Dan W. Bobst

Trend Tower, which opened this week in the Harbor, commissioned Heath students for art throughout the building. Dan W. Bobst, owner of Trend Tower had a vision, “Ten years ago, I went on a field trip with former superintendent Dr. Gene Burton. When we were driving back across the lake, I told him that I wanted to put an office tower on top of the hill next to IH30.  Amazingly enough, the Tower went in the EXACT spot I pointed to.  It is my pleasure to allow the public the opportunity to see 360-degree views of our community as well as visuals of cities 40 – 60 miles away. Commissioning the artwork of RISD high school students is just another way to get the community involved in the Harbor Heights project.   This is a great way to allow these teenagers an opportunity to showcase their talents. “

Students of Susan Aston and Karen Tucker were able to work on this project and gain real world experience creating art for a customer. Susan Aston was pleased to say “All of our students are so grateful for this opportunity.  The students are 15-18 years of age and for many of my students, this was their first time to use oil paints and to paint on such a large canvas.  This was definitely their first time to work for a client.  Thank you so much for giving them this real-world experience! “

For the oil paintings, there were 18 students involved.  16 students created a painting and 2 helped.  Students involved were Matthew Corey, Yorlynn Engmann, Hanna Ray, Amelia Meno, Alexis Crump, Logan Sharon, Alycia Truong, Taryn Wheeler, Brooke Birleson, Jillian Cruzet, Harper Gillentine, Jacqueline Kysil, Mackenzie Long, Ana Noriega, Lorena Ramirez, Lendy Urbina. The 2 ladies that helped too were:  Raquel Ankilewitz and Courtney Sosnowski.

Students were very excited to work on the project and stated:

“As a high school Art student, having the opportunity to paint something to be displayed in a place like the Trend Tower is amazing.  It took a bit of time to create, but it was definitely worth it.  I can’t wait to see it there!” – Alycia Truong

“Painting for the Trend Tower was an unbelievable opportunity!” – Jillian Cruzet

“This project was very fun and taught me a lot about working with Art in Business.” – Yorlynn Engmann

“The Trend Tower project was a great experience and I was so flattered that we were asked to work on it.  The experience of working with oil paint was beneficial to my skills as an artist and I think this opportunity enhanced our Art program as a whole.  Now every time I go to my doctor’s office, I’ll see my time and effort paid off on a canvas in the new building.” – Matthew Corey

Mrs. Tucker’s AP 3D, all Ceramics classes and Photography Club were able to help with sculptures and photography.

Individual Sculpture pieces –

Bobbie Carr – 2 pieces

Chloe Calloway – 2 pieces

Bailey Dillingham – 2 pieces

Lauren Higbee

Haneen Abusaad

Jessica Kiker

Reace Cano- Garcia

Christian Mackin

Statements from Individual Artists:

Chloe Calloway – “I love to sculpt so I always put all my effort into my pieces. Knowing that they will be in a public place for so many people to see just made me work harder to make sure everyone has the chance to experience my pieces at their best. I can’t wait to see what everyone thinks”.

Bobbie Carr – “Sculpting for the public view puts another layer of pressure onto all the big and difficult pieces we made, but the end result as people get to enjoy, makes it all worth it”.

Bailey Dillingham – “I’m excited about having my artwork displayed, because I get to show my family and friends what I’m best at”.

Jessica Kiker –” This piece involved a lot of time and effort but I’m glad that I stuck with it and participated in this project”.

Reace Cano-Garcia –” It was a frustrating time but I’m glad that I got it done for Rockwall to see!”

Lauren Higbee – “To create my piece for the Trend Tower, it took a huge amount of diligence and time. Each leaf was individually placed and crafted for that specific spot. The glazes and the color choices that I used were a perfect match for what I envisioned. The vase was a challenge, but an awesome experience and honor to create. I am really happy with the outcome of my piece”.

4 Collaborative Sculptural pieces and wall hangings – All ceramic students participated were Katelyn Beckett, Jacqueline Caravano, Giovanni Castillo, Sereniti Gary, Moises Jimenez, Cameron Keith, Alex Rodriguez, Laura Rosas,Katherine Menjivar, Mallory Rice, Madie Wilson, Bianca Muniz, Haneen Abusaad, Gareth Adams, Hunter Anderson, Rose Davidson, Chandler Glidewell, Kaci Gonzalez, Preston Gunther, Emma Homs, Victoria Lack, Ryan Peterson, Madie Rubenstein, Jessica Sladovnik, Regina Tillis, Taivon Warmsley, Raine Williams, Callie Crawford, Andrea Garcia, Kelli Kariampuzha, Brock McPherson, Taylor Mead, Samantha Montes De Oca Guzman, Justin Murphy, Javier Sanchez, Coletin Soppe, Megan Cook, Austin Davis, Madison Galban, Fidel Maldonado, Taylor Mayfield, Sara Miller, Jeffrey Austin Anderson, Michelle Azcarate

Photography Club: 10 Large, Gallery wrapped Photographs to be displayed on the 5th and 6th floors of Trend Tower.

