Deep Ellum Development Boom

Marsha Williamson is a seasoned nonprofit professional who has successfully led organizations through critical periods of establishment, growth and transition including the formation of Park Cities Presbyterian Church in Dallas, TX in 1991, which had over 1500 members from the first day it was founded. At Park Cities Presbyterian Church, she served as the Coordinator of all Ministries and Operations. In 2000, she founded Stoar Consulting with its focus on non-profit and community projects, including the coordination and the creation of a veteran memorial plaque for Highland Park High School. As a result of the memorial plaque initiative, three full-length movies featuring the HPHS alums speaking about their experiences in WWII, Korea/Cold War and Viet Nam were created and aired on PBS. Williamson served as the Coordinating Producer for each film. In 2012, she shepherded the establishment of C.A.R.E. (Chemical Awareness Resource Education) as its own 501 (c) (3). Her expertise includes managing complex projects, building and managing staff, fundraising, creating organizational structure, leading non-profit Board of Directors, conducting strategic planning studies for facilities and operations, and producing special events of every size. Williamson has worked with the Dallas 24 Hour Club since 2013, first as its Development Director, and then in June of 2014, as its Executive Director. In December of 2017, she was hired to be the CEO of the organization. When Williamson originally arrived at the Dallas 24 Hour Club in 2013, the organization was at a critical juncture. The long term future for Dallas 24 was in jeopardy due to a dilapidated building which was siphoning off critical resources to cover demanding maintenance issues. Through Williamson’s efforts and leadership in 2016, HKS granted Dallas 24 Hour Club the Citizen HKS Award for $250,000 in architectural services to design a new facility for The 24. Williamson then helped enlist Steve Van Amburgh, CEO of KDC, to galvanize the Dallas construction community to build a new $4.5 million, 14,000sf facility on a 90% pro bono basis as well as a fundraising team led by Michael Young which raised over $1 million. The new 75 bed facility opened February 28, 2018 and served over 600 residents during its first year. Williamson’s passion as CEO is to encourage the residents in every way possible to live a rich, fulfilling life of recovery and to become contributing members of society. She rejoices with them when they successfully graduate and begin the next chapter of their lives. She and her staff also make every effort to help those who relapse and stumble to get back on the path of recovery. Williamson graduated cum laude with a B.A. from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, and was the President of Mortar Board. She is married to Steve Williamson and they have two grown sons and a third son who is now in Heaven.

Bill Guthrey isn’t a fortune teller, but he does read tea leaves, figuratively if not literally. “As a company that develops master-planned projects, KDC is reading the tea leaves to determine the future path of growth. We’re reading the market and creating places that will meet present and future demand.” Bill’s primary responsibilities at KDC include the marketing and management of KDC’s Land Ventures, which include over 500 acres of prime office, industrial and mixed-use land positions located throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex and nationally. He focuses on establishing joint ventures with land owners who need a partner with master planning, development and land marketing experience. “I love my job. I’m always meeting new people, and the product is always evolving. Every client has a unique challenge, and I’m lucky that I can be part of the solution.” Bill joined KDC in 1995 to market and develop the site of the former Greater Southwest International Airport/Amon Carter Field in Fort Worth, Texas. That project, CentrePort Business Park, is now home to some of the nation’s largest companies. All in all, Bill’s experience at KDC encompasses the development and leasing of office, industrial and data center projects totaling over 2.5 million square feet and the development or sale of over 1,000 acres of land. “What’s fun about development is watching engineers, architects, and planners get together in one room to answer a question or fulfill an existing client need. It’s fascinating to see how form follows function.” A devoted family man, Bill makes his home in Dallas with his wife, Suzan, and teenage daughter, Josie. His son, Reggis, works in oil and gas, and his other daughter, Grace, is studying architecture. Away from the office, Bill is active in his church and involved with mentoring youth in a faith-based setting. He also enjoys tennis, golf, and volunteering with Builders of Hope, a non-profit housing developer that delivers quality affordable housing to needy families in Dallas. His dream is to work for a non-profit and help people with their housing needs.

Brian R. Purcell is a Managing Director of Asana Partners. Purcell has 12 years of commercial real estate experience in acquisitions, portfolio management, asset management, development, dispositions, and leasing in major markets in the United States. At Asana Partners, Purcell is a member of the Investment Committee and has overall responsibility for acquisitions. Prior to Asana Partners, Purcell was a Director of Asset Management at USAA Real Estate Company, an investment management firm with over $15 billion in assets under management. In that role, Purcell oversaw a commercial real estate portfolio of over two million square feet located in the central region of the United States. Prior to his role in Asset Management, he was a Director of Portfolio Management, focusing on investments for multiple funds and separate accounts. Prior to USAA Real Estate Company, Purcell was a Vice President at Lincoln Harris focused exclusively on retail real estate. Purcell began his real estate career at CBRE Group where he focused on shopping center investment sales and retail brokerage. Purcell is a member of the Urban Land Institute, where he currently serves on the Capital Markets Council, and the International Council of Shopping Centers. He serves on the Board of Trustees for the Deep Ellum Foundation. Purcell earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a concentration in Real Estate and Corporate Finance, where he was the recipient of the Trammel Crow Residential/Leonard Wood Fellowship and a Dean’s Fellowship, and currently serves on the faculty. Purcell is a graduate of Davidson College with a Bachelor of Arts degree.

