Congratulations DDI Board Member Sarah Payne

The Dallas Business Journal has announced the winners of its 2010 Women in Business Awards. Honorees include Downtown Dallas, Inc. Board Member Sarah Payne. Winners were recognized in two categories, the Top 25 Industry Leaders” and the “Top 25 Women to Watch.”

51 women were honored at a Women in Business Awards luncheon at the Fairmont Hotel earlier this summer.

Congratulations to winners from other member companies !

Top 25 Industry Leaders

Karen Katz, Neiman Marcus Stores

Lori Scott McWilliams, Deloitte LLP

Dunia Shive, Belo Corp.

Pamela Stoyanoff, Methodist Health System

Debra von Storch, Ernst & Young LLP

Top 25 Women to Watch

Jennifer Coleman, Baylor Health Care System

Sharon Morrison, Transwestern

Yvette Ostolaza, Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP

Sarah Payne, Stream Realty Partners LP

Kimberly Plaskett, Greyhound Lines Inc.

Amy Qattan, Capital One Bank

Bethany Williams, PricewaterhouseCoopers

Pegasus Students Take Over WFAA Studios at Victory Park

Students and faculty at Pegasus School of Liberal Arts & Sciences ended their summer with a bang at Victory Park. It all started at 5:30 this morning with an appearance on WFAA Daybreak on the Plaza.  Dozens of students and faculty showed their Pegasus pride by wearing their school uniforms and school colors.

WFAA’s Cynthia Izaguirre interviewed Virginia Lannen, CEO of Pegasus… and students from the Chess Club and last year’s Spelling Bee Champs were front and center.

The Pegasus School of Liberal Arts & Sciences is a member of Downtown Dallas, Inc. They are an open-enrollment charter school, located in Downtown.  The school currently serves students in grades 4-12 but only served 7 -9th graders when it first opened its doors in 1997. The vision of Pegasus Charter School is to be an interdisciplinary public school  that utilizes downtown as a learning laboratory to develop and educate serious learners, while contributing to the vitality of the city. Pegasus is known for their exceptional dual credit program with El Centro, giving students the opportunity to go to college while they are still in high school.

GO Pegasus!!! Thanks for sacrificing your last Friday of the summer to be with us and WFAA!

Have a wonderful school year! A special thanks to the WFAA crew, especially Bobby for pulling an all-nighter!

-CC

Action Shots!!

A few quick videos of the action that took place Tuesday night at Main Street Garden, during the kick off of the YMCA Adult Sport League!  For a complete schedule or more information about YMCA activities at Main Street Garden, please visit www.MainStreetGarden.org.

Now Playing!

Last night we kicked off the pre-season of Main Street Garden sports leagues, thanks to our pals and partners over at the T. Boone Pickens YMCA.  Kick ball was the game of the night – and whether it was the spirit of competition or the free beer and dogs, hundreds came out to play.  There’s still space to sign up your team of 10!  For more info call Paul at the Y – 972-560-3879

 

But now, a plea…

We love our jobs here at DDI.  And yes, from the board room to sweatin’ it out at the park, we are here to serve.   HOWEVER, people, PLEASE – what do we have to do to get you to pick up after your pet??  Our league players would much appreciate the ability to slide into home without fear of picking up a heck of a lot more than a grass burn.

Is this really where you want your PID dollars to go?

~Kourtny

Another Reason Why You Should Venture Outside of the Tunnels for Lunch

Jaime, DDI’s new event coordinator extraordinaire, is hot on the horn right now chasing a tip from our good pal Robert Wilonsky –  apparently Cirque du Soleil is planning quite the stunt at Thanksgiving Tower tomorrow.  Word on the street is that sometime around the lunch hour Spidey-style antics will ensue…  Emerge, tunnel dwellers!

Check out the YouTube sneak peek at Unfair Park.

McKinney Avenue Trolley Gets Green Light with Two Major Grants

The federal government announced it is awarding the M-Line a $4.9 million grant. In addition, the federal grant will be matched by $5 million from the North Texas Council of Governments and this could make a huge impact on Downtown transportation.

The extension down Olive Street to Federal Street is already funded and work will begin soon. The new money will allow the McKinney Avenue Transit Authority to extend the current tracks on St. Paul from Ross Avenue to Federal, and up Federal to connect with Olive Street.

The proposed line will run through the Woodall Rodgers deck park through the Arts District to downtown. It also will gain a new connection with DART Light Rail. Federal Street is only a block away from DART’s downtown transit mall — easy walking distance from their St. Paul and Pearl stations.

