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INTERNATIONAL RIGHT-OF-WAY ASSOCIATION
DALLAS-FORT WORTH, TEXAS
November 2016
In This Issue
November Luncheon 1-2
President’s Message 3
Ask the Attorney 4
October Meeting Photos 5
Membership Committee News 6
Advertising Committee 7
PDC Committee News 8
Young Professionals 9
Education Committee News 10-11
North Texas News
Since 1960
President
MARCUS BOYD, SR/WA, R/W-RAC
972.979.2850
Vice President
KIM HIEBERT, SR/WA, R/W-NAC, R/W-
RAC
817.798.8398
Treasurer
KRISTEN BENNETT, R/W-RAC
972.971.8660
Secretary
LORA GUNTER
817-370-3682
Director/ 1 YR
JENNIFER AYERS, SR/WA, R/W-AC
214.553.9133
Director/ 2YR
KAREN STEARMAN, SR/WA
214.794.1014
Chapter Officers 2016-17
November Meeting Location:
House of Blues
2200 N. Lamar Street
Dallas, Texas 75202
November 8, 2016- 11:30 - 1:00
November Luncheon:
Tim Drennan will speak about The Interna-
tional Right of Way Association and what it is
doing in the Infrastructure Real Estate Com-
munity, the International Executive Commit-
tee’s current priorities for the IRWA and top-
ics covered at the 2016 Regional Fall Forums.
He graduated from Texas Tech University
with a Bachleor Degree in Marketing/
Advertising. After college Tim spent two
years in South Korea working with English
Friends, a private English education compa-
ny, on creating educational offerings for
English as a Second Language students. In
2003 Tim moved to San Antonio, Texas to
continue his career as a marketing professional
with Kich & Company Advertising.
In 2006, Tim relocated to Dallas, Texas where he began working as
an Account Manager at Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star. During that
time, Tim worked with both civic and corporate partners to recruit,
manage, and oversee the efforts of volunteers.
In August of 2013, Tim joined the International Right of Way Associa-
tion staff as Manager of Field Operations serving Regions 2-6.
Luncheon Menu
Vegetable Crudites with Green Onion Dip, Housemade Caesar Salad topped with
Cotija Cheese & Caesar Dressing with Crostini
Barbecue Chicken: Boneless Breast & Bone-In Thigh, with Housemade Kansas City
BBQ Sauce, Seasonal Roasted Vegetables, BBQ Baked Beans, Yukon Gold Mashed
Potatoes and Bourbon Bread Pudding cooked with Bananas & White Chocolate,
served with a Bourbon Caramel Sauce & Fresh Whipped Cream
$20.00 before the registration deadline and $25.00 after.
No-shows will be billed.
Tim Drennan
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November Luncheon
Tamara Benson is Director of Training and
Development for Universal Field Services,
Inc., and is responsible for the develop-
ment and implementation of in-house and
project specific training programs for staff
and clients. For 12 years she was responsi-
ble for Project Management on govern-
ment projects in Oklahoma as well as cor-
porate project oversight in Virginia, South
Carolina, and Pennsylvania where she also
performed overall project management/
quality assurance reviews and client rela-
tions/business development activities.
Tamara holds the SR/WA designation and the R/W-URAC and
R/W-RAC certifications from the IRWA. She is the former Region
2 Representative to the International Professional Development
Committee; past Chairperson of the International Relocation
Assistance Committee and currently serves as Chair of IRWA’s
Partnership for Infrastructure Professional Education. She is a
CLIMB certified instructor for all of the IRWA Relocation Assis-
tance courses, Courses 100 and 105 and Leadership Institute
training modules. She is trained in facilitating Everything DiSC©,
a program designed to enhance communications through un-
derstanding behavior styles. She has served in all positions of
IRWA Chapter 33 and was named the Chapter Professional of
the Year in 2004 and 2010. She was selected as IRWA Region 2
Professional of the Year in 2010 and was named the 2010 Frank
C. Balfour Professional of the Year.
Tamara will be providing a PDC update on education, creden-
tialing and the CLIMB.
