Dallas Market Center Taps Troy Hanson as Senior Leasing Director, Design, and New Business Development

August 4, 2021  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry   

Hanson is responsible for the strategic merchandising, prospecting, and leasing of the design neighborhoods at Dallas Market Center, which include showrooms in the World Trade Center and Interior Home + Design Center. He reports to Joan Ulrich, EVP of Leasing.

Home décor and design are the most active year-round industries at Dallas Market Center, supported by the larger national design community as well as an exceedingly strong housing market and cities experiencing historic residential growth. The marketplace welcomes thousands of design customers each month, including a record number of new buyers in 2021, conducting business and attending design events including Dallas Design Week and Total Home & Gift Markets.

“Troy is well-respected in the industry because of his leadership, entrepreneurship, and focus on the customer,” said Cindy Morris, president and CEO of Dallas Market Center. “We welcome him to the team and look forward to benefiting from his energy and passion for the business of design.”

Most recently, Hanson was co-founder, principal and producer of WestEdge Design Fair in Santa Monica, California. WestEdge is an innovative B2B and B2C international trade show within the high-end architecture and design community. Over an eight-year period he helped build all aspects of the event into a top-tier, internationally recognized design event. Prior to WestEdge, Hanson served as a Director of Leasing and Producer with Merchandise Mart Properties (now The Mart) from the company’s New York office. In that position he was responsible for launching the Architectural Digest Design Show, including leasing, sponsorships, and philanthropic affiliations. In a previous position with George Little Management (now Emerald Expositions) he served as show manager for the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF).

“I’m thrilled to join a team dedicated to the year-round business of design in a marketplace as important as Dallas,” said Hanson. “Dallas Market Center is thriving as a center of commerce for the design community, and I look forward to building upon its strengths to create even more value for brands and design professionals.”

Hanson is supported by a team of leasing, buyer delivery, and marketing experts including Patty Price, recently named VP of Leasing for Lighting; Lori Costillo, Senior Director of Leasing for Home; Michael Bauer, VP of Home & Design; Kate Fuller, VP of Marketing for Design, Home & Gift; Laura Van Zeyl, VP of Lighting Technology Development and Marketing; and Allison Wallace, Director of Shared Showrooms & Leasing.

In 2020-2021, Dallas Market Center held a series of in-person events and tradeshows including Total Home & Gift Market, Total Home & Gift Open Houses, Lightovation, and Dallas Design Week that served tens of thousands of buyers from coast to coast.  The number of new buyer applications for Dallas Market Center has increased 50% over 2019.

Recent exhibitor additions to the marketplace include Porch View Home, ProSource, Couture Lamps, Shona African Sculptures, Susan Sales Fine Art, MetColors, Kelly Butler Home, Benjamin Moore, Synergistic Furniture Designs, and Hinges. Expansions include Pasha, Unique Loom, Park Hill, and C Maddox.

Upcoming at Dallas Market Center is the Total Home & Gift Open House from August 24-27, with select showrooms open, followed by September events including Dallas Design Week, September 20-23; ArchLIGHT Summit, September 21-22, a new lighting trade event and educational platform for the architectural, specification and design communities; and Total Home & Gift Market, September 22-24.