John H. (Jack) MatthewsPresidentYears of Real Estate Experience: 37Years With Matthews Southwest:33While completing his MBA from the University of Western Ontario in 1982, Jack joined Matthews Group Ltd, the family construction company. In 1985 Jack was appointed President and presided over a period of unprecedented growth as company revenues grew from $69 million to over $500 million. In 1988, Jack founded Matthews Southwest to provide an American presence in the development business. From 1991 to 1993 Jack served as Chief Executive Officer of Paxport International, the firm awarded the $2 billion Federal contract to privatize and redevelop Pearson International Airport in Toronto. In 1994, Jack purchased Matthews Southwest and relocated to Dallas, Texas and has continued to develop innovative, quality commercial, industrial and residential projects in Canada, the United States and Mexico. He has also established an international presence with Matthews Southwest EMEA (Europe, Middle East, Africa). Jack has led the completion of many diverse projects including hotels, condominiums, offices, retail, residential and industrial space. His experience and mastery of all aspects of development – from imagining to creating, acquiring the land, financing the deal, building the project, then holding or selling on completion – helps to create value at all stages in the process. Jack's greatest strength is his ability to assemble great teams that can complete complex projects. He has had success in finding under-utilized re-development sites as well as environmentally sensitive sites. In his understated way, he is as comfortable being part of a team as leading it.Click here for moreKristian TelekiSenior Vice President, DevelopmentYears of Real Estate Experience: 31Years With Matthews Southwest:24Kristian has over 31 years of experience in the land development and construction industry in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. including 25 years of experience with MSW, and is a registered professional engineer in Ontario, Canada. Through involvement in many high-profile projects and endeavors, Kristian has been successfully accountable for multiple facets and disciplines including project management, civil design, project financing, government liaising, asset leasing and sales, and property acquisitions and dispositions. Several recent projects Kristian has been involved with include: The historic Old Dallas High School project, a $50 m refurbishment and redevelopment of a 110 year old high school into 105,000 sf of office and retail, The Galbraith, a $75 m , 217 unit mix use workforce housing project in downtown Dallas and The Tribute, a 1,500-acre master-planned residential development with two 18-hole golf courses, miles of trails and open space, over 3,000 lots, townhomes, condos a stem school and middle school and future marina on Lake Lewisville, in The Colony, Texas. Other projects have included The Bow, a 2 million sqft, 58-story office building in Calgary, Alberta, Canada; The South Side Studios (Movie/TV production facility, The Canvas Hotel (formerly NYLO Dallas South Side), a $20 m 100-year old historically renovated building; The Omni Dallas Convention Center Hotel, a 1,001-room $346 million constructed convention center hotel.Click here for moreBruce BentChief Financial OfficerYears of Real Estate Experience: 29Years With Matthews Southwest: 29After obtaining his Certified Public Accountant designation in Ontario, Canada, Bruce began his career in the construction and development business with Matthews Group Limited. In 1999, Bruce joined Matthews Southwest in Dallas, Texas with responsibilities including oversight of all legal, accounting, operational and structural issues of the MSW group of companies. The operation currently controls in excess of $200 million of real estate, has joint venture interest in an additional $300 million of real estate, and is responsible for in excess of $2 billion of construction. Bruce's successful track record is due to enhancing both top and bottom line performance through a clear, consistent focus on margin improvement, cost management and effective analysis of possible business opportunities. He constantly assesses on the job performance to ensure costs are in line with projections and extras are kept to a minimum. Bruce also delivers results through strong leadership, team building and change implementation.Click here for moreDavid SnellSenior Vice President, Hospitality DevelopmentYears of Real Estate Experience: 29Years With Matthews Southwest:21Dave joined the management team of Matthews Southwest to help implement strategic growth by identifying viable development opportunities while at the same time maintaining effective cost management. While doing this, Dave has been responsible in a senior role for the development of the 1001 room $346M Omni Dallas Convention Center Hotel, the 2 million square foot $1.6B BOW office