Tamara Benson
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Marcus Boyd, SR/WA, R/W-RAC
President’s Message
Marcus Boyd
Pinnacle Consulting Management
Group
1400 Brown Trail, Suite A
Bedford, TX 76022
972.979.2850
[email protected]
“What You Know Versus Who You Know”
We have all heard the saying that it is not “what you know, but it is
who you know”. I can honestly say that I began my Right-of-Way ca-
reer with this same attitude. In college, I knew a student by the
name of Chris McCarthy, who just happened to be the son of David
McCarthy, who just so happened to work for my current employer. I
wanted to live in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex, through my con-
nection with Chris, I was able to get hired and make the move.
In our industry designations and certifications play a key role in mar-
keting employees and obtaining work. The expertise of specific em-
ployees is what is coveted by some clients. Knowing how to appraise
or knowing the Uniform Relocation Act are specific skills that require
unique knowledge. The knowledge of these specific skills in our in-
dustry requires classroom work, experience, and discipline.
Knowing the right people in our industry is also a must. The only way
a company can obtain work is by knowing the right people. Heads
of departments, Managers, Human Resource personnel, or any one
linked to these people are good examples of people you should
know if you are trying to obtain work. I can even say that I have seen
unqualified people in certain positions based purely off of who they
knew. Who you know is also important when it comes to receiving
help or answers to questions that you may not know. Knowing and
tapping into that “relocation” or “condemnation” expert is vital when
you run across something that you haven’t seen before.
Now that I have been in Right-Of-Way for more than a decade, I be-
lieve the “what you know” is just as important as the “who you
know”. The great thing about being a Chapter 36 member in the IR-
WA is that you have access to both aspects. Our chapter provides
the courses to supply you with what you need to know, while our
luncheons and networking events give you the opportunity to con-
nect with the right people. I encourage you to not focus on just one,
but make both practices a priority.
I look forward to seeing everyone again at our luncheon on Novem-
ber 8, 2016 at the House of Blues in Dallas!
Marcus Boyd, SR/WA, R/W-RAC
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Scott Moran
Ask the Attorney
Submit Questions About
Right-of-Way Matters to
Scott Moran
Baker Moran Doggett Ma & Dobbs
1400 Preston Road, Suite 350
Plano, Texas 75093
469.351.3495
[email protected]
Question: What does the phrase “the Highest and Best Use of a
property” mean in determining the Market Value of a
property, in an Eminent Domain proceeding?
Answer: In determining the market value of a property, the fact-
finder should consider the highest and best use, which
means the best or most valuable use to which the land is
adaptable. Enbridge Pipelines (East Texas) L.P. v. Avinger
Timber, LLC, 386 S.W.3d 256 (Tex. 2012); Delhi Gas Pipeline
Corp. v. Richards, 659 S.W.2d 861 (Tex. App. Tyler
1983) (disapproved of on other grounds by, Callejo v.
Brazos Elec. Power Co-op., Inc., 755 S.W.2d 73 (Tex. 1988)).
The use to which condemned land is being put on the
date of taking is presumed to be its highest and best use.
Enbridge Pipelines, 386 S.W.3d at 261. To rebut this pre-
sumption, it must first be shown: (1) that the property is
adaptable to the other use; (2) that the other use is rea-
sonably probable and needed within the immediate fu-
ture, or a reasonable time; and (3) that the market value
of the land has been enhanced by that use. City of Austin
v. Cannizzo, 267 S.W.2d 808, 814 (Tex. 1954); Zwahr, 88
S.W.3d at 628; Enbridge, 386 S.W.3d at 261; Sw. Bell Tel. Co.
v. Radler Pavilion Ltd P’ship, 77 S.W.3d 482, 486 (Tex. App.
—Houston [1st Dist.] 2002, pet. denied).