The Photography Club students whose photos were selected:

Elise Pracher

Austin Lu

Kennedy Thornton

McKenna Wilhelms

Patrick Hargrove

Melissa Allen

From Patrick Hargrove Photo Club Founder – “Building the Rockwall Photo display was a great experience for the students of Rockwall Heath High. We all found unique ways to represent our town and had a substantial number of photos, submitted – of 83 photos, only 10 were selected for the final display. We’re glad to see that our photos could make a lasting impression in our community and for the spirit of our town. Thank you to everyone involved”.

Mrs. Tucker’s 9^th period Art 1 class

Advanced Architecture Student:

Blake Buchanan and Moises Jimenez – Handyman

By Rockwall ISD
5/15/2014

From Blue Ribbon News

ROCKWALL, TX (March 22, 2014) Opportunity has reached new heights in the thriving community of Rockwall. With 85% of the office/retail space already leased at Trend Tower, all eyes seem to be on the nearly completed high rise on The Harbor hillside.

The seven-story building is anchored by Trend HR, the human resource outsourcing company for which the tower is named. The 100,000 sq. ft. facility will be home to Harbor Heights Family Medicine; FC Cuny Corporation; KAG Holdings; Keller Williams Realty; and Allegiance Title Company. Sterling One Properties will also relocate there.

Trend Tower is Phase One of the $250 million commercial and residential project known as Harbor Heights. An unparalleled view of Lake Ray Hubbard and the Dallas skyline make the tower’s top floor prime for a five-star restaurant, but those plans have yet to be finalized.

“The time is now,” said developer Russell Phillips, Sterling One Properties CEO. “We looked around and saw there was no Class A office space here – not like what you’d see in downtown Dallas, and not at the level of what was envisioned for The Harbor.”

Phillips pointed out that having State Hwy 190 come into I-30 was “a huge shot in the arm for development in Rockwall County.”

“Between the projects we have under construction, and the ones we’re getting ready to start, we are investing $136 million into Rockwall County. That’s a strong commitment by us and our partners, and it’s because we truly believe in the growth of this community,” he said.

Sterling One’s residential projects include Terrabella, Wyndemere and Kingsbridge, as well as Sonoma Verde, a 550 acre, 1100-home master planned community under development on Hwy 205 in McLendon-Chisholm.

Partner Dan W. Bobst, Trend HR CEO, was instrumental in getting the Trend Tower project off the ground. “We had to have 70% of the building leased before we could start the project,” said Phillips. “Dan committed to taking 25% of that space for his growing company.”

Phillips and his partner Joey Howell considered developing the hillside before, but it was extremely difficult. “There were so many landowners; it was like a jigsaw puzzle. It just so happened that with the downturn in the economy, people were willing to sell, and at a fair price.”

Phillips, Howell and Bobst approached the City of Rockwall, which had its own vision for the hillside. “The City had hired an outside consulting firm to create a blueprint for further development of The Harbor area. We liked the design so much that we decided to bring the plan to life.”

Phillips added, “Coming across the bridge into Rockwall, you’ve got one shot. We knew we needed something amazing. The Harbor is already a beautiful landmark. So is Lakeside Village across the highway. That’s why you’ll see some of the same tile and roof design used in the development. When it’s all built out, everything will flow well together.”

As an added benefit, the city will be able to utilize the tower’s multilevel parking garage after 5 p.m. until the building re-opens at 7 a.m. for overflow parking during concerts or other Harbor events.

Sheri Franza, president and CEO of the Rockwall Economic Development Corporation, said Trend Tower is a tremendous asset, socially and economically.

 “The entry into our city reflects who we are, and what we want our city to be. Trend Tower will help draw more big corporations to the area,” she said. “Many people spend as much time at work as they do at home, and they don’t want to spend more time commuting to and from downtown Dallas. They want to live and work in the same location; and Rockwall is a perfect place to do both. We’ve got an excellent school system, above average home prices, above average incomes. Business owners want to set up shop here; that means they’ll frequent our restaurants and buy our homes, driving up our sales tax revenue.”

