Northeast Chamber Economic Summit hosts Raymond Nasher

Appearances by Raymond D. Nasher, Dallas developer and namesake of downtown’s sculpture center, are not all that common, says Pete Oppel, Northeast Dallas Chamber of Commerce’s executive director. That’s one of the reasons Oppel says the chamber is thrilled that Nasher will be the keynote speaker at its second annual Economic Summit.

Last year’s summit, the chamber’s first, was a success with a turnout of more than 100 people, Oppel says.

“We are looking at hopefully close to 200 people this time. We’ve got a major attraction, Ray Nasher, who is kind of an icon in the city of Dallas,” Oppel says. “He has great stories to tell. We are expecting a number of people to turn out just because he is going to be a keynote speaker.”

The half-day conference will feature panel discussions focusing on “the tremendous development and redevelopment opportunities on our side of Central Expressway,” says Michael Miles, chairman of the chamber’s board of directors. Panelists include: Phil Brosseau, whose Realty America Group is developing the Residences at Hotel Palomar; Donald Silverman, managing partner of Margaux Development Company, which is developing what is designed to be the centerpiece for grocery and retail shopping east of downtown; Tod Ruble, one of the founders of Harvest Partners, which is developing Park Lane, one of the largest mixed-use projects ever built in Northeast Dallas; and Tim Kaiser of Valencia Development, which is undertaking a massive mixed-use project in Vickery Meadows.

“It’s going to be particularly useful to mortgage bankers, to other businesspeople and possibly developers who are thinking about doing business in our area, and people who are involved in development in any way, shape or form,” Oppel says.

The City of Dallas and Prescott Realty already have signed up as sponsors; other corporate sponsorships are available at $12,500, $5,000, $1,000 and $500 levels. For information, call 214-828-1400.