Evan Beattie, GFF
2017 ALC Chair
Where is your favorite place in Dallas and why?
My favorite place to relax in Dallas is the Nasher Sculpture Center. It has a quiet and subdued design in an Arts District filled with buildings that tend to scream for attention, and its sculpture garden is a peaceful oasis in the middle of the city.
When you think about what the future holds for Dallas, what are you most excited about?
Our region is predicted to grow from its current population of around 7 million to more than 10 million by 2030, and with that growth will come incredible opportunities and challenges. Klyde Warren Park has proven the need for more quality parks and greenspace in the urban core of Dallas, and the Trinity River Corridor Project has the potential to be the Central Park of our region, which we will desperately need when our region is nearly 50 percent larger than it is today. Cities all around the world are reorienting to embrace their rivers and waterfronts, working to make them great public spaces. I am optimistic we will find a way to connect Downtown Dallas, The Cedars, North Oak Cliff and West Dallas to the river in a way that helps make it a central part of life in our city, and that a balance will be found between the need for a road and a park of which we can all be proud.
Who is a leader you admire?
I’ve been very lucky in my career to work with a leader in our industry that I professionally and personally admire as much as Larry Good, chairman of GFF, and my mentor. Larry has skillfully balanced his professional work as an architect and planner with a commitment to civic service throughout his career, and his passion for Dallas, in my opinion, has made a lasting impact on the quality of life in our city.
What is the most difficult part of leadership?
The ALC Class of 2016 had an opportunity to discuss leadership with Admiral Patrick M. Walsh, former Commander of the U.S. Pacific Fleet, during a roundtable lunch. Admiral Walsh emphasized that effective leaders must be open to being questioned, which really resonated with me coming from a former U.S. Military Commander. His advice about empowering teams to do their jobs with clear guidelines and goals has greatly influenced me. To converse about leadership with Admiral Walsh is a great example of the quality of leadership development that each ALC class is privileged to experience.
As the chair of the Associate Leadership Council’s Class of 2017, what do you hope next year’s class accomplishes?
The commercial real estate community in Dallas has a unique opportunity to shape the future of our city, and my goal for the ALC Class of 2017 is for every member to graduate the program personally inspired to make a lasting impact in Dallas. The Class of 2017 will do that in a tangible way through their class project, but I also hope they move forward in their careers with the motivation and contacts to become the next generation of leaders within their respective companies, TREC and our city.
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