About City Center Fort Worth

Johnny K. Campbell

President and CEO

Been there, done that.

This perfectly describes the President and CEO of City Center Fort Worth, who has stepped on just about every rung of the corporate ladder on his way up.

At age 16, Johnny was cutting the grass at a Houston shopping mall owned by the Rouse Company, a premier shopping center and mixed-use development firm. At 21, he became the youngest security chief ever at the company. And with promotion after promotion, he gained experience in many other areas, from leasing and marketing to engineering and project management. Ultimately, he became director of operations for some of the most prominent mixed-use developments in the nation, including Harborplace and The Gallery in Baltimore, Pioneer Place in Portland, The Riverwalk in New Orleans, Tabor Center in Denver and Arizona Center in Phoenix.

If one of the marks of great leaders is their ability to put themselves in the shoes of their staff members, City Center Fort Worth is fortunate to have someone at the helm who has literally done just that.

His diverse experiences have also shaped his leadership style and the corporate culture at City Center Fort Worth. Since he joined the company in 2001, Johnny has built a management team comprised of top professionals, making sure that he has the “best in class” for every department. He gives managers responsibilities, the freedom to accomplish those responsibilities on their own and the encouragement to take risks, knowing they’ll be fully supported. In a fast-moving market environment, the management team is nimble and quick, making smart decisions grounded in their deep knowledge of the City Center Fort Worth vision.

“We’ve always seen City Center Fort Worth as a catalyst in the revitalization of downtown Fort Worth,” Campbell said. “Our goal was to create a vibrant office environment from which new development could grow. And that’s exactly what has happened.”

A graduate of the University of Houston, Johnny also has a big impact on the area through his support of a wide variety of community organizations and causes. He serves as Chairman of the Board of Fort Worth Sister Cities International, and is a past chairman of the Board of Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. and remains on that Board. He serves on the Board of Directors of the UNT Health Sciences Center, the North Texas Commission, the Downtown Tax Increment Financing District, the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, Visit Fort Worth, Streams & Valleys, BOMA of Fort Worth, the Aledo Education Foundation, the Davey O’Brien Foundation and the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association. He also served three terms on the Aledo Independent School District Board of Trustees.

If you want to see an example of a CEO who truly “talks the talk and walks the walk,” look no further than Johnny Campbell.

Robert Gamblin

Director of Leasing

Ten million square feet is a whole lot of space – about as big as 225 football fields or a 175-acre ranch.

It’s also the approximate size of the total commercial leases Robert Gamblin has secured in his 20+ years at City Center Fort Worth. In his role as Director of Leasing, he helps bring companies of all kinds – from multi-national corporations to local and regional firms – to downtown Fort Worth. Robert is responsible for filling more than 1.5 million square feet of luxurious, Class A office space. During his time at City Center Fort Worth, occupancy has remained at very high levels – 90% and above – even during periods of national economic downturns.

As he works to attract companies to the area, he stresses all the things tenants receive with every square foot in City Center Fort Worth: unmatched service and amenities; many places to shop, dine, and be entertained within walking distance; a great location near major highways and DFW Airport; and a welcoming, pro-business attitude.

Before he got his foot in the door at City Center Fort Worth, Robert worked in the restaurant industry, where he honed many useful management skills, including stellar customer service, extra attention to detail, and an appreciation for employees at all levels.

As a member of the Business Retention and Expansion Committee for the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, Robert helps the entire city put its best foot forward. He’s a leader with Boy Scouts of America Troop 68 in Arlington, and an Eagle Scout himself. He also serves as a children’s leader with Bible Study Fellowship International and as an Elder at Rush Creek Christian Church.

He holds a B.S. from Texas Tech University and is a Licensed Texas Real Estate Broker.

“It’s so gratifying to see the continuing transformation of downtown Fort Worth,” says Robert. “A lot of that is due to the persistence of our team in bringing great tenants to City Center Fort Worth.”

Valerie Farrell

Director of Marketing

When you walk into Valerie Farrell’s office, everything is peaceful and in its place.

Behind that calm demeanor, however, is a brain buzzing with dozens of deadlines, details and projects in various stages of completion. As Director of Marketing for City Center Fort Worth, she has a crazy-wide range of responsibilities: developing the annual marketing plan and budget, creating effective promotional materials including websites and brochures, maintaining a constant social media presence, working with various entities to promote downtown Fort Worth and too many others to list here.

