Rick Perdue, Rosewood Property Company
2021 FightNight Chair
We’ve nicknamed this year’s FightNight “The Comeback,” after the event was canceled last year due to the pandemic. What does it mean for you to chair the event this year and bring our commercial real estate community together again?
I was honored to be asked to chair this event, particularly this year. After such an unprecedented 2020, I know everyone is ready to get back to normal and FightNight is a huge part of a normal year in Dallas real estate. Everyone I have spoken to is excited to be back in person. I fully expect this to be an unforgettable evening.
Do you anticipate the FightNight experience to change given that the event will take place in the fall after so many years of it being scheduled in the spring?
I am excited for this change. I don’t think of it as good or bad, just different. The pandemic has turned so many things upside down and caused people to rethink almost everything. This is a fresh opportunity to reinvent FightNight as a fall event. It could return to spring at some point, but I am excited for the change. Hopefully a lot of people that may have been unable to attend in the spring will be able to make it to this new time of the year.
When was your first FightNight? What are some of your fondest FightNight memories?
My first FightNight would have been 1998, having just moved to Dallas out of college. I have had the privilege of attending FightNight as a member of an Associate Leadership Council class as well as chairman of an ALC class, so those two evenings definitely rate the highest for me. The ALC party bus is a legendary part of FightNight lore.
Funds raised in support of FightNight benefit TREC Community Investors and its neighborhood revitalization efforts in our city’s underserved communities. How can our members, friends, and partners help us reach our fundraising goals?
TREC truly makes Dallas a better place to live, and it takes money to make that happen. FightNight is a huge part of the funding that allows TREC to do so many good things. As chairman this year, I have been able to witness the incredible generosity of our members. I would encourage anyone that has not yet participated to please buy a table or an individual ticket or even just make a small donation. I really believe that TREC leverages dollars better than any other organization in Dallas.
TREC’s slogan, “Build the City You’ve Imagined,” is often thought of as a call to action for TREC members to leave a positive, lasting legacy on our industry, city, and communities. What does the expression mean to you? What kind of impact would you like to leave?
I am a founding board member of a nonprofit called the Circuit Trail Conservancy, a group focused on completing The Loop, a 50-mile walking and cycling trail around Dallas that connects almost every corner of the City. My first exposure to this trail effort was through a TREC initiative that ultimately led to the Dallas Catalyst Project. TREC was also an early financial supporter of The Loop. There are countless examples like this where early TREC involvement led to initiatives outside of TREC itself.
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