There are four factors used in determining
the highest and best use, for purposes of valuing con-
demned land: (1) legal permissibility (i.e., zoning and deed
restrictions), (2) physical possibility, (3) financial feasibility,
and (4) maximal productivity. Williams v. State, 406 S.W.3d
273, 285 (Tex. App.—San Antonio 2013, pet. denied).
In determining the highest and best use of a property, a
property owner should utilize an appraiser. The appraiser
may base his determination on such factors as the ap-
praiser’s understanding of competitive market trends, fea-
sibility of a proposed use (anticipated development,
trends) and similar information.
Determining the highest and best use of any property is
obviously a process that is completely dependent of the
specific facts that apply to the tract of land involved in
the valuation process.
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Meeting Photos— October 11, 2016
Featured speaker,
Matt Oliver
IRWA President, Marcus
Boyd with Danna Hobbs
receiving her SR/WA
designation
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Page 6 North Texas News
Sarah Riebe, Chair
Membership Committee News
Please join me in welcoming the following new members that were
approved in our September and October board meetings to become
part of the IRWA Chapter 36 family.
Brian Ebersold Federal Aviation Administration
Casey Fields The Norfleet Group, LLC
Matthew Friendshuh The Norfleet Group LLC
Leighton Gambill Paramount Valuation Services
Peggy Goodner Right of Way Agent/Permit Coordinator
Leann Guzman City of Fort Worth
Joe Konsire Contract Land Staff, LLC
James Lane Universal Field Services, Inc.
Shelia Lucas Keller Williams Central Commercial Realty
John Maddox Ted W. Walters and Associates
Michael Naughton President, Vista Verde Energy, LLC
Craig Stanford Legacy Field Services, LLC
Rhonda Thompson T3 Land Services LLC
Kevin Chapman Upperline Energy Partners
Timothy Lee Green Realtor, Earnest Walker Realty
Matthew J. Rusch Dallas County Department of Public Works
As a reminder, annual dues renewal notices are currently being sent
out to current members. To save time, you can renew online by log-
ging on to www.irwaonline.org. If you let your membership expire, so
does any certification or designation you may have through the IRWA.
Please take the time to renew, and continue to enjoy all the benefits
membership has to offer. The deadline to renew is December 31, so
please be sure to get your renewal in by the end of the year.
As memberships are being renewed, please take the time to check
the Chapter website and view your contact information. Each mem-
ber has their own unique username and password to edit/update their
contact information. If you would like something changed or do not
have this information, please email Membership Chair, Sarah Riebe at
[email protected] .
Sarah Riebe
Committee Chair
817-304-2051
[email protected]
IRWA on the Web
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The Chapter 36 Marketing Committee is ready to begin taking
applications for the 2017 Advertising Year. We will have limited
space so it will be on a “first come - first serve basis”. The cost will
be $300 for the 2017 advertising year which will place your com-
pany logo/link on the website and the newsletter. The website
advertisement will be the approximate size of a business card
but the newsletter varies somewhat on the available space. The
advertisement will need to meet certain “terms and conditions”
and must be, in form and substance, acceptable to the Chapter
as set forth in the “Rate Card”. (Basically, this means it needs to
be professional and relate to our industry.) Please send your
contact information to us at the email link shown below and we
will send you the appropriate materials.
Please contact Sherry Smith or Margaret Lein for details and grab
a spot! Many thanks to the 2016 advertisers for supporting Chap-
ter 36!!!
