferson. The shop is busy, compact, and full of energy—much like Evans himself. For nearly a decade, he has been grinding to create something from nothing. Along the way, he is doing more; he is sparking a literary movement in Dallas.
North Carolina native Evans founded Deep Vellum Publishing in 2013, when Dallas had no independent shops selling new books. Along with publishing, the operates the bookstore and programs events. From 2018 to 2022, its budget increased by 2,000 percent. Last year, Deep Vellum sales cracked $1 million. It has published more than 1,000 books in 70 languages by authors from 100 countries and every continent except Antarctica. Evans says it has more books in translation than any other publisher in history.
With a background that includes tour managing a rock band and a master’s degree in Russian culture, Evans was introduced to literature translation in grad school at Duke University when he asked a professor about a Russian novel he wanted to read. She told him to translate it himself. Although he was intimidated, he forged ahead.
He began to look for a place to publish the book and found some disheartening stats. Fewer than 3 percent of the books published in the U.S. are translated from other languages, and only one-tenth of a percent are new translations, estimates show. Soon after, he read a blog that said if you care about the lack of translated works in the world, start your own press. Without experience in the industry, Ev-
ans set out to give himself an education. First, he found a mentor named Chad Post, who ran a translated literature press in Rochester, New York. Post taught him how to budget, how to apply for grants, where to print the books, and how to discover new authors. He also studied up on the industry, reading multiple books about publishing. When he moved to Dallas in 2012 due to his wife’s role as an attorney with Vinson & Elkins, Evans quickly saw potential in DFW. “No one was publishing books and building an entire literary community, to connect all the dots between amazing things that existed,” he says. “So, I founded Deep Vellum.”
The name is an homage to its neighborhood and the history of publishing. Vellum is a prepared animal skin or membrane that the ancient Greek philosophers used as paper. The Gutenberg Bible, the first major book printed using mass-produced movable type in Europe, was bound in vellum. “It ties us into the entire history of publishing as an industry, which is beautiful,” Evans says.
His aim was two-pronged: bring international voices to the English language and publish Texas authors. Because the organization sought to publish lesser-known writers from around the world, Evans felt the nonprofit model would allow it to seek funding via donors and grants to fill in the holes in the budget when book sales weren’t enough. That helped Deep Vellum bring new voices to American readers. “That was the mission,” he says. “It was about creating these conversations between people that wouldn’t happen otherwise.”
From a traditional startup perspective, Deep Vellum may not have made much sense. All the major publishers were on the East Coast, and Dallas lacked independent bookstores when Deep Vellum was first founded. A focus on niche translated works also meant a limited market. But what Evans lacked in business experience he made up for in energy and passion. Like all great entrepreneurs, Evans trusted his vision, enthusiasm, and instinct, and it worked.
Armed with just an idea, Evans met with everyone he could. Local authors, literary organizations, professors, and potential donors shared his dream for Deep Vellum
I was only a few steps into Deep Vellum before I bumped into a table with one of my favorite author’s latest books on it.
and the city’s need for an independent book publisher and bookstore. Award-winning Dallas author Ben Fountain is one of Evans’ biggest supporters but remembers the seeds of doubt during their first meeting at a restaurant in North Dallas. “Will explained his vision,” Fountain says. “He struck me as a great believer in his project. I said, ‘Look, I think you’re crazy. I wish you luck and all success, but it’s going to be an uphill battle.’”
A few meetings ended with individuals telling Evans to call him in two years when he needed another job. Of course, he never made that call. “I wonder what it would be like to start a business and people don’t tell you you’re crazy. It’d be a real joy,” he jokes. “But I guess I was a little crazy. I didn’t get an MBA, but I don’t think it takes an MBA to be an entrepreneur.”
From the start, Evans did it all, taking on leadership of operations, artistic direction, and focused on the literary side. He leaned into Dallas’ reputation as a can-do, pro-business city. He set out to spread the word about this organization that would serve as the missing link in the artistic community, unique in its connection between the hyperlocal and the international. In this pursuit, what some would consider challenges ended up being opportunities. The lack of a literary industry meant there was room for local growth. The dearth of existing funding meant that there were donors out there who were ready to support the
2022 was the most prolific year in Deep Vellum’s history. It included publishing and giving away 30,000 copies of The Accommodation by North Texas journalist Jim Schutze through the Big D Reads program. The initiative was launched in collaboration with D Magazine Partners,
Communities Foundation of Texas, and more than 50 other community organizations. The book had been out of print for more than 30 years and was difficult to get, but it provided a critical perspective for those who wanted to understand Dallas and the city’s history of institutional racism.
The initiative also included conversations with the author and civil rights leaders and an engaging discussion about the role of faith communities shaping Dallas’ future that included a Ku Klux Klan hood, slave shackles, and a variety of perspectives on the issue of race and faith in Dallas. Big D Reads is exactly the sort of scene Evans seeks to create. When an entire city takes part in a conversation about its history, fueled by a work written by a local author, that is the sort of momentum and impact that he sees as the potential for an organization like Deep Vellum. Evans says there were more than 100 Big D Reads events during September and October. “That wasn’t just a book; that was a movement,” says Sanderia Faye Smith, assistant professor at SMU and executive director of the Dallas Literary Festival. “It got people who would not have ever come together to discuss topics that have been dormant for years. Dallas was given an opportunity to learn more about itself.”
literary arts. DFW is one of the most philanthropic cities in the U.S., and its entrepreneurial spirit and relatively egalitarian business community made it easy for Evans to connect with donors and supporters. “The thing I love about Dallas is that you can get a meeting with anybody,” Evans says.
For five years, Evans didn’t take a salary. He says he was fortunate that his wife Meriwether job was able to support the family. She encouraged him to pursue his dreams, even without funding. His vision began to gain traction, and in 2015, Deep Vellum moved into digs on Commerce Street. In 2019, Deep Vellum received its first significant donation, a $100,000 gift from a California donor. This allowed Evans to put himself on the payroll, hire additional staff, and have the confidence to reach out to more authors and translators.
“This is real,” Evans said to himself at the time. Over the years, the space has hosted 600 events, from book signings and launch parties to one-person plays and stand-up comedy.
A look at a few recently published works from Deep Vellum that are helping to raise the profile of the Dallas nonprofit and making waves in the literary world.
Grey Bees portrays conflict through eyes of a beekeeper from Ukrainian author Andrey Kurkov and translated by University of Tulsa professor Boris Dralyuk. The book secured a frontpage review in the New York Times Book Review.
Named best book of the year by many publications, Solenoid is by Romanian author Mircea Cărtărescu and translated by UT-Dallas professor Sean Cotter. It is a philosophical work based on Cărtărescu’s role as a high school teacher.
By local writer Jane Saginaw, Because the World is Round is a tale about world travel and growth told by a teenage Saginaw. The author is a former trial lawyer and regional administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
One early event epitomized the unity of the international and local. Deep Vellum helped arrange a book club meeting between women who lived near Bachman Lake, many of whom were working-class women from Northern Mexico. They were joined by Carmen Boullosa, a Mexican author of the first book Deep Vellum ever published, who discussed her book about the borderland, Texas: The Great Theft. “These things don’t just happen,” Evans says. “This author never would meet these women in her daily life in Mexico City. It is important to read things in translation to see yourself through someone else’s eyes. A book about where we live but written from a different perspective teaches us a lot about ourselves.”
Like many entrepreneurs, Evans wore multiple hats in the early days. He was the editor, marketing director, development director, sales director, publicist, and bookstore manager. The organization didn’t add its first employee to the payroll until 2019 but is now up to a dozen employees who do everything from manage the store to make decisions about which works to publish. Evans says the company will add three or four new full-time and three or four new part-time positions this year. “If things can adapt and change based on who’s working, that’s beautiful,” he says. “Deep Vellum isn’t called Will Evans Books on purpose. It’s very much a team effort.”
In March of 2022, Deep Vellum published a book set in occupied Eastern Ukraine by the country’s most famous author. The publishing deal with Deep Vellum was signed in 2020, and the book was written in 2018, but several weeks after being published in English, Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, making Grey Bees more poignant than ever. It has been the fastest-selling book in the history of Deep Vellum—20,000 copies in paperback, ebook, and audiobook in its first nine months. Deep Vellum has reprinted the work five times. A sixth print is at the printer as of this writing for an additional 10,000 paperback copies. “How would you read this book if we didn’t publish it?” Evans asks.
He doesn’t choose works solely based on their ability to fly off the shelves but sees inherent value in presenting unique and diverse voices telling stories that English readers would not experience if it were not for Deep Vellum.
Evans is working in the space between the behemoths of publishing. More than 80 percent of all books are published by five publishing houses, all with East Coast U.S. headquarters. They own the entire distribution chain and occupy the front tables of every national bookstore chain. Deep Vellum looks to fill in the gaps of what is missing, raising money via grants and donations along the way.
Evans says Deep Vellum is looking to open a center for storytelling in downtown Dallas that he hopes to open by the end of 2023. It will include a bookstore, theater, a children’s area, a writing area, and a meeting space. The vision is to reach all demographics with book clubs, writing workshops, publishing classes, and writers in residence. The space, near Neiman Marcus and Dallas Public Library, is essential to creating the scene Evans has long envisioned for Dallas, which has cultural and commercial implications. “It’ll be a magnet for local communities and tourists,” Evans says. “Imagine you’re coming to the World Cup in 2026, you’re in the fan zone two blocks away, and you walk into a bookstore with books from every country in the World Cup. It’s where literature belongs—in the heart of the city.”
Acquisitions have played a major role in the growth of the organization, too, giving Deep Vellum a critical mass of titles to make it more sustainable. In 2019, Deep Vellum bought two small publishing houses in Austin and Los Angeles that focused on translated and experimental works. In 2020, Deep Vellum bought Illinois-based Dalkey Archive Press, one of the leaders in translated publishing, with more than 1,000 works from 50 different languages, Nobel Prize and National Book Award winners among them.
Evans’ 10-year plan has gone according to schedule. These days the organization has more trouble picking between all the authors and translators pitching to them rather than finding someone to take a chance on a new publisher. The organization celebrates its first decade in April, when it will kick off plans for a storytelling center meant to be the beating heart of Dallas’ literary scene (see sidebar). In 2022, Evans was nominated by Fountain and inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters in recognition of his work.
“He’s living proof that if you want something, you just keep pushing, pushing, pushing,” Fountain says. “You keep pushing or something until somebody makes you stop, and nobody has made Will stop.”
As Evans talks, he rolls up his sleeves to reveal several tattoos beneath a Great Trinity Forest sweatshirt. He has an energy emitting from his body as if he is a bit uncomfortable sitting still. In the challenging industry of book publishing, he wants to keep moving and growing. Looking ahead, he plans to continue publishing unique works and move into children’s and young adult books, exposing young people to diverse voices and teaching them about the world. He also aims to move Deep Vellum from small nonprofit to institution, giving it permanence and longevity that will outlast him.
