Attendees of the December RPN Dallas Mastermind Group meeting agreed that the Dallas market is “white hot.” Dallas RPN members Nick Hasty and Steve Bruszer of Spring Valley Construction described the current market as “a dream market for general contractors.” Michele Wheeler of real-estate development firm Jackson-Shaw noted that the downside of the building boom is that “you’ve got to be very comfortable with the general contractors you worth with” and choose reliable partners.

Guest speaker Bill Cawley of Cawley Partners reiterated that the market was strong and discussed some of the recent shifts in what businesses value. Cawley noted that in his experience, the number one amenity businesses want when developing new office spaces are quality restaurants. “It’s all about the food,” he insisted. Marsha Getto-Aikens, vice president of business development for Dallas-based architecture firm HKS, agreed that there seems to be a paradigm shift in what businesses value. “They are extremely focused on providing amenities that will attract and retain workers.”