This article was originally featured on Park Cities People on August 26, 2019

Park Place Dealerships has released the 2019 Luxury & Supercar Showcase app with current information about the third annual premier lifestyle event on Sept. 28 at the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas. 

The app will provide up-to-date information about what to wear, when to arrive, where to park, live music schedules, meet and greets, maps of the event and more. The Park Place Luxury & Supercar Showcase app is free and available for download from the App Store.

“We introduced the app in the second year of the event and guests really embraced it,” said

Kaylie Hitch, marketing coordinator for Park Place Dealerships. “We spent the past year enhancing the offerings such as the schedule tab where users can now create a personal agenda of events to attend such as music performances on the outdoor Lexus Live Stage as well as the fashion show, hat contest, and awards presentation.”

Within the activity feed, guests can post and share photos in real-time leading up to and during the event. App users also will find information about retailers and sponsors participating in the Luxury & Supercar Showcase.

The vehicle directory on the 2019 Luxury & Supercar Showcase app also delivers information about the vehicles to be showcased in three distinctive areas including the Park Place New Car Concours, the Collectors’ Concours, and the Car Club Expo.

With hundreds of vehicles committed to participate, the app allows users to search through the different categories of vehicles.

Park Place New Car Concours will feature the latest models from every brand the dealership group represents including Rolls-Royce, Maserati, McLaren, Bentley, Karma, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Volvo, Jaguar, and Land Rover.

Collectors’ Concours is a juried showcase of rare classic, luxury, and supercars cars from private collectors on the 1st Fairway of the TPC.  A sampling of the 100+ cars includes: 

• 1916 Stutz Bearcat
• 1936 Pierce Arrow
• 1956 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL
• 1965 Corvette Stingray 
• 1966 Shelby GT350H Hertz Rent-a-Racer
• 1983 Ferrari 308 GTS

Club Car Expo will be displayed on the 18th fairway and represents some of the best car clubs in North Texas, including:

• Mercedes-Benz Club of America
• Lamborghini Club of Dallas
• Porsche Club of America – Maverick Region
• Corvette Legends of TX
• McLaren Club
• Jaguar Owners Association
• Texas Shelby North Texas
• Ferrari Club Dallas

Tickets for the event are available online and range from $25 to $50 for show field and general admission and $100 for a VIP all-access pass, which includes food and beverage tastings and access to the Celebrity Cruises Captain’s Lounge. VIP tickets have sold out the previous two years.

For more information, visit luxurysupercarshowcase.com.

TeamConnor Childhood Cancer Foundation has named Emily Allbright as executive director. Allbright has nearly 20 years of experience working with charitable organizations. As the executive director, Allbright will be responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with donors and sponsors, managing event logistics, and developing grant proposals for TeamConnor.

“Emily comes to TeamConnor with a strong background in the non-profit sector,” said Joy Cruse, co-founder and board president of TeamConnor Childhood Cancer Foundation.

“Even though cancer is the leading cause of death by disease among children, childhood cancer receives less than four percent of government funding for research. Therefore, it’s critical for non-profits like TeamConnor to fill the gap by funding more research so better treatment plans can be developed and we can find a cure for this dreadful disease. Emily will be integral in partnering with private donors as well as corporations who want to be make the difference in saving kids.” 

TeamConnor was founded in 2008 while Connor Cruse was in the midst of his four-year battle with neuroblastoma cancer. Connor lost his battle in 2009, but TeamConnor remains committed to fight for all children. Since its founding, TeamConnor has donated more than $2.6 million to hospitals across the country who are committed to childhood cancer research. 

“TeamConnor has a great reputation for being a strong voice in the childhood cancer domain,” said Allbright. “I want to build on that tradition as well as pursue donors and organizations that are not currently involved in the cause. No one wants to see a child go through barbaric treatments or endure years of suffering because of a lack of funding research.”

