“A lot of growth comes from being a caterpillar before the butterfly emerges.”
Annmarie De La Vega
Executive Vice President
De La Vega Development
.…on what needs to be done to achieve gender equity in CRE, via BisNow.
De La Vega was one of the voices at BisNow’s annual Women Leading Real Estate event last week at The Westin Dallas Downtown.
With a goal of promoting diversity and spotlighting female leaders in commercial real estate, the event featured a panel discussion led by CLA principal Dee Estep on leadership strategies and how to inspire more women to join the industry.
“The more diverse our business [becomes], we learn more, we have a different voice,” Billingsley Co. SVP Marijke Lantz Flowers said at the event, according to BisNow. “We’re making progress, but we still have a lot of work to do.”
One hot topic was the impact that inflation, interest rate hikes, and a potentially looming recession have been having on CRE, with some projects losing momentum due to economic uncertainty.
“There will be seasons of life where you thrive and other seasons of life where you feel like you just can’t keep all the balls in the air,” De La Vega noted, according to BisNow.
But that’s just one more reason to encourage other women to get into the business and make their mark—moving both their careers and the industry forward, the attendees agreed.
“In order to serve others, you have to do interpersonal work, you have to dig deep,” De La Vega added. “It’s an amazing responsibility to use the God-given gifts to encourage and inspire others to rise and make a difference.”
You can read more about last week’s event here.
For more of who said what about all things North Texas, check out Every Last Word.
Get on the list.
Dallas Innovates, every day.
Sign up to keep your eye on what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth, every day.
R E A D N E X T
-
In a recent survey, 73% of multifamily residents said they are interested in—or won’t rent an apartment without—sustainability and green initiatives being implemented at the property. The two companies are joining forces to help "shift the aspirational to become truly day-to-day operational."
-
Mark Roberts is taking his expertise in the real estate space to two local organizations. A fellow at the Real Estate Research Institute, Roberts has been jointly hired by Dallas real estate investment and development firm Crow Holdings and the SMU Cox School of Business’ Robert and Margaret Folsom Institute for Real Estate as a director of research. “It is a rare opportunity to be able to be a part of two incredible organizations at once,” Roberts said in a statement. “I look forward to adding my voice to the conversations going on in both classrooms and boardrooms during this…
-
The pioneer in real estate social media and branding is launching his fifth company: RHA Land and Lake. Already owning the largest independent real estate firm in North Texas with a long list of celebrity clients, Healy relocates clients worldwide. Now he aims to place more people in down-to-earth rural properties across Texas, and "Texahoma" too—with a projected $50 million under contract by this spring.
-
Local developer and consulting firm Innovan Neighborhoods is leading the roundtable's efforts to increase affordable housing in the region while accelerating the revitalization of underserved communities around Dallas. With initial funding from JPMorgan Chase, "flexible capital" could help boost needed projects. "When we put funds and resources behind innovative solutions, we can see neighborhoods and communities set up for long-term success,” says Maggie Parker, Innovan's founder and managing partner.
-
There's interest by developers from across the country to build affordable housing here, says Jones, a director at Coats Rose and public policy chair at The Real Estate Council. Stakeholders can embrace the opportunity, the attorney says. The investment in affordable housing "will be catalytic and will beget economic vibrancy."