Among his tattoos is one of North Carolina, with the state’s motto just below: “Esse quam videri,” which means “To be, rather than to seem.” Evans has his own translation that he lives by on his way to building Dallas’ literary scene. “‘Don’t talk about it, be about it.’ That’s what guides me,” he says. “I refuse to live in a city and sit here and kvetch about the way I wish it could be. If I want to see a change, I have to be the change.”
“I refuse to live in a city and sit here and kvetch about the way I wish it could be. If I want to see a change, I have to be the change.”
A robust literary center is on the way in the heart of Dallas.
YOU TELL A STORY.
WE MAKE IT UNFORGETTABLE.
Steven Roemerman, Chairman and CEO LONE STAR ANALYSIS
“innovators won’t succeed without resilience. resilience means pushing forward when there are obstacles and hope is fading. It plays at least three roles in innovation. First, it takes resilience to challenge the status quo in your own mind and imagine something better. Then, it takes resilience to overcome the twin barriers of your own misunderstandings of the real value proposition to customers and the customer’s inertia, which resists even the best kinds of change. Finally, it takes resilience to slog through the hundreds of implementation details blocking your path. Whether these are technology issues, changes in regulations, taxes you didn’t know about, or the know-it-all who can say ‘no,’ you must push past hundreds of barriers that would not exist in a fair world and that your MBA professor probably forgot to mention.” — As told to Ben
SwangerLocal violence has made hospital security a hot topic, but leaders want to balance safety with a welcoming environment.
story by WILL MADDOX
Oon oct. 22 , a man with a lengthy criminal record walked into Methodist Dallas Medical Center wearing an ankle monitor and, unbeknownst to hospital staff, a handgun. He was granted permission to visit the hospital to see his girlfriend give birth. The man allegedly got into an argument with and assaulted his girlfriend and later shot and killed a hospital nurse and social worker before being wounded by a Methodist police officer and surrendering.
Less than a month later, a Texas medical examiner was shot and killed in her Dallas office by her estranged husband, who then turned the gun on himself. It is believed he entered through an employee entrance, as the public does not have access to the building.
These two incidents, just weeks apart, add to the growing tally of shootings in healthcare settings. On June 1, a man shot four people in a
Tulsa hospital, three of whom were hospital staff. On that same day in Ohio, a county jail inmate disarmed a security guard in a Dayton hospital, shot and killed the guard, pointed the gun at bystanders, and then killed himself.
Working in healthcare comes with its risks. According to the American Nurses Association, one in four nurses is assaulted on the job. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that healthcare workers and those who work in social services are five times more likely to experience violence in the workplace than other workers. It’s a problem that has been around for a while; my mother, who was working at the state hospital in Austin, had her nose broken when she was punched in the face by a patient while she was pregnant with me.
But the issue seems to be getting worse. The American Hospital Association says that 44 percent of nurses experienced physical violence, and 68 percent experienced verbal abuse during the pandemic. Given the rise of violence in the workplace in healthcare settings, one might expect these facilities to be as secure as a sporting event or airport, with metal detectors at every entrance, guests and staff asked to empty their pockets while being searched, and visible security forces throughout the facility.
But herein lies the growing tension in healthcare, especially around hospital operations and design. Healthcare leaders don’t want their facilities to feel like locked-down institutions. Walking into a new hospital these days is more likely to feel like entering the lobby of a luxury hotel with engaging art, attractive light fixtures, natural light, and multiple seating areas. A metal detector, security guard with a wand, or other deterrents might ruin the ambiance medical centers want to exude.
“Hospitals are worried about queuing and don’t want people waiting in line,” says Marilyn Hollier, a consultant at Security Risk Management Consultants. “They want to balance security, patient care, and accessibility. We can lead them to the water, but it’s up to them if they drink.”
If you talk to hospital leaders, they’ll say safety for patients and staff is a top priority. So, how do they square the circle? “We do everything we can
to make the hospital as welcoming as possible, not only for the patients but their families,” says Steve Love, president and CEO of the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council. “It is hard to balance that because you want to make it safe for the patient, families, and the hospital staff.”
During the height of the pandemic, visitation was limited, which helped with security. But providers know that social interaction and the presence of friends and family are essential to recovery, and they don’t want to return to zero visitors. Instead, hospitals are adding training on preparedness, increasing the number of security guards and safety drills, and upgrading technology and cameras to help identify threats before they happen. “The improvements that we made are a result of that ongoing vigilance, learning, and priority to keep our patients and our care team safe,” says Winjie Tang Miao, senior executive VP and COO of Texas Health Resources.
The people and systems in charge of hospital security are as important as the tech, experts say. Many hospital systems will hire a former chief of police to help keep facilities secure, but the nature of hospitals makes their protection much more than a retirement job. Hospitals haven’t been designed with security as a priority, so their open layouts, multiple entrances, and mix of guests, employees, vendors, and staff make them increasingly difficult to secure. Hospital security consultants talk about concentric circles of security that include relationships with the local law enforcement and corrections departments, having one’s own identification program in place, and required visitor passes for sensitive areas.
Designing facilities with security in mind, increasing the number of risk assessments, creating effective violence reporting mechanisms for employees, and hiring leadership with specific healthcare security certification are all strategies that can put hospitals ahead, says Tom Smith, president and principal consultant of Healthcare Security Consultants. But enhancements aren’t cheap. “You must decide what’s reasonable. The latest and greatest MRI machine or two or three more police or security in our emergency department,” he says. “I’m not saying it’s easy. But you want to evaluate the risks.”
Multiple legislative efforts are in the works to bolster the protection of healthcare employees, and they’re supported by numerous hospital and provider groups. The Safety from Violence for Healthcare Employees Act would establish enhanced legal penalties for violence against healthcare workers, like those for aircraft and airport workers. It would also authorize funding for training, law enforcement coordination, and technology in hospitals to improve security. The bill was introduced into the House of Representatives in 2022. The Workplace Violence Prevention for Health Care and Social Service Workers Act would direct the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to require healthcare and social service employers to implement a workplace violence prevention plan to improve the environment for their employees. This bill was passed by the House in 2021.
of Investments and Advice Dallas/Oklahoma JPMORGAN PRIVATE BANK
“My father taught my brother and me to ‘create value in the absence of direction.’ I am always thinking about how my team can create value for clients and for our firm when no one is expecting it or directing it. My dad also taught us that there is a piece of the American pie out there for us. However, it is up to us to determine how big that piece is.”
“About eight years ago, a mentor told me, ‘Be the best me I can be. You’ll make a terrible someone else. What this company needs is who you are.’ It took me 18 months to settle into that, but I’ve lived by that advice and shared it ever since. Trying to be someone I’m not has never served me. My authenticity has paid off time and time again.”
MEHUL PATEL Managing Partner and CEO NEWCRESTIMAGE“Among my favorite guidance is this: ‘Receiving feedback is a valuable gift, but receiving honest feedback is a big favor.’ We all need feedback to be better in business and in life, but we especially need those people who are willing to give us very candid and blunt guidance so we can adjust our direction as needed and improve our decision making.”
We create content that creates change.
Whether you want to build brand affinity, improve employee engagement, or accelerate sales, we create content that moves your audience. Our strategists, editors, writers, designers, digital mavens, and developers work as a natural extension of your team, ensuring that everything we create drives results for your business.
SELECT CLIENTS
TXCPA Dallas is one of the premier professional associations in the Metroplex. We serve over 6,000 professionals who are the decision makers and trusted business advisors at the center of one of the fastest growing markets in the country.
Plan to join TXCPA Dallas at Wednesday, june 7, 2023
omni Frisco at the star
A conversation between D CEO and an insightful panel of local experts in various leadership roles about economic, education, financial, and employment issues affecting employers, as well as their current and future employees. They each share valuable perspectives on what forward-thinking business owners and company leaders should know about hiring—and keeping—top talent in the coming years.
MAYA THOMAS FERNANDEZ: At Dallas College, we partner with several employers to help upskill and reskill their current employees. There is also a state initiative right now, The Texas Reskilling & Upskilling through Education (TRUE), which is reskilling and upskilling through education, and Dallas College is working on a few initiatives through that, specifically in healthcare and IT. We work with several local hospitals to bring in the soft skills needed that some employees are missing, but also upskilling and reskilling those employees by letting employees learn on the job.
LINDA K. JOHNSON: For Aspire, we are working with a unique segment of the population that oftentimes has no advocates. We are working with
various workers who are living in poverty at minimum wage. Our goal is to focus on programs that have high growth potential and are living wage jobs. We focused our workforce training programs in the last three years in the logistics field, which luckily, we chose right before COVID. And that proved to be brilliant. We kept those programs going, and we are working with people who are moving from minimum wage jobs to jobs that are paying an average of $18 an hour, which puts them in a living wage category and changes the trajectory for those families.
LYNN MCBEE: The City of Dallas has been focused on our citizens who are in generational poverty. You have some with three generations of poverty in households, and you have folks who have never seen anyone in their family work. I believe wholeheartedly that through all the great education with Dallas ISD and Dallas
College, and with the training that companies are doing and how real they are getting about retaining employees and offering on-the-job training and centers, childcare, and healthcare, that if we do not truly invest in these and “walk the walk” with them, that we are not going to be successful. The City of Dallas has been focused on working with nonprofits and big churches in southern Dallas, making sure we are bringing the jobs and the training to make it as easy possible to get that first entry-level job. Can you change behavioral patterns of people who really haven’t had anything healthy modeled? We can’t blame it on them. But we have got to make sure we are investing in those kinds of workplace skills.
LINDA K. JOHNSON: It is important in our training to be able to make very clear the expectations—the minimum expectations—of employers, because oftentimes, they have not been told what they (employees) do not know because they grew up in households that didn’t pass it along from parent to child. It is something that is integral in training, especially when we are working with poverty-stricken, marginalized populations—also providing the kinds of support services they need, such as childcare and transportation.
KIMBERLY MOORE-WRIGHT: When you have employers that are going to be recipients of these individuals after they have come through those training programs, engage them early on to be a part of the process as you are helping them understand what’s to be expected. Once those individuals join those companies, ensure there is appropriate support there for the mentors who are there for them to help with that transition. When that doesn’t happen, things fall apart. You need to make sure you have that connectivity and strong partnership while they are in the program, which then transitions to what happens outside of the program.
ELIZABETH CAUDILL MCCLAIN: I think it has always been fascinating that we hear about internships—that’s something every business understands. “Oh, I get an intern, I’ll teach them, they’ll shadow, and then they’ll go back to school.” But often, we need employers engaged in this upskilling and reskilling training in the same way that you would see in a traditional internship at a college or university. Explaining the expectations, mentoring, shadowing, and ensuring that
the culture is right. So, as we’re training folks, they can then be successful in the company.