tower in downtown Calgary, AB and the 1.2 million square foot $100M residential loft conversion project known as South Side on Lamar in Dallas, TX. Among current responsibilities, Dave leads the firms development of the $1.1B, 800-room hotel and 500,000 sf Convention Center expansion project on behalf of Broward County located in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Dave has also an integral part of the Asset Manager team that oversees the Omni Dallas Hotel on behalf of the City of Dallas since its opening in 2011. Dave has extensive experience in acquisitions, leasing, servicing, permitting, designing and development of large scale commercial, industrial and hospitality projects throughout the United States and Canada. His knowledge and expertise in these areas have proven to be very beneficial in ensuring our projects are delivered on time and on budget. Prior to joining Matthews Southwest, Dave spent seven years in the commercial real estate business with Canada's largest independent real estate broker.Click here for moreMichael A. GarciaPresident, Matthews Southwest HospitalityYears of Real Estate Experience: 23Years With Matthews Southwest:4Michael “Mike” Garcia currently serves as President of Matthews Southwest Hospitality, LLC, where he is responsible for leading the company’s hospitality division to include the development of new hotels and resorts throughout North America. Previously, Mike has held positions as Chief Financial Officer and Chief Development Officer with Omni Hotels and Resorts, one of the country’s fastest growing privately held hotel chains. From conception to completion, Mike’s knowledge and expertise in the hospitality sector provides our clients and partners with the results we have built our reputation on. Mike has extensive experience in overseeing accounting and reporting, treasury, purchasing, risk management and capital project accounting. He formerly led Omni’s impressive growth within the convention center hotel sphere with the addition of the Fort Worth, Dallas, Nashville, Louisville, Boston and Oklahoma City hotels. He serves on the Catholic Charities of Dallas Endowment Board as well as the Advisory Council to the Dean of the University of Texas at San Antonio College of Business. Mike graduated from the University of Texas at San Antonio with a BBA in Accounting and is a CPA.Click here for moreAdam MillerChief Financial OfficerYears of Real Estate Experience: 18Years With Matthews Southwest:6Adam joined Matthews Southwest in 2015. Adam is part of the senior management team focusing his efforts on the operations of the United States portfolio. He is responsible for capital/debt sourcing, acquisitions/underwriting and general partnership transactions. He also oversees all finance, accounting, and reporting matters of the company. Adam began his career with Ernst & Young focusing on Real Estate, Private Equity and Hedge Fund engagements. He was most recently with Hunt Realty Investments, Inc. where he was responsible for the accounting, financial reporting and investor reporting for funds with excess of $700 million in equity. He brings over 15 years of experience to Matthews Southwest. Adam received his Bachelors of Science, majoring in Finance, from Butler University and his Masters of Science in Accountancy from the University of Notre Dame. He is a registered CPA in the state of Texas. He is actively involved with the Woodrow Wilson High School Community Foundation, as a board member.Click here for moreJerret ClickVice President, Construction & DesignYears of Real Estate Experience: 23Years With Matthews Southwest:8Jerret joined Matthews Southwest in 2014 with over 15 years of real estate construction experience and an area of expertise in Large Commercial Projects, Historic Renovations and Systems Management. At Matthews Southwest, Jerret works as part of the Executive Management Team and leads the operations teams which coordinate and oversee the construction and design of projects focusing on quality execution, schedule surety and cost management. Projects completed to date include the following: W/Element Hotel – Philadelphia, PA. Broward County Convention Center Expansion – Ft. Lauderdale, FL. Omni Dallas Hotel Guestroom and Public Space Renovation – Dallas, TX Dallas Highschool Renovation – Dallas, TX The Depot Ballpark – Cleburne, TX Alamo Drafthouse Cinema – Dallas, TX Lamar Street Retail & Garage – Dallas, TX The Galbraith – Dallas, TX Gateway at Hutchins – Hutchins, TX Belleview – Dallas, TX In his previous work with Balfour Beatty, a global construction company, Jerret rose to the position of Operations Director where he was responsible for the pursuit and oversight of Large Commercial Projects in the North Texas region. His main focus was in the area of hospitality, working with clients such as Omni, Marriott, Starwood, Six Continents, and several others. Among his projects at Balfour Beatty, Jerret was