D CEO

Private equity is coming for professional and college football. Last year, the NFL owners voted to allow PE investments into their teams—Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones voted yes. “Anytime you can bring highly sophisticated investors into team ownership at any level, I think it’s good for the NFL,” team CFO Tom Walker says. The Bills and the Dolphins have already accepted PE funds. In college, the Big 12 is trying to be the first conference to bring in PE dollars. Commissioner Brett Yormark says, “I don’t want to wake up tomorrow and read that [some other conference] partnered with a private equity firm, and someone else was the first mover in that space. I like being a first mover.” But each PE deal brings uncertain terms, especially at the collegiate level. Read more about how private equity is changing the sport from Ben Swanger: https://lnkd.in/g8K75tCQ

When PwC and the Urban Land Institute named Dallas the No. 1 commercial real estate market for 2025, it was just one accolade in a series of revelations aimed at shaping a glimpse into the future for the industry. That same report highlighted the post-pandemic surge in demand for retail space. However, it also pointed to economic stressors, including inflationary pressures and rising debt among the average American consumer. “All these data points would seem to suggest that retail is at an inflection point heading into 2025,” the resport states. “Or is it?” To get our own look into the future, D CEO asked top North Texas commercial real estate brokers to share their thoughts on 2024 performance as well as what 2025 could bring. We started earlier this month with thought leaders in the industrial and data center sectors, and we then turned our attention last week to the office sector. This week, we put retail in the spotlight. Karla Smith of SRS Real Estate Partners highlights the trend of entertainment-anchored retail, while Michelle Caplan of Weitzman outlines the proportion of new retail space in DFW that has been devoted to anchor stores. Finally, Jennifer Pierson of STRIVE sketches out how the retail sector is performing compared to other asset class trends. Here’s what these D CEO Power Brokers shared with Audrey Henvey: https://lnkd.in/gShAs9sn

Jimmy Smith was a four-time All-District and a three-time All-Region player who, in 1992, was the USA Today Texas Player of the Year and was named Mr. Basketball in Texas in 1993. He went on to play at Texas A&M University and was inducted into the Texas High School Basketball Hall of Fame in 2023. In 2010, he was named to the UIL All-Century basketball first-team. Smith unsurprisingly made a career in sports, though his profession involves more boardrooms than locker rooms. Today, he is the chief operating and financial officer for FC Dallas while also serving as chair of the Dallas Sports Commission and chair-elect of the Visit Dallas Advisory Board. As Smith went off to A&M, being a pro athlete was in his sights, but he was also drawn to math and accounting. He scored a job with accounting firm Arthur Anderson, where one of his clients was Southwest Sports Group, Tom Hicks’ entity that owned the Rangers, Stars, and the Mesquite Championship Rodeo. His job included working on the $420 million construction of the American Airlines Center—he later took a job with the venue, serving as the director of finance for six years, but longed to find a way into a team’s front office. That opportunity manifested with FC Dallas. His duties include overseeing the renovation and operations of FC Dallas’ Toyota Stadium, the National Soccer Hall Of Fame Experience, and the 120-acre, 19-field MoneyGram Soccer Park. He is also the treasurer of the FC Dallas Foundation. As if that wasn’t enough, Smith helps manage the salary cap for FC Dallas in Major League Soccer’s complicated structure. Additionally, Smith is at the helm of the $182 million renovation of Toyota Stadium. The improvements will add a roof to cover seats and provide shade for the entire stadium; the number of suites will more than double; and club seating capacity will increase by 175 percent. Alongside REV Entertainment, the team is also working on an $85 million stadium in Mansfield for North Texas Soccer Club, the organization’s professional development team, which won the MLS NEXT Pro Cup this past fall. Smith’s plate is more than full these days, but even a full schedule can’t erase the pain of falling just short of a state championship. While Smith may never forget the winning jumper that wasn’t in 1992, he uses that moment to fuel his success today. “It always reminds me to finish the job. In my career now, I take great satwisfaction in the completion of a project,” he says. “When the Toyota Stadium renovation project was approved by the city, it was like winning a championship.”  Read the full story from Will Maddox: https://lnkd.in/gDefM5iQ