Born and raised in London, UK, Imran Sheikh co-founded and serves as the President & CEO of Milkshake Concepts and brings a wealth of industry experience from his previous professional and business endeavors. Imran graduated from Royal Holloway, University of London, with a BSc in Economics and Management and went on to work in finance and thereafter, as a management consultant. His career to date has spanned healthcare, fashion and hospitality in a variety of senior management roles and also as a partner. He moved to Dallas in 2013 as the Managing Partner of Aftershock London, a UK based women's apparel retailer. In 2015, he co-founded Milkshake Concepts which owns Stirr, Vidorra, Citizen - the soon to open Harper’s - and Serious Pizza, and is primed for accelerated growth in the next 24 months.

As a third-generation builder, Greg Gordon has spent the last 25+ years continuing his family’s legacy in construction and real estate. The guiding passion through it all has been a passion for serving others. Whether it’s serving clients, subcontractors, employees, or his own family, Greg truly believes in the principle of servant leadership combined with the commitment to excellence. It’s with these in mind, that Greg founded Gordon Highlander in 2007. Under Greg’s leadership, Gordon Highlander has experienced tremendous growth becoming one of the top General Contractors in DFW. Recently the company was awarded the Dallas Business Journal’s Best Places to Work award, further reflecting Greg’s ongoing commitment to the people around him.

Lucy Billingsley has spent her career in real estate, developing and managing commercial developments. She, and her husband Henry, started Billingsley Company in 1978 to manage their growing real estate portfolio. The company specializes in developing office buildings, multi-family, retail and industrial properties, and master- planned communities, which include: Cypress Waters, International Business Park, Austin Ranch, and the Arts Plaza campus in Dallas’ Arts District. Prior to Billingsley Company, Lucy was Chief Executive Officer of the Dallas Market Center and the Crow Design Centers in Dallas, Houston and Boston and Wyndham Jade Travel. Lucy has been inducted into the Texas Business Hall of Fame, the Junior Achievement of Dallas Business Hall of Fame, the NTCAR Hall of Fame, and she was awarded the 2013 H. Neil Mallon Award. Born and raised in Dallas, Lucy is a graduate of The University of Texas with a B.B.A. in finance. She lives in Dallas with Henry and has 4 children and 8 grandchildren.

W. Allen Morris is Chairman and C.E.O. of The Allen Morris Company. He is a licensed Real Estate Broker, Mortgage Broker, and holds the professional designations of CPM (Certified Property Manager of the Institute of Real Estate Management) and SIOR (Society of Industrial and Office Realtors). He is a past President of the Florida CCIM Chapter (Certified Commercial Investment Member of the Realtors National Marketing Institute) as well as holding the prestigious CRE designation (Counselor of Real Estate) and FRICS, as a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. . The Allen Morris Company, in its 58 th year, is one of the largest developers and managers of office buildings in the State of Florida, completing 80 office, industrial, multi-family, mixed-use, and retail projects around Florida and Georgia. Their headquarter office project , a Mediterranean-Revival style office building in the center of Downtown Coral Gables called Alhambra Towers, has won nine awards including "The Best of South Florida -Platinum Award's", “NAIOP 2003 Project of the Year - all categories" and the “2006 Community Advancement Award for Commercial Project of the Year” in Florida from the Developers & Builders Alliance. In 2013 the company launched Allen Morris Residential, and currently has five projects under construction: the 1.3 million square foot, 58-story luxury hotel and condominium - SLS LUX Brickell - a joint venture with Related Group; the 348-unit residential multi-family, $70 million Hermitage Apartment Homes in St. Petersburg, Florida; the $68 million Maitland City Centre, creating a new mixed-use downtown for the City of Maitland, Florida, combining the new City Hall, Central Park and Festival Street with residential apartments, live-work- office suites, and a Festival Marketplace with shops and restaurants; and Star Metals, Atlanta, a $250 million mixed use project with a 409 unit luxury, multi-family residential, a 12-story, Class “A”, 185,000 square foot office building and 46,000 square feet of retail and restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia. Mr. Morris has appeared as a leading authority on real estate topics as a frequent guest on the Fox Business News show CAVUTO with Neil Cavuto, on the Fox Business Morning Break with Charles Payne and in the Strategy Room with Eric Bolling. In addition to being an Officer and Director of more than thirty-five different real estate-related companies and President of a charitable Foundation and art museum, Mr. Morris was also Past-Chairman and Advisory Board member of Wachovia Bank of Miami. He is a graduate of the Harvard Business School and the Georgia Institute of Technology, where he received the top student in Marketing and Management studies. Mr. Morris is also very civic minded and having lived his whole life in Coral Gables feels very strongly about his City Beautiful. He is the former Chairman of the Florida Chapter YPO (Young Presidents' Organization), and currently a member of WPO (World Presidents' Organization), Executive Committee and Board member of The Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce and the United Way of Miami-Dade County (chairman of their VeritageMiami Wine and Food Festival) and a lifetime senior member of the Orange Bowl Committee. He has served on many national and local real estate boards and many local philanthropic boards. Mr. Morris has traveled extensively working with international clients, and served Florida on Economic Missions to Europe and Asia. He is also a licensed Commercial Pilot, flying himself on most of his business travel. For fun he spends time diving reefs as a certified scuba diver and is a Tae Kwon Do Master (fourth degree black belt). He has received numerous professional distinctions including the 2009 South Florida Business Leader of the Year Award in Real Estate, the 2011 REAL Trend Setter Award from the Greater Miami Chamber of Commerce, the 2014 Business Leader of the Year from the Coral Gables Chamber of Commerce, the 2016 Miami -Dade County Chairman of the Year Apogee Award from South Florida Business and Wealth magazine. He is a recipient of the Institute of Human Relations Award given by the American Jewish Committee and the prestigious Hickok Award from the Young Presidents’ Organization. His favorite saying sits on the edge of his desk facing visitors “How CAN it be done?”

