In an effort of smart economic budgeting, The Real Estate Council decided to move this year’s “Real Estate: North Texas + Community” breakfast to a smaller venue, Belo Mansion. Oops! Little did the organizers realize that you don’t super-minimize when you have a guest speaker like Ross Perot Jr. (pictured), chairman of The Perot Group and Hillwood and one of the founding board members of TREC.
Despite frigid temperatures last Thursday, the Belo’s garage was used to the max by 7:30 before anyone knew it. Getting off the elevator to a co
nvention of suits, one wedged through the jam to the line up to pay-for-your-parking-space line. Slight confusion. Rumors floated that there different lines for cash and credit. Wrong! Reminder: Don’t believe rumors. Melissa Eastman (pictured), former TREC vice chair, saw a bud and got a place up in the line. No problem. That’s what networking is all about.
Word went through the high-octane crowd that Ross had arrived just as folks were making their way to their place for the 8 o’clock breakfast start. Someone says, “He has a nice suit.” Gotta check out his suit.
I
n his Clark Kent look complete with glasses, Ross takes his place at the lead table next to Kate Alpert (pictured), who chaired the breakfast. He’s so calm and reassured.
Mark Gibson (pictured)of Holiday Fenoglio Fowler/TR
EC chairman, welcomes the group.
Next up is Holt Lunsford of Holt Lunsford Commercial and TREC vice chair, who recognizes the 2011 Community Initiatives recipients (ACCION Texas Inc., Builders of Hope CDC, City Square, Dallas Faith Communities Coalition, Family Gateway, Green Building Curriculum Program, Jubilee Park and Community Center, Operation Relief Center Inc., Real Estate 101, The Dallas Foundation Zero to Five Funders’ Collaborative Fund Uplift Education) and partnerships (Bank of America Foundation, BBVA Compass Foundation, Citi Foundation, Embrey Family Foundation, Frost, Jackson-Shaw Foundation, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, Meadows Foundation and Union Bank Foundation). As part of the recognition, Holt asks them to stand. Alas, the breakfast servers were hustling to tables, so it was hard to distinguish the servers from the honorees.
Then before you knew it, Ross (pictured) is up at the podium. He promises to have the group out of there by 9 a.m. because real estate folks are eager to get to business. He tells the group how the housing issues of the past would soon be rectified due to low supply. He talks about the Super Bowl’s impact on the community. He gigs Boeing by saying that it would interesting to see if management had made the right decision ages ago to locate the company’s headquarters to Chicago instead of Dallas. (That comments causes many veterans of the Boeing “rejection” to smile and nod.)
Then he asks for questions from the audience. None come. TREC President Linda McMahon (pictured) presents Ross with a gift and he takes his chair.
The jammed event is over. Time: 8:35 a.m.