* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [Dallas South Dallas Fair Park Opportunity Fund Regular Meeting on August 25, 2025.] [00:00:05] ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH EVERYBODY. WE HAVE A QUORUM. I'LL NOW CALL THIS MEETING AT THE SOUTH DALLAS FAIR PARK OPPORTUNITY FOR THE ORDER. IT IS MONDAY, AUGUST 25TH, AND THE TIME IS 6:04 PM WE'LL START OFF WITH A ROLL CALL WITH MYSELF, LEANER JOHNSON. PRESENT, UH, MR. JUAN SIGNS PRESENT. MS. KIMBERLY SIMS PRESENT. MR. SHANE HALEY. PRESENT. MR. SHANE HALEY. PRESENT, UH, CC AND ION CC, DESTINY CU IT WAS OUT THIS EVENING. UH, MS. B BROOKS. MS. B BROOKS. MR. DOUGLAS, DUN SAVAGE. MR. DOUGLAS DUN SAVAGE. MR. BILL, BILL DAWKINS PRESENT MR. A WISES. A WISES, YOU'RE ON MUTE. PRESENT. THANK YOU. MR. TRENT HUGHES. MR. TRENT HUGHE OUT TONIGHT. UH, MR. CARL ENRIQUEZ PRESENT AND MR. JACK BUNNING. MR. JACK BUNNING. ALRIGHT. THAT CONCLUDES OUR ROLL CALL. WE'LL MOVE ON TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER THREE, WHICH IS THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES FROM OUR JUNE 30TH, 2025 MEETING. EVERYBODY SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED A COPY OF THAT BOARD PACKET. ARE THERE ANY, UH, QUESTIONS, CORRECTIONS, UH, ON THAT? IF NOT, WE'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE MR. CHAIR. SO, MOVE, APPROVE. SO MOVED BY MS. SIMS. THERE. SECOND. SECOND. SECOND BY MR. DAMAN. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. OPPOSED? ALRIGHT. THEN'S APPROVED. MOVING ON TO THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM, AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FOUR, PUBLIC SPEAKERS. UH, MR. UH, NICHOLAS, DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC SPEAKERS SIGNED UP FOR YOUR SEAT? WE DO HAVE ONE PUBLIC SPEAKER SIGNED UP TODAY, MR. JAMES MCGEE, WHO IS JOINING US VIRTUALLY. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US, MR. JAMES MCGEE. UH, YOU NOW HAVE THE FLOOR AND, UH, YOU WILL HAVE, UH, THREE MINUTES. SO BEGIN WHENEVER YOU'RE READY. THANK YOU. OH, I'M, I'M READY. UH, JAMES MCGEE RESIDED AT 1402. UH, UH, KAREN, 5 2 1 5 COLLEGE TO SPEAK TODAY IN REGARDS TO HOW DO WE GET THE SOUTH DALLAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FUND OUT TO MORE BUSINESSES WITHIN THE SOUTH DALLAS AREA? I HAVE ACCESS SENT AN EMAIL TO THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STAFF ON JULY 8TH, RECOMMENDING AT LEAST FOUR ECONOMIC SESSIONS, YOU KNOW, PER YEAR. I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING BACK AS FAR AS THAT SUGGESTION. ALSO, UM, AT 3 2, 2 5 MKI RUN THE SOUTH DALLAS INNOVATION CENTER, WHICH I'VE LISTENED TO A LOT OF THE MEETINGS. Y'ALL SEE A LOT OF THE BUSINESSES IN WHICH THEY'RE RESIDE IN THE AREA NEED HELP WITH BUSINESS, UH, BUSINESS ASSISTANCE FOR AS FINANCIAL, THINGS LIKE THAT. AGAIN, OUR CITY IS THERE TO HELP ANY OF THOSE BUSINESSES. I'VE EVEN TRIED TO GET, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS HELD RIGHT THERE, YOU KNOW, PARTICULARLY AT OUR CENTER. IT WAS TOLD IT WAS BROUGHT, BROUGHT TO A SUBCOMMITTEE, AND THAT SUBCOMMITTEE DECLINED THAT REQUEST. AGAIN, AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, RECOMMEND, LIKE THE RECOMMEND FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SESSIONS, WE WOULD LOVE TO HOST EITHER AT OUR, UH, OUR OFFICE IN THE PRE CENTER, WHICH IS IN THE SERVICE AREA, OUR OFFICE ON MLK, WHICH IS WITHIN THE, UH, SERVICE AREA, UM, TO HELP OUT SMALL BUSINESSES FOR HOW DO WE GET MORE PEOPLE OUT TO THE ECONOMIC, UM, TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES AS FAR AS THIS PROGRAM. ALRIGHT, MR. MCGEE. DOES, DOES THAT CONCLUDE YOUR STATEMENT OR COMMENTS? THINK YOU HAVE A LITTLE BIT MORE? NO, I DON'T HAVE ANY MORE. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. DO WE HAVE ANY OTHER SPEAKERS SIGNED UP FOR THIS EVENING? NO OTHER SPEAKERS. OKAY. UH, FIRST OF ALL, I, I JUST WANT TO ADDRESS, UH, MR. MCGEE, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU. YOU KNOW, FOR YOUR COMMITMENTS, UH, IN YOUR EFFORTS TO ASSIST SOUND BALANCE, TRAIL PARK OPPORTUNITY FUND, UH, YOU KNOW, KNOW THAT, KNOW THAT, YOU KNOW, STAFF IS WORKING AND OUR BOARD IS WORKING VERY HARD, UH, AS EVIDENCED BY THE PARTICIPATION. UH, I WOULD ENCOURAGE YOU TO TAKE A LOOK AT, UH, SOME OF OUR ANNUAL REPORTS. TAKE A LOOK AT, UH, SOME OF THE WORK THAT OUR SUBCOMMITTEES HAVE EMBARKED ON AND ARE DOING, UH, AND AS IT RELATES TO LOCATIONS FOR MEETINGS. [00:05:01] UH, WE APPRECIATE THOSE. NOW, WE, WE ONLY HAVE A, A COUPLE MEETINGS, UH, A COUPLE OF INFO SESSIONS A YEAR. AND SO, UH, KEEP IN MIND THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WELCOME ANY AND ALL REQUESTS, UH, FOR LOCATIONS, AND WE'RE HAPPY TO HAVE THOSE CONSIDERED. I KNOW ON OUR LAST GO AROUND, UH, THAT IS, WE HAD SEVERAL FOLKS REACH OUT AND, UH, PUT FORTH DIFFERENT OPTIONS TO HOST MEETINGS AND, UH, HAVE IT IN DIFFERENT LOCATIONS, UH, AND YOUR PARTICULAR LOCATION CAME UP. BUT THE IDEA IS WE WANNA MAKE SURE THAT THAT ROTATES AROUND AND WE'RE COVERING ALL OF OUR, OUR SERVICE AREAS. SO CONTINUE TO SUBMIT THOSE. ALSO, WHAT I WOULD ENCOURAGE, UH, YOU KNOW, FOR CERTAIN, I KNOW YOU'RE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND YOU'RE DOING A LOT OF GOOD WORK. IF THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES, YOU KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE, IF, IF YOU KNOW OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT, FOR EXAMPLE, MAY NOT HAVE RECEIVED CORRESPONDENCE OR, YOU KNOW, ENTITIES THAT YOU KNOW ARE ON A PARTICULAR MAILING LIST, UH, PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SUBMIT THOSE TO, UH, CITY STAFF. UH, YOU CAN SUBMIT THOSE TO ANYBODY ON ONE OF OUR SUBCOMMITTEES, AND WE'LL BE SURE TO MAKE SURE THAT THOSE ORGANIZATIONS IN THE PROPER CONTACTS ARE NOTED, UH, SO THAT THEY ARE RECEIVING CORRESPONDENCE. SO, WE WELCOME ANY AND ALL FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY, UH, AS IT RELATES TO GETTING THE WORD OUT, UH, WHICH IS THE CHARGE OF OUR BOARD, AND ALSO THE SUBCOMMITTEES THAT WE'VE, UH, CREATED AS WE CONTINUE TO DRIVE THAT FORWARD. SO, I APPRECIATE YOUR COMMITMENT. I APPRECIATE, UH, YOU REACHING OUT AND DOING EVERYTHING THAT YOU CAN TO, UH, TRY TO ASSIST, UH, US IN THOSE ENDEAVORS. BUT, UH, CONTINUE TO DO THAT BECAUSE WE NEED ALL HANDS ON DECK. WE NEED EVERYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY TO, TO CONTRIBUTE WHEREVER THEY CAN. UH, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IT'S GONNA BE A COLLECTIVE EFFORT TO GET THE WORD OUT. IT'S GONNA BE A COLLECTIVE EFFORT TO GET MORE, UH, QUALIFIED FOLKS IN THE PIPELINE. IT'S GONNA BE A COLLECTIVE EFFORT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PULLING IN ALL PARTNERS FROM ALL SIDES. IT'S GONNA BE A COLLECTIVE EFFORT TO ENGAGE ALL OF OUR COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS SUCH AS YOURSELF IN ORDER TO GET THINGS, UH, TO A POINT TO WHERE, UH, WE CAN HAVE A MEANINGFUL, UH, IMPACT AND, AND WHICH IS WHERE WE'RE HEADED RIGHT NOW. SO, UH, I JUST WANT TO, I JUST WANT TO THANK YOU AGAIN FOR TAKING THE TIME TO BE ON THE CALL AND SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND YOUR FEEDBACK ON THAT. AND, UH, AGAIN, WE WELCOME ANY AND ALL FEEDBACK, UH, IN, IN THAT REGARD. SO, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ALRIGHT, WELL, IF THERE ARE NO OTHER COMMENTS, UH, WE WILL MOVE ON TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FIVE, WHICH IS STAFF UPDATES FROM THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. MR. BERA, ON ITEM A, WE'RE GONNA GET AN UPDATE ON THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS, UH, THAT, UH, PIPELINE DOOR IN THE WORKS. YES. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. I'M JUST GONNA WAIT FOR THE POWERPOINT PRESENTATION 'CAUSE IT'LL MAKE A LITTLE MORE SENSE WHEN I SPEAK IF, UH, I THINK IT'S SLIDE FOUR, DELLA, THAT WE'RE ON. OKAY. SO THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR GIVING ME A MOMENT TO UPDATE YOU ON, UH, THE STATUS OF OUR CURRENT APPLICANTS. AS YOU MAY REMEMBER, WE PROVIDED, UH, AN UPDATE ON OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS BACK IN, I WANNA SAY, MARCH OR APRIL. AND SO YOU'LL RECOGNIZE THIS CHART HERE BECAUSE WE'RE USING THE SAME CATEGORIES AS WE DID LAST TIME WE PRESENTED TO YOU. UM, I WANNA START, UM, ON THE FAR RIGHT WITH THE NOT VIABLE DECLINED COLUMN, AND THEN I'M GONNA COME BACK TO INITIAL CONTACT AND GO BACK THROUGH IT. UM, BUT I WANTED TO START WITH THE NOT VIABLE DECLINED COLUMN BECAUSE I WANTED TO, UH, KIND OF EXPRESS TO YOU ALL THAT WE'VE BEEN WORKING THROUGH THE APPLICANTS. FROM THE FIRST UPDATE THAT WE GAVE YOU, UH, BACK IN APRIL, UH, WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME WORKING WITH APPLICANTS, UM, TO TRY TO GET THEM, TRY, TRY TO IDENTIFY WHETHER THEY'RE ELIGIBLE OR NOT, AND KIND OF WORK THROUGH THE PROCESS WITH THEM. AND DURING THAT TIME, UH, THOSE FIRST APPLICANTS THAT YOU SAW, A LOT OF THOSE ENDED UP IN THE NOT VIABLE, UH, DECLINED CATEGORY FOR A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT REASONS. UH, SOME PROJECTS, UH, FOLDED IN THE TIME THEY DID COMMUNICATE WITH US IN, IN CONTACT WITH US. UM, SOME FOLKS DECIDED TO DECLINE THE OPPORTUNITY, UH, AND TO FIND FINANCING FOR THEIR PROJECT, OTHER ROUTES. UM, I KNOW THAT FOR THOSE OF YOU ON THIS BOARD, UH, YOU'RE, YOU'RE KIND OF IN THE KNOW AROUND SOME OF THIS STUFF, BUT IT'S A TRICKY TIME TO BUILD, UM, FOR A LOT OF FOLKS. AND THERE ARE, UH, MANY ENTITIES ARE, ARE RELUCTANT TO TAKE ON DEBT. AND SO WE'RE SEEING SOME OF THAT REFLECTED IN THE FEEDBACK THAT WE ARE GETTING. AND THEN OF COURSE, SOME PROJECTS JUST WERE NOT ELIGIBLE, AND AS WE HAD MORE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT WHAT IT IS THEIR PROJECTS WERE, UM, IT BECAME PRETTY CLEAR THEY WERE NOT ELIGIBLE FOR THE FUND. AND SO THAT'S WHY YOU SEE KIND OF SO MANY MOVED INTO THE NOT VIABLE DECLINED CATEGORY. UM, YOU'LL ALSO NOTICE THAT WE HAVE [00:10:01] A NUMBER OF NEW CONTACTS THAT WE HAVE BEEN, UH, PIPELINING, UH, OVER THE PAST SEVERAL MONTHS. I THINK MUCH LIKE, UH, YOU ALL, WE'VE BEEN FEELING THE URGENCY TO FIND PROJECTS THAT ALIGN WITH THE FUND, UM, AND TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THOSE KIND OF PIPELINED AND KIND OF IN OUR ECOSYSTEM. AND SO WE'VE BEEN KIND OF HITTING THE CONCRETE IN SOUTH DALLAS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE DOING OUR OUTREACH. AND SO, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN ATTENDING SMALL BUSINESS GATHERINGS, ONE OF WHICH ACTUALLY JAMES MCGEE INVITED US TO ATTEND. UH, WE'VE BEEN DOING AS MANY OF THOSE AS WE CAN. UH, AS OUR SCHEDULES PERMIT. WE'VE BEEN WORKING MORE CLOSELY WITH COUNCIL MEMBER BASIL DOULA'S OFFICE. UM, THEY OFTEN GET INQUIRIES ABOUT RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO FOLKS DEVELOPING PROJECTS IN SOUTH DALLAS. AND SO WE HAVE A CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS OFFICE WHERE WE TAKE REFERRALS AND WE'LL MEET WITH PEOPLE WHO COME INTO HIS OFFICE ABOUT PROJECTS. UM, WE ALSO KIND OF KEEP OUR EAR TO THE GROUND RELATIVE TO WHAT'S GOING ON IN SOUTH DALLAS. AND SO WHEN WE READ ABOUT PROJECTS HAPPENING THAT COULD BE ELIGIBLE, I WILL PERSONALLY EMAIL THEM AND REACH OUT AND TRY TO SCHEDULE A MEETING SO THAT THEY'RE AWARE. UM, ONE OF THE MOST VALUABLE I THINK, VEHICLES THAT WE'VE HAD FOR A PIPELINING PROJECT HAS BEEN THE POINT SOUTH REVITALIZATION COMMITTEE. UM, IF YOU GUYS ARE ACTIVE IN SOUTH DALLAS, YOU'LL KNOW THAT THIS IS AN ASSEMBLY OF LANDOWNERS, DEVELOPERS, CITIZENS, RESIDENTS, STAKEHOLDERS IN THE COMMUNITY, ACTIVISTS WHO ALL WANT TO SEE SOUTH DALLAS THRIVE AGAIN. AND SO IT'S BEEN A REALLY WONDERFUL PLACE TO MAKE PRESENTATIONS TO STAKEHOLDERS AND TO KIND OF HEAR, UH, ABOUT PROJECTS THAT ARE HAPPENING. UM, HANK LAWSON, WHO RECENTLY STEPPED DOWN AS THE CHAIR OF THAT GROUP, BUT WHO WAS STILL INVOLVED, UM, RECENTLY HE CONVENED, UM, A MEETING OF ALL THE LANDOWNERS AND DEVELOPERS WORKING IN AND OR SERVING SOUTH DALLAS. AND IT WAS REALLY WONDERFUL BECAUSE HE GOT ALL THE RIGHT STAKEHOLDERS IN THE ROOM AND HE INVITED THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TO MAKE A, A TARGETED PRESENTATION ABOUT THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE IN OUR OFFICE. AND SO I MADE A PRESENTATION ABOUT THE SOUTH DALLAS FAIR PARK OPPORTUNITY FUND TO ALL THE LANDOWNERS AND DEVELOPERS WORKING IN SOUTH DALLAS. WE FEEL PRETTY GOOD ABOUT THE CONTACT WE WE HAVE IN THE COMMUNITY. AND OF COURSE WE HAD FOLLOW UP FROM THAT. AND SO I WANTED TO KIND OF EXPLAIN TO YOU ALL THE LEVEL OF OUTREACH THAT WE ARE DOING. AND THAT'S WHY YOU SEE THE INITIAL CONTACT DISCOVERY LIST IS A BIT LONGER. AND SO I'M IN THE PROCESS OF COMMUNICATING WITH EACH ONE OF THESE APPLICANTS TO KIND OF WORK THROUGH THEIR ELIGIBILITY. AND SO THIS FIRST SECTION HERE IS WHERE WE KIND OF FIGURE OUT THE INS AND OUTS OF THEIR PROJECT. WE'LL MAKE SURE THEY'RE ELIGIBLE, THEY ALIGN WITH THE GOALS, WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT THEY ALIGN WITH THE PROGRAM STATEMENT. AND, AND THAT'S KIND OF THE INITIAL CONTACT AND DISCOVERY PART OF IT. UM, ONGOING DISCUSSION IS WHERE WE GET INTO THE DETAILS ABOUT THE SPECIFIC PROJECT. AND, YOU KNOW, THIS CAN TAKE SOME TIME DEPENDING ON WHAT THE PROJECT LOOKS LIKE. WE'VE GOT A COUPLE OF FOLKS WHO HAVE MOVED INTO THIS TERRITORY, ONE OF WHICH HAS BEEN ALMOST READY TO GO TO UNDERWRITING FOR SEVERAL MONTHS NOW. WE'RE HOPING ANY MONTH NOW, IT'LL BE THE MONTH THAT WE, WE SEND THEM ALONG. YES, WEEKS. UM, AND THEN WE DO HAVE ANOTHER PROJECT THAT RECENTLY POPPED BACK UP WHO'S KIND OF IN THIS ONGOING DISCUSSION PHASE. UH, THERE IS ONE PROJECT THAT CONNECTED WITH US BACK IN MARCH, UM, IS PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST READY, UH, PROJECTS THAT WE CURRENTLY ARE EVALUATING. THEY'RE IN THE PROCESS OF SUBMITTING THEIR APPLICATION. UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE KIND OF IN COMMUNICATION WITH THEM. I TOUCHED BASE LAST WEEK TO SEE IF THEY NEEDED ANYTHING FURTHER. SO WE'RE JUST WAITING ON THAT FINAL SUBMISSION TO COME THROUGH. UM, BUT YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT A LOT OF FOLKS IN THE HOPPER. WE'RE PRETTY EAGER TO CONTINUE A LOT OF THESE CONVERSATIONS. WE'RE HOPING A LOT OF THESE WILL BE A GOOD FIT. UM, WE'RE ALSO PRETTY EAGER TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PLANNING FOR THE INFO SESSIONS BECAUSE WE THINK THE INFO SESSIONS ARE GONNA BE A REALLY WONDERFUL SUPPLEMENT TO A LOT OF THE PROACTIVE OUTREACH THAT WE'VE ALREADY BEEN DOING. UM, AND SO, AND SO THAT IS A QUICK SUMMARY. UM, I KNOW WE CAN'T GIVE SPECIFIC INFORMATION OUT , BUT IT'S A, IT'S KIND OF A, A QUICK OVERVIEW OF WHERE WE ARE WITH THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT APPLICATIONS. I THINK FOR THE UPDATE, NICHOLAS. UM, AND BEFORE WE CONTINUE ON, I THINK, UH, MISS CC JOINED, UH, CC ARE YOU, UH, ON THE LINE? SO CAN YOU FLIP YOUR, YOUR CAMERA ON AND, UH, ACKNOWLEDGE YOUR PRESENCE PLEASE? YES, I AM PRESENT OR CC AND CARION DISTRICT SEVEN PRESENT. ALRIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WE'VE GOT YOUR COUNTY. ALRIGHT. ARE THERE ANY, UH, QUESTIONS, UH, FOR NICHOLAS ON THAT PIECE OR ANY COMMENTS, UH, THAT ANYBODY HAS ON THE UPDATE THAT HE PROVIDED ON THE, UH, THE OUTREACH AND, UH, DEVELOPMENT PIECE? YES. UH, I ACTUALLY JUST WANTED TO SAY, UH, THANK YOU TO NICHOLAS FOR, UM, CONTINUING TO ATTEND, UH, THE POINT SOUTH MEETINGS. UM, [00:15:01] REALLY EXCITED ABOUT, UM, THE FACT THAT WE HAVE MORE APPLICANTS. AND I'M HOPING THAT IT IS BECAUSE OF THE COMMUNICATION YOU'VE HAD WITH MR. LAWSON. UM, IT'S GOOD TO SEE YOU TODAY. UM, AND IT'S JUST, UH, IT'S GOOD TO SEE THE CITY AND EVEN HEAVEN WAS OUT LIKE, HEY HEATHER . IT'S JUST GOOD TO SEE Y'ALL IN THE COMMUNITY. 