Mr. Beard co-founded Westdale in 1991 as a start-up and subsidiary of Canada-based Westdale, to pursue and sponsor investments in distressed commercial and multifamily properties. Owned and controlled with a large Canadian family office co-investment partner, Westdale has consummated over 300 acquisitions while creating a nationwide real estate investment, property management, leasing, and construction firm. With over 40,000 rental apartment units and approximately 2.5 million square feet of commercial properties under management, Dallas based Westdale and its 1,000 plus employees operate from five regional offices located in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Atlanta and Charlotte. Controlling a capital base in excess of $4.5 billion, Westdale currently manages or has previously managed equity investments committed by a broad base of institutional investors, including many leading global fund sponsors. His experience includes an active role in all areas of the real estate investment management process. Prior to forming Westdale Asset Management, Mr. Beard was responsible for the development and acquisition of over 10,000 apartment units. He was selected as a member of the distinguished business leaders of Dallas. He received the “Forty Under 40″ award by the Dallas Business Journal in 1994. Mr. Beard graduated in 1983 from Southern Methodist University with a degree in History with minors in Political Science and Psychology. He was a four-year letterman in football and was consensus all Southwest Conference and honorable mention All American.

Dennis Trimarchi is the managing principal of real estate development at Westdale Real Estate Investment and Management, a nationwide Dallas-based real estate investment, property management, leasing and development firm. With more than 30 years of experience and responsible for sourcing, negotiation, financing, developing, equity placement, closing and sale of real estate assets valued in excess of $4 billion, he has the proven ability to cultivate and leverage high-level client relationships and strategic investor partnerships. Throughout his career, Trimarchi focuses on building companies from start up to superb asset base and income levels, as well as obtaining equity investments to fund the purchase and development of commercial and residential properties and improving asset value with portfolio performance analysis. Formerly as the CEO of DMT real estate investment company, he sourced real estate, provided sponsor equity, financed, raised and placed equity, negotiated and closed purchases, developed, operated, and asset managed the real estate assets for optimum profitability on behalf of private and institutional investors. For DMT in Albany, New York and Dallas, Texas, he devised efforts to improve revenues, performance, and asset positioning. Before DMT, Trimarchi served as Senior Vice President and COO of Galesi Management Corporation in New York where he was responsible for the commercial, residential and development activity for this New York based family office. Trimarchi is a graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance.

As Chief Investment Officer for Bay Mountain Capital, Will's role includes directing an origination team responsible for sourcing and evaluating new debt investment opportunities across all asset classes, including non-owner occupied single family. In addition, Will is leading business development efforts to grow the firm by increasing loan volume and assets under management. Before Bay Mountain Capital, Will served as Vice President of Portfolio Management for Colony Capital. During his time there, Will managed a team accountable for underwriting and verification of risk associated with distressed commercial real estate debt while also working with delinquent borrowers to restructure and resolve non-performing debt. Additionally, Will was responsible for the value creation and disposition of commercial real estate across multiple portfolios, as well as management of hospitality constructions loans in the Southeast. Earlier in his career, Will worked as a Real Estate Financial Consultant for IPL Consulting, a Financial Analyst for Gables Residential and a Senior Associate for Transwestern Realty Finance Partners. Will has an MBA from the University of Wisconsin Real Estate and Urban Land Economics program and a BA in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin. He is also currently involved with multiple real estate industry groups including, Mortgage Bankers Association (MBA) and the Wisconsin Real Estate Alumni Association (WREAA).

