Commercial real estate notables streamed into the Dallas Country Club last night for the 40th annual Stemmons Service Awards, presented by the North Texas Commercial Association of Realtors. The crowd gave Jack Gosnell of CBRE|UCR a hearty standing ovation when he was announced as this year’s winner of the award, which is considered the industry’s highest honor for DFW brokers.
Others in the running were Steve Berger of CBRE, Bill Cox of Carey Cox Cos., and Scott Morse of Citadel Partners.
Gosnell, a longtime proponent of urban Dallas and a driving force behind the revitalization of the city’s farmer’s market, gave a heartfelt and humorous acceptance speech, despite being, as he put it, “colossally unprepared.” He talked about moving to Dallas after getting out of the U.S. Army 43 years ago: “I wanted a profession that was honorable, that would help support the community, and enrich my family’s life,” he said. “Unfortunately, there were no jobs available in the clergy at the time, so I picked real estate.”
Gosnell began his career at Henry S. Miller before joining “the irresistible” Mickey Ashmore at UCR. He praised his longtime business partner and also paid tribute to his “new friends” at CBRE, which acquired UCR last year, saying the firm has taught him how to operate on a global platform. And he thanked his wife, Leslie, for “never once insisting that I get a real job.”
Reid Goetz of Hillwood was named the winner of NTCAR’s Young Citizen Award. Other contenders were Elizabeth Allen of The Weitzman Group, Allison Johnston of JLL, and Hunter Lee of HPI Real Estate Services.
A hilarious video introducing the young gun candidates stole the show, and Mike Ablon of PegasusAblon got rave reviews as the master of ceremonies—and for getting the show wrapped up within an hour.
On hand to celebrate were Craig Hall of HALL Group, Mike Berry of Hillwood, and a number of past Stemmons winners, including Kim Butler of HALL, Allen Gump of Colliers International, and Susan Arledge of E Smith Realty Partners.
