Born and raised in Lubbock, the youngest of five children, it was a natural for Larry Toon to attend Texas Tech University. After graduating in 1980, he worked as a landman for a Midland oil and gas company, then joined Hines in Houston before moving to Dallas in 1983.
He took a job with Kastle Systems, selling security and energy management systems. A couple of years later, he met former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Bob Breunig through a Sunday School class. Breunig, a business partner of Roger Staubach’s, talked with Toon about joining their fledgling tenant rep company.
“I couldn’t think of a better situation,” Toon says. “I grew up having great respect and admiration for Roger and everything he stood for.”
That was 27 years ago—and he hasn’t looked back. As The Staubach Co. grew, so did Toon’s business. Clients through the years have included big names like PepsiCo, DART, Ernst & Young, FedEx Office, Pioneer Natural Resources, and Comerica, which relocated its headquarters here from Detroit in 2007.
Eighteen years ago, Toon represented Greyhound in its initial headquarters lease at 350 N. St. Paul St., what’s now known as One Dallas Center. This past December, he negotiated a renewal of that deal—and worked with Jones Lang LaSalle regional president Paul Whitman on a 142,500-square-foot lease for HKS Inc. in the same building. The complicated transaction, which involves giving the property a major spruce-up, is seen as a huge boost for the asset—and for the central business district overall.
Toon praises his organization’s corporate culture, which he says has remained intact following The Staubach Co.’s 2008 sale to Jones Lang LaSalle. The company takes a loose teaming approach, forming different personnel combinations to meet various customer needs.
“There’s never been a lot of internal competition; people seem to give more than they take,” Toon says. “From the very beginning, Roger instilled a desire to work together to provide the best service you possibly can, and to care about the people you work with and for.”
That sense of teamwork and unity extends to the greater Dallas commercial real estate industry, Toon says. That point was brought home in 2006, when Toon’s oldest daughter, Elizabeth, was tragically killed at age 22 by a hit-and-run driver. Elizabeth Toon Charities, which serves children and their families in need in Texas, honors her life. Since 2007, it has raised about $2.5 million.
“Companies across North Texas, including those in commercial real estate, have been extraordinary in their support,” Toon says. “I have a great deal of respect for our community, and it’s true privilege to be a part of it.”
Read D CEO’s full report on the top office tenant reps in Dallas here.