Sherry Smith, SR/WA
Margaret Lein, SR/WA
IRWA Chapter 36 Advertising Committee
Sherry G. Smith, SR/WA
Co-Chair PR & Marketing Oncor Electric Delivery Company
115 W. 7th Street, Suite 1010
Fort Worth, Texas 76102
817-215-6588
[email protected]
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Dec. 1-2 U.S. Land Titles
The IRWA has three (3) level general certification/designation
programs. The three levels are: Right-of-Way Agent Certifica-
tion (RWA), Right-of-Way Professional Certification (RWP), and
the Senior RightofWay Professional Designation (SR/WA). There
are also five (5) specialist certification/designation programs
that the IRWA offers. These programs are Appraisal Certifica-
tion (R/W-AC), Asset/Property Management Certification (R/W-
AMC), Negotiation and Acquisition Certification (R/W-NAC),
Relocation Assistance Certification (R/W-RAC), and Uniform
Act Certification (R/W-URAC). Each level has specific educa-
tion, work, and course requirements. If you would like to know
more about one of these programs or have any other ques-
tions regarding your Professional Development goals, please
contact the PDC Committee.
Congratulations to the following members for their recent certi-
fications and designations:
Micah Beck, Right of Way
Appraisal Certified (R/W-AC)
Danyelle Donnelly, Right of Way
Relocation Assistance Certified (R/W-RAC)
Leonard Edwards
Senior Right of Way Professional (SR/WA)
Danna Hobbs
Senior Right of Way Professional (SR/WA)
Michael Hale, PDC Chair
John Navratil, SR/WA, RW-AC,
RW-NAC
PDC Committee (3 YR)
817-445-1016
[email protected]
PDC Committee Members
Cobb Fendley
1300 S. University Drive, Suite 300
Fort Worth, Texas 76107
817-445-10016
[email protected]
Calendar of Events
Professional Development Committee News Michael Hale, SR/WA, R/W-NAC, R/W-RAC
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Howdy!
First and foremost, I want to thank everyone
who came out to Pluckers last month for our
October get together. We had a great turn-
out and were able to enjoy a great spread
of wings as well!
Looking forward, and as the weather begins
to cool down (hopefully), we will hold off
on Topgolf until the early part of the spring
and instead begin preparations for the annual YP Christmas
Gift Exchange in December!
This is one of every YP’s favorite events and one that you will
not need to miss! It’s a great opportunity to meet with new
faces or some that you haven’t seen in a while, and swap
some great (and definitely memorable) white elephant Christ-
mas gifts!
As the details get worked out on the final date, which will likely
be mid-December, please be sure and contact me
([email protected] ) if you would like to be added to the YP
email list or know of others who would like to be added to the
list. We continue to have new folks joining the YP group for the
chapter, and I look forward to continuing that growth!
YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
DALTON VANN, RWA, R/W-AC
Education Committee Chair
817.962.2371
TOMMY MATTHEWS, R/W-AC
Education Committee
214.924.4550
JIMMY THOMAS, SR/WA
Education Committee (3 YR)
214.486.3208
MICHAEL HALE, SR/WA
Professional Development
Committee Chair
817.445.1016
JOHN NAVRATIL, SR/WA RW/AC RW-NAC
Professional Development
Committee (2YR)
817.808.7610
SARAH RIEBE
Membership Chair
817.304.2051
JENNIFER HALL, R/W-NAC
Programs Co-Chair
817.665.8213
DENISE LOPEZ, SR/WA, R/W-RAC
Programs Co-Chair
817.459.6537
MARGARET LEIN, SR/WA
PR & Marketing Committee
214.486.2206
SHERRY SMITH
PR & Marketing Committee
817.215.6588
ROBERT “WILL” SNIDER
Young Professionals Chair
817.332.5522
JUAN SALAZAR
Webmaster
817.371.9428
ANDY COX
Newsletter Editor
214.740.3154
JACE WHATLEY
Historian
214.340.5880
Will Snider
Will Snider
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Thanks to Our Hosts
Chapter 36 is blessed with a variety of hosts who are willing to extend their
facilities to our members. Their generosity allows us to continue to provide
IRWA classes around the DFW Metroplex without the additional costs of
class facilities. We would like to thank TxDOT Fort Worth, Atkins Global and
the City of Irving for hosting classes in September and October.
