Kristin Assad is Chief Operating Officer of Stockyards Heritage Development Co., a partnership between the Hickman family and Majestic Realty Co., where she leads hospitality operations in the historic Fort Worth Stockyards. In this role, she oversees strategy, operations, and asset performance for a dynamic hospitality portfolio that includes Hotel Drover — an award-winning Autograph Collection hotel consistently recognized as one of the world’s best destinations — Stockyards Hotel, a historic property currently undergoing a multi-million-dollar renovation, Hyatt Place Fort Worth Historic Stockyards, and additional concepts in the district.

With more than 20 years of experience in luxury and lifestyle hospitality, Kristin is known for driving operational excellence, building high-performing teams, and delivering strong financial results across complex, multi-asset environments. She plays a key role in the development, opening, and repositioning of hospitality assets, as well as in shaping brand-driven service cultures that elevate guest experience and long-term asset value.

Prior to her current role, Kristin served as Vice President of Operations and General Manager of Hotel Drover, where she led the property to national recognition and industry-leading performance. Her expertise spans acquisitions, new development, renovations, and portfolio integration, with a focus on aligning operational strategy with ownership objectives.

She is actively involved in the Texas hospitality community and serves on several industry boards, contributing to the continued growth and evolution of the region’s tourism and hospitality landscape.

Jessica Miller Essl is the co-president of M2G Ventures, a

commercial real estate private equity and advisory development

comp any based in Fort Worth, Texas. Guided by the leadership of

Jessica and her partner, Susan Gruppi, the fast-growing company

carefully invests in distinctive mixed-use and industrial

development projects located in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex

and the Austin Central Texas region.

Jessica is responsible for business development, strategy, marketing, leasing and overseeing

the company’s landlord advisory practices at M2G. Under Jessica’s leadership, the company

continues to push the envelope with innovative ways to create places users want to be. Jessica

possesses a relentless drive in truly creating value-add opportunities for all of the projects the

company touches.

Prior to starting M2G, Jessica was with Open Realty Advisors. During her tenure there, Jessica

was instrumental in the company’s landlord consulting platform. She led the strategy and

execution of the real estate roll out for Tesla and Spanx across North America. Jessica also

played a key role in the site selection and execution of other major brands, such as J. Crew,

Apple, Restoration Hardware, Diane Von Furstenberg, and Abercrombie & Fitch, to name a

few. She negotiated transactions with every major retail owner in the United States during her

time there.

Prior to joining Open Realty, Jessica was Senior Leasing Representative at Trademark Property

Company, where she specialized in the leasing strategy, execution, and project management

of super-regional malls and upscale mixed-use centers. Jessica is credited with bringing some

of the nation’s most premier specialty retailers to Trademark’s projects during her four years

there.

Jessica serves on the Real Estate Council of Greater Fort Worth, the TCU Center for Real Estate

Advisory Board, the Board for the TCU M.J. Neeley Entrepreneurial School, and the Small

Development Council for Urban Land Institute. Jessica was named Top 40 under 40 in 2017 as

well as received the Strong Partner Award from Girls Inc. of Tarrant County. She is a graduate

of Texas Christian University with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and Real

Estate with a Concentration in Leadership.

Frost Prioleau is the Co-Founder and CEO of Simpli.fi. A four-time entrepreneur,

Simpli.fi is his second company in the digital advertising space. Prior to Simpli.fi, Prioleau was the CEO and Founder of Personifi, a contextual and

behavioral targeting company. The firm was acquired by Collective Media in 2008.

While at Collective, Prioleau served as General Manager of the Technology Solutions

Group.

Prioleau is a 2017 Fort Worth Inc. “Entrepreneur of Excellence”

award winner, as well as a past winner of Dallas Morning News’ “Best Midsize Company CEO,” SMU Cox School of Business’ “Dallas Top 100 Entrepreneur,” and Owler’s “Top Rated CEO.” He brings to Simpli.fi over 15 years of experience in online advertising with

focus on corporate strategy, driving Simpli.fi growth, and ensuring customer

satisfaction and employee retention. His focus on company culture and servant-

leadership have directly contributed to Simpli.fi being named Entrepreneur Magazine’s “Best Entrepreneurial Company in America,” Inc. Magazine’s “Best Places to Work,” the Dallas Morning News’ “Top 100 Workplaces,” and the Dallas Business Journal’s “Best Midsize Company in DFW.” A thought leader in online advertising, Prioleau often speaks on the topic at industry trade shows and in the press. Prioleau is a graduate of Princeton University, where he earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Engineering Management Systems. Additionally, Prioleau has been happily married to his wife Martha for 33 years. Together they have three children, two dogs, and a blind cat.Outside of work, Prioleau most enjoys surfing, skiing, and traveling with family and friends.

