GOOD EVENING, GOOD EVENING, GOOD EVENING. TO STEP ASIDE AND LET US HAVE SOME SUNSHINE FOR A 
          [00:00:06]
CHANGE. THAT'S A GREAT THING. SO IT IS PRESENTLY COZY MORRIS EIGHT, THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOR THE DESOTO DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, WILL MEET NOW. ADJOURN. WILL NOW MEET. WILL NOW 
          [A.	REGULAR SESSION]
MEET AT 6:05 P.M. AND SO. THIS IS CALLED TO ORDER AT 6:05 P.M. AND WE'D LIKE TO AGAIN WELCOME EVERYONE AND GO INTO A QUICK WORD OF PRAYER. WOULD YOU PLEASE BE HONORED? LET US PRAY. GOD OUR FATHER, WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR ANOTHER GATHERING OF THESE BRILLIANT MINDS AROUND THIS TABLE TO LOOK AT THE ECONOMIC GROWTH, GOD, AND OPPORTUNITIES FOR OUR CITY. WE PRAY FOR CLARITY OF THOUGHT AND MIND. GOD, WE PRAY FOR OUR PRESIDENT AND EVERY DIRECTOR THAT'S HERE. 
          WE ASK NOW, GOD, THAT YOU WILL OPEN UP DOORS AND YOU CLOSE DOORS THAT SHOULD NOT BE OPEN FAST. NOW THESE AND OTHER BLESSINGS IN JESUS NAME, AMEN, AMEN. THANK YOU COUNCILMEMBER. 
          YES SIR AND WONDERFUL WORD AS ALWAYS AT THIS TIME, BEFORE WE GO FORWARD, PROPER CALL TO ORDER 
          [B.1.	Introduction  of new board member  James Pruitt]
IN SUCH AN EXCITING MOMENT TO WELCOME NEW FACES AROUND THE TABLE. AND WE'LL START OFF WITH, FIRST AND FOREMOST, OUR NEWEST ADDITION TO OUR BOARD, OUR NEWEST BOARD MEMBER THAT IS JUST AGREED TO SIGN ON AND ENGAGE WITH US, AND BRINGS A WEALTH OF KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERTISE AND CHARACTER AND JUST A JOY TO BE AROUND. I HAD THE PLEASURE OF MEETING HIM A FEW MONTHS AGO AT A AT AN EVENT, AND CERTAINLY CONNECTED WITH HIM. LITTLE DID I KNOW THAT I WOULD BE SITTING ACROSS FROM HIM A FEW MONTHS LATER, HAVING THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET SOME OF THAT KNOWLEDGE THAT HE HAS TO SHARE FOR OUR CITY AND TAKE US TO ANOTHER LEVEL. SO I'D LIKE TO WELCOME AND INTRODUCE MR. JAMES PRUITT, OUR NEWEST BOARD MEMBER. MR. AS THEY SAY, SPEECH. SO HAPPY TO HAVE YOU HERE. WE KNOW YOU DIDN'T ASK FOR THAT, BUT A LITTLE BIT UNUSUAL HERE, BUT THAT'S OKAY. 
          APPRECIATE IT THOUGH. YEAH I'M EXCITED TO BE HERE EXCITED TO BE PART OF THIS GREAT CITY DESOTO ONLY BEEN A PART OF THIS CITY INTIMATELY FOR THE PAST YEAR AND A HALF AND GROWN TO LOVE IT DEARLY. SO EXCITED TO FIND WAYS TO GIVE BACK TO IT AND MAKE IT BETTER TOMORROW THAN IT IS TODAY. THANK YOU. YOU KNOW, I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT WHEN HE TALKS ABOUT HE'S BEEN HERE FOR A YEAR AND A HALF AND FIGURING OUT A WAY HE CAN GET BACK, HE'S ALREADY GIVEN US SOME SOME MILES OF GREAT FOOD. HIS CHICK FIL A OVER ON BELTLINE AT WESTMORELAND, AND WE ALL HAVE VISITED. I THINK WE'LL ALL CONTINUE TO VISIT EVEN MORE. 
          THEY'VE GOT A BRAND NEW CHICKEN SANDWICH WITH BACON. OH I'M SORRY. HE DIDN'T TELL ME TO SAY THAT, BUT OKAY, BUT WELCOME TO THE TEAM. AND THEN LET ME GO TO THE NEXT LEVEL. AND CERTAINLY 
          [Additional Item]
NOT BE REMISS IN WELCOMING ANOTHER NEW FACE AROUND THE TABLE TONIGHT. ADRIANA IS OUR ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, DEPUTY DEPUTY CITY MANAGER, DEPUTY CITY MANAGER. I'M GONNA GET THIS RIGHT. AT ANY RATE, EITHER WAY IT GOES, WE INVITED HER IN, TRIED TO FEED HER. SHE WOULDN'T EVEN EAT WITH US. BUT SHE JUST. SHE CAME IN, AND SHE'S RIGHT AT HOME. AND I'VE HAD THE PLEASURE OF SITTING WITH ADRIANA ON A FEW OCCASIONS, DIFFERENT MEETINGS. AND I CAN TELL YOU THAT ADVENT OF SPIRIT THAT SHE BRINGS THE ADVENT OF KNOWLEDGE AND, AND THE WHEREWITHAL TO HELP US UNDERSTAND SOME OF THE, THE OPPORTUNITIES THAT PREVAIL FOR US THAT WILL PREVAIL. WE'RE SO EXCITED TO HAVE ADRIANA, PLEASE SHARE WITH US. CAN SOMEONE SAY, YOU DID IT TO WHAT HE SAID? AND WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE TIME, I'VE ONLY BEEN HERE FOR ALMOST A MONTH NEXT WEEK. BUT I AM EXCITED TO BE A PART OF THIS TEAM AND I HAVE ENJOYED ALL THE CONVERSATIONS, BRAINSTORMING OPPORTUNITIES, AND I AM LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEW OPPORTUNITIES ON THE HORIZON AND GETTING THINGS DONE. ALL RIGHT, LET ME JUST TELL YOU, SHE'S A CRACKERJACK, ALWAYS IN THE CRACKERJACKS USED TO HAVE THE PRIZES. YOU GET YOUR SURPRISE. WELL, SHE'S A SURPRISE. SO WELCOME TO HAVE YOU SO, SO HONORED. THANK YOU. HONORED TO HAVE BOTH OF YOU, IN FACT, 
          [00:05:05]
BECAUSE WHERE WE'RE HEADING AS A CITY, WE NEED BRIGHT MINDS. AND NOT THAT WE DON'T HAVE BRIGHT MINDS, BUT THERE'S A CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PROCESS. WHEN YOU RUN IN A RELAY, YOU HAND OFF TO THE NEXT. SO WE GOT SOME HANDOFFS HERE. SO Y'ALL BRING US ON IN AS THEY SAY. OKAY. THAT SAID LET'S MOVE FORWARD, MR. PRESIDENT. YES. IF I MAY SAY, I'D LIKE TO WELCOME YOU BOTH. 
          BUT JUST AS WE HAVE PEOPLE THAT AT THIS LEVEL ARE COMMITTED TO THE CITY OF DESOTO, GIVEN THE DEARTH OF PEOPLE THAT CAME OUT AND EXERCISED THEIR CIVIC ENGAGEMENT, I'D REALLY LIKE TO ENCOURAGE OUR CITIZENS TO BE JUST AS COMMITTED, SINCE THERE'S A LOT OF TALK ABOUT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. YES, I WAS REALLY DISHEARTENED BY THE RESULTS, MEANING THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WHO CAME OUT AND VOTED. YEAH, SO THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. BUT I ALSO WANT TO SEE THE CITIZENS BE MUCH MORE ENGAGED AS WELL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MR. PEARSON. OUR SECRETARY AND TREASURER. FOR THAT ACKNOWLEDGMENT. YOU KNOW, I'LL JUST KIND OF PIGGYBACK AND SAY THAT. THIS HAS BEEN A VERY INTERESTING TIME FOR US AS A CITY. AND FRANKLY SPEAKING, WE CAN ALWAYS, I SAID EARLIER, THE CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PROCESS AND DITTO TO YOU AND CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT PROCESSES SHOULD PREVAIL AND EVERYTHING THAT WE DO, WE KNOW THAT WE'RE NOT PERFECT, BUT WE CAN ALWAYS DO BETTER. SO COLLECTIVELY, INDIVIDUALLY IF WE CAN ALL UNDER THE SOUND OF MY VOICE, WE'RE MAY BE ADHERE TO THAT AND UNDERSTAND THAT UNITED WE STAND, DIVIDED WE FALL. LET'S STAND UNITED. SO THAT'S A GOOD OLD SAYING, I'D LIKE TO SAY. BUT AS WE PROGRESS FORWARD, ANY OTHER COMMENTS? OBSERVATIONS? OKAY. ONE LAST OBSERVATION. I JUST WANT TO CONGRATULATE ANTOINE AND THE TEAM FOR THE FRANCHISE EVENT. YES, IT WAS A IT WAS A GREAT EVENT. GREAT TURNOUT. I'M HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH PEOPLE THAT WERE THERE AND I THOUGHT THAT WAS I'VE SEEN IT GROW. YES, MA'AM. EVOLVE. AND I WANT TO CONGRATULATE EVERYONE'S HARD WORK ON PUTTING THAT TOGETHER. 
          IT WAS FANTASTIC. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. YEAH. WE'LL TALK MORE ABOUT THAT THIS EVENING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ANY ADDITIONAL. THAT'S IT. SO I'D LIKE TO ALSO I DON'T WANT TO BE REMISS I WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT WE HAVE IN OUR PRESENCE THIS EVENING AS WELL, OUR COUNCILWOMAN RAPHAEL, WITH US AND SUCH A CORNERSTONE, IF I MAY SAY, FOR LACK OF BETTER ACKNOWLEDGMENT RIGHT NOW, AS I'VE BEEN ON THE BOARD, I'VE WATCHED, I'VE LISTENED AND HAVE CLEARLY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THE TALENT AND THE LOVE, THE CARE AND THE WHEREWITHAL THAT SHE BRINGS TO THE CITY HAS BROUGHT TO THE CITY, CONTINUES TO BRING AND WILL CONTINUE TO BRING IS JUST IT'S MAGNANIMOUS. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE. YOU KNOW, AND LET'S GIVE HER A ROUND OF APPLAUSE FOR YOU. THIS IS MY LAST DDC MEETING AS COUNCIL MEMBER. WELL, HOPEFULLY THAT SMILE WAS THAT A SMILE OF I'M GOING TO BE ABLE TO COME AND SHARE WITH YOU GUYS AS A COUNCIL MEMBER. YES. THAT'S RIGHT. THANK YOU. OKAY. ANYBODY ELSE? ALL RIGHT. SO I'M GOING TO BE SENSITIVE TO SOMETHING HERE THAT I THINK IS PARAMOUNT. AND THAT'S THE FACT THAT IF YOU LOOK AT THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF YOUR AGENDA, IT HAS REGULAR AGENDA, NEW BUSINESS ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION AND POSSIBLE ACTION OR ACTION GOING FORWARD IS TO BE SENSITIVE OF THE TIMELINES. 
          OKAY. SO THAT CLOCK IS OFF. OKAY. THAT'S WHY I KEEP OKAY. RIGHT NOW WE'RE TEN 15 MINUTES INTO OUR MEETING. HELLO. HOW ARE YOU DOING SIR? AND FRANKLY SPEAKING, AS WE MARCH FORWARD, WE'RE NOT GOING TO COVER THE FINANCE STATS REPORT. AS OF APRIL 2025, BECAUSE THAT REPORT IS NOT AVAILABLE RIGHT NOW. WE'RE MAKING SOME MODIFICATIONS THERE BECAUSE OF US. THIS BEING THE FIRST WEEK OF THE MONTH, WE NEED TO TRANSITION AS TO HOW DO WE GET THAT? BECAUSE WE'RE DELAYED A WEEK ON IT. SO WE WON'T HAVE THAT TONIGHT. OKAY. SO IT'S SAFE TO SAY THAT PUTS US 
          [B.3.	Projects, attraction efforts, site visits, and general operations report Matt Carlson — Chief Executive Officer]
AHEAD AND WE MARCH FORWARD TO OUR NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA PROJECTS, ATTRACTION EFFORTS AND SITE VISITS AND GENERAL OPERATIONS REPORT FROM OUR CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF EDC, MATT CARLSON. THANK YOU. THANK YOU, AND WELCOME TO THE NEW FACES AROUND THE TABLE. AND THEN 
          [00:10:05]
THERE'S CERTAINLY A SENSE OF ENERGY THAT COMES WITH THAT, AND I'M GREATLY APPRECIATIVE OF THAT. I DO WANT TO TAKE BEFORE I GET BEFORE I GET STARTED ON THIS, JUST A QUICK POINT OF PRIVILEGE, AND THAT'S TO RECOGNIZE A MEMBER OF OUR STAFF IN THE IN THE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION'S OFFICES. THIS LAST WEEK, ANTOINE COMPLETED WHAT IS ARGUABLY THE PREMIER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION PROGRAM IN THE UNITED STATES. IT'S OKLAHOMA UNIVERSITY'S EDUCATION ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTE. IT'S BEEN THREE YEARS IN THE MAKING. WHEN HE JOINED ME, I ASKED HIM TO COMMIT TO A WEEK EACH YEAR TO TAKE THAT EFFORT ON AND DEDICATE HIMSELF TO THAT AND THE PRE-WORK AND THE POST WORK THAT THAT TAKES. CONGRATULATIONS. WELL DONE SIR. I'M STANDING. YES, SIR. THANK YOU. AND RIGHT AT. THAT'S YOU. TAP FOR YOU'LL SEE MY REPORT FOR YOU. IT FOLLOWS THE SAME FORMAT WE USE EVERY MONTH. STARTS OFF WITH OUR BUSINESS PLAN GOALS, THOSE THINGS THAT ARE OUTLINED AS PART OF THE CITY'S STRATEGIC PLAN AND OUR WORK, OUR OUR DEPARTMENT LEVEL ASSIGNMENTS OUT OF THAT, THAT COME EVERY YEAR FROM THE RETREAT, THE THREE THAT THAT THIS YEAR WERE PART OF THAT PROGRAM OF WORK. WE'RE DEVELOPING STRATEGIES TO ATTRACT PROFESSIONALS IN MEDICAL TECHNOLOGY THAT'S ACTUALLY BEEN ONGOING SINCE 23 AND WILL CONTINUE TO BE ONGOING. IT IS A IT IS A KEYSTONE OF WHAT WE DO IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. AND THE ASK FROM CITY COUNCIL WAS VERY CLEAR, AND THAT WAS, HOW DO WE GET MORE FUTURE FOCUSED AND HOW DO WE GET FOCUSED ON JOBS THAT INCREASE THE OVERALL HEALTH AND WELL-BEING AND QUALITY OF LIFE BY PAYING MORE? YOU KNOW, TRADITIONALLY WHEN I CAME HERE FOUR YEARS AGO, MOST OF OUR BUSINESS PARK WAS BEING OCCUPIED AND TRADITIONALLY HAD BEEN BY LOGISTICS AND TRANSPORTATION FIRMS. NOT THAT THERE'S ANYTHING WRONG WITH THEM, BUT, YOU KNOW, IN A 500,000 SQUARE FOOT LOGISTICS FACILITY, YOU MIGHT HAVE 65 PEOPLE WHO ARE MAKING SOMEWHERE BETWEEN 15 AND $18 AN HOUR. THIS, THIS, THIS WAS SOMETHING THAT COUNCIL RECOGNIZED AND ASKED THAT WE BEGIN WORKING ON. AND IT'S REALLY BEEN THE SOURCE OF THE REVISION OF WHAT KINDS OF INDUSTRIES WE'RE TALKING TO. WHO ARE WE TARGETING? BECAUSE YOU DON'T JUST HAVE HIGH PAYING JOBS, YOU HAVE TO RECRUIT HIGH PAYING BUSINESSES AND BUSINESSES THAT ARE THAT ARE MUCH MORE FUTURE FOCUSED. AND WE'VE BEEN SUCCESSFUL WITH THAT BOTH IN THE ADVANCED AND THE ADVANCED MANUFACTURING SPECIFICALLY SO FAR. BUT IT'S ALSO THE REASON THAT WE ARE TARGETING INDUSTRIES LIKE AEROSPACE AND AVIATION, INDUSTRIES LIKE BIO LIFE SCIENCES. THOSE ARE ALL PLACES THAT THAT WE KNOW IT WILL MAKE A SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE GOING FORWARD. SO WE'LL CONTINUE THOSE EFFORTS. YOU SPECIFICALLY ASK THAT WE PARTNER WITH THE DALLAS ENTREPRENEUR CENTER IS A WAY OF HELPING SMALL BUSINESSES, STARTUPS, BUSINESSES THAT HAD ALREADY STARTED TO GROW TO HELP THEM SCALE. HOW DO WE PROVIDE THE SERVICES, THE EDUCATION, THE SUPPORT THAT THOSE ORGANIZATIONS NEED? WE COMPLETED THAT LAST YEAR. WE CREATED THAT THAT PROGRAM. AND REALLY AS A TRIAD, NOT JUST BETWEEN THE DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION AND THE DECK, THE DALLAS ENTREPRENEUR CENTER, BUT ALSO WITH THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, BECAUSE THE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE IS SO INVOLVED WITH THE CREATION AND GROWTH OF SMALL BUSINESSES AND VERY, VERY LOCAL, YOU KNOW, LITERALLY JUST DOWN THE STREET KIND OF SUPPORT, WE FELT LIKE THAT TRIAD WAS WAS A BETTER WAY TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE. 
          IT HELPS THE CHAMBER HAVE MORE RELEVANCY. IT HAS THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE CHAMBER TO BRING BUSINESSES TOGETHER AND ASSIST THEM WITH LOCAL SERVICES, AS WELL AS AS THOSE SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE DECK. THE DECK HAS PEOPLE HERE TO BE ABLE TO COACH ON A WEEKLY BASIS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES WHO ARE LOOKING FOR HELP ALONG A LONG AN ENTIRE RANGE OF VARIOUS IDEAS OR NEEDS. 
          THEY CAN. THE CHAMBER CAN TIE THEM TOGETHER WITH SCORE VOLUNTEERS. SO WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO PUT TOGETHER AN ENTIRE PACKAGE THAT ADDRESSES SMALL BUSINESS NEEDS. WE AREN'T STAFFED TO DO THAT. WE DON'T, WE DON'T. THAT'S PROBABLY NOT WHAT WE'RE BEST AT, BUT WE KNEW THAT WE COULD PARTNER WITH PEOPLE WHO DO, AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT THEY DO. SO THAT'LL BE ONGOING. CAN I ADD SOMETHING THERE? YEAH. JUST SOME UPCOMING EVENTS THAT ARE GOING ON. ANTOINE LONG, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MANAGER PITCH COMPETITION THEY JUST HAD THIS WEEK. THEY'RE AT THE DECK. 
          THEY'LL BE HAVING A FINANCIAL SERIES UPCOMING WITH CAPITAL ONE STARTING NEXT MONTH OR ACTUALLY THIS MONTH TAKING US ALL THE WAY TO JULY. ALSO, AMPLIFY WILL BE AN EVENT ON JUNETEENTH, JUNE 
          [00:15:05]
19TH, CELEBRATING MINORITY AND BIOPIC FOUNDERS HERE IN DFW. THEN LASTLY, ALL THE WAY LOOKING IN AUGUST DALLAS STARTUP. WE OUGHT TO BE AUGUST 3RD THROUGH SEVENTH. SO JUST SOME ADDITIONAL ITEMS THAT THEY'LL BE DOING BETWEEN NOW AND END THIS FISCAL YEAR. PERFECT. THANK YOU. LASTLY IS DEVELOPING INCENTIVE PROGRAM TO ATTRACT ANCHOR DEVELOPMENTS TO THE HAMPTON ROAD CORRIDOR. 
          YOU KNOW, WE CONTINUE TO MOVE THE CORRIDOR FORWARD. IT WAS LAST YEAR THAT WE ADOPTED THE CHARACTER CODE. WE CONTINUE TO WORK WITH OUR COMMUNITY AS WE LOOK TO HOW TO HOW TO START TO IMPLEMENT THAT PROGRAM OF WORK. WHERE'S THE MOST ADVANTAGEOUS PLACE TO DO THAT? AND HOW DO WE BEGIN TO START TO RECOGNIZE THE WINS THAT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT? YOU KNOW, WE'VE CREATED THE TOURS, AND THIS IS THE SECOND YEAR NOW OF THE TOURS, WHICH IS GENERATING THE FUNDS THAT WE ANTICIPATED IT WOULD THAT WILL ALLOW US TO MAKE INVESTMENTS AS THEY PRESENT THEMSELVES, EVALUATE INDIVIDUAL PROJECT SUBMISSIONS. WE CONTINUE TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS WITH DEVELOPERS AROUND THE PROJECTS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE AND WORK ON. PART OF THAT SAME STRATEGY WAS TO ACQUIRE THE COMMUNITY MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH, WHICH WE COMPLETED LAST MONTH, AND NOW HAVE THAT AS ANOTHER COMPONENT THAT WE'LL BE WORKING ON IN TERMS OF IDENTIFYING WHAT THE DEVELOPMENT PATTERN AND WHO ARE THE POTENTIAL DEVELOPERS THAT WOULD WORK WITH US THERE. AND THAT REALLY LEADS TO THE LAST PIECE, WHICH IS AN ONGOING EFFORT OF IDENTIFYING THE PROPER FUNDING AND THE INCENTIVE TOOLS AND THE PROJECTS TO MAKE THOSE COME ABOUT. AND SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK ON THOSE AS WELL. DEPARTMENT GOALS THAT WE SAID AT THE BEGINNING OF THE YEAR, AS PART OF OUR WORK PLAN, YOU CAN SEE AS WE JUST AS WE SORT OF RANGE DOWN THOSE, WE'RE ON TARGET TO MEET ALL OF THOSE GOALS THIS YEAR. WE'RE HAPPY WITH THE WAY THAT WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT. A COUPLE PIECES THAT FALL SHORT, THOUGH, IS, IS OBTAINING COMMITMENTS FOR AN ADDITIONAL MILLION DOLLARS OF NEW DEVELOPMENT WITHIN THAT ZONE. REMEMBER THAT ZONE ISN'T JUST HAMPTON ROAD. IT ACTUALLY IS THE LOWER PART OF OUR OF OUR INDUSTRIAL PARK AS WELL. AND WHILE WE'VE HAD SOME GOOD INVESTMENT THERE WITH $47 MILLION FROM SOLAR TURBINES, ANOTHER 22 MILLION FROM ALLIED ALLIED STONE, THERE ARE THAT'S STILL NOT MAKING UP TO THAT 100 MILLION THAT WE WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE. SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK ON THAT IN THE NEXT SIX MONTHS OF THIS YEAR. THE OTHER ITEM THAT'S AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS, AND IT ISN'T JUST AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ISSUE. IT'S REALLY HOW WE WORK WITH OUR SISTER DEPARTMENTS WITHIN THE CITY. AND THAT'S CREATING THIS IDEA OF A FRICTIONLESS DEVELOPMENT EFFORT. HOW HOW DO WE MAKE IT SEAMLESS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY TO, TO WORK THROUGH, FROM CONCEPT TO DELIVERY OF A PROJECT? HOW DO WE MAKE THIS THE PLACE THAT PEOPLE WANT TO DEVELOP AS OPPOSED TO, OH, HOW DO I HAVE TO GET THROUGH THAT? THOSE ARE ALL THINGS THAT THAT MAJID AND ADRIANA HAVE HAVE EMBRACED AS WELL. AND, AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO AS WE BEGIN TO IMPLEMENT THESE VARIOUS COMPONENTS OF THAT, HOW THAT HELPS US CHANGE THE NARRATIVE AROUND WHAT DEVELOPMENT LOOKS LIKE CURRENTLY IN DESOTO. IF I LOOK AT THE ACTIVITY UPDATES, IF YOU FLIP THE PAGE TO PAGE 17, YOU SEE BOARD ACTIVITIES. OUR NEXT JOINT MEETING OF THE BOARDS IS AUGUST 20TH, AND I'LL SPEAK BRIEFLY ON THAT IN A MINUTE ABOUT SUBMITTING THE PROJECTS THAT WE WANT TO DISCUSS. AT THAT. THERE'S A PROCESS TO DO THAT. AND THEN OUR JUNE BOARD MEETING, CONTINUING ON WITH OUR SECOND THURSDAY THAT WE STARTED THIS MONTH AND WILL CONTINUE FOR THE FORESEEABLE FUTURE, WILL BE JUNE 12TH AT 6:00, RIGHT BACK HERE. WE DON'T I DON'T I DON'T ANTICIPATE US UNLESS THE BOARD WOULD LIKE TO TAKING ANY MONTHS OFF DURING THE SUMMER. BUT IF THAT'S SOMETHING YOU ALL WANT TO THINK ABOUT, I KNOW WE HAVE DONE IT IN THE PAST, BUT I'LL JUST CONTINUE TO LIST THOSE THERE AND LET LET YOU ALL THINK ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT THAT'S THERE'S OPPORTUNITY THERE. YOU KNOW, COUNCIL COUNCIL MOVES FROM TWO MEETINGS A MONTH TO ONE. AND, AND FOR BOTH JUNE AND JULY. THEN THEY COME BACK TO THEIR REGULAR MEETING SCHEDULE IN AUGUST. SO SOMETHING FOR YOU TO THINK ABOUT. SMALL BUSINESS EVENTS. ANTOINE WOULD TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE FRANCHISE EFFORTS. OUR FALL FRANCHISE MEETING WILL BE IN NOVEMBER. WE HAVE NOT DETERMINED THE DATE YET, BECAUSE THE DATE WE HAD PICKED IS HAPPENS TO BE THE SECOND THURSDAY OF NOVEMBER, SO IT'S NOT GOING TO WORK VERY WELL. OUR HUMAN RESOURCE ROUNDTABLE, REMEMBER, ON A ON A MONTHLY BASIS, WE MEET WITH OUR HUMAN RESOURCE LEADERS THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY THAT IS JUNE 12TH, AS WELL AS OUR BOARD MEETING. THAT GROUP HAS CONTINUED TO GROW AND 
          [00:20:01]
IS SORT OF GETTING ITS OWN LEGS. AND IT WAS INTERESTING TO HAVE BEEN ON A SITE VISIT LAST WEEK TALKING TO A PARTICULAR LARGE EMPLOYER IN OUR COMMUNITY, AND MENTIONED TO THEM THAT THEIR HR PERSON HADN'T BEEN THERE, AND IT'S BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE AN HR PERSON RIGHT NOW. BUT HE SAID, WELL, CAN CAN GENERAL MANAGERS COME TO. AND I SAID, ABSOLUTELY. AND THAT TURNED INTO A CONVERSATION ABOUT, DO WE NEED TO HAVE A ROUNDTABLE OF OUR GENERAL MANAGERS OR HOW DO WE MOVE THIS PARTICULAR MEETING MAYBE FROM PLACE TO PLACE, SO THAT GENERAL MANAGERS CAN SHOW OFF THEIR, THEIR, THEIR INDIVIDUAL FACILITIES AND TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHAT THEY DO. 
