# Contact List: Raleigh Sports & Entertainment District — $1B Development

> **Project:** 80-acre mixed-use entertainment district surrounding Lenovo Center (Hurricanes/NC State arena)
> **Developer:** Pacific Elm Properties (Dallas, TX) + Gale Force Sports & Entertainment (Hurricanes parent)
> **Owner/Driver:** Tom Dundon (Carolina Hurricanes owner)
> **Est. Cost:** $1 billion across 4 phases (7-10 year buildout)
> **Stage:** Phase 1 construction expected 2026
> **Civil Engineer:** Kimley-Horn
> **Updated:** 2026-02-01

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## PACIFIC ELM PROPERTIES (Lead Developer)

### Billy Prewitt
- **Title:** CEO (appointed Sept 2025, succeeding founder Jonas Woods)
- **Organization:** Pacific Elm Properties, Dallas, TX
- **Why:** Current CEO running the firm. Previously CIO — founding partner since 2008. Will be the key decision-maker for capital partnerships on this project.
- **LinkedIn:** Search "Billy Prewitt Pacific Elm Properties"
- **Source:** Dallas Business Journal, Sept 2025

### Jonas Woods
- **Title:** Founder (stepped down as CEO Sept 2025 — launched separate $4B venture)
- **Organization:** Pacific Elm Properties (founder) / New venture
- **Why:** Original Raleigh district visionary. Led Victory Park development in Dallas (2M SF mixed-use). Principal in Dallas Mavericks acquisition. Led American Airlines Center financing. Even if not day-to-day at PacElm anymore, still influential.
- **Background:** 30+ years RE, $6B+ in acquisition/development transactions. Office, residential, industrial, retail, mixed-use.
- **LinkedIn:** Search "Jonas Woods Pacific Elm"
- **Website:** pacelm.com

### Pacific Elm Portfolio Context
- **Existing:** 6 Class A towers, 4.4M SF (office, residential, hotel, retail)
- **Pipeline:** 9.7M SF mixed-use development including 2.8M SF office, 4,400 residential units, 1,000 hotel keys, 500K SF retail
- **This means:** Raleigh is one piece of a massive pipeline — they likely need capital partners across multiple projects

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## GALE FORCE SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT (Hurricanes Parent)

### Tom Dundon
- **Title:** Owner, Carolina Hurricanes / Chairman, Gale Force Sports & Entertainment
- **Why:** THE driving force behind the district. Extended Hurricanes lease through 2044 in exchange for development rights on surrounding 80 acres. Ultimate decision-maker.
- **LinkedIn:** Search "Tom Dundon"
- **Notes:** Dallas-based billionaire. Made fortune in auto lending (Santander Consumer USA). Also explored AAF football league investment.

### Don Waddell
- **Title:** President & GM, Carolina Hurricanes
- **Why:** Operational leader of the Hurricanes organization. May have connections to business development side.

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## CITY/COUNTY OFFICIALS

### Mary-Ann Baldwin
- **Title:** Mayor, City of Raleigh
- **Why:** Approved the development deal, extended arena lease. Pro-development.
- **Contact:** raleighnc.gov

### Wake County Board of Commissioners
- **Why:** County owns the arena land. Key stakeholder in the development agreement.
- **Contact:** wake.gov

### Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority (RDU)
- **Why:** Pacific Elm is ALSO in discussions with RDU to redevelop 100+ acres of Lake Crabtree County Park off I-40 — another potential partnership angle.
- **Source:** Triangle Business Journal, July 2025

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## ENGINEERING/DESIGN

### Kimley-Horn
- **Role:** Civil engineer for the project
- **Why:** Already engaged — could provide introductions or context on project timeline
- **Website:** kimley-horn.com

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## INDUSTRY COMMENTARY

### Jim Anthony — CEO & Founder, APG Companies
- **Quote:** "The only other person in Raleigh who has pulled off something this ambitious is John Kane. Let's hope and pray that Tom Dundon is successful."
- **Why:** Local CRE leader who understands the market. Potential intro or market intelligence source.
- **Website:** apgcre.com

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## OUTREACH STRATEGY

1. **Primary Target:** Billy Prewitt (new CEO, Pacific Elm) — he's running the development side and likely open to capital partner discussions as they tackle a $1B multi-phase project
2. **Secondary:** Tom Dundon's business office — harder to reach but the ultimate decision-maker
3. **Municipal Angle:** Wake County commissioners — they control the arena land and could facilitate introductions
4. **RDU Angle:** If Pacific Elm is doing 100+ acres with RDU AND 80 acres at the arena district, they have massive capital needs across multiple projects
5. **Timeline:** Phase 1 breaking ground 2026, 4 total phases over 7-10 years = multiple capital raise windows
6. **Competitive Intel:** Compare to John Kane's North Hills development in Raleigh — that's the local benchmark