StoneMatters™

Building for the future In the face of severe weather

A THREE-PART SERIES

StoneMatters is a 3-part panel series programmed to create awareness and explore energy, architecture, design, and building solutions. With a focus on adaptability and resilience, the series will examine new considerations to future-proof plans for tomorrow.

Whether improving and updating a property, investing in new construction, or considering a real estate investment, becoming informed about risks from drought, wildfires, heatwaves, flooding, tornadoes, hurricanes, and winter storms can provide a safety net (insurance or otherwise) that can save lives, homes, and communities.

StoneMatters will offer insight from thought leaders and subject matter experts who have assimilated their experiences of severe weather challenges to develop novel approaches.

Moderators and panelists include award-winning entrepreneurs, construction executives, architecture and design specialists, and key leaders from extraordinary, forward-thinking organizations.

The discussions will create a framework for understanding how resiliency planning can change the outcomes of investments, home safety, and the viability of our communities.

AGENDA

LOCATION

PRODUCER

The WhatMatters Symposium - Navigating Today’s Complex Issues, One Topic at a Time

Melina McKinnon Cain

Susan Thomson

David Lacombe

MICHAEL CAIN

Panel 1
WHAT EFFECTS HAS EXTREME WEATHER HAD ON SUSTAINABLE BUILDING
Tuesday, September 19
4 - 6pm CDT

MODERATOR

JEFF MOSIER | Senior Producer, Infosys Knowledge Institute

Jeff is a writer and editor for the Infosys Knowledge Institute, the thought leadership and research arm of tech services giant Infosys. He developed and wrote the ESG Radar research report and has written and edited numerous other reports covering technology, finance, ESG, and other topics. Jeff currently leads the sustainability and marketing research efforts for the Knowledge Institute.

Previously, he was a reporter for more than two decades at the Dallas Morning News. He covered a great many news topics, including government, politics, criminal justice, education, and sports business and fandom. Before joining Infosys, Jeff was covering energy and the environment for The Dallas Morning News—writing about the Permian Basin’s oil and gas boom and the human and environmental effects of pollution and climate change.

When not spending time with his family, Jeff is often binging podcasts, following baseball, trying to brew a reasonably good beer or reading (usually with a cup of coffee in hand).

PANELISTS

Maria Gomez, AIA, LEED AP | GFFPRINCIPAL / STUDIO DIRECTOR

Maria A Gomez, AIA, LEED AP is a Principal at GFF, leads the office and arts and culture market sectors, and functions as Studio Director. After opening her own firm in Colombia in 1994, she relocated to Texas and joined GFF in 1999. Maria has diverse experience on projects ranging from corporate offices to institutional facilities. She collaborated in the design of the Dallas Academy building expansion which received the AIA Dallas 2009 Design Award. Maria also collaborated in the Park 17 multi-use building which received the Texas Construction Best Office Project. This was the first office building to achieve LEED Gold certification for New Construction in the City of Dallas.

She designed T5 Residence in North Dallas which was published in the 2011 summer edition of Luxe Interiors + Design. Maria has served as juror for multiple Design Award competitions, including the Boston Society of Architects Honor Awards, the AIA Atlanta Residential Design Awards, the RTKL Works in Progress Awards, Latinos in Architecture (LiA) Fort Worth and AIA Lubbock Design Awards among others.

Maria has served the AIA Dallas Board in several capacities and was President of the organization in 2020. She served on the Board of the Dallas Assembly for 3 years and currently serves on the Board of the Dallas Architecture Forum, Dallas Arboretum and the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum. She currently serves on the board of the Dallas Architecture Forum and on the Trinity Park Conservancy Design Advocacy Committee. Maria chaired the prestigious Texas Society of Architects Design Awards Committee in 2020 and 2021. In 2009 she was appointed by the Dallas City Plan Commission Chair to the Zoning Ordinance Advisory Committee, a position she held for 10 years. She also served on the Special Sign District Advisory Committee for the City of Dallas for 7 years. Maria is a Leadership Dallas Alumni, class of 2019.

LINDEN NELSON | Personal Risk Advisor, Swingle Collins & Associates

Linden works with successful individuals and their families to create comprehensive, custom insurance solutions that align with their lifestyle needs. Her passion and process reverently validate that personal insurance should not be a commodity.

Linden joined Swingle Collins in 2018 after a decade on the carrier side of the insurance industry. Prior to joining SCA, Linden was an integral part of launching the high net worth insurance division for a major national insurance carrier.

Linden is a Certified Insurance Counselor (CIC) and was one of the first thirty agents in the country to earn her Certified Personal Risk Manager (CPRM) designation. 