Jason Boso found his way into restaurant development after stints as a stockbroker, ad salesman, and scuba instructor. His culinary path began with his frustration that he couldn’t get a decent burger in Dallas without going to a steakhouse and paying 20 bucks –so off to culinary school he went. Jason’s passion is identifying what people want and need and developing creative concepts around those ideas. At least that’s how he explains why he owns a Toilet Seat Art Museum, a ferris wheel, and America’s largest beer stein collection.

After culinary school, Chef Boso opened Twisted Root Burger Co. in 2006.Twisted Root landed on the national radar after being featured onFood Network’s “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives” in 2009. Twisted Root has since been named a Nation’s Restaurant NewsHotConceptand featured in QSR's 11Sizzling Better-Burger Concepts to Watch.

Jason’s bar garden concept, Truck Yard, was built in 2013 around a sprawling backyard with a rotating cast of local food trucks, multiple bars and a cheesesteak restaurant. Truck Yard has been featured as one of Travel & Leisure’sBest Sports Bars in America, on the Travel Channel’s‘101Best Places to “Chow Down” in the US’ andon the Booze Traveler episode covering the Best Bars in the US. Second Rodeo Brewing Co., opening late 2020, puts a prison rodeo spin on Truck Yard’s bar garden environment and in lieu of food trucks customers will find Chef Boso’s take on chicken wingsalongside the classic Truck Yard cheesesteaks.

Second Rodeo’s brewery, helmed by veteran brew master Dennis Wehrman, founder of the first microbrewery in the Dallas metroplex, will be open for touring and tasting, and Truck Yard’s favorite bottled and craft draft cocktails are featured at the full bar.

Brain Storm Shelter Restaurants, Jason’s restaurant management company, oversees Twisted Root, Truck Yard, and his other concepts: By The Horns Brewing (brewpub), Tacos & Avocados (tacos), Hart Hall (event space), and the Greenville Theater, which features weekly improv comedy. All of that keeps Jason’s hands and creative mind just busy enough to keep him out of jail.

Dustin Davidson was the Managing Director on the Hines Land Development platform for over 7 years since starting with Hines in 2012. Dustin was overseeing the Lot and Single-Family Rental ("SFR") Development Business in Dallas-Fort Worth ("DFW") and Central Texas. Under his leadership starting in 2018, Hines' DFW land platform, from new acquisitions and existing assets, grew from ~900 lots to over 20,000 in under five years. Dustin successfully oversaw one of the largest master planned community transactions when Hines sold 11 communities to Starwood land in April 2025.

Adam Kober is a graduate of Purdue University’s highly acclaimed landscape

architecture program. In addition, Adam has also spent time in Edinburgh, Scotland at

Heriot-Watt University studying golf course architecture and design. While at Lifescapes,

Adam has successfully designed and managed highly complex projects from early

concept stages all the way through final construction. His experience in both the US and

abroad includes hotel/casino resorts, mixed-use developments, master planned

communities, as well as private estates. Some of Adam’s most notable projects at

Lifescapes International include New York’s iconic Rockefeller Center Channel Gardens

and The Rainbow Room, Fort Worth Stockyards, Hotel Drover, Palms Casino Resort

Expansion (2019) and Pendry West Hollywood.

Aaliyah Haqq, Vice President at Dominus Commercial partners with C-level executives, entrepreneurs and business leaders to explore the relationship between office space, strategy, purpose, culture, and staff retention. After spending nearly two decades in leadership development and health & human services, Aaliyah has consistently used her super powers to create the conditions for leaders, organizations, and communities to be at their best.

A strong advocate for serving the community, Aaliyah is a past Board Chair for Promise House and the National Family Preservation Network. She currently serves on Dallas CASA’s Board of Directors, is a member of the Promise House Executive Support and Assessment Team, and is a member of Hofstra University’s School of Health Professions and Human Services Dean’s Advisory Committee. To support the demands of being a corporate athlete, she plays soccer, practices yoga, and is a marathoner.

Aaliyah holds a BS from Hofstra University in Community Health and is a Licensed Texas Realtor. Her professional affiliations include CREW (Commercial Real Estate Women), NTCAR (North Texas Commercial Association of Realtors), and Conscious Capitalism. She is currently the Chair of the CREW Dallas Smart Growth Committee and is a member of CREW Network’s Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Task Force.

Born and raised in South East London, Adam has always been a ken sportsman; representing his high school in Soccer, Rugby and Cricket. He started his working life as a Police Constable in Central London and then moved on to becoming a “Mens Grooming Expert” (which led to him appearing on The Times, The Telegraph, The Independent & GQ). This career path bought Adam to Dallas, Texas where he met his wife and decided to settle down. In Texas, Adam chose to start over or “re-tool”, and pursued a Management Degree at SMU. Once his studies were complete, Adam moved into sales of HVAC where he touched many commercial construction projects. Adam loves the thrill of new challenges, and meeting new people and can't wait to start his career with Bisnow in Dallas.