          SO WE MAY WE MAY FIND SOME NEW, SOME NEW AND INTERESTING TRIALS AND ERRORS WITH THAT THROUGHOUT THIS NEXT YEAR AS WE CONTINUE ON. THIS IS A PROGRAM WE STARTED A LITTLE OVER A LITTLE OVER TWO YEARS AGO AND, AND HAVE HAD REALLY GREAT RESPONSE FROM, FROM OUR, OUR COMMUNITY. IT BEGAN REALLY AS A, AS A RESPONSE TO THE SHORTAGE OF WORKERS THAT WE FIND IN THOSE THOSE FACILITIES THAT LOOK LIKE TRANSPORTATION AND LOGISTICS AND THE EXTREMELY HIGH TURNOVER WE WERE WITH, WITH ONE OF OUR OUR EMPLOYERS WHO TALKED ABOUT A 70% TURNOVER, THAT'S THAT'S A LOT. SO HAVING THEM BE ABLE TO TALK TO EACH OTHER AND LEARN FROM ONE ANOTHER AND SHARE EXPERIENCES ABOUT WHAT YOU HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. BUT WE DID THIS. WE FEEL LIKE HAD SOME VALUE. AND WE CERTAINLY ARE HEARING THAT FED BACK IN TERMS OF OUTBOUND ATTRACTION NEXT WEEK IS THE ANNUAL SELECTUSA, WHICH IS A FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT CONFERENCE. MAY 11TH THROUGH 14TH WE WILL BE AT THE ICSC LAS VEGAS. THE RECON PROGRAM IS MAY 18TH THROUGH 20TH. CITY MANAGER, THE COUNCILMAN, MYSELF AND ANTOINE WILL BE AT THAT FOR THREE DAYS SUNDAY, MONDAY AND TUESDAY. IT'S A VERY QUICK TURNAROUND TRIP. AND THEN THE FOLLOWING MONTH WE'RE HOME FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS, AND THEN THE FOLLOWING MONTH IN JUNE, WE'RE BACK IN BOSTON AT THE BIO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR FRIENDS AT THE DALLAS REGIONAL CHAMBER, OURSELVES. DENTON, HELP ME, ANTOINE PLANO, ARLINGTON AND DALLAS WILL BE THE FIVE CITIES WHO ARE REPRESENTED AT THE AT THE BIO CONFERENCE THIS YEAR. IT HAS TURNED OUT TO BE A VERY, VERY PRODUCTIVE WAY FOR US TO BE TALKING ABOUT BIO LIFE SCIENCES IN DESOTO. AND SO WE'LL BE BACK AT THAT AGAIN. IF I CAN MAKE A COMMENT REAL QUICK, THE SELECT USA FOLKS, THAT IS TO MATT'S POINT, FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT, A LOT OF INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES AND DELEGATIONS THAT ARE LOOKING TO THE UNITED STATES FOR SOME TYPE OF RELOCATION EXPANSION OPPORTUNITIES, ESPECIALLY, YOU KNOW, THIS TARIFF ACTIVITY GOING ON WITH US HAVING SO MANY INTERNATIONAL COMPANIES ALREADY IN OUR BUSINESS PARK, IT DOES BODE WELL TO A LOT OF THE CONVERSATIONS WE DO ALREADY HAVE. SO WE'LL BE TALKING TO A LOT MORE FIRMS NEXT WEEK. THE CSC RECON SHOW, AGAIN, A BIG RETAIL SHOW, THE SUPER BOWL OF RETAIL, IF YOU WILL, FOR BROKERS, RETAILERS, DEVELOPERS THAT WILL BE OUT THERE. LAST YEAR WE HAD 36 MEETINGS. WE HOPE TO YOU KNOW, TOP THAT HOPEFULLY ABOUT CLOSE TO 40. I KNOW WE TALKED ABOUT 20 THIS MORNING. I THINK WE CAN PROBABLY GET UP TO 40 WITH THAT ADDITIONAL BANDWIDTH WE HAVE WITH THE TEAM GOING OUT THERE. AND THEN THE BIO PIECE. TO MATT'S POINT, THERE ARE ONLY FIVE COMMUNITIES IN DFW THAT ARE GOING OUT THERE. 
          BUT AGAIN, TO BE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, SHOWCASE DESOTO TO THE WORLD IS VERY OPPORTUNE THAT WE'RE ONE OF THE FEW IN DFW. SO WE'LL CONTINUE TO HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS OUT THERE IN BOSTON. AND IT IS, IN FACT, AN INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE. IT'S BOUNCES BACK AND FORTH FROM THE EAST COAST TO THE WEST COAST EACH YEAR. THIS YEAR'S IN BOSTON. LAST YEAR WAS IN SAN DIEGO, BUT WE BRING BACK GREAT CONTACTS FROM THAT THAT CONTINUE TO TALK WITH US AND IDENTIFY BOTH. DALLAS, THE REGION, NOT JUST TEXAS, BUT DALLAS SPECIFICALLY. AND NOW ASKING MUCH MORE ABOUT WHEN DOES YOUR WHEN DOES YOUR FACILITIES IN DESOTO START COMING ONLINE? WE REALLY WANT TO WE REALLY SEE A VALUE THERE. SO MATT, LET ME KIND OF CHIME IN THERE BECAUSE I HAD SOME HIGHLIGHTS HERE. BUT SINCE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THAT AS IT RELATES TO WHAT'S HAPPENING IN OUR CITY, AS WE MEET THE DIFFERENT ENTITIES THAT MAY HAVE EXPERTISE AND THAT WANT TO COME AND EXPLORE FURTHER, WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS THAT WE'RE THAT WE'RE SEEING FROM OUR STANDPOINT THAT MAY NEED TO BE ADDRESSED TO HELP MITIGATE SOME SOME NEGATIVES, IF YOU WILL. NOT THAT THE CLOUDS. BUT AS PEOPLE BEGIN TO TAKE A CLOSER LOOK, WHAT BARRIERS DO WE HAVE THAT WE CAN SHORE UP NOW? WELL, IT DEPENDS ON THE INDUSTRY YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. RIGHT. WELL, TALKING ABOUT SO, SO BIO IN PARTICULAR. RIGHT. THIS IS IF YOU IF YOU GO BACK THIS IS A THIS IS A. INITIATIVE THAT'S ALL OF LESS THAN TWO YEARS OLD. THAT'S THAT'S AS LONG AS WE'VE 
          [00:25:06]
BEEN ABLE TO BEGIN THIS PROCESS. AND WE'VE DONE A LOT OF GROUNDWORK AROUND THAT. THE NEXT STEP OF THAT REALLY STARTS TO LOOK LIKE PUTTING INFRASTRUCTURE DOWN AND PUTTING BUILDINGS ON THE GROUND, FINDING THOSE WHO WILL SPECULATIVELY BUILD. THAT'S A HUGE HURDLE. YOU KNOW IT. THE END USERS, ESPECIALLY IN THIS INDUSTRY, DON'T TEND TO BE THE ABLE TO IDENTIFY THAT SITE AND THEN TAKE IT THROUGH A THREE YEAR DEVELOPMENT PROCESS. THE ESPECIALLY THE PEOPLE THAT WE'RE TARGETING AT THE HIGH GROWTH COMPANIES THAT ARE COMING OUT OF, SAY, THE INCUBATOR AT PEGASUS PARK, WHICH IS REALLY BEEN KIND OF THE CENTRAL FOCUS. A LOT OF THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE AT UT SOUTHWESTERN IN TERMS OF RESEARCH IS BEING COMMERCIALIZED THERE AT PEGASUS PARK. THESE COMPANIES ARE COMING THROUGH THAT INCUBATOR, AND NOW THEY'RE THEY'RE LOOKING FOR PLACES TO TAKE UP SPACE. THOSE EMERGING COMPANIES, WE CALL THEM SERIES A, SERIES B FINANCED. 
          THEY HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY, BUT THEY'RE HAVING TO BECOME A REAL BUSINESS. AND NOW THEY NEED LAB SPACE AND OFFICE SPACE. THE FACILITIES THAT WE LOOK AT, AT THE CORE OF THAT BIO BIO LIFE, INNOVATION CAMPUS ARE THOSE VERY FACILITIES. BUT THOSE COMPANIES HAVE A VERY SHORT FUZE. THEY DON'T KNOW THEY'RE GOING TO BE THAT THAT SUCCESSFUL IN A LONG RAMP. AND SO WE FIND THEM LOOKING AND SAYING, I'M GOING TO NEED SPACE IN SIX MONTHS. I'M GOING TO NEED SPACE IN NINE MONTHS. AND SO IT IS, IT IS OUT OF NECESSITY, BE SPEC BUILT IN ORDER TO ADDRESS THOSE COMPANIES. IT'D BE GREAT IF YOU KNEW THERE WAS A COMPANY WHO WAS GOING TO BUILD THAT SPACE OUT AND WE COULD SIMPLY ADD 2 OR 3 MORE FLOORS, AND WE MAY STILL YET IDENTIFY A COMPANY LIKE THAT. WE'VE HAD SEVERAL CONVERSATIONS LIKE LOOK LIKE THAT, BUT THAT HASN'T BEEN THE WAY THAT THAT HAS HAS EVOLVED. IT JUST APPEARS THAT AND I REMEMBER SOME OF US IN COUNCILMAN BIRD JOINED ALSO, AND WE WENT TO THE PEGASUS AND THAT THAT SESSION THAT WAS HELD FOR THE ENTIRE DAY WAS VERY, VERY POSITIVE TOWARD DESOTO. THUMBS UP AND RAH RAH AND ALL OF THAT. 
          BUT BRINGING IT TO FRUITION IS PROBABLY THE GREATER. THING THAT WE NEED TO FOCUS ON. NOT THAT ANY OF US AROUND THE TABLE CAN SNAP OUR FINGER AND MAKE IT HAPPEN, BUT I ASK ABOUT THE BARRIERS BECAUSE TIME KILLS ALL DEALS. AND THAT'S BEEN ABOUT, WHAT, 6 OR 7 MONTHS? AND THERE'S NOTHING NEW. SO DO WE NEED TO BRING SOMEONE IN, SIT DOWN AND TALK WITH THEM? WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO TO HELP NURTURE SOME RELATIONSHIPS? NOT THAT YOU GUYS ARE. YOU GUYS ARE PHENOMENAL JOB. OBVIOUSLY FOR THAT THAT SESSION. BUT WHAT CAN WE DO COLLECTIVELY BECAUSE YOU GOT A BOARD HERE. YOU GOT LEADERSHIP IN THE CITY THAT IS SAYING THUMBS UP. LET'S LEARN MORE. 
          LET'S IDENTIFY THE PATHWAYS. SO WHAT DO WE NEED TO DO TO CREATE ACTION. AND SO I USE THAT ONE. 
          BUT WITH WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT THE OTHER CONFERENCES THAT WERE GOING TO ICSC FOR EXAMPLE, WHAT ARE WE GOT SOME HURDLES WE KNOW WE HAVE. OKAY, WHATEVER MAY NOT BE IN THIS ROOM, BUT WE HAVE HURDLES WITHIN DIFFERENT DISCIPLINES. WHAT IS IT THAT WE CAN DO TO BRING THE CHICK FIL A'S OF THE WORLD, THE, THE, THE OTHER NEW CONCEPTS? WHAT IS IT THAT WE CAN DO TO HELP? WELL, AGAIN, THESE ARE THERE'S NO SILVER BULLET HERE, RIGHT? RIGHT. IF I'M GOING TO PICK ON ON RETAIL, FOR INSTANCE ICSC, THE SINGLE THING WE LACK IS SPACE. WE DON'T HAVE DEVELOPED SPACES FOR THOSE COMPANIES. SO FRANCHISEES WHO ARE LOOKING FOR SPACE, RIGHT. THEIR FRANCHISEES WHO ARE WHO HAVE IDENTIFIED THEMSELVES. I'D LIKE TO BE IN DESOTO FRANCHISORS WHO ARE HAPPY TO SUPPORT THEM. BUT THAT MEANS WE HAVE TO HAVE SPACE ON THE GROUND. THAT MEANS WE HAVE TO HAVE PLACES WHERE THEY CAN BUILD THAT SPACE, AND MOST OF THEM ARE NOT BUILDING THEIR OWN SPACE. 
          THEY'RE NOT FREESTANDING. SO CO-LOCATION IS CRITICAL. YEAH. CHICK FIL A IS A REALLY GREAT EXAMPLE. AND IT'S FUN TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, YOU SITTING AT THE TABLE. BUT THAT'S A PROJECT THAT TOOK US ALMOST THREE YEARS TO PUT ON THE GROUND. RIGHT. SO I SAY THAT TO REMIND EVERYONE THERE IS NO QUICK AND SIMPLE ANSWER TO THAT. THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS ALONE TAKES A PERIOD, A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME, AND THERE'S JUST NO WAY TO SPEED IT UP. IF YOU CAN MOVE TO MARKET QUICKER WITH APPROVALS, GREAT. IF WE CAN RENOVATE SPACE THAT PEOPLE WOULD WANT TO LEASE. IF 
          [00:30:03]
WE HAVE THOSE SPACES, GREAT. BUT IF IT COMES TO BUILDING OUT NEW SPACES AND LOOKING AT KEY COMMERCIAL INTERSECTIONS, THAT WHERE THOSE THOSE ARE LIKELY TO DEVELOP IN A, IN A CRITICAL MASS THAT WILL DRAW RETAILERS THEN THEN WE HAVE TO WORK ON THAT. SO THAT'S THAT'S A HURDLE. YEAH. 
          YOU KNOW PART OF PART OF AND IT'S NOT AS AS. IT'S NOT IT'S VERY DIFFERENT SET OF CHALLENGES THAT FACE US ON THE BIOLIFE SCIENCE. AND THAT IS TO WHETHER WHETHER WE NEED TO WHETHER WE WANT TO FIND A MASTER DEVELOPER TO DEVELOP THAT ENTIRE PIECE OF PROPERTY OR WHETHER WE WANT TO FIND INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPERS, AND WE SORT OF BECOME OUR OWN DEFACTO MASTER DEVELOPER. THAT'S BEEN A THAT'S KIND OF BEEN A BACK AND FORTH, AND WE'VE MET WITH A LARGE NUMBER OF FOLKS TO TALK THROUGH THAT PROCESS. WE'RE STILL NOT SURE OF THE RIGHT ANSWER THERE, BUT I THINK THE NEXT STEP FOR US IS TO EXPAND A LITTLE BIT OF MONEY AND DO OUR OWN SMALL AREA PLAN THAT IDENTIFIES THE COMPONENTS IN A MUCH MORE SPECIFIC WAY. ESSENTIALLY, THAT SORT OF GETS IT DOWN TO THE PLAT LEVEL AND START TAKING THOSE TO THE INDIVIDUAL USERS OR THE INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPERS. THERE ARE PEOPLE WHO BUILD OFFICE AND LAB SPACES. THAT'S WHAT THEY DO. 
          THEY'RE NOT GOING TO DEVELOP THE WHOLE SPACE. BUT IF YOU TOOK THEM A SPACE AND SAID, I NEED $250,000 OF LAB SPACE, AND THEN WE START TO WORK WITH THEM TO FIGURE OUT THE FINANCING PORTION OF THAT, AND I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY THE WAY WE'RE GOING TO END UP DEVELOPING THAT PIECE OF PROPERTY. SO TO THIS POINT, I DON'T WANT TO BELABOR US HERE. AND ANYBODY ELSE, PLEASE CHIME IN, BUT NOT TO PUT ANY OF US ON THE SPOT OR ANYTHING. HOWEVER, WE'VE BEEN SAYING FOR A LONG TIME NOW, WE DON'T HAVE SPACE. THAT'S A HURDLE. IT'S A HUGE HURDLE. BUT IF THAT'S A HURDLE, THAT'S JUST ONE OF THEM OF A FEW THAT I KNOW. IF THAT'S A HURDLE, THEN WE HAVE TO ATTACK. THAT'S A LACK AND WE HAVE TO ATTACK OUR LACK. HOW DO WE LOOK AT THAT AND SAY, OKAY, IT'S NOT GOING TO CHANGE UNTIL WE CHANGE IT, UNTIL WE MAKE A CONCERTED EFFORT. NOT THAT WE HAVEN'T BEEN, BUT HOW DO WE TAKE IT TO THE NEXT GENERATION OF ADDRESSING IT AND NIPPING THIS IN THE BUD? DO WE LOOK AT WE HAVE OUR FOUR AREAS THAT WE WERE PRIMARILY LOOKING AT. THERE'S MUCH, MUCH MORE THAN FOUR. WELL, I KNOW YOU'RE FOUR AREAS SIMPLY WON'T DEVELOP FAST ENOUGH. YEAH. SO TO THE EXTENT THAT YOU WANT TO FIND RESULTS QUICKER THAN THAT, YES, YOU MUST LOOK AT THE VARIOUS DEVELOPMENT NODES AROUND TOWN. IT'S WESTMORELAND AND BELTLINE, IT'S COCKRELL HILL AND BELTLINE, IT'S WINTERGREEN AND COCKRELL HILL, IT'S POLK AND PLEASANT RUN. I MEAN, EVERY ONE OF THOSE HAS A MUCH SMALLER FOOTPRINT THAT IS DEVELOPABLE. BUT WE HAVE TO ADDRESS THOSE IN A WAY THAT IS IT'S REVOLUTIONARY FOR WHAT WE'RE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DOING. REMEMBER WHEN WE WENT THROUGH THE STRATEGIC PLAN OR THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN PROCESS IN THE FUTURE, LAND USE, AND WE IDENTIFIED THOSE AREAS AS MIXED USE. SO THEY CHANGE FROM BEING ROADWAY ORIENTED. REMEMBER HOW MANY OF THOSE ARE ON BELTLINE A STATE HIGHWAY? AND IF YOU LOOK AT THAT STATE HIGHWAY AS IT COMES THROUGH THROUGH DESOTO, IT'S IT HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN DEVELOPED ENTIRELY AUTO ORIENTED. WE'RE ASKING FOR SOMETHING DIFFERENT AT THOSE KEY REMAINING NODES, BECAUSE YOU HAVE LAND MASSES THERE WHERE YOU CAN DEVELOP A DIFFERENT LEVEL OF DENSITY. THERE'S NO SHORTAGE OF PEOPLE WHO WOULD LIKE TO DEVELOP AN INLINE STRIP WITH A COUPLE OF COUPLE OF THREE DRIVE THROUGH PADS SITTING IMMEDIATELY NEXT TO WESTMORELAND AND BELTLINE. YOU COULD FILL THOSE STORES IF YOU DEVELOP THAT RIGHT AWAY, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO HAVE A HARD TIME FINDING INLINE USERS, BUT WHAT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET WHEN YOU DEVELOP THAT IS WHAT YOU WANT BEHIND IT. ON THE ADDITIONAL 17 ACRES, THAT LOOKS LIKE A MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT. SO AS PART OF OUR PROCESS IN OUR COMP PLAN, WE IDENTIFIED THOSE PLACES AND SAID WE WANT WE WANT TO CHANGE THE DEVELOPMENT PATTERN. WE WANT TO WE DON'T WANT TO NECESSARILY HAVE THE SAME STYLE OF DEVELOPMENT THAT IN AND OF ITSELF SLOWS THE PROCESS DOWN. THE OTHER PIECE THAT SLOWS THAT DOWN IS YOU HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLING TO COME AND DO THOSE DEVELOPMENT THAT MAKE THOSE DEVELOPMENTS BEGIN TO HAPPEN, BUT WE DON'T HAVE THE ZONING FOR THOSE OPPORTUNITIES IN PLACE. THAT MEANS WE HAVE TO WORK ON GETTING OUR ZONING ORDINANCES IN PLACE THAT IDENTIFY WHAT NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT LOOKS 
          [00:35:04]
LIKE, WHAT WHAT, WHAT DESTINATION MIXED USE LOOKS LIKE, AND GET THOSE PIECES IN PLACE. SO WE ELIMINATE THE RISK AND ADD THE CERTAINTY THAT THE DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY IS ASKING FOR EACH OF THOSE PROJECTS. AND WE'RE WE'RE BEGINNING TO DEAL WITH THOSE SORT OF ONE ON ONE, ALMOST OUT OF NECESSITY, BECAUSE WE HAVE A WILLING WE HAVE WILLING PARTNERS WHO ARE WHO ARE WILLING TO SAY DENSITY IS NOT A BAD THING IN THOSE SPACES THAT WE HAVE IDENTIFIED AS PART OF OUR COMP PLAN, LET'S START WORKING OUR WAY THROUGH WITH OUR COUNCIL, WITH OUR DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, WITH OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOLKS, TO FIND THOSE PROJECTS THAT THAT WILL MEET BOTH OF THOSE NEEDS AND DOING IT ONE OFF, ONE BY ONE BY ONE. WE'VE STARTED TO BEGIN TO BRING THOSE FORWARD BECAUSE IT WAS CLEAR THAT THE DEMAND IS HIGHER THAN WE CAN RESPOND TO QUICKLY IN TERMS OF MAKING SOME OF THOSE SOME OF THOSE FUNDAMENTAL CHANGES AROUND DEVELOPMENT ORDINANCES AND, AND THAT TYPE OF THING. THERE IS NO THERE IS NO THERE'S NO GREAT ANSWER TO YOUR QUESTION OTHER THAN TO CONTINUE THE WORK. TO GET THE PLACES WHERE WE CAN GET WINS, TO GET THEM TO PROVE UP THOSE CONCEPTS. AND HOPEFULLY THAT GIVES OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS A LEVEL OF COMFORT TO SAY THAT THAT'S REALLY BETTER LOOKING THAN I THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE. THAT WORKS BETTER. THAT'S THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT WE WANT TO SEE, AND THAT STARTS TO BRING IN SOME OF THOSE VARIOUS COMPONENTS THAT THAT WE HEAR. WE HEAR OUR CITIZENS TELLING US WE WANT, YOU KNOW, ADDITIONAL RESTAURANTS. WE WANT ADDITIONAL CHOICES AROUND THOSE. IT'S ALSO CAUSING US TO RETHINK THE WAY DEVELOPMENTS THAT ARE IN PLACE ARE WE ARE ABLE TO SHAPE THOSE. I USE KROGER AS A GREAT EXAMPLE. THE KROGER, THE KROGER CENTER OUT ON ON PLEASANT RUN, AND 35 BIG SEAS OF PARKING. IT LOOKS LIKE EVERY OTHER 1970S AND 1980S GROCERY ANCHORED CENTER THAT YOU WOULD SEE. BUT THOSE PARKING, THAT PARKING LOT SITS EMPTY MOST OF THE TIME, AND IT HAS FOR A LONG TIME. SO LET'S CHANGE THE WAY WE THINK ABOUT THAT. AND WE'VE ENGAGED WITH THE NEW OWNERS THERE TO SAY, COULD WE START TO DEVELOP SOME PAD SITES HERE? COULD WE INTENSIFY THE USE OF THAT AREA TO RENOVATE AND GIVE SOME NEW LIFE TO THAT CENTER? AND THEY'RE A VERY WILLING PARTNER TO DO THAT. SO THAT WILL HELP US AS WELL. LET ME ASK A QUESTION HERE, OKAY, OF PROCESS, IF YOU WILL. WE KNOW THAT OUR NO. GO AHEAD. I'M SORRY. I'LL BRING IT UP PARLIAMENTARIAN BUT. 