Each year, D CEO’s Power Brokers program honors the region’s top-performing brokers—those who drive the most revenue for their firms and help shape North Texas’ commercial real estate landscape. On Feb. 27, this year’s honorees gathered at Bank of America Plaza - Dallas for a special celebration recognizing their contributions to the region’s economy through major real estate deals. The evening also featured the presentation of the Legacy Award to industry leader Jack Fraker, celebrating his enduring impact on the industry and community. Fraker got his start in real estate with Cushman & Wakefield in 1987 after stints in Saudi Arabia and Belgium. He shifted to CBRE in 2003. By the time his tenure there ended in 2022, Fraker had cultivated a reputation as a consistent top national producer in industrial investment sales. Deals he personally closed added up to 1.5 billion square feet and $85 billion and spanned the globe. He has since triangulated a path to Newmark, where he is president and global head of industrial and logistics. A special thank you to our host sponsor, Bank of America Plaza, and our signature sponsors: Downtown Dallas, Inc., City of Farmers Branch, Scott + Reid General Contractors, Inc., and Vantrust Capital. See the full scenes from D CEO’s Power Brokers event: https://lnkd.in/gCK3Aj4V

For nearly a decade, Dallas developer Mike Hoque has been assembling land to develop a mixed-use district on the southern side of the city’s downtown. Now, he has secured an important final piece of the puzzle: 711 S. St. Paul St. The 17,000-square-foot property his Hoque Global acquired from the City of Dallas squares up a city block now fully under its control. It’s a capstone of an assemblage that has involved Hoque pulling together more than 60 individual parcels—negotiating deals with more than 100 different property owners. “This most recent piece is critical because we bought everything else around it,” Hoque told D CEO. “We just patiently waited. It was owned by the city, so it had to go through a process. There was a bidding war for the property. When we started buying land nearly 10 years ago, no one else was looking at doing so. But this time, there was a room full of people bidding against us. But we had to have it.” Hoque wanted the site for his own uses and to protect it against development that wouldn’t align well with Newpark Dallas, his planned, 20-acre technology and education hub that will add office space, urban retail, mixed-income housing, and a hotel next to City Hall and between the Dallas Farmers Market the expanding Dallas Convention Center. Momentum is building in the neighborhood, with DISD growing its downtown operations. Earlier this year, the district announced its intent to acquire lots on Ervay and North St. Paul streets for a new Montessori school, CityLab, and an Innovation, Design, and Entrepreneurship Academy (IDEA). Additionally, Hoque Global and KDC, its development partner, have submitted a bid to Dallas College for a new downtown campus at Newpark that would sit across from the new DISD projects. The latest parcel Hoque acquired is the former location of Family Gateway, which moved to a larger location in North Dallas in 2023. The city did demolition work on the site before offering the property for sale. From the start of the assemblage process, Hoque has not wavered from his quest to create a tech-and education-centric development. The city’s need for one was made evident by Amazon’s decision to bypass Dallas when it was on the hunt for a second headquarters in 2018, he says. “Vision is easy,” he says. “A lot of people can visualize something, but getting it done is hard. “We would rather play the long game,” he adds, “and do what could be transformational for our community than rely on simple ‘base-hitter’ development deals that would make us some money but do nothing to improve our city.” Read the full story from Christine Perez: https://lnkd.in/gujK4mp2