MAYA THOMAS FERNANDEZ: Employers should offer networking opportunities for their employees, like a networking day where employees can learn more about other departments and what opportunities may be coming up for them. It goes hand-in-hand with the training that they are receiving as well.
KIMBERLY MOORE-WRIGHT: I think also making that a part of ongoing conversation that you (the employer) have with the with the teammate, or with the employee, about their career. One thing that we stress quite a bit is having clear conversations with teammates. (I use the word teammate because that’s what we call our employees.) It’s not just about, “How are you doing today?” but “What do you want your future to be? What is it that you want out of your work over the next three years, five years? Where is it that you want to go?” Then helping them understand that “Here are the skills that need to be built in order to do that, and here’s the pathway to be able to acquire those additional skills.” It’s using tools like LinkedIn Learning, or a tuition assistance program. I think that’s a really natural way that you should initiate that conversation, stating, “This is what you want. This is where you want to be, and these are the skills it’s going to take to get there.” Or “Here’s where your gap is, and here is where you can fill those in.”
LINDA K. JOHNSON: Lifelong learning is about the fact that there are jobs we can’t even imagine that will be the jobs of the future. It’s valuable for employers to make use of resources they may not realize are in their community, especially with the Dallas Regional Chamber or any local community college that is deeply embedded in this. Work with them and other researchers, often in higher education, who are knowledgeable about the predictions that are coming in the next five, and sometimes 10, years so they can start to prepare their employees for opportunities that are beginning to arise. This is critical because we’ve all been through transitions already in our lives. But it’s nothing like what’s coming in the next five to 10 years.
KIMBERLY MOORE-WRIGHT: Unfortunately, sometimes when you look at exit interview data surveys, people talk about the reason why they are
leaving, and it’s because they felt like there was no opportunity and didn’t feel like someone was invested. We have really taken a good look at our leadership training because we think it is essential to have great performance within the organization. What are things that that people need, especially post-pandemic, and operating and leading in a hybrid environment? Throughout the second half of the pandemic, we really started providing some bite-sized variations of that to teammates—and to leaders in particular—in terms of sharing that with them. We have also created a leadership curriculum for aspiring leaders. Those who may not be
in our GED prep programs, which sad to say in Dallas County, is 20% of the adult population over age 25. More than 350,000 adults in our population don’t even have a high school diploma. The curriculum we use is actually created for adults. Under the auspices of the Department of Labor, they actually oversee the informal education, unlike the Department of Education that oversees formal education for Dallas College. Everything in our ESL classes or GED classes addresses the soft skills in the curriculum, as they’re learning a language or learning math or language arts to study for that
in a leadership position today may want to do this in the future. We have different variations of leadership curriculum assigned to those moving into leadership roles as well. This is just as important as the technical skills you are providing. I believe you can have someone who is well-educated and has great technical skills, but if they’re not a great leader or don’t have great leadership skills, there is still a significant opportunity for them.
LYNN MCBEE: It’s great that employers are looking at their employees and asking “Where are you on this growth chart?” And “Let me grow with you, work with you, and show you the opportunities.” A recent poll says Gen Z’s reasons they are going to leave (an employer) is lack of advancement and not feeling connected. It is important for us to stay with folks and give them these extra skills in addition to what they need to do the job. I can’t say enough about that. We have learned that we have an 85% fill rate because of these things that people lack that are, to some, quite basic, so meeting people where they are and figuring out their path forward, and giving them that extra training and staying with them.
LINDA K. JOHNSON: Part of Aspire’s core mission is based around meeting people where they are. We serve a low literate population enrolled
test. Our workforce training program, which we do with Ready to Work in Dallas, has done an incredible job of bringing people in who are already working in the field, talking to them about how these are the kinds of behaviors you need to engage in. These are the ways that you communicate. You have to remember that a large part of the population in Dallas is one that doesn’t have or use email—they’ve never used it, or they forget their passwords. These things are difficult for them. So, understanding what is required ahead of time and hearing it from people who are already in the field while they are getting training to be able to get a job, is really important. I’m thrilled that we offer our programs for free because we’ve been generously funded by Communities Foundation of Texas and the group fund. Already this calendar year, we have completed certifications for 465 individuals who have been living in poverty. So all of these issues are crucial in terms of making sure that they understand that when you talk about the word ‘culture’—and culture is so important—they don’t know what that means. So soft skills have to be embedded in everything.
ELIZABETH CAUDILL MCCLAIN: I would also look at it from the employer’s side. I have been at the DRC for eight and a half years, and in all those
“Truist has a lot of partnerships within the communities in which we serve. We are trying to provide opportunities for employment and partnering with other companies and agencies that will help create job pathways for our communities.”
KIMBERLY MOORE-WRIGHT / TRUIST BANK
years, I have heard “soft skills.” I always follow up by asking, “How do you define that?” And no one can answer it. I think that’s what my challenge would be to employers is to say “You know it. You see it. But how do you define it?” That is the biggest gift we can give our training providers is to tell them how we define it and how we are measuring it through the interview process. Because with just saying “soft skills,” there can be so much unconscious bias that is creating additional barriers for these learners that are thinking that they are doing everything possible to meet the soft skills box check. I would kind of take this conversation and flip it a little, challenging the employers to define what that means. And then work with community partners to teach that and walk the walk in your hiring practices.
KIMBERLY MOORE-WRIGHT: Where possible, we are using the coined phrase, ‘intentional flexibility.’ There isn’t a mandate from the top of the house saying that everyone has to work in the office this many days a week or these are the days of the week that you work. We are really letting it be led by the business, because what may make sense for payroll or within HR may look different from our commercial banking area. We are really letting that be led and driven by the business leader, setting
clear expectations for what that frequency is. And allowing teammates to be a part of that conversation as well. Do we have it perfectly? No, we don’t. But we think that that flexibility does a couple of things. When we are looking at hiring individuals, one of the first things they ask about is what type of flexibility is out there. It honors what employees have done during the past three years. They have been able to, for us, be very productive. They have been able to drive what we needed for the business, and not be in an office five days a week in the traditional setting that we had pre-COVID, so it’s important for us to retain part of that. But also, the ‘intentional’ component of it to is help teammates understand that when you’re here, this is what we want to create from a teammate experience. We have new hires that are coming in, we have people who are early in their career and they want that sponsorship and mentorship, and they want to be able to learn from others. Those are the kinds of things that can happen when we’re together in person, and the one-on-one care conversations can happen when we’re together in person. We are just being much more intentional and vocal about the ‘why’ and what that experience is going to be while you’re here has been a big piece of it, too.
new industry saying they are going to return to the office, when others have been in the office for a number of years. I have a staff member who graduated this past May, and she admittedly said, “This really impacted me. I felt like I couldn’t do job shadowing and internships and other things the way that my older siblings maybe could have done, and I feel further behind.” She is brilliant, but we do have to work with her on that mentorship. I love intentional flexibility. I think that is a beautiful way of talking about it. With the younger generation, it’s about authenticity. Being told that you must be back—this is not going to get Gen Z in the door. I think having a conversation of that intentionality of “Yes, we care about you as a person. However, this is our why, and this is why we’re here.” What is authentic connection? That’s when we are going to see the secret sauce.
LYNN MCBEE: There is so much focus on the workforce right now. We are going to need to roll in the same direction, which we are. I look at promising things, like what DISD is doing with early college. Only 20% of kids that graduate from DISD right now are graduating from college after six years. We are going to look at how trade is becoming a much bigger part—having an actual skill. This is the skill you have when you graduate. How are we preparing? There is a lot of work in this area, and we don’t have a choice but to collaborate.
LINDA K. JOHNSON: I think one of the things that Dallas also has in place that is critically important is measurement systems, in every facet, and we have to be able to see growth—not just tell stories about people, but to be able to actually see actual growth in terms of people’s ability to have a viable life. There are a lot of people measuring this in many different ways. And that data is the most important thing.
ELIZABETH
We surveyed our members from the very beginning of the pandemic to now just to understand this, because truly every industry is in a completely different place. I think even just last month, there was a
KIMBERLY MOORE-WRIGHT: I come back to making it easy for people to navigate these pathways and the systems that are being built. I think sometimes there is a lot of great work being done, but folks don’t know about it, or it’s not easy to be able to navigate those systems. In addition to having the movement and seeing those numbers begin to change, a part of that is the ease of being able to do it. I would hope that success would also look like it easier for individuals who need it, and for them to be able to have that access granted and to move forward.
MARGIE AGUILAR OF ISP CREATIVE HAS A CLOSET FULL OF BOLD BUT TIMELESS LOOKS.
WHAT I DO:
“ISP Creative is a creative house and studio. I manage the team, projects, client relationships, and creative direction.”
STYLE ICON:
“I admire Olivier Rousteing of Balmain. His clothing is very powerful and structured. It reminds me a bit of my personality. I don’t take myself too seriously, but when projects fall behind, I can be a sergeant.”
ON THE JOB:
“Production teams have historically dressed in black, similar to the stagehands in a theater. We want our work to shine. I like wearing black and white at work because you can dress it up or down.”
FASHION INSPIRATION:
“Cultural sentiment ultimately dictates my design aesthetics.”
STYLE DEFINED:
“Bold and timeless. I like to combine classy looks of the past with some bold and unexpected elements of today.”
FASHION ESSENTIALS:
“My courage and camera— even if it’s just my phone camera. I always have a camera in reach to capture beautiful moments.”
GO-TO LOOK:
“My looks emulate the industrial nature of production. It’s a lot of utilitarian-fashion with pockets, zippers, and latches.”
HOW I ACCESSORIZE:
“I love Tiffany’s HardWear collections. I’m fascinated with their recent campaigns, including “Not Your Mother’s Tiffany” and how the company has collaborated with Beyoncé and Jay-Z to capture a new generation.”
WEEKEND LOOK:
“When I’m with my family, I embrace all the bright colors that come with my Latin heritage.”
FAVORITE STORE:
“I enjoy visiting Alice + Olivia; it has fun, bright, and beautiful looks.”
over the course of his 35 -year career, Winston & Strawn Partner Steven Stodghill has represented Mark Cuban, Lamar Hunt, and many Fortune 100 companies, including Mary Kay and Comerica. Before he even thought about law, though, came an affinity for Batman. In 1963, when he was 3 years old, Stodghill was given a Batman comic book. It would be the first item in an ever-expanding, 2,500-piece Batman collection—the largest in the Southwest.
One of his most prized possessions is a Batman suit that was custom-designed by DC Comics— modeled after the suit from The Dark Knight and given to him by his wife. “That suit would stop a bullet; it’s real Kevlar,” Stodghill says.
In his nearly 60 years of collecting, Stodghill has met and formed relationships with Batman
actors George Clooney, Val Kilmer, and Ben Affleck and The Dark Knight trilogy director Christopher Nolan. In 2013, Kilmer, the actor in the ‘95 film Batman Forever, used the ballroom in Stodghill’s home for a week preparing for Citizen Twain, a show he wrote and directed about Mark Twain staged at the Wyly Theater.
