Infrastructure surrounds us all, from the water systems that nourish us to the highway systems that allow us to freely move throughout North Texas. It’s one of the most important elements in our lives, and one of the most vital issues facing policymakers, planners, and critical thinkers. 

Norman Anderson

Many of those pioneers, innovators, and trailblazers will be discussing revolutionary infrastructure solutions in Dallas from Oct. 23-25, when the 10th North American Infrastructure Leadership Forum is held at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center.

It’s the first time the North American forum has been held in Dallas and in the state of Texas. The Latin American forum was previously held in Houston.

Norman Anderson, the forum’s founder and the CEO and chairman of Washington, D.C.-based CG/LA Infrastructure Inc., said Dallas is a great location for the conference.

Infrastructure is a hot topic these days. It’s a critical issue for economic and social issues in the U.S., according to a recent article in Area Development Magazine. A modern infrastructure system is vital to the manufacturing sector, as well as national security. 

“Texas does a pretty good job of taking care of itself, but you guys are growing rapidly.”
Norman Anderson

For Dallas-Fort Worth, Anderson says that mobility and water resources are major issues facing leaders.

“Texas does a pretty good job of taking care of itself, but you guys are growing rapidly,” Anderson told Dallas Innovates. “In Dallas, there’s a concern about long-term access to water.”

Mobility planning assures the orderly growth of the area, allowing residents to move freely for work and leisure. Water means health, as in “I need clean water,” Anderson says.

Texas among hot spots for foreign investment in infrastructure

The forum is expected to draw between 400-500 attendees, with most from North America or Europe, Anderson says.

“There’s a lot of Spanish and UK investment in North America,” he says, “with Texas among their top five favorite places to invest capital.”

The other four hot spots? Colorado, California, Florida, and New York.

Anderson invented the forum, and utilizes his background in project development to enable others to become more involved in planning the nation’s infrastructure future.

“My background is as a project developer, so we really focus on projects—on identifying the best projects, and showing the benefits of those projects to increase the economy,” he says. “We’re really trying to build projects that are useful for their citizens.”

“We’re really trying to build projects that are useful for the citizens.”
Norman Anderson

Anderson cited the Texas Central Partners’ high-speed train that would connect Dallas to Houston as the type of infrastructure project that benefits an entire region.

“I look at the Texas Central, and I say, ‘You gotta be kidding me!'” Anderson says. “It’s a model for the country in so many ways.”

The scope of the train is a key indicator of its importance.

“All of a sudden you have a local Texas project with global partners,” he says. “This is America’s project, and that’s how you need to brand this thing.”

The North American forum will feature an all-star lineup of speakers, including notable DFW figures such as Ray Washburne, president of Overseas Private Investment Corp. and Jack Matthews of Matthews Southwest.

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