Dana K Macalik, Rockwall Area Chamber of Commerce president, said, “Rockwall now stands a hub for business innovation, medical growth, technology and creativity – making it an attractive destination for corporate location. Trend Tower brings to the forefront all the opportunities and advancements that have made Rockwall what it is today, and the Rockwall Area Chamber of Commerce is excited about this investment in our community.”

Phillips credits the success of the project to input from many different people, and the commitment of the City of Rockwall. “From the Mayor and City Council, to Planning and Zoning and the Rockwall EDC, it’s truly been a team effort to bring this project to fruition,” he said.

By Dawn Redig
Blue Ribbon News
all rights reserved
Photos by Jack Palmer
3/22/2014

From TheRockwallNews.com

The skyline of Rockwall is about to change.  In remembrance of Memorial Day, several members of Harbor Heights Investors and TrendHR climbed to the top of the 150-foot crane where Trend Tower will be standing at the end of the year and lowered a 40-foot American Flag.  Dan W. Bobst, President of TrendHR remarked, “It was an honor to carry the flag up the ladder as a tribute to those who have served our country”.

Others helping to lower the large flag were constituents from Sterling One Development and Wade Construction.  Russell Phillips of Sterling stated, “The 360’ views were amazing, we were as high as the Dallas skyline.”  This will be the view from the Restaurant and Conference Rooms on the 7^th floor.

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From TheRockwallNews.com

Wondering what that tall crane in the sky is for standing atop the hill above The Harbor?

It’s part of the construction now ongoing of the seven-story Trend Tower which is scheduled to be completed this November.

Developed by Heath-based Sterling One Properties, the corporate tower will provide 100,000 sq. ft. of office and retail space for businesses along with meeting rooms and a restaurant available to the public overlooking the skyline.

The Trend Tower is the first phase of a $250 million commercial and residential project called “Harbor Heights” on the hill above The Harbor.  Soon to follow will be high-end restaurants and a medical tower.

The Rockwall-based human resource outsourcing company Trend HR will be the anchor of the office tower, which is expected to be just the first of several office towers to be built in Harbor Heights.

According to developer Phillips, the crane has created a lot of excitement for their team and the community.

“Trend Tower is the cornerstone of the Harbor Heights development,” he said. “The architectural features and high-end finish will be a standard that will carry forward to the additional office, retail and condominiums within the development.”

Trend HR has been one of the nation’s fastest-growing companies for the past four years, according to INC. magazine and operates in over 30 states.

A principal in Trend Tower and CEO of Trend HR, Dan W. Bobst, says this new project allows the City to have one of the best projects in North Texas.

“Because of the elevation of Rockwall and being located on a large lake, the views of the tower will be better than downtown Dallas,” said Bobst. “This corporate office development will help ensure that Rockwall assumes its place as one of the top cities for people to live, work and play in Texas.”

Sterling One Properties is a diversified real estate development and investment company which over the past eleven years has been the primary managing partner for over $300 million in commercial, residential and hotel projects.

The company has developed local communities in Rockwall County such as Kingsbridge, Terrabella, Wyndemere, Flagstone Creek and Hillcrest Shores. It is currently developing Sonoma Verde, an 1100 home development, on Highway 205 between Rockwall and McLendon-Chisholm.

For information about office space or retail pads, contact Russell Phillips, 972-772-9400, or visit www.sterlingoneproperties.com.

By J.J. Smith
Publisher
5/10/2013

TrendHR Services, a human resources outsourcing, employee benefits and consulting services firm, has pre-leased 24,000 square feet of office space within the planned tower overlooking Lake Ray Hubbard, called Trend Tower at Harbor Heights. The project is owned and developed by Sterling One Properties, which is based in nearby Heath.

A Rockwall-based human resources firm is kicking off the construction of a $25 million, seven-story, 105,000-square-foot executive office tower in Rockwall.

Construction on the tower on the hill at the corner of Interstate 30 and Horizon Boulevard will begin in July. The construction will take an estimated 14 months.

With year-over-year revenue growth since its inception in 1997, TrendHR has outgrown its headquarters on State Highway 205 in Rockwall, and the company predicts continued growth, said Dan W. Bobst, its founder.

The human resource outsourcing firm has roughly 15 corporate employees and a number of companies and job seekers who come into its offices. The company would not disclose its annual revenue.