“People think of marketing as the fun part of business,” says Valerie. “They see the successful end result, but they don’t see everything it took to make the project happen. But I love to multi-task and keep busy, so it’s perfect for me.”

Valerie also loves the product she’s promoting: the finest business address in downtown Fort Worth. She’s continually focused on keeping current tenants happy while taking steps to attract new ones.

Previously, Valerie worked as Development and Marketing Assistant for Lena Pope in Fort Worth, where she handled both marketing and event coordination for the beloved nonprofit that helps children and families in need. She organized specialized events for up to 500 people, oversaw fundraising initiatives and helped build financial support from donors, foundations and corporations. Valerie offers proven expertise in event planning, having coordinated and staged events previously for a wide range of programs within the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications–Public Relations from the University of Texas at Arlington, where she graduated with honors.

So when you walk into Valerie’s office, you can be absolutely certain that she’s currently juggling multiple projects, managing key deadlines, cooking up marketing strategies and devising new ways to keep tenants satisfied.

But you’ll be greeted with a tranquil smile and a sincere“Hi, how can I help you?”

Dale Kesteloot

Director of Operations

Dale Kesteloot has a desk, but you’ll rarely find him behind it. He oversees the in-house operations team that includes certified and licensed electricians, plumbers and carpenters as well as maintenance personnel. Are you beginning to understand why Dale is never at his desk?

A world-class downtown development like City Center Fort Worth requires a world-class Director of Operations – and Dale is definitely that. On any given day, he can be called upon to manage a a huge variety of tasks from finishing out offices to maintenance and repairs.  He handles all of them with the utmost expertise, patience and attention to detail.

Dale has worked in development and building operations for more than 35 years, serving in the trades before taking on the chief engineer role. While working at Del Webb Realty & Management, he was named “Engineer of the Year” over 125 other engineers two years in a row. Before joining City Center Fort Worth, Dale worked at the Rouse Company – a pioneer in the development of shopping malls and festival marketplaces in the U.S. – where he served as Facilities Manager for a premier urban center in Phoenix that was one of the company’s crown jewels.

“The most valuable skill I learned early on is to treat the project like you owned it and treat the tenants and customers fairly and honestly,” says Dale.

He is a long-time member of the Building and Owner’s Managers Association (BOMA) and also serves on the board of directors of the Fort Worth Black Chamber of Commerce.

Dale obviously takes a lot of pride in the ongoing success of City Center Fort Worth. “Walking around and seeing the tenants enjoying themselves brings me a real feeling of accomplishment,” he says.

Just remember: if you need to get in touch with Dale, don’t go to his office. More than likely, he’ll be out taking care of business and making sure everything is operating exactly as it should.

Joanne Massey

Controller

Joanne Massey is a City Center Fort Worth pioneer. In the early 1980s, she was working with the Bass Companies when the towers were first envisioned. Over the years, she’s watched City Center Fort Worth grow into the dynamic, prestigious business address it is today.

As Controller, she’s worked diligently behind the scenes, handling receivables, payables, cash management, budgeting, reporting, loan compliance, staff management, and just about anything else that has to do with numbers or money. As City Center Fort Worth expanded, she was always there, balancing workloads, running numbers, tackling special projects, meeting deadlines, and ensuring that people had the accounting information they needed, when they needed it.  Over the years, she’s researched, purchased, and implemented four major accounting systems – each time eliminating the amount of manual work necessary.

Before joining the company, she worked at Weaver & Tidwell, where, among other things, she learned that she didn’t want to be a tax accountant. She traded in boring tax returns for major excitement as she watched downtown Fort Worth come to life before her eyes.  In 1986, she devoted herself full-time to her position as Controller for City Center Fort Worth.

Joanne is a member of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, the American Institute of Public Accountancy, the Texas Society of CPAs, and the Fort Worth Chapter of CPAs. She attends Doxology Bible Church, regularly volunteering for special projects and attending weekly Bible study.

She holds a BS in accounting from TCU and maintains her CPA license by completing 40 hours of continuing education each year.

“I’ve watched this company grow from nearly the beginning and seen the continual development of downtown, but I’ve been an integral part of that transformation,” said Joanne. “I’m so grateful to have been given this rare opportunity.”

Spoken like a true pioneer.