TeamConnor hosts several events throughout the year to raise funds and awareness for childhood cancer research, including the 9th Annual Northwestern Mutual Clay Shoot, November 4, 2019 and the 16th Annual III Forks Golf Classic, May 3 – 4, 2020.  In addition,

TeamConnor’s national program Coins for Kids with Cancer® raises funds in schools, churches, offices and organizations across the country to help fund childhood cancer research. More information on this program can be found at www.coinsforkidswithcancer.org.

Every year, more than 12,500 children and adolescents are diagnosed with cancer in the United States. TeamConnor Childhood Cancer Foundation is dedicated to raising awareness and funding research and treatment programs to find a cure for all childhood cancers.  

For more information on how to impact the lives of those affected by childhood cancer please visit teamconnor.orgor find us at Facebook.com/TeamConnor.

Headington Companies’ Michael Tregoning spearheads a partnership with the Aging Mind Foundation, founded by Laree Hulshoff.

This excerpt was originally featured in D Magazine’s The Winners of D CEO’s Nonprofit and Corporate Citizenship Awards 2019 Article

Headington Companies

Corporate Partner of the Year

Corporate Citizenship Award

For the past five years, Headington Companies has partnered with Aging Mind Foundation to raise money for scientific research, specifically for Alzheimer’s Disease and other dementias. Spearheaded by Headington President Michael Tregoning, the support has allowed the organization to fund more than $2.1 million in medical research projects at UT Southwestern, Baylor, and Center for Vital Longevity. The group has kept its fundraising costs below 20 percent, the gold standard in charity fundraising, ensuring that the majority of donations go straight to the cause. The partnership has also helped the group spread awareness about Alzheimer’s and other dementias and compel other North Texans to get involved with their mission. “To put it simply, Aging Mind Foundation would not exist without the Headington Companies partnership,” says Laree Hulshoff, the organization’s founder. “They are an incredible partner and give generously not only with their in-kind support, but also in ideas, attendance, and time.”

Finalists: Accenture, The Beck Group, Capital One, McKesson Corp.

Originally featured on CarProUSA on August 7, 2019

Park Place Premier Collection, part of the Park Place Dealerships group, is welcoming Karma Dallas to its selection of luxury brands on Lemmon Avenue. Karma is a luxury electric carmaker based in Southern California. (Check out this Pininfarina-designed Karma GT coupe that will make its debut at Monterey Car Week.)

In Dallas, Park Place Dealerships, with 32 years of luxury automotive experience, joins one of a select group of Karma dealerships nationwide.

“Karma is an electric brand with their sights set on growing the luxury mobility experience,” said Ken Schnitzer, Chairman of Park Place Dealerships. “The release of the 2020 Revero GT luxury electric vehicle this year and then the all-new fully-electrified global platform in 2021 will appeal to our client base who enjoy impressive engineering and design. Dallas is one of only 18 Karma dealers across the United States and is poised to electrify high-performance drivers across Dallas/Fort Worth.”

By establishing Karma in the U.S., the world’s most demanding luxury market, Karma CEO Dr. Lance Zhou says he believes the company can succeed anywhere.

“To win in our luxury electric vehicle niche, it’s not enough to simply offer a great product and owner experience, we must also be sure we establish distribution points in the right places,” said Zhou. “By gradually expanding our presence this way I am confident our company – and our products – will be well prepared for the world’s discerning luxury buyer of the future.”

2019 Karma Revero

Karma Automotive currently offers the 2019 Revero, the ultimate plug-in hybrid sedan, at a starting price of $130,000. The Revero contains a 403-horsepower electric motor and a 235-horsepower generator to charge the mid-mounted lithium-ion battery. The solar roof of the Revero isn’t just for show. It was developed to charge the 12v battery as well as the high-voltage battery, adding to the electric range. Mother Nature will provide enough power for 500-1000 miles per year.

2020 Karma Revero GT

Later this year, Karma will start delivering the updated 2020 Revero GT. The GT offers similar capabilities as its predecessor, while boosting its electric driving range to 80 miles and extending to 380 miles with the highly efficient three-cylinder onboard generator.

