No more Toal

Well, the name anyway.  Gideon Toal has changed names, again.  It's a brand new day at Bennett Benner Pettit.

WHY?

Read about one reason in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Fort Worth's Gideon Toal architecture and planning firm has changed its name to Bennett Benner Pettit to reflect the firm's current leadership team.

"Our new name, our new identity and even the new design of our website and our office space all speak to the fact that this is a new day for our firm," CEO Michael Bennett said.

The current leadership structure, in place since 2008, includes Bennett; Bruce Benner, president and chief operating officer; and David Pettit, director of economic development. The company has 35 employees.

Gideon Toal was founded in 1956 as Don W. Kirk, a consulting engineer. By 1986, the firm had been renamed Kirk Voich Gist. Randy Gideon joined the firm in 1989 and James Toal in 1993. It then became KVG Gideon Toal and was renamed Gideon Toal in 1997. In 1998, the two men began a 10-year process of selling the firm to its employees. That was completed in 2008 and the men left the company in June 2010.

"We are truly proud of this firm's history and we fully appreciate all the work that has gotten us to this point," Bennett said. Bennett joined the firm in 2004 as a principal and has been CEO since 2008. Benner has been with the firm since 1984 and was named principal, president and chief operating officer in 2001. Pettit joined the firm in 2003 from Downtown Fort Worth Inc.

Bennett said the firm conducted local and statewide studies and considered many options before deciding to change. The firm, he said, "didn't want to walk away" if there was strong name recognition.

What they found was that the firm was well-known within the architecture community, but not as much in real estate circles, Bennett said.

Using the names of the current executives "felt right," Bennett said.

In addition to its three namesake principals, Mark Dabney, associate principal, is responsible for architectural production and staffing. The firm's associates include Amanda Schulte, Gannon Gries and Stephen Pepper.

Some of the firm's recent projects include the Acme Brick corporate headquarters, The Residences at 1301 Throckmorton, the West 7th and West Bend mixed-use developments, the new Tarrant County Jail and Cantey Hanger Plaza.

Don't forget, anything that has to do with Trinity River Vision has Gideon Toal's name all over it.

More Texas "Toll Roads"

We asked, What did he say?

Watchdog, Don Young tells you here.

Remember, in one way or another YOU are paying for them.

Toal Roads...

We found an amusing letter to the editor in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram today. 

James Toal, a long time leader of Gideon Toal, had something to say.  Seems he wants more of YOUR money.  For those of you who don't know Gideon Toal, here are some tidbits found online at Gideon Toal and various sites. 

Gideon Toal has been retained by Tarrant Regional Water District, in conjunction with Streams and Valleys, City of Fort Worth, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Tarrant County to guide the planning and implementation of “Trinity Uptown™”. Our firm is hired to do phasing, implementation and funding strategies, including establishing a TIF District.

The plan aims to revitalize an 800-acre area north of downtown Fort Worth with a combination of public improvements and private development. Its goal is to provide a vibrant, stimulating environment in which families can live, work, shop, play and learn.
 
Some other Gideon Toal projects:
Trinity River Master Plan
Trinity River Vision Authority Office
Tarrant Regional Water District Annex
Tarrant County College complex
Tarrant County Jail 

 See a pattern yet?

In today's paper James Toal says he'll spend the money if YOU will for transit...he wants to do justice for the next generation.  Does he mean that generation that will be broke since they will be paying for the Trinity River Vision for the next 40 years?  The project and its projects that he has made a fortune from?  Talk about throwing our pennies away.   If we're paying for all the "private development" maybe Toal should  foot the bill for the transportation.  Or better yet, hit the road.

Funding transit

Good transportation includes buses, commuter rail, light rail, highways and regional systems.


People try to compare Tarrant County and Fort Worth with the Dallas region, Denver, Portland, etc. Why do Denver and these other regions have light rail, commuter rail and buses?


Answer: The Dallas Area Rapid Transit system receives one penny in sales tax revenue.


Fort Worth's T is mostly a city system that has a half-cent in sales tax. That is the difference between regional systems vs. a mostly local bus system.


If Fort Worth, Tarrant County and adjoining counties to the west, north and south desire better transportation, I suggest that instead of throwing those pennies away, they bond together on a regional system and spend them on transit and transportation.


We do not have a lack of good regional planning; we have some of the best planners and government administrators in the world. We do have a lack of financing.


So spend the extra half-cent. I will if you will. If you don't, we will not do justice to the next generation.


-- James Toal, Fort Worth