          WE KNOW THAT WE CAN'T CONTINUE DOWN THE PATH OF EVERY THREE YEARS OPENING ANOTHER USE, OPENING A NEW LOCATION EVERY THREE YEARS, OR A CERTAIN A CERTAIN COUPLE. AND OUR RESIDENTS ARE ALWAYS SAYING, I WANT TO BE ABLE TO TAKE MY FAMILY WITHIN PROXIMITY OF MY HOME, TO GET A BITE TO EAT, OR WHATEVER THE CASE MAY BE. WE KNOW AT THE SAME TIME WE CAN'T TURN THE TIDE OVERNIGHT, BUT PERHAPS WE NEED TO AS A BOARD AND EDC AS STAFF, COME UP WITH A METHODOLOGY THAT'S ALMOST LIKE A CONSORTIUM TO HONE IN ON THE REAL BARRIERS THAT WE HAVE AND START. NOT THAT WE'RE NOT TRYING TO KNOCK THEM DOWN NOW, BUT PUT A FULL COURT PRESS ON. LET'S BRING SOME REALITY TO THE TABLE. I KNOW THAT MIXED USE IS ONE THING. MIXED USE IS GOING TO TAKE MUCH LONGER TO DEVELOP, BUT WHAT IS OUR PATH? I CALL IT THE PARALLEL PATH. WHAT'S OUR PATH TO GETTING US JUMP STARTED WHEN PEOPLE ARE CONFUSED, THEY DO NOTHING. SO EVERYONE IS LOOKING AND SAYING, WELL, WHAT ARE WE DOING? WE'RE NOT DOING ANYTHING. AND WHEN WE'RE BEHIND THE SCENES LIKE A DUCK ON WATER, LOOKS LIKE WE'RE CRUISING. BUT YOU'RE WORKING FEVERISHLY UNDERWATER. 
          SO HOW DO WE START LOOKING AT MAYBE WE NEED TO PUT TOGETHER A JUST A FOCUS GROUP ON REMOVING THE BARRIERS. AND I'M NOT SAYING THAT THAT IS AN ANSWER. I'M TOSSING THIS OUT. WE NEED TO GET BACK ON. I THINK IT'S GREAT. I THINK IT'S WORTH ADDRESSING, WITHOUT A DOUBT. I THINK THERE'S A FAIR AMOUNT OF THAT THAT'S BEING TAKING PLACE WITH JOINT MEETINGS IS MEANT TO HELP WITH THAT. SO I THINK THERE'S SOME THINGS IN PLACE THAT ARE ADDRESSING SOME OF THOSE ISSUES. 
          BUT IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, THE PARLIAMENTARIAN IN THE GROUP, I'D LOVE TO KEEP MOVING THROUGH 
          [00:40:03]
THIS SO THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT WE GET THROUGH OUR THROUGH OUR AGENDA. BUT BEFORE WE DO, I JUST WANT TO REITERATE THAT IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WHILE WE LIST IT, THAT WE REALLY BE THINKING ABOUT THE OUTCOME AND, AND HOW WE CLOSE THE GAP. THAT'S ALL BECAUSE WE'RE SAYING IT AND IT KEEPS COMING UP. BUT WE'VE GOT TO AGAIN, NOT POINTING ANY FINGERS, BUT WE'VE GOT TO BRING CLOSURE AND START SOME MOVEMENT. THAT'S WHAT WE'VE GOT TO DO. SO LET'S GO FORWARD. THE LAST OF THE ACTIVITIES THERE IS THE TDC MID-YEAR MEETING BY MANY OF US WILL BE IN, IN IN LAS VEGAS THAT WEEK. SO THEY WILL BE ATTENDING ON OUR BEHALF AT TDC'S MID-YEAR MEETING OUT IN GARLAND PROJECT UPDATES. YOU KNOW, WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THESE. OUR BIOLIFE SCIENCE WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT EFFORT, THE PANTHER CGMP COHORT COMPLETED LAST WEEK, THEIR EIGHT WEEK OF THEIR EIGHT WEEK STUDY OR EIGHT PROCESS OR EIGHT EIGHT COURSE, EIGHT COURSES. THEY ACTUALLY CRAMMED THEM INTO FOUR WEEKS. STARTED WITH DALLAS COLLEGE. IN TERMS OF SOME WORK, IN TERMS OF GETTING EVERYBODY ON A ON A COMMON LEVEL, EIGHT COURSES WITH OUR FRIENDS FROM PANTHERA AND THEN ENDED WITH DALLAS COLLEGE DOING SOME CAREER PREP, RESUME BUILDING AND SOME SAMPLE INTERVIEWS WITH INDUSTRY LEADERS OUT OF THE BIO LIFE SCIENCES TO GIVE THEM A CHANCE OF UNDERSTANDING WHAT THEY'D BE INTERVIEWING FOR. TREMENDOUS SUCCESS. IT WAS GREAT TO HEAR THE PARTICIPANTS COMMENTS. IT WAS REALLY A LOT OF FUN, AND I'M SORRY THAT MICHAELA'S NOT HERE TONIGHT, BECAUSE I THINK SHE'S SHE HAS CERTAINLY BEEN A DRIVER IN THAT, ALONG WITH HER COHORTS AT DALLAS COLLEGE. GOOD NEWS IS, IS THAT THEY HAVE ALSO JUST RECEIVED WITHIN THE LAST WEEK NOTICE FROM THE EDA, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT MINISTRATION, THAT THEIR GRANT WILL BE EXTENDED FOR ANOTHER YEAR, WHICH ALLOWS US TO OFFER A SUMMER COHORT IF WE CAN COME UP WITH THE STUDENTS FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL TO FALL COHORTS TO SPRING COHORTS AND SUMMER COHORT FOR NEXT YEAR AS WELL. VERY, VERY EXCITING. AND IT'LL GIVE US A CHANCE TO BEGIN TO CONTINUE WHAT WE'VE BEGUN DOWN THERE. QUICK QUESTION. DOES THE GRANT COVER THE COST OF DELIVERING THE PROGRAM IN ITS ENTIRETY? IT DOES, YES. TO CONTINUE. DOES IT NEED OUTSIDE FUNDS TO OR IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY TO TRACK OUTSIDE FUNDS TO THIS? I'M SURE THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO ATTRACT OUTSIDE FUNDS. THE GRANT COVERS THE COST OF THE COURSE ITSELF. TO DELIVER THAT. THERE WILL BE SOME ADDITIONAL NEEDS AROUND. DISPOSABLES AND THOSE TYPES OF THINGS THAT WILL BE NEEDED. AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE QUESTIONS THAT WE HAD ASKED WHEN WE WERE TALKING ABOUT THIS AND THAT. AS WE AS WE APPROACH THE FALL AND OUR NEW YEAR, THAT WE'D BE WILLING TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THAT, OBVIOUSLY WITH THE MUCH SMALLER AMOUNT. BUT IF THERE ARE OPPORTUNITIES TO ENGAGE, TO GET OUTSIDE SOURCES FOR THAT, I WOULD I THINK THAT WOULD BE EXTREMELY HELPFUL. AND IT AT THIS POINT IT BECOMES SOMETHING THAT'S VERY REAL. IT'S NO LONGER SPECULATIVE. AND I THINK WE CAN BRAG ABOUT IT AND PROBABLY GET SOME SUPPORT. SO YEAH, IF THERE'S PEOPLE THAT YOU THINK OF ALONG THAT LINE, THAT WOULD BE VERY, VERY, VERY HELPFUL. THE HIGH SCHOOL IS ALSO WORKING ON HOW THEY INTEGRATE THAT INTO THEIR CTEC, INTO THEIR CTE AND THEIR TECH PROGRAM. ALSO LAST WEEK OR TWO WEEKS AGO, YOU REMEMBER A YEAR AND A HALF AGO, ALMOST TWO YEARS NOW, ACTUALLY, THAT'S BEEN TWO YEARS TO THE DAY, ALMOST THAT WE BEGAN A CONVERSATION WITH DALLAS COLLEGE AND OTHERS AROUND GETTING AVIATION TRAINING IN SOUTHERN DALLAS. IT ISN'T DESOTO SPECIFIC. IT'S REALLY SOUTHERN DALLAS, THE MOST THE MOST REASONABLE PLACE TO PUT THAT WAS EXECUTIVE FIELD UP THERE, UP OFF OF CAMP WISDOM. WE WERE SUCCESSFUL IN GETTING THAT PROGRAM, STOOD UP IN DALLAS COLLEGE AND OPENED TWO WEEKS AGO AT THE NEW HANGAR THERE, WELL ATTENDED 20 NEW 20 NEW PARTICIPANTS WHO BEGAN THAT 13 MONTH PROGRAM. AND, YOU KNOW, WE'LL BE CELEBRATING THEM NEXT MAY AS THEY BEGIN, AS THEY COME THROUGH THAT PROGRAM, THERE WILL BE COHORTS FOR BOTH WEEKENDS AND EVENINGS. SO PEOPLE WITH PRIOR EXPERIENCE, MILITARY EXPERIENCE WHO ARE NEEDING JUST THAT LITTLE EXTRA BUMP TO FINISH OUT THEIR THEIR FAA. 147 AIRFRAME AND POWERPLANT CERTIFICATION WILL BE ABLE TO ADDRESS SOME OF THOSE NEEDS, AS WELL AS PEOPLE WHO ARE RESKILLING OLDER, OLDER ADULTS OR LOOKING TO RESKILL AND ARE WORKING ON WEEKENDS OR EVENINGS TO TRY TO DO THAT. IT'S REALLY EXCITING ABOUT THE PROGRAM AND SPECIFICALLY ABOUT IT BEING IN 
          [00:45:03]
SOUTHERN DALLAS. I WANT TO THANK OUR FRIENDS AT THE CITY OF DALLAS, DON BLAIR, WHO OVERSEES THE EXECUTIVE AIRPORT. THEY STEPPED IN AND LEANED RIGHT INTO IT. OUR OUR OUR CORPORATIONS, SOUTHWEST AMERICAN AIRLINES, BOMBARDIER, GULFSTREAM HAVE ALL CONTRIBUTED TEST SETS AND EQUIPMENT. AND YOU KNOW, FOR SOUTHWEST TO SAY YOU NEED JET ENGINES. YOU KNOW, REMEMBER THOSE ARE A MILLION A COPY. AND SOUTHWEST SAYS YOU NEED THREE OF THEM. JUST COME GET THEM. WE GOT THEM NOW. THEY'RE ALL 737. SO BUT IF THAT DOESN'T BOTHER YOU COME GET THEM. THAT KIND OF COOPERATION BETWEEN HIGH SCHOOL. TECHNICAL EDUCATORS IN DALLAS COLLEGE OR TEXAS TECH STATE TECHNICAL AND OUR INDUSTRIES, I THINK IS A GREAT MODEL FOR US TO CONTINUE AS WE LOOK AT OTHER OTHER IMPLEMENTATIONS AS WELL. AND THEN THAT'S REALLY THE THIRD POINT THERE IS HOW DO WE CONTINUE INDUSTRY AND EMPLOYER INTEGRATION AT ALL LEVELS TO BRING ADDITIONAL SKILL SETS OF TRAINING FOR AT THE HIGH SCHOOL, FOR OUR KIDS ON THE BIOLIFE SCIENCE CAMPUS, WE CONTINUE TO ENGAGE WITH THE OWNER. REMEMBER, WE DON'T OWN ANY OF THESE PIECES OF PROPERTY ON THESE BIG FOUR. 
          WE TALK ABOUT. WE DON'T OWN THE PROPERTY. AND YOU KNOW, YOU'LL ONLY KEEP AN OWNER INTERESTED FOR A CERTAIN PERIOD OF TIME. BUT BUT THE FACT OF THE MATTER IS WE HAVE GREAT SUPPORT FROM THAT LANDOWNER. HE CONTINUES TO RE-UP WITH ME AS I VISIT WITH HIM ON ABOUT A QUARTERLY BASIS. 
          BUT BUT EVEN THERE, ASKING THE SAME QUESTIONS YOU ARE HOW DO WE MOVE IT FORWARD, AND IS THERE MORE WE CAN DO? AND SO WE'RE WORKING VERY CLOSELY TOGETHER. THEY'RE DOING INDUSTRY OUTREACH, FINALIZING OUR LAYOUTS AROUND WHAT THAT OUGHT TO LOOK LIKE. INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, WE'VE WE'VE ALSO GARNERED INTEREST FROM OTHER LANDOWNERS WHO ARE SAYING, OKAY, MAYBE IT'S NOT AS BIG AS THE CAMPUS ITSELF, BUT WHAT CAN I DO? AND WE ACTUALLY HAVE SOME FOLKS SITTING IN THE ROOM TONIGHT TO TALK ABOUT A DIFFERENT PIECE. BUT BUT THERE'S A NEW FLEX SPACE THAT'S BEING DEVELOPED, THREE 15,000 FOOT PLATES THAT THAT WERE ORIGINALLY GOING TO LOOK JUST LIKE ANY OTHER SORT OF FLEX SPACE, OFFICE AND WAREHOUSE IN THE BACK. AND AS WE HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS WITH SOME OF OUR FRIENDS, THEY SAID, GOSH, THAT'S PRETTY INTERESTING. AND IT CERTAINLY RENTS IN A MUCH HIGHER RATE. SPENT SOME TIME AROUND THE STATE LOOKING AT OTHER PLACES WHERE THIS HAS BEEN DONE AND ARE DEVELOPING A FLEX, A FLEX SPACE THAT'S A MUCH SMALLER SCALE. 
          WE'RE TRYING TO WE'RE TRYING TO PUT AN END USER INTO THAT BUILDING NOW. SO IT'S TURNING INTO MORE THAN JUST A CAMPUS SPACE. IT'S TURNING INTO OTHER SPACES WITHIN. AND EVEN SOME OF OUR RETROFIT OF SPACES THAT EXIST THAT AREN'T BIO BY THEMSELVES TODAY. BUT HOW CAN WE ADD A CLEAN ROOM? HOW DO WE ADD, HOW DO WE ADD THESE, THESE OTHER AMENITIES THAT'S GOING ON? AND WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. AND INTERESTING, YOU KNOW, I'VE HAD PEOPLE ASK WHY BIO WHY. YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THE DEAL THERE. YOU CAN'T DENY THAT BIO LIFE SCIENCES IS GROWING IN TEXAS AND SPECIFICALLY IN DALLAS. YOU CAN EITHER BE PART OF IT OR YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE PART OF IT. BUT IF YOU WANT TO WAIT AROUND THREE YEARS, YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BE PART OF IT. IT'S GOING TO PASS YOU BY. IF YOU NEED PROOF OF THAT. WITHOUT THE CAMPUS, WITHOUT THESE PIECES THERE. IN THIS LAST SIX MONTHS, WE HAVE RESPONDED TO TWO RFPS AROUND POSITIONING MANUFACTURING FACILITIES IN DESOTO FOR PROJECTS THAT ARE IN EXCESS OF $1 BILLION. ONE OF THEM WAS $1 BILLION. ONE WAS $1.2 BILLION. THERE'S NEVER BEEN A TIME IN DESOTO'S PAST THAT WE'VE HAD BILLION DOLLAR PROJECTS COME TO OUR DOORSTEP AND SERIOUSLY GIVE US CONSIDERATION. AND THE REASON THEY ARE IS BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT BIO NOW FOR A YEAR AND A HALF, AND THEY SEE US AS A VIABLE OPTION. THEY SEE US AS A VIABLE OPTION TO DOWNTOWN, AND THEY SEE US AS AN OPTION FOR BIO MANUFACTURING. ADJACENT TO THAT KIND OF RESEARCH AND LAB SPACE, BECAUSE THOSE NEED TO BE IN CLOSE PROXIMITY, AND IT'S SIMPLY TOO EXPENSIVE TO DO IT INSIDE OF DALLAS AND THE MEDICAL CENTER AREA. PLANO HAS THE VERY SAME IDEA. THERE ARE ALSO THREE TIMES THE DISTANCE FROM PEGASUS THAT WE ARE, AND IT'S ALSO A RENOVATION SITE. IT'S A REHAB SITE. IT'S GOING TO TAKE THE OLD EADS FACILITY DOWN AND REPOSITION IT. WE ARE A GREENFIELD SITE AND WE HAVE GREENFIELD SITES THAT RESPOND TO THESE RFPS. WE'RE IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME TILL ONE OF THOSE SAYS THAT'S DESOTO'S WHERE THAT'S GOING TO BE. I DO WANT TO PUT THAT INTO INTO PERSPECTIVE FOR THOSE WHO ARE LISTENING AND MAY NOT KNOW. THE TOTAL TAXABLE BASE IN DESOTO TODAY IS ABOUT $7.5 BILLION. IT'S ONE PROJECT WOULD INCREASE THAT BY 15% IN 24 MONTHS. IT TOOK US 75 YEARS TO 
          [00:50:08]
GET TO 7.5 BILLION LAND. ONE OF THOSE PROJECTS, AND IT INCREASES IT BY 15% IN 24 MONTHS. THAT'S WHY WE'RE CHASING BIO. AND BY THE WAY, THE AVERAGE PAY IN THAT FACILITY IS $128,000 PER YEAR. 
          THAT'S GREAT. IT'S HUGE. IT IS GAME CHANGING. IT IS AN ASTRONOMICAL SHIFT FROM WHERE DESOTO HAS SEEN ITSELF AS A BEDROOM COMMUNITY. FOR DALLAS. IT'S A ROOFTOPS AND RETAIL HISTORY. IF YOU WANT HIGH PAYING JOBS, THOUGH, YOU HAVE TO BRING IN BUSINESSES THAT ARE HIGH PAYING. AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE WORKING ON. YEAH, IT SEEMS SLOW, WITHOUT A DOUBT, BUT BUT THIS IS HOW WE GET THERE. I SHOULD ALSO ADD JUST TALKED ABOUT BARRIERS AND I'M JUST GOING TO, YOU KNOW, COLLECTIVELY, YOU KNOW, BEING IN THE INDUSTRY YOU SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S EXTERNAL BARRIERS. ANYTIME MILLIONS AND BILLIONS OF DOLLARS GET CUT AT A VERY NATIONAL FEDERAL LEVEL FOR THIS. THIS IS ALREADY A LONG SALES CYCLE, IF YOU WILL. 
          HEALTHCARE BIOTECH IS KNOWN FOR BEING THAT JUST BECAUSE THERE'S SO MANY DOLLARS AT STAKE. BUT ALSO, I'M CURIOUS TO SEE OVER THE NEXT 3 TO 5 YEARS HOW THIS ACTUALLY SLOWS OUT. BECAUSE ANYTIME YOU REMOVE MONEY FROM THE INDUSTRY, THE PACE OF DEVELOPMENT AND INNOVATION GONNA SLOW DOWN. SO WE ARE ALREADY SEEING THAT, LIKE IN A LOT OF THE SPACES THAT I'M IN. SO I THINK THIS IS A GREAT PLACE TO BE. AND WE'VE ALWAYS SAID AND I'VE ALWAYS ADVOCATED FOR IT, BUT ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS DEFINITELY AN INDUSTRY AND A LITTLE BIT OF FLUX. PEOPLE ARE PULLING BACK JUST A LITTLE BIT FUNDING THAT WAS THERE FROM 2020 TO 2024, 2023, AFTER THE PANDEMIC IS NO LONGER THERE. WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BILLIONS OF DOLLARS LEAVING A LOT OF WORKFORCE BEING CUT. SO IT'S JUST SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT BUYING LIFE SCIENCES. I THINK IT'S A GREAT PLACE TO BE. BUT THE SALES CYCLE MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN A LITTLE LONGER, AND YOU HAVE A LOT OF COMPANIES THAT, QUITE FRANKLY, WON'T EXIST. AND THEN THERE'S SOME WELLS OUT THERE THAT ARE KIND OF PULLING BACK. SO IT'S JUST, YOU KNOW, IT'S AN INDUSTRY AND A HOLDING PATTERN TO A CERTAIN DEGREE. WELL, AND, AND AS MUCH AS MUCH DISRUPTION IS, IS HAPPENING. RIGHT. ONE OF THESE PROJECTS I'M TALKING ABOUT IS A EUROPEAN COMPANY WHO SAID WE'RE GOING TO BUILD IN THE US NOW BECAUSE OF THE DISRUPTION. SO THEY THEY JUST SHIFTED $1 BILLION OF DEVELOPMENT, YOU KNOW, VIRTUALLY OVERNIGHT IN A VERY, VERY SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. 
          IT WON'T ALL BE DOOM AND GLOOM. AND IF THERE'S A SILVER LINING TO IT, I SAID THIS AT A CONFERENCE I WAS SITTING ON ON A PANEL RECENTLY. LOOK, TEXAS IS A GREAT PLACE TO BE. DALLAS IS A GREAT PLACE TO BE WITHIN TEXAS. WE'RE ALREADY ATTRACTING IN THE BEST OF MARKETS. YOU KNOW, WE JUST CAME OUT OF THE LONGEST GROWTH CYCLE IN UNITED STATES HISTORY FROM AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STANDPOINT, AND TEXAS HAS BEEN CAPTURING MORE THAN ITS SHARE FOR 12 YEARS. 
          THAT'S NOT GOING TO STOP. THIS IS TOO GREAT AN ENVIRONMENT THAT MAKES MORE SENSE THAN MANY OF THE OTHER PLACES WITHIN THE UNITED STATES. SO TO THE EXTENT THAT A NATIONAL OR INTERNATIONAL FIRM SAYS, I'M GOING TO FIND A NEW PLACE, THERE IS NO BETTER PLACE TO THINK OF THAN TEXAS. 
          AND SO WE'RE GOING TO START TO SEE AN INFLUX OF PROJECTS THAT MIGHT OTHERWISE HAVE LOOKED INTERNATIONALLY, BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME OPERATING. THERE HAVE TRADITIONALLY BEEN OPERATING ADVANTAGES, COST ADVANTAGES TO BEING OFFSHORE. WE'RE STARTING TO SEE A GREATER A GREATER, GREATER INTEREST OF NEARSHORING PEOPLE ARE LOOKING AT EVEN AT GREATER RELIANCE. YOU KNOW, AS MUCH AS WE HEAR IN THE PRESS AROUND PICKING ON CANADA AND MEXICO, SOME OF THAT'S EVEN CHANGING. TO SAY WE MAY HAVE THE GREATEST ALLIANCE RIGHT HERE IN THE AMERICAS, NORTH AND SOUTH AND CENTRAL AMERICA. BY COMBINING OUR EFFORTS AND BEING MORE CLOSELY ALIGNED, IT'LL BE A IT'LL BE AN INTERESTING YEAR. BUT IN TWO YEARS OR THREE YEARS EVEN TO BE IN THIS BUSINESS, TO SAY THE VERY LEAST, I'M NOT I'M NOT THAT CONCERNED ABOUT THAT. THE PROJECTS ARE GOING TO GO AWAY. I THINK WE'RE GOING TO STILL SEE A LOT OF PROJECTS. LOOKING AT TEXAS, I SUSPECT, MORE THAN EVER, BUT THEY MAY BE DIFFERENT IN THE WAY THAT THEY THEY LOOK AS WELL. SO, SO, MATT. 
          GOOD AND BAD. SO MATT AND DOCTOR JB, THANK YOU FOR YOUR INSIGHTS THERE. BY ALL MEANS, UNDERSTAND THAT I THINK ALL OF US ARE CLEARLY ON BOARD WITH BIO LIFE SCIENCES AND TECHNOLOGIES. 
          WHATEVER YOU VERY MUCH APPRECIATE. THAT'S THAT'S CLEARLY WHERE IT IS HEADING. I 
          [00:55:02]
ASK ABOUT BARRIERS. AND TO YOUR POINT, DOCTOR GP, A LOT IS SLOWING DOWN, NOT JUST IN THIS SEGMENT BUT ACROSS THE GLOBE, SO TO SPEAK, FOR VARIOUS REASONS. AND BUT IT DOESN'T STOP. IT STILL IS STILL CHURNING. SO HOW DO WE FIGURE OUT A DIFFERENT PATHWAY? IT MAY CHANGE BECAUSE OF THE DISRUPTION, BUT WHEN YOU HAVE DISRUPTION, THEN YOU FIGURE OUT WHAT'S A NEW MODEL. IT MAY NOT BE AS ROBUST, BUT IT STILL LAYS FRAMEWORK TOWARD THE NEXT OPPORTUNITY. AND THAT'S WHAT I WANT TO ENCOURAGE US TO CONTINUE TO DO. WHAT ASK ABOUT BARRIERS THAT WE CONTINUE TO LOOK AT. IF THIS GETS IN OUR WAY, LET'S MOVE IT ASIDE SOME KIND OF WAY AND FIGURE OUT THE NEXT BABBLING. 