Stodghill has never viewed his collection as an investment. He has no doubt the pieces have significant value, but he has never sold a piece from the lot—nor does he plan to. It’s all about evoking childhood joy. “I’ve never wanted to grow up; as I’ve gotten older, my toys have just gotten more expensive,” he says.
Over the years, Stodghill has taken many lessons from Batman into the courtroom. “It has taught me that normal humans who assert themselves to the max can accomplish anything,” he says. “Batman is the most dangerous man on the planet. And my law partner, Tom, refers to me in that way, as well. Batman is perfect symbolism for a litigation lawyer.” —Ben
SwangerSince its founding more than three decades ago, The Real Estate Council has been a catalyst for accelerating the careers of Dallas’ commercial real estate trailblazers and developing the industry leaders of tomorrow.
We believe that relationships are the lifeblood of career success, civic responsibility, and community investment. We connect our members with one-of-a-kind industry experiences that empower them to create a positive, lasting impact on our city.
• Learn from industr y experts during cutting-edge events and educational programs.
• Connect with industr y peers through exclusive networking opportunities.
• Sharpen your leadership skills through our industry leading programs, including the Associate Leadership Council.
• Develop the leaders of tomorrow in our young professionals’ program and foster connections for future success.
WELL TRAVELED
The city oozes Southern charm—and is where The Dallas Opera’s secretary of the executive committee Susan Geyer has a second home.
by
COLORFUL DWELLINGS
The striking homes on East Bay Street are painted in rich pastel hues.
BRINY OR CREAMY?
Inside a historic bank building, The Ordinary serves freshly caught oysters.
ALL ARE WELCOME
A symbol of hospitality, the pineapple is woven into the identity of Charleston.
like a glass of sweet tea on a hot summer day, few places are more refreshing than Charleston, South Carolina. Dubbed one of the friendliest communities in the United States, it is a treasure trove of natural beauty, antebellum architecture, and world-class cuisine that buzzes with the energy of a major metro while retaining its undeniable small-town charm.
Steeped in history, Charleston was founded a century before the United States became a country. On a walking tour of downtown, landmarks can be discovered around every turn, including the famous Heyward-Washington House, where President George Washington was wined and dined in May 1791 during a weeklong series of lavish dinners and revelry. (A foreshadowing of my own trip, indeed.) Make time to detour to the 215-year-old Historic Charleston City Market for a souvenir or two. The open-air bazaar is among the oldest in the country and features everything from produce to antiques, mementos, and one-ofa-kind artwork from more than 100 vendors.
During the tour, it’s impossible not to be transported back in time by the cobblestone streets and pastel-hued homes of Rainbow Row, a series of 13 colorful historic residences that date back to the 1740s. The tour culminates in a stroll along
Waterfront Park and ends at another can’t-miss site: Pineapple Fountain, an iconic focal point among the city’s most photographed attractions.
LEscaping the bustle of downtown with a 15-minute ferry ride, The Beach Club at Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina in Mount Pleasant serves as the ideal home base for exploring. From the seersucker robes in the handsomely appointed guest rooms to the nautical-themed décor throughout, the resort is seaside chic without being pretentious. Its crown jewel is an enormous Instagram-worthy resort-style pool, perfect for lounging under a cabana and enjoying a chilled glass of rosé and pimento cheese.
I don’t need to wander far from the resort to discover mouth-watering Southern fare. The hotel’s Fish House is a go-to for acclaimed Lowcountry cooking for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. My favorite dish is the signature shrimp and grits, which are so fresh and tasty I swear my grandma fixed ’em. After breakfast one morning, I work off the calorie overload—and learn a thing or two about tacking and jibing—during a private lesson from the championship College of Charleston sailing team. (Pro tip: head out to the marina docks early to catch a peek of a surfacing dolphin or two.)
There’s plenty to discover nearby, too. Mount Pleasant is home to Patriots Point Naval & Maritime Museum and its World War II-era aircraft carrier, the USS Yorktown. The resort provides bikes for a relaxing ride along the picturesque Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge. Fort Sumter National Monument, which sits at the mouth of the Charleston Harbor and is accessible via ferry, is the site of the beginning of the American Civil War.
Finally, you’re missing out on a true regional delicacy if you visit Charleston and don’t eat boiled peanuts. Nofrills Timbo’s Hot Boiled Peanuts is the place to stop for a heaping bag of plain, Cajun, or ham-flavored snacks. And the best way to wash them down is with an ice-cold glass of, you guessed it, Southern sweet tea.
A 45-minute drive from Charleston, Kiawah Island is a luxury beach resort town on the Atlantic Coast. Home to five-star accommodations and championship golf courses, it is also where Susan Geyer, a Dallas Opera board member, has a second home. Every year, the art aficionado blocks off the 17 days in late May and early June for Charleston’s renowned Spoleto Festival USA. Featuring both established and emerging artists in more than 150 performances, Spoleto attracts an eclectic, global lineup. “Spoleto combines all of my favorite performing arts,” Geyer says. “There’s everything from chamber music and ballet to theatrical plays, opera, symphony orchestras, and more. It’s a wonderful three weeks of well-planned, well-curated programming.”
one of florencia velasco fortner’s first jobs when she moved to Dallas in 1998 was mentoring students in the Education is Freedom after-school program. In 2005, she was handpicked to lead The Concilio, a Dallas nonprofit working with Latinos to build better lives for themselves and their children. Since then, Velasco Fortner has helped grow the organization’s annual operating budget from $400,000 to $5.4 million. Here, she shares her immigration story.
“I was born in Jalisco, Mexico. My mother had a second-grade education. My father never went to school because he started working when he was 5 years old to help his family. My parents and I immigrated to the San Joaquin Valley. One of my earliest memories is arriving to an apartment
that had carpet. As a kid, I had never seen carpet before, so I laid down with my face pressed up against it, thinking: ‘I love this country.’ My mom’s dream for me was to have a job with air conditioning because my parents worked all day in the fields. My dad, even though he never went to school, understood the power of education. He talked to my siblings and I all the time about the importance of finishing school so that we wouldn’t have to work as hard as he did. I remember him telling me: ‘Mija, my goal as your father is to stand as tall as possible in the highest place and then put you on my shoulders so that you can see even further.’ Every parent wants that for their kids, and we try to make our child’s lives better than our own.”
The Women Leaders in Law featured on the following pages are well-respected and highly sought after throughout Dallas-Fort Worth. Every day, they expertly guide their clients toward a resolution and use their experience and expertise for the best possible outcomes. These Women Leaders in Law practice a wide range of specialties and are held in high regard as valuable counsel by their firms, legal peers, and—most of all—by the clients they zealously represent.
BRINGING AN entrepreneurial spirit to the practice of law, the attorneys at Barnes & Thornburg, a national fullservice firm, work with clients to protect their companies and innovations. The highly talented women attorneys in the Dallas office have experience in complex litigation, antitrust, white collar criminal defense, labor and employment, corporate, government and regulatory law, real estate, M&A, e-discovery, fund formation, tax, and intellectual property. Barnes & Thornburg offers businesses and clients in and around Dallas the sophisticated legal services one would expect from a full-service firm. Find out more at btlaw.com.
2121 North Pearl Street, Suite 700 Dallas, Texas 75201 214.258.4200
HIGH-CONFLICT litigation deserves a high-powered advocate, which is what you’ll find at Bogdanowicz Family Law. Not only is the firm woman-owned, all of the attorneys are women as well. “Our clients need someone who will fight for them and someone they can trust,” says Erin Bogdanowicz, managing partner. “This is a complex field of law. Experience and results matter because clients are going through some of the worst times of their lives.” Bogdanowicz is a skilled negotiator and trained in collaborative law, but the courtroom is where she and her team shine. “I’m known for being fairly aggressive,” she says. “We are a client-driven firm. Their needs are our top priority.”
bogfamilylaw.com
* Principal Office
THE COURTROOM is where LPHS partners Mary Goodrich Nix, Britta Stanton, Sara Hollan Chelette, and Becky Adams shine. They are known and respected not only for their tenacious advocacy styles but for their unique ability to successfully guide business leaders through complex litigation matters.
The women leaders at LPHS skillfully try cases to judges, juries, and arbitrators and have been recognized locally and nationally, earning honors and accolades for their exceptional trial and leadership skills. “We are regularly hired to handle the most important litigation matters our clients are facing,” says Britta Stanton, a panelist at the Women Leaders in Law Event on March 30, 2023. “Our clients appreciate that our success is due, in part, because we embrace diversity of thought, experience, and presentation, and it is gratifying to be a part of a firm that prioritizes, elevates, and values diverse perspectives.”
lynnllp.com 2100 Ross Avenue, Suite 2700 Dallas, Texas 75201 214.981.3800
LED BY Amy Witherite, Witherite Law Group has built a legacy of excellence by consistently honoring its core values of “people first, unmatched expertise, and integrity always.”
As one of the largest female-owned law firms in the country, Witherite Law Group specializes in commercial truck wrecks. Witherite’s team of accomplished attorneys and their support staff is focused on improving lives. This not only includes the lives of clients and their families, but also the broader communities in which they serve.
Says Witherite, “As a firm, we are deeply committed to fighting for justice for our clients. We understand the significant impact we can make on people and their futures, so we take what we do very seriously. As a result, we have seen this reflected in our success for 22 years.”
The firm has offices in Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas; Atlanta, Georgia; and Chicago, Illinois.
witheritelaw.com
Witherite Law Group
10440 North Central Expressway, #400 Dallas, Texas 75231
800.227.9732
A CLIENT recently shared, “Stewart Law Group did an outstanding job for us. They not only achieved what we needed, but they excelled. Any representations they make about being ‘counselors and defenders’ are absolutely accurate.” Earning a Net Promoter Score of 100, Stewart Law Group focuses on building momentum in litigation to propel clients to the desired outcome, be it an early settlement or litigating to a jury verdict. Stewart Law Group lawyers’ unrivaled expertise and personalized approach in resolving business disputes and conducting confidential investigations allows the firm to rack up wins for its clients, over and over again. Contact Stewart Law Group to handle internal investigations and resolve business disputes, labor and employment litigation, and arbitrations for corporate clients.
stewartlawgrp.com
1722 Routh Street, Suite 745 Dallas, Texas 75201 469.607.2300
City leaders and influencers turn to D CEO and D Magazine as their trusted source
Even as major markets across the country struggle to find their footing, big leases, relocations, new developments, and sales continue to drive growth in Dallas-Fort Worth.