'CAUSE SOMETIMES I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF WHAT PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR. UH, AND SO I APPRECIATE YOUR PRESENCE THERE. IT DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE. THANK YOU. SHANAE IS THERE EVERY MONTH WITH ME, AND SO WE GET TO CATCH UP EVERY MONTH. AND SO IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO SEE YOU TOO, . THANK YOU FOR THAT. SHANAE. ARE THERE ANY OTHER, UH, COMMENTS ON THE UPDATE? UH, NICHOLAS, I JUST WANNA SAY REAL QUICK, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, THANK FOR THE OUTREACH AND I THINK THAT THAT COUPLED WITH SOME OF THE THINGS THAT OUR SUBCOMMITTEE IS DOING, AND I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT THIS A LITTLE BIT LAST TIME, FOR EXAMPLE, ATTENDING THE, UH, THE AMPLIFIED DT C EVENT THAT AT LEAST FOUR OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS ATTENDED. AND THEN WE'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE DALLAS STARTUP WEEK THAT MANY OF OUR BOARD MEMBERS ATTENDED. THOSE TYPES OF EFFORTS, EFFORTS THAT, YOU KNOW, OUR, OUR SUBCOMMITTEE, UH, ARE INVOLVED WITH AN OPPORTUNITY THAT THEY'RE UNCOVERING, REALLY DRIVE THE NEEDLE FORWARD. THE QUICK QUESTION THAT I HAVE IS, WHAT TYPE OF FEEDBACK WHEN YOU'RE GIVING THAT INFO SESSION, SINCE YOU HAD A ROOM FULL OF STAKEHOLDERS THERE, WHAT TYPE OF FEEDBACK DID YOU HEAR, UH, FROM THEM? WAS THERE A SENSE OF AWARENESS OF WHAT WAS AVAILABLE? UH, WAS THERE, WAS THERE A SENSE OF THEM KNOWING WHAT THE FUND WAS, BUT MAYBE NOT, YOU KNOW, KNOWING HOW TO GET INVOLVED WITH IT OR NOT UNDERSTANDING, UH, WHAT, WHAT WAS THE GENERAL FEEDBACK? YEAH. UM, SO THERE, PEOPLE DID KNOW ABOUT THE FUND. UH, PEOPLE WERE AWARE THE FUND EXISTED. I THINK PEOPLE ARE LESS AWARE OF SOME OF THE MINUTE DETAILS THAT GO INTO THE ELIGIBILITY PROCESS. AND SO BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE A TARGETED PRESENTATION WHERE WE KIND OF, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE DIFFERENT LEVELS OF DETAIL YOU WANNA GET INTO DEPENDING ON THE AUDIENCE AND FOR THESE FOLKS, UH, WE WERE ABLE TO GET INTO THE WEEDS AROUND SOME OF THE ELIGIBILITY. SO IT WAS SUPER HELPFUL. SO THERE ARE CERTAINLY THINGS THAT PEOPLE LEARNED, ADDITIONAL THINGS THEY LEARNED, UH, BUT A GOOD NUMBER OF PEOPLE WERE AWARE OF SOME OF THE RESOURCES ALREADY AVAILABLE, INCLUDING THE FUND. I DUNNO IF YOU HAD ANYTHING TO ADD, HEATHER. YEAH, SO I, I I THINK NICHOLAS SUMMARIZED THAT PRETTY WELL. I ALSO KNOW THERE WERE A COUPLE PROJECTS THAT HAD KIND OF TRIED TO ENGAGE WITH THE CITY BEFORE AND IT DIDN'T GO VERY WELL. SO THEY ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE OPPORTUNITY TO REENGAGE. SO, AND I JUST HAD THAT FOLLOW UP WITH SOMEBODY TODAY, SO. FANTASTIC. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ARE THERE ANY OTHER, UH, QUESTIONS, COMMENTS OR FEEDBACK, UH, RELATED TO THE STATUS UPDATE, UH, ON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, ACTIVITY CHAIR CASE? THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. UM, I JUST KIND OF WANTED TO TO TO ECHO WHAT THE CHAIR SAID AND, AND COMMEND YOU ON YOUR, ON YOUR OUTREACH EFFORTS. UM, JUST IN HEARING THE REPORT OUT THAT YOU GAVE US ON THE SUMMARY STATUS OF THE CURRENT APPLICANTS, THERE'S A LOT OF ENERGY AND ENTHUSIASM IN YOUR VOICE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THE OUTREACH THAT'S BEING DONE. UM, AND WE CAN TELL IT'S MAKING A REALLY HUGE DIFFERENCE. SO I JUST WANTED TO SHOUT THAT OUT. ALRIGHT, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR FEEDBACK, UH, ON THIS ITEM FOR NICHOLAS? OKAY, I'M HEARING NONE. SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO ITEM B, WHICH IS AN UPDATE ON THE PLANNING FOR THE FALL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INFO SESSIONS. UM, SO I'LL PROVIDE A KIND OF A, A QUICK UPDATE ON THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INFO SESSIONS. AS YOU ALL KNOW, UH, WE HAVE THREE INFO SESSIONS THAT WE WANT TO HAVE FOR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, WHICH IS IN ADDITION TO THE TWO INFO SESSIONS WE ARE DOING FOR THE NOFA. UM, AND SO, UH, THE GOAL OF THE INFO SESSIONS IS TO PARTNER WITH COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS TO RAISE AWARENESS OF THE FUND, UH, OF ITS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM TO PROVIDE DETAILED INFORMATIONS TO IN INTER INFORMATION TO INTERESTED PARTIES AND TO CONTINUE TO PIPELINE APPLICANTS FOR CONSIDERATION. UH, THE IN THE INFO SESSION IS CURRENTLY SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 18TH. THAT DATE IS PRETTY FLEXIBLE. UM, WE ARE JUST INTERESTED IN MAKING SURE THAT WE HAVE ONE IN THE FALL BEFORE THE NOFA PERIOD STARTS UP. 