Attorneys Serving the Community (ASC) Luncheon with guest speaker, Sonia Manzano

~By:  Lisa Lockwood

What an eye opener ... a perspective changer ... this luncheon was a big dose of reality!

This was my first year attending the annual ASC luncheon. Attorney, Angela Maverick (Andrews and Barth, PC), a member of ASC, invited me and Venture Commercial Marketing Director, Chasity Terry, to accompany her. This year's fundraising luncheon was held at the Hilton’s Dallas Anatole hotel in benefit of The Trinity River Mission (TRM) ... More on that program in a minute!

                           

Angela Maverick, Sonia Manzano, Lisa Kay Lockwood

This year's speaker was none other than Sonia Manzano, whom you may remember as "Maria" from

Sesame Street

. Sonia has brought delight and education to children everywhere via her role on the critically acclaimed children's show for over 40 years! She is a 15 time Emmy award winner, an accomplished children's author and a supporter of The Trinity River Mission. Sonia was an entertaining speaker and a delight to watch and listen to on stage. She was also very gracious. I spotted her immediately upon our arrival and bee-lined it to ask if she would take a photo with me. She happily obliged.

After the photo opp with Sonia, Angela, Chasity and myself made our way to the presentation room. The hallways there were lined with young children (ages 6-12) on either side who were greeting the attendees as they made their way. Once at our table, we each received a letter rolled up and wrapped with a paper flower. The letters had been written by TRM's kids. I unrolled my letter from Alexander, age 6.

After a delicious lunch the presentations began, and one by one the speakers took to the stage to inform the audience of the following statistics:

• Thirty-eight percent of Dallas County ninth graders will fail to graduate in four years. (Beyond ABC)
• Economically disadvantaged students have the highest attrition rate (45%), and Dallas ISD is even higher (51%). (Beyond ABC)
• Texas ranks 1st in the country in number of teen births, and 1st in the number of subsequent teen births (Beyond ABC)
• Children are most likely to be the victim or perpetrator of juvenile crime between the hours of 3-6 PM. (Fight Crime: Invest in Kids)
• Juvenile crime triples from 3-6 PM (Fight Crime: Invest in Kids)
• There are 97,000 students in Dallas County between the ages of 5 and 13 who are unsupervised during after school hours. (Today’s Children, Tomorrow’s Community)
• There are 6,000 disadvantaged school age children in the West Dallas community. (2000 U.S. Census)
• In the state of Texas, 73% of beginning freshmen will graduate from high school within four years, but in West Dallas, only 43% of the children who start high school will graduate. Of these graduates, only 5% of them will be ready for college level work.

Whoa! Can you believe that? Only 43% of children who start high school in West Dallas will graduate! TRM has a number of education and after school programs to combat these harsh realities and help improve the overall welfare of the entire West side of the Dallas metropolis!

Here are some examples of the critical impact TRM is making:

• 90 – 100% of TRM’s seniors graduate from high school.
• Nearly 450 children, youth and families receive educational support each year.
• Over 300 children receive academic assistance and encouragement.
• 95% of children who participate in programs at TRM pass to the next grade level.
• Highly involved parents increase children’s performance levels in school.
• Half of TRM students attend private or magnet schools.
• 80% or more of TRM graduates enroll in post-secondary education.

I don't have the room here to go over everything that TRM does, so if you would like to learn more about their programs, I encourage you to visit their website at http://www.trinityrivermission.org/, and while you are at it, go ahead and "like" them on Facebook.

If you would like to donate to TRM, click below for additional information and explanations of what impact your contribution will help them make!

Special thanks to Angela Maverick of Andrews, Barth & Harrison for inviting us to this great event.

Best Real Estate Deals

~By:  Sherry Yeaman

Two Venture Commercial deals have been named Best Real Estate Deals of 2011 by the Dallas Business Journal’s annual awards program. The Plaza at Preston Center has won Public/Private Deal of the Year, and Nebraska Furniture Mart has won New Development Deal of the Year.

The Plaza at Preston Center – Public/Private Deal of the Year
Venture’s Mike Geisler worked with the owners of The Plaza at Preston Center and the City of University Park (UP) to end the city’s search for a permanent library location, while addressing the center’s need to improve parking and traffic flow. When The Plaza completes construction on a new five-storycommercial building and 450-space underground parking facility in December 2012, the UP Library will welcome residents to its new 17,500-square-foot space on the second floor of the building. An exchange of ownership of streets, sidewalks and alleys for the library space made for a unique public-private partnership benefitting retailers, shoppers and local residents.