FEATURING 500 POWER BROKERS MAKE THIS YEAR’S LIST
PLUS A RECAP OF THE YEAR’S TOP REAL ESTATE STORIES
AND MEET OUR CONTRIBUTING EDITORS FOR 2023
Just like the industry itself, D CEO’s coverage of commercial real estate is fueled by personal connections and trust.
one of my favorite things about covering commercial real estate for D CEO is that there is no shortage of personalities in the industry. Since I took over the beat about a year ago, I’ve had surprising conversations and interactions with some of the most interesting people on the planet. For instance, I sat down for an interview with one firm leader with a set of questions only to find out within the first few minutes of our conversation that his father was a former professional wrestler. That’s Mohr Partners’ Bob Shibuya, who is passionate about making diversity, equity, and inclusion part of his company’s ethos. I can also look back now and laugh about the time I performed the Heimlich maneuver to save someone’s life. That would be Dowdle Real Estate’s Lynn Dowdle, who is no longer allowed to eat sticky rice at industry functions. Or, how about the time I drove out to the country and got a private ranch tour from one of the region’s foremost land brokers—a tour that included an upclose meeting with some of his many prized Longhorn cattle. That is REX Real Estate’s Rex Glendenning, who is profiled in this issue on page 26 and who we will honor with a Legacy Award at this year’s Power Brokers reception. The last 12 months have been filled with many memorable moments—and the best part is I’m just getting started. Reach out to me at brandon.call@dmagazine. com to connect with me about this wild industry that we all love. Because if there’s anything I’ve learned in the past year, it’s that real estate—and our coverage of it—is fueled by personal connections.
From industrial development to commercial property sales, Dallas-Fort Worth continues to pace the country. Here are some highlights from the past year.
LAYOFFS IN THE TECH AND FINANCIAL sectors are making headlines nationally, but, as of yet, the Dallas-Fort Worth market continues to push on. So, too, does North Texas’ mighty commercial real estate engine. Flight to quality is driving most office decisions, as companies figure out the remote versus in-office work conundrum. The U.S. market surpassed 50 percent back in the office for the first time earlier this year, but DFW continues to pace the country, with about 65 percent of employees now back at their desks. Another hotspot is the industrial sector, which continues to see unprecedented levels of construction as more leasing activity, more spec development, and more jobs continue to make DFW a well-positioned and affordable logistics hub. Data center demand remains at all-time highs, too, with North Texas expected to be a leader in creating jobs of the future. Meanwhile, record low retail development is pushing occupancy rates to unprecedented highs of 94.4 percent. Read on as we recap some of the biggest real estate stories of the last year that continue to drive the region’s growth.
story by BRANDON J. CALL AND CHRISTINE PEREZJust when you think things can’t get any better—or bigger—in Frisco, more transformative projects and deals come along. By the end of 2022, word was circulating about an entertainment win for the far north Dallas suburb. And in early January, the city made it official, revealing that Universal Studios will be bringing a new
amusement park to approximately 100 acres of land along the Dallas North Tollway at Panther Creek Parkway. Representatives from Universal Parks & Resorts say the project will include Universal-themed interactive experiences and a 300-room hotel. The park will sit within the 2,500-acre, $10 billion Fields development,
which also includes PGA of America’s new headquarters (officially opened in August 2022) and a new $520 million Omni PGA Frisco Resort. The new venue from Omni, which also has another Frisco resort at The Star minutes down the road, will feature 500 guest rooms and suites, as well as 10 four-bedroom private
ranch houses. Meantime, Frisco pioneer HALL Group has topped out on a new 16-story office tower, 224-key boutique hotel, and 19-story multifamily tower as part of its reimagining of its sprawling HALL Park. And the former Wade Park is getting a new life with a $3 billion multiuse development called The Mix.
With an impressive $42.5 billion in 2022 deals, DFW led the United States in commercial property sales for a third straight year, according to real estate research firm MSCI. Multifamily led the way, but there were some notable office transactions, too. They include the newly renovated Trammell Crow Center, a 1.2 million-square-foot, 50-story Arts District icon that was acquired by Regent Properties for about $600 million. On the north side of Klyde Warren Park, Granite Properties upped the ante on its bet on Uptown, joining forces with Highwoods Properties to acquire Crescent Real Estate’s McKinney & Olive, paying a reported $700 per square foot or about $400 million. And in the West End of downtown, Harwood International added to its significant Dallas holdings by snagging The Luminary, a seven-story, 169,000-square-foot property completed in 2019.
A $135 million repositioning of Arts District icon Trammell Crow Center helped
THE KAY BAILEY Hutchison
Convention Center Dallas will soon face a wrecking ball. In November, voters approved Proposition A, which called for a 2 percent increase to the city’s hotel occupancy tax. Those funds will help cover the estimated $3.5 billion price tag associated with the project, which will be transformative for downtown. Breaking ground in 2024 and with an expected completion date of the second quarter of 2028, current plans call for more than 2.5 million square feet of space. A rooftop deck park will be added by 2030. VisitDallas’ CEO Craig Davis says the project is crucial if Dallas wants to remain competitive in attracting more corporate meetings and annual events to the region.
REINVENTING
The central business district is seeing a raft of officeto-residential conversions, led by pioneers Jonas Woods and Shawn Todd. Here are the details:
Santander Tower on Elm Street was given a $40 million spruce-up in 2017. Now, owner Woods Capital is teaming up with Mintwood Real Estate to convert 10 floors in the 50-story building to 228 multifamily units.
San Antonio-based H-E-B entered the DFW market with a vengeance, opening stores in Plano and Frisco in 2022, with new locations coming soon in Allen, northwest Fort Worth, McKinney, and Mansfield. And the development blitz won’t be slowing any time soon. According to deed records, H-E-B holds almost two dozen land sites in Dallas, Denton, DeSoto, Euless, Fort Worth, Frisco, Little Elm, Melissa, Murphy, Prosper, and Rockwall.
Walkability will be a focus of Granite’s 23Springs, which, at 26 stories, will be the tallest building in Uptown.
EVEN AS BUSINESSES grapple with finding the balance between remote and in-office working, North Texas landlords won big commitments from corporate tenants in 2022. Among the most impressive deals was a 15-year, more than 200,000-square-foot lease to Texas Capital Bank at 2000 McKinney. Nearby, another financial institution, Bank OZK, stepped up to take more than 110,000 square feet in Granite Properties’ new 23Springs, which at 26 stories, will be the largest office tower in Uptown. Two national retailers also made office-leasing news last year. Luxury goods seller Neiman Marcus confirmed its commitment to Dallas with an 84,860-squarefoot lease at Cityplace Tower, securing $5 million in incentives from the city and committing to retain 1,100 jobs and create at least 300 more. And in Plano, JCPenney inked a deal to return to its longtime headquarters, leasing about 318,000 square feet at 6501 Legacy Drive, which was built in the early 1990s. The company sold and vacated the property during the pandemic as it worked through its bankruptcy.
FOUR SEASONS RESORT. Boston-based Carpenter & Co. is partnering with Dallas’ Hillwood on a new 30-story project at the high-profile corner of Cedar Springs Road and Turtle Creek Boulevard. Plans for the $750 million development include a 240-room hotel, about 100 luxury condominiums, and 100,000 square feet of office space (on which Hillwood will take the lead). Acclaimed architect Pelli Clarke Pelli and Dallas’ HKS have been retained for the project.
UDR RESIDENTIAL TOWERS. In June, Colorado-based luxury apartment developer UDR purchased a high-profile 5.5-acre tract of land at 2727 Turtle Creek Blvd. in Uptown from The Prescott Group. Situated near the iconic Mansion on Turtle Creek (which got a new owner in 2022) and the Katy Trail, UDR plans to construct two or more residential towers on the land. UDR owns a number of luxe multifamily properties in Addison, Dallas, Plano, and Frisco.
DFW’s industrial sector continued to burn bright in 2022, driven by the region’s stature as a national distribution force. Top deals included a 1.24 million-square-foot lease to Target at Alliance Center East and two deals in Cedar Hill: a 1.1 million-squarefoot lease to Pratt Industries at Hillwood’s High Point 67, and a 1 million-square-foot lease to ITS Logistics at Northpoint’s Intermodal Logistics Center. It will be the Nevada-based company’s first Texas hub.
The Biggest Stories of The Year 2022
Industry vets reunite with former real estate teammates, and new leaders take the helm.
Newmark scored another big recruiting win when site selection standout Susan Arledge joined the firm in June. The move has her working again with former ESRP colleague Emmitt Smith.
SUSAN ARLEDGE
Realty’s 11-acre
OVER THE YEARS, North Texas has diversified its economy away from a dependence on oil and gas to develop strongholds in technology, professional services, aviation, and logistics. Significant moves by tenants last year put an exclamation point on the region’s growing dominance in financial services, too. In Uptown, Goldman Sachs signed a submarket-changing 980,000-square-foot lease to kick off Hunt Realty’s 3.8 million-square-foot, mixed-use North End development and house 5,000 employees. In Irving, KDC is working on an 844,000-square-foot build-to-suit for Wells Fargo, which is bringing 4,000 jobs to the city. And in Frisco, TIAA is targeting a 2024 completion for its new 500,000-squarefoot campus at The Star, which will create 2,000 new jobs. As the traditional finance centers—New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, and Washington D.C.—lose jobs and DFW gains, it has led to some to now refer to our region as the “Wall Street of the South.”
In April, Greg Biggs joined former partners Randy Cooper, Craig Wilson, and Dan Harris at Stream Realty. Through the years, the brokers have negotiated some of DFW’s biggest deals.
GREG BIGGS
And in February, JLL promoted Torrey Littlejohn to co-lead its busy office tenant rep group with Bret Hefton. Littlejohn was D CEO’s 2022 commercial real estate broker of the year.
TORREY LITTLEJOHN
For over three decades, REX Real Estate® has remained the nationally recognized leader in the marketing and sale of commercial and residential real estate, focusing on retail, investment, masterplanned residential communities, and development properties throughout Texas.
METHODOLOGY: We aksed the leaders of North Texas brokerages to tell us who generated the most revenue for their companies in 2022. The number of names they were allowed to submit was based on their total number of licensed brokers, with a couple of exceptions for equal partners. In all, executives at 91 firms employing more than 2,400 brokers participated. Members of the 2023 class of D CEO Power Brokers are presented below in alphabetical order, by area of specialty.
Adam Abushagur, Marcus & Millichap
Mark Allen, GREA
Andy Anand, Douglas Elliman
Jared Aubrey, CBRE
Michael Austry, CBRE
Eliza Bachhuber, CBRE
Randy Baird, CBRE
Danny Baker, CBRE
Will Balthrope, Marcus & Millichap
Doug Banerjee, Greysteel
Daniel Batey, Range Realty Advisors
Jim Batjer, CBRE
Brandon Beeson, Edge Realty Partners
John Bielamowicz, Biel Partners
Bill Bledsoe, Henry S. Miller Co.
