The Greater East Dallas Chamber’s 18th Annual Economic Summit Presented by CC Young was held October 18th at the Lakewood Country Club. Combining the East Dallas community’s dedication to education, growth, the work force and development, this year’s Economic Summit centered around the theme “Flip Your Script: Finding Opportunity and Adventure Everywhere.”
The 2022 Economic Summit was chaired by Karen Hettrick who serves as Vice Chair l of the Chamber board.
Says Hettrick: “The East Dallas Chamber of Commerce was once again pleased to bring quality speakers and programs to the community and this year’s line-up was no exception.”
As part of the Economic Summit, the Greater East Dallas Chamber of Commerce officially released the much anticipated 2022 Economic Report. This publication included an exclusive economic analysis specific to the East Dallas community. Each guest received a publication and a copy of the 2022 Economic Report can be found the chamber’s website.
Featured speakers were Councilmembers Paula Blackmon, Adam McGough and Paul Ridley, DISD Trustee Dan Micciche, The Dallas Morning News real estate editor Steve Brown and the keynote speaker was Lila Stewart, co-founder of Hari Mari.
Micciche spoke about DISD's work to implement its $3.5 billion bond package and to improve its services for the district's more than 140,000 students who are economically disadvantaged.
The councilmembers participated in a panel discussion, speaking about ongoing and upcoming projects in each of their districts.Steve Brown shared the latest in area real estate news with his entertaining sense of humor.
“Dallas-Fort Worth has the top real estate market in the country”, says Brown. “And so far, a pandemic and higher interest rates aren't slowing things down. It's the thousands of people moving to North Texas each year that keep the property market here moving.”
Keynote speaker Lila Stewart, a native Dallasite and mom of two, is the Co-Founder of Hari Mari, which began in East Dallas in 2012 with the simple mission of making comfortable, premium sandals & footwear for men, women, and children. Lila's expertise and experience in Wholesale, Public Relations, Retail, and Sales Management has helped place Hari Mari in over 1,000 retail locations across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and the Bahamas. The company is celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year.
Lila’s true passion is the brand's philanthropy - Hari Mari donates 1% of sales to help children and families battling pediatric cancer. It's called #FlopsFightingCancer. She shared a brief video which featured several children sharing their stories of their battle with cancer. There was not a dry eye in the room when the clip ended.
Sponsors for the event included: CC Young – Presenting Sponsor; Atmos Energy – Platinum Sponsor; Comerica Bank and Oncor – Gold Sponsors; White Rock Medical Center and Veritex Community Bank – Silver Sponsors; Locke Lord LLP and Frost Bank – Bronze Sponsors; Advocate Media – Media Sponsor.
Table hosts included BackMenders Chiropractic With Care, Bishop Lynch High School, Briggs Freeman Sotheby's International, Business Solutions Technology, Community Impact Newspaper, Ebby Halliday - Little White House; Independence Title, Jenny Capritta / RE/MAX DFW Associates, Jesse's AC & Appliance Repair, Juliette Fowler Communities, Mill Creek Residential Trust, St. John's Episcopal School, Sayre Hettrick Group at Briggs Freeman, and White Rock Lake Foundation.