“These views of the beautiful shores along Lake Ray Hubbard are unparalleled in all of North Texas and will help Rockwall County become a destination like San Antonio and Austin,” Bobst said.

David Dees and Stephanie Thompson, directors at CASE Commercial

Real Estate Partners, were recently awarded the leasing assignment on the building by Sterling One. The duo represented the developer in the real estate deal.

Trend Tower will be the first component of a master-planned development called Harbor Heights, which includes three other office towers similar to Trend Tower, 1,200 condos and five retail pads. The development will sit on 62 acres.

“The hope for this tower is to set the tone for the rest of the development for the whole hillside area to the quality we are looking for,” said Russell Phillips, one of the owners of Sterling One Properties, which is developing Harbor Heights. “It is the centerpiece of the development, and we are excited about it.”

Miami-based Rad Architecture Inc. is the architect. Sterling One Construction is the general contractor and will begin bidding for subcontractors for work in June, including concrete, electrical, roofing, masonry, Sheetrock, and heating and air conditioning.

The office tower has 14,285-square-foot floors, with a covered parking structure. The property is being marketed for lease at $33 per square foot, plus electricity.

For the Dallas-Fort Worth area, the average rental rate is $20.30 a square foot, with a 21.1 percent vacancy rate, according to the latest data from Cushman & Wakefield of Texas Inc.

CASE Commercial has about 30,000 square feet of leases out to companies that include banks, oil and gas companies, energy firms, medical users, title companies and a real estate firms, officials said.

“We have already received positive response from businesses who are tired of making the trip into Dallas and have been looking for a location that is closer to home,” Dees said. “Being adjacent to The Harbor and the Hilton Hotel, we are also receiving calls from businesses looking for something extra to offer their employees from what Dallas has to offer.”

One of the selling points of the office tower is its proximity to the restaurants, retail, entertainment and walking trails near Lake Ray Hubbard, said Thompson, who grew up in Rockwall and attended Rockwall High School.

“The Harbor is the newest thing in Rockwall, and in the past eight years the development along the lake has prospered,” she said. “There is tremendous curbside appeal of the office tower in that location.”

The overall success of the Harbor’s development is based off this Class A office tower, which is the first of its product type within the city, said Mayor David Sweet.

“This is one of the pieces of real estate that will shape the future of Rockwall,” Sweet said. “This is our first piece of Class A office space.”

 by Candace Carlisle
Dallas Business Journal
5/27/2011

From TheRockwallNews.com

About 70 Rockwall City Council members, City staff, Rockwall Economic Development Corporation staff, Chamber of Commerce members and more celebrated the groundbreaking of a seven-story office tower May 25 to be built on the 74-acre hillside known as PD-32 above The Harbor District in Rockwall.

The tower will be just the beginning of a multi-million-dollar, mixed-use commercial and residential development known as Harbor Heights, which outgoing Rockwall Mayor Bill Cecil said could add $750 million to City tax roles once completed. The project has been in the planning stages for several years by Rockwall Council members and City staff.

Developed by Heath-based Sterling One Properties, owned by Heath residents Russell Phillips and Joey Howell, the corporate tower will be the first and only Class A office building between Downtown Dallas and Texarkana, providing 110,000 sq. ft. of office space, a bank, a five-star roof-top restaurant and other retail opportunities.

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According to Phillips, who conducted the groundbreaking ceremony, the tower is expected to be completed by July, 2012. The tower alone is expected to add over $16 million to the City of Rockwall’s tax roles.

Phillips told the group that the building will be something special, like nothing done or experienced or created before that everyone in the community will benefit from.

“Groundbreaking also means to produce something like nothing done or experienced or created before.”

“Three years ago our community leaders had a vision for this hillside and began work on an overlay district to provide for the development of this important piece of property.”

“We all know it to be something special. It had to be something special. Again something like nothing done or experienced or created before.”

“Take a look behind you and you can see our canvas that we’ve had to work with. Lake Ray Hubbard, the Dallas skyline, immense blue sky.”

“Harbor Heights will have the opportunity to take advantage of that canvas and it will have office space with incredible views, the first tower of which will have a restaurant on top, we’ll also have other restaurant pads and other amenities that everyone in the community will be able to benefit from.”

Philips then introduced Heath resident Dan W. Bobst, the owner of Rockwall-based human resource outsourcing company Trend HR, which will be the anchor tenant in the Trend Tower. It is one of the fastest-growing companies in the nation.