2016 Education
The year is almost over and there are two opportunities left for education in
DFW in 2016. Planning for 2017 is in full swing and most of the classes for 2017
have been scheduled but not all of them are on the International Educa-
tion page just yet. Check the Chapter 36 website to see all the 2017 classes
that have been scheduled and are soon to be announced so you can plan
your professional development for the next year. Please note that all
“tentative” classes on our website are subject to change. Also, click here
for a list of all the courses that are currently available for registration in Re-
gion 2. The following classes will be held in November and December in
DFW.
Course 801 – US Land Titles (click to download registration form) will for held
at Oncor in Fort Worth on December 1 and 2. Scott Moran will be the in-
structor. This class is a requirement for to become designated under the
new plan for the Oil and Gas, Electric and Utilities and Transportation paths.
So if you want your RWP and are working toward your SR/WA, you’ll need
this class. It also counts toward the R/W-NAC. To register and take ad-
vantage of the Chapter 36 discounts, send your registration form to Jim-
[email protected] .
Dalton Vann, MAI, RWA, R/W-AC
Dalton Vann
Committee Chair
Tommy Matthews, R/W-AC
Member (3 YR)
Edgestone Realty Valuation
[email protected]
Jimmy Thomas, SR/WA
Member (2 YR)
Oncor Electric Delivery Company
[email protected]
Dalton Vann, MAI, RWA, R/W-AC
Integra Realty Resources—DFW
930 W. First Street, Suite 400
Fort Worth, TX 76102
(817) 962-2371
[email protected]
Education Committee News
Education Committee
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Dalton Vann, MAI, RWA, R/W-AC
Education Committee News
New Education Page
Chapter 36 has an all new education webpage that addresses many fre-
quently asked questions and lists all the discounts and fees associated with
our classes. How much will a class cost if you don’t register through the course
coordinator? How much is the YP discount? What is the late fee? How do you
register? All these questions are answered here. Also, you can download an
Excel spreadsheet (courtesy of Chapter 36 member Guy Bradley) to see
which classes you need under the new designation paths.
Chapter 36 Education Calendar
Dalton Vann
Committee Chair
Dalton Vann, MAI, RWA, R/W-AC
Integra Realty Resources—DFW
930 W. First Street, Suite 400
Fort Worth, TX 76102
(817) 962-2371
[email protected]
Don’t put off advanc-
ing your career. Visit
the classes section of
Online Learning Cen-
ter at
www.irwaonline.org
IRWA on the Web
Course Date Location Instructor
801 - U.S. Land Titles December 1-2, 2016 Oncor -
Fort Worth
Scott Moran
402 - Introduction to the
Income Capitalization Ap-
proach
January 25, 2017 Halff -
Richardson
Charles
Stearman
901 - Engineering Plan De-
velopment and Applica-
tion
February 8, 2017 Oncor -
Fort Worth
Larry
Dupree
902 - Property Descriptions February 9, 2017 Oncor -
Fort Worth
Larry Dupree
105 - Uniform Act Execu-
tive Summary*
March 7, 2017 TNP -
Fort Worth
Tami
Benson
506 - Advanced Business
Relocation*
March 8-9, 2017 TNP -
Fort Worth
Tami
Benson
703 - Real Property Asset
Management
March 31, 2017 TxDOT -
Fort Worth
Georgia
Snodgrass
215 - Right of Way Acquisi-
tion for Pipeline Projects*
April 12-13, 2017 TNP -
Fort Worth
Mark
Bardwell
600 - The Environmental
Process*
May 16, 2017 Halff -
Richardson
Clyde
Johnson
604 - Environmental Due
Diligence and Liability*
May 17, 2017 Halff -
Richardson
Clyde
Johnson
303 - Managing the Con-
sultant Process*
September 29, 2017 TNP -
Fort Worth
Lisa
Harrison
803 - Eminent Domain Law
Basics*
October 3-4, 2017 Westwood
Richardson
John Baker
*not yet available on IRWA International education website