Edward Bogel, Davidson Bogel Real Estate
Andrew Boster, Younger Partners
Ford Braly, Marcus & Millichap
Grant Brodeur, Davidson Bogel Real Estate
Jonathan Bryan, CBRE
Jeff Burgfechtel, GREA
Bill Burton, Hillwood
Tyler Bynum, Worldwide Commercial
Gary Carr, Newmark
Cody Carson, Douglas Elliman
Chris Castillo, Greysteel
Jud Clements, Cushman & Wakefield
Josh Cohn, Venture
John Conger, Avison Young
Dillon Cook, Range Realty Advisors
Skyler Cooper, Marcus & Millichap
Chris Cozby, CBRE
Danny Cunningham, Marcus & Millichap
David Davidson, Jr., Davidson Bogel Real Estate
Robert Denninger, Marcus & Millichap
Chris Deuillet, CBRE
David Disney, Disney Investment Group
Lynn Dowdle, Dowdle Real Estate
Gibson Duwe, Transwestern
Cooper Eddy, CRE Land Group
Scot Farber, Younger Partners
Geoff Ficke, Colliers
Jaclyn G. Fitts, CBRE
Chris Flesner, RESOLUT RE
Nick Fluellen, Marcus & Millichap
Todd Franks, GREA
Richard Furr, Newmark
Jeff Givens, Transwestern
Chris Gomes, Marcus & Millichap
Pamela Goodwin, Goodwin Commercial
Byron Griffith, GREA
Tom Grunnah, Younger Partners
David Guinn, Davidson Bogel Real Estate
Andrew Hanson, Greysteel
Chris Harden, Cushman & Wakefield
Daniel Hartnett, Greysteel
Tim Henson, Venture
Robert Hill, Newmark
Taylor Hill, Marcus & Millichap
David Hinson, Younger Partners
Bard Hoover, Marcus & Millichap
William Hubbard, CBRE
Darrell Hurmis, Henry S. Miller Cos.
Tyler Isbell, SRS Real Estate Partners
Brandon Karr, Marcus & Millichap
Jim Kelly, Champions DFW Commercial Realty
Carter Kendall, CBRE
Mike Kennedy, Avison Young
Drew Kile, Marcus & Millichap
Vincent Knipp, Marcus & Millichap
J. Scott Lake, Davidson Bogel Real Estate
William LeMasters, Mercer Co.
Philip Levy, Marcus & Millichap
Eddie Liebman, Weitzman
Lon Lloyd, Champions DFW Commercial Realty
Johnathan Makus, CBRE
Mart Martindale, Edge Realty Partners
Jorg Mast, Colliers
Todd McNeill, Marcus & Millichap
Jake Milner, Davidson Bogel Real Estate
Seth Mullins, Champions DFW Commercial Realty
Brian Murphy, Newmark
Chris Murphy, Newmark
Marty Neilon, CBRE
Kevin O’Boyle, CBRE
Brian (BJ) O’Boyle, Jr., Newmark
Chris Paul, Colliers
Cody Payne, Colliers
Amy Pjetrovic, Venture
Mark Porterfield, Henry S. Miller Cos.
Wes Racht, Marcus & Millichap
Jerad Rector, Worldwide Commercial
Matthew Rosenfeld, Weitzman
Sunny Sajnani, Marcus & Millichap
Tom Salanty, NAI Robert Lynn
Casey Schaefer, CBRE
Al Silva, Marcus & Millichap
Chandler Sims, CBRE
Warren Smith, Edge Realty Partners
John St. Clair, Younger Partners
Wilson Stafford, Edge Realty Partners
Jack Stone, Greysteel
Tom Strohbehn, Younger Partners
Cameron Tapley, Swearingen Realty Group
Zac Thomas, GREA
Ryan Thornton, CBRE
Tommy Tucker, SHOP Cos.
Joey Tumminello, Marcus & Millichap
Ryan Turner, Davidson Bogel Real Estate
William Vonderfecht, CBRE
Logan Waller, Waller Group
Deborah Walls, Glacier Commercial Realty
Will Walters, DuWest Realty
Michael Ware, Marcus & Millichap
Bill Wastoskie, CenterPoint Commercial Properties
Fisher Wells, Greysteel
Lawrence Wilson, Venture
Calvin Wong, EXP ENGVEST
Elaine Xu, Younger Partners
Michael Ytem, Younger Partners
John Zikos, Venture
David Zoller, Weitzman
Brant Bernet, CBRE
Chris Herrmann, CBRE
Curt Holcomb, JLL
Michael Rareshide, Site Selection Group
Jack Barkley, Hillwood
Brant Bernet, CBRE
Chris Herrmann, CBRE
Trevor Atkins, CBRE
Scott Axelrod, Henry S. Miller Cos.
John Brewer, Transwestern
Keaton Brice, Holt Lunsford Commercial
Wilson Brown, CBRE
Maddy Canty, Holt Lunsford Commercial
Matt Carthy, Holt Lunsford Commercial
Forrest Cook, Stream Realty Partners
Brad Cooper, Crow Holdings Industrial
Stephen Cooper, NAI Robert Lynn
Carter Crow, Younger Partners
Eric Crutchfield, Stream Realty Partners
Luke Davis, Stream Realty Partners
Matt Dornak, Stream Realty Partners
Matt Elliot, NAI Robert Lynn
Jason Fitch, Bradford Cos.
Chris Fleeger, Morrow Hill
Andrew Gilbert, Holt Lunsford Commercial
Reid Goetz, Hillwood
Adam Graham, Lee & Associates
Kurt Griffin, Cushman & Wakefield
Bob Hagewood, Stream Realty Partners
Michael Haggar, JLL
Mac Hall, Stream Realty Partners
John Hendricks, CBRE
Adam Jones, Stream Realty Partners
Kacy Jones, CBRE
Steve Koldyke, CBRE
Holden Lunsford, Holt Lunsford Commercial
David Martin, Capstone Commercial
Riley Maxwell, Transwestern
Caleb McCoy, JLL
Rick Medinis, NAI Robert Lynn
Scott J. Moore, CBRE
Chris Morrow, Morrow Hill
Greg Nelson, Paladin Partners
Nathan Orbin, Cushman & Wakefield
Brett Owens, Transwestern
Sarah Ozanne, Stream Realty Partners
Brian Pafford, Bradford Cos.
Leland Prowse, Transwestern
Samuel Rhea, Hillwood
Larry Robbins, Capstone Commercial
Joe Rudd, Transwestern
Canon Shoults, Holt Lunsford Commercial
Michael Spain, Bradford Cos.
Randy Touchstone, JLL
Steve Trese, CBRE
Chad Albert, Stoic Real Estate Partners
Blake Anderson, Newmark
Chris Armstrong, Fischer
Josh Bays, Site Selection Group
Steve Berger, CBRE
Randy Blankenship, Biel Partners
Chris Bly, Capstone Commercial
John Bollman, Cresa
Ryan Boozer, Stream Realty Partners
Omar Carrillo, Mohr Partners
Dale Clemments, Fischer
Wes Cole, Rubicon Representation
Mark Collins, Cushman & Wakefield
Keenan Cook, Mercer Co.
J Holmes Davis IV, Binswanger
Nathan Denton, Lee & Associates
Lucy Durbin, CBRE
Thomas Eddins, Fischer
Trace Elrod, Newmark
Tyson Erwin, NAI Robert Lynn
David Eseke, Cushman & Wakefield
Adam Faulk, Newmark
Trace Fielding, Paladin Partners
Trey Fricke, Lee & Associates
Brian Gilchrist, CBRE
David Ginther, Fischer
Garrett Goldstein, Rich Young Co.
Ben Goldthorpe, Swearingen Realty Group
Allen Gump, Colliers
Shawn Hall, The Brokerage Advisors
Jom Hazard, Cresa
Stephen Hemphill, Mohr Partners
Corby Hodgkiss, Mercer Co.
Melissa Holland, JLL
Todd Hubbard, NAI Robert Lynn
Jeff Jackson, NAI Robert Lynn
Craig Jones, Fischer
Kevin Kelly, CBRE
Seth Kelly, CBRE
Greg Lance, Cushman & Wakefield
Jack Lenihan, Matthews RE Investment Services
Chris Leonard, Mohr Partners
Bradley Lipton, Mohr Partners
Huntley Luna, Henry S. Miller Cos.
Conrad Madsen, Paladin Partners
Clint Manning, Cresa
Mark Aston Maverick Commercial
David Balogun Morrow Hill
Charlie Beck Cushman & Wakefield
Evan Bloom Woodmont Company
Robert Blount JLL
Brett Bofinger NAI Robert Lynn
Travis Boothe Cushman & Wakefield
Jeremy Brubaker NAI Robert Lynn
Ryan Buchanan CBRE
Greg Cannon Colliers
Doug Carignan CBRE
Michael Carmichael Madison Marquette
Renee Castillo CBRE
Charles Daggett Savills
Harlan Davis CBRE
John Dickenson Holt Lunsford
Jeff Eiting CBRE
John Ellerman CBRE
Jack Forney Centurion RE Partners
Fiona Forkner JLL
Billy Gannon Transwestern
Garrett Gibbons Newmark
Michael Griffin Transwestern
Marc Grossfeld
Sunwest
Scott Hage JLL
Quinn Hanford Holt Lunsford
Casey Hilbun Newmark
Slater Howe Worth Commercial RE
Michelle Hudson
Hudson Peters
Walker Hume NAI Robert Lynn
Dan Jardine NAI Robert Lynn
Russ Johnson JLL
Kris Knapstein Savills
Walker Lafitte CBRE
Andy Leatherman JLL
Traci Li Dunn Commercial
Rock Linton Avison Young
Chris Lipscomb Transwestern
Clint Madison Cushman & Wakefield
Collin Mangrum Mangrum Commercial
Alexis Martinez Woodbine Commercial
Conor McCarthy JLL
Bill McClung Cushman & Wakefield
Allie McCracken Transwestern
Robert Miller Lee & Associates
Jayson Montoya NAI Robert Lynn
Charlie Otte
Rubicon Rep
Jeff Pappas Mohr Partners
Janice Peters
Hudson Peters
Sheryl Pickens Pickens Ridnour
Mike Rareshide Site Selection Group
Roy Reis CRESA
Evan Reynolds Dental Space Advisors
Malcom Ross
Dave Perry-Miller
Stephen Rury Colliers
Steven Schneider Site Selection Group
Joe Siglin Newmark
Dylan Smith Colliers
Billy Vahrenkamp Colliers
Mitch Wolff Newmark
Alan Wood JLL
Jeff Wood JLL
Bruce Worth The Worth Co.
Chris Mason, Newmark
Mike McElwee, Avison Young
Chase Miller, NAI Robert Lynn
Mark Miller, NAI Robert Lynn
Michael Newsome, NAI Robert Lynn
Charlie Otte, Rubicon Representation
Matthew Otte, Rubicon Representation
Al Paniagua, Swearingen Realty Group
Reed Parker, Lee & Associates
Alex Perry, Biel Partners
Michael Petrick, Fischer
Matt Powers, JLL
Harrison Putt, Mercer Co.