the Senior Project Manager for the Omni Dallas Convention Center Hotel, completed in 2011, a 1.1 million square foot, 23-story convention center hotel, offering five culinary venues, retail space, lounges, a signature Mokara Spa, and urban pool deck. The LEED Gold project included utilization of recycled materials, irrigation supplied by recycled water, water-saving fixtures, and guest room energy management systems. The hotel is connected via a skybridge to the Dallas Convention Center, incorporates over 80,000 square feet of flexible meeting and event space, and comfortably accommodates groups of more than 3,300 attendees at any given time. The renovation and expansion of the historic Joule Hotel in downtown Dallas, Texas was another project Jerret had a role in while at BBC as Senior Project Manager for Phase I and then Operations Manager for Phase II. Phase I of the project encompassed a 20-story, 129-room high-end, 5-star boutique hotel. The project included demolition of an existing 3-story structure and construction of a new 10-story concrete frame building. This building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The scope of Phase II consisted of remodeling four adjacent properties and tying them into the Main tower from Phase I. Amenities included a Full Service Spa, three meal restaurant, retail venues, and an addition bank of suites to complete the room mix. Jerret earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Texas A&M University where he specialized in Construction Engineering.Click here for moreGina NorrisSenior Vice President, Partner RelationsYears of Real Estate Experience: 21Years With Matthews Southwest:8Gina joined Matthews Southwest in 2013 where she seeks ways to enhance communication and support for relationships with our partners. Gina's career spans over thirty years in banking, private equity, and real estate investment. She started her career in corporate banking, spending 18 years at First Chicago Corporation and Banc One Corporation (now both a part of JPMorgan Chase). In 2000 she became the Managing Director in charge of the private operating business portfolio of Crow Holdings, and in 2010 she founded the Lending Division of Stratford Land, an investment fund focused on high growth corridors in the southern U.S. Gina has served on the Boards of several private and public companies, as well as nonprofit organizations including the Dallas chapter of Financial Executives International where she is a past president, and The State Fair of Texas where she has chaired the Youth Livestock Auction. In 2019, Gina became the first woman Board Chair in the Fair's 133-year history. Gina earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in 1980 from Western Illinois University and an MBA in 1982 from The University of Texas at Austin. She is a CFA charterholder.Click here for moreMelanie FergusonDirector, Dallas Water CommonsYears of Public & Community Relations Experience: 15Years With Matthews Southwest:9Melanie aligns internal and external stakeholders to participate in community and business development and pushes neighborhood innovations to bring about meaningful connectivity and affordability in one of the fastest growing regions in the country. She creates alignments between equitable city vitality and economic development while curating innovative partners from many sectors and communities. Her projects include the Dallas Water Commons, a public private partnership with the City of Dallas and The Dallas Wetlands Foundation, and philanthropic and legislative advocacy for innovative affordable housing protections. Melanie formerly served as public relations manager for the Dallas Theater Center and the Dallas Symphony Orchestra as well as government and community relations point person for the J. Paul Getty Trust in Los Angeles. Click here for moreMike McCabeGeneral Manager, Golf Clubs at the TributeYears of Golf Industry Experience: 22Years With Matthews Southwest: 10As General Manager, Golf Clubs at the Tribute, Mike oversees all club operations including revenue management; golf; food and beverage; sales; marketing and agronomy for an award winning, nationally-ranked member/resort course in North Texas. Mike has been instrumental in expansion of the facility since his arrival, overseeing the creation of a golf shop experience, opening a new restaurant, restoring an antique farm barn for use as a cart storage area and developing a practice facility which is home to several PGA TOUR players. Mike's passion for both the game and the Old American Golf Club vision is positioning it in the forefront of golf facilities in the Dallas/Ft. Worth metroplex. Mike began his career with Tour 18 Dallas where he moved up through the ranks with Arnold Palmer Golf Management. After leaving Tour 18, he was employed by Bridlewood Golf Club where he held the Director of Golf position for nine years. Bridlewood's residential and golf development