* 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. [00:00:01] MONDAY, JUNE 29TH [South Dallas Fair Park Opportunity Fund Regular Meeting on June 29, 2026.] AND THE TIME IS 6:02 PM I WILL BEGIN WITH A ROLL CALL. BEGIN WITH MYSELF AND AMBER JOHNSON. PRESENT MR. JUAN SIGNS PRESENT. MS. KIMBERLY SIMS SIM MR. HARRISON BLAIR, MR. HARRISON BLAIR, MR. CC AND ION HERE PRESENT. MS. DESTINY, KUMU. PRESENT. MS. SHENAE WISE, MS. SHANAE WISE, MR. BILL DAWKINS PRESENT. MS. AMY FREEMAN PRESENT? MR. TRENT HUGHES. MR. TRENT HUGHES. UH, AND CARLON RODRIGUEZ IS, IS ABSOLUTELY. WELL, CARL. ALRIGHT, THAT COMPLETES AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO, THE ROLL CALL. UH, WE'LL NOW MOVE ON TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER THREE, WHICH IS THE APPROVAL OF MINUTES. EVERYBODY SHOULD HAVE RECEIVED A COPY OF THE MAY 18TH, 2026 MINUTES IN THEIR BOARD PACKET. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, FEEDBACKS OR AMENDMENTS THERE? IF NOT, WE WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION. I SO MOVE. SO MOVED BY MS. SIMS. IS THERE A SECOND? SECOND. SECOND. MR. ? ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. OPPOSED? MINUTES APPROVED. NEXT AGENDA ITEM, AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FOUR. DO WE HAVE ANY PUBLIC SPEAKERS SIGNED UP FOR THIS EVENING? UH, NICHOLAS. WE DO NOT HAVE ANY PUBLIC SPEAKERS SIGNED UP THIS EVENING. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. NEXT AGENDA ITEM, AGENDA ITEM NUMBER FIVE, WHICH IS A BRIEFING OF THE STAFF UPDATES FROM THE OFFICE OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. WE WILL HAVE A UPDATE ON THE MOST RECENT JUNE, 2020 THIRD, UH, JUNE 23RD, EXCUSE ME, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INFO SESSION. UH, HEARD A LOT OF GOOD THINGS ABOUT THAT. SO, UH, WE'LL GET AN UPDATE ON THAT. WE'LL HOLD OFF QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR FEEDBACK UNTIL AFTER THE PRESENTATION. SO, UH, NICHOLAS, DO YOU WANNA GO AHEAD AND, UH, TAKE OVER FROM THERE AND, AND, AND SHARE WHAT YOU SAW WITH THE, UH, INFO SESSION? YES. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. UM, SO YEAH, IF, UM, SO AS YOU ALL KNOW, LAST WEEK ON TUESDAY, JUNE 23RD, WE, UH, HELD AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INFO SESSION, UH, WHICH WAS KIND OF THE THIRD INFO SESSION THAT WE HAD SCHEDULED FOR THE YEAR. AS YOU KNOW, WE FOCUSED ON KIND OF COVERING THE FULL SUITE OF PROGRAMS THAT ARE OFFERED WITHIN THE SERVICE AREA. SO IT WASN'T JUST ABOUT THE OPPORTUNITY FUND, IT WAS ALSO COVERING THE, UH, D SEVEN EXTERIOR PROGRAM, UH, WHICH IS A PARTNERSHIP WITH COUNCIL MEMBER BASIL'S OFFICE. WE COVERED THE SMALL BUSINESS ASSISTANCE PROGRAM, UM, AND WE ALSO COVERED THE PRE-DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE FUND. UH, WE HAD A, A MARKETING STRATEGY THAT I WOULD ARGUE MAYBE WORKED A LITTLE BIT TOO WELL. WELL, UM, WE HAD OVER A HUNDRED RSVPS FOR THE INFO SESSION. IT OCCURRED TO ME THAT WHEN THE CITY OF DALLAS WAS SHARING THIS ON THEIR SOCIALS, THAT A TON OF PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY DIDN'T QUITE KNOW WHAT IT WAS AND SIGNED UP FOR IT. AND SO I DID A LITTLE BIT OF DUE DILIGENCE TO MAKE SURE THEY KNEW EXACTLY WHAT THE INFO SESSION WAS ABOUT. SO IT HELPED KIND OF CREATE A MORE MANAGEABLE, UH, SHOWING ON THE ACTUAL DAY OF THE EVENT. UM, ON THE DAY OF THE EVENT, WE HAD ABOUT 43 PEOPLE ATTEND THE INFO SESSION. UH, 29 OF THOSE WERE ONLINE, PARTIALLY BECAUSE WE CLOSED DOWN IN PERSON BECAUSE WE HAD SO MANY RSVPS. UM, AND THE ROOM HAD A CAPACITY OF ABOUT 30 PEOPLE, SO WE KNEW WE COULDN'T GO OVER THAT. UM, SO 14 SHOWED UP IN PERSON AND IT WAS A REALLY GOOD CONVERSATION. THERE WERE A LOT OF REPEATS IN THE CONVERSATION, BUT THERE WERE ALSO A NUMBER OF NEW PEOPLE. AND AS YOU ALL KNOW, PART OF THE EVENT WAS THAT, YOU KNOW, THE ATTENDEES COULD COME AND NETWORK WITH STAFF, NETWORK WITH EACH OTHER AND HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THEIR SPECIFIC PROJECTS. AND SO, YOU KNOW, I'VE BEEN MEETING WITH FOLKS, UH, WHO'VE HAD QUESTIONS. WE'VE HAD FOLKS ASK ABOUT THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM. WE'VE HAD FOLKS ASK ABOUT THE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM JUST 'CAUSE IT WAS RELATED. UM, WE ACTUALLY QUITE A FEW ASK ABOUT THAT. UM, AND THEN WE'VE BEEN HAVING OTHER CONVERSATIONS WITH THE SMALL BUSINESS PROGRAM AND SOME OTHERS WHO MAY BE A FIT FOR FOLKS. UM, BUT WE'RE ALSO HAVING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT HOW FOLKS CAN ACCESS MORE THAN ONE PROGRAM, WHICH I THINK IS, WAS THE POINT OF THE, THE, THE INFO SESSION. AND SO IT WAS A REALLY GOOD INFO SESSION. AND IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, HEATHER, YOU CAN SEE PICTURES, UM, OF US AT THE SPACE, AND THEN ALSO TALKING WITH SOME OF THE, THE ATTENDEES. UM, SO THAT WAS IN A NUTSHELL, THE INFO SESSION. AS I SAID, WE'RE STILL WORKING THROUGH A LOT OF THE CONVERSATIONS THAT WE STARTED ON THAT DAY. MY SCHEDULE FOR THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS IS FULL OF KIND OF THOSE CONVERSATIONS. AND SO WE'RE EAGER TO SEE WHAT KIND OF LEADS COME FROM THIS. AND THE [00:05:01] NEXT MEETING I'LL PROBABLY HAVE MORE TO REPORT. HEY NICHOLAS, THIS IS TRENT. VERY GOOD. OH, CHAIR. UH, YES. THIS IS TRENT HUGHES, DISTRICT 12. I JUST WANTED TO LET YOU KNOW I WAS PRESENT. OKAY. THANK YOU. NOTED MR. HUGHES. ALRIGHT, UH, THANK YOU FOR THAT UPDATE, NICHOLAS. UH, SOUNDS FANTASTIC. UM, ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR FEEDBACK? UH, JUST WANNA SAY THANK YOU TO JUAN FOR SHOWING UP. I KNOW YOU WERE THERE AND SO WE APPRECIATE SEEING BOARD MEMBERS, UH, OUT IN THE AUDIENCE. SO IT WAS NICE. THANK YOU. UH, I DO HAVE A QUESTION, NICHOLAS. IS UM, BECAUSE THIS IS A REALLY GREAT SESSION, UM, THAT YOU GUYS HOLD, BUT WHAT, WHAT IS OUR, OR THE GOAL OR THE OUTCOME THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR WITH THESE? IS IT ATTENDANCE OR IS IT PARTICIPANTS IN THE D SEVEN AND PRE ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS? OR HOW DO WE MEASURE SUCCESS? I THINK I CAUGHT YOUR QUESTION. I THINK YOU WERE ASKING KIND. SO THE POINT OF THESE INFO SESSIONS IS TO HELP PIPELINE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS FOR THE OPPORTUNITY FUND. UM, AS WE STARTED THIS PROCESS, WE LEARNED A FEW THINGS AND THAT'S WHY WE KIND OF RESTRUCTURED THEM TO INCLUDE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. 'CAUSE WE REALIZED THERE WAS A GAP THERE. THAT'S WHY WE'VE, AS YOU KNOW, THIS YEAR WE'VE ENGAGED BANK PARTNERS BECAUSE WE SAW THAT THAT WAS A GAP FOR SOME OF THE FOLKS. AND FOR THIS SESSION, WE WERE TRYING TO CONNECT THE DOTS BETWEEN OUR DIFFERENT PROGRAMS. AND SO THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO CAME IN AND WANTED TO ACCESS THE OPPORTUNITY FUND. AND THEN AS THEY WERE KIND OF GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS AND FILLING OUT THE APPLICATION, THEY WERE LIKE, HEY, I SAW THAT YOU HAVE A PRE-DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE FUND. HOW WOULD I USE THAT AS WELL? AND SO THIS SESSION WAS ABOUT BRINGING SOME OF THOSE DIFFERENT KIND OF SMALL BUSINESS, UH, PROGRAMS THAT ARE AVAILABLE IN THE SERVICE AREA TOGETHER SO THAT ANYONE WHO WAS INTERESTED IN THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM COULD LEARN ABOUT SOME OF THE RELATED PROGRAMS. UM, AND I THINK IT WAS A PRETTY GOOD SUCCESS, UM, IN THAT PEOPLE FELT LIKE THEY HAD A, A PRETTY DECENT HANDLE ON THE KINDS OF PROGRAMS THAT WERE AVAILABLE IN THE SERVICE AREA. THANK YOU. OKAY, NICHOLAS, I HAD A QUESTION. UM, JUST WITH HAVING DONE A, YOU SPEAKING, IS THAT MS. SIMS? IS THAT YOU? MS. SIMS? DESTINY. OKAY. SORRY. UM, NICHOLAS, AS YOU'VE, AS, WE'VE DONE A FEW OF THESE, UM, CAN YOU SHARE, ARE YOU SEEING REPEAT, REPEAT ATTENDEES? YES. UM, AND I ACTUALLY THINK FOR THE NEXT INFO SESSION, I'M GONNA REFRAIN FROM SENDING IT TO OUR LISTSERV BECAUSE WHAT'S HAPPENING IS A LOT OF FOLKS ARE NOT MOVING FORWARD WITH THEIR PROJECT, BUT THEY'RE SHOWING BACK UP AT THE INFO SESSION, I THINK JUST TO KIND OF SEE IF THERE'S ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION THEY COULD GET. AND I DON'T, THERE, IT'S UNIN UNINTENDED, BUT THEY ARE TAKING SPACE FROM OTHER FOLKS WHO IT'S THEIR FIRST TIME. AND SO I THINK FOR THIS NEXT INFO SESSION TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF REPEATS WE'VE HAD IN THE LAST TWO, I'M PROBABLY GONNA FOCUS ON KIND OF SOME NEW LEADS, KINDA SHARING IT INTO SOME NEW SPACES SO WE CAN HAVE NEWER CONVERSATIONS. OF COURSE, IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE CONTINUING CONVERSATIONS WITH FOLKS, BUT WE WANNA MAKE SPACE FOR SOME NEW APPLICANTS WHO HAVE NEW INTEREST AS WELL. SO THANKS FOR THAT QUESTION, DESTINY, ALL THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS OR FEEDBACK, UH, FOR NICHOLAS ON THE INFO SESSION REAL QUICK, NICHOLAS. UH, WHAT, WHAT CHANNELS, UH, YOU MENTIONED IT MAY HAVE WORKED TOO WELL, YOU KNOW, WHAT CHANNELS WERE BLASTED OUT? DID WE DO SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WE DID THE LAST TIME? OR, OR WAS IT MORE BREATH THIS TIME AROUND? UH, WELL, I THINK SENDING TO, TO THE LISTSERV THAT WE SEND TO IS MUCH MORE ENGAGED WITH US BECAUSE WE SEND THEM THINGS AND SO THEY'RE JUST ATTENDING ALL THE THINGS. AND SO I THINK I'M GONNA JUST BE A LITTLE BIT MORE TARGETED IN HOW WE KIND OF REACH OUT TO SOME OF THOSE FOLKS. UM, BUT I THINK THE THING THAT REALLY SET US OVER THE EDGE IS THE CITY OF DALLAS'S MAIN SOCIALS, WHICH ARE RUN BY THE COMMS DEPARTMENT. THEY OFFERED THIS TIME TO SHARE IT ON SOCIALS TWICE. AND THIS WENT TO KIND OF THE LARGER CITY OF DALLAS, UH, KIND OF THE PEOPLE THAT THEY INTERACT WITH ON SOCIAL MEDIA. AND SO IT WAS HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WHO SAW IT. UM, IT WAS SHARED LIKE 67 TIMES FROM THE CITY OF DALLAS'S MAIN PAGE. AND SO IT WAS JUST GETTING SHARED INTO A LOT OF NEW SPACES. I THINK WHEN THAT HAPPENS, IT'S TRICKY BECAUSE PEOPLE SEE SOMETHING, THEY SEE SOUTH DALLAS, THEY SEE FUND AND