          AND I THINK THE TEAM IS DOING A YEOMAN'S JOB IN IN TO WHAT WE'VE DONE. BUT LET'S JUST KEEP FIGURING OUT WHAT'S NEW, HOW TO GET THERE. SO IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, WE'VE KIND OF QUESTION A QUICK QUESTION. WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD? WHAT MAKES DIFFERENT PLACES ATTRACTIVE TO THESE FOLKS? WE BUY LIFE. IS IT BECAUSE MY HEAD GENERALLY GOES TO WHAT'S LIKE A CHICKEN OR EGG TYPE DEAL? GREAT QUESTION. BIO LIFE GETTING HERE FIRST OR IS IT MAKING IT THINGS AROUND IT ATTRACTIVE. SO THEY WANT TO COME HERE YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN. IT'S THEY'RE WHAT ARE THEY. WHAT ARE THEY SAYING. WHAT ARE THEY LOOKING FOR. SURE. THAT'S WHY ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE INTERCONNECTED. I THINK. BOY, ARE THEY EVER. YEAH. WE SAID THIS THREE YEARS AGO. THAT'S HOW I IDENTIFIED. I WAS LIKE, WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT HAMPTON ROADS. YEAH. RESTAURANT ROW. AND SO I WAS TELLING MATT WHEN THIS FIRST STARTED. SO I STARTED MY CAREER IN SILICON VALLEY, BAY AREA, BIG BIOTECH. AND SO IT'S LIKE YOU HAVE TO ATTRACT WHAT YOU WANT TO BE. AND SO THESE AREAS ARE DESIGNED IN A CERTAIN WAY TO ATTRACT THESE STARTUPS THAT ARE MASSIVELY FUNDED BY PRIVATE EQUITY. SO YEAH, IT'S ALL INTERCONNECTED. I THINK THAT'S INTUITIVE, THAT IT'S INTERCONNECTED. SO YOU HAVE TO BE THINKING OF ALL THESE THINGS I THINK IS KIND OF SINGULAR MIND STATE, BECAUSE YOU WON'T GET THAT COMPANY IF, YOU KNOW, IF I'M A SCIENTIST OR A PHYSICIAN, THERE'S A CERTAIN COMMUNITY AND FLOW TO THE COMMUNITY THAT I'M ACTUALLY LOOKING FOR. AND WHEN YOU SEE WHERE THESE THINGS ARE HOUSED, YOU REALIZE A LOT OF THERE'S A LOT OF SIMILARITIES IN THOSE COMMUNITIES. WALKABLE, HEALTH, FORWARD, CONNECTED. I CAN GET MY BIKE, YOU KNOW, AROUND THE CITY. SO THERE'S A LOT OF COMMONALITIES AROUND THAT. AND SO THAT'S WHY, YOU KNOW, THE ZONING, THE DEVELOPMENT OF ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE VERY MUCH SYNERGISTIC. YEAH. AND I KIND OF FEEL THAT THE BIO PIECE, THAT'S JUST ONE LEG OF THE STOOL. YES, IT SURE IS. AND I'VE BEEN TRYING TO BE QUIET, BUT YOU KNOW, I KNOW BECAUSE I KNOW YOU'RE HAVING DISCUSSIONS WITH THESE LARGER LANDOWNERS, BUT EXISTING BUILDING OWNERS IN THE CITY. 
          WHAT KIND OF TOUCHES DO YOU GUYS HAVE WITH THEM IN TERMS OF YOU'RE GOING OUT AND THERE ARE PEOPLE, COMPANIES THAT WANT TO THEY WANT TO BE HERE, BUT WHAT ARE WE SAYING TO THE BUILDING OWNERS HERE THAT, HEY, WE HAVE SOME POTENTIAL NEW BUSINESSES, YOU COULD CHARGE MORE, BUT YOU GOT TO DO SOME THINGS ABOUT YOU WITH YOUR BUILDING. ARE WE ALSO HAVING THOSE DISCUSSIONS? BECAUSE YES, I WANT TO SEE A RETURN ON YOUR ON THE INVESTMENT OF YOU GOING OUT OVER THESE YEARS. RIGHT. IT'S LIKE, WHERE IS THE RETURN? YEAH, I WOULD SAY I MEAN WE ENGAGE PROBABLY EVERY OTHER MONTH WITH PROPERTY OWNERS, LANDOWNERS HERE THAT'S ALREADY HERE IN DESOTO. I THINK WE'RE JUST TALKING TO THE GUY AT KROGER. I THINK ON MONDAY, WITH SOME NEW VACANCY AVAILABLE, AND AGAIN, HE'S ENGAGED WITH ME KNOWING THAT WE'RE TALKING TO THESE FOLKS. HEY, ANTOINE, I GOT SOME SPACE AVAILABLE. WHAT BRANDS MAKE SENSE? WE'RE JUST MAKING THOSE CONNECTIONS NOW. WE CAN'T, YOU KNOW, MAKE FRANCHISES SELECT FOLKS. NO YOU CAN'T. AS FAR AS THAT WAS JUST ONE OF THOSE DISCUSSIONS. AND WHAT ARE YOU HEARING FROM LANDLORDS? AND ARE THEY WILLING TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS TO THEIR BUILDINGS TO ATTRACT SOME TYPES OF SOME? NO. I MEAN, I CAN TELL YOU AND IT'S AND I'M SORRY. AND WHAT INCENTIVES CAN WE THROW AT INCENTIVES. THAT'S RIGHT. 
          REMEMBER WE HAVE AN ENTIRE PROGRAM THAT WAS BUILT TO INCENTIVIZE INLINE CENTERS TO IMPROVE THEIR PROPERTY THAT WE COULDN'T ADDRESS WITH, WE COULDN'T ADEQUATELY ADDRESS WITH FACADE IMPROVEMENTS. SO IT WE LOOKED AT THAT BIGGER, A BETTER WAY TO GET TO THAT. AND WE CAN TALK MORE ABOUT THAT. THE ANSWER IS WE CONTINUE TO STAY IN TOUCH WITH THEM. SOME ARE YES, SOME ARE NO. KROGER HAPPENS TO HAVE BEEN EXTREMELY RESPONSIVE. TOWN CENTER HAS BEEN MODERATELY RESPONSIVE, BUT A RELUCTANT BECAUSE IT'S OWNED BY TWO DIFFERENT DIFFERENT PARTIES. 
          ONE'S RELUCTANT, ONE'S NOT. THE PEOPLE WHO OWN ACROSS THE STREET VIRTUALLY THREW US OUT OF THEIR 
          [01:00:07]
OFFICE WITH THIS IDEA THAT, WHO ARE YOU TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO WITH MY PROPERTY? I MEAN, THERE WAS JUST IT WAS JUST ZERO, ZERO INTEREST. SO I CAN'T TELL YOU THAT. IT'S THAT IT'S A VERY MUCH A MIXED BAG. BUT WE UNDERSTAND THAT ONE OF THE QUICKEST PATHS TO GETTING PERHAPS PLACES THAT WE COULD BACKFILL WITH SOME OF THESE FOLKS WHO HAVE IDENTIFIED A NEED OR DESIRE IS BY BY RENOVATING BUILDINGS, THAT WE CAN PROBABLY RENOVATE THEM FASTER THAN WE CAN BUILD THEM. 
          SO LET'S LOOK FOR THOSE. AND SO WE CONTINUE THAT PROCESS. I'LL MAKE ANOTHER COMMENT. AS FAR AS THE ATTRACTION EFFORTS, YES, WE ARE GOING FOR NATIONAL BRANDS, BIG BRANDS, BUT EVEN SOME OF THE LOCAL MOM AND POPS, THEY CAN'T FIND SPACE AND WE DON'T HAVE THE INVENTORY FOR IT. BUT IF YOU DO HAVE THE SPACE AVAILABLE AGAIN, WHAT IS THE CO-TENANCY? AM I ALLOWED TO SMOKE, SHOP, A DAYCARE, A CHURCH? I DON'T WANT TO LOCATE THERE, BUT BUT THAT'S A THAT'S A LET'S NOT GET BOGGED DOWN ON THAT. LET'S KEEP OURSELVES MOVING BECAUSE THESE ARE BIGGER ISSUES THAN WE'RE GOING TO RESOLVE IN THIS BOARD MEETING. RIGHT. SO I'D REALLY LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP MOVING ALONG AS WE TALK ABOUT THESE. BUT, MATT, JUST SO WE CAN MOVE ALONG, I GOT A SENSITIVITY TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AS IT RELATES TO WHAT THE PERCEPTION IS OR THE LACK OF PEOPLE DON'T REALLY KNOW. THEY PEOPLE THINK THEY KNOW WHAT SHOULD BE HAPPENING, DON'T UNDERSTAND. 
          HENCE THE REASON FOR THE QUESTION ABOUT THE BARRIERS TO OPEN UP SO THAT THOSE LISTENING IN TO CAN UNDERSTAND, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, TO YOUR POINT, FELICIA, THERE'S GOT TO BE MORE THAT ATTRACTS THE BIGGER PICTURE. IT'S A BIGGER PICTURE THAN JUST ABOUT. THE BIOSCIENCE IS WONDERFUL. I GO BACK TO WHEN WE DID THE AQUATIC CENTER AND WE TALKED ABOUT WHAT'S AROUND IT. 
          SO YOU GOT TO MAKE IT. THAT'S ATTRACTIVE FOR A WHOLE BEING A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO FAMILIES. I KNOW WE'RE NOT GOING TO DO IT HERE, BUT I DO WANT THAT MINDSET TO PERMEATE BECAUSE WE CAN COME MEETING EVERY MONTH AND NOT GET IT DONE. WE NEED TO PRESS IT. AND TO YOUR EFFORTS OF I WENT TO YOUR EVENT. SORRY I WAS LATE ARRIVING FOR YOUR FRANCHISE INITIATIVE EVENT THAT HAS BEEN ONGOING. ONGOING. YOU KNOW, YOU GOT PEOPLE THAT ARE INTERESTED, BUT HOW DO WE CLOSE THAT GAP? YEAH. SO JUST BRIEFLY AGAIN FRANCHISING THING RETAIL. WE'VE ADDRESSED THE BARRIERS. EVEN AT THAT EVENT WE TALKED ABOUT SOME BRANDS THAT HAVE ALREADY IN SITE SELECTION FROM THOSE EFFORTS. SO I MEAN I CAN'T I'M NOT GOING TO SAY I CAN'T. BUT LIKE THERE'S ONGOING EFFORTS. THAT'S JUST WHAT IT IS. I MEAN, THERE ARE BRANDS THAT ARE LOOKING BRANDS AND SITE SELECTION PROCESS BRANDS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THEIR SPECIFIC FEEDBACK THAT THEY'VE PROVIDED TO YOUR POINT ABOUT BARRIERS AND VERY MUCH SO DETAIL, WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO TOUCH ON THAT AT OUR NEXT MEETING POST CSC AS WE ENGAGE WITH MORE RETAILERS OUT THERE IN VEGAS. SO THANKS, JAMES. YOU HAD ASKED A QUESTION THOUGH. DO WHAT ARE THE THINGS THAT ATTRACT THEM OR FORCE LAND COSTS, DEVELOPMENT COSTS, EASE OF DOING BUSINESS? THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE THAT WE KNOW MAKE TEXAS ATTRACTIVE, AND WE'RE EVEN MORE ATTRACTIVE THAN DOWNTOWN BECAUSE OF OUR OUR LAND COST. WE'RE ATTRACTIVE BECAUSE WE HAVE MANUFACTURING ADJACENT TO PLACES WHERE RESEARCH COULD COULD BE THE RESEARCH PARK COULD BE BUILT. ALL OF THOSE PIECES THAT ARE COMPONENTS TO IT. WE LOOK AND FIND OUT WHAT ARE OUR STRATEGIC ADVANTAGES. RIGHT. SOME OF THAT IS NOTHING MORE THAN WE'RE 15 MINUTES FROM THE EPICENTER OF BIO LIFE SCIENCE IN NORTH TEXAS. AND THAT'S THAT'S PEGASUS PARK. SO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE PLAYING TO OUR ADVANTAGES VIS A VIS BOSTON VIS A VIS NORTH COUNTY, SAN DIEGO, VIS A VIS EVEN HOUSTON, BECAUSE WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE SOME ADVANTAGES THERE. WORKFORCE PIPELINE, HUGE, HUGE ISSUE FOR THESE FOLKS. THEY'RE REALLY IT'S ONE OF THEIR BIGGEST CONCERNS IS WHERE AM I WHERE ARE MY WORKERS GOING TO COME FROM. SO WE SPEND A FAIR AMOUNT OF TIME ON LABOR ANALYTICS AND PROVING UP THAT THIS IS THAT WE HAVE THE PEOPLE THAT THEY NEED AND THAT WE HAVE A WAY TO PROVIDE TO CONTINUE THAT PIPELINE. WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT OUR DALLAS, OUR DALLAS COLLEGE RELATIONSHIP AND AN EDA GRANT THAT WE'VE CREATED, THIS PROGRAM THAT LITERALLY STARTS AT THE HIGH SCHOOLS AND PROVIDES PIPELINE FOR, FOR FOLKS THAT ARE NOW GOING TO BECOME BIO LIFE TECHNICIANS. THEY'RE GOING TO BECOME MANUFACTURING TECHNICIANS IN THAT ENVIRONMENT, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH. I MEAN, ONE OF THOSE KIDS AND I'LL SAY IT ANECDOTALLY AND THEN I'LL MOVE ON. THIS IS A KID WHO WAS GOING TO GO TO SCHOOL THIS SUMMER AND BECOME AN HVAC TECHNICIAN. I'M GOING TO INSTALL HVAC, BUT HE WENT THROUGH THIS BIO LIFE SCIENCE PIECE AT THE 
          [01:05:01]
HIGH SCHOOL. HE SPENT FOUR WEEKS IN EIGHT CLASSES, WENT AND LOOKED AT SOME OF THESE THINGS, AND HE SAID, WAIT A MINUTE, I STILL WANT TO DO HVAC, BUT I DON'T WANT TO DO IT IN PEOPLE'S HOMES. I WANT TO DO IT IN THESE PLACES WHERE THESE BUSINESSES ARE, BECAUSE I MAKE FOUR TIMES THE AMOUNT OF MONEY. I MEAN, HE FIGURED IT OUT RIGHT AWAY, AND THIS IS A KID WHO'S NOT GOING TO COLLEGE. THIS IS A KID WHO WAS GOING TO GET HIS CERTIFICATION TO DO HVAC WORK. AND NOW HE'S HE IS AS GUNG HO AS THEY GET AND WORKING TO FIND HIS WAY INTO FIND ME A FACILITY WHERE I CAN START TO PUT THIS TO WORK. CHANGING OUT FILTERS AND CLEAN ROOMS BECAUSE IT MATTERS, RIGHT? SO WE HAVE WE HAVE GREAT OPPORTUNITIES THERE. IN THE INTEREST OF TIME, MR. PRESIDENT, I'M GOING TO SUGGEST THAT THAT I'LL LEAVE THIS FOR EVERYBODY TO SORT OF REVIEW, YOU KNOW, WITHOUT GOING INTO EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THESE, I THINK WE PROVIDE A FAIR AMOUNT OF INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON ON EACH OF THESE PROJECTS, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO DO THAT. 
          THESE, THESE EMBRACE, YOU KNOW, A NUMBER OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT. AND I TRY TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU'RE UPDATED IN ANY WAY IN TERMS OF KIND OF WHERE WE ARE AND WHAT THE NEXT STEPS LOOK LIKE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. MATT. LET ME SAY WE GOT WE KIND OF GOT EXHAUSTED THERE, BUT I THINK WE ARE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMPANY. SO THAT WAS A WORTHY CONVERSATION 
          [B.4.	Discussion of agenda items for upcoming joint boards/commissions,]
DISCUSSION WISE. SO NEXT MOVING FORWARD WITH THE DISCUSSION OF AGENDA ITEMS, UPCOMING JOINT BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS MEETING. SO I'LL TAKE I'LL TAKE THAT ONE ON AS WELL. THE NEXT MEETING WILL BE AUGUST 20TH. AND WHAT OUR WHAT CAME FROM OUR VERY FIRST MEETING. AND UNFORTUNATELY OUR, OUR BOARD WASN'T REPRESENTED THERE, BUT I WAS THERE AND ADRIANA WAS THERE AS WELL. THE, THE COUNCIL AND THE OTHER BOARDS CAME TOGETHER AND SAID FOR THESE, FOR THESE MEETINGS, WHEN WE'RE GOING TO COME TOGETHER, WE'D LIKE ALL OF THE BOARDS TO PUT FORTH THE PROJECTS OR PROGRAMS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE HELP ON A JOINT BASIS. WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO BE TALKING ABOUT AS A GROUP OR ALIGNING ON AS A GROUP? AND SO THE REQUEST FROM US WAS TO IDENTIFY THOSE PROGRAMS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT EVERYBODY IS ALIGNING AROUND AND THAT ARE PART OF THE DISCUSSION. AND THERE WERE PEOPLE AT THE TABLE WHO SAID, I'M NOT EVEN SURE WE HAVE PROJECTS TO BRING. AND I KIND OF SMILED TO MYSELF WHEN THAT HAPPENED, BECAUSE I THINK YOU DON'T HAVE TO LOOK VERY FAR TO FIND WHERE. JUST LOOK BACK OVER THE LAST YEAR AND SEE WHERE YOU DERAILED. AND THAT'S PROBABLY BECAUSE WE DIDN'T HAVE THAT ALIGNMENT, AND THAT WILL GIVE US SOME GUIDANCE TOWARDS THE FUTURE. I THINK ANY OF OUR PROJECTS OR ALL OF OUR PROJECTS ARE THERE. MICHAEL, WHO WAS PART OF YOUR DISCUSSION EARLIER ABOUT WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BARRIERS? WHERE DO WHERE DO WE WHERE DO WE NOT ALIGN AS WELL AS WE SHOULD? I TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT IT IN TERMS OF A FRICTIONLESS DEVELOPMENT ENVIRONMENT. I MEAN, THOSE ARE ALL THINGS, I THINK, WHERE WHEN WE TALK TO ONE ANOTHER, WE'RE BETTER OFF. YEAH. 
          WHEN WE WHEN WE MAKE DECISIONS AROUND A PROJECT EARLY ON, IS THIS THE RIGHT PROJECT FOR OUR COMMUNITY? IS THIS IS BIOLIFE SCIENCE WHERE WE WANT TO BE FOCUSING. AND IF WE ALL DECIDE ABOUT THAT, THEN AND THEN WE ALL WORK TOGETHER TO GET IT. WE'LL GET THERE A LOT FASTER THAN IF PIECES AND PARTS SAY, THAT'S REALLY HARD AND IT ISN'T ADDRESSED. YOU KNOW, IN OUR CURRENT IN OUR CURRENT ENVIRONMENT, WE DON'T HAVE PROVISIONS FOR THAT. SO NOW HOW DOES THAT WORK? AND IT'S GOING TO MAKE MY LIFE HARDER WHEN WE DECIDE AS A AS AN ORGANIZATION, AS ONE ENTITY, THAT THESE ARE THINGS WE'RE GOING TO DO. AND THEN EVERY ONE OF US WORKS AND PULLS IN THAT SAME DIRECTION, I THINK THAT'S WHEN WE'LL BE MOST SUCCESSFUL. AND I THINK MY SUGGESTION TO THE BOARD WOULD BE THINK ON THIS, I'LL SURVEY ALL OF YOU OVER THE NEXT MONTH, BECAUSE I THINK THE ASK FROM US WAS TO HAVE THESE BACK TO THE CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE AND THE CITY SECRETARY'S OFFICE BY THE FIRST WEEK OF JUNE, I THINK IT WAS JUNE 3RD OR JUNE 3RD MAYBE. 
          SO I'D LIKE TO BE ABLE TO PICK YOUR BRAINS A LITTLE BIT OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS AND SAY, ARE THERE SPECIFIC THINGS THAT YOU ALL LOOK AT AND SAY, I'D REALLY LIKE US TO BRING THAT TO THE FOREFRONT. OBVIOUSLY WE HAVE SOME BIG ONES, YOU KNOW, THAT WE TALKED ABOUT OUR HEALTH INITIATIVE, WE'VE TALKED ABOUT BIO LIFE SCIENCE. WE'VE TALKED OBVIOUSLY ABOUT RETAIL DEVELOPMENT. THOSE ARE ALL PLACES I THINK THAT WE COULD HAVE SOME SOME INPUT. BUT I REACH BACK OUT TO YOU IN THE NEXT WEEK TO GET MORE INPUT FROM YOU. BUT TO YOUR POINT AGAIN, AND I DON'T WANT TO BEAT A DEAD HORSE, BUT I USE THE WORD BARRIERS BECAUSE A BARRIER COULD 
          [01:10:06]
BE WITHIN THAT MEETING, NOT ACKNOWLEDGING CERTAIN THINGS THAT NEED TO BE ADDRESSED. 