The Harbor Heights partner expressed his enthusiasm for the project and thanked past and current City officials for their foresight in planning it. He compared it to Northpark Mall in Dallas, where hundreds of millions of dollars of redevelopment has occurred in the past few years, and contrasted it with other projects started in East Dallas 20 years ago that are no longer thriving.

“The Trend Tower at Harbor Heights brings to fruition the dream I’ve had for over ten years to be able to develop this hillside into something very special.”

“Now we’re getting the development in Rockwall.”

“What I can guarantee you is HH project will sustain and grow in value over the next 20 years.”

“The majority of this development money will stay in Rockwall, from the engineering to construction and even to the end user, this is truly a community project.”

Outgoing Rockwall Mayor Bill Cecil explained that the 74-acre hillside was probably never developed before because it has been a patchwork of large and small parcels owned by 55 different owners, which is now down to about 20.

“That was a challenge to us but I believe the challenge is achievable. We’re working on it pretty hard and so is the development community.”

To pull the project together, Sterling One purchased portions of the land from 14 different landowners to ensure the total development standard for the hillside.

“We now have a philosophy,” said Cecil. “We have for someone to come in and develop. Sterling One has decided to be the first.”

“What a great opportunity to have some of our own involved in this at first.”

“We’ve got it started, we’ve got an opportunity to make it the ‘Diamond on the Hill’ that we talk about.”

“We have the opportunity to add about $750 million to tax roles when this is complete and one of greatest developments this side of…San Francisco.”

Incoming Mayor David Sweet thanked all those who helped, saying,”The thing I’m most excited about is the opportunity this provides for the future. This is going to set the standard for development here and I think every citizen in the City should be excited about this.”

Land-clearing began immediately after the ceremony and infrastructure work on streets, water and electricity will begin shortly.

For information about office space or retail pads, contact Russell Phillips or Joey Howell at Sterling One Properties, 972-772-9400, or visit www.sterlingoneproperties.com.

By J.J. Smith, Publisher
5/27/2011

From TheRockwallNews.com

After years of study by the Rockwall City Council to develop a plan for the hillside above The Harbor entertainment district known as PD-32, construction on a seven-story Class A corporate office tower will begin this summer just southeast of Culpepper’s Steak House, as the first phase of a multi-million-dollar project called “Harbor Heights.” Developed by Heath-based Sterling One Properties, the corporate tower will provide 110,000 sq. ft. of office space, a bank, a five-star roof-top restaurant and other retail opportunities. According to Heath resident and Sterling One Properties partner Russell Phillips, infrastructure work on streets, water and electricity will begin in mid to late April. Construction of the tower is expected to be completed by July, 2012.

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Sterling One Properties is a diversified real estate development and investment company which over the past seven years has been the primary managing partner for over $200 million in commercial and residential projects, plus lead financial partner for over $50 million in hotel projects.

The company has developed such local master-planned residential communities as Kingsbridge, Terrabella, Wyndemere and Hillcrest Shores.

The office tower is expected to add over $16 million to the City of Rockall’s tax roles, said Phillips.

To pull the project together, he explained that Sterling One had to purchase the land from 14 different landowners to ensure the total development standard for the hillside.

He said that Sterling One’s concept for Harbor Heights is to “accentuate the land with masterful architecture that blends beauty with function. The tower will also set the standard for future development in Rockwall.”

“This concept fits nicely with the overlay planning that the City has put in place for The Harbor.”

“We believe the Rockwall area will have tremendous growth over the next decade and we share the City’s vision for this development. The superb location is not only a focal point for the entire Harbor complex but unlike any development on the east side of the Dallas Metroplex. The tower will provide an anchor for the commercial complex and set the standard for future development in Rockwall.”

Rockwall City Manager Julie Couch said she believes the City Council has developed a tremendous vision and high development standards were adopted for the project.

“The Mayor and City Council have developed a tremendous vision of what this area will mean to the City and this tower is the first step in seeing that vision accomplished. To achieve City’s vision for the district, high development standards were adopted as part of the project’s plan.”

Rockwall Economic Development Council President Sheri Franza says the development will provide the REDC with an advantage for attracting more corporations to Rockwall.

“From an economic standpoint, it gives us the ability to compete with other cities for corporate headquarters relocation and expansion. Lake Ray Hubbard gives us a unique opportunity for Rockwall’s Corporate Coast.’ In Rockwall we feel that we already have the best place to live and play. Now we will have the best place to work, as well.”

Philips said Rockwall-based human resource outsourcing company Trend HR will be the anchor of the tower, which is expected to be just the first of several office towers to be built on PD-32.

By J.J. Smith, Publisher
4\12\2011