Torc Robotics is building its autonomous trucking hub at AllianceTexas to serve as the firm’s testing grounds, customer experience center, and fleet management control. The location will serve as a hub for Torc’s plans to commercialize its technology in 2027. Torc is a Virginia-based independent subsidiary of Daimler Truck AG, founded in 2005, focused on self-driving technology. It is led by CEO Peter Vaughan Schmidt. Alliance has long been known as a magnet for transportation and autonomous driving operations, with a multi-modal port, nearly endless warehouse square footage, and plenty of space to train and test self-driving technology. Torc targeted DFW for its connection on I-35 to Laredo, which is the largest economic port of entry in the U.S. and represented $320 billion in total trade last year, amongst 15,000 truck crossings. The property at Alliance will be built out this year and include a 17-acre facility and 22,000 square feet of office space. Torc is currently in a transition phase as its operations hub moves from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Alliance. Torc had 20 to 25 trucks in operation between Oklahoma City and Phoenix before the move. Torc is scrapping its old fleet as it prepares for commercialization and will launch a new fleet with the move to DFW. Rather than developmental, retro-fitted trucks, the new vehicles will be produced in the factory equipped with all the sensors and technology to operate without a human driver. The plan is to work with the parent company, Daimler, to create a scalable product rather than a hand-built, expensive truck that isn’t ready for mass distribution. Schmidt noted that 70 percent of the Torc employees in Albuquerque decided to move to Dallas with the company, demonstrating the employees’ commitment to the mission of the company and DFW’s desirability as a place to live. With operations in Virginia, Michigan, Canada, and other locations, Torc’s trucks are built in Mexico, Cleveland, and North Carolina. Though it owns and operates the vehicles today, Torc doesn’t want to own the trucks when commercialization arrives. It intends to enable the Schneiders and JBLs of the world to do their business more efficiently. With demand for trucking increasing while driver supply dwindles, the technology is essential to the health of the American economy. The move to Texas is all about commercialization. With friendly regulation, miles of highway, and a suitable and experienced partner in Alliance, Torc is poised for a commercial autonomous trucking explosion in 2027. Schmidt sees Torc’s differentiators in its scalability, return on investment, and pricing from the company’s experience in the industry. Read more about how autonomous trucking company Torc Robotics adds to AllianceTexas’ industry boom from Will Maddox: https://lnkd.in/g8j8G9wS

Before she became executive director of the Dallas Sports Commission and the mastermind behind Dallas securing nine matches for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ - Canada, Mexico and the United States, Monica Paul was a sports-obsessed child. But opportunities to cheer on female athletes were few and far between. “There were no women’s sports on TV, and there weren’t any leagues,” she says. Much has changed since then. The American Airlines Center hosted the 2017 and 2023 NCAA Women’s Final Four, breaking attendance and viewership records both times. Dallas will host the Final Four again in 2031—by then, viewership could top 20 million. The latest women’s Final Four in Cleveland was the most watched on record, with an average of 13.8 million viewers. In 2022, the WNBA raised $75 million from investors, marking the largest-ever capital raise for a women’s sports entity. The next year, Deloitte projected that women’s sports would soon become a billion-dollar industry, a prediction realized by the shooting-star fame of Caitlin Clark. The Wings benefitted, seeing growth in ticket revenue of 44 percent last year compared to 2023. In August, the Wings’ enterprise valuation reportedly hit $208 million, making it the most valuable in the league, despite the team ultimately finishing the season 9-31. Although a win-loss record impacts a team’s valuation, that’s not the only factor. More growth is ahead for the team. After playing for nearly a decade at The University of Texas at Arlington’s 7,000-seat College Park Center, the team took a $19 million incentive package from the City of Dallas to move to Memorial Auditorium in 2026, which has effectively sat vacant for decades at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas. The Wings aren’t alone in flocking to the city. Dallas Trinity FC, the region’s only professional women’s soccer team, kicked off its inaugural season last year. The team put an emphasis on calling out Dallas’ roots in its branding, adopting a Pegasus logo and calling the Cotton Bowl home.  Paul says having a pro women’s soccer team in Dallas strengthens the city’s bid to host the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup. Beyond that, the forthcoming Women’s Rugby World Cup in 2033 is an event target for Paul, and optimism is high for a pro indoor volleyball team launching in Dallas soon. Paul paints a picture of her ideal future: one where there would be a women’s professional team playing a game on the same day—but maybe not at the same time—as a men’s match, where there would be plenty of opportunity for young girls and boys to see both. “I think 10 years from now, you’ve got four or five women’s teams across various sports that play [in DFW], and we’re hosting championship events,” Paul projects. Read why professional women’s sports are on the rise in North Texas from Audrey Henvey: https://lnkd.in/dk2aMF2C