The following key players in The Plaza deal have also been recognized: Jeffrey Good, Good Fulton & Farrell; Bob Livingston, City of University Park; Leon Davis and Will Pender, Rogers-O’Brien Construction; Pamela A. Spadaro, U.S. Trust Bank of America Private Wealth Management; Jon Herrin, L.A. Fuess Partners Inc.; Jason Williamson, Dunaway Associates; Bonnie McInnish, McInnish Engineering; Paul Comeaux, Thompson & Knight, LLP; Todd McCoy, Centergy Retail LLC; Bill Skelton, Friends of the University Park Public Library.

Nebraska Furniture Mart – New Development Deal of the Year
Venture Commercial’s Larry Leon, Jonathan Cooper and Bob Moore assisted Nebraska Furniture Mart in its acquisition of four land tracts totaling 433-acres in The Colony. The Omaha-based company, owned by Berkshire Hathaway Inc., will build a mixed-use development anchored by a 1.8-million-square-foot Nebraska Furniture Martretail and distribution center. The new development will become a significant retail and entertainment destination for the region, and is expected to bring new jobs, tourism and regional and national recognition to The Colony, as well as the entire North Texas region.

The following key players in the Nebraska Furniture Mart deal were also involved: David Davidson Jr., Venture Commercial; David Davidson Sr., Davidson Real Estate Co.; Bob Batt, Ryan Blumkin and Jeff Lind, Nebraska Furniture Mart; Tod Maurina, Keri Samford and Troy Powell, The Colony; Chris McFadden, Turner Construction Co.; Mark Murray, Glast Phillips and Murray; Misty Ventura, Shupe Ventura Lindelow & Olson PLLC.

For more information about the Dallas Business Journal’s Best Real Estate Deals, visit http://www.bizjournals.com/dallas/.

Kris Schuster Honored as Volunteer of the Month

Mosaic Dallas honored Kris Schuster with Volunteer of the Month in March of this year.

Kris, Senior Property Manager here at Venture, has been involved with Mosaic Dallas, a faith-based organization serving people with intellectual disabilities for over three years. She has served on the Heart & Soul Gala committee for each of those years and has hosted Santa and his "elves" at Mosaic's Vocational Center for the past two years.

When asked what she personally gets out of volunteering at Mosaic, Kris answered, "For it is in giving that we receive" -- the smiles tell the story.

To read more about Kris, please check out her profile on Mosaic's Volunteer Spotlight page.

There are many ways to get involved with Mosaic Dallas including donations, volunteering, advocating and joining the Mosaic team!

Growing South Dallas!

~By:  Lisa Lockwood

So, I was on the hunt for the newest, greatest thing in commercial real estate in the DFW area. What's hot? What's the buzz? What's going on Downtown, Uptown, North and South? I just wanted to be "in the know" on something. I had no specific agenda, other than to increase my knowledge of the Dallas commercial real estate scene. So, I began hopping around the net, clicking on links, visiting the websites of various Chambers of Commerce, etc...

In my research, I found some interesting things that had already happened ... For example, there's the "LOL." The naming of which, I thought was quite snazzy, and the marketing of which is mostly digital (website, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn). LOL is the re-branded name for Lower Oak Lawn. It's an old neighborhood with a new, hip name/acronym, vibrant retail and a unique living experience.

After reading up, a few more clicks away I came across Mayor Mike Rawlings initiative called "Grow South." As a lifelong Dallasite, when I think of "South Dallas" I think of poverty, crime, the decomposing neighborhoods in the Fair Park area and the Trinity River (and the river's smell!). My mind pinwheels around all that south of Highway 30 and ultimately lands on the neighborhood "Oak Cliff" and all the negative connotations that go along with the name I've heard over and over again on the nightly news since I was in grade school. Yes, South Dallas might have a PR problem to overcome. On the economic side, the facts are sobering: South Dallas represents 45% of the population, but only carries 15% of the tax burden. When it comes to land mass, you could fit the entire city of Seattle into southern Dallas, twice. So, I was intrigued. Unless there was something I didn't know, South Dallas is just the area I pass through on my way to somewhere else and there wasn't much that could be done about that. I kept scouring the internet for other commercial real estate news, but "Grow South" kept lingering in the corner of my mind. Eventually, I signed up to attend Mayor Rawlings breakfast seminar at the Orion Ballroom on May 24^th so that I could hear, from the man himself, what this was all about. 