          THAT'S THAT'S WHY I USE BARRIERS, BECAUSE WE CAN TALK ALL DAY. BUT IF WE DON'T GET TO THE CRUX OF IT, WE DON'T MOVE FORWARD. SO WITHIN THAT DISCUSSION LINK OF DISCUSSIONS, THERE NEEDS TO BE WHAT'S THE ALIGNMENT? WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS THAT ARE NEEDING TO BE ADDRESSED. THAT'S ONE OF THEM FOR EXAMPLE. SO IF YOU IF YOU WANT TO SEND AN EMAIL OUT TO US OR MISS MELBA ASKING US TO PROVIDE YOU, WE CAN GET THAT TO YOU. GREAT. BUT CERTAINLY SO. SO 
          [B.5.	Update on Healthy DeSoto Initiative]
THANK YOU. THE NEXT ONE, I'LL TAKE THAT ONE AS WELL. THAT'S THE UPDATE ON OUR HEALTHY DESOTO INITIATIVE. TWO OF THE THREE SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBERS THAT THAT WORKED ON THAT, ALONG WITH THE REST OF US AS BOARD MEMBERS ARE HERE. SO YOU ALL HAD SENT THIS FORWARD TO COUNCIL WITH A RECOMMENDATION THAT WE FUND AN ONGOING SIX MONTH OR I REMEMBER NOW, SIX MONTHS, SIX MONTHS OF ESSENTIALLY EXPLORATORY WORK TO IDENTIFY THE COMPONENTS OF WHAT A HEALTHY DESOTO MIGHT LOOK LIKE. REMEMBER, WHERE THIS STARTED WAS AS LOOKING AT AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A HEALTH SYSTEM TO COME AND HELP US TO DEVELOP SOME OF THESE PIECES OF LAND. AND WE SAID, YEAH, BUT ARE WE THEN BEHOLDING TO THAT HEALTH SYSTEM, IS THERE A BIGGER PICTURE THAT WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND SO THAT WE BETTER CONTROL OUR FUTURE? WE DON'T MORTGAGE IT, IF YOU WILL, TO AN ENTITY OR ENTITY. THE COST OF THAT WAS $100,000. WE NEEDED TO ASK COUNCIL TO GIVE US THE PERMISSION TO SPEND THAT $100,000 AND TO AFFIRM THAT PROJECT. THAT IF I TOOK ANYTHING AWAY FROM THAT EVENING, THERE WAS TWO THINGS. ONE IS THEY DIDN'T WANT TO PROVE THAT WITHOUT A WHOLE LOT MORE DISCUSSION. AND THE OTHER ONE WAS, I THINK EVERY COUNCIL MEMBER HAD A KEEN INTEREST IN THE VERY IN THE TOPIC WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, AND ALL WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY WERE GOING TO HAVE INPUT AND NOT JUST THEM, BUT THAT OUR COMMUNITY AT LARGE WAS GOING TO BE HAVE THE APPROPRIATE INPUT. SO THEIR ASK THAT EVENING. AND COUNCILMAN BURT, THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE YOU SORT OF MARSHALING IT TO THAT PLACE WAS TO ASK THE SUBCOMMITTEE TO COME BACK FOR ONE OF THE COUNCIL'S SUB, THEIR THEIR STUDY SESSIONS AND HAVE THAT DISCUSSION WITH THE COUNCIL MEMBERS ABOUT THE INTENT ABOUT THE GOALS AND THE OUTCOMES. I THINK THEY WANTED TO HEAR FROM SOMEBODY OTHER THAN THAN ME. THEY REALLY WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU ALL. AND I THINK THAT'S I THINK THAT'S WISE. I KNOW IT'S ASKING AN AWFUL LOT OF YOU. IT BECOMES A BIT OF A TIMING ISSUE BECAUSE THE NEXT OPPORTUNITY FOR THAT, NOBODY HAPPENS TO BE IN TOWN TO BE THERE WITH YOU. LIKE ANTOINE AND I ARE BOTH OUT OF TOWN. I'M NOT. I'M NOT COMFORTABLE UNLESS YOU GUYS TELL ME YOU WANT TO DO THAT, IN WHICH CASE THAT'S FINE. BUT I'M CONCERNED THAT THAT THERE'S NOT THE STAFF AND BOARD TOGETHER HAVING THAT DISCUSSION, WHICH WOULD MEAN THE NEXT TIME THAT WE COULD DO THAT WOULD BE IN JULY. IT'S FAR ENOUGH OUT, HOPEFULLY, THAT WE CAN PUT IT ON THE CALENDAR. AND YOU ALL CAN SAY, I CAN COMMIT TO THAT DATE BECAUSE WE DO NEED WE DO NEED OUR SUBCOMMITTEE. I THINK WE NEED OUR BOARD CHAIR, IN ADDITION TO THOSE OF US WHO, YOU KNOW, SORT OF DO THIS ON A DAILY BASIS TO BE PART OF THAT ACTIVE DISCUSSION. ADRIANA, YOU WERE THERE AT ME AND TELL ME, AND WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS? NO, I THINK THAT WAS THE CLEAR MESSAGE. I THINK YOU WOULD LIKE TO SEE THAT THE COMMITTEE BACK THERE AND BRIEF US SO THAT YOU GUYS ARE THE EXPERTS. YOU GUYS KNOW WHAT THE ASK IS. AND I THINK THAT THAT WOULD BE A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO TELL THAT SIDE OF THE STORY. BUT AS MATT SAID, IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE STAFF SUPPORT THERE. SO WHAT IS THE ASK THERE? I'M NOT I'M NOT CLEAR. I THINK THE ASK IS TO JUST UNDERSTAND BETTER WHAT WE ARE SEEKING TO LEARN, RIGHT? ESSENTIALLY, WE ARE ASKING THEM FOR $100,000 TO ENGAGE IN A PROCESS OF LEARNING. RIGHT? WE WERE WE WERE HIRING SOME EXPERTS. WE IDENTIFIED A WHOLE STRING OF OUTCOMES, A SCOPE OF WORK, IF YOU WOULD, AND THE THINGS THAT WE ARE HOPING TO LEARN AND THE OUTCOME OF THAT WAS IF I IF I'M PARAPHRASING, BUT WAS TO BE ABLE TO COME AWAY AFTER SIX MONTHS WITH A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT ARE THE COMPONENTS OF DELIVERING A HEALTHY DESOTO, BECAUSE IT ISN'T JUST MIDCITY IS GOING TO SET UP A HOSPITAL, RIGHT? IT IT'S UNDERSTANDING BETTER. WHAT ARE 
          [01:15:02]
THE HEALTH NEEDS OF OUR COMMUNITY, RIGHT? DOING SOME DOING, GATHERING SOME INFORMATION, GATHERING SOME DATA TO HELP US TO FILL THAT OUT. BUT I THINK THEY ALSO WANTED TO GET A BETTER UNDERSTANDING OF THE PROCESS. HOW DID WE GET THERE? HOW WERE WE GOING TO GET THERE? WHO'S THE EXPERTS? THEY WANTED TO GET TO KNOW WHO THOSE EXPERTS WERE. I THINK THAT'S WHAT I HEARD, AND I THINK I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE HAVE DOUG AND DAVE AND JEFF THERE THAT SAME EVENING TO BE ABLE TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS AS WELL. YOU KNOW, WHY? WHY YOU NOT SOMEBODY ELSE? OKAY. SO THEN MY QUESTION IS ONE, BECAUSE THERE WAS A THOROUGH DISCUSSION WITH THAT TEAM DURING OUR PUBLIC DEVELOPMENT BOARD MEETING, OF WHICH I'M SURE THERE'S A RECORDING SOMEWHERE. I MEAN, THEY LITERALLY THAT WHOLE TEAM WAS HERE AND THEY GAVE THEIR WHOLE RESUME. SO THAT INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANY WAS THOROUGHLY PROVIDED IN OUR BOARD MEETING. AND SO ONE SO A HEARING, LET'S BRING THEM BACK TO HEAR THEIR STUFF AGAIN. I'M LIKE WHAT? LIKE THEY GAVE IT IN OUR MEETING AS WELL AS DOCUMENTS INCLUDED LIKE ALL OF THEIR BIOS AND ALL OF THAT. AND THEN THE SECOND PART, AS IT RELATES TO LIKE US ON THE SUBCOMMITTEE, AND I GUESS MAYBE THERE'S MORE. YOU'RE NOT TOUCHING ON IT AND I CAN LOOK BACK AT THE CITY COUNCIL MEETING MYSELF. AND I'M LIKE, THE QUESTIONS YOU'RE ASKING, I FEEL LIKE ARE THE SAME QUESTIONS THAT'S WITHIN THE DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTUAL. THEY WERE PROPOSED AGREEMENT WITH THEM. LIKE IT LITERALLY LAYS OUT THE ENTIRE KIND OF SCOPE OF THE PROJECT, THE TYPE OF QUESTIONS THAT THIS PROJECT WILL BE, INCLUDING THAT WE'RE OR THAT WE'RE EXPLORING ALL OF THOSE. I GUESS I'M I'M CURIOUS AS TO WHAT ELSE WAS WHAT WAS MISSING FROM THAT. THE MEETING THAT WE STILL NEED TO ADD ON TO. I THINK WHAT WAS MISSING IS A CONCISE STORY OF IF YOU EMPLOY THE CONSULTANT, WHAT IS THE WHAT IS THE OUTCOME THAT YOU'RE SEEKING? WE COUNCIL WAS TRYING TO BRING IT BACK TO A BIOTECH LAB. OR IS IT JUST A HEALTH INITIATIVE? RESEARCH. WHAT EXACTLY IS THE ASK OUTSIDE OF BRINGING IN THE CONSULTANT? SO I THINK THAT THE NIGHT THAT IT WAS PRESENTED A CLEAR, CONCISE STORY WAS NOT GIVEN. IT WAS THE INFORMATION WAS PROVIDED. AND WE'RE ABOUT TO MAKE WE HAVE I BELIEVE, I WELL, I WON'T SPEAK FOR THE COUNCIL, BUT I THINK I UNDERSTAND THE HEART OF THE COUNCIL. THEY, THEY, THEY APPRECIATE THE BRAINS AROUND THE TABLE. YOU KNOW, THEY APPRECIATE THAT AN AD HOC COMMITTEE WAS CREATED. WE APPRECIATED ALL OF THAT. BUT WE WERE LOOKING FOR THE SHORT, THE SHORT STORY. WE WANT TO DO THIS. FOR THIS. WE WANT TO DO THIS BECAUSE OF THIS. AND I THINK THAT THE STORYLINE WAS MISSING THAT NIGHT. AND SO WHAT WE ASKED AND WHAT I DID, I ASKED THAT WE NOT VOTE ON IT THAT NIGHT SO THAT WE COULD COME BACK AND MAYBE HAVE THE AD HOC COMMITTEE COME AND GIVE US. WE WANT TO DO WE THINK THAT WE NEED TO ENGAGE ON THIS, THIS BECAUSE THIS WILL BRING US THIS AND THAT, THAT CONCISE AND THAT SIMPLE. SO IF I MAY CHIME IN, THIS KIND OF AUGMENTED TO SOMETHING ELSE. GO AHEAD. YOU WERE ABOUT TO SAY SOMETHING. I SAW YOU, YOU SAID TO ME, IF WE IF WE IF WE PLEASE, I WOULD. CAN I SAY THIS? I MEAN, I, I ADVISE YOU TO I ASK THAT YOU GO BACK AND WATCH THE COUNCIL MEETING THAT NIGHT. I ASK THAT YOU GO BACK BECAUSE ALL OF YOU HAVE IN-DEPTH INFORMATION. I DOCTOR GP, DOCTOR HERNDON, ALL OF YOU HAVE HAVE, HAVE HAVE MET WITH THOSE GUYS. WE'RE GETTING IT ON AT AT BEST AT A THIRD HAND. SITUATION. AND WE'RE REALLY JUST KIND OF LOOKING FOR WHAT IS THE ASK I WANT TO I WANT YOU TO APPROVE $100,000 TO BUY THIS CAR. THAT'S SIMPLE. AND WE NEVER COULD GET TO WHAT WE'RE WHAT WE'RE WHAT WERE WE BUYING THE 100. WHAT WERE WE SPENDING $100,000 FOR? I THINK. NO, NO. YEAH. AND I THINK THAT IF YOU GO BACK AND LISTEN TO THE PRESENTATION, YOU WILL, YOU WILL, YOU WILL COME TO YOU. HOPEFULLY YOU CAN SEE IT FROM A NOVICE STANDPOINT. I WAS PRIVILEGED TO SET IN, IN YOU GUYS DISCUSSION BECAUSE BUT BECAUSE I MISSED THE FIRST DISCUSSION WHEN ALL THOSE GUYS WERE THERE. I LEFT EVEN THAT NIGHT ASKING MYSELF WHAT WAS THE ASK FOR? AND I WAS HOPING FOR CLARITY THAT NIGHT. AND SO TO INSTEAD OF HEARING IT FROM STAFF, WHICH I KNOW MATT IS EXTREMELY CAPABLE AND SMART, WE THOUGHT IF THE AD HOC COMMITTEE BECAUSE YOU GUYS APPOINTED AN AD HOC COMMITTEE FOR A REASON, RIGHT? BECAUSE MAYBE AT THE 
          [01:20:05]
FIRST PRESENTATION THERE WAS QUESTIONS. SO YOU CREATED AN AD HOC COMMITTEE. SO MAYBE THE AD HOC COMMITTEE COULD COME BACK AND BETTER ARTICULATE FROM START TO FINISH. AND WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO DO IS NOT TO DELAY IT, BUT WE DIDN'T WANT TO DENY IT SIMPLY BECAUSE WE DID NOT UNDERSTAND. AND HAD IT GONE TO VOTE THAT NIGHT, IT PROBABLY WOULD HAVE BEEN DENIED. SO THE ASK IS FOR THE AD HOC COMMITTEE TO COME BACK, OR SOMEONE COME BACK AND GIVE US A, A, A, A MORE CONCISE STORY OF WHY WE WHY WE'RE DOING IT WITH THE INTENTION OF VOTING THAT NIGHT. 
          YES, MA'AM. ABSOLUTELY. OKAY. WITH TWO NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS. CORRECT? WELL YES, MA'AM. SO IT CERTAINLY DOESN'T IMPACT IT. YEAH, I CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND THAT FROM A FUNDER PERSPECTIVE. 
          YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT YOU'RE BUYING AND IT NEEDS TO BE CLEAR AND CONCISE. THAT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE TO ME. SO MY I GUESS SEVERAL LAYERS OF KIND OF THOUGHTS QUESTION. AND AGAIN, IT'S NOT TO BELABOR US OR TAKE US OFF ON A TANGENT. JUST VERY KIND OF QUICK RAPID FIRE WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, IN HEARING THAT, WHAT STORY WOULD YOU NEED TO HEAR TO GET THIS APPROVED? THAT'S PROBABLY THE PRIMARY QUESTION. SECOND, DO YOU NEED TO HEAR THAT FROM US OR. BECAUSE IN A LOT OF WAYS, I DON'T NECESSARILY DISAGREE WITH YOU. AND I KIND OF FELT WE WOULD GET HERE BECAUSE IT WAS THE SAME QUESTION I HAD AT THE VERY BEGINNING. IT WAS LIKE, OKAY, WELL, WHAT ARE LIKE FOR THIS GROUP? WHAT'S YOUR AREA OF EXPERTISE AND WHAT CAN YOU ACTUALLY DELIVER? WHAT ARE YOU CAPABLE OF DELIVERING ON? AND IN MY MIND, THERE ARE QUESTIONS OF ARE YOU CAPABLE OF DELIVERING ON KIND OF WHAT I, WHAT I WANT. SO SURE, YOU CAN HEAR THAT FROM ME, BUT DOES THAT MEAN THAT THAT GROUP IS CAPABLE OF DELIVERING ON THAT? DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? I THINK THE SHORT ANSWER, DOCTOR GP IS FOR THIS BOARD JUST TO SIMPLY STATE WHAT WE'RE BUYING. 
          WHAT ARE WE BUYING? I MEAN, I THINK I YOU KNOW WHAT I'M BUYING. EXACTLY. THAT'S WHAT I'M SAYING. BUT BUT BUT AGAIN SO AGAIN AND NOT SPEAKING FOR THE COUNCIL I CAN JUST SPEAK. BUT YOU APPROVED IT FOR A REASON. SO WHAT WHAT WAS THE REASONING? THERE'S A FRAMEWORK, RIGHT? WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE DON'T KNOW OKAY. THAT'S WHY WE'RE RELYING ON THEM TO HELP US WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK. OKAY. MATT IS ALREADY THERE'S ALREADY A VISION, RIGHT? THERE'S ALREADY A VISION. BUT BUT WITHIN THAT FRAMEWORK, I MEAN THE SUPPLEMENT HAS DONE THE DUE DILIGENCE. YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE, THEY'VE COME IN AND SPOKE AND TALKED ABOUT WHAT THEY'VE DONE. AND SO WE'RE TRYING TO GET SOMEWHERE, BUT WE NEED SOME HELP TO UNDERSTAND, OKAY. HOW WHERE ARE WE GOING. 
          HOW DO WE GET THERE. RIGHT WITHIN A CERTAIN FRAMEWORK. OKAY. AND IF I CAN ADD MAYBE A PIECE TO THAT, I THINK THAT PART OF IT IS AN UNDERSTANDING THAT WHAT COMES OUT OF THAT IS NOT A DEFINITIVE ANSWER. RIGHT. WHAT COMES OUT OF THAT IS ANSWERS TO SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS. I THINK WE'RE GOING TO RAISE MORE QUESTIONS THAN WE'RE GOING TO ANSWER. YEAH, WE'RE PROBABLY GOING TO FIND THAT THERE ARE OTHER THINGS WE NEED TO EXPLORE. RUN TO GROUND. RIGHT. SOME OF THIS IS UNDERSTANDING BETTER WHAT OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS ARE. AND I THINK I THINK WE'LL ANSWER THAT QUESTION. BUT THAT'S GOING TO OPEN UP AN ENTIRE DIFFERENT SET OF QUESTIONS, OF KNOWING THAT THAT'S IT, WHO'S BEST TO PROVIDE THAT, AND IS THERE ONE OR IS IT MULTIPLE, AND IS IT IN A TRADITIONAL WAY OR A NONTRADITIONAL WAY? THOSE ARE ALL QUESTIONS THAT WE DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO, WHICH IS FAR BETTER THAN SOMEONE COMING IN SAYING, HEY, I GOT AN IDEA FOR YOU. AND WE HEAR, OH, THAT SOUNDS GOOD, BUT DO WE REALLY KNOW IF THAT'S REALLY WHAT'S WHAT'S RIGHT FOR THE COMMUNITY? SO IF I MAY. SO $100,000 VERSUS. YEAH. SO IF I MAY CHIME IN, ANY PROJECT THAT HAS ANY MAGNITUDE YOU'RE GOING TO SPEND. A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF TIME AND EFFORT AND DISCOVERY TO IDENTIFY WHAT THE PATH FORWARD LOOKS LIKE, YOU JUST CAN'T SAY WE'RE GOING TO GO DO SOMETHING AND NOT MAKE AN INVESTMENT INTO IT. SO THAT SAID, IF WE LET'S EVEN IF WE WALKED AWAY FROM THAT AND SAY WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT SMART CITIES, OUR TELECOM CITIES DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM HERE, WE'D HAVE TO SPEND MONEY TO IDENTIFY 
          [01:25:01]
WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE FROM A PATH FORWARD CAPABILITY STANDPOINT, BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW AND WE DON'T HAVE THE EXPERTISE SURROUNDING OUR CITY, WITHIN THE CITY TO ADDRESS THAT. SO STANDS TO REASON SIMILAR TO WHAT WE DID TAKE A LOOK AT. AND WE THOUGHT AS A BOARD, WE MADE AN INTELLIGENT, FORWARD THINKING ASSESSMENT OF GETTING THE SUBCOMMITTEE TO LOOK AT IT. AT OUR COMMITTEE, THEY ENGAGED IN PROVIDING THEIR LEVEL OF EXPERTISE. SUBSEQUENT TO THAT BEING PRESENTED TO COUNCIL, WE DETERMINED THAT WE'VE GOT. A GAP. LET'S TALK ABOUT THE GAP. 
          THE GAP IS THAT AND WE'VE JUST TALKED ABOUT EARLIER THE PRESENTATION OF IT ALL. OKAY. 
          WHAT DID WE NOT TELL? HOW DO WE FACTS TELL STORIES SELL? HOW DO WE TELL OUR STORY BETTER? OKAY. 
          SO THAT SAID. AND I SAT IN A MEETING. ADRIANA CAME UP WITH A THOUGHT PROCESS IN AND I AGREE WITH IT AS WELL, THAT GOING FORWARD, THAT PRESENTATIONS THAT GO BEFORE CITY COUNCIL THAT ARE RELATIVE TO THIS BOARD, THAT WE GET TO SEE THE PRESENTATION, THAT SIGN OFF ON A PRESENTATION, THAT'S BECAUSE THERE ARE SOME GREAT MINDS AROUND THIS TABLE, AND WE'RE GOING TO ASK SOME OF THOSE QUESTIONS. WE'RE GOING TO THINK SOME OF THOSE THOUGHTS THAT HELP STAFF, AND TO HELP US TO BE MORE EFFECTIVE IN OUR DELIVERY. THAT'S KIND OF WHAT WE'VE GOT TO LOOK AT. BUT TO SAY WE'RE SPENDING $100,000 AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT'S GOING TO YIELD, WE DO KNOW IT'S GOING TO TELL US POSSIBILITY THINKING OR NOT, WE CAN'T PUT OUR FINGER ON EVERYTHING, BUT IT IS GOING TO GIVE US THE WHEREWITHAL TO BE ABLE TO BRAINSTORM MORE INTELLIGENTLY. THAT'S WHAT I THINK IT'S GOING TO DO. SO CAN I TELL YOU MY, IF I MAY? FROM THE CITY MANAGER'S PERSPECTIVE, I'M ALWAYS SUPPORTIVE OF PROJECTS LIKE THAT. I THINK THEY'RE FANTASTIC. BUT THE FIRST QUESTION THAT WE NEED TO ASK OR ANSWER IS, WHAT ARE WE SOLVING FOR? WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO DO? OKAY, THAT SHOULD BE PART OF THAT PRESENTATION. TWO TWO WE'RE SPENDING $100,000. WHAT IS THE OUTCOME? OKAY. SO WE NEED TO BE WE NEED TO BE EXPLORING THAT AND TALKING ABOUT THAT NUMBER THREE, WHICH IS REALLY, REALLY IMPORTANT. WE HAVE UT SOUTHWESTERN INCREDIBLE, INCREDIBLE ORGANIZATION. WE HAVE METHODIST INCREDIBLE ORGANIZATION. HAVE THEY ALREADY LOOKED AT THE REGION BECAUSE PART OF THEIR PLANS IS ALWAYS TO LOOK AT THE REGION AND SAY, WHAT ARE WE MEETING? WHAT ARE SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE NEED TO FOCUS ON? DO WE HAVE THOSE STUDIES ALREADY EXISTING OR NOT? AND IF THEY DON'T HAVE OR THEY HAVE BITS AND PIECES OF STUDIES, THEN WE NEED TO KNOW IF THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE WILL HAVE TO SUPPLEMENT OR ADD TO. AND NUMBER FOUR, I, I MYSELF WAS THINKING ABOUT THE, THE BIO, THE BIO LAB DISTRICT AREA. ARE WE TALKING ABOUT THE ENTIRE CITY OF DESOTO, OR ARE WE TALKING ABOUT THE JUST THE WESTERN PIECE THAT HAS TO BE EXPLAINED AS WELL? AND IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE WHOLE CITY OF DESOTO, THAT BECOMES THAT BECOMES A COMPREHENSIVE LOOK AT THE CITY. DESOTO NEED HEALTH WISE OR OR FACILITIES WISE VERSUS WE'RE JUST GOING TO FOCUS ON THE R&D THAT IS TO THE WESTERN PART OF THE CITY. I THINK THOSE ARE THE QUESTIONS THAT CAN BE ANSWERED VERY EASILY BECAUSE YOU'VE DONE THE DUE DILIGENCE. THE SUBCOMMITTEE IN JULY, WE CAN'T ANSWER THAT, BUT WE KNOW THAT IT'S ADDRESSING THE CITY WIDE. NO, NO, BUT IT'S NOT. THAT'S WHY I SAY THERE'S A VISION ALREADY. BUT YEAH, BUT I THINK THAT WOULD BE PART OF THE VISION. RIGHT? PART OF THE STRATEGY IS SEVERAL STEPS. STEP ONE IS LOOKING AT THIS AND YOU AND WE AS, AS A TEAM NEED TO LAY OUT THIS TO SAY HERE'S STEP ONE. 
          WE'RE ACTUALLY AT STEP ONE OKAY. AND THIS IS WHAT I DREW ON THE BOARD. THIS IS STEP ONE. STEP TWO. AFTER THIS WHAT ARE WE DOING OKAY. AND AFTER THAT STEP THREE. AND YOU'VE ASKED THE QUESTION A LITTLE EARLIER, MICHAEL, ABOUT ABOUT THE CHALLENGES THAT WE'RE HAVING, WHICH IS NOT FINDING A DEVELOPER WHO WILL BUILD FOR THOSE, YOU KNOW, TRANSITIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, AND THEY HAVE TO WAIT SIX MONTHS. AND IF THEY DON'T SEE ANY, ANY TRACTION, THEY'RE GOING TO MOVE SOMEWHERE ELSE. SO STEP THREE IS THE DEVELOPMENT THAT IS GOING TO ALLOW US TO DO THIS IN THE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE NEED TO DO. AND STEP FOUR IS CREATING 
          [01:30:02]
THOSE OPPORTUNITIES, RIGHT. AND TIMELINES FOR THEM. RIGHT. HOW LONG ARE WE GOING TO STUDY THIS FOR? SIX MONTHS, AS YOU SAID. RIGHT. SIX MONTHS. AFTER SIX MONTHS, WHAT ARE WE DOING? WE'RE TAKING THAT DATA. WHAT'S THE WHAT'S THE DATA? WHAT ARE THE METRICS THAT WE'RE DOING AND WHAT ARE WE DOING WITH IT. MOVING TO NEXT STEP OKAY. WE CAN'T BE HOVERING AROUND THAT FIRST STEP. SO I THINK LAYING OUT THAT FULL STRATEGY IS INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE I FELT THAT LISTENING TO THE BOARD WHEN THE SUBCOMMITTEE PRESENTED THAT AND GOING, OKAY, THIS IS A GREAT THING. AND THEN WHEN WE PRESENT IT TO THE TO THE CITY COUNCIL, I WAS REALLY WORRIED BECAUSE I SIT NEXT TO COUNCIL MEMBER BYRD AND I'M GOING, OH, STUFF. I SAID SOMETHING ELSE, OKAY, THIS IS NOT GOING WELL. I SAID THAT FROM THE GET GO, OKAY. AND I'M SO GLAD THAT HE DID THIS BECAUSE HE, HE SAID, LET ME, LET ME, LET ME, LET ME MAKE A MOTION TO DEFER IT BECAUSE I, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT GOING TO SPECULATE, BUT I THINK IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A DENIAL AT THAT TIME. AND THAT WAS MY WORRY. SO AS A SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBER AND I KNOW WE HAVE AN AGENDA AND WE'RE TRYING TO MOVE FORWARD, BUT I GUESS IF I'M GOING TO BE ASKED TO PARTICIPATE, I WANT TO BE CLEAR ON WHAT I'M PARTICIPATING IN OR SO PART OF THIS IS ME ASKING THIS QUESTION AS A BOARD MEMBER, BUT ALSO A CONSTITUENT OF DESOTO. SO YOU'RE ASKING THESE QUESTIONS OF ME AND LET'S JUST SAY I'M A CITIZEN OF DESOTO AND I WANT TO MOVE A COMPANY HERE, ETCETERA, ETCETERA. ALL THOSE QUESTIONS YOU JUST ASKED OF ME. DOES CITY COUNCIL, THE CITY MANAGER OR THE MAYOR HAVE AN IDEA ABOUT ANY OF THAT? ABSOLUTELY NOT. OKAY, SO WE DON'T HAVE A FUNDAMENTAL IDEA OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH OUTSIDE OF, SAY, MY BRAIN, HER BRAIN AND HER BRAIN. THAT'S THE THAT'S THE STUDY THAT SHOULD BE LAID OUT TO SAY, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT WE DON'T KNOW. THIS STUDY IS GOING TO GIVE US THIS, THIS, THIS ROADMAP OR THIS FOOTPRINT TO SOME OTHER THINGS. SO IT'S ABOUT THE COMMUNICATION, HOW WE PRESENT IT. THAT IS WHAT I THINK WE'VE MISSED THE BOAT ON, I GET THAT. BUT LIKE SO MY NEXT QUESTION IS SO WE DON'T HAVE AN IDEA AND THEN WE DON'T HAVE A CONCEPT. AND SO TAKING THAT FURTHER, I KNOW YOU LAID OUT THESE THINGS, BUT LIKE IN LESS THAN SAY LIKE 30S, WHAT WOULD YOU GUYS NEED TO HEAR TO CONVINCE YOU TO MOVE FORWARD ON EXPLORING SOMETHING LIKE THIS? I CAN ANSWER IT. WE ARE STARVING FOR INFORMATION. OKAY? WHAT YOU ALREADY HAVE BEYOND WHAT'S ALREADY BEEN. WELL, NO, YOU'RE ASKING TO HIRE THIS THINK TANK OF CORRECT ME, I AM, BUT I'M JUST SAYING LIKE NO, NOT NOT WHEN I SAY WE. I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT COUNCIL. I'M SAYING YOUR BOARD WANT TO HIRE THE. YOU WANT TO DO THIS? CAN I CALL THEM A CONSULTANT? YOU WANT TO HIRE THESE CONSULTANT BECAUSE YOU'RE SOLVING FOR INFORMATION TO PROVE A OR TO GIVE DIRECTIONS TO INFORM. RIGHT. IT'S GOING TO INFORM US AND YOU'RE. SO YOUR SOB IS FOR INFORMATION THAT WAS NOT PRESENTED THAT NIGHT. WE KEPT ASKING THE QUESTION, WHAT ARE YOU SOLVING FOR? WHAT ARE WE BUYING? AND IF THE ANSWER IS I'M EVERY TIME WE RUN FOR ELECTION, WE BUY A VAN LIST. A VAN LIST IS THE LIST OF VOTERS, THOSE REGULAR VOTERS. WE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE BUYING. THAT DON'T MEAN THAT THAT PERSON IS GOING TO VOTE FOR US, BUT IT MEANS THAT HERE'S A LIST. BUT IT MEANS THEY'RE GOING TO TEXT ME. WELL GO AHEAD. YEAH, WELL, YOU CAN TEXT YOU 4 OR 5 TIMES, RIGHT? WE'RE GOING TO TEXT YOU. BUT BUT WE KNOW BUT WE KNOW WHAT WE'RE. 