Meet the Dallas 500: Carla Dawson, Texas Health Resources Carla Dawson has spent nearly 20 years at Texas Health Resources, and has led an award-winning team of human resources professionals while helping THR receive countless workplace culture awards over the years. Newsweek and America's Greatest Workplaces recently named THR one of the best workplaces for women. “At Texas Health, we are dedicated to building a supportive work environment for everyone,” Dawson said. “We are proud to be recognized as an organization where both men and women lead and succeed.” Dawson joined THR in 2005 as an administrative director, advancing to vice president of total rewards before being named Chief People Officer in February 2020, just weeks before the pandemic would change the workplace forever. In the face of a human resources paradigm shift, Texas Health Resources hasn’t stopped being named as a top workplace in healthcare industry by Fortune, the HRO Today Association, Great Place to Work, and others. Dawson has led the organization through some hospital industry’s most difficult years, from pandemic threats to increasing headwinds against profitability and talent retention. It hasn’t stopped the system from continuing to grow and care for the region. Texas Health now includes 29 hospitals that span 16 counties and more than 7 million people. With more than 4,100 licensed beds, 6,400 physicians, and more than 26,000 employees, Dawson has plenty to keep her busy at THR. And more growth is on the way. Texas Health is currently expanding its footprint in Kaufman County with a new Forney hospital. The project will expand access to healthcare in one of the fastest growing cities in the nation. “We are continually working to provide benefits and resources to enable our employees to succeed,” Dawson said. “Our benefits portfolio meets employees’ professional, personal and family needs, and we actively cultivate an inclusive workplace with opportunities for growth.” Read more about Carla Dawson from Will Maddox: https://lnkd.in/g4YmGJse

According to Mark Cuban, Theo Hodges is the most interesting under-the-radar executive in DFW. After all, in 2024 the chief revenue officer led the team to post an increase in ticket sales revenue of more than 15 percent. But without Luka Doncic on the hardwood, the executive’s job just became even tougher. (And reported price hikes for next season didn’t sit well with fans.) Hodges’ career in sports began when he was still a teenager as a bat boy for the St. Louis Cardinals. Hodges, who went to Indiana University Bloomington, was then a student manager for Coach Bobby Knight’s three-time national championship-winning basketball program. Hodges has now logged a 20-year career with several teams across four leagues. In 2018, the Mavs hired him as its senior vice president of sales. Today, he oversees all aspects of revenue growth under new owners, the Adelson family. “This leadership transition has been a transformative experience,” Hodges says. Read more about Theo Hodges from Layten Praytor: https://lnkd.in/g5AF-GvX

Common Cents Dallas, a student-led philanthropy program founded in 1998 by the late Louise “Tootsie” Gartner, has reached a milestone that once seemed like a dream: $1 million raised for local nonprofits. At the heart of this achievement is Gigi Gartner, Tootsie’s daughter, who has carried her mother’s vision forward with an unwavering dedication to instilling leadership and generosity in Dallas ISD students. “A million dollars—that’s a lot of pennies,” Gigi says with a laugh. “But really, it means we’re making an impact, helping shape the youth of today for tomorrow. This is my legacy. I don’t have children, but this program—it’s something lasting. My mom did a lot of things, but this was her favorite because it put kids in charge.” More than 200 students from 20 campuses raised more than $24,000 during the 2025 campaign, pushing the 27-year total over the $1 million milestone. The gifts this year are going to 21 local nonprofits. Since its inception, Common Cents Dallas has empowered students to raise money for causes they care about, from local shelters to hospitals, food banks, and animal rescue organizations. The program introduces students to philanthropy and teaches leadership, teamwork, and financial literacy. “It’s about collaboration, brainstorming, and yes, even counting money—it’s a skill,” Gigi says. “More than anything, they learn empathy. That’s the biggie.” The program began modestly, with a handful of schools raising $7,000 in its first year. Over time, participation grew, with as many as 40 schools taking part at the program’s peak. Today, between 20 and 30 schools remain actively involved. Although the core mission remains unchanged, the methods of fundraising have evolved. “It used to be all about collecting cash and counting it by hand,” Gigi recalls. “Now, students are moving toward digital donations—modernizing, just like the rest of the world.” Gigi remains the nonprofit’s driving force, balancing her work with a real estate career while leading a small but dedicated team. “Every year, it’s about dedication—mine and Dallas ISD’s. They push it out to the schools, and we make it happen together. I have schools that have been with me for 20 years, and that means something.” As for the future, Gigi has a simple goal: more schools, more students, and more impact. “I don’t have a grand new initiative, just a desire to grow. If more people knew about what these kids were doing, more would want to be involved. That’s where I need help—getting the word out.” If her mother could see what Common Cents Dallas has become, Gigi knows what she’d say: “She’d thank me for keeping it going, for making it bigger and better. I feel her every day.” For now, the mission continues—one penny, one student, one act of generosity at a time. Read the full story: https://lnkd.in/gpu-52zn