'CAUSE WE KNOW THAT GETS PRETTY BUSY. UM, I'VE ALREADY REACHED OUT TO COUNCIL MEMBER BASAL DOULA'S OFFICE TO CO-HOST THE EVENT WITH US. UH, WE'RE WAITING FOR THEM TO GET BACK TO US, BUT THEY'RE CERTAINLY INTERESTED AND BECAUSE THEY RECEIVED SO MANY INQUIRIES, I THINK IT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE. THEY'VE GOT DEEP ROOTS IN THE COMMUNITY. UM, AND SO, UH, WHEN THEIR NEWSLETTER WENT OUT, I MEAN, MY EMAIL WAS PRETTY HAMMERED DURING THE NOFA, SO I KNOW THEY, THEY HAVE GOOD CONNECTIONS IN THE COMMUNITY. AND SO AS SOON AS THEY GET BACK TO ME AND WE CONFIRM THAT WE'RE GONNA MOVE FORWARD WITH GETTING INTO THE DETAILS OF WHAT THIS INFO SESSION IS GONNA LOOK LIKE. UM, AND WE CAN, YOU KNOW, IN OUR BUSINESS STRATEGY AND DEVELOPMENT SUBCOMMITTEE, WE'RE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT THIS NEXT WEEK AND WE'RE GONNA WORK ON KIND OF STRATEGIZING AROUND WHAT KIND OF PARTNERS WE WANNA HAVE INVOLVED FOR THIS FIRST ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT [00:20:01] INFO SESSION. AGAIN, WE HAVE THREE OF THEM, AND SO JUST, YOU KNOW, WE'RE GONNA WORK THROUGH SOME TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PARTNERS, POTENTIALLY SOME FINANCIAL PARTNERS, BANKS, LENDERS PERHAPS. AND THEN OF COURSE SOME COMMUNITY PARTNERS. UM, AND SO WE'LL HAVE A MORE SUBSTANTIVE UPDATE AT THE NEXT MEETING, BUT, UH, WE'RE, YOU KNOW, EAGER TO GET TO WORK. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. THANKS FOR THE UPDATE ON THAT, NICHOLAS. UH, ARE THERE ANY, UH, QUESTIONS ON THE UPCOMING ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, INFO SESSION OR, OR ANY DETAILS, UH, SURROUNDING THAT? OKAY. UH, I'M, I'M HEARING NONE. UH, NICHOLAS, DO WE HAVE A SENSE OF, UH, WHEN, WHEN THE, I KNOW WE HAVE A SESSION COMING UP ON, UH, SEPTEMBER, SEPTEMBER 18. UM, IS THIS SOMETHING THAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER VAL'S OFFICE IS INTERESTED IN DOING WITH US ON AN ONGOING, ONGOING BASIS? CAN CAN YOU SPEAK TO THAT A LITTLE BIT? YEAH. UH, WE'RE STILL WAITING ON CONFIRMATION ON THEIR PARTICIPATION FOR THE FIRST ONE, BUT MY FEELING IS THAT, YEAH, I MEAN, THEY, THEY REFER FOLKS TO OUR OFFICE ALL THE TIME, AND SO I THINK IT WOULD MAKE SENSE TO HAVE KIND OF A, A STANDING PARTNERSHIP AROUND THESE, UH, INFO SESSIONS. UM, AND SO THAT'S DEFINITELY GONNA BE PART OF THE CONVERSATION WHEN THEY GET BACK TO ME. VERY GOOD. UH, MR. DAWKINS, UH, ON, ON THIS PARTICULAR POINT, NICHOLAS, IS THERE, UH, DO, DO YOU HAVE A SENSE OF WHERE YOU MIGHT HOST THIS EVENT AND, AND WHAT THE SCOPE OF THAT LOOKS LIKE? IS THIS KIND OF SURFACE LEVEL OR IS THIS MORE DETAILED AS YOUR STREAM? OTHER THAN, YEAH, SO WE'RE, I'M WAITING TO KIND OF BOOK VENUES WHEN WE KNOW KIND OF WHAT PARTNERS ARE GONNA BE AVAILABLE, RIGHT? IF WE DECIDE THAT WE'RE GONNA GO WITH, LET'S SAY FOR EXAMPLE, VISTA BANK, THEY HAVE A LOCATION WHERE THEY CAN HOST US, IT WOULD MAKE SENSE TO HAVE SOMETHING THERE. AND IF THAT WERE THE CASE, WE MAY WANT TO MAYBE ASK IF THEY WANNA PARTICIPATE IN A PARTICULAR WAY, RIGHT? MAYBE THEY MAKE IT, UH, SOMETHING FOR, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THEIR PEERS AND THEIR PEER LENDERS IN THE AREA. AND THIS IS AN ECONOMIC INFO SESSION KIND OF GEARED TOWARDS THAT CONSTITUENCY. AND SO I FEEL LIKE IT WOULD KIND OF DEPEND, RIGHT? UM, WE'VE ALSO RECEIVED FEEDBACK THAT FOLKS ARE FROM COM, THE COMMUNITY ARE INTERESTED IN TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. AND SO, YOU KNOW, AN IDEA FOR, UH, A FORUM COULD BE HAVING ONE OF THE ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE WORK WITH WHO DOES TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PROVIDE MAYBE LIKE A 45 MINUTE PRESENTATION ON SOMETHING LIKE HOW TO MAKE YOUR BUSINESS MORE BANKABLE. AND THEN WE FOLLOW THAT UP WITH AN INFO SESSION ABOUT THE SOUTH DALLAS ECONOMIC, UH, SOUTH DALLAS FAIR PARK OPPORTUNITY FUND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. AND SO THERE ARE A COUPLE OF DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WE CAN HOST THESE THINGS AND ORGANIZE THEM. AND SO I'M GONNA WAIT UNTIL NEXT WEEK TILL I GET A LITTLE GUIDANCE FROM OUR BUSINESS STRATEGY AND DEVELOPMENT SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING, UH, TO SEE WHAT THEY THINK. 'CAUSE I KNOW THEY HAVE A LOT OF CONNECTIONS IN THE COMMUNITY, AND THEN WE CAN KIND OF TAKE IT FROM THERE. UH, BUT AGAIN, WE HAVE THREE INFO SESSIONS THAT WE GET TO KIND OF STRATEGIZE TO CREATE, AND SO IT GIVES US A LITTLE BIT OF FLEXIBILITY TO DETERMINE KIND OF WHICH WAY WE WANNA GO WITH EACH. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ARE THERE ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR FEEDBACK? CHAIRMAN RUIZ. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. UH, NICHOLAS, WHEN, WHEN YOU, UH, MENTIONED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, CAN YOU BE MORE SPECIFIC AS TO WHAT TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ENCOMPASSES? YEAH, JUST KIND OF LIKE, UH, PEOPLE WHO NEED HELP, UH, PUTTING TOGETHER A PROFORMA, RIGHT? IF THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT A PROFORMA IS, THEY NEED SOMEONE TO KINDA WALK 'EM THROUGH THAT PROCESS. THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PARTNER COULD HELP THEM DO THAT. OR IF THEY'VE NEVER PUT A BUDGET TOGETHER, THEY DON'T KNOW HOW TO LOOK AT IT, THAT COULD BE SOMETHING THAT A TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PARTNER CAN HELP DO. AND SO WE WOULD TRY TO IDENTIFY A KIND OF AN ASPECT THAT PEOPLE WOULD VERY MUCH NEED, UH, OR WOULD WANT TO GO TO AN EVENT FOR. AND THEN WE'D KIND OF MAYBE MAKE THAT A PART, A FEATURE OF THE INFO SESSION. UM, AND I ALSO JUST WANNA REITERATE THAT THE SEPTEMBER 18TH DATE IS LIKELY NOT GONNA BE . IT'S LIKELY GONNA GET PUSHED BACK. UM, JUST WANTED TO KIND OF THROW THAT OUT THERE. UM, BUT YEAH. AND SO, UH, DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? YES. THANK YOU. ONE MORE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, MR. DOCKS, HOW, HOW LONG DO YOU ANTICIPATE THIS PARTICULAR EVENT TO LAST? AND I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF PLANNING AROUND IT, BUT IS THIS, IS THIS AN HOUR? IS THIS, IS THIS 9:00 PM IS THIS 5:00 PM IS THIS WHAT DO, WHAT DO YOU THINK? YEAH, WELL, WE WOULD PROBABLY TRY TO CHOOSE A TIME DURING THE DAY. UM, UH, LOTS OF FOLKS ARE AVAILABLE FOR THAT DURING THE DAY. OF COURSE, WE'RE OPEN TO DOING AN EVENING PROGRAM IF FOLKS ARE, ARE INTERESTED IN IT. UM, MY THINKING WOULD BE PROBABLY LIKE AN HOUR TO AN HOUR AND A HALF. UH, WHEN WE DID THE NOFA INFO SESSION, OUR PRESENTATION WAS ABOUT 20 TO 25 MINUTES AND WE HAD ABOUT 30 MINUTES OF QUESTIONS. UH, PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, KIND CAME AND WENT DURING THE QUESTION PORTION OF IT. AND SO I WOULD IMAGINE THE SETUP WOULD BE SOMETHING SIMILAR. SO ABOUT AN HOUR TO HOUR AND A HALF FOR AN INFO SESSION AROUND THE LUNCH HOUR KIND OF THING? YEAH, POTENTIALLY. I IF WE COULD, YEAH. THANK YOU. I HAD A QUESTION. UM, YOU OTHER [00:25:01] QUESTIONS, COMMENTS OR, OR FEEDBACK? YES. UH, SIR. CHAIR, I HAVE A QUESTION. UM, WHO, WHO'S THE, UH, UH, MS. WISE? GO AHEAD. YES, THANK YOU. UM, SO NICHOLAS, I KNOW YOU WERE SAYING THAT YOU, YOU CHOOSE YOUR LOCATIONS KIND OF OFF OF WHATEVER, UH, PARTNERS THAT YOU MIGHT USE FOR THE PRESENTATION, IS THAT CORRECT? YEAH, YEAH. I MEAN, BECAUSE WE HAVEN'T REALLY SPOKEN ABOUT IT YET IN THE BUSINESS STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT SUBCOMMITTEE. I DON'T, I DON'T WANNA GET TOO FAR AHEAD INTO THE WEEDS, UH, BUT YEAH, I THINK, YOU KNOW, IT, IT WA IT WOULD DEPEND ON KIND OF WHAT PARTNERS WE SAW AS THE KIND OF THE PRIORITIZED PARTNERS FOR THIS UPCOMING INFO SESSION. AND IF THERE WASN'T, IF THERE WERE NOT A LOCATION THAT MADE KIND OF OBVIOUS SENSE. AND THERE, THERE ARE A LOT OF OTHER OPTIONS THAT WE HAVE, LIKE THE SOUTH DALLAS CULTURAL CENTER LIKE ST. PHILIPS WHO HOSTED US LAST TIME. UM, THE BILL J PRIEST CENTER. SO THERE ARE A NUMBER OF OTHER LOCATIONS THAT COULD BE, UH, CHOSEN WITH THE, WITH THE YOUNG MAN THAT WAS ON THE PHONE TODAY. MR. MCGEE IS, IS THERE, IS THERE AN OPTION, UM, OF HAVING IT AT THIS, AT HIS LOCATION THAT HE WAS SPEAKING OF? YEAH, I, UH, HE WAS PART, HIS LOCATION WAS PART OF THE CONSIDERATION FOR THE LAST, UH, SESSIONS AS WELL. OKAY. OKAY. ALRIGHT. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR, OR FEEDBACK ON THAT ITEM? NOT REALLY QUICKLY, UH, UH, BEFORE WE WRAP UP ON THAT ITEM, NICK, WILL YOU SPEAK TO, UH, WHAT THE, THE OUTREACH PIECE OF THAT WOULD LOOK LIKE? WOULD IT BE THE SAME I'M TALKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF GETTING THE WORD OUT TO THE COMMUNITY? WOULD IT BE LOOK THE SAME AS IT DID FOR, FOR THE NOFO FOR EXAMPLE, IT'S TO OBVIOUSLY WE'LL BE WORKING IN COORDINATION WITH, YOU KNOW, FOLKS LIKE THOUSAND PEOPLE'S OFFICE AND, AND OTHER COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS. CAN YOU JUST SPEAK, UH, REALLY QUICKLY TO ONCE THE DATE IS SET IN STONE, YOU KNOW HOW THAT INFORMATION GETS OUT? YEAH, WE WOULD KIND OF REPLICATE WHAT WE DID FOR THE NOFA, WHICH IS WE, WE'D PUT OUT A PRESS RELEASE. UH, WE'D WORK WITH OUR PARTNERS TO GET THE WORD OUT. UH, WE HAVE FOLKS THAT WE WOULD RELATE TO THAT WE WOULD, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WHO'VE APPLIED IN THE PAST. UH, WE WOULD SEND THEM A COMMUNICATION AND LET THEM KNOW THIS IS HAPPENING. UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, OF COURSE, DEPENDING ON THE PARTNERS THAT WE WORK WITH, THEY COULD OPEN US UP TO A WHOLE NEW, UH, GROUPS OF PEOPLE WHO MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT THIS. AND SO WE'RE REALLY, YOU KNOW, THE THINKING OR THE STRATEGY AROUND SOME OF THIS IS TO KIND OF USE, LEVERAGE OUR PARTNERS NETWORKS TO KIND OF BRING US INTO NEW SPACES AND TO NEW PEOPLE. AND OF COURSE, THE FOLKS WHO HAVE ALREADY CONNECTED TO WITH US WILL BE SURE TO LET THEM KNOW AS WELL. UH, BUT THESE PARTNERS ARE GONNA BE A REALLY STRATEGIC PART OF THESE INFO SESSIONS. AND SO ONCE WE KIND OF HASH OUT, UH, WHO WE WANT TO PRIORITIZE FOR THE INFO SESSIONS, UH, WE'LL BE RELYING ON THEM TO USE THEIR NET TO LEVERAGE THEIR NETWORK AS WELL. OKAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR FEEDBACK BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO THE NEXT ITEM? ALRIGHT, I'M HEARING NONE. SO WE WILL MOVE ON TO, UH, AGENDA ITEM NUMBER SIX, WHICH IS REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF FISCAL YOUTH 26, UH, BOARD MEETING DATES. SO EVERYBODY SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED A COPY OF THIS IN THEIR, UH, BOARD PACKETS. I KNOW WE TOUCHED ON THIS BRIEFLY, UH, DURING OUR LAST