          AND WHEN THIS CAME BEFORE COUNCIL I DON'T THINK IT WAS ARTICULATED WHAT THE BOARD WAS TRYING TO BUY THAT YOU YOU KNOW, IT WAS NOT ARTICULATED. AND THAT'S WHY WE DID NOT WANT THEM TO VOTE ON IT THEN, BECAUSE WE DIDN'T IT WASN'T ARTICULATED WHAT YOU WERE TRYING TO BUY. IF I GO TO A CAR DEALERSHIP, I'M NOT TRYING TO BUY A MOTORCYCLE. YEAH. YOU KNOW, SO YOU ASK ME, YOU SENT ME THIS INFORMATION, YOU SENT US THIS INFORMATION. Y'ALL KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO BUY, BUT NOW YOU'RE TRYING TO. YOU WANT US TO STAMP IT, AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO BUY. SO WE SAID, LET'S HOLD IT UP AND LET'S BRING THE AD HOC COMMITTEE. OR BRING SOMEONE THAT CAN TELL US WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO BUY. SO, SO STICKING WITH THIS SAME LINE OF QUESTIONING THEN. SO WE WEREN'T SURE ON WHAT WE WERE TRYING TO BUY. I GUESS WE AS A SUBCOMMITTEE, AS A 
          [01:35:06]
BOARD, KIND OF UNDERSTAND WHAT WE MAY OR MAY NOT BE LOOKING FOR. SO DO YOU NEED TO HEAR THAT? I GUESS YOU NEED TO HEAR THAT STORY FROM US. BUT YOU DO. YOU NEED TO HEAR THAT FROM THIS GROUP AND UNDERSTAND WHAT THEY'RE CAPABLE OF, OR WE NEED TO HEAR AGAIN. I CAN TALK FOR ME. YEAH. WHAT I NEEDED TO HEAR IS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO BUY. WHAT ARE WE TRYING TO BUY? BECAUSE TO MY TO MY IGNORANCE, IF YOU WOULD. AND I KNOW ABOUT THE BIOTECH LAB, I KNOW ABOUT EVERY PROJECTS WHEN I, WHEN WE HEARD ABOUT THIS GROUP, I TIED IT TO THE BIOTECH LAB. AND THEN I HEARD IN THE BOARD MEETING, THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT. SO I'M THINKING, WELL, IF IT DOESN'T HAVE TO DO WITH BIOTECH LAB, WHAT DOES IT HAVE TO DO WITH IT? SO I HAVE A QUESTION. YES. MY LAST QUESTION. WOULD IT BE HELPFUL THAT WHEN IT'S PRESENTED TO THE COUNCIL THAT WE TELL THE STORY. SO WHAT'S HAPPENED IS MATT AND ANTOINE HAVE, OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS HAVE GONE OUT ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND THEY'VE BIO THIS, BIO THAT, AND THEN THEY'VE CONNECTED AND THEY'VE CONNECTED THAT TO TEXAS. RIGHT. AND THEN THEY'VE DISTILLED IT EVEN MORE TO THE PEGASUS. RIGHT. AND THEN MORE COMPANIES WANT TO COME HERE. THERE'S THEY NEED MORE SPACE. RIGHT. AND WE KNOW THAT THIS IS A GROWING INDUSTRY. WE KNOW HOW IT CAN POSITIVELY, POSITIVELY IMPACT DESOTO. AND SO HOW WHERE DOES HOW DOES DESOTO PLAY IN THAT SPACE? THE CONSULTANT WITHIN THAT FRAMEWORK HELPS US TO KIND OF UNDERSTAND WHAT ARE SOME WHAT ARE THE OPPORTUNITIES FOR US? WE DON'T KNOW. BUT WE NEED SOME MONEY TO KIND OF FIGURE THAT OUT. THAT WOULD WORK. I HAVE A COLLEAGUE HERE, BUT THAT WOULD WORK BEAUTIFULLY. SHE OVER THERE SITTING IN HER SEAT. BUT THAT WOULD WORK. THAT WOULD WORK BEAUTIFULLY FOR ME BECAUSE NOW YOU'VE, YOU'VE, YOU'VE, YOU'VE, YOU'RE YOU'RE SOLVING FOR AN END. OKAY. THIS IS THE NEXT STEP. SO THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING ME, CHAIR. THANK YOU. SO WHAT I WOULD I WOULD TELL YOU TO TELL YOU TO DO TWO THINGS. TAKE A LOOK AT THE MEETING SO YOU KNOW THE QUESTIONS. I WAS ASKED TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE PRESENTATION. THE PRESENTATION DIDN'T TELL ME WHO. 
          SO WHAT YOU'RE BUYING IS WHILE YOU MIGHT NOT KNOW THE RESULTS OF THE DELIVERABLE. SO WHAT IS THE DELIVERABLE? THE DELIVERABLE IS GOING TO GIVE YOU, YOU KNOW, AN ASSESSMENT OF WHAT THE PROFESSIONALS Y'ALL KNOW, THE PROFESSIONALS, THE PROFESSIONALS WERE NOT PRESENTED. AND SO IF I'M GOING TO SPEND SOMETHING ON A COMPANY, WHO AM I SPENDING THIS ON? WHO'S ON THIS, WHO'S WHO'S A CONSULTANT, YOU KNOW, SO WHEN WE SEE THINGS, WE'RE LOOKING AT THE NAMES OF COMPANIES, WE'RE LOOKING AT SOMETHING QUANTIFIABLE. AND SO IT WAS JUST IT FELT JUST REALLY JUST, YOU KNOW, JUST JUST KIND OF WHIMSICAL, IF FOR A LACK OF ANOTHER WORD. AND I APOLOGIZE FOR USING THAT WORD, BUT BUT KNOWING WHO THESE PROFESSIONALS ARE THAT, YOU KNOW, SO FROM THAT THE TRANSLATION FROM THE AD HOC COMMITTEE, THAT TRANSLATION, IF WHEN YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE PRESENTATION, I DON'T KNOW THAT IT WAS THERE. AND SO TO ME THAT'S FAIR. I GUESS I'M THINKING A LOT, RIGHT. AND I THOUGHT YOU UNDERSTOOD THAT. NO, NO NO, NO. WHEN WE'RE COUNCIL AS COUNCIL AND FOR THE PUBLIC, YOU KNOW, WE'RE HAVING TO, TO APPROVE THIS ACTUAL DOCUMENT. 
          AND SO IT'S JUST UNDERSTANDING THE INFORMATION. AND AS MENTIONED BY THE CITY MANAGER, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE THESE VERY YOU KNOW, WE HAVE WHAT'S IN OUR COMMUNITY. SO THEN SOME THERE WAS SOME QUESTIONS THAT I HAD SOME QUESTIONS AROUND OKAY. IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR DATA AND THINGS LIKE THAT, I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND WHERE ARE YOU TRYING TO GET WHAT WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO GET. AND IS THIS DATA EASILY ACCESSIBLE ALREADY? BECAUSE THE END RESULT OF WHATEVER THE BIG IDEA WAS HONESTLY WAS NOT COMMUNICATED. AND THEN THE NEXT THING AS IT RELATED TO, AS IT RELATED TO. SO IT WAS THE WHO WAS DOING THE WORK IS BEING DONE IN SIX MONTHS. WHAT ARE YOU KIND OF TRYING TO GET TO? THIS MEETING WAS VERY INFORMATIVE TONIGHT. I REALLY DO APPRECIATE IT AND I APPRECIATE THE QUESTIONS BEING ASKED. WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS. SO IF THAT'S THE BIG IDEA, THE QUESTION, YOU KNOW, JUST SIMPLY STATING, YOU KNOW, THAT PIECE. ON ONE HAND, I HEAR YOU'RE FOCUSING ON BIOTECH AND TELLING THE STORY. ON THE OTHER HAND, IT WAS HEALTH INITIATIVES. SO IT COULD BE, YOU KNOW, ALL THESE DIFFERENT THINGS, YOU KNOW? SO AT THE END OF THE DAY, YOU'RE GETTING THIS INFORMATION TO DRIVE INFORMATION RELATED TO WHAT? SO THAT MIGHT BE DISCUSSIONS THAT Y'ALL HAD, YOU KNOW, INTIMATELY, YOU KNOW. BUT IN IN WHAT WAS PRESENTED I'M JUST LETTING YOU KNOW WHERE IT JUST JUST LEFT, LEFT, LEFT ME WITH LOTS OF QUESTIONS AND THAT WAS IT. NOTHING EXTRA. I DON'T KNOW THAT. HONESTLY, HEARING YOU EXPLAIN THAT IT'S COMPLETELY UNDERSTANDABLE YOUR POSITION. AND IF I WERE A FUNDER OR A BUYER AND I DIDN'T KNOW WHO WHAT I WAS BUYING AND WHAT THE ACTUAL DELIVERABLE IS, I MEAN, THAT MAKES PERFECT SENSE AS TO WHY, I 
          [01:40:06]
MEAN, I CAN'T REALLY ARGUE WITH IT. I RESPECT THE DECISION TO HAVE A HARD STOP AND TRY TO FIGURE THAT OUT. NOW, I WILL SAY THIS PUT MY CONSTITUENT HAT BACK ON. AND AS A PHYSICIAN, RIGHT? ONE OF THE THINGS I THINK ABOUT WHEN WE START PARSING THESE THINGS OUT IS THAT I THINK WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DESOTO AS A COMMUNITY, AND ONE OF THE TENETS OF DESOTO IS THAT WE WANT WE'VE SAID THIS, WE WANT THIS TO BE A HEALTH FORWARD COMMUNITY, MEANING YOU HAVE A GOOD QUALITY OF LIFE. AND PEOPLE, SPECIFICALLY BLACK PEOPLE, COME HERE AND THEY LIVE LONGER. SO HOW DO YOU ORGANIZE AROUND COMMUNITY AROUND THAT PREMISE? AND THAT'S WHY I ASK, LIKE, DO WE EVEN HAVE THESE DISCUSSIONS, LIKE AS A CITY COUNCIL OR MAYOR, JUST BEYOND WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HERE? BECAUSE AS A CONSTITUENT AND JUST SAY, IF I WAS A PHYSICIAN WANTING TO OPEN UP A PRACTICE, LIKE IF WE DON'T EVER SHOW ANY DEVELOPMENT AROUND THAT INITIATIVE, I WOULDN'T LOOK AT THIS COMMUNITY. AND JUST LIKE WHAT HE SAID, I WOULDN'T. WHEN YOU WERE ASKING CHICKEN BEFORE THE EGG, LIKE, IF WE DON'T HAVE ANY IDEA WHETHER WE DO THIS OR NOT, RIGHT, THEN WHY? LIKE, WHY WOULD I LIVE IN THIS COMMUNITY? AND SO YEAH, SO LET ME I'LL END IT RIGHT HERE FOR ME AS A COUNCIL MEMBER. AND SO AS ONE OF THE INITIATIVES IS A HEALTHY CITY. AND SO IN TERMS OF THE PILLARS, IN TERMS OF WHAT OUR STRATEGIC PLAN SAYS, TYING THE PRESENTATION TO THAT, YOU KNOW, GETTING TO THAT. SO IF THIS IS INFORMATION TO DRIVE WHAT THAT IS OR IS THIS INFORMATION TO DRIVE WHAT BIOTECH IS OR IS THIS JUST THE WHOLE 360? THIS IS INFORMATION WE NEED TO KNOW TO MAKE ALL THESE DIFFERENT DECISIONS. THAT'S IT. NOTHING EXTRA I MISSPOKE. IT'S NOT JUST BIOTECH. I MEAN IT IS. YEAH, BUT IT'S NOTHING ELSE. IT'S JUST IT WAS JUST REAL SIMPLE TO THAT CALLED THAT SINCE DOING THE WORK. THAT'S RIGHT. AND THAT'S IT. OKAY. THANK Y'ALL FOR LETTING ME TALK. I'LL STOP TALKING. COUNCILWOMAN RAPHAEL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE INSIGHT. LET ME LET ME KIND OF PIGGYBACK THERE. FRANKLY AND FRANKLY, EVERYONE, IT GOES BACK TO WHAT OUR PRESENTATION IS. IT GOES BACK TO ENSURING THAT TO YOUR POINT, TO EVERYONE'S POINT, WHAT ARE WE TELLING? BUT I WANT TO NOT BE REMISS IN SOMETHING THAT MAGIC DID BRING OUT. WE ALWAYS HAVE TO LOOK AT OUR CURRENT SITUATION ANALYSIS, WHAT'S AVAILABLE TO US. THAT WAS ONE THAT WAS STEP NUMBER THREE THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT WITH THE METHODISTS OF THE WORLD, THE UT SOUTHWESTERN, WHATEVER. WHAT DATA IS ALREADY AVAILABLE THAT RESONATES WITH WHAT PATH WE'RE HEADING DOWN? I THINK HINDSIGHT 2020 FOR US IS WE CREATED OUR EXCITEMENT AROUND THIS WHOLE INITIATIVE TO THINK LIKE THAT ALWAYS AND THEN GO FORWARD. SO THAT IS THEIR INFORMATION THAT'S ALREADY WRITTEN THAT WE CAN CALCULATE AND CAPITALIZE ON GLEAN FROM THAT, AND DO WE NEED TO DO SOMETHING BEYOND THAT. SO MAYBE THAT'S THAT'S A PIECE HOWEVER WE'VE PRESENTED THIS, WE NEED TO LOOK AT IT FROM THE ASPECT OF WHAT QUESTIONS HAVE WE NOT ANSWERED? WHAT STORY HAVE WE NOT TOLD OUR TURNKEY SOLUTION PACKAGE THAT WE NEED TO DELIVER? ARE WE CAPABLE OF DELIVERING THAT IN AN EFFECTIVE MANNER, WHERE YOU ALL FEEL THAT IT'S ACCEPTABLE? CITY MANAGER FEELS ACCEPTABLE, ACCEPTABLE DEPUTY CITY MANAGER AND THE BOARD COLLECTIVELY THAT WE CAN TAKE THIS FORWARD NOW WE EMPOWER STAFF MORE EFFECTIVELY TO DELIVER AND WE'D BE SUPPORTIVE. THAT'S WHAT WE'VE GOT TO THINK ABOUT NOW. SO IF THAT MAKES SENSE, WE NEED TO REPACKAGE IT IF WE'RE GOING TO RESUBMIT IT OR ARE WE GOING TO WORK A PARALLEL PATH. WE CAN TALK ABOUT THIS OF LOOKING AT WHAT THE CURRENT DATA IS THAT'S AVAILABLE. THAT'S RELATIVE TO THIS, NOT TO PUSH US KICK IT DOWN THE ROAD, BUT LET'S LET'S DOT OUR I'S AND CROSS OUR T'S. WE ALREADY HAVE THIS. I DON'T THINK THEY WILL GO AWAY NECESSARILY, BUT LET'S AT LEAST UNDERSTAND THAT IF THE INFORMATION IS READILY AVAILABLE TO US, OR TO SOME EXTENT, THIS CAPITALIZE ON. AND LET'S WORK A PARALLEL PATH TO TAKE THIS BACK FORWARD IN THE RIGHT MANNER. SO THAT SAID, WE GOT SOME HOMEWORK TO DO ON THE PRESENTATION. AND I THINK THE ENVIRONMENT OF A STUDY SESSION ALLOWS FOR AN ACTIVE DISCUSSION. AND THAT'S I THINK IT WHEN I LOOK AT IT IN RETROSPECT, I THINK THAT WOULD HAVE SERVED US BETTER TO HAVE BROUGHT THIS FORWARD IN A STUDY SESSION, TO HAVE AN ACTIVE DISCUSSION WHERE WE HAVE MORE TIME DEDICATED TO IT. WE HAVE THE CHANCE TO TELL THAT STORY IN A IN A MORE. A MORE WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT THAT ENCOURAGES 
          [01:45:07]
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS BACK AND FORTH. THAT'S WHAT A STUDY SESSION IS ABOUT. I THINK THAT WOULD BE TREMENDOUSLY HELPFUL. AND I THINK THE SUGGESTION TO DO THAT IN A STUDY SESSION OR. 
          COUNCILMAN BIRD AND MAGIC, YOU KNOW, FROM FROM YOU ALL, I THINK I THINK IT WILL REALLY HELP TO COALESCE THE COUNCIL AROUND THE BOARD AND ITS THINKING TO SAY THIS IS BIO LIFE SCIENCE CERTAINLY HAS SOME COMPONENT OF THIS, BUT THIS IS THIS IS ABOUT A HEALTHY DESOTO. THIS IS ABOUT ALL THE COMPONENTS THAT THAT GP WAS JUST TALKING ABOUT THESE. THIS IS AND TO THE COUNCILWOMAN'S POINT, THIS REALLY STARTS TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS AROUND A HEALTHY DESOTO. WHAT DOES WHAT DOES THAT MEAN. AND THEN HOW DO WE GET THERE. I THINK THOSE WERE THOSE ARE PIECES THAT AS MUCH AS WE IDENTIFIED IT AS A PILLAR IN OUR STRATEGIC PLAN, I DON'T THINK, YOU KNOW, AS I'VE, AS I'VE PARTICIPATED IN THAT EACH YEAR, THIS GRANT, THIS, THIS BIGGER UNDERSTANDING OF THE NEEDS IN OUR COMMUNITY AND WHAT DRIVES THOSE NEEDS HAS NOT I THINK THERE'S AN UNDERSTANDING WE NEED IT, BUT THE COMPONENTS OF IT ARE HARD TO IDENTIFY. AND I THINK THAT'S WHERE WE'RE HEADED. SO I THINK BEING ABLE TO BE MORE CLEAR ABOUT THAT, MY CONCERN IS THAT WE KEEP TRYING TO ATTACH IT TO A 90 ACRE PARCEL THAT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THAT PARCEL. 
          YEAH, THAT IT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH DELIVERING HEALTH CARE. AND THEN TO THE EXTENT THAT THAT PIECE OF THAT PARCEL OR THE 24 ACRE PARCEL THAT MIGHT HOUSE A HOSPITAL OR THE MEDICAL CENTER IN THE MIDDLE, THAT MIGHT HOUSE PHYSICIAN OFFICES, ALL OF THOSE ARE JUST MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO BRING THE RESOURCES TOGETHER. BUT I DON'T WANT TO START WITH THAT AND WORK OUR WAY BACK. 
          LET'S START WITH THE END IN MIND AND KNOW WHAT THAT IS. AND THAT'S REALLY WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO GET TO WITH THIS. I THINK IF WE CAN CONVEY THAT IN THE STUDY SESSION AND GET COUNCIL AROUND THE SAME, THE SAME LEVEL OF THINKING THAT YOU ALL CAME TO, I THINK WE'D BE I THINK WE'D BE BETTER OFF. CAN WE CAN I JUST SAY SOMETHING REALLY QUICKLY? TO DOCTOR GP. YOU KNOW, YOU'VE DONE A LOT OF WORK WITH, WITH THE SUBCOMMITTEE. RIGHT. I THINK SUMMARIZING THAT WOULD BE VERY IMPORTANT. HERE'S THE TASK OF THE SUBCOMMITTEE. WE LOOKED AT SOME OF THE THINGS WE STARTED WITH THE WITH THE NOTION OF THIS IS A PILLAR OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN FOR THE CITY, THE HEALTHY COMMUNITY. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE WANTED TO FOCUS ON, NOT JUST FOR ONE AREA, BUT FOR THE ENTIRE AREA. SO THAT'S ONE THING WE'VE CHOSEN. THE OTHER PART OF IT IS WE'VE CHOSEN THOSE PROFESSIONALS BECAUSE OF THEIR EXPERIENCES IN ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR. SOME OF THE THINGS SOME OF THAT HISTORICAL PROJECTS THAT THEY'VE WORKED ON, THEY WERE ABLE TO IDENTIFY ONE, TWO, THREE, FOUR. AND THIS IS THE GOAL THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IN ORDER TO DO THIS. SO NOT ONLY BRINGING THAT, IT'S OUR GOAL AND, AND, AND, AND OBJECTIVE TO ADDRESS. AND THESE ARE NOT. TO ADDRESS TO ADDRESS THIS, THIS, THIS THIS OPPORTUNITY. RIGHT. BUT IT'S ALSO WE WE'RE WE'RE GOING TO EMPLOY SOME OF THE MOST EXPERTS WHO HAVE PROVIDED RESULTS IN THE PAST ABOUT THINGS THAT ARE THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE THINGS THAT WE'RE SEEKING FOR, THINGS THAT ARE GOING TO BE, YOU KNOW, THINGS THAT WE NEED TO BRING TO YOU BECAUSE WE NEED THE ANSWERS TO THE NEXT STEP. YOU KNOW, IT'S THAT THAT KEY THAT LOCKS THE NEXT THE NEXT VAULT. RIGHT? AND WE NEED THAT KEY. AND THAT'S WHERE WE NEED TO FOCUS ON, NOT ONLY FROM THE SENSE OF THE HEALTHY DESOTO, BUT FROM THE SENSE OF REALLY KNOWING WHAT THE NEXT STEPS ARE FOR US SO WE CAN FOCUS OUR EFFORTS A LOT MORE. SO THAT WOULD BE MY. SO I GET THAT MAGIC. AND SO MY, MY, I GUESS A LOT OF WHAT YOU SAID IS I FEEL LIKE IT'S NOT A QUESTION FOR ME THOUGH. IT'S WHAT I MEAN BY THAT IS LIKE AS A SUBCOMMITTEE MEMBER, A WE DIDN'T SAY, HEY, WE'RE SUBCOMMITTEE. WE FOUND THIS GROUP. LIKE THAT GROUP WAS BROUGHT TO US TO A CERTAIN DEGREE. AND THEN BEYOND THAT, BECAUSE I FEEL LIKE I'M CONVINCING YOU TO DO SOMETHING WITH THEM. BUT WHAT I'M SAYING, I GUESS WHAT I'M SAYING IS, IS LIKE, IT SOUNDS LIKE SOME OF LIKE THOSE FIRST TWO QUESTIONS. 
          WHAT DID THEY ACCOMPLISH? LIKE THOSE NEED TO GO DIRECTLY TO THEM. AND LIKE, IS THAT FAIR? AND MAYBE AND MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT IS THAT HAPPENS EVEN BEFORE THAT MEETING. YOU SEE WHAT I'M SAYING. YEAH, I THINK THAT'S FAIR. BUT AGAIN, IT'S ABOUT THE COMMUNICATION 
          [01:50:03]
SETTING UP THAT THAT PRESENTATION, THAT COMMUNICATION TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS REGARDLESS, REGARDLESS OF WHO'S THERE, I KNOW THERE'S THE PORTION OF IT IS THE SUBCOMMITTEE, OKAY. BUT THE ULTIMATE THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS WHAT'S THE OUTCOME? AND THE OUTCOME IS THAT KEY THAT OPENS UP THE NEXT, THE NEXT SAY, RIGHT. YEAH. AND I WANT TO BE CAREFUL HOW WE PRESENT THIS TO BECAUSE YES, IT'S A HEALTHY CITY, BUT THIS IS THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. YES. SO WE'RE COMING FROM THAT PERSPECTIVE. ABSOLUTELY. AS WE AS WE TELL THE STORY. ABSOLUTELY. AND THAT FOR ME IS HEALTHY, THE PILLAR OF HEALTHY COMMUNITY. THAT'S BEAUTIFUL. YES. I WANT TO KNOW HOW IT'S GOING TO PIVOT TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. YES. AND TYING IT TO THAT 90 ACRE PARCEL OR PARCEL THAT GOD'S GOING TO RAIN DOWN FROM HEAVEN IS GOING TO BE IMPORTANT, WHICHEVER WAY IT IS. SO BUT I THINK, AGAIN, WE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT YOU WERE TRYING TO BUY. IF THE STORY IS TOLD, WHAT YOU'RE TRYING TO BUY, THEN WE WOULD PROBABLY SAY, GOOD, I'D LIKE TO BRING THIS TO CLOSURE, BUT I WANT TO SAY THAT IT'S SAFE TO SAY THE TRANSFER OF INFORMATION AND KNOWLEDGE FROM WHAT WE ALL CONVENED ON DID NOT HAPPEN EFFECTIVELY. AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE SITTING HERE. SO YEAH, LET'S LOOK AT IT. IT'S A LEARNING PROCESS. IT'S A IT'S AN MOMENT FOR US OR OR MAYBE WE DIDN'T HEAR IT EFFECTIVELY. IT'S NOT THAT IT COULD BE I MEAN, NO, YOU PROBABLY BUT I WILL SAY FOR US, WE WERE LIVING WITH IT FOR A WHILE. SO YEAH, ALL OF THAT. I DON'T THINK WE PRESENTED THAT PORTION OF IT. I KNOW I, I DID NOT COME EQUIPPED TO PRESENT THAT PORTION OF IT. YEAH. SO THERE'S, THERE'S A MANAGEMENT REPORT THAT CONTAINS THAT A FAIR AMOUNT OF THAT INFORMATION. BUT UNLESS YOU BRIEFED YOURSELF WITH THAT AND THAT MAY HAVE ONLY JUST CREATED MORE QUESTIONS, I THINK IF WE IF WE TAKE WHAT WE'VE LEARNED HERE TONIGHT EVEN. YEAH. 