THEY AUTOMATICALLY WANT TO SIGN UP WITHOUT FULLY UNDERSTANDING WHAT IT IS. AND SO WHEN WE REALIZED WE HAD OVER A HUNDRED RSVPS, UM, I SENT OUT AN EMAIL THE DAY BEFORE, IT JUST KIND OF REITERATED, THIS IS FOR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, IT'S A LOAN, IT'S A GRANT, IT'S NOT THE, THE, YOU KNOW, THE NONPROFIT PROGRAM. AND THAT I THINK HELPED TO WEED OUT SOME [00:10:01] PEOPLE WHO HAD SIGNED UP FOR SOMETHING THAT THEY REALIZED IT WASN'T RIGHT FOR 'EM. UM, AND SO THAT'S HOW WE MANAGED TO GET A MORE MANAGEABLE, UH, SHOWING ON THE ACTUAL DATE. UNDERSTOOD. AND CAN YOU SPEAK TO SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU HEARD, UH, IN TERMS OF QUESTIONS AND SOME OF THE FEEDBACK OR, YOU KNOW, UH, AND THEN KIND OF THE SECOND PART OF THAT QUESTION, UM, IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT PROPORTION WOULD YOU SAY WERE A FIT FOR, YOU KNOW, THE OPPORTUNITY FUND VERSUS MAYBE LET SOME OTHER PROJECTS PRELIMINARILY SPEAKING FROM WHAT YOU HEARD? UM, WE'RE STILL TALKING TO A LOT OF PEOPLE, SO THE NUMBER'S GONNA CHANGE. I, I WOULD SAY THAT I'VE HAD CONVERSATIONS LAST WEEK WITH ABOUT THREE OR FOUR FOLKS FOR PROJECTS WOULD BE ELIGIBLE FOR ONE OF THE PROGRAMS, BUT AGAIN, IT WAS JUST LAST WEEK. AND SO WE'RE STILL HAVING THOSE CONVERSATIONS, UH, THEY'RE SCHEDULED. UM, AND SO THAT NUMBER MIGHT INCREASE, BUT WE, WE SEE WE, WE SAW SOME THAT SEEMED LIKE THEY WERE A GOOD FIT. SO I'M HOPEFUL THAT EVEN MORE WILL BE A GOOD FIT. UM, AND THEN WHAT WAS YOUR OTHER QUESTION, MR. CHAIR? UH, JUST, YOU KNOW, WHAT WERE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT YOU WERE HEARING IN TERMS OF THE TYPES OF QUESTIONS THAT FOLKS WERE ASKING AND INQUIRING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, WERE THEY MORE PRELIMINARY IN NATURE OR WERE THERE MORE KIND OF ALONG THE LINES OF, HEY, WE KIND OF PASSED THE FIRST STEP, BUT WE KIND OF NEED TO KNOW WHAT TO, TO DO, OR WHAT PROGRAMS WERE BEST FOR US MOVING FORWARD? YOU KNOW, KIND OF WHERE WERE THEY IN THE PROCESS? IT, THERE WERE FOLKS WHO WERE KIND OF EARLY IN THEIR PROCESS. THEY HAD A CONCEPT OF AN IDEA, AND THEY WERE KIND OF FIGURING OUT WHAT THEIR NEXT STEP WAS GONNA BE BY LEARNING ABOUT WHAT WE WERE OFFERING. WE ALSO HAD A NUMBER OF FOLKS WHO, A NUMBER OF QUESTIONS THAT WERE PURELY ABOUT PROCESS. UM, I THINK THAT WAS THE MOST, MOST OF THE QUESTIONS THAT I RECEIVED. IS THAT RIGHT, HEATHER? I FEEL LIKE I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER EXACTLY. UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, IT GOES THROUGH A VERY SPECIFIC APPROVALS PROCESS. AND SO WE HAD A LOT OF QUESTIONS ABOUT WHAT THAT TIMING WAS GONNA BE LIKE AND WHAT THAT PROCESS WAS GONNA BE LIKE. AND FOR EACH PROGRAM, IT'S JUST SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT, RIGHT? THE OPPORTUNITY FUND GOES TO UNDERWRITING. SOME OF THE OTHER PROGRAMS DON'T GO TO UNDERWRITING. UH, SOME OF THOSE PROGRAMS ARE JUST GRANT VERSUS OUR KIND OF MORE COMPLEX STRUCTURE. SO THERE WAS JUST, THERE WERE QUESTIONS ABOUT KIND OF SOME OF THOSE PROCESSES, UH, THAT WE WERE ABLE TO TEASE OUT. UNDERSTOOD. THANK YOU. UM, NICHOLAS, THIS IS HARRISON. I HAD A QUICK QUESTION JUST ABOUT HOW Y'ALL ARE GONNA EXPAND THE NET TO GET TO MORE BUSINESSES, SPECIFICALLY DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS AND PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY. AND I I ALSO WANNA OFFER THE BLACK CHAMBER, UM, IN ANY WAY THAT WE CAN HELP IF WE HADN'T ALREADY BEEN DOING SOMETHING TOGETHER. BUT WHAT OTHER ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITY, UH, STAKEHOLDERS ARE Y'ALL LOOKING TO SPREAD THE NET TEAM? REAL QUICK BEFORE YOU ANSWER THAT, UH, MR. BLAIR, LET ME GET YOU COUNTED. UM, SO HARRISON, LEMME JUST CALL FORMALLY, CALL YOUR NAME. UH, HARRISON BLAIR. I'M HARRISON BLAIR, DISTRICT COURT. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. UH, NICHOLAS, I DIDN'T REALLY CATCH THE QUESTION. , I'M SORRY. COULD YOU RE COULD YOU REPEAT THAT NICK? NICHOLAS, CAN YOU HEAR ME CLEARLY? NOW? IS THIS BETTER? I CAN HEAR YOU NOW. YEAH. OKAY. I WAS ASKING ABOUT HOW Y'ALL SPECIFICALLY THE CITY, UH, IS GONNA EXPAND THE NET TO GET TO NEW PEOPLE. I KNOW YOU SAID YOU WANTED TO USE A DIFFERENT LISTSERV, UM, AND I I ALSO OFFERED THE AS YOU KNOW, FOR ANY ASSISTANCE THAT WE CAN BE IN THE PROCESS. BUT DO Y'ALL ALREADY HAVE SOME ORGANIZATIONS AND STAKEHOLDERS IN THE COMMUNITY IN MIND FOR EXPANSION? YES, WE, UH, WE SHARE IT WITH OUR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PARTNERS THAT WE WORKED WITH. I CAN ALWAYS SHARE A LIST WITH YOU, UH, HARRISON, WE NEVER GOT A CHANCE TO DO YOUR ORIENTATION FOR THE FUND. UH, BUT I, BUT I WOULD, YOU KNOW, UH, I CAN SHARE WITH YOU A LIST OF SOME OF THE FOLKS THAT WE WORK WITH IN THE COMMUNITY. UM, AND WE SEND INFORMATION ON OUR MARKETING FLYERS TO THEM. AND SO THEY SEND IT OUT. SOME OF OUR PARTNERS, THE SOUTH DALLAS FAIR PARK INNOVATION FUND, BCL, UM, THE ICDC, SOME OF THOSE FOLKS, UH, WE ALSO HAVE RELATIONSHIPS, AS, YOU KNOW, WITH, UH, OTHER ELECTED, UH, OFFICIALS LIKE COUNCIL MEMBERS. AND SO COUNCIL MEMBER RESENDEZ SENDS THIS OUT, COUNCIL MEMBER BAA SENDS THIS OUT. UH, WE ALSO HAVE SEND IT TO OUR LISTSERV FOR THE OPPORTUNITY FUND. WE HAVE A SEPARATE LIST FOR OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT NEWSLETTER. UM, AND THEN WE GIVE IT TO OUR COUNCIL MEMBERS TO SHARE WITH THEIR STAKEHOLDERS. AND SO IT GETS SHARED, UM, WITH QUITE A FEW PEOPLE WITHIN OUR ECOSYSTEM, AND WE ARE ALWAYS LOOKING TO SHARE IT WITH EVEN MORE PEOPLE. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD TALK OFFLINE, HARRISON, AND I'D LOVE TO, UH, SEND THESE THINGS TO YOU AS WELL SO YOU CAN SHARE IT WITH YOUR FOLKS IN YOUR NETWORK. I THINK THAT WOULD BE SUPER VALUABLE. THANK YOU, SIR. THANK YOU, MR. BLAIR. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, FEEDBACK, UM, ON THE INFO SESSION, UH, THAT OCCURRED ON JUNE 23RD? I DO HAVE A FOLLOW UP QUESTION. UM, [00:15:01] SO THIS IS DESTINY. SO I GUESS WHAT I'M HEARING IS THAT IF THERE ARE REPEAT ATTENDEES, THERE ARE LOTS OF RCPS, THERE'S SOME CRAVING FOR SOMETHING MORE. UM, IS THERE, IS IT IS A NEXT STEP, UM, A WORKSHOP, A NETWORKING EVENT, OR SOME SORT OF SOMETHING AS, AS FOLKS THAT WE'VE MET OR SERVED, UM, FOR THEM TO EITHER COME AND, AND EITHER HELP GATHER OR NETWORK OR SOME SORT OF RESOURCE, SOMETHING, I GUESS, WHAT COULD A NEXT LOOK LIKE TO WHERE WE CAN STILL HELP ASSIST THESE PEOPLE WITH, UH, GETTING SERVED? YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAD INCORPORATED OUR TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PARTNERS AS KIND OF A RESPONSE TO THAT. YOU KNOW, WE, YOU KNOW, WE LIKE TO SEE IDEAS COME FORWARD AND WE LIKE TO HELP PEOPLE KIND OF NURTURE AND CARRY THOSE IDEAS FORWARD. UM, AND WHEN THE APPLICATION, WHEN THEIR PROJECT IS A GOOD FIT, WE'LL KIND OF CONNECT THEM WITH THE RIGHT FOLKS. WE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE VERY CAREFUL ABOUT KIND OF GETTING TOO INVOLVED WITH THAT, PLANNING THEIR PROJECT WITH THEIR BUSINESS. AND SO WE LEAVE THAT TO THE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PARTNERS AND WHO DO KIND OF NETWORKING. LIKE THE SOUTH DALLAS FAIR PARK INNOVATION CENTER HAS BEEN, UH, IN A LOT OF WAYS A REALLY WONDERFUL PARTNER BECAUSE THEY'RE ALWAYS HOSTING EVENTS AND NETWORKING AND, AND KIND OF ACTIVITIES WHERE PEOPLE CAN COME INTO THEIR DOORS AND ACCESS SUPPORT. AND SO, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE VERY MUCH ACTIVE IN OUR ECOSYSTEM AND WE'RE REALLY GRATEFUL FOR IT. WE'VE HAD A NUMBER OF PEOPLE KIND OF MOVE THROUGH THAT SPACE. AND SO WE'LL CONTINUE, I THINK, TO DO THAT. UM, WE HAVE FOLKS WHO ARE GETTING THE SUPPORT AND THEY'RE KIND OF, UM, COMING BACK AROUND TO US AND KIND OF CHECKING IN, WHICH IS, I THINK, WHAT WE WANT. AND SO WE'RE JUST KIND OF WAITING FOR SOME OF THESE TO GET TO THE POINT OF A SUCCESSFUL APPLICATION. AND WE THINK WE'RE GETTING CLOSER. WE'RE, WE'RE DEFINITELY SEEING PROJECTS THAT ARE MUCH BETTER FIT, AND WE'RE SEEING PROJECTS THAT ARE MUCH MORE READY THAN THEY WERE A YEAR AGO. UM, AND, AND SO I'M, YOU KNOW, I'M, I'M PLEASED WITH WHERE WE'RE HEADED AND AS DESTINY, AS YOU WERE SAYING, AS WE FIND KIND OF MOMENTS WHERE WE CAN HELP FINE TUNE IT, WE CAN CERTAINLY DO THAT. SO IF THERE'S LIKE A TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE PARTNER DESTINY THAT YOU'RE, YOU HAVE IN MIND THAT WE HAVEN'T TAPPED, I'D BE HAPPY TO REACH OUT TO THEM. OKAY. AWESOME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, MR. KUMU. UM, ALSO ON THE, ON THE BACK OF THAT, UM, QUESTION, NICHOLAS, WHAT, I DON'T KNOW, WOULD IT, WOULD IT BE HELPFUL, FOR EXAMPLE, OUR MARKETING COMMITTEE DOES A LOT, YOU KNOW, COMES UP WITH A LOT OF IDEAS IN TERMS OF EVENTS, THINGS THAT CAN BE DONE, PLENTY TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, YOU KNOW, PARTNERS AND THE LIKE, UH, WOULD IT BE HELPFUL TO MAYBE GENERATE SOME IDEAS THROUGH THAT SUBCOMMITTEE AS WELL TO, TO KINDA HELP WITH THAT PROCESS TO FEATHER IN WITH COMMS OR WHOEVER, YOU KNOW, WHOEVER NEEDS TO APPROVE THAT, UM, WITH YOUR YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK WE'RE ALWAYS OPEN TO IDEAS. LIKE I SAID, MY BIGGEST CONCERN IS JUST MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE STAY IN OUR LANE, RIGHT? AND SO WE DON'T WANNA GET TOO INVOLVED IN HELPING THEM BUILD OUT THEIR PROJECTS, RIGHT? BUT WE CERTAINLY WANT TO CONNECT THEM WITH THE RIGHT RESOURCES. AND IF, AND IF THERE'S SOMETHING WE CAN DO THAT'S NOT GONNA BE A HUGE RESOURCE LIFT FOR US, THEN WE SHOULD ABSOLUTELY DO IT. AND I THINK WE 100% BE OPEN TO IT. UM, WE CAN CERTAINLY HAVE THAT DISCUSSION. SURE. OKAY. ALRIGHT, THANKS. JUST A CLARIFICATION QUESTION THERE. OKAY. THANK YOU. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR FEEDBACK ON THIS ITEM? ALRIGHT, I'M HEARING NONE. SO WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE NEXT AGENDA ITEM, AGENDA ITEM NUMBER SIX, WHICH IS THE REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF, UH, FISCAL YEAR 2027, UH, HUMAN DEVELOPMENT, UH, UH, GRANTS, UH, THE NOFA FOR 2027. UH, SO WE'VE ALREADY HAD, UH, PREDETERMINED DATES, UH, THAT WE'VE ALREADY VOTED ON AND HAVE ON THE CALENDAR, UH, FOR NOFA. AND SO, UH, NICHOLAS, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU TO, UH, SPEAK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THAT PROCESS, WHAT THAT UPCOMING PROCESS LOOKS LIKE AS, AS YOU CAN SEE, YOU KNOW, WHEN IT OPENS, WHAT THE INFO SESSIONS LOOK LIKE AND KIND OF WHAT THE OUTREACH STRATEGY IS FOR FOR THAT PIECE OF IT, FOR THE CYCLE. YES. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. UH, AS YOU ALL KNOW, IN YOUR PACKETS, I, I INCLUDED THESE EXACT DATES. UM, SO WE'RE GEARING UP FOR THE NOFA AND WE'RE STARTING THAT PLANNING PROCESS. I'M, YOU KNOW, STARTING NEXT WEEK I'M GONNA PULL OUT THE NOFA AND START TO REVISE IT AND UPDATE IT. SO IF YOU GUYS HAVE ANY FEEDBACK, CERTAINLY THAT YOU HAD ON YOUR MIND THAT YOU HAVEN'T, UH, SHARED WITH ME YET, PLEASE DO. IT'S A GOOD TIME TO DO IT. UM, WE THOUGHT THAT LAST YEAR'S SCHEDULE WORKED PRETTY WELL, UM, IN TERMS OF THE WORKFLOW ON OUR SIDE, AND SO WE'RE GONNA MORE OR LESS KIND OF REPLICATE THE TIMELINE THAT WE HAD LAST YEAR. AND SO, UH, WE MADE SOME SLIGHT ADJUSTMENTS TO IT. UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE THINKING IT WOULD BE OPEN FOR EIGHT WEEKS AGAIN. UM, WE THOUGHT THAT GAVE PEOPLE, UH, MORE TIME TO RESPOND TO IT AND ASK [00:20:01] QUESTIONS. UM, IT, IT WOULD OPEN ON OCTOBER 13TH, WHICH IS A TUESDAY RIGHT AFTER COLUMBUS DAY. UM, AND THEN IT WOULD BE BE OPEN FOR EIGHT WEEKS AFTER THAT CLOSING ON DECEMBER 4TH. UM, THERE ARE, WHICH IS A FRIDAY, THERE ARE TWO INFO SESSIONS, WHICH WE MOVE JUST A LITTLE BIT EARLIER IN THE PROCESS, KIND OF THINKING THROUGH THAT PEOPLE WOULD WANT TO ATTEND THE INFO SESSION AND THEN STILL HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO ACTUALLY WORK ON AN APPLICATION. UM, AND SO THE FIRST INFO SESSION WE HAVE SCHEDULED FOR OCTOBER 22ND, UM, AND THE SECOND INFO SESSION FOR NOVEMBER 10TH. UH, WE DON'T HAVE LOCATIONS YET, BUT THIS WAS REALLY JUST TO KIND OF GET THE SCHEDULING OUT. AND SO THIS IS MORE OR LESS WHAT WE HAVE. AND SO, DO YOU GUYS HAVE ANY QUESTIONS? UM, AND NICHOLAS IS A, IS A NEW BOARD MEMBER, AND I KNOW I HAVEN'T DONE ORIENTATION YET, BUT COULD YOU JUST WALK THROUGH, UM, THE NOVAS AND HOW WE, YOU KNOW, HOW, HOW THE INFORMATION GETS TO US AND HOW, WHAT ARE SOME OF THE QUALIFICATIONS THAT GO INTO A NOFA THAT WOULD MAKE A GREAT APPLICATION? LOOK, NICHOLAS, CAN Y'ALL HEAR ME? SORRY, I THINK I HAD MY MIC OFF. UM, SO THE OPPORTUNITY FUND HAS TWO PROGRAMS, AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, WHICH WE'VE KIND OF BEEN TALKING ABOUT TODAY. IT ACCEPTS APPLICATIONS ON A ROLLING, UH, BASIS, AND IT PROVIDES A GAP FUNDING, UM, AWARDS THAT ARE TYPICALLY STRUCTURED AS 25%, UH, GRANT AND 75% FLEXIBLE TERM LOAN. AND SO THAT'S WHAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT. AND WE HAVE INFO SESSIONS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR TO HELP PIPELINE PROJECTS FOR THAT. SO THAT'S THAT PROGRAM. THE OTHER PROGRAM IS THE HUMAN DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM, AND THIS IS GEARED TO NONPROFITS AND IT'S FOR, UH, ORGANIZATIONS THAT ARE LOOKING TO MAKE MEASURABLE IMPROVEMENTS IN HEALTH, PUBLIC SAFETY, SMALL BUSINESS GROWTH, WORKFORCE PARTICIPATION, AND, AND EDUCATION. I DUNNO IF I SAID EDUCATION ALREADY. UH, BUT THERE ARE FIVE ISSUE AREAS, UM, AND THEY HAVE TO BE LOCATED WITHIN THE SERVICE AREA. AND SO EVERY YEAR TO KIND OF, UH, TO, TO AWARD THESE, UM, GRANTS, WE HOST A NOTICE OF FUND, WE, WE PUT OUT A NOTICE OF FUNDING AVAILABILITY, AND THAT ESSENTIALLY IS A CALL FOR APPLICATIONS FOR FOLKS WHO THINK THEY'RE A FIT WITHIN THE FUND. THEY CAN REACH THE GOALS THAT ARE ALIGNED WITH THE FUND AND THAT THEY CAN PRODUCE GOOD OUTCOMES IN THE COMMUNITY. UM, WE INVITE THOSE FOLKS TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION. THEY CAN GO TO ONE OF THESE INFO SESSIONS OR WE PROVIDE INFORMATION ON, ON HOW TO COMPLETE THE APPLICATION AND WHAT GOES INTO IT, HOW TO THINK ABOUT COMPLIANCE AND ELIGIBILITY. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, BY DECEMBER 4TH, THESE FOLKS WILL SUBMIT AN APPLICATION AND THIS, THIS BECOMES A PULL THAT WE THEN PROCESS AND EVENTUALLY BRING TO THIS BOARD TO MAKE A DECISION. UM, DOES THAT ANSWER YOUR QUESTION? THAT WAS, THAT WAS DEFINITELY MORE DETAILED THAN I APPRECIATE IT BECAUSE I'M ALSO INTERESTED IN HOW WE CAN TAP SOME OF OUR MEMBERS WHO ARE ACTUALLY BASED IN SOUTH DALLAS FAIR PARK, UH, AND, AND GET SOME GOOD APPLICATIONS MORE QUICKLY THIS YEAR. YEAH. WONDERFUL. YEAH, I, LIKE I SAID, I'D LOVE TO HAVE A CONVERSATION OFFLINE AND IF YOU HAVE ANY ADVICE FOR HOW WE CAN GET THIS OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY, UM, I WOULD LOVE TO DO THAT. ALRIGHT, THANK YOU. UH, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS OR FEEDBACK REGARDING THE UPCOMING NOFA AND THE TIMELINE? UH, NICHOLAS. NICHOLAS, UH, WHEN DO YOU THINK WE'LL