Park Place Luxury & Supercar Showcase

If you want to see Karma for yourself, you can check it out at the 3rd Annual Park Place Luxury & Supercar Showcase on September 28, 2019. It will take place from 10 am – 4 pm at the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas in Las Colinas. Tickets start at $25 each and are available at LuxurySupercarShowcase.com. Children under two are free. The event benefits Baylor Scott & White Irving Foundation.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=394275784780018

The 8th annual Splash Out Childhood Cancer at Hawaiian Falls in The Colony Tx benefiting TeamConnor Cancer Foundation was a great success. You can still purchase discount waterpark tickets to any of the 5 Hawaiian Falls Waterparks the rest of the summer (good thru Labor Day) at http://splashoutcancer.org

Originally Featured on The Flash List on June 20, 2019

Elegant ladies and dapper gents in stylish hats will be strolling around the lush grounds of the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas Saturday, September 28 during the 3rd annual Park Place Luxury & Supercar Showcase. Dallas’ Mad Hatter Shane Walker will judge the Haute Hat contest again this year. Men and women will compete on the Million Air Stage inside the Porsche Pavilion to be selected for the most creative, stylish and outrageous hats.

“I was astonished by the creativity and participation of last year’s Haute Hat contestants, said Shane Walker. I anticipate even more Dappers and Divas strutting their stuff this year.”

Suggested attire for the day is Concours Casual, where guests are encouraged to pair a hat with their favorite resort-inspired ensemble while sporting comfortable shoes. Shane Walker Designs will have a Pop-Up store in the Porsche Pavilion where ladies and gents can purchase some of his uniquely designed hats.

Iconic luxury shopping and dining destination Highland Park Village will present a runway fashion show featuring looks from prestigious brands Alice + Olivia, St. John, Trina Turk, Theory, and MARKE in the climate-controlled Porsche Pavilion.

The Park Place Luxury & Supercar Showcase is more than incredible cars, it is a lifestyle event, said Liz Shafton, Experiential Marketing Director for Park Place Dealerships. In addition to fashion, guests will enjoy live music, pop up shops, and amazing food from premier restaurants and popular food trucks.

Restaurants featured in the VIP Lounge include The French Room, LAW, III Forks, Cool River, Chop House Burger, Dallas Fish Market, Wild Salsa, Oven and Cellar, Outlaw Tap Room, Kai, Toulouse, Whiskey Cake, Texas de Brazil, Princi Italia, CRU Wine and Food Bar, Pacific Table, Cork & Pig Tavern, Make Your Life Sweeter, and Carlton Provisions.

Within the event will be a juried Collectors’ Concours, featuring a diverse selection of rare supercars, luxury, sports, vintage and classic cars from private collectors. The event also will include a Car Club Expo powered by Park Up Front as well as a Kid’s Zone complete with drivable cars for the littlest enthusiast.

Returning partners include the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas, VIP Lounge Sponsors Allie Beth Allman & Associates – A Berkshire Hathaway Affiliate|URBAN, Captain’s Lounge Sponsor Celebrity Cruises, The City of Irving, Hill & Wilkinson, Hagerty, Event Architecture, AT&T Business, AVSD Productions, Digital 3 Printing, Fauxcades Décor, Brad Oldham Sculpture, D Magazine, NBC 5 and CultureMap.

Additional sponsors include Lilium Florals, Perks & Provisions, Promo Resources, Sunnyland Furniture, RideCentric, iDesignMeetings, Marquee Event Rentals, Bachendorf’s, Jack Black, Renegade Cigars, Tito’s Vodka, Peroni Beer, Waste Management, GL Seamen, Ratcliff Financial Services, Garages of Texas, ExxonMobil, Thermal Printing and MarineMax Yachts.

The luxury lifestyle event benefits the Baylor Scott & White Irving Foundation. Park Place Dealerships has donated a 2020 Lexus UX to be raffled at the Park Place Luxury Supercar Showcase. Tickets for the raffle may be purchased online at irvingfoundation.bswhealth.com or by visiting Baylor Scott & White Irving Foundation at 1901 N. MacArthur Blvd. in Irving. Tickets are $100 each and participants need not be present to win. Proceeds will benefit Baylor Scott & White Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center – Irving.