          LET US AS STAFF GO BACK AND CREATE THAT LIST OF QUESTIONS, CREATE A WAY TO ANSWER THOSE QUESTIONS AND CIRCULATE THAT AGAIN AMONGST OURSELVES. CITY MANAGER'S OFFICE, THE COUNCIL AND OUR, OUR BOARD AND AS WELL AS INSIDE OF OUR STAFF. AND THEN LET'S BRING FORTH THE IDEA OF HOW DO WE IS THIS WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ANSWER? AND HOW DO WE DO THAT SO THAT WE'RE BETTER PREPARED WHEN WE GET TO JULY? IS THAT AN ACCEPTABLE WAY FOR US TO GO FORWARD? OKAY. SO I WOULD LIKE FOR THE BOARD TO SEE THE PRESENTATION BEFORE IT GOES FORWARD. UNDERSTOOD. YOU WILL YOU WILL HAVE OUR EMAIL, A LINK TO THE RECORDING AND TO THE PRESENTATION TO THE. I'M TALKING ABOUT THE NEW PRESENTATION. YEAH. LIKE WITH THE STAFF. THANK YOU THAT HE USED THAT CITY COUNCIL MEETING IS CLOSED. THANK YOU. THE LINK TO BOTH DOCUMENTS. YES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO TERRIFIC. THANK YOU. SO THANK YOU EVERYONE. WORTHY WORTHY CONVERSATION I KNOW IT GETS US OFF TRACK FROM TIME TO TIME, BUT THINK ABOUT THE VALUE THAT WE JUST GAINED AS A BOARD, HOW WE GO FORWARD, THE KNOWLEDGE, THE AND THE THINGS THAT WE SHOULDN'T DO OR WE CAN DO BETTER. THE IMPROVEMENT PROCESS SO, SO WORTHY, IF YOU WILL LET ME MOVE FORWARD HERE. YOU KNOW, WE KIND OF GOT LONG WINDED. WE'RE SUPPOSED TO BE WRAPPING HERE IN FIVE MINUTES. WE HAVE SOME GUESTS HERE, AND WE DON'T WANT TO BE RUDE AND NOT AT LEAST ALLOW OUR GUESTS TO PRESENT SOMETHING THAT I'M. I'M. THAT I'M VERY, VERY MUCH WANTING TO HEAR. AND SO IT'S THE NEXT ON OUR AGENDA. AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO MAKE SOME TRANSITIONS AFTER THIS. SO THE DISCUSSION 
          [B.6.	Discussion regarding the creation of DeSoto Tech Incubator Hub]
REGARDING THE CREATION OF THE TECH INCUBATOR HUB WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS. AND MATT, CAN YOU GUYS SHARE THE TEAM THAT'S SHARING THIS WITH US TODAY PLEASE. SURE. SO WE'VE BEEN HAVING SOME DISCUSSIONS WITH WITH OUR FRIENDS THAT ARE HERE TONIGHT, WHICH IS THE CO-WORKING SPACE. 
          THEY CAME TO US. OH GOSH, IT'S PROBABLY BEEN SIX MONTHS OR MORE TO TALK TO US ABOUT THE CREATION OF A CO-WORKING SPACE INTO SOMETHING DOESN'T EXIST. THEY'VE IDENTIFIED CLEARLY A NEED FOR IT. THEY HAVE OTHER CO-WORKING SPACES THEY'VE CREATED IN RICHARDSON AND PLANO AND OTHERS, IN FACT, AROUND THE WORLD, ONE OF THOSE BEING IN LEBANON, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, BECAUSE ONE OF THE OWNERS COMES FROM THEIR. NO DOUBT THEY HAVE THE EXPERIENCE AT CREATING THESE SPACES TO THINK. I THINK PROBABLY THE MOST INTERESTING THING THAT THAT I LEARNED IN WORKING WITH THEM WAS IT'S LESS ABOUT THE BUILDING THAN IT IS ABOUT WHAT ENDS UP IN WHATEVER 
          [01:55:07]
BUILDING THEY PICK. AND IF THERE'S ANY DOUBT ABOUT THAT, YOU GO TO THE RICHARDSON AND IT'S IN AN OFFICE PARK AND IT'S A NICE BUILDING AND, YOU KNOW, COURTYARD AND THE BUILDINGS THAT THEY CAME AND WANTED TO TALK TO US ABOUT ARE TWO THAT ARE OWNED BY THE CITY. THEY'RE ON LINDELL, AND THERE'S THREE BUILDINGS THAT WE ACTUALLY OWN. SOME THEY WERE FORMERLY IN, AS YOU'LL KNOW, THE CHURCH. I DON'T REMEMBER JUBILEE. JUBILEE CHURCH OWNED THEM PRIOR. WE BOUGHT THOSE BUILDINGS AS PART OF OUR ACQUISITION ON HAMPTON ROAD. YEAH. THEY'VE BEEN SITTING VACANT FOR A LONG TIME. AND THEY CAME AND SAID, YOU KNOW, THIS NORTH TWO, WE'D LIKE TO TURN THEM INTO A CO-WORKING SPACE. SIMULTANEOUS TO THAT, WE WERE HAVING OUR DISCUSSIONS WITH Y'ALL AROUND THERE. AS WE LOOK AT A FUTURE FOCUS AROUND AEROSPACE AND AVIONICS, WE'RE TALKING SOME AEROSPACE ENGINEERS. AND THEY SAID WE'D LIKE TO FIND SOME SPACE. AND THESE ARE START UP COMPANIES. AND SO WE TALKED TO OUR FRIENDS AND SAID, YOU KNOW, THE CO-WORKING SPACE IS GREAT. IF WE WERE ABLE TO WORK TOGETHER, COULD WE TURN THIS INTO A TECH INCUBATOR? COULD WE DRIVE THE TECH SIDE OF THIS? WHAT LOOKED LIKE JUST A CO-WORKING SPACE? COULD IT BE A TECH CO-WORKING SPACE? IT WENT BACK. THEY MASHED IT ALL TOGETHER AND SAID, OKAY, SO HERE FINANCIALLY, THERE ARE SOME REQUIREMENTS THAT THAT WE HAVE FOR THIS BECAUSE WE CAN'T START ON DAY ONE WITH THAT MANY TECH FIRMS. SO WE TALKED A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THAT. AND LONG STORY SHORT IS WE THINK THAT WHAT WE'VE COME, WE'VE, WE'VE COME TO IS AN ABILITY TO CREATE CO-WORKING SPACE IN DE SOTO, WHICH, YOU KNOW, IS BADLY NEEDED. AND FROM THE SMALLEST, I JUST NEED A MAILBOX TO I NEED AN EXECUTIVE SPACE, I NEED MY OWN OFFICE AND MAYBE EVEN ROOM FOR MY TEAM, YOU KNOW, 2 OR 3 OF MY TEAM MEMBERS, THEY HAVE THESE IN OTHER PLACES. THEY WOULD CREATE THEM WITHIN THESE BUILDINGS AND BUILT A FINANCIAL MODEL AROUND IT THAT ALLOWS THEM TO BUILD THE CO-WORKING SPACE THAT STARTS TO SERVE OUR COMMUNITY, PAYING US RENT ON A BUILDING AND SORT OF THE MOMENT OF THAT FOR, FOR US AS A TEAM WAS IF WE TOOK THAT RENT AND IT'S NOT, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T WE DON'T WE DON'T MAKE MONEY. THAT'S NOT WHAT WE SET OUT TO DO. BUT IF I CAN TAKE THE RENT THAT THEY'RE PAYING US ON THAT BUILDING AND TURN AROUND AND SUBSIDIZE TECH STARTUP COMPANIES, IF I CAN TAKE THOSE TWO AEROSPACE ENGINEERS AND MAYBE THEY CAN'T AFFORD $400 A MONTH FOR THEIR OFFICE SPACE THAT THEY WOULD NORMALLY PAY, BUT MAYBE WE CAN UNDERWRITE THAT WITH SOME OF THE RENT THAT THEY'RE GIVING US. WE TURN AROUND AND UNDERWRITE THOSE THOSE COMPANIES, AND WE ESSENTIALLY GIVE THEM A BOOST UP FOR A TWO YEAR PERIOD. WE CREATE AN AGREEMENT WITH THEM AND WE START TO SORT OF, IF YOU WILL, SELECT OUT SOME OF THE FOLKS WE'D LIKE TO SEE IN THIS INCUBATOR SPACE, WE'RE ESSENTIALLY BUYING BACK THE SPACE. HOW HOW CAN WE UTILIZE THEIR EFFORTS AROUND CREATING A HEALTHY INCUBATOR SPACE TO FEED OUR TECH, OUR NEED FOR A TECH INCUBATOR, AND GIVE PEOPLE LIKE THAT A PLACE TO CALL HOME AND GROW THEIR COMPANY AND THEN GRADUATE TO BIGGER SPACES AGAIN, BIGGER SPACES AVAILABLE WITHIN THAT. AT SOME POINT, THEY'RE GOING TO OUTGROW THOSE. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO FIND SOME OTHER SPACES. WE'VE HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS AROUND THAT. THAT'S SORT OF THE. I THINK THE CONCEPT. BUT BUT Y'ALL, I'D LOVE FOR YOU TO TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT WHY YOU THINK DE SOTO MAKES SENSE AND HOW HOW YOU SEE THIS MAYBE MOVING FORWARD. AND I'LL LET YOU INTRODUCE YOURSELVES AND YOUR BACKGROUNDS. YES. MY NAME IS XAVIER EGAN, ONE OF THE MANAGING PARTNERS WITH HEXA DEVELOPMENT. WHAT WE'VE DONE IS IDEAS, INNOVATION EVERYWHERE. WE THINK THAT IS A SMART MAN. ONCE SAID, GENIUS IS EQUALLY DISTRIBUTED, BUT OPPORTUNITY IS NOT RIGHT. AND WHEN YOU COMPILE THAT WITH JUST THE NATIONAL REAL ESTATE STATS, WHICH IS THAT EXECUTIVE SPACE IS ONE OF THE LEAST MADE AVAILABLE SPACES IN ANY GIVEN COMMUNITY, THERE'S SOMETHING HUGELY MISSING TO CULTIVATE THAT TYPE OF OPPORTUNITY THAT PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR, RIGHT. AND THAT'S FROM THE MICRO GROWTH BUSINESSES ALL THE WAY TO THE HYPER GROWTH BUSINESSES THAT REALLY NEED A PLACE TO START THAT MOVEMENT AND MOMENTUM. SO THE SPACE IS JUST A PART OF THAT FEATURE QUITE NATURALLY. AND THEN THE OTHER SIDE OF IT IS WE'VE ULTIMATELY CREATED A VENTURE STUDIO OR TWO AND HAVE BEEN INVESTING INTO COMPANIES TO HELP BUILD OUT SOME OF THAT INFRASTRUCTURE. WE THINK THAT IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOT ONLY INVEST INTO THE COMMUNITY AND WHAT VALUES THEY HAVE, BUT THEY 
          [02:00:05]
ALSO TYPICALLY NEED SOME THINGS THAT MIGHT NOT BE IN THE COMMUNITY ALREADY. SO BRINGING TOGETHER A DEVELOPMENT TEAM ACROSS TEN DIFFERENT COUNTRIES WITH 200 DEVELOPERS AVAILABLE, MAKES IT A LITTLE BIT EASIER FOR THOSE PEOPLE IN YOUR COMMUNITY TO SAY, HEY, IF I'M INTERESTED IN BUILDING SOMETHING MORE, WHERE DO I GO? SO TRYING TO BE THAT BEACON OF LIGHT AS A PART OF THE SOTO AND OF COURSE, THIS SOUTHERN DALLAS REGION IS A PART OF THAT TO BRING PEOPLE TO THIS COMMUNITY AND, OF COURSE, SERVE THE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY AS THE COMMUNITY IS STILL GROWING. 
          SO NOT TO TAKE UP TOO MUCH OF YOUR TIME, BUT HOPEFULLY THAT GIVES YOU A GOOD GIST. WHAT IS THE RICHEST ONE? IT IS RIGHT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RICHARDSON IQ. SO THE INNOVATION CORRIDOR. 
          ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THAT? SO CAMPBELL GREEN, GREENVILLE GREENVILLE. YEAH RIGHT IN THAT AREA. OKAY. WHAT IS WHAT'S LIKE THE. SO YOU GUYS COME IN AND RENOVATE AND SPACE IT OUT TO THOSE TO BE RENTED OUT IS THAT. YEAH. SO IT REALLY JUST DEPENDS ON THE RELATIONSHIP. OBVIOUSLY IF THE CITY OWNS THE BUILDING WE'RE JUST A TENANT. THEN THEY MAY HAVE SOME INFLUENCE THERE. 
          IF WE OWN THE BUILDING LIKE WE DID IN RICHARDSON, THEN YES, ULTIMATELY WE KIND OF RETROFITTED IT OUT TO WHATEVER THE SPACE NEEDS WHEN WE'VE DONE IT IN OTHER CITIES OR OTHER COUNTRIES. SOMETIMES IT'S BEEN WHAT'S THE FACILITIES THAT ARE AVAILABLE AND JUST MAKING SOME VALUE OUT OF WHAT SPACES ARE ALREADY THERE. SO SOMETIMES THAT'S OLD RETAIL SPACES, MALL AREAS, THINGS OF THAT NATURE, OR JUST IN THIS CASE, SOME BUILDINGS THAT HAVE BEEN UNOCCUPIED OR NOT MANAGED SO FAR. GOTCHA. SO ESSENTIALLY THE PROPOSAL THAT THAT XAVIER AND QUENTIN HAVE MADE TO US IS, IS THE IDEA THAT WE WOULD DO WE WOULD BRING SOME OF THE SOME OF THOSE HAVE HAVE SOME REAL CHALLENGES STRUCTURALLY LEAKING AND, AND SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT WE WOULD WE WOULD WORK WITH THEM TO MAKE THE BUILDING IMPROVEMENTS, IF YOU WILL. I MEAN, LET'S SAY WHEN WE'RE SAID AND DONE AND FIVE YEARS AFTER WE THIS LEASE AGREEMENT EXPIRES, WE STILL OWN THOSE BUILDINGS. SO WE HAVE A VESTED INTEREST IN MAKING SURE THAT OUR LEASEHOLD IMPROVEMENTS THAT THAT ARE STRUCTURAL IN NATURE AND THE BUILDING ITSELF, THAT WE WOULD PARTICIPATE IN WITHIN THAT THEY WOULD MAKE THEIR OWN TENANT IMPROVEMENTS THAT WOULD RETROFIT THAT SPACE. MOST OF THAT'S MOVABLE WALLS AND SETTING UP SPACES. SOME OF IT'S UTILIZING THE WAY THE ROOMS ARE BROKEN UP ALREADY, WHERE THERE'S WALLS AND OFFICES, THEY COULD SUBDIVIDE, CREATE MORE PRIVATE SPACES. THEY'VE GOT SOME GREAT IDEAS AROUND THAT, AND THEY'VE KIND OF CAME BACK TO US WITH SORT OF A LOW AND MEDIUM AND A HIGH INVESTMENT KIND OF THE IDEA THAT, YOU KNOW, AT THE BASE LEVEL, WE WOULD NEED TO BE ABLE TO CREATE THIS. AND, AND EACH OF THESE COULD, COULD MAKE IT FANCIER, BUT THAT WE THINK WE'D BE SUCCESSFUL AT WHATEVER, WHEREVER WE STARTED. AND IT MAY EVEN MORPH OVER TIME. I THINK OUR, OUR THOUGHT IS THESE ARE NOT BIG BUILDINGS. ONE OF THESE IS 6500FT AND ONE IS 3000FT. SO WE'RE NOT CREATING THIS MONSTROUSLY HUGE SPACE THAT WE'RE TRYING TO FILL. OR ONE OF MY PRINCIPAL CONCERNS IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU FILL THIS THING UP IN A YEAR, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S GOING TO MOVE FAIRLY QUICKLY TO DO THAT. ONCE WE GET TO IT, WE'LL START TO FILL THAT SPACE UP. WHAT ARE THE WHAT'S THE NEXT STEPS? WHAT ARE THE STEPS AFTER THAT. AND WE'VE EVEN TALKED ABOUT THEM TAKING SOME OF THE FLEX SPACE UP IN THE BUSINESS PARK THAT'S BEING BUILT. NOW, WHAT HAPPENS TO BE INVOLVED IN BUILDING OUT SOME OF THAT BIO FLEX SPACE. SO MAYBE THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE A PORTION OF THIS THERE. WE DON'T HAVE ALL THOSE DETAILS WORKED OUT. WHAT WE WANTED TO DO WAS TO INTRODUCE YOU TO OUR FRIENDS TONIGHT. WHAT WE WANTED TO DO WAS TALK ABOUT THE CONCEPT. 
          WE'RE READY TO MOVE FORWARD AND FINALIZING THE COMPONENTS THAT WOULD PUT THEM INTO THOSE TWO BUILDINGS. SORT OF THE FUTURE COMPONENTS IS THE PIECE WE HAVE TO THINK THROUGH, BUT WE NEED TO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS BOARD UNDERSTOOD WHAT WE WERE DOING. WE TALKED ABOUT A REVOLVING TECH FUND. WE THINK THAT THIS WILL ULTIMATELY, ONCE WE GET THE BUILDING FITTED OUT, THAT WILL ACTUALLY PROBABLY PREVENT US FROM HAVING TO USE OUR GENERAL FUND TO OUR GENERAL DOLLARS TO DO THAT. SO PROBABLY BECOME SELF-FUNDING FOR THE TECH INNOVATION, TAKING THE RENT AND REINVESTING IT OVER AND OVER AND OVER AGAIN. SO WE, WE, WE THINK THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY THERE. WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT EVERYBODY WAS OKAY. AS WE STARTED TO LOOK AT THAT AND WORK OUT THE DETAILS. AND THEN WE'LL BRING YOU BACK THE FINAL PROPOSAL OF WHO'S PAYING FOR 
          [02:05:05]
WHAT, WHAT COMPONENTS ARE THE LEASEHOLD IMPROVEMENTS ARE OURS. WHAT ARE THEIRS. YOU KNOW, WHAT BECOMES REVERTS BACK TO US IN FIVE YEARS WHEN THE LEASE IS DONE AND AN UNDERSTANDING OF THE INCENTIVES THAT WOULD BE REQUIRED TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. THAT'S REALLY AS FAR AS WE WANTED TO GO. TONIGHT WAS JUST SORT OF AN OPPORTUNITY TO INTRODUCE IT AND FIELD ANY QUESTIONS THAT SORT OF COME IMMEDIATELY TO MIND. BASED ON THE PRESENTATION WE'D SENT YOU, YOUR CHANCES TO REVIEW THAT AND SORT OF THE OVERALL CONCEPT CONCEPTUALLY, I LIKE IT. BRING IT IN, YOU KNOW, NOVEL TECH COMPANIES TO A COMMUNITY AND CULTIVATING THOSE AND MOVING THOSE BEYOND COMMUNITY. I JUST HAVE SOME JUST QUICK GENERAL QUESTIONS, LIKE WITH YOUR MODEL, THE COMPANY'S APPROACH, YOU OR YOUR OR THE WHICH WAY DOES IT WORK? SO IT'S A LITTLE BIT THE COMPANY. WELL IT'S A LITTLE BIT OF BOTH RIGHT. SO WITH REAL ESTATE FIRST OBJECTIVE IS TO OBVIOUSLY FILL THE REAL ESTATE. SO IF THERE'S A NEED IN THE COMMUNITY WE'RE NOT GOING TO TURN PEOPLE AWAY. RIGHT. BUT THEN THERE'S ALSO THE IDEA OF HOW DO WE FOCUS ON THE COMMUNITY UTILITY. RIGHT. AND WHAT THOSE GOALS MIGHT BE. AND IN THOSE CASES, IF WE SAY IN OUR COMMUNITY, THIS TYPE OF TECH OR THIS OTHER TYPE OF TECH MIGHT BE IMPORTANT TO US, THEN THAT'S WHEN WE GET INTO THE RECRUITING MODE TO TRY TO MAKE SURE THERE'S EXTRA OPPORTUNITY. AND THAT'S ALSO WHERE THE INCENTIVES COME INTO PLAY AS WELL, TO SAY, WELL, YOU COULD GO ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD, BUT I WANT YOU HERE WITH ME IN DESOTO, SO LET ME GET YOU SOME REDUCED RATES OR SOME EARLY BIRD SPECIALS TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU. GOTCHA. AND THEN SO MOST OF THESE COMPANIES WOULD NOT BE AND THIS IS NOT A BAD THING AT ALL. WOULD NOT BE NATIVE TO THAT COMMUNITY. IS THAT IS THAT FAIR TO SAY. SO AGAIN, IT JUST GOES IT DEPENDS. RIGHT. SO YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE SOME LEASEHOLDS THAT ARE JUST HERE. RIGHT. AND THEN YOU'VE GOT THE NATURAL IDEA PEOPLE FLEEING OR LEAVING THE COMMUNITY RIGHT NOW TO FULFILL THEIR NEEDS. SO THEY'RE GOING TO BE COMMUNITY MEMBERS THAT YOU'RE UNAWARE OF WHO DRIVE ALL THE WAY TO RICHARDSON OR GO TO, YOU KNOW, THESE OTHER FACILITIES. AND NOW THAT IT'S MADE AVAILABLE HERE, THEY CAN START TO UTILIZE IT HERE. SO THAT'LL KIND OF COME OUT IN THE WASH IS IT'S MADE AVAILABLE. GOT IT. AND GP WE WILL PLAY AN ACTIVE ROLE IN THAT RECRUITING AS WELL. WE FIELD QUESTIONS FROM STARTUP BUSINESSES, ENTREPRENEURS WHO SAY I'M LOOKING FOR SPACE. WHERE DO YOU HAVE FOR ME. AND SPECIFICALLY THE ONES WHO HAVE, YOU KNOW, SORT OF LIGHT UP OUR. EYES, THE ONES THAT, AS YOU SAY, ARE TECH FORWARD, ESPECIALLY AS AN IT DIDN'T TAKE VERY LONG TO START TALKING ABOUT AEROSPACE. 
          AND WE STARTED IDENTIFYING PLAYERS WHO HAD SOME INTEREST IN THAT AND SPECIFICALLY ITS PART. 
          PART OF IT IS BECAUSE THE ECOSYSTEM FOR AEROSPACE IN DALLAS IS SO BIG. IT'S HUGE. 1 IN 6 JOBS IS AEROSPACE BASED IN OUR IN OUR OVERALL ECONOMY. SO WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT THOSE AND MANY OF THOSE ARE DOD BASED, THOSE CONTRACTS TYPICALLY HAVE MINORITY SET ASIDES, AND THOSE CONTRACTS ARE HAVING A HARD TIME FINDING PEOPLE TO FULFILL THOSE MINORITY SET ASIDES. WE'VE HAD TWO DIFFERENT FOLKS COME TO US AND SAY, OUR WHOLE BUSINESS PLAN IS BASED ON MEETING THE MINORITY SET ASIDES AT L3 AT BOEING AND LOCKHEED MARTIN. THESE ARE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS A YEAR IN CONTRACTS THAT CAN'T BE, THAT CAN'T BE, BE FULFILLED UNTIL THEY FIND THOSE FOLKS AND THEY'RE LOOKING FOR A SPACE. AND SO THAT'S WHERE WE SAID, GOSH, WE PROBABLY CAN'T FILL THE ENTIRE SPACE. THEY CAN WORK WITH US TO DO THAT. BUT IF WE CAN INCENT THESE COMPANIES TO TAKE UP SPACE HERE, IN THIS CASE, THESE WERE BOTH DESOTO FOLKS THAT ALREADY LIVE IN OUR COMMUNITY. BUT IT WON'T TAKE VERY LONG FOR US PROMOTING THE IDEA THAT WE HAVE A TECH INCUBATOR AND A WAY TO HELP HELP DEFER SOME OF THE STARTUP COSTS TO HAVE PEOPLE START TO FILL THOSE SPACES. TO YOUR POINT, THAT'S REALLY WHERE THE INCENTIVES COME. SO, XAVIER, IF I MAY. SO YOUR PROGRAM IN RICHARDSON, HOW SUCCESSFUL IS IT? HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN IN EXISTENCE, IF I MAY, AS FAR AS WELL, THE GOOD AND BAD IS WE STARTED WE OPENED THE LOCATION APRIL 2020. LUCKY US. SO WE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF TURBULENCE UP FRONT. BUT ONCE THE WORLD CAME BACK TO BE, WE PRETTY MUCH BEEN CENTERED ABOUT 90 PLUS PERCENT OCCUPANCY SINCE. AND THAT IS PROBABLY THE CROWN JEWEL BECAUSE IT'S A 40,000 SQUARE FOOT FACILITY. SO WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY TRYING TO GO THAT DEEP EVERYWHERE. BUT THAT'S KIND OF HOW WE STARTED, RIGHT? TO 
          [02:10:02]
MAKE SURE THAT WE CAN CULTIVATE THAT VALUE WE WERE LOOKING FOR. NOW IN THAT CITY, WE WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH THE CITY AS WELL, AND SOME OF THE RICHEST IN IQ ACTIVITIES. WE'RE KIND OF BASED OFF WHAT WE'RE UP TO. WE, AND WE WERE ALSO ABLE TO BE A KIND OF STARTING GROUND FOR A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WERE INTERESTED IN COMING TO THE COMMUNITY. SO MAYBE YOU WERE A LARGER COMPANY, BUT NOWADAYS A LOT OF THOSE COMPANIES LIKE SMALL FOOTPRINTS FOR THEIR REMOTE WORKFORCE. 
          RIGHT? SO IT'S A GOOD ENGAGEMENT POINT TO SAY, HEY, WELL, WE MIGHT NOT FIND THE SPACE YET. 
          THAT'S RIGHT FOR US. AND SO BUT WE WANT THE TASTE AND THE FLAVOR FIRST TO DISCERN IF WE WANT TO GO AND ENGAGE FURTHER. SO THEY USE OUR FACILITIES SOMETIMES TO ACTUALLY START THAT ENGAGEMENT. 