As grave as all the above facts about South Dallas may sound, Rawlings does not see this as a charity case or something Dallas has to strive to overcome. On the contrary, he sees all this as an opportunity and an investment. He has committed resources to re-branding South Dallas, demolishing blighted buildings, strengthening the schools and revitalizing the neighborhoods. He wants commerce to descend upon South Dallas via private investors and developers; ownerships who will build retail, lease out the spaces, retailers who will hire workers - all of which will help shore up that tax dollar deficit between the north and the south. Rawlings knows some South Dallas residents commute to Irving to work and he wants to change that. To help facilitate all this, his office is creating a private investment fund for South Dallas that includes: a creative loan program, a committment of $20MM, targeting small to mid-size projects that will double the bottom line and result in a good ROI.

Now, I'm not an urban development planner expert or anything like that, I'm not even a novice, in fact, I have never even stayed in a Holiday Inn Express (I hope you got that joke), but when Mayor Rawlings says he wants to turn Jefferson Blvd into South Dallas' Main Street, I take notice. Who doesn't wish they could have invested in a strip of land before it was the "Main Street" of an economically successful area hustling and bustling with commerce, nightlife, and shopping? Who wouldn't have wanted to be the investor/developer who bought up and developed the land that now surrounds SMU before it was called Highland Park?

I'm inspired by what this could mean for Dallas and for those who’s prosperity and growth depend on the Dallas commercial real estate market. The revitalization and re-development of South Dallas could eventually rank among the most pivotal events in Dallas' history - along with the founding of SMU. I think its ultimate success is going to depend on how inspired and then how heavily invested private development/real estate firms are going to be in the Grow South model.

Contact Information for Lisa:

Lisa Lockwood

Assistant Property Manager

Venture Commercial Management

214.378.1212

PARTYING WITH THE STARS

Last month we posted about David Davidson, Jr., being selected as one of Bisnow’s 35 Under 35: Dallas’s Rising Stars of Commercial Real Estate.

Bisnow recently highlighted David's success:

Venture Commercial Real Estate Associate, David Davidson Jr. (here with his dad, David Davidson Sr., owner of Davidson Real Estate Co, at Children’s Medical Center). David tells us that he and his dad raise money for various cancer-related philanthropies, including Children’s Medical Center. In 2011, David and his team brought in more than 50 retail land listings. Among his biggest clients: Hillwood Communities, one of the top 10 residential land developers in the US. Venture works all of Hillwood’s retail properties throughout DFW. In December, David was part of one of the most significant CRE deals of the year, assembling several land parcels totaling 433 acres for Nebraska Furniture Mart. This June, David plans a trip to El Salvador to visit his girlfriend’s family.

PARTYING WITH THE STARS

Group Shot-The Winners

David also attended the Bisnow DFW 35 Under 35 event which was held at the swanky Ocean Prime in Uptown on February 21st.

Congratulations again, David!  We are so proud to have you as part of our team here at Venture!

Mosaic's Heart & Soul Gala 2012

Friday, February 24th at 6:30pm
The Westin Galleria, San Antonio Ballroom
Formal/Evening Attire

To purchase tickets, please call 972.866.9989






Mosaic in Dallas partners with people with intellectual disabilities to provide a meaningful life in a caring community, giving a voice to people's needs. For more than 25 years Mosaic has been a partner in the community providing homes, family support, educational opportunities and vocational training to children and adults with special needs throughout Dallas, Denton and Rockwall counties. Currently, Mosaic serves more than 80 children and adults providing support 365 days a year, 24 hours a day.
Kris Schuster, Senior Property Manager here at Venture, has been on the Mosaic Gala Committee for three years and says that they are expecting a larger than normal attendance this year as Mosaic is celebrating their 25th Anniversary!  Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling 972.866.9989.

The Heart and Soul Gala is Mosaic's primary fundraiser. It is also a time for Mosaic to recognize community members who have made a significant difference in the lives of people with intellectual disabilities.  In addition to the community awards, the Gala also features dinner, silent and live auctions and dancing.
If you are interested in learning more about Mosaic, please feel free to drop in for one of their monthly "Moments with Mosaic" meetings.  These gatherings are short and sweet and outline their mission message.  Meetings are held on the first Tuesday of every month, from 12pm-1pm at:

Mosaic in Dallas
2245 Midway Rd., Suite 300
Carrollton, Texas 75006

Venture Brokers Featured as D CEO Power Brokers

Venture Commercial congratulates the following brokers who made D CEO’s 2012 Power Brokers list:  

Jonathan Cooper

Kelly Hampton

Larry Leon

Clay Mote

John Zikos

The annual D CEO Power Brokers list recognizes the top commercial real estate professionals in Dallas-Fort Worth. The brokers are featured in the March/April issue of D CEO and will be recognized at a private reception tonight.