Event tickets range from $25 – $50 for general admission and $100 for VIP All Access, which includes the VIP Lounge with complimentary food and beverages from dozens of the area’s finest restaurants, tickets are on sale at LuxurySupercarShowcase.com. VIP Tickets are limited and have sold out the previous two years.

About Park Place Dealerships:

Ken Schnitzer founded Park Place Dealerships in 1987 with a single Mercedes-Benz dealership on Oak Lawn. Today, Park Place Dealerships employs more than 2,000 people and operates 16 full-service dealerships representing luxury brands including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, McLaren, and Maserati.

Originally Featured in the Houston Chronicle on June 8, 2019

This newest king of the road comes to us from legendary Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina.

The 2019 Pininfarina Battista GT, named for the design house’s late founder, tops out at 217 mph and nails 0-62 mph in under 2 seconds.

The motivation — all 1,900 horsepower and 1,696 lb.-ft. of torque — comes from batteries, which give the $2.5 million supercar a range of up to 280 miles.

150 are slated to be made but Houstonians can take in this early example today at Toulouse Café, 4444 Westheimer Road between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m Nearly all of the 50 Battista GTs planned for North America are spoken for. This car’s being shipped back to Europe after its Houston appearance.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2252905288111657

“British carmaker McLaren Automotive revealed its new GT in Dallas earlier this month.

This GT, which is the company’s latest grand-touring supercar, will lead a new series of cars for McLaren, joining its Sports, Super and Ultimate Series.

The comfort-focused, $210,000 V8 was designed with more cabin and luggage space — though speed was not sacrificed as the car tops out at 203 miles per hour. The new McLaren GT is set to hit the market later this year.”

Originally Featured on Dallas Business Journal.

Video Produced by Aardvark Communications

Left to Right: Jeny Bania, Vice President, PR & Brand Marketing Headington Companies; Michael Tregoning, President Headington Companies; Laree Hulshoff, Co-Founder Aging Mind Foundation

Originally Featured in D Magazine’s Healthcare on June 3rd, 2019

With a huge boost from Headington Companies, the Aging Mind Foundation has raised over $2.5 million in the last five years for Alzheimer’s research. While the physical and emotional costs are invaluable, the financial burden of the disease is also growing. This year, 16 million Americans will provide 18.5 billion hours of unpaid care for those with Alzheimers and other dementias, valued at $234 billion. Over the next 40 years, the overall financial impact of the disease is expected to top $20 trillion.

Six million Americans currently battling Alzheimer’s disease, almost two-thirds of whom are women. While deaths from heart disease has decreased in recent years, Alheimer’s deats have increased 145 percent between 2000 and 2017. This year’s AMF gala was presented by The Joule Hotel and raised more than $720,000 for research for Yale University’s Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration and Repair program. The evening also features a patron party, an auction, and an after party.

AMF co-founder Laree Hulshoff saw the disease first hand when one of her closest friend’s husband began to deteriorate. “My girl friend married a man who was an incredible wrestler, in the army,  flew planes under radar in World War II. We watched a man with more muscles than you could count just melt,” she says. “It ruined her life and she died early.”

When the organization was looking for a place to host their fundraiser, connections led them to Headington Companies, whose hospitality, restaurants, and retail made a good match for the fundraiser.  “Aging Mind Foundation is a very active, philanthropic organization with a thoughtful audience,” said Jeny Bania, Vice President of PR & Brand Marketing for Headington Companies via release. “Aligning our brands with AMF has been a successful partnership for both entities that ultimately benefits the people impacted by Alzheimer’s.”

Park Place Dealerships recently held a Collectors Kickoff Party at the MarineMax Dallas Yacht Center on Lake Lewisville to launch the 3rd Annual Park Place Luxury & Supercar Showcase.

Dallas Fort Worth’s premier luxury lifestyle and automotive event will return to the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday, September 28.

