2018 State of the City Luncheon and Leadership Frisco Graduation
Date: June 12, 2018 11:15 AM to 1:00 PM
Panel Bios:
Darrel Amen
Darrel Amen is the Land Development Manager at Woodbine Development Corporation where he leads the planning and entitlement process of the Fields Headquarters Ranch in Frisco, Texas. The ranch consists of 2,500 acres in north Frisco along the Dallas North Tollway.
Darrel believes in a relationship-based and team-driven approach to real estate development.
Darrel has 19 years of real estate experience. Prior to joining Woodbine, he served 10 years as Vice President of Real Estate Investments and Developments for Forestar Group, where he managed a portfolio of investments in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Craig Hall
Craig Hall is chairman and founder of Dallas-based HALL Group. Mr. Hall’s career in business and as an author, civic leader and philanthropist reflects the highest qualities of entrepreneurship. He formed HALL Group in 1968 at age 18 with $4,000 saved from small ventures begun at age 10. Today, HALL Group’s diversified business interests include active operations in commercial real estate ownership, development and management, structured financial lending, winemaking and early-stage investments in promising start-ups.
Craig actively supports new entrepreneurs, nurtures young start-ups and often speaks publicly about the importance of encouraging entrepreneurship worldwide. Together with his wife Kathryn Hall, he funded the Fulbright – Kathryn and Craig Hall Distinguished Chair for Entrepreneurship to teach entrepreneurship in Eastern Europe. Craig also founded the Dallas Regional Office of the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship. He is the author of six published books, including his most recent, A Perfect Score, a New York Times best-seller released on Sept. 13, 2016, which he co-authored with his wife.
Craig consistently contributes time and resources at local, national and international levels to support a variety of community causes with an emphasis on art, education and entrepreneurship. He has served on the Board of Trustees of the American University in Bulgaria, the American-Austrian Fulbright Board and the Board of the Horatio Alger Association for Distinguished Americans.
A lifelong art collector, Craig believes art nourishes the human spirit and can make a profound difference in people’s lives. Throughout his businesses, pieces from Craig’s personal art collection, the HALL Collection, are on display for the public’s enjoyment. Important works by artists from all over the world can be found at HALL Park in Frisco, Texas, at the HALL Arts development in the Dallas Arts District and at HALL St. Helena and HALL Rutherford, his two destination wineries in Napa Valley.
Craig and his companies are often recognized for significant achievements and contributions. Craig received the 2002 Obelisk Award from the Dallas Business Committee for the Arts for his long-time support of Texas artists and was named Real Estate Entrepreneur of the Year in 2002 by Ernst & Young. In 2006, he received the American Jewish Committee’s Institute of Human Relations Award and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Mortgage Bankers Association.
In 2007, Craig was named a lifetime member of the prestigious Horatio Alger Association for Distinguished Americans and was inducted into the North Texas Commercial Real Estate Hall of Fame and the Entrepreneurs Foundation of North Texas’ Ring of Honor. Most recently, he was named Dallas’ Real Estate Executive of the Year in 2013 and in 2016 was inducted into the Junior Achievement of Dallas Business Hall of Fame.
Russell Laughlin
Serving as Executive Vice President of Hillwood, Russell Laughlin oversees the management, operation, land and infrastructure planning, and entitlements of AllianceTexas, a 26,000-acre mixed-use, master-planned community. His expertise includes long-term planning initiatives, economic development, and Public-Private Partnerships. He has been instrumental in the development of AllianceTexas and DFW area in leading long-term regional planning initiatives.
The AllianceTexas development is unparalleled in its vision of a dynamic and diversified community. The project’s foundation is the Alliance Global Logistics Hub – an international trade and logistics complex offering inland port transportation options via one of the nation’s largest intermodal yards, two Class I rail lines, the world’s first industrial airport and connecting state and interstate highways.
Stemming from this strong commercial base are corporate campuses, office complexes, tech and data centers, destination retail and entertainment venues, residential housing, schools, churches and community shopping. In total, the development encompasses over 43.7 million square feet, more than 488 corporate residents, and over 48,800 employees.
