CRE Bikers
13,000 riders did the 2014 BP MS 150, and it seems like most of them were in commercial real estate. We tracked down some of you fit folk who rode for a great cause. (We had to use a car though, we can't keep up on a bike.)
Tribble and Stephens founder Jay Tribble (center) created the Houston Builders Team, which takes part in the MS 150 each year. The team is equally committed to the challenge of the ride and to contributing to multiple sclerosis research—it raised over $130k for the cause this year. This year, nearly 90 AEC pros rode with Houston Builders. Above, Jay got to share the road with his sons and grandkids.
DP Consulting prez David Parker rode for the third time. Here he’s with his 15-year-old son Austin—David tells us the event has become a rite of passage with his boys. (We don't wanna be difficult, but you're holding those bikes wrong, they'll never work that way.) Each will do the ride with him when they turn 12, and after that David can call them men and expect them to clean their rooms. When he’s not hoisting a bike over his shoulders, David prepares hotel market studies, which are in high demand these days: He’s tracking 60 hotels under development across Houston right now. That’s a new record for us.
Caldwell Cos SVP Keith Grothaus rode the MS 150 for the 12th time this year. Here he’s between his training buddies Kennedy Wilson managing director Joe LaFico and Pete Dodd. Keith tells us he first took part in the event to keep a friend company but now he likes seeing the positive effect the fundraising has on those fighting MS. (He’s raised about $160k himself through the years.) He says he particularly enjoys riding through Fayetteville on Saturday morning—the entire city lines the roads, cheering, ringing cowbells, blowing bubbles, and offering adult beverages to the riders. (They should make bike beer helmets.) That’s only topped by crossing the finish line in Austin.
Perkins+Will associate principal Filo Castore (middle) stuck with Telios’ Brian Peterson and Ben Willey through the ride. It’s his fifth year participating, and he says he enjoyed the warm weather and beautiful scenery. (It was nice of the wildflowers to show up.) Filo definitely deserved the break—he wrapped up the master plan and guidelines for Generation Park.
NewFirst Bank’s Chip Voss, his brother Kirk Voss, and EE Reed’s Brett Carter rested their legs after a long day of biking. (The Houston Builders Team relaxes in style; they set up a flat screen in La Grange to watch the Masters Golf Tournament.) The trio has done the event two years, and Chip tells us he particularly loves the "BP Challenge," the tricky but beautiful section between Buescher and Bastrop State Parks. If Brett looks exhausted, it's because he was soldiering on through a broken pedal.
The Houston Builders Team captain Patti Miller has completed the MS 150 three times (she has Joe Powers to thank for that, as well as her captain-hood this year), but didn’t get to bike thanks to some wind damage to the tents. But she kept good company with the EE Reed and ZapalacReed cook team. They were busy: The cook team provided four meals to more than 100 riders.
Here's part of the cook team: Bill Sciba, Ty Sciba, Hadley Sciba, Billy Sciba, Mark Reed, Troy Hoffart, and Josef Poncik. (The family trend plays out here, too: head cook Bill is father of Billy, Hadley, and Ty—all but Ty work for EE Reed.) They were a rookie team and hit a few snafus (like learning you can't have a pit on-site in Austin) but handled them like pros (they set up shop in a parking lot down the street and wheelbarrowed in the smoked chicken). And forget spam tacos; the team cooked steaks in La Grange, and had other bikers soliciting them to cook for them next year.