Guests were treated to a powerful lineup of luxury SUVs at the kickoff party that included the Rolls-Royce Culinan; the Bentley Bentayga; and the Maserati Levante. They also had the opportunity to board several luxury yachts at MarineMax, including the $1.5 million Galeon 500 Fly.

“The collectors were excited to hear this year’s Luxury and Supercar Showcase will be held entirely on the magnificent grounds of the Four Seasons TPC Championship golf course,” said Dave Evans, Chief Marketing Officer at Park Place Dealerships. “Our event is quickly growing into one of the foremost automotive celebrations in the Southwest. We are expecting a really distinctive selection of luxury, sports, vintage, classic and supercars from private collectors.”

In 2018, the top Collectors’ Concours award winners were presented with the “Spirit of Park Place” hand-crafted sculpture by Dallas artist Brad Oldham:

• Best of Show – 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB 6C
• Chairman’s Choice Award – 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II
• Salesmanship Club Award – 1980 BMW M1

In addition to the juried Collectors’ Concours, Park Place is inviting area Car Clubs to submit the best of their members’ cars for consideration in the Car Club Expo, powered by Park Up Front. Submissions for both the Collectors Concours and the Car Club Expo can be made online at LuxurySupercarShowcase.com

Representing some of the most coveted automobile brands in the world, Park Place will also feature some of the latest Rolls-Royce, Maserati, McLaren, Bentley, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Volvo, Land Rover, and Jaguar models at the event.

The Luxury Lifestyle event will also offer fashion, food and retail offerings within the Porsche Pavilion. There will be live music performances all day on the Lexus Live Stage and refreshing beverages in The Mercedes-Benz Beer Garden, all spread across the 1st and 18th fairways on the beautiful Four Seasons TPC Championship golf course. Offering something for everyone in the family, the popular Kid’s Zone will return this year, complete with drivable cars and games for the younger enthusiasts.

For the second consecutive year, Highland Park Village will present a runway fashion show and Dallas’ Mad Hatter Shane Walker will return to judge the 2019 Haute Hat Contest on The Million Air Stage.

Ranging from $25 – $50 for general admission and $100 for VIP All Access, (which includes the VIP Lounge with complimentary food and beverages from dozens of the area’s finest restaurants,) admission tickets are already on sale at LuxurySupercarShowcase.com. VIP All Access tickets are limited and have sold out each of the previous two years.

Returning partners include the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas; VIP Lounge Sponsors Allie Beth Allman & Associates – A Berkshire Hathaway Affiliate|URBAN; Captain’s Lounge Sponsor Celebrity Cruises; The City of Irving; Hill & Wilkinson; Hagerty; Event Architecture; AT&T Business; AVSD Productions; Digital 3 Printing; Fauxcades Décor; Brad Oldham Sculpture; D Magazine and NBC 5.

Restaurants featured in the VIP Lounge include The French Room; LAW; III Forks; Cool River; Chop House Burger; Dallas Fish Market; Wild Salsa; Oven and Cellar; Outlaw Tap Room; Kai; Toulouse; Whiskey Cake; Texas de Brazil; Princi Italia; CRU Wine and Food Bar; Pacific Table; Cork & Pig Tavern; Make Your Life Sweeter; and Carlton Provisions.

Additional sponsors include Lilium Florals, Perks & Provisions, Promo Resources, Sunnyland Furniture, RideCentric, iDesignMeetings, Marquee Event Rentals, Bachendorf’s, Jack Black, Maui Jim, Renegade Cigars, Tito’s Vodka, Peroni Beer, Waste Management, GL Seamen, Ratcliff Financial Services, Garages of Texas, Thermal Printing and MarineMax Yachts.

Ken Schnitzer founded Park Place Dealerships in 1987 with a single Mercedes-Benz dealership on Oak Lawn. Today, Park Place Dealerships employs more than 2,000 people and operates 16 full-service dealerships representing luxury brands including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, McLaren, and Maserati. For more info, visit parkplace.com