HAVE, UH, LOCATIONS, UH, KNOCKED DOWN? UM, IS, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE YEAH, I MEAN, SO ONCE WE HAVE THE DATES KIND OF CONFIRMED FOR EVERYONE, THEN I'LL START THE PROCESS OF KIND OF IDENTIFYING LOCATIONS. WE HAVE TWO LOCATIONS THAT WE LIKE, RIGHT? THE PARK SOUTH YMCA HAS BEEN A WONDERFUL VENUE FOR US. IT WORKS REALLY WELL. IT HAS AMPLE PARKING ALL, IT'S ALL THE, THE REQUIREMENTS THE SAME WITH THE SOUTH DALLAS CULTURAL CENTER. UM, I'D LOVE TO KIND OF THROW SOME NEW VENUES INTO THE MIX IF THERE'S ANYONE WHO HAS A SUGGESTION. UH, BUT I FEEL LIKE THOSE HAVE BEEN MY REALLY, UH, STURDY GO-TOS. UM, AND SO ONCE WE HAVE THE DATES SOLIDIFIED, I CAN START REACHING OUT AND ASKING ABOUT WHO ACTUALLY HAS AVAILABILITY AT THEIR, AT THEIR LOCATION. VERY GOOD. VERY MUCH. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, FEEDBACK ON THIS ITEM? ALRIGHT, I'M HEARING NONE. SO WE WILL MOVE ON TO OUR FINAL AGENDA ITEM, WHICH IS OUR SUBCOMMITTEE REPORTS AND OUR SUBCOMMITTEE UPDATES. AND WE'LL HEAR FROM BOTH OF OUR SUBCOMMITTEES OUR, UH, BUSINESS STRATEGY AND DEVELOPMENT SUBCOMMITTEE, AND THEN ALSO OUR, UH, [00:25:01] MARKETING SUBCOMMITTEE. SO JUST A REAL QUICK OVERVIEW FOR THE BENEFIT OF, UH, FOLKS THAT ARE NEW. UH, THESE WERE TWO SUBCOMMITTEES, UH, THAT WERE ESSENTIALLY BORN OUT OF NEED, UH, TO, TO DO A FEW DIFFERENT THINGS. UM, NUMBER ONE, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE HEARD OVER AND OVER WAS THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE SOUTH DALLAS FAIR PARK OPPORTUNITY FUND WAS. UH, THEY DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO INTERACT WITH IT. THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT THE QUALIFICATIONS WERE TO GET INVOLVED, UH, AND THEY JUST DIDN'T HAVE A GENERAL AWARENESS THAT IT EVEN EXISTED. SO, UH, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WANTED TO DO WAS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE CREATIVE IN COMING UP WITH IDEAS IN TERMS OF HOW DO WE REACH OUT TO THE COMMUNITY AND HOW WE MARKET. UH, AND THAT'S NOT ONLY TO, YOU KNOW, FOLKS THAT ARE IN OUR, YOU KNOW, PRIMARY, YOU KNOW, TARGET MARKET, BUT ALSO OUR BILINGUAL COMMUNITY AS WELL. SO, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT THE MARKETING SUBCOMMITTEE HAS DONE IS, YOU KNOW, THEY COME UP WITH, UH, MANY IDEAS AS TO HOW WE CAN, YOU KNOW, GET THE WORD OUT. AND SOMETIMES THAT MEANS, YOU KNOW, REIMAGINING COLLATERAL, MAKING SURE IT'S EASY FOR PEOPLE TO READ, MAKING SURE YOU KNOW, IT'S MODERN. LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE GOT BARCODES, MAKING SURE IT'S BILINGUAL, MAKING SURE THAT, YOU KNOW, FOLKS CAN READ IT. MAKING SURE THAT WE'RE GETTING IT OUT TO A LOT OF FOLKS IN, IN OUR CHANNEL, IN OUR LISTSERV OR WHATEVER OTHER RESOURCES THAT WE HAVE, UH, WORKING WITH OUR PARTNERS. AND SO, UH, THAT WAS THE PRIMARY GOAL AND STRATEGY OF OUR MARKETING SUBCOMMITTEE IS HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS ABOUT THIS? AND HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT, UH, EVERYONE CAN PARTICIPATE AND BE INVOLVED SO THAT WHEN A NOFA GOES OUT, OR, UH, IF YOU HAVE A BUSINESS AND YOU, YOU KNOW, THEY HAVE A SITUATION, WHICH OBVIOUSLY WE TAKE APPLICATIONS YEAR ROUND FOR, UH, THE LOAN COMPONENT, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMPONENT OF OUR FUND, YOU KNEW HOW TO GET INVOLVED WITH THAT. YOU KNOW, HOW TO SUBMIT AN APPLICATION. THE APPLICATION WASN'T TOO CUMBERSOME AND THE LIKE, SO, UH, THAT WAS THE PURPOSE OF OUR MARKETING SUBCOMMITTEE. THE PURPOSE OF OUR BUSINESS STRATEGY AND DEVELOPMENT SUBCOMMITTEE IS HOW DO WE, UH, FIGURE OUT A WAY TO TARGET THE TYPES OF BUSINESSES THAT WE WANNA SEE THAT ARE REALLY GONNA MOVE THE NEEDLE IN SOUTH DALLAS RIGHT IN, IN OUR GIVEN CENSUS TRACKS. YOU KNOW, UH, NICHOLAS TOUCHED ON THOSE A LITTLE BIT EARLIER TALKING ABOUT, UH, SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, HOUSING, UH, YOU KNOW, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UH, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC SAFETY, RIGHT? UH, THINGS LIKE THAT. WE HAVE A LOT OF NEEDS, YOU KNOW, INTERNET CONNECTIVITY. I MEAN, THE LIST GOES ON AND ON AND ON. SO HOW DO WE ACTIVELY GO AFTER BUSINESSES, UH, THAT ARE, UH, YOU KNOW, DOING GOOD THINGS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND, UH, JUST NEED SOME ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE, UH, BY WAY OF SOMETHING LIKE, UH, AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT LOAN, UH, FROM THE SOUTH DALLAS FAIR PARK OPPORTUNITY FUND THAT WE CAN HELP GET THEIR PROJECTS OVER THE TOP. YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN PROJECTS LIKE THE KINGDOM LEGACY PROJECT, PHARAOH FELLOWS, THIS PROJECT. WE'VE SEEN PROJECTS LIKE, UM, UH, UH, THE, THE SOUTH FAIR EDCS, UH, PROJECT AT, AT MALCOLM'S POINT, UH, PROJECTS LIKE THIS THAT ARE GONNA CREATE JOBS. UH, THEY'RE GOING TO ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY, HOPEFULLY PROVIDE JOBS FOR FOLKS IN THE COMMUNITY