In addition to his core Alliance responsibilities, Russell is actively involved in all development activities related to Frisco Station. Frisco Station is a 242-acre, high-density, mixed-use community located in Frisco Texas along the Dallas North Tollway. At build-out, Frisco Station is anticipated to include over 5 million square feet of class A office and medical uses, 2,400 urban living units and over 300,000 square feet of destination food and beverage concepts.
The Hillwood team is known for building successful public-private partnerships to accomplish major projects. Bringing relationships, core assets, and enhanced services together, the team executes and delivers developable sites to market expediently. Speed-to-market combined with state-of-the-art infrastructure and business service is the competitive advantage.
Hillwood provides a full range of skills, including site selection, land development, property management and construction services. In addition, the company provides extensive experience in building all types of product, from industrial to office to retail and residential. Finally, Hillwood has secured business advantages for the AllianceTexas community to assist corporate residents in daily operations, such as Foreign Trade Zone#196, Triple Freeport Inventory Tax Exemption, aircraft and pilot services at Fort Worth Alliance Airport, third-party logistics, educational resources, and employee placement services. Read More about Russell Laughlin
John Lettelleir, FAICP
John is the Director of Development Services for the City of Frisco, Texas and is responsible for that City’s comprehensive planning, zoning and development, building inspections, health and food safety, and code enforcement. John has over 30 years of municipal experience.
John has been the Director of Development Services for the City of Frisco since 2002, Director of Planning for the City of Frisco from 1998 to 2002, and has served in the cities of Plano, and Grand Prairie, Texas.
The City of Frisco has been recognized for their planning efforts by the Texas Chapter of the American Planning Association for the best comprehensive plan in 2000 and 2006 as well as other projects. The City of Frisco was the first city in the nation to adopt a mandatory green building program for residential.
John received his Masters in City and Regional Planning from the University of Texas at Arlington, and his Bachelor of Science in Urban Regional Studies from Indiana State University.
John is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners College of Fellows, Greater Dallas Planning Council, Urban Land Institute, Congress of New Urbanism, and the International Conference of Shopping Centers, and a former board member of the Greater Dallas Planning Council.
Moderator: Tony Felker, CCE, IOM
Tony Felker serves as President/CEO of the Frisco (TX) Chamber of Commerce. A fifteen-year veteran of the chamber of commerce industry, Tony received his IOM designation from West Institute in 2009 and completed and received his CCE designation in 2014. During his nine-year tenure as President/CEO, Tony has helped lead the Frisco Chamber through the US Chamber accreditation process, where the Frisco Chamber received a 4-Star Accreditation rating in its first submission in November 2014.
Active in the industry, Tony sits on the Board of Regents for the West Institute of Organization Management (IOM), a program of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and the boards for Texas Chamber of Commerce Executives (TCCE), and North Texas Chamber of Commerce Executives Association (NTCCEA). Tony’s involvement in the local and regional community, both on a professional and individual level, has been a very valuable asset for future endeavors in the area. He serves as an Ex-Officio Board Member for the Visit Frisco, is a graduate of Leadership Frisco Class 3, has moderated numerous panel discussions, and also currently sits on several steering and planning committees within Frisco.
Tony earned a Bachelor of Business in Marketing from the University of Texas at Austin, as well as a Bachelor of Journalism. Tony is also a graduate of the University of Oklahoma Economic Development Institute and is working on pursuing his CEcD designation.
State of the City Address: Mayor Jeff Cheney, City of Frisco
Native Texan Jeff Cheney is the Mayor of Frisco, Texas. He also holds the distinction of being the youngest Mayor of Frisco. Previously, Cheney served on Frisco City Council 2007 – 2016. In the last ten years, he has served as the Chair of Frisco’s Budget and Audit Committee, as Member of the Mayor’s Youth Council Liaison, Frisco Technology Committee and Frisco Education Foundation. Cheney was chosen five times by his colleagues on Frisco City Council to be Mayor Pro Tem and Deputy Mayor Pro Tem.
Mayor Cheney and his wife, Dana, are the co-founders of The Cheney Group, a Frisco-based residential realty firm. Professionally, Mayor Cheney has earned the distinction of Certified Public Accountant and a Registered Financial Advisor.
Mayor Cheney attended the University of Texas – Austin where he was recognized with Highest Honors for his Bachelors and Masters in Accounting.
Mayor Cheney and wife, Dana, were married in 2001 and have been blessed with three children: Zachary, Mason, and Kaytlin.