She has also recently earned her Chartered Private Risk and Insurance Advisor (CPRIA) Certificate from the Professional Risk Managers'​ International Association (PRMIA), a program developed by St. John's University specifically for high net worth risk management. 

Linden is one of D Magazine's 2019 Best Insurance Agents in Dallas.

Janette Monear | President & CEO, Texas trees foundation

Janette is dedicated to creating livable and resilient communities through the use of trees, green infrastructure and sustainable design. Based in education, research and creative vision Ms. Monear is a pioneer in urban forestry. Monear began her career in advertising and promotion for a large bank and quickly transferred her skills to promote and advance urban forestry for the University of Minnesota which led her to the nonprofit sector.

In 2010 under Monears direction the Texas Trees Foundation launched the Tree North Texas regional initiative with 40 mayors. This initiative was to plant 3 million trees by 2020 to mitigate environmental challenges, spur economic development and “green, clean and cool” North Texas. In 2015 through her leadership the State of the Dallas Urban Forest Report was launched with Mayor Rawlings which resulted in redefining the Dallas landscape through 4 major projects: Southwestern Medical District Streetscape Master Planning, Cool Schools, NeighborWoods and Downtown Dallas. She is a frequent speaker at national and local conferences and a leader in organizational development. Her skills were instrumental in helping develop the Saint John’s University Arboretum and other national and local organizations.

Ms. Monear co-produced, wrote the narration, and edited the Public Television Documentary, Spirit of the Trees, a Telly Award winner and she has published several training and professional manuals and reports. “Economic development in the absence of environmental integrity is not sustainable” is her mantra and connecting people to the land and creating that “sense of place” where all people thrive is her passion is her mission.

Panel 2
WHY IS IT NECESSARY TO ADAPT BUILDING STRATEGIES AND PROCESSES
Tuesday, October 24
4 - 6pm CDT

MODERATOR

SARAH COTTON NELSON | FOUNDER, HIGH FLYING STRATEGY

Sarah Cotton Nelson is a social impact leader and strategist with 20+ years’ experience guiding organizations to maximize their impact. She spent 14 years at Communities Foundation of Texas enhancing CFT’s policies and procedures to ensure more racially, geographically and culturally inclusive and equitable grantmaking and community-responsive nonprofit capacity building in her role as Chief Philanthropy Officer.

Prior to this role, she teamed with other researchers to conduct public policy research studies for the RAND Corporation; managed a youth center for teens in downtown Los Angeles; and supported nonprofits in the post-war period in El Salvador with USAID. Sarah is a 2022-2024 Independent Sector Bridging Fellow, 2017 Presidential Leadership Scholar, a 2016 GEO Change Leaders in Philanthropy Fellow, a 2003 American Marshall Memorial Fellow, and a 1997 graduate fellow in public policy and economics at Pontifícia Universidad Católica in Chile, with undergraduate degrees in international development and Spanish from UC Berkeley.

PANELISTS

JIM POSS | Director, Venture Creation & Startup CXO, STRATA

Jim is an experienced startup founder and social entrepreneur with a focus on clean technology. Jim was a prestigious World Economic Forum “Technology Pioneer” and one of Business Week Magazine’s Most Promising Social Entrepreneurs. In 2011-2012, he served the U.S. State Department as a clean technology lecturer to government, academics, civic leaders and students in Australia and Japan.

Jim graduated from Duke University, where he studied Environmental Science and Policy and Geology. At Duke, he received a Pew Research grant to build a wave-powered energy machine. He received his MBA from Babson College, where he later taught entrepreneurship in the MBA, undergraduate and Executive Education programs.

His invention, the BigBelly solar-powered trash compactor was born in Jim’s basement in 2003, in a perfect battle of polluting, expensive problem meets new technology and resourcefulness͘. Jim’s self-compacting, curbside trash compactor, linked to cloud-based scheduling/routing software, made the collection process seven times more efficient. He received dozens of awards, authored four patents, was featured in thousands of media outlets and ultimately eliminated unnecessary travel of the world’s dirtiest and most expensive vehicles—the garbage truck (2.8 mpg, burn over a billion gallons of diesel every year in the U.S.). Well over $200M worth of BigBellies now populate 60 countries. Jim sold the company in 2019 and it continues to grow today.

In 2014, as people bought more and more smartphones, Jim stared down the growing mound of e-waste, wondering if he could recycle/upcycle them. He founded Modifi, turning old smartphones into new software products at low cost and high margin. Today, the Modifi team is helping the American workforce get safely back to their jobs during the Covid-19 crisis. Jim believes that resourcefulness and ingenuity are the pillars of the next Tech Revolution.