The new route has the potential to increase the efficiency and usefulness of the M-Line, boost annual ridership, and is essential to the development of the Central Business District.

Good things!

CC

Weber Shandwick Rocks Main Street Garden

Congratulations to Weber Shandwick, taking home an “Award of Excellence” from the International Academy of the Visual Arts Communicator Awards in the category of “Public Service/Pro Bono – Corporate Identity”.  The subject matter?  Branding of Main Street Garden, and we couldn’t agree more!  The competition received more than 9,000 entries, and the Award of Excellence is the highest distinction.

Last summer, Weber Exec Ken Maxwell graciously offered up the agency’s expertise to help create a mark and brand package worthy of our urban oasis.  The architectural logo, the “now playing” series that hit last fall, and a series of pole banners and other campaign concepts (execution of which is pending funding, if anyone would like to toss their pennies over here instead of into the fountain) were all a part of the donated work.

And you probably didn’t know it, but the brand facelift over at the Dallas Zoo is also Weber Shandwick’s handywork – staying committed to us here at home, even with some of the most high profile national accounts out there. 

Next time you are at Main Street Garden, help us thank them with a wave up to their Dallas office overlooking the park from Comerica Bank Tower.

~Kourtny

RTKL Renews Lease at Republic Center

Amidst a relative flurry of commerical activity Downtown in the first half of 2010, more good news was announced today.  RTKL Associates has renewed its lease at Republic Center with a 12 year term, retaining 62,000 square feet.  The company moved into Republic a decade ago and led the redevelopment of the building.  

“We are thrilled that RTKL remains committed to Downtown Dallas, following an exciting trend of recent corporate renewals and expansions,” said John Crawford, our CEO here at the DDI World Headquarters.   “It is critical that we not only continue to bring new companies Downtown, but also to retain those like RTKL who are an integral part of our community.  The company’s continued high profile presence in Republic Center, an iconic property in the heart of Downtown, is a great testament to value of a Downtown address.”

Congratulations to DDI member company Transwestern, and board member Cris Jordan, for securing the deal.

Riverfront/Woodall Rodgers access closures and detours

Beginning July 14 access to/from Riverfront and Woodall Rodgers will be limited due to the construction of the Woodall Rodgers extension.  The text of the press release from the Texas Department of Transportation and the city of Dallas follows:

Construction Closes Parts of a Major Central Dallas Intersection

Woodall Rodgers at Riverfront Boulevard closed until mid-to late 2011

DALLAS – Beginning July 14, 2010 major connections to and from Woodall Rodgers Freeway and Riverfront Boulevard will be closed for construction activities associated with the Texas Department of Transportation’s Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge and the ongoing Woodall Rodgers Extension project. The closures, which will last approximately 15 months, affect several major connections at the intersection. They are as follows:

• Westbound Woodall Rodgers Fwy. traffic exiting to Riverfront Blvd. will no longer be able to directly access either direction of Riverfront Blvd.
• Southbound Riverfront Blvd. traffic will no longer be able to directly access eastbound Woodall Rodgers Fwy.

Detour signage will be put into place on July 13 with the full closure going into effect on July 14.  Maps depicting signed detour routes for the prohibited movements are attached.  TxDOT and the City of Dallas are encouraging motorists to seek alternate routes.  Riverfront Blvd. will remain open during construction, but will be reduced to two lanes in each direction for the duration of the projects.  Northbound Riverfront Blvd. access to eastbound Woodall Rodgers Fwy. will remain open.

The closures are part of the $47.5 million Woodall Rodgers Extension Project, which is being built in conjunction with the $69.7 million Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge over the Trinity River. Both projects are scheduled to be complete by mid-to late 2011.

For more information about the project please visit www.txdot.gov,  www.dallascityhall.com or http://www.trinityrivercorridor.org.

Southbound Riverfront To Woodall Rodgers Detour Routing

Woodall Rodgers To Riverfront Blvd Detour Routing

~Jim

For Those of Us Who Still Play with Legos

Yes, we’re about to promote that you head north – briefly! – this weekend…

Today “Local Landmarks in Legos” opens at Northpark – a collection of downtown’s most recognizable landmarks reconstructed, yes, with those little tiny blocks of imagination.  Tickets are $5 for adults, $3 for kids, with proceeds benefiting East Dallas Community Schools.  The exhibit runs through August 1.  Check it out on level two between Neimans and Nordstrom.

 

                   

~Kourtny