Longtime Dallas commercial real estate executive Jim Vanderslice died late Sunday afternoon, after a long and valiant battle with cancer. He was diagnosed about seven years ago with multiple myeloma, a cancer of white blood cells.
In a late 2011 interview, after a stint as a reality TV star, Jim told me that the life expectancy following diagnosis typically is three to five years. “We’ve passed that, so every day is an extra day for us,” he said.
Having lunch at Capital Grille just a couple of weeks ago, Jim shared that he had gotten word this past summer that the cancer was quickly spreading. But he didn’t want others to be sad. “I have had a great life in every way,” he said.
Vanderslice was a principal at CNL Commercial Real Estate. Prior to that, he spent seven years with Grubb & Ellis as senior vice president, representing companies in both domestic and international markets. He also served as vice chairman of Cushman & Wakefield and as founder of Vanderslice Realty Group.
Will Sale, his partner at CNL, first met Vanderslice at Grubb & Ellis. “He was one of those larger-than-life characters,” Sale said. “When Jim walked into a room, he had a presence about him that commanded attention—not in a negative way, but out of sheer respect. Everyone in the industry knows him, and everyone loves him. He made a great and lasting impression on this community. I am truly blessed to have had the opportunity to work with him.”
Sale said his partner “fought until the bitter end. He did not go home and sit down and give up. He was in the office until he physically could not be so anymore.”
Longtime friend John Amend, CEO of The Amend Group, worked with Vanderslice on a number of transactions, most notably a national data center rollout for Worldcom and a downtown Dallas office lease for Wells Fargo.
“I never met anyone who didn’t like Jim,” Amend said. “He was a great broker, experienced and trustworthy—a real people person who deeply loved his family. He was just one of those rare guys who everyone respected and everyone loved. Jim was a good friend, and I’m really going to miss him.”
Note: Services will be held at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 20, at Highland Park United Methodist Church, 3300 Mockingbird Lane. A reception will immediately follow in the church’s fellowship hall.