PETROS SIDERIS | Associate Professor, Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Texas A&M University

Dr. Sideris is dedicated to impactful teaching and novel research. His research focuses on mitigating the effects of natural hazards on the built environment through understanding of the behavior of existing structures and the development of new resilient systems incorporating novel response mechanisms, advanced construction methods, and sustainable materials

His research primarily focuses on two major thrust areas: Resilient and Sustainable Structures and Computational Mechanics for Damage, Softening and Structural Collapse. Within those areas, Dr. Sideris research includes the development of the systems of Hybrid Sliding-Rocking columns and the system of Polymer-enhanced Columns, the study of aging effects in materials and structures, integration of energy harvesting in structural design, the Gradient Inelastic beam theory with a respective flexibility-based formulation, path-following methods for quasi-static analysis of nonlinear structures, structural damping modeling, and constitutive modeling of polymers for structural applications. As part of his research endeavors, Dr. Sideris has conducted large-scale shake table and quasi-static testing of bridges and nonstructural components, material characterization testing, and seismic performance assessments of structures, ad has developed various computational models for the analysis of structures.

Prior to joining Texas A&M, Dr. Sideris was an Assistant Professor at the University of Colorado at Boulder, where he also served as the Director of the Structures and Materials Testing Laboratory. He received his Master's (2008) and Ph.D. (2012) in Civil Engineering from the University at Buffalo - SUNY. He also holds a diploma in Civil Engineering (2005) from the National Technical University of Athens, Greece. Prior to joining the University of Colorado at Boulder, Dr. Sideris was appointed as Post-doctoral Research Fellow and Adjunct Lecturer at the University at Buffalo - SUNY (September 2012 - May 2013).

ZAIDA BASORA, FAIA | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, AIA Dallas and the Architecture and Design Foundation

As the Executive Director of AIA, brings public and private sector experience to the combined role. She is a registered architect and sustainability advocate with over 40 years of experience in design, construction, contracting and public policy. While with the City of Dallas, she helped implement over $800 million worth of diverse public facility projects and directed the implementation of the city’s green building program.

Her work championing green building codes in Dallas was recognized with awards from the Building Officials Association of Texas, North Central Texas Council of Governments, and the CoreNet Global Southwest Chapter. She received a 2014 Pillar Award and a 2016 Luna Award as Outstanding Professional of the Year from the Hispanic Contractor's Association. In 2019, Zaida was recognized with the Kessler Lifetime Achievement Award from the Greater Dallas Planning Council.

Panel 3
HOW TO BUILD FOR THE FUTURE WITH A FOCUS ON RESILIENCE
Wednesday, November 15
4 - 6pm CDT

MODERATOR

ADRIENNE FAULKNER | CEO and Chief Creative Officer, Faulkner design group

Adrienne Akin Faulkner is the CEO and Chief Creative Officer of Faulkner Design Group (FDG), a fully integrated national interior architecture and design firm specializing in multifamily housing and senior living environments. Working with the largest developers, contractors, real estate investment groups, and management firms across the country for more than 28 years, Adrienne consistently blazes a path of leadership and innovation by understanding global social trends and advocating for the highest quality of living for all stakeholders.

Adrienne also serves as president of additional entities affiliated with FDG, including Architectural-Images, a unique art-line/collection, and Design Expediting Services International, a turn-key receiving, storage, warehouse, and installation company.

SPECIAL GUEST SPEAKER

HELENA L. BANKS, CFRE | DIRECTOR OF PEOPLE DEVELOPMENT & EXT AFFAIRS, BONTON FARMS

Helena L. Banks, CFRE is the Director of Development and External Affairs for Bonton Farms, leading all fundraising, marketing, communications, and volunteer activities. A Dallas native, Helena graduated from Duncanville High School before earning her Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Sam Houston State University.

Helena began her nonprofit fundraising career at North Texas Public Broadcasting (KERA 90.1 and Channel 13) and is a seasoned development professional with nearly 20 years dedicated to the growth and success of North Texas’ leading nonprofit organizations.

Her most recent career highlight has been returning to the neighborhood where her childhood home still sits––less than two miles from the transformational growth and community revitalization happening at Bonton Farms. She is the creator and founder of Lady Banks Living, an online social platform that encourages people to discover new experiences, organizations, and not-so-trivial pursuits. Helena is also a dance instructor at Mary Lois School of Dance where she teaches students of all ages in the art of ballet, tap, and jazz. A servant community leader, she is on the board of Our Friends Place and the advisory board of the Zan Wesley Holmes, Jr. Community Outreach Center. She is also a member of Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc., Priscilla Arts Club, the National Association of Black Scuba Divers, and a volunteer for the Byron Nelson Golf Tournament. In addition to dance, her hobbies include scuba diving, golfing, camping, and cheering on the Dallas Cowboys.

