TREC’s 2023 Year-In-Review

More than 1,300 guests joined us at the Hilton Anatole on September 14 for FightNight XXXIV: Rising Up! In addition to the $1.5 million raised during the event – with net proceeds benefiting TREC Community Investors – the Associate Leadership Council (ALC) Class of 2023 raised a record $160,000 in FightNight raffle tickets and donations, with class member Lauren Hastedt of JLL leading the way with $21,700.

Our Associate Leadership Council (ALC) Class of 2022 was proud to take on the renovation of the Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Museum and Learning Center for their TREC Community Investors Project. Completed as part of Dallas Catalyst Project: Forest District, the museum is the former home of Kathlyn Joy Gilliam, who was the first Black woman elected to the DISD board later served as its chair. In recent years, the facility has been used for afterschool educational programs and served an average of 500 South Dallas residents and students annually.

It is always wonderful and gratifying to be recognized for your work, and our members should be proud of how their efforts were recognized this year. We are so grateful for all you do for our organization. In April, the Dallas Business Journal nominated the Kathlyn Joy Gilliam Museum and Learning Center (2022 ALC class project) as part of its 2022 “Best Real Estate Deals” awards. Then in August, Scholarshot honored TREC and TREC Community Investors with its Platinum Social Impact award for supporting its mission of expanding educational opportunities for students of every learning level. Finally, in September, the North Central Texas Council of Governments (NCTCOG) honored our organization with its first-ever Social Impact Award for our members’ work in seeking a better North Texas for all.

In May, we were treated to an exclusive interview with Hall of Fame Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman during a Bank of Texas Speaker Series event. The Monday Night Football co-host detailed his post-retirement life, which included stories about fatherhood, his broadcasting career, and founding Eight beer.

Following more than two years of permitting and construction delays, the ALC Class of 2021 finally joined Cornerstone Baptist Church in late August to cut the ribbon on South Dallas Cloud Kitchen, which was the final project within The Crossing shopping Center on S. Ervay Street in the Forest District. The kitchen will tackle Forest District food insecurity by helping South Dallas culinary entrepreneurs scale their businesses and train residents on nutritious cooking and eating habits.

In late May, a group of TREC members attended a dinner and reception for senior commercial real estate industry leadership hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and its new president and CEO, Lorie Logan. During the event, Logan discussed the state of the economy and the impact that the Federal Reserve has on the industry, and we appreciated the opportunity to participate.

We were thrilled that Dallas voters selected 13 of the 14 City Council candidates we endorsed in this year’s election and chose to re-elect Mayor Eric Johnson. We look forward to continuing our strong relationship with our city officials as we tirelessly advocate for policy that benefits the commercial real estate industry’s interests throughout the region.

For their 2022 TREC Community Investors Project, our Young Guns members renovated two quadplex apartment buildings located at 1401 Lenway Street and 3302 Cleveland Street in partnership with St. Philip’s School & Community Center as part of Dallas Catalyst Project: Forest District. To complete the renovation, the Young Guns project team repaired and replaced siding, painted the exteriors, installed new landscaping and plantings, and constructed several infrastructure items, including new outdoor sheds, an outdoor canopy, wood slat fencing, new signage, and new lighting.

Dallas was on the world’s stage for this year’s International Economic Development Council (IEDC) 2023 annual conference in September, which TREC President and CEO Linda McMahon co-chaired with City of Dallas Assistant City Manager Majed Al-Ghafry. The conference featured speaking engagements, site tours, and special events featuring prominent TREC members and economic development leaders from Dallas and beyond, and we are grateful to Lucy Billingsley, Jack Matthews, and Ross Perot Jr. (among many others) for their participation.