Building Solutions Announces Advocacy Committee Members

Real Estate Leader Building Solutions Announces Advocacy Committee Members for “Building Solutions for Brighter Futures” Educational Equity Campaign

To help advance the goals of the campaign, the company names Byron Sanders with Big Thought, Kathy Hubbard with Southern Methodist University, Dr. Terry Flowers with St. Philip’s School and Community Center, Dr. Froswa’ Booker-Drew with the State Fair of Texas, Doris Prescott with Services of Hope, Tré Black with TreCo Investments, and community volunteers, Bob Marshall and Sam Coats as founding members.

DALLAS, (March 24, 2021) -- Building Solutions, a national real estate advisor for facility assessments and capital projects, today announces the founding members of the Advocacy Committee for their “Building Solutions for Brighter Futures” educational equity campaign. This year-long social justice initiative aims to bring awareness to the inequities in school facilities and champion successful and inclusive learning environments for every Dallas-Fort Worth scholar. The Advocacy Committee will help advance the goals of the campaign by serving as advisors and thought leaders to raise awareness and help provide solutions for creating equitable learning environments.

“Following a year of devastating impacts of the pandemic, many schools have now sustained significant damage from winter storm Uri, which in some cases resulted from facility conditions that we hope to identify in our assessments,” said Bill Keslar, CEO of Building Solutions. “We’re extremely grateful to the community leaders who have joined us in championing this cause. Their range of knowledge across education, real estate, mentoring, and fundraising is leveraged by their shared commitment to improving our education system for all students in North Texas.”

The Advocacy Committee is comprised of education, non-profit, business, and real estate leaders in the Dallas-Fort Worth area:

Byron Sanders, president and CEO of Big Thought, an education non-profit that connects people and organizations to prepare youth and children in under-resourced communities for tomorrow’s creative economy through quality in-school, after-school, and community-partnership experiences

Kathy Hubbard, assistant dean of diversity, equity, inclusion at Southern Methodist University Lyle School of Engineering, a position which she became the first to hold at SMU

Dr. Terry Flowers, a long-time educator who currently serves as the Perot Family Headmaster of St. Philip's School and Community Center, a 75-year old institution that includes an accredited PreK-6th grade school serving low to moderate income families and community center serving 2,000 neighbors in South Dallas

Froswa’ Booker-Drew, Ph.D., vice president of community affairs for the State Fair of Texas, responsible for grantmaking, educational programming, and community initiatives. She has an extensive background in leadership, nonprofit management, philanthropy, partnership development, training, and education and is the co-founder of HERitage Giving Circle.

Doris Prescott, head of volunteer and community services for Services of Hope, which seeks to transform the lives of low to moderate income families through wrap-around social, financial education and literacy, and workforce development services, using data-driven pioneering programs and combining community participation with sustainable funding

Tré Black, president of TreCo Investments, Ltd., the investment affiliate of On-Target Supplies & Logistics, a regional logistics management firm with global customers and international responsibilities

Bob Marshall, a civic volunteer who participated in the last three DISD bond campaigns, the earliest dating back to 2008. He currently serves on the Board of Trustees for Parish Episcopal School and Lumin Education, a charter school district in Dallas.

Sam Coats, retired airline and corporate executive and former director of several major corporations. As a volunteer, he recently chaired the DFW International Airport Board and served as Interim President & CEO of VisitDallas. He has also served as Chair of the North Dallas Chamber of Commerce and as a director of the Dallas Holocaust Museum and the Dallas area Salvation Army.

“At Big Thought, we’re committed to closing the opportunity gap for our children, and with the events of the past year, it’s time we address the important link between school facilities and a student’s academic success and well-being,” said Byron Sanders, president and CEO of Big Thought. “As a long-time advocate for education and creating equitable communities throughout Dallas, I’m thrilled to work alongside Building Solutions to empower schools to be better stewards of their buildings because if we don’t act now, students will continue to be left behind.”

“The creative approach to supporting students through providing equitable facilities drew me to join the ‘Building Solutions for Brighter Futures’ Advocacy Committee immediately. The education and mentoring aspects of the initiative ensures the sustainability of the investment,” said Kathy Hubbard, assistant dean of diversity, equity, inclusion at Southern Methodist University. “As someone who has committed their career to championing diversity, equity, and inclusion in an educational setting, I have a deep understanding of the impact this project will have on driving equity for students across DFW.”

As part of their campaign, Building Solutions announced in October 2020 they will donate 3,000 hours of professional services to 30 different schools in the North Texas area in celebration of their 30th anniversary. With the counsel of the Advocacy Committee, Building Solutions will assess campuses of participating schools in the North Texas area to identify facility deficiencies and operating practices that hinder learning, health, and well-being; create a mentorship program for facilities staff to enhance their professional and career development opportunities while elevating standards for best practices in school facilities operations; and host a series of conversations with education and business leaders to discuss topics related to educational equity. Once the campaign concludes, Building Solutions will issue an impact report, summarizing findings from the facility equity assessments and key learnings from the campaign in hopes to model how such a focus on facilities should be applied to schools across the country.

To learn more about “Building Solutions for Brighter Futures,” please visit buildingsolns.com/30th.

About Building Solutions

Building Solutions is a strategic technical advisor to real estate owners, operators, and investors providing facility condition assessments and capital needs forecasts, project management of building development, and consulting to building operators to improve efficiency, environmental sustainability, health, and regulatory compliance. The company serves institutional, non-profit, and for-profit real estate investors and developers. For more information, please visit buildingsolns.com.

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Media Contact:

Elizabeth Chow

elizabeth.chow@projectmockingbird.com