MEETING. UH, BUT HAVE A LOOK AT THAT. AND, UH, IF THERE ARE NO OBJECTIONS, UH, TO THE DATES THAT, THAT WE HAVE PICKED OUT, WHICH, WHICH HAVE REMAINED THE SAME, UH, WHICH IS THE, THE LAST MONDAY OF THE MONTH, UH, FOR EACH MONTH, UH, IF THERE ARE NO OBJECTIONS TO THESE DATES, WE'LL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO APPROVE THE DATES MOVE FORWARD. WE'LL, FISCAL 26TH, SO MOVED. SECOND MOVE BY MR. DAWKINS. THERE A SECOND, SECOND. SECOND BY CHAIR. ENRIQUE. ALL IN FAVOR? ANY OPPOSED? ALRIGHT, THE AYES HAVE IT. UH, MEETING DATES APPROVED. UH, FISCAL YEAR 26. ALRIGHT, WE'LL MOVE ON TO OUR LAST AGENDA ITEM. WHICH AGENDA ITEM NUMBER SEVEN, WHICH ARE, UH, SUBCOMMITTEE, UH, REPORTS. SO, UH, I KNOW THE, THIS SUBCOMMITTEE MEETING IS, IS, IS COMING UP, UH, THIS WEEK. UM, SO WE'LL TURN IT OVER TO THE MARKETING SUBCOMMITTEE, UH, WITH, UH, CHAIRMAN ENRIQUE. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. UM, SO THE, THE ITEM THAT WE HAVE ON THE AGENDA FOR TODAY IS AN UPDATE ON THE, UH, DFW STARTUP WEEK PARTICIPATION. UM, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO, UH, SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBER MR. BILL DAWKINS FOR A REPORT. UH, YEAH, SO MYSELF AND MR. KUBO, UH, ATTENDED, UH, AS DID THE CHAIR, UH, CHAIRMAN JOHNSON. AND, UM, I JUST WANNA START OUT WITH SOME JUST VERY GENERAL REMARKS THAT, UH, DS OF STARTUP WEEK WAS AT, UH, SMU. IT WAS HELD ON THE CAMPUS, UH, VERY BRIGHT AND AIRY VENUE, HEAVILY ATTENDED. IT WAS, AS YOU MIGHT IMAGINE, UH, TABLES. UM, THERE WAS, UH, FOOD PROVIDED, WHICH I THINK HELPED WITH THE ATTENDANCE. UM, BUT THE SCOPE OF THE EVENT WAS WHAT I FOUND VERY COMPELLING. [00:30:01] NOT ONLY DID THEY HAVE TABLES FROM A NUMBER OF VENDORS, UH, AND PEOPLE WHO WERE SERVICE PROVIDERS, EVERYONE FROM CONSULTANTS, MARKETING CONSULTANTS TO BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANTS, UH, BUT THERE WAS ALSO A VERY TECH HEAVY PRESENCE. THERE WERE, UH, STARTUP ENTREPRENEURS, THERE WERE FUNDERS, THERE WERE VENTURE CAPITALISTS. UH, AND THESE WERE FOLKS WHO WEREN'T JUST STARTING UP THEMSELVES. THESE WERE VERY SUBSTANTIAL ORGANIZATIONS. UM, MR. KUMBA ACTUALLY SENT IN, 'CAUSE SHE'S UNABLE TO JOIN US THIS EVENING. SHE SENT IN SOME OF HER REMARKS, WHICH I'D LIKE TO READ. THEY'RE VERY BRIEF AND I WILL DO SO VERBATIM. UH, THESE ARE MR. KUUMBA'S REMARKS. I ATTENDED THE WI THE, UH, STARTUP WEEK SUMMIT, AND IT WAS A GREAT EXPERIENCE. THE FIRST SPEAKER WAS A FAMILIAR SOUTH DALLAS VOICE, FOIS, WHO NOW HAS A BOOK. I ALSO MADE SOME STRONG CONNECTIONS, INCLUDING A MARKETING CONSULTANT FOR NONPROFITS IN SOUTH AND SOUTHERN DALLAS. WE'RE MEETING NEXT WEEK TO EXPLORE HOW WE CAN SUPPORT THOSE CLIENTS. OVERALL, THE SUMMIT WAS WELL WORTH ATTENDING, AND I THINK HAVING A LARGER PRESIDENCY THAN HOSTING AN EVENT TO DRIVE AWARENESS AND APPLICATIONS WOULD BE A REALLY GOOD THING. UM, SO AGAIN, THERE, THERE WAS, UH, A LOT OF, UM, EXCITEMENT ON THE PART OF, UM, DALLAS ENTREPRENEURSHIP CENTER, THE DECK WHO WE ATTENDED, UM, ALONG WITH. AND, UM, THAT THERE WERE, THERE WERE A COUPLE THINGS THAT WERE KIND OF CONFUSING ABOUT THE WAY THEY PUT IT ON. THEY HAD A NUMBER OF, UH, BREAKOUT SESSIONS AND EVENTS THAT THE, THE, THE AGENDA FOR THE OVERALL THREE DAYS WAS VERY WELL LAID OUT. THEY HAD A PDF AS WELL AS AN EMAIL THAT WENT OUT TO ALL PARTICIPANTS, UH, TO HELP YOU NAVIGATE THE SESSIONS. BUT THE SESSIONS THEMSELVES, I THOUGHT, AND, AND YOU ALL COULD SPEAK UP, UM, WERE VERY BROAD. AND SO IT, IT, IT WAS A GOOD THING IN THE EVENT THAT YOU WANTED TO USE THIS STARTUP WEEK, UH, FOR HOW YOU SAW IT. BUT IT LEFT THOSE WITHOUT MUCH OF AN AGENDA, KIND OF WAFFLING IN THE WIND. UH, BUT INCREDIBLE EVENT. THE WRAP UP EVENT, UH, AT A LOCAL VENUE DOWNTOWN WAS EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE. I THINK THERE WERE 1500 SOME PEOPLE SIGNED UP FOR IT, UH, GENERAL NETWORKING, UM, AND VERY WELL ATTENDED. VERY, VERY, UH, THERE WAS A LOT OF BUZZ, I THINK IS THE RIGHT PHRASE FOR IT. SO, UH, I ENJOYED IT. I DO THINK WE SHOULD SCHEDULE MORE EVENTS IN CONCERT WITH DECK, UH, AND THE FOLKS WHO PUT ON, UM, OUR STARTUP WEEK. THANK YOU FOR THAT. THANK YOU, MR. DAWKINS. YIELD BACK TO THE CHAIR. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. AND JUST TO, YOU KNOW, EXPOUND ON, UH, MR. DAWKINS'S COMMENTS, UH, ECHO THE SENTIMENT, THE EXCITEMENT, YOU KNOW, WAS PALPABLE. THERE WERE, THERE WERE TONS OF PEOPLE THERE. UH, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, LIKE MR. DAWKIN SAID, THE, THE TOP, THE STRUCTURE WAS VERY WELL ORGANIZED. UH, TOPICS WERE A LITTLE BROAD, AND I THINK THAT WAS TO, TO, YOU KNOW, ALLOW IF MANY PEOPLE, UH, INTO THE TENT, SO TO SPEAK AS POSSIBLE AND, AND, AND GET AS MANY FOLKS EXPOSURE AS POSSIBLE. UH, HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEND, UH, UH, THIS PANEL, UH, CONDUCTED BY BLUE TEXAS CAPITAL BANK, UH, WHICH WAS VERY WELL ATTENDED, VERY WELL RECEIVED, RECEIVED. UH, AND IT WAS PANEL, YOU KNOW, ESSENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, GIVEN FOLKS INFORMATION ABOUT, UH, HOW TO ACCESS CAPITAL, UH, YOU KNOW, THROUGH THEIR, YOU KNOW, VARIOUS PROGRAMS THAT THEY HAVE IN AND AROUND THEIR, THEIR, THEIR BANK. SO SOME OF 'EM WERE SPECIFICALLY