Fred Ragsdale, JLL
Ward Richmond, Colliers
Chris Robinson, Fischer
Cameron Rogers, Rubicon Representation
Brian Rolens, Fischer
Brian Sapp, Fischer
Bob Scully, CBRE
Chad Skipper, Fischer
Bryson Smiley, Fischer
David Sours, CBRE
Dan Spika, Henry S. Miller Co.
Michael Stanzel, NAI Robert Lynn
Brad Struck, Cresa
Alan Thomas, Swearingen Realty Group
Becky Thompson, Lee & Associates
Shannon Unsicker, Fischer
Colton Uzelac, Fischer
Tom Walrich, Lee & Associates
Brice Wells, CBRE
John Wolf, Newmark
Allyson Yost, Colliers
Rich Young, Jr., Rich Young Co.
Brendan Zrowka, Whitebox Real Estate
Steve Aldrich, Hillwood
Trae Anderson, Younger Partners
Luke Aviles, HPI
Dennis Barnes, CBRE
Bill Brokaw, Hillwood
Kim Brooks, Transwestern
Shannon Brown, CBRE
Lindsay Brunkenhoefer, ALT+CO
Dillon Buhrkuhl, Pillar commercial
Kim Butler, Hall Group
Debi Carter, Capstone Commercial
Bill Cawley, Cawley Partners
Richmond Collinsworth, Bradford Cos.
Ben Cuzen, HPI Real Estate Services and Investments
Sean Dalton, Younger Partners
Ben Davis, CBRE
Oliver Day, ALT+CO
Laney Delin, Transwestern
John Dickenson, Holt Lunsford Commercial
Jeremy Duggins, Cawley Partners
Nathan Durham, Newmark
James Esquivel, JLL
Simon Figg, Morrow Hill
Marijke Flowers, Billingsley Co.
Trevor Franke, JLL
Allison Frizzo, Hart Commercial
Ethan Garner, JLL
Brad Gibson, Hall Group
Eric Goodwin, Champions DFW Commercial Realty
Ruth Griggs, Thirty-Four Commercial
Marc Grossfeld, Sunwest Real Estate Group
Rodney Helm, Cushman & Wakefield
Duane Henley, Newmark
John Huff, Transwestern
JP Humphrey III, Advisors Commercial Real Estate
Bryce Jackson, Thirty-Four Commercial
Johnny Johnson, Cushman & Wakefield
Russ Johnson, JLL
Carly Keiser, Monument Realty
Jared Laake, Bradford Cos.
Tabitha Layne, Sunwest Real Estate Group
Hunter Lee, HPI Real Estate Services and Investments
Chris Lipscomb, Transwestern
Addie Ludwig, Cawley Partners
Jackie Marshall, CBRE
Hannah Mesh, Harwood International
Lacy Milani-Ingalls, Champions DFW Commercial Realty
Lauren Napper, CBRE
Tommy Nelson, CBRE
Rena Padachy, Hall Group
Lauren Perry, JLL
Scott Rodgers, DuWest Realty
Matthew Schendle, Cushman & Wakefield
Karch Schreiner, Hillwood
Blake Shipley, JLL
Steve Shrum, Glacier Commercial Realty
Trey Smith, CBRE
Chris Taylor, Cushman & Wakefield
Kristi Waddell, Cawley Partners
Scott Walker, Transwestern
Luke Walters, Gaedeke Group
Kelly Whaley, Harwood International
Worthey Wiles, Lincoln Property Co.
Paul Wittorf, Transwestern
Chris Wright, JLL
Jake Young, Lincoln Property Co.
Trina Zais, Champions DFW Commercial Realty
Burson Holman, Granite Properties
Lauren Adams, Fischer
Baron Aldrine, Colliers
Cribb Altman, JLL
Steve Andrews, Fischer
Susan Arledge, Newmark
Robbie Baty, Cushman & Wakefield
John Beach, Newmark
Eric Beichler, Mohr Partners
Jacob Black, Fischer
Paul Blight, Glacier Commercial Realty
Robert Blount, CBRE
Travis Boothe, Cushman & Wakefield
Jihane Boury, CBRE
Ryan Buchanan, CBRE
Jordan Buis, CBRE
Doug Carignan, CBRE
Jordan Cluff, DuWest Realty
Dean Collins, Cushman & Wakefield
James C. Cooksey, Newmark
Randy Cooper, Stream Realty Partners
Russell Cosby, Citadel Partners
Ben Crancer, Whitebox Real Estate
Charles Daggett, Savills
Peter Danna, Colliers
Harlan Davis, CBRE
Mike Dement, ALT+CO
Jeff Ellerman, CBRE
John Ellerman, CBRE
Sharon Friedberg, Fischer
Billy Gannon, Transwestern
Arthur Greenstein, Douglas Elliman
Michael Griffin, Transwestern
Scott Hage, JLL
Dan Harris, Stream Realty Partners
David Harris, Hart Commercial
Hunter Haygood, Fischer
Hunter Hedrick, Holt Lunsford Commercial
Bret Hefton, JLL
Andrew Hegmann, Fischer
Tyler Howarth, Holt Lunsford Commercial
Jack Huff, Transwestern
Bob Ingram, Mohr Partners
Drew Jacoy, The Brokerage Advisors
Katherine Jessen, Citadel Partners
Craig Jones, JLL
Chris Joyner, Fischer
Kelley Kackley, JLL
Gianni R. LaBarba, The Venator Group
Andy Leatherman, JLL
Nick Lee, NAI Robert Lynn
Kyle Libby, MedCore Partners
Torrey Littlejohn, JLL
Kelly Lyons, Monument Realty
Pamela Martin, Douglas Elliman
Tanja McAleavey, Younger Partners
Conor McCarthy, JLL
Megan McNulty, The Brokerage Advisors
Bob Mohr, Mohr Partners
Mac Morse, Citadel Partners
Giovanni Palavicini, Avison Young
Jeff Pappas, Newmark
Luke Paterson, Swearingen Realty Group
John Pelletier, Cresa
Dan Polanchyck, Henry S. Miller Cos.
Grant Pruitt, Whitebox Real Estate
Sam Pruitt, Site Selection Group
Phil Puckett, CBRE
Terry Quinn, Avison Young
Steven Rigby, Colliers
Damian Rivera, Cresa
Bob Robbins, Banner Commercial
John Roper, CBRE
Evan Saks, Transwestern
Will Sale, Transwestern
Brad Selner, JLL
Eric Sheets, MedCore Partners
Emmitt Smith, E Smith Advisors
Trent Smith, Mohr Partners
Eliza Solender, Solender/Hall Inc.
Zach Stevens, NAI Robert Lynn
Andrew Taguwa, JLL
Tyler Thomas, Citadel Partners
Sanders Thompson, Transwestern
Tamela Thornton, E Smith Advisors
Eddie Tillman, Avison Young
Jordan Wade, Transwestern
David Walters, CBRE
Howard Watkins, Transwestern
Josh White, CBRE
King White, Site Selection Group
Warren Willey, CBRE
Craig Wilson, Stream Realty Partners
Peery Wood, CBRE
Darren Woodson, Cresa
Dina Zavislak, Savills
David Adams, The Woodmont Co.
Derek Anthony, The Woodmont Co.
Blake Barnes, DuWest Realty
Thad Beckner, The Retail Connection
Josh Beliak, SHOP Cos.
Randy Bell, Real Capital Investments
Edward Benton, Secure Net Lease
Josh Bishop, Matthews RE Investment Services
Greg Blandford, Venture
Greg Bracchi, Edge Realty Partners
Frank Bullock, Henry S. Miller Cos.
Mike Cagle, Inroads Realty
Michelle Caplan, Weitzman
Joe Caputo, Secure Net Lease
William Carr, Matthews RE Investment Services
Sam Carrion, Morrow Hill
Jay Ceitlin, SHOP Cos.
Connor Chauncy, Morrow Hill
Taylor Cluff, DuWest Realty
Mark Cohen, CenterPoint Commercial Properties
Jonathan Cooper, Davidson Bogel Real Estate
A. Bryan Cornelius, RetailUnion
Jim Dunn, RetailUnion
Mason duPerier, Vista Property Co.
Bryan Dyer, The Woodmont Co.
Daniel End, EXP ENGVEST
David English, Ridge Pointe Commerical RE
Steve Ewing, Edge Realty Partners
Ryan Fuqua, DuWest Realty
Christopher Gibbons, The Retail Connection
Thomas Glendenning, SHOP Cos.
Adam Gottschalk, STRIVE
Steve Gray, Advisors Commercial Real Estate
Tracy Gray, Holt Lunsford Commercial
Steve Greenberg, The Retail Connection
Dawn Greiner, SRS Real Estate Partners
Tyler Grisham, Edge Realty Partners
Tom Heraty, NAI Robert Lynn
Darrell Hernandez, CBRE
Jonathan Hill, Morrow Hill
Rand Horowitz, SHOP Cos.
Andrew Ivankovich, Matthews RE Investment Services
Jim Jamerson, Segovia Partners
Rob Jones, JLL
Hudson Lambert, STRIVE
Taylor LeMaster, Inroads Realty
Teddy Leonard, Secure Net Lease
Steve Lieberman, The Retail Connection
Mark Masinter, Open Realty Advisors
John Mathes, The Retail Connection
Jake McCoy, The Woodmont Co.
Jon McDaniel, NAI Robert Lynn
Steve Merkle, Open Realty Advisors
Rose Meza, Segovia Partners
Gretchen Miller, Weitzman
Mark Miller, Hillwood
Bob Moorhead, Secure Net Lease
Clay Mote, RetailUnion
Luke Mullen, BrandPartners
McKenna Myers, Hillwood
Michael Nagy, Open Realty Advisors
Linda Nguyen, Morrow Hill
Jennifer Pierson, STRIVE
Anthony Pucciarello, Secure Net Lease
Kornel Romada, Segovia Partners
David Sacher, SHOP Cos.
David Schnitzer, ASCEND Commercial Real Estate
Brettany Schovanec, Fischer
Will Schubert, STRIVE
Preston Schwartz, Matthews RE Investment Services
Alice Seale, Seale Realty Advisors
Andrew Shaw, Edge Realty Partners
Johnny Siegel, Open Realty Advisors
Brian Sladek, RESOLUT Re
Karla Smith, SRS Real Estate Partners
Scott Smith, Weitzman
Terry Syler, The Retail Connection
Tucker Szybala, Falcon Realty Advisors
Tey Tiner, Falcon Realty Advisors
Brandon Trimble, The Retail Connection
Paul W. Vernon, Henry S. Miller Cos.
