DFW’s market diversity will continue as a strength. “It’s not a one-trick pony town,” he says. Also, the area’s population boom will further drive economic development. In mid-2022, Texas Instruments broke ground on a plant in Sherman. Brasfield & Gorrie is building a data center and finishing details on the Omni PGA Frisco Resort for an expected May 2023 opening. And the contractor expects to renovate an I.M. Pei-designed high-rise. Also last year, the Dallas City Council approved plans for a $2-billion convention center, and voters okayed a supportive hotel-tax increase. Construction should start in 2024 and be complete five years later.

Because clients want to thoroughly understand construction costs, the area will see few spec deals moving forward. “Everything’s going to have a project’s end purpose in mind,” Weeks says. “Deals will still be done; they just have a higher bar to clear to get started.”