was the ideal stepping stone for Mike to transition to the growing Tribute community, where he joined the Old American Golf Club as General Manager in the fall of 2011. With his extensive knowledge of the golf business, Mike brings a wealth of expertise to create unique and enjoyable golf experiences for members and guests alike.Click here for moreJay StewartGeneral Manager, Gilley'sYears of Event Entertainment Experience: 18Years With Matthews Southwest:19Jay Stewart began his career under the Matthews Southwest umbrella in 2002 at South Side on Lamar where he worked as an administrative assistant and landlord assistant for the artist residency program. In 2003, he was transferred to a new MSW project just up the street from South Side to be known as Gilley's Dallas. He began working on day 2 of the project as the assistant to the General Manager. Since then, Jay has worn several hats at Gilley's including Office Manager, IT Manager, Group Sales Associate, Event Sales Manager and Assistant General Manager. He was promoted to General Manager in June of 2011 and continues to promote growth for Gilley's Dallas as well as all of South Lamar Street.Click here for moreJay Robson French MSc MRICSChief Executive Officer, MSW EMEAYears of Real Estate Experience: 24Years With Matthews Southwest:18Jay Robson French has over 20 years of experience within the Real Estate Development, Investment, Project Management, and Construction Sectors from the UK, North America, Singapore and Middle East markets. His rare, A-Z knowledge of project delivery has been honed over the last 20 years as an owner, investor, developer, project manager & consultant, working across a variety of asset classes throughout his international career. Jay has held senior positions with Wyndham Capital Partners, Aecom Capital and Matthews Southwest in North America and Europe, and in Q1 2014, established the EMEA branch of Matthews Southwest Developments in Dubai. As Chief Executive Officer of the EMEA branch, Jay has been responsible for AED 4 billion of project engagements in the UAE, including the high-impact projects of Museum of the Future, commissioned by the UAE Prime Minister’s Office in partnership with His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum; the newly-completed Meeras property La Mer, the mixed use and hospitality beachfront development spread across 9.5 million square feet of existing and reclaimed prime Dubai waterfront, and Bee’ah’s new, Grade-AAA LEED Platinum HQ in Sharjah, designed by Zaha Hadid Architects. A Member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (UK), Investment Committee for a DIFC regulated Real Estate Fund (UAE), Dubai Future Foundation Fellowship (UAE) and Canadian Government & International Trade Ministry Infrastructure Roundtable (UAE), Jay holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Political Science from Simon Fraser University, Canada, and a Master’s Degree in Property Development and Finance from London South Bank University, UK. A former professional athlete, Jay was also previously a member of the Canadian Olympic & World Cup Men’s Soccer Team Program. Click here for moreSteve Coates FRICS MAPMManaging Director, MSW EMEAYears of Real Estate Experience: 30Years With Matthews Southwest:8Steve is one of the owners of Matthews Southwest EMEA (MSW) and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Steve has a rare development capability and exposure across the full development spectrum over multiple asset classes. Steve is a well-known expert in his field, working regularly with the leading Management Consultants regarding early development and commercial planning for large scale, complex real estate, across the Middle East and European markets. He is well connected at all levels within Government, Clients, Partners and Grade A Designers across the EMEA. From 2005 to 2010, whilst still in his 20’s, Steve was a full Equity Partner and Board Member of Davis Langdon in the Middle East, delivering Project and Cost Management advice. During this period the ME business grew 10-fold, with Steve ultimately leading the most profitable part of the AECOM ME Business. Programme, Cost, Consultancy (PCC) grew to 600 staff, $120m a year at 18% EBITDA in 2013, following the sale of Davis Langdon to AECOM in 2010. Steve has a rare background and skill set, with a deep knowledge of real estate development and delivery in the Middle East. In 2013, Steve set up business with Matthews Southwest EMEA, and over the last 7 years, the MSW EMEA team have successfully led the development of the Museum of the Future for Meraas and the Dubai Future Foundation, La Mer for Meraas in Dubai and various works for Bee’ah and the Government of Abu Dhabi, Dubai and KSA, including the Zaha Hadid designed headquarters for Bee’ah. Recently Steve has led the development of a Portfolio of three 6 star hotels in KSA for PIF and the mixed use La Mer in Dubai.Click here for more
