Denise Fansler, Vice President at JLL, is an accomplished real estate officer for both public and private companies. She has been involved in TREC since 2003 and has served on various committees, including Membership Engagement and the ALC Class Steering Committee., and was in the ALC Class of 2005. Denise is serving as the 2024 Commercial Real Estate Consulting Services Chair for TREC Community Investors, TREC’s philanthropic arm.
How did you get involved with TREC and TREC Community Investors (TREC CI)?
Originally, I had several friends that went through the Associate Leadership Council (ALC) program, and they encouraged me to get involved. I got involved in one of TREC’s committees and then did ALC, which has a community investment project as part of the program. After ALC, I helped with various committees but did not serve on any that fell under TREC CI. When discussions about filling positions on the TREC and TREC CI boards came up, it felt like a good fit for me to get involved with Commercial Real Estate Consulting Services because of all the disciplines I have been involved with in my career and my involvement with projects at JLL. I started as the vice chair in 2023 and am now the chair.
How does Commercial Real Estate Consulting Services connect TREC members with community investment work?
The Commercial Real Estate Consulting Services committee connects the skills and knowledge of TREC members with nonprofits that are in need of real estate assistance. TREC members volunteer their time, either through one-on-one assistance or through programs like Real Estate Bootcamp and Real Estate 101. This could include legal aid, blueprints, project management, or anything else that may be needed during the real estate process. In addition to helping with technical services there are opportunities to do physical volunteer work. For example, both Young Guns and ALC select projects that help improve and transform communities.
Why are these services so helpful to nonprofits? What kind of help do they need?
Nonprofit employees have different skill sets that are imperative to their organizations, but do not always have the skill sets that you need in real estate. Nonprofits need a wide variety of real estate services ranging from construction, leasing, acquisitions, financing, budgeting, etc. to keep helping people and to expand their impact. Many of these services can be expensive and most do not have the funds to pay for these services so resources from TREC CI are super important to these organizations and their success.
Interested in volunteering with Commercial Real Estate Consulting Services and helping nonprofits in North Texas? Fill out our Volunteer Interest Form here.