Greg Trimarchi isn’t shy about asking questions. In fact, he describes his inquisitiveness and curiosity as his best character traits and attributes his tendency to ask questions as one of his secrets to success. “One of my earliest mentors told me to ask questions, and that’s the best advice I’ve ever received,” Greg recalls. “It helps me think like my clients and allows me to be at the same level with them. It helps me build rapport and determine the best solution.” As a development associate with KDC, Greg is a key member of the team responsible for sourcing new development opportunities. He’s also involved in KDC’s Epic project, a mixed-use development in Dallas’ Deep Ellum neighborhood that combines office, multi-family, retail, and a boutique hotel. “I put on my hard hat and walk the site to gain a better understanding of construction and development from the ground up,” Greg says. In addition to his regular visits to The Epic job site, Greg tackles routine project management responsibilities including: attending owner-contractor-architect meetings, monitoring budgets and schedules, and interfacing with the people handling the multi-family portion of the development. “There’s so much that appeals to me about commercial real estate, but I really like that it’s tangible—you can see the results of your work,” Greg says, adding that he lives near Deep Ellum and likes the idea that he’ll be “physically impacting” his immediate neighborhood. Despite Greg’s lifelong familiarity with commercial real estate—his father works in the industry—Greg originally decided to pursue a career in oil and gas. After graduating from the University of Rochester in New York with a degree in economics, he spent eight years working for Dresser-Rand in a variety of positions ranging from supply chain and logistics to mergers and acquisitions. “There are some parallels between the oil and gas industry and commercial real estate,” Greg notes. “Relationships play a big role in both industries, and so does project management.” When not at work, Greg likes to be outside, adding that he loves to camp and is trying to find some good spots in and around North Texas. He also loves to work out and enjoys strength training. Sports and film also rank high on Greg’s favorites. Baseball is his game, and visiting all the major league ballparks in the U.S. is on his bucket list. He’s a Yankees fan and has fond memories of visiting the old Yankee Stadium.

Sumner Billingsley is a Partner at Billingsley Company in Dallas, Texas. Sumner is responsible for the company’s 8,567 units in the Multifamily portfolio. Her responsibilities include construction, design, operations, marketing, brand development and portfolio strategy. In addition, she is also responsible for overseeing the company’s retail development, marketing and leasing. Sumner began her real estate career working in development and acquisitions at Trammel Crow Company in Los Angeles, followed by CBRE in New York, before finally joining Billingsley Company in 2014. Sumner earned her Bachelor’s Degree from University of Southern California and her Masters in Real Estate Development from Columbia University. Sumner serves on the Urban Land Institute’s Mixed-Use Council, the Board of the Dallas World Affairs Council, The North Texas Food Bank’s Young Professionals Board, and is a member of the Associate Leadership Council Class of 2016.

W.A. Spencer Morris is Executive Vice President of Allen Morris Residential. He is responsible for overseeing the company’s $1.2 billion development pipeline. His focus is on strategic planning, acquisitions, as well as structuring and financing mixed-use projects throughout the Southeast. Since joining the firm in 2016, Spencer has acquired and developed key assets in Georgia. Previously, Spencer served as Assistant Project Manager on the 58-story, 1.3 million square foot SLS LUX-Brickell hotel and condominium as well as on other projects with The Related Group in Miami, Florida. Spencer was born and raised in Coral Gables. He graduated with an International Baccalaureate diploma from The American School in Switzerland. He received his BS Degree in Political Science & Spanish from Boston University.

Dustin Gabriel, is with Petros PACE Finance (an Apollo Company). Dustin is based in Dallas and focuses on building the PACE business in the Dallas area and in other select PACE markets throughout the country. He joined Petros from the Real Estate Specialties Group (“RESG”) for Bank OZK (formerly Bank of the Ozarks), where he oversaw the construction and operations of a national loan portfolio with over 7 million square feet valued at $2.4 billion in commercial real estate. Prior to RESG, he worked at a commercial real estate investment management firm where he was responsible for asset management, leasing, disposition, finance and operations. He worked alongside other partners at NGN Capital in sourcing deal opportunities and capital to co-sponsor the development of suburban class A offices, land acquisitions and value-add multifamily. He is also a former strategy and research consultant at Cicero Group. Mr. Gabriel is a graduate of Brigham Young University’s Marriott School of Management and holds an MPA with an emphasis in finance from the Romney Institute. He is a former collegiate athlete and starting Strong Safety on a top 25 nationally ranked Cougar football team.