Welcome to the 2025 edition of the Dallas 500, our take on the most powerful and influential business leaders in North Texas. It's hard to believe this is our 10th anniversary edition, and, in my opinion, it's our best one yet. There are some fascinating new leaders to tell you about this year, along with fresh insights from some of the most recognizable names in business. Our mission from the very beginning was to help readers connect with top executives in Dallas by offering personal glimpses into their lives. You can find career summaries online, but where else can you learn about their go-to comfort foods, interview fails, and top vacation spots?

One of my favorite new questions this year is, "What is one of your most memorable Halloween costumes?" Some of the answers are downright hilarious. Developer Bill Cawley once dressed up as a table and chairs. ("It was a great costume, but very cumbersome," he says.) Nothing Bundt Cake's Dolf Berle was the Washington Monument. ("It took a lot of tin foil to pull that off," he says.) Resource Center's Cece Cox told us about her "epic Beetlejuice costume." (We can just imagine.) And Arcis Golf 's Blake Walker once dressed up as a Masters caddie. (It tracks.)

We also asked what reality TV or game show they'd most like to be cast in. There are a lot of potential Family Feud contestants in the Dallas 500. Other popular choices were Jeopardy!, The Amazing Race, and cooking competitions like The Great British Bakeoff and Beat Bobby Flay. (Tré Black thinks he could take Flay down with his grilled lamb chops with mint jelly.) My favorite answer to this question, though, came from Mark Cuban, who jokingly wrote: "Maybe Shark Tank."

Inside these pages, you'll also find terrific book, podcast, and restaurant recommendations and learn about emerging trends and opportunities, such as how companies are leveraging generative AI. Reading the 2025 Dallas 500 will make you feel grateful to live in such a vibrant market—and among leaders who are accomplished, innovative, and fun!

For our 10th anniversary edition, D CEO editors knew this year's Dallas 500 had to be special. For six months, we dove into business data, had conversations with our sources, and asked previous honorees about low-profile movers and shakers. We read through 470 nominations and held numerous judging sessions.

Through our work, we were introduced to under-the-radar leaders like Jason Passwaters, a former U.S. Marine who bootstrapped the upstart of his cybersecurity company before PE fi rm Thoma Bravo bought it; budding restaurateur Nafees Alam running Mike Hoque's DRG Concepts; and Jessica Baker Daily, who, 21 years after an internship with Halff, became the engineering fi rm's first female CEO.

Our team is proud to introduce 181 fresh faces to the 2025 edition. And, in celebration of our 10-year milestone, we reviewed past editions to see which local leaders have made every list for the past decade. A total of 49 executives earned a special 10-year stamp this year. In all, this year's honorees represent 437 thriving companies and organizations. We're grateful that these influential—and busy—leaders took the time to share their personal stories with us. Throughout 2025, we will publish full-length interviews in D CEO magazine and at our D CEO, real estate, nonprofit, and healthcare news sites. For now, though, sit back and enjoy the 10th anniversary edition of the Dallas 500!