DEDICATED FOR, YOU KNOW, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, UH, SUCH AS OURS. SO I WAS ABLE TO CONNECT WITH THREE OF THE PANELISTS AFTERWARDS. AND SO, UH, YOU KNOW, WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO GET SOMETHING ON THE CALENDAR AND I'LL, I'LL FEED THAT INFORMATION OVER TO OUR BUSINESS STRATEGY SUBCOMMITTEE, UH, TO HELP COORDINATE THOSE EFFORTS WITH THE CITY, OBVIOUSLY, SO THAT WE CAN DRIVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS FORWARD. BUT THE OVERALL SENTIMENT WAS, HEY, ABSOLUTELY WE WOULD LOVE TO, TO, TO PARTNER WITH SOMEBODY LIKE YOU GUYS. WE HAVE A LOT OF FOLKS, SOME OF 'EM AREN'T, AREN'T READY AND WE CAN'T, WE CAN'T FUND SOME, WE CAN PARTIALLY FUND, UH, OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW, A SOLID BRIDGE SOLUTION, LOW COST BRIDGE SOLUTION FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE. UH, SO THERE WAS A EAGERNESS TO, TO REALLY PARTNER WITH US AND SEE WHAT OPPORTUNITIES, UH, WERE OVERLAPPING THAT, THAT WE COULD, UH, POTENTIALLY PARTNER UP AND ASSIST WITH. UH, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, UH, YOU KNOW, GET MORE PEOPLE IN, INTO THE PIPELINE FOR FUNDING AS WELL AS DOING THE FRONT END PIECE OF, OF JUST SIMPLY GETTING 'EM READY, WHICH I KNOW WE TOUCHED ON, UH, A LITTLE BIT EARLIER TO, TO COME INTO THE FUND TO GET FUNDING OF ANY KIND, YOU KNOW, WHETHER IT'S, YOU KNOW, THROUGH THE OPPORTUNITY FUND OR, OR THROUGH OTHER CHANNELS. SO, UH, AS MS. DUCK HAD MENTIONED, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE RAP EVENT, UH, THERE WAS 1500 RED REGISTERED FOLKS THERE. UH, IT'S PROBABLY CLOSER TO 2000 PEOPLE ACTUALLY THERE IN THAT MENU. UH, AND THE GREAT THING ABOUT THAT IS THAT EVERY, YOU KNOW, YOU HAD SO MANY DIFFERENT BUSINESSES AND YOU WOULD HEAR ABOUT SOME BUSINESSES THAT YOU, YOU HAD NEVER EVEN HEARD OF BEFORE. YOU KNOW, STARTUP COMPANIES, YOU KNOW, AROUND VARIOUS THINGS. SO, UH, YOU CAN TELL THE EXCITEMENT IS THERE. SO THERE'S GONNA BE PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITY, UH, NOT ONLY WITHIN THE CITY, BUT YOU KNOW, THE [00:35:01] QUESTION IS, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT, AGAIN, YOU KNOW, SOUTH DALLAS AND THE AREAS THAT WE SERVE ARE PARTICIPATING IN THAT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MOVING FORWARD, UH, WHICH IS THE GOAL HERE. SO VERY WELL ATTENDED, UH, YOU KNOW, FANTASTIC EVENT. GREAT TO SEE, UH, MS. STOCKINGS THERE. UH, YOU KNOW, BUT I APPRECIATE THE EFFORTS OF EVERYBODY AND ALL THE VOLUNTEER TIME THAT FOLKS HAVE PUT IN TO GO TO VARIOUS EVENTS AND STRUCTURE DIFFERENT EVENTS, ORGANIZED DIFFERENT EVENTS. THERE WAS A LOT OF COORDINATION THAT WENT ON BETWEEN CHAIR ENRIQUEZ AND ALSO MR. DAWKINS TO KIND OF SET THAT UP AND, AND PULL THAT TOGETHER. UH, AND I KNOW WE'RE WORKING ON PLENTY OF OTHER THINGS WITH, WITH OUR BUSINESS STRATEGY SUBCOMMITTEE AS WELL. SO I'M EXCITED ABOUT WHERE THINGS ARE GOING. I'M EXCITED ABOUT THE, THE LEVERAGE THAT, THAT WE CAN, UH, YOU KNOW, SORT OF, UH, TAP INTO WITH SOME OF THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT WE HAVE WITHIN THE BOARD. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, UH, I THINK WE'RE DEFINITELY HEADED IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION. SO, UH, YEAH. MR. DUCK, ONE OTHER THING THAT I DID WANNA BRING UP IS THAT, YOU KNOW, I, I'M A NUMBERS GUY, SO I KIND OF KEEP TRACK OF NUMBERS IN MY HEAD, BUT I WOULD, I WOULD SAY ABOUT BETWEEN THREE TO FOUR PEOPLE OUT OF EVERY FIVE THAT I TALKED TO WERE NATIONAL. I MEAN, THEY HAD, THEY HAD FLOWN IN FOR THIS THING, UH, FROM BOTH COASTS AS WELL AS FLORIDA. AND SO I THINK THAT SPEAKS TO THE GROWTH THAT WE SEE IN DALLAS. I THINK THAT SPEAKS TO THE EXCITEMENT OF THE BUSINESS COMMUNITY IN DALLAS. AND I THINK IF WE CAN GET THAT SENTIMENT, UH, OUT TO THOSE PEOPLE THAT WE CONNECT WITH IN OUR LOCAL COMMUNITIES, THAT WILL HELP THEM TO UNDERSTAND AND THINK THAT, WOW, YOU KNOW, IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT MY LITTLE NOOK, YOU KNOW, WE DO FOCUS ON OUR LITTLE NOOK AND OUR LITTLE CENSUS TRACKS, BUT PEOPLE NEED TO KNOW THAT DALLAS IS VIBRANT AND BECOMING MORE. SO, UH, I THINK THIS EVENT IS ONLY GONNA GROW WHEN YOU TALK TO THE ORGANIZERS OF THIS THING, THEY'RE VERY EXCITED ABOUT IT. AND SO SOMEHOW WE NEED TO, YOU KNOW, CAPITALIZE ON THAT ENTHUSIASM. SO I DID JUST WANNA MAKE THAT POINT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. DAWKINS. UH, DOES ANYBODY ELSE HAVE ANY, UH, QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR FEEDBACK, UH, ABOUT, UH, THE MOST RECENT, UH, DALLAS STARTUP WEEK EVENT OR ANY THINGS SURROUNDING THAT? ALRIGHT, I'M HEARING NONE. SO THERE IS NO OTHER BUSINESS. WE DON'T HAVE ANY OTHER BUSINESS ON THE AGENDA THIS EVENING. UM, IS THERE A MOTION TO ADJOURN? UH, SO MOVED BY MS. SIMS OR CHAIR CHAIRWOMAN SIM. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND, SECOND. CHAIR. ENRIQUEZ. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. OPPOSED? ANY OPPOSED? HEARING NONE. HEARING NONE. THE AYES HAVE AT THIS MEETING ADJOURNED. THE TIME IS 6:41 PM THANK YOU VERY MUCH EVERYBODY. WE WILL SEE YOU NEXT MONTH. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.