AND, UH, DRIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MOST IMPORTANTLY, THAT WE CAN THEN, UH, CONTINUE TO BUILD ON AND, AND FEED ON TO WHAT, YOU KNOW, UH, GRADUALLY START TO TRANSFORM THE COMMUNITY. SO, UM, THAT'S THE GENERAL HIGH LEVEL OVERVIEW OF, UH, WHAT THE TWO SUBCOMMITTEES ARE TASKED WITH, WITH DOING IN SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE'VE BEEN ENGAGING IN OVER THE LAST, UH, YOU KNOW, FOUR OR FIVE YEARS. YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN, UH, GREAT PROGRESS IN THAT REGARD. HEARD SOME OF THAT TONIGHT AND, AND WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE DOING THAT GREAT WORK. SO AGAINST THE BACKDROP OF THAT, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO, UH, UH, WIND SIGNS CHAIRMAN SIGNS, UH, THE CHAIR OF THE BUSINESS STRATEGY, UH, SUBCOMMITTEE. AND HE WILL, UH, GO OVER, UH, WHAT SOME OF THE STRATEGIC INITIATIVES WE HAVE, UM, AS IT RELATES TO, TO THAT SUBCOMMITTEE AND KIND OF WHERE WE'RE GOING WITH THAT. AND THEN WE'LL CLOSE OUT WITH THE MARKETING SUBCOMMITTEE AND SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE CONTINUING WITH THERE AS WELL. UH, IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, PLEASE, UH, HOLD THOSE, UH, UNTIL AFTER THE, THE REPORT, UH, RESPECTIVELY OF, OF, UH, CHAIR SES AND, UH, UH, MR. UH, DAWKINS, WHO WILL BE, UH, FILLING IN FOR CHAIRMAN ENRIQUEZ, UH, THIS EVENING. SO, UH, CHAIRMANS, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO YOU. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. CHAIR. UM, WE HAD A VERY PRODUCTIVE MEETING. UM, THE FIRST POINT OF ORDER WAS JUST TO INSTALL ME AS CHAIR, WHICH, UM, WE WENT AHEAD AND DID. WE VERY QUICKLY MOVED TO CHANGING THE DIRECTION OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE. AFTER CONVERSATIONS WITH STAFF. WE SORT OF ASKED THE QUESTION, HOW COULD WE BE MOST PRODUCTIVE AS A SUBCOMMITTEE? WHAT ARE THE SORT OF THE GAP THAT WE CAN FILL? AND WITH STAFF'S HELP? AND, AND THE, THE REST OF THE COMMITTEE, WE SORT OF IDENTIFIED THE FACT THAT [00:30:01] THE GRANT SIDE OF WHAT WE DO IS ESSENTIALLY OVERSUBSCRIBED THE LOAN SIDE IS UNDERSUBSCRIBED AND LARGELY MISUNDERSTOOD, UH, BY A LOT OF THE BUSINESSES. AND SO STAFF IS DOING A REALLY GOOD JOB OF HAVING THESE COMMUNITY MEETINGS TO TRY TO EXPLAIN EVERYTHING. UM, WHAT WE'VE DECIDED TO TARGET AND FOCUS ON IS THE STAKEHOLDERS THAT ARE FINDING THESE DEALS AND BUSINESSES AND OUT IN THE COMMUNITY. SO WHAT WE'RE GONNA TRY TO DO IS PUT TOGETHER A LIST OF STAKEHOLDERS AND COLLATERAL ASSOCIATED WITH THAT, THAT WOULD GIVE A REAL PHONE NUMBER AND A REAL CONTACT, OR SOMEBODY THAT HAS BEEN EDUCATED ON WHAT THE FUND DOES. SO NOT ONLY IS IT GO TO X, Y, Z BANK, IT'S CALL THIS GUY AT THE BANK. WE'VE ALREADY TALKED TO HIM, HE OR SHE UNDERSTANDS THE PRODUCT AND IS HAPPY TO WORK WITH YOU. UM, SO IF ANYONE HAS ANY CONTACTS, IF YOU HAVE A ROLODEX OF, UH, PEOPLE THAT YOU THINK ARE IN THE COMMUNITY HELPING THESE BUSINESSES, I DON'T THINK IT HAS TO BE BANKS. I THINK IT CAN BE NON-PROFIT OR FOR-PROFIT STAKEHOLDERS THAT ARE ABLE TO SORT OF HOLD SOMEBODY'S HAND IN THE WAY THAT THE CITY REALLY CAN'T DO DIRECTLY. UM, AND TRY TO GET THEM CLOSER TO THE FINISH LINE SO THAT WE CAN GET SOME OF THESE LOANS. UM, AND SOME OF THESE PROPERTIES, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPED AND OBVIOUSLY INCREASE THE TAX BASIS. SO, UM, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON. I'VE ALREADY PERSONALLY MET WITH SIX DIFFERENT, UM, STAKEHOLDERS, EDUCATED THEM ON THE FUND, GOTTEN THERE, SOME OF THEM WERE WORKING THROUGH SORT OF THEIR OWN CHANNELS TO MAKE SURE THAT I'M ALLOWED TO PUT THEIR CONTACT AND INFORMATION ON WHATEVER COLLATERAL WE COME UP WITH. BUT THAT'S SORT OF THE GOAL. UM, AND I THINK BEYOND THAT, WE ARE, UM, FOR THE THIRD POINT OF ORDER, WE'RE SORT OF LOOKING FOR ONE MORE PERSON ON THIS COMMITTEE THAT'S SORT OF, UM, IDEALLY WELL CONNECTED, HAPPY TO BE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY AND HAPPY TO EDUCATE SOME OF THESE STAKEHOLDERS SO THAT THEY CAN GO AND BE HELPFUL TO THE BUSINESSES. UM, 'CAUSE THAT'S THE, THE, THE, THE, THE ISSUE WE ARE HAVING IS THAT IT'S A VERY LIMITED NUMBER OF CENSUS TRACKS. IT'S A SMALL GEOGRAPHIC AREA. THERE ARE NOT A TON OF BUSINESSES IN THIS AREA. THERE ARE GREAT BUSINESSES IN THIS AREA, BUT IT MIGHT NOT BE A DEAL THAT COMES ACROSS OUR DESK, BUT IT MIGHT COME ACROSS THE DESK OF ONE OF THESE BANKS OR ONE OF THESE CDCS OR CDFIS OR BUSINESS CONSULTING GROUPS. AND IF THEY HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF COLLATERAL SITTING ON THEIR DESK THAT POINTS THEM IN OUR DIRECTION, I THINK WE CAN, YOU KNOW, MAKE A LOT OF PROGRESS ON GETTING DEALS DONE. SO THAT'S, THAT'S OUR FOCUS. AND LIKE I, I SAID IF ANYONE'S INTERESTED IN JOINING, UM, WE HAVE ROOM FOR MAYBE, MAYBE TWO PEOPLE, BUT IDEALLY ONE MORE PERSON, UM, ON THE SUBCOMMITTEE. YEAH, KIMBERLY SAID YOU WOULD STEP DOWN IF WE NEEDED SOMEBODY TO COME IN. THAT WAS REALLY EXCITED. SO THANK YOU. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR FEEDBACK, UH, FOR CHAIRMAN SIGNS ON THE REPORT FOR THE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SUBCOMMITTEE? OKAY, I'M HEARING DONE. UH, WE WILL MOVE ON TO OUR FINAL ITEM, ITEM SEVEN B, WHICH IS AN UPDATE FROM OUR MARKETING SUBCOMMITTEE, UH, WHICH WOULD BE PROVIDED BY, UH, MR. BILL DAWKINS. UH, MR. DAWKINS, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO YOU. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. UM, MANY OF YOU MAY OR MAY NOT KNOW THAT CHAIR ENRIQUEZ IS UNABLE TO JOIN US TONIGHT. HE SENDS HIS APOLOGIES. UH, HE IS STUCK IN A NEW YORK AIRPORT WATCHING A ROLLING LIST OF DELAYS, SO NO IDEA WHEN HE'S GONNA GET BACK TO DALLAS, ALTHOUGH HE, UM, DID WANT ME TO PASS ALONG HIS, UH, REGRET AT MISSING THIS MEETING. UM, OUR SUBCOMMITTEE HAS LARGELY BEEN WORKING ON SCHEDULING A BOARD TOUR OF SOME OF THE TRANSACTIONS THAT WE HAVE CLOSED MEETING WITH SOME OF THOSE BUSINESSES. UH, WE HAVE A TENTATIVE DATE SCHEDULED FOR SEPTEMBER 25TH, UH, WHICH IS A FRIDAY, UH, BUT CAN BE PUSHED INTO OCTOBER IF WE NEED TO. UM, THE PURPOSE OF THE BOARD TOUR IS TO GET MEMBERS OF THIS BODY OUT INTO THE COMMUNITY TO SEE, TOUCH, AND FEEL SOME OF THOSE, UH, TRANSACTIONS THAT WE CLOSED. UM, UNDERSTAND THE OWNER'S MISSION AND PERSPECTIVE, UH, TO ASK QUESTIONS DIRECTLY OF THE OWNERS TO GET THEM TO, UM, INTERACT WITH THE OWNERS IN A SETTING THAT'S MOST COMFORTABLE TO THEM RUNNING THEIR BUSINESS AND FIND OUT WHAT THOSE BUSINESSES, UH, TYPICALLY DO. UH, WE HAVE FOUR PRIMARY BUSINESSES THAT WE HAVE, UM, UH, INDICATED THUS FAR. UH, MALCOLM'S POINT, UH, THE CONSTRUCTION SITE, UH, THE FOREST FORWARD THEATER, THE YMCA OF METRO DALLAS AND WATERMARK. UH, THOSE FOUR, UH, FOR DISCUSSION, WHAT WE'D LIKE TO DO IS GET AN ADDITIONAL TWO, UH, IF ANYONE, UH, ON A BOARD, UM, KNOWS OF ANY TWO OTHER BUSINESSES THAT WOULD BE GOOD SUBSTITUTES IN THE EVENT THAT DURING LOGISTICS AND PLANNING, WE HAVE TWO OF THE FOUR THAT DROP OUT OR THAT WE CAN'T DO. WE HAVE A FULL SLATE OF FOUR. THE [00:35:01] WAY THIS TYPICALLY WORKS IN THE PAST IS WE ALL MEET AT A CENTRAL LOCATION. UH, WE'VE ONLY DONE THIS ONCE BEFORE, BUT IT WAS REALLY ENJOYABLE AND I THINK IT WENT OFF REALLY WELL, UH, BOTH FROM A BOARD PERSPECTIVE AS WELL AS THOSE, UH, ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE DID JOIN. WE MET HERE, THEN WE CARPOOLED AROUND TO VARIOUS LOCATIONS. UH, IT SEEMED TO WORK REALLY WELL. AND THEN WE ENDED THE HALF DAY, UH, WITH A LUNCHEON OUT IN THE COMMUNITY. SO THAT'S KIND OF THE THOUGHT, UH, GOING FORWARD, UM, IF ANYONE DOES HAVE ANY RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ANOTHER TWO BUSINESSES, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO LOAD UP OUR MAN NICHOLAS, UH, WITH THOSE RECOMMENDATIONS AND WE CAN MOVE FROM THERE. THAT ENDS MY REPORT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH, MR. DAWKINS. ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, OR FEEDBACK? COULD I JUST ADD ONE THING? UM, IN THE, THE, THE, IN THE BOARD PACKET FOR THE LAST MEETING, WE, I PRINTED THE NAMES OF THE RECENT GRANTEES, SO IF YOU GUYS NEED TO THINK, IF YOU CAN'T REMEMBER WHO WE AWARDED GRANTS TO, FEEL FREE TO TAKE A, A LOOK AT THAT. I JUST NOTICED LIKE FOREST BOARD WASN'T FROM THE OPPORTUNITY FUND AND THE PARK SOUTH, YMCA WASN'T THE OPPORTUNITY FUND. UM, JUST WANTED TO KIND OF FLAG THAT. I KNOW WE WERE TRYING TO FIND RECENT GRANTEES AND SO JUST, IF YOU GUYS CAN'T REMEMBER WHO ALL WAS FUNDED, IT'S ON THE LAST SLIDE DECK IN THE LAST MEETING, BUT I CAN SEND IT OUT IF YOU GUYS NEED IT. PRETTY COOL UP. NEXT SLIDE. ALRIGHT, ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, FEEDBACK ABOUT THE MARKETING SUBCOMMITTEE? AND YOU, NICHOLAS, WOULD YOU GO AHEAD AND JUST CIRCULATE THAT JUST SO THAT EVERYBODY YEAH, THE RECENT GRANTS, THESE JUST SO IT'S AT THE TOP OF EVERYBODY'S INBOX. OKAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, FEEDBACK ON THAT ITEM? OKAY, I'M HEARING NONE. SO IF THERE'S NO OTHER BUSINESS, UM, NEXT MONTH IS JULY AND UM, WE ARE OFF IN JULY, SO, UH, THERE WON'T BE A MEETING. SO OUR NEXT SCHEDULED MEETING WILL BE, UH, THE LAST MONDAY IN AUGUST. I'M NOT SURE WHAT THAT DAY, I DON'T HAVE THAT DATE IN FRONT OF ME, BUT IT'LL BE OUR REGULARLY SCHEDULED TIME AND DAY, UH, IN AUGUST. UM, I SUSPECT WE, WE MAY HAVE A, A SUBCOMMITTEE REPORT, UH, IN BETWEEN THERE, BUT CERTAINLY IF YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS, COMMENTS THAT COME UP, UH, REGARDING ANYTHING THAT WE TALKED ABOUT TONIGHT OR ANY INFORMATION YOU NEED, UH, PLEASE REACH OUT TO NICHOLAS OR HEATHER, UH, PER THE USUAL. SO, UH, IF THERE'S NOTHING ELSE, UH, WE WILL ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO ADJOURN. UH, MOTION BY MR. BLAIR. IS THERE A SECOND? I SECOND . THERE'S A SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? ANY ANY OPPOSED? HEARING NONE, THIS MEETING'S ADJOURNED. IT IS 6:40 PM THANK YOU VERY MUCH AND WE'LL SEE EVERYBODY IN AUGUST. THANK YOU. THANKS. GOOD NIGHT EVERYBODY. 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.