The Park Cities is home to some of DFW’s top professionals, including dedicated men who areleaving important footprints in their respective fields.
We took a close-up look at these very different guys, all with impeccable reputations, working in unique directions to make things better for those around them.
Dr. Dan Meyer
Serving the medical community and his country
This familiar resident is Dr. Dan Meyer. The chief of heart transplant and advanced circulatory support at Baylor University Medical Center has been operating on and transplanting hearts and lungs there for three decades.
In 2021, Meyer’s life took a turn when he became the oldest graduate of the U.S. Navy Officer Development School at age 63.
He was among 80 newly commissioned officers, the majority in their twenties and thirties, at a school in Newport, R.I., on the same campus where the historic U.S. Naval War College is located.
He aspired to do “something bigger” beyond his own medical microcosm, “something even more significant than what I was already doing,” he says. Meyer is now one of only eight cardiothoracic surgeons in the entire U.S. Navy Reserve.
Today, Meyer is a proud member of the U.S. Navy Reserve Medical Corps. He trains annually for two weeks while continuing his work at Baylor. “I am honored to be involved and glad to be able to help,” he says. “It’s an exciting way to be a part of your country, and not only give back but learn about why America works the way it does.”
Tim “Ace” Gardner
Elevating athletic recruitment for the next generation
He’s a former SMU football player and track athlete, deeply involved withorganizations such astheFellowship of Christian Athletes, as well asLife After Ball, a dynamic nonprofit mentorship program.
Along with his business partner and company CEO David Henry, Gardner’s current passion is Coaches Vue, a new, customized, interactive app designed to assist college athletic departments make better connections with their recruits.
“It’s the first intuitive Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system for recruiting, created here by two SMU grads,” Gardner says.
The innovative platform captures key data points to help coordinators make smarter decisions on engaging recruits (the majority of whom practically live with phones glued to their hands) in ways never available before.
“We increase chances of signing recruits by as much as 30% due to increased and more meaningful engagement,” says Gardner, someone who knows the mind of athlete all too well. “I’ve been a top 100 high school recruit, a college athlete, and the father of a son in the ‘iPhone generation’ being recruited.”
Gardner also understands the needs of coaches, athletic directors, recruiting coordinators, marketing directors, and others. The platform could flourish in a number of industries, Gardner says, “But recruiting is where we saw an immediate need.”
Schools manage the interaction with recruits as well as the content they share, which is all owned and controlled by the college. Current clients include Texas Tech, Arkansas State, SMU, and Tennessee State.
SHM Architects
Designing beautiful homes for a world-class community
SHM Architects is another example of people making a difference in their community.
Founded in 2005, the boutique design studio is based in the Park Cities, and their outstanding work can be found throughout the community.
The firm’s four principals—David Stocker, Mark Hoesterey, Enrique Montenegro, and Nicholas McWhirter—lead a team focused on generating exceptional architecture and interiors in DFW and across the country, including Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado, where they have a satellite office.
Stocker describes their brand as genuine. “We all love Dallas…and want to be good stewards,” he says. “Architecturally, we have wonderful variety, especially in the Park Cities. Highland Park and University Park have codes that maximize the potential for creativity.”
Increasingly, the firm’s aesthetic (and ability to tap that potential) has populated the local landscape.
“We have a world-class arts district, parks, trails, and the largest urban lake in the country,” Hoesterey adds. “We’re comfortable with who we are and build on those unique qualities.”
And it seems to be working. Much of the firm’s successful record is driven by deeply held philosophies. “We feed off each other, challenge each other, and support one another,” Stocker says. “And we wouldn’t have it any other way. We want to give our clients much more than just a house. We want to give them a home…which takes a great process and a trusted team, all working together.”
“It’s an exciting way to be a part of your country, and not only give back but learn about why America works the way it does.”
“I’ve been a top 100 high school recruit, a college athlete, and the father of a son in the ‘iPhone generation’ being recruited.”
“We feed off each other, challenge each other, and support one another. And we wouldn’t have it any other way.”