          HEY, YOU KNOW WHAT? COME OVER HERE. YOU KNOW, PARTICIPATE IN THE VIBE, THE CULTURE OF THE ECOSYSTEM. AND THEN IF YOU DECIDE GROW UP TO THAT LARGER SPACE, THAT'S ALSO THE IDEA OF TRUE GROWTH FOR THE COMPANIES THEMSELVES, THAT IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE A REVOLVING DOOR, RIGHT? WHERE HOPEFULLY, IF COMPANIES ARE TRULY GROWING, THEY'RE MOVING UP AND OUT IN THE BIGGER SPACE BECAUSE THEY NEED WAY MORE FACILITIES. WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO CHANGE OR CONVERT, NOR WILL WE KICK EVERYBODY ELSE OUT BECAUSE YOU GROW BIGGER. SO THE IDEA THERE IS REALLY, AS A PART OF THAT INCUBATION HOLISTICALLY FOR THE CITY, PART OF THAT ECONOMIC GARDENING PER SE, WHERE WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CHICKEN OR THE EGG. WELL, WE KNOW EVERYBODY HAS THAT GO SOMEWHERE, RIGHT FOR THE WORK. WELL, LET'S PUT SOME EXTRA ACTIVATIONS, SPACE AND TOOLS AROUND THEM TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY CAN CULTIVATE FURTHER. SO WHAT PERCENTAGE IS TODAY IN YOUR RICHARDSON LOCATION? WHAT PERCENTAGE OF YOUR YOUR OCCUPANTS ALL USE ARE PROFESSIONALS, SEASONED PROFESSIONALS VERSUS STARTUP. YEAH. SO WE PROBABLY MAYBE 2,030% ARE MORE HISTORIC COMPANIES UP THERE. WE EVEN GOT A LOCAL BANK INVOLVED WITH THE FACILITY KIND OF HAVING LENDING OFFICE. RIGHT. SO THAT THEY CAN THEY CAN INVEST A LITTLE BIT CLOSER AND EASIER INTO THE BUSINESSES THEMSELVES. SO SOMETIMES IT'S REALLY A BALANCE WHERE AGAIN, THEY STILL ONLY NEED THE SAME ONE OFFICE, TWO OFFICE SPACE VERSUS A WHOLE BUILDING, BUT THEY WANT TO BE INSIDE OF THE ACTIVATION ZONE, RIGHT, VERSUS OUTSIDE. AND HOW TO FIND THOSE CUSTOMERS THAT COME TO THEM. WHAT'S THE CLOSEST FROM A SIMILARITY STANDPOINT IN IN PROXIMITY TO DESOTO THAT YOUR COMPETITOR IS IF THEY'RE IF IT EXISTS. SO IN SOME CASES YOU HAVE EXECUTIVE SUITES AND WHAT HAVE YOU THAT HAVE SIMILAR TONES. SO IN PROXIMITY TO WHERE WE ARE, WE'RE JUST ON THE SOUTH END OF DOWNTOWN. WHERE'S YOUR CLOSEST COMPETITOR? THAT WOULD BE THERE'S A REGIS SPACE IN CEDAR HILL. RIGHT. THEN OF COURSE, WE'VE GOT THE DECK NETWORK AT RED BIRD RIVER IS GOING TO BE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT OF AN AUDIENCE. THEY MIGHT FOCUS MORE ON THE MICRO BUSINESSES THAN THE HYPER GROWTH, AND THEN REACHES REALLY ISN'T GOING TO FOCUS ON ANYBODY. THEY'RE ULTIMATELY JUST GOING TO PROVIDE SPACE TO ANY AND EVERYBODY, AND THEY AREN'T GOING TO CULTIVATE ANYTHING. RIGHT. SO YOU JUST GOT REAL ESTATE FROM THAT REGARDS IS KIND OF YOUR CLOSEST COMPARISON. I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS. SO I, I'VE BEEN IN RICHARDSON WHERE THE BUILDING WHERE RICHARDSON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS THE SAME BUILDING. THAT'S THE IQ BUILDING. SO THAT'S YOU OR NOT YOU KNOW NOT US OKAY. BECAUSE I KNOW CO-WORKING YOU GOT THE UNIVERSITY AND THAT SPACE TOO. HOW FAR ARE YOU ARE SIMILAR. NOT THREE MINUTES AWAY OKAY. YES. OKAY. YEAH. MAYBE HALF A MILE OKAY. YEAH. YEAH. WE ACTUALLY TOURED BOTH FACILITIES. OKAY. FOR PROFIT OR NONPROFIT? FOR PROFIT? FOR PROFIT. SO HOW WOULD THIS WORK? THEY THEY HAVE THE MASTER LEASE. AND THEN YOU'LL PARSE IT OUT ULTIMATELY. OKAY. 
          WILL THERE ALSO BE SOME KIND OF PROGRAMING OR IS IT JUST YOU GOT A CO-WORKING SPACE? YES. WE HAVE A VENTURE STUDIO IN A COUPLE ACCELERATORS THAT WE PROVIDE IN OUR OWN LOCATION, AND THEN THE REST OF THE PROGRAMING IS THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS. SO WHEN IT COMES BACK, LIKE THE IN TERMS OF YOUR MODEL, LIKE THE OFFICES, YOU HAVE THOSE ON SIX MONTH ONE YEAR LEASE, I'M WONDERING WHAT YOU'RE WHAT THAT MODEL LOOKS LIKE SO THAT YOU PAY US. YES. OKAY. YES. SO IN THAT DECK THERE'S AN EXAMPLE OF KIND OF WHAT THE RATE SHEETS TYPICALLY LOOK LIKE. AND OBVIOUSLY WE KIND OF FOCUS IT ON WHAT IT WOULD LOOK LIKE FOR THIS AREA SPECIFICALLY OKAY. AND YOU'RE TARGETING JUST TECH COMPANIES. WELL NO. SO WE WILL BE TARGETING TECH COMPANIES. THEY ARE THEY'RE 
          [02:15:06]
TARGETING FILLING SPACE OKAY. AND WE HOPE TO BE ABLE TO SORT OF TAINT THE MIX, IF YOU WILL, TOWARDS TECH FORWARD BY BY BEING ABLE TO WORK WITH THOSE COMPANIES AND OFFER THEM UP A SPACE AND, AND BE ABLE TO SUPPORT THEM IN SOME WAY TO UNDERWRITE THEIR RENT OR, YOU KNOW, EVERY, EVERY ONE OF THOSE WILL BE SOMEWHAT SPECIFIC IN TERMS OF THE OVERALL NEEDS. BUT TO BE ABLE TO WORK IN COMBINATION WITH HEXA SO THAT WE FILL THE SPACE, ULTIMATELY WE WANT THE SPACE FULL. AND BECAUSE SOME OF THAT IS JUST THE ENERGY THAT'S INSIDE A SPACE LIKE THAT, I CALL IT, I CALL IT PRODUCTIVE COLLISIONS. YOU KNOW, THAT THEY'RE AROUND OTHER PEOPLE THAT HAVE THAT SAME ENERGY AND ARE HELPING, HELPING EACH OTHER, SORT OF, IF YOU WILL. BUT ULTIMATELY, WE'D LIKE TO SEE MORE AND MORE OF IT BE TAKEN OVER BY TECH FORWARD COMPANIES. 
          AND BDC. MEANING YOU WILL. WE CAP THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT SOMEONE CAN LEASE A SPACE. WELL, WE'LL CAP THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT WE'RE GOING TO HELP SUPPORT THEM, RIGHT? THEY THEY MAY BE HAPPY AT HAVING, YOU KNOW, A SHARED DESK SPACE AND TWO BIG ENOUGH FOR THREE THREE PEOPLE. 
          OKAY. IF THEIR COMPANY GROWS THEN THEN THEY'LL GROW UP AND GROW OUT. IF XAVIER AND HIS TEAM, HIS TEAM CAN'T MEET WHEN THEY NEED TO HAVE FIVE PEOPLE, THEN WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THEY GO NEXT. AND WE'VE EVEN HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS ABOUT, GOSH, ARE THERE GOING TO BE OTHER BUILDINGS THAT ARE GOING TO BECOME AVAILABLE AS AS THE HAMPTON ROAD DEVELOPS, AND ARE THERE GOING TO BE OTHER OPPORTUNITIES? HOW CAN WE HOW CAN WE LOOK FORWARD TO WHAT THAT NEXT ITERATION LOOKS LIKE? IT'S KIND OF THE WAY WE'VE ENVISIONED IT. THE BUILDINGS ARE IDENTIFIED RIGHT NOW. THEY'RE VACANT. VACANT RIGHT NOW THEY ARE VACANT FOR A WHILE. OR THEY'VE BEEN VACANT SINCE I GOT HERE FOUR YEARS AGO. OKAY, SO I CAN'T SPEAK BEFORE THAT, BUT IT'S BEEN A WHILE. OKAY. MY QUESTION IS, SINCE WE'RE BEING VERY SPECIFIC TO AN INDUSTRY, WHAT ARE WHAT IS IN PLACE IN THE EVENT THAT YOU'RE NOT ABLE TO ATTRACT. 
          THOSE WHO FIT THIS PARTICULAR DESCRIPTION? AS FAR AS LIKE TECH ENTREPRENEURS ARE UTILIZING SPACE, IS THERE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THOSE WHO MAY BE A LITTLE BIT OF A, I GUESS, MISSION CREEP BEING CONSIDERED FOR OPPORTUNITIES? WELL, ABSOLUTELY. TO COINCIDE WITH WHAT MATT SAID, I THINK FROM OUR STANDPOINT, WE'RE IN THE REAL ESTATE BUSINESS FROM ONE SIDE. SO WE'RE GOING TO SUPPORT EVERYBODY WHO WANTS TO AND NEEDS FACILITIES, RIGHT. BUT THEN THE OTHER SIDE IS HAVING A PARTICULAR FOCUS WHERE MAYBE WE'VE GOT A PERCENTAGE OF, YOU KNOW, TARGET OR THINGS LIKE THAT THAT WE KIND OF CORRELATE TOWARDS. RIGHT. SO THAT IT'S NOT HAPPENSTANCE. 
          WE'VE GOT 100% OR NOTHING BECAUSE THAT'S NOT GOING TO WORK. RIGHT. BUT IF WE SAID, HEY, WE'D LOVE IT IF WE GOT THIS MANY SEATS THERE, IF WE CAN GET 10% TOWARDS THAT GOAL OR 25% OR WHATEVER, THEN THAT ALL GIVES US, YOU KNOW, A BALANCING BEAM, RIGHT, OR TARGET SUBSET FOR US TO CHALLENGE OURSELVES TO BECAUSE AGAIN, WE WON'T KNOW WHO ALL WANTS TO COME HERE UNTIL IT'S AVAILABLE TO THEM. BUT BECAUSE WE'RE PART OF THE SYSTEM, WE'VE HAD A LOT OF COMPANIES THAT JUST WANT TO BE A PART OF OTHER FACILITIES. SO BECAUSE WE'VE GOT A GLOBAL IMPACT, SOMETIMES PEOPLE COME FROM ACROSS THE WORLD AND SAY, HEY, SO WE COULD BE WITH YOU GUYS OVER THERE NOW TO SO DESOTO MIGHT HAVE SOME VANTAGE POINT THAT OTHER PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR, WHETHER IT'S AEROSPACE OR, YOU KNOW, SOME GUY COMING WITH NEW TECH OR SOME GAPS THAT THEY CAN FIND IN THE COMMUNITY THAT THEY CAN POTENTIALLY FULFILL. SO WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT ALL THOSE DIFFERENT ANGLES AS A WAY TO FULFILL THE TARGET AND WHATEVER THE GOAL IS. SO IT COULD BE GENERAL TECH, IT COULD BE SPORT TECH, YOU KNOW, ALL OF THOSE COULD BE SOMETHING THAT WE COULD DESCRIBE AND WORK OUT AS WHAT'S GOING TO BE THE MOST VALUABLE FOR THE CITY ITSELF. OKAY. THANK YOU. I ASK BECAUSE TECHNICALLY, ME AND A BUNCH OF FOLKS THAT I KNOW WHO LIVE, WE ARE FORCED TO LIVE IN OUR WORK OUT OF OUR HOMES. YEAH, EXACTLY. BECAUSE THERE AREN'T OTHER OPTIONS. SO I WANTED TO KNOW WHETHER OR NOT THAT WOULD EVEN BE ABLE TO CONSIDER THIS. HAVE YOU COVERED? ABSOLUTELY. WELL, IT DEPENDS ON WHAT IS THE POTENTIAL RENT. I MEAN, RATE FROM WHICH THE BUSINESS OWNERS WOULD BE LOOKING TO PAY TO BE ABLE. I MEAN, I KNOW IT VARIES BECAUSE YOU HAVE A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT SPACES, BUT JUST LIKE A TYPICAL KIND OF, YOU KNOW, THIS, KIND OF THAT MID RANGE, I JUST I'M A SINGLE INDIVIDUAL ENTREPRENEUR. THERE'S A LOT OF THOSE FOLKS WHO RESIDE AND WORK HERE IN DESOTO. SO WHAT WOULD THAT POSSIBLY LOOK LIKE? A HOT DESK, DEDICATED DESK AND A PRIVATE OFFICE. SO IT COULD BE THAT SHARED SPACE OR THAT HOT DESK IS REALLY WHERE THEY WANT TO START, BECAUSE THOSE ARE GOING TO BE UNDER THE $400 MARK. RIGHT? SO PRETTY PRETTY SUPER AFFORDABLE FROM THAT REGARDS. AND THEN IT'S GOING TO BE HOW MUCH TIME YOU REALLY WANT TO 
          [02:20:04]
DEDICATE BECAUSE EVERYBODY'S COMING TO OFFICE EVERY DAY. SO THAT'S THE BEAUTY AND THE FLEXIBILITY OF THE SPACE AND THE SUBDIVIDED KIND OF MINDSET. RIGHT. IS THAT SOMETIMES SAY, I'VE GOT PEOPLE WHO ONLY COME TO THE OFFICE TWO DAYS A WEEK. WELL, WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THAT SPACE ON OTHER DAYS? WELL, THEY'RE NOT PAYING FOR 100% OF THOSE DAYS TO COVER THEMSELVES. 
          THEY'RE PAYING FOR WHAT THEY CALL DAY PASS PACKAGES. RIGHT? SO, HEY, I'M GOING TO BE BY TEN DAYS A MONTH. COOL. YOU CAN SPLIT THAT UP BY HOWEVER MANY PEOPLE FOR THAT SAME DESK. AND THAT'S ULTIMATELY HOW THEY'RE ABLE TO, YOU KNOW, RUN THAT TYPE OF BUSINESS MODEL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR TIME. WE'RE GOING TO CLOSE THIS DOWN. WE'D LIKE TO HAVE GREATER DISCUSSION. I WOULD I'LL GO ON RECORD SAYING WHEN I READ YOUR DECK, VERY, VERY ATTRACTIVE FROM THE STANDPOINT OF A NEED, YOU FIND A NEED AND YOU FILL IT. I THINK IT HAS A LOT OF MERIT TOWARD CREATING THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT FOR ENTREPRENEURS, FRANKLY SPEAKING, THAT DON'T HAVE OFFICE SPACE. 
          ONE OF THE THINGS I DIDN'T SEE IN YOUR DECK THAT I WAS LOOKING FOR IS EXECUTIVE ASSISTANCE, IF YOU WILL, A COMMON THREAD THERE TO SUPPORT. I DIDN'T SEE THAT IN YOUR DECK, BUT I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING, BECAUSE YOU HAVE A LOT OF SMALL BUSINESSES THAT NEED TO GET DOCUMENTS OUT AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE, BUT THEY DON'T HAVE THE WHEREWITHAL TO CREATE IT. SO THAT WAS JUST AN OBSERVATION. SO LET US VISIT MORE WITH IT INTERNALLY. AND LET ME THANK YOU, MR. QUINTON, FOR COMING OUT AND SHARING YOUR INFORMATION. THAT SAID, DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS FOR US BEFORE WE PART COMPANY ON THIS ONE HERE? NO. THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME THE TIME TODAY. THANK YOU. 
          APPRECIATE IT. OKAY. OKAY. THANK YOU SIR. ALL RIGHT. THANKS I APPRECIATE IT. THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE AS WELL. THANK YOU. YEAH OKAY. THAT'S IT. WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON. AND SO WE'RE 
          [C.	CONSENT  AGENDA]
GETTING CLOSE OUT HERE. BUT RIGHT AT THIS POINT WE ARE AT THE CONSENT AGENDA. AND I TRUST AND HOPE THAT EVERYONE HAS HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THE CONSENT AGENDA. AND IF EVERYONE HAS, I'D LIKE TO GET A MOTION. I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO CONSIDER APPROVING THE APRIL 14TH, 2025 REGULAR BOARD MEETING MINUTES. OKAY, ANYBODY TO SAY ANYTHING ABOUT I DON'T. OKAY. THAT'S IT. 
          COUNCIL MEMBER. THANK YOU, THANK YOU DOCTOR. IT'S BEEN MOTION AND SECOND TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AT THIS TIME. ALL IN FAVOR I ANY NAYS CONSENT AGENDA IS APPROVED FOR THE MEETINGS OF APRIL 14TH, 2025. REGULAR BOARD MEETING. LET'S MOVE FORWARD. WE'RE GOING TO BYPASS THE EXECUTIVE SESSION UNDER TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE PURSUANT TO TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE SECTION 551 .087, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DELIBERATION, DISCUSSION OF THE POTENTIAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES FOR PROJECT RECREATION. DISCUSSION OF POTENTIAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES FOR PROJECT HELIX. AND WE'RE GOING TO PULL THOSE AND PROCEED FORWARD TO NEXT ON 
          [F.	BOARD AND LIAISON ANNOUNCEMENTS / UPDATES]
OUR AGENDA TO CITY COUNCIL LIAISON, RECORDING CITY EVENTS AND MEETINGS FROM COUNCIL MEMBER ANDRE BYRD, PLEASE, SIR. THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. AND IT IT IS WITH HEAVY HEARTS THAT WE ANNOUNCE THAT THIS IS COUNCIL WOMAN. RAPHAEL'S LAST MEETING. OH, SHE HAS SERVED US WELL AND WE JUST HAD AN ELECTION WHICH BY OUR CHARTER SHE IS TERMED OUT BECAUSE WE WOULD TRULY MISS HER. 
          THANK YOU FOR YOUR YEARS OF SERVICE. THANK YOU. WITH THAT, SIR. YES. WITH THAT SAID, WE HAD THREE POSITIONS DURING THIS LAST ELECTION WITH THE WITH THE FIVE, 5807 VOTES FOR THE, FOR THE POSITION OF MAYOR. AND. RACHEL PROCTOR WAS ELECTED WITH 54.47% OF THE VOTE. AND THERE WILL NOT BE A NEED FOR A RUNOFF. SHE WILL BE SWORN IN FOR A HER LAST AND FINAL TERM OF THREE YEARS. THE 
          [02:25:01]
OTHER TWO RACES WHERE WE HAD FIVE OR MORE, AT LEAST FIVE PEOPLE, 4 OR 5, AND EACH RACE WILL GO TO A RUNOFF. AND THE TWO HIGHEST WAS MR. EVERETT JACKSON, WITH 34.3%, AND MR. KEN WATERS WITH 29.6%, AND NEITHER HAVING NO ONE GET OVER 50%, THEY ARE THE TWO HIGHEST. THEY WILL GO INTO RUNOFF AND THEN IN PLACE FIVE. IT WOULD BE MR. WILL ADAMS AND MISS DEBORAH NORTH, DEBORAH NORTH RECEIVING 32.2% AND MR. WILL ADAMS RECEIVING 25.5%. AND SO THAT THAT WILL GO INTO A RUNOFF. THE EARLY VOTING FOR THE RUNOFF WILL START ON MAY THE 27TH. IT WILL GO THROUGH JUNE THE 3RD WITH THE ELECTION DATE HAPPENING ON SATURDAY, JUNE THE 7TH. SO UP UNTIL THAT TIME, COUNCILWOMAN RAPHAEL WILL HAVE TO CONTINUE TO SERVE LIKE I'M SURE SHE'S VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. SHE WILL SHE HAVE THE PLEASURE OF SERVING UNTIL HER SEAT IS DULY FILLED, BUT NEVER REPLACED, SO SHE WILL CONTINUE TO SERVE. THE OTHER GOOD NEWS AND I THINK THAT IS IMPORTANT WITH OUR DDC. IS THAT ALL THREE BOND PROPOSALS WITH THE CITY OF DESOTO PASSED. SO THERE HAVEN'T BEEN A BOND. YEAH, THERE HAVEN'T. WITH THE ISD, THERE HAVE NOT BEEN A BOND IN THE LAST 20 YEARS. SO THAT MEANS THAT ALL OF OUR FACILITIES ARE AT LEAST 20 YEARS OLD, WITH NO MAJOR RENOVATION TO THEM. AND SO I KNOW THAT DOCTOR ROGERS AND THE ENTIRETY OF OUR ISD IS VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. AND SO THOSE THAT'S THE GOOD NEWS. AND THERE WAS NO THERE WAS NO ELECTION. IT WAS PEOPLE WHO COME UP IN, IN THE ISD FOR SCHOOL BOARD SEATS. BUT THEY WERE THEY RAN UNOPPOSED. SO THEY WERE DULY REELECTED. AND I THINK THAT IS THE THAT'S THE HOT THING THAT'S HAPPENING ON OUR ON OUR DAIS RIGHT NOW. SO THANK YOU, MR. PRESIDENT. I THANK YOU. THANK YOU. ANY QUESTIONS? I HAVE ONE LAST THING. NOT FOR TONIGHT, BUT FOR THE I'D LIKE FOR US TO CONSIDER FOR THE NEXT MEETING, FOR DISCUSSION. I DON'T KNOW WHEN SMALL BUSINESS WEEK IS THIS WEEK OR THIS WEEK. LET'S GO MAKE A COMMENT. YOU GOT ME. OH, YES. YOU BEAT ME. GO AHEAD. SO WHAT HAVE WE HAVE? WE FEATURED SMALL BUSINESSES LOCATED HERE IN DESOTO SMALL BUSINESS MONTH. WE GOT SOME SMALL BUSINESS MONTH, SMALL BUSINESS MONTH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT WEEK NEXT WEEK. SO WE GOT SOME THINGS WORKED OUT INTO OUR SOCIALS. WE'LL BE SPOTLIGHTING THOSE FOLKS HERE. 
          YES, MA'AM. OKAY. I DON'T KNOW IF THE CHAMBER IS DOING ANYTHING. I HAVEN'T HEARD FROM COURTNEY, BUT LIKE I SAID, WE'LL JUST HAVE SOME SOCIAL MEDIA SPOTLIGHTS. OKAY? WITH SMALL BUSINESSES. YEAH. OKAY. OKAY. STILL GOT SOME SITE VISITS THAT WILL SPOTLIGHT. OKAY, GREAT. 
          SOME SMALL BUSINESSES WE'LL LOOK AT. THANK YOU. YES, MA'AM. MR. PRESIDENT, I'M SORRY. OKAY. THIS WAS COUNCILWOMAN RAPHAEL JUST SHARED THIS WITH ME. I HAD IT IN MY INBOX, BUT THERE WILL BE A CELEBRATION OF THAT BOND. SHOULD ANYONE AROUND THE TABLE IS AVAILABLE FOR WEDNESDAY, MAY THE 14TH AT 7 P.M. CELEBRATING THE PASSING OF THE BOND. IT WILL BE AT THE BELTLINE CONFERENCE CENTER AT 200 EAST BELTLINE ROAD. AND THAT IS WEDNESDAY THE 14TH. THANK YOU. GREAT. THANK YOU. I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE CONFERENCE CENTER EXISTED THE BELTLINE CONFERENCES OKAY. ANY LAST MINUTE. SUPPORT ANYTHING NEW FOR YOU? NO, SIR. GREAT FIRST MEETING. LIKE DRINKING FROM A FIRE HOSE. SO I'D LIKE TO JUST APOLOGIZE TO THE BOARD, TO EVERYONE IN ATTENDANCE. WE MISS OUR TIMELINE. I THINK WE MISSED IT FOR A VERY WORTHY CAUSE. THAT, I THINK WILL ALLOW US TO REALIGN GOING FORWARD ON TIMING. BECAUSE OUR DISCUSSIONS WERE VERY MEANINGFUL AND WE HAVE LEARNED FROM THEM. SO THANK YOU EVERYONE. MR. PRESIDENT, I WOULD ASK THAT FOR THE NEXT MEETING. 
          YOU PROBABLY NEED TO ALLOCATE SOME TIME TO PREPARE FOR THE COUNCIL MEETING, RIGHT. ARE WE GOING TO USE SOME OF THAT TIME TO ENSURE THAT WE WILL? NO. OKAY. LIKE I SAID, I WANT US TO GET TO LOOK AT THE PRESENTATION BEFORE IT'S PRESENTED. AND THAT'S A RULE OF THUMB THAT WE'RE SAYING GOING FORWARD, WE'D LIKE TO SEE AS AS PROTOCOL, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S GOING TO HELP EVERYBODY, NOT JUST HERE, BUT OTHERS THAT ARE LOOKING AT IT AS WELL. GO FOR IT. EXCEPT 
          [02:30:06]
THIS LEVEL. THAT BEING SAID, THERE ARE NO MORE ITEMS TO DISCUSS. THIS MEETING IS THEREBY BEING ADJOURNED AT 8:35 P.M. I WANT TO THANK EVERYONE. ASK EVERYONE. HAVE A GREAT MOTHER'S DAY. MOTHERS AND FATHERS TAKING CARE OF THE MOTHERS PROPERLY AND WE JUST ENJOY OURSELVES AND TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.