Nick Virani, CenterPoint Commercial Properties
Jason Vitorino, STRIVE
Easley B. Waggoner, Jr., Venture
Michael Walters, Falcon Realty Advisors
Amanda Welles, Venture
Jeff Williams, STRIVE
Noah Williams, Davidson Bogel Real Estate
Luke Wilson, The Retail Connection
More than 70 industry experts share their knowledge as contributing editors to D CEO’s commercial real estate news site.
IN A REGION AS DEEP, broad, and active as Dallas-Fort Worth, it would be impossible for any individual to single-handedly keep on top of the market’s commercial real estate news. That’s why we invite a select group of individuals to share their on-the-ground insights as contributing editors to our digital news site, D CEO Real Estate. Our 2023 lineup of writers includes industry veterans like Bill Cawley of Cawley Partners, Herb Weitzman of Weitzman, and Diane Butler of Butler Advisers, as well as emerging leaders like Allison Johnston Frizzo of Hart Commercial and Dan Harris of Stream Realty Partners. They represent all product types and specialties, from appraisal to zoning. Throughout the year, you’ll find commentaries on emerging trends, surprising stats, leadership strategies, market updates and outlooks, and more. Turn to D CEO Real Estate for these insights—and be sure to sign up for our weekly newsletter (distributed on Thursday afternoons) to stay informed about this dynamic market and get information you won’t find anywhere else.
story by BRANDON J. CALL illustration by JAKE MEYERSOriginally Published Dec. 15, 2022
RUNNING AND REAL ESTATE will be forever linked for me. That linkage began in 1982, the year of my first full marathon and my first full year in commercial real estate communications. This month, 40 years later, I completed the BMW Dallas Marathon.
Anniversaries and long races have one thing in common: They offer time to reflect. In 1982, the White Rock Marathon attracted 3,500 runners. This year, more than 14,000 crossed the finish line. And just as the marathon has grown, so has Dallas. In 1982, Dallas’ population totaled 900,000. The DFW metro area population totaled 2.6 million. Dallas’ population is now around 1.3 million, while DFW is 7.6 million. Forty years ago, about 250 souls called downtown home. Downtown remains an important office market, but old and vacant office projects now house residential, hotel, retail, and other uses. And downtown’s core population has jumped to 15,000.
Today, tech has altered running for the better. Now you can search and shop with your phone. In the 80’s, department stores dominanted, and downtown was home to three. These former titans failed to evolve and left vacancies in their wake. But yesterday’s vacancy is today’s tenancy.
In 1982, DFW’s retail inventory totaled 80 million square feet. In 2022, that inventory surpasses 200 million. But today’s market is far healthier, thanks to transformed retailing and the emergence of tech and mortar.
Someone once told me that people run because they have a strong sense of tomorrow—what you do in the present benefits your future. Real estate is an investment in the future. Massive investments have been made to make things better. From a runner’s perspective, this includes the Katy Trail, the Santa Fe Trail, and other trails. And as these investments attract crowds, they continue to spark development.
As you can see, the marathon gave me time to think about the big Rs in my life: real estate and running, and the way both offer a great sense of potential and possibility. It’s all about that strong sense of tomorrow.
Cribb Altman, JLL
Jon Altschuler, ALT+CO
Susan Arledge, Newmark
Brooke Armstrong, CBRE
Danny Baker, CBRE
Mark Becker, Cushman & Wakefield
Patrick Benoist, CBRE
Cliff Booth, Westmount
Bo Bond, Cushman & Wakefield
Beth Bowman, Greater Irving Las Colinas EDC
Linda Burns, Burns Development Group
Diane Butler, Butler Advisers
Kim Butler, HALL Group
Bill Cawley, Cawley Partners
Chuck Dannis, National Valuation Consultants
Lynn Dowdle, Dowdle Real Estate
Steven Duong, AECOM
Lucy Durbin, CBRE
Sharon Frieberg, Fischer
Ethan Garner, JLL
Grant Gary, The Woodmont Co.
Mike Geisler, Venture Commercial Real Estate
continued on page 084
Originally Published July 14, 2022
OUR DFW REAL ESTATE community is unique in the sense that even when we’re competing against each other, we’re also quick to celebrate everybody’s wins and successes, both personally and professionally. When I look back at the strong leadership and mentorship opportunities I’ve had, it inspires me to help define what leadership means and put into action how our team can make a difference.
Our world has significantly changed in the past few years, and the expectations of a leader are different than what they once were. What I’ve realized is that all strong relationships and leadership roles start with a strong sense of community.
A community has to be more than just a physical place where people come into work every day. The sense of community that I’ve been lucky enough to help cultivate over the years has come from impromptu office happy hours, luring people in to talk to me with a candy bar, or having a good laugh over a bad meeting and not taking it too seriously.
Time and time again, we’ve seen our best results and biggest wins as a business when we work together collaboratively. Sure, work can be done over email if it’s necessary, but 10 out of 10 times, it’s quicker to just walk over to someone’s desk to get a response or to set up in a conference room to work through a client issue.
Aside from conducting business, being among your people is just better. For me, collaborating via email and Zoom during the pandemic was isolating. I love being around people and getting to hear others across the floor celebrating a win or cheering when they find out a teammate has been promoted. The experiences help form the foundation of a strong community.
There are other aspects to being a leader that are incredibly important, as well. Fortunately, I got to learn from the GOAT (greatest of all time), Roger Staubach, early in my career. Integrity, empathy, fairness, and valuing diverse people and backgrounds are the pillars of my personal leadership philosophy. But none of it means anything without community.
BROOKE ARMSTRONG President of Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas Advisory Services, CBREcontinued from page 082
Marsha Getto-Aikens, HKS
Shawn Givens, Colliers
Arthur Greenstein, Douglas Elliman
John Griggs, Presidium
Joey Grisham, Anna EDC
Robert Grunnah, Younger Partners
Asher Hall, Cushman & Wakefield
Dan Harris, Stream Realty Partners
Jordan Harper, Harrison, Walker & Harper
Rogers Healy, The Rogers Healy Cos.
Will Hendrickson, Granite Properties
Emily Hoffman, Colliers
Curt Holcomb, JLL
Scott Jessen, Citadel Partners
Allison Johnston Frizzo, Hart Commercial
Seth Koschak, Stream Realty Partners
Mike Kennedy, Avison Young
Beth Lambert, Cushman & Wakefield
Steve Lieberman, The Retail Connection
Tanya Hart Little, Hart Commercial
Danny Lovell, The Ranier Cos.
Wendy Lopez, AECOM
Jackie Marshall, CBRE
Jeremy McGowan, CBRE
Terrence Maiden, Russell Glenn
Tiffany Marano, Stream Realty Partners
continued on page 086
An up-and-coming city with a booming population, Anna o ers 61 square miles with a wealth of available sites for development, a prime location at the intersection of five major highways between Dallas and Sherman’s rising tech hub in Grayson County. Combine these with an educated workforce, diverse housing in established and flourishing neighborhoods, and stellar schools, and you’ll see why Anna is worth investing in.
To learn more about how Anna can help you realize your vision, visit opportunityannatx.com/annasaysyes or contact Joey Grisham, Director of Economic Development at 214-831-5394.
Originally Published Aug. 18, 2022
THE DATA CENTER INDUSTRY in Dallas and across the country was picking at a consistent pace for years, until the market exploded with a record year of sales and output in the wake of COVID. As reported in JLL’s Data Center Outlook report, 2021 absorption reached a recordbreaking 885.7 MW across the U.S., including a 173 percent increase in DFW. This spike, paired with a host of economic factors, is putting added pressure on users to secure this essential part of their real estate portfolio as the world becomes more reliant on digital storage.
Over the last nine months, the DFW market saw a shift from an oversupply of data center capacity to a stark undersupply. Panic buying by major cloud service providers and hyper-scalers of large swaths of capacity holdings (many purchasing at projects that haven’t even broken ground) is fueling this shift.
For the providers in charge of building and delivering products, issues with the supply chain have forced construction times to run longer. What used to be a six- to nine-month build is now 12 to 18 months. Providers can’t build data center space fast enough to meet the demand. Hyper-inflation is also wreaking havoc on construction materials.
To make matters even more dire, we are seeing a land availability shortage in regions known for being data center hubs. North Texas is no exception, and we see this replicated in major hubs across Northern Virginia, Chicago, Phoenix, the Pacific Northwest, and Silicon Valley.
Given the many hurdles in today’s market, we are preparing our clients to think ahead. Even Fortune 500 enterprise users, who typically lease less space than the major cloud service providers, are feeling the pressure and are working quickly to secure the capacity they will need over the next five years, right now.
To put it bluntly, if your business will need data center access but hasn’t started thinking about what your needs will be in 2027, you’re already behind. So, take this as a sign to get started today.
HOLCOMB Executive Vice President, JLLcontinued from page 084
Linda McMahon, The Real Estate Council
Jessica Miller Essl, M2G Ventures
Rhett Miller, Stream Realty Partners
Marshall Mills, Weitzman
Nelson Mitchell, HistoryMaker Homes
Scott Morse, Citadel Partners
Dan Noble, HKS
Jade Parrish, CBRE
Ian Pierce, Weitzman
Fred Ragsdale, JLL
Dev Rastogi, AECOM
Grant Raymond, Cushman & Wakefield
Ward Richmond, Colliers
Jayme Schutt, JLL
Alan Shor, The Retail Connection
Cindy Simpson, Gensler
Katy Slade, Mintwood Real Estate
Jack Stone, Greysteel
Daniel Taylor, Colliers
Steve Triolet, Younger Partners
Jason Weeks, Brasfield & Gorrie
Herb Weitzman, Weitzman
Michele Wheeler, Jackson-Shaw
Matt Wiser, Stream Realty Partners
Lindsay Wilson, Corgan
Carlos Vaz, Conti
Keyan Zandy, Skiles Group
Ben carpenter was raised in highland park by his mother, Flossie, and father, John W. Carpenter, the family who owned the 6,000acre Hackberry Creek Ranch northwest of Dallas. Ben fought in World War II, earning a Silver Star. After the war, he continued his father’s work of shaping the Trinity River and served as president of Trinity River Authority and the Trinity Improvement Association. Meanwhile, Irving grew from a small town of 1,089 in 1940 to more than 97,000 by 1970, making Hackberry Creek Ranch’s development inevitable; however, Carpenter wanted the land to reflect his love for open spaces. So, in 1973, he presented the master plan for Las Colinas, which included a high-density mixed-use urban center, Lake Carolyn, and a system of small waterways. More than 130 companies moved to Las Colinas in its first seven years. Today, the master-planned community is home to 27.4 million square feet of office space, more than 190 acres of green space, and the largest office park in DFW. Dubbed “the headquarters of headquarters,” it is the global home to eight Fortune 500 companies. In a 1974 memo to his staff, Carpenter wrote: “Remember that generations of others who will make Las Colinas their home will follow us. Let them look back and reflect on the fine effort made by those who were its custodians during the development stage.”