Panelists

Timothy Lankau| FOUNDER, HIVE 3d BUILDERS

Tim graduated from Texas A & M University, B.B.A., (2001) & Washington and Lee University, J.D., magna cum laude, (2004). He practiced real-estate law in Houston, served as the Vice President of Risk Management and Human Resources at Ethos Behavioral Health.

While it may be true that the mother of invention is necessity, in today’s startup market, a more important factor is disruption. That’s where HIVE 3D, a Texas-based leader in constructing eco-friendly 3D printed homes, flourishes.

HIVE 3D was already revolutionizing the home-builder industry with its lightweight gantry system and mobile robotic arm system to 3D print its homes, but it took a giant leap further with its partnership with Utah-based Eco Material Technologies, North America’s leading producer of sustainable cement alternatives.

Together, they are building the world’s first near-zero-carbon, 3D-printed homes. Using Eco Material’s cement mixture called PozzoCEM Vite, which has 92 percent lower emissions than traditional concrete that can set in just a few minutes, they are focusing on providing a sustainable, cost-efficient and affordable housing solution.

“We want our homes to last 1,000 years,” Timothy Lankau, CEO, Hive 3D CEO, tells InnovationMap. “We want archaeologists to dig them up and wonder what they were. I mean, you go to the Parthenon in Rome, and it looks similar today to how it did 2,000 years ago because the materials are so stable."

TOM WOLIVER | Co-PRESIDENT, OXLAND GROUP

Tom has over 25 years in the real estate industry building a vast network of best-in-class consultants, vendors, and relationships throughout the industry. Tom founded Oxland Advisors in 2019, a Real Estate Development and Consulting Company, specializing in unlocking the potential value in community development. Currently, Tom is working on a variety of projects across the country, providing forward thinking solutions at all different scales. In addition to Tom’s real estate experience, Tom has been a pioneer in implementing various technological strategies, startups, and partnerships throughout the real estate platform with developers, builders, and landowners.

With the success of Oxland Advisors, Tom co-founded the Oxland Group, a full-service real estate development company. With decades of experience in community development, land acquisitions, and home building, the Oxland Group acquires, entitles, develops, and sells value-add residential land investments and landbank transactions in Texas. Prior to Oxland Advisors, Tom served as Vice President at Hillwood Communities. During his tenure at Hillwood, Tom was known as the Father of “Live Smart” vision 2011, a fresh holistic approach on developing the next generation of Master Planned Communities. Tom was the driving force behind Hillwood’s Live Smart Communities including Harvest (First Agri-hood in Texas), Pomona, Wolf Ranch, and Pecan Square. Prior to Hillwood, Tom worked for TBG partners as a Land Planner and Landscape Architect in Austin and Dallas. Tom’s design and consulting background at TBG was foundation building for the ability to look at real estate solutions with a unique approach. Prior to TBG, Tom graduated from Texas A&M University with a Landscape Architecture degree.

Tom is also an active member on the National levels of the Urban Land Institute and currently serves as the Chair for the ULI National Community Development Product Green Council. He is a sought-after public speaker and facilitator and has been featured in numerous articles about community development, technology, healthy living, and in the food and real estate movement.

Gary Gene Olp | Founder, GGOArchitects

GGOArchitects is a highly acclaimed private architectural practice in Dallas, Texas. Recognized for their contemporary designs that feature a sustainable approach, each project represents a commitment to environmental responsibility. GGOArchitects is noted for cutting edge green buildings that incorporate energy efficiency, passive solar techniques, natural day lighting, non-toxic materials, advanced building science and enhanced indoor air quality.

Sustainability and long-term durability influence every aspect of project development. Sustainable solutions necessitate that GGOArchitects integrate environmental and social concerns into every business decision. This approach has earned GGOArchitects the endorsement of clients and the respect of the architectural community.

Director of GGO Architects, a successful environmentally focused private architectural practice in Dallas, Texas. His efforts reflect an enterprising approach to energy efficiency, passive solar techniques, natural day lighting, enhanced fresh air systems with an emphasis on reducing construction waste and the use of natural, non-toxic building materials.

His firm has secured the USGBC LEED certification for many commercial buildings and seven USBC LEED Platinum certifications of his residential buildings. Heather's Home has received multiple awards in addition to being the first USGBC LEED Platinum certified home in Texas and the third in the nation.