Tell us a bit about who you are and the kind of work you do.

My name is Matthew McManigle, and I’m a Senior Project Engineer at Balfour Beatty Construction. I work in our Large Projects Division, which includes commercial office, multifamily, hospitality, and healthcare. As an intern at Balfour Beatty in 2017, I worked in the preconstruction department assisting in creating proposals for upcoming work. As a full-time employee over the last four years, I have worked on our operations side, managing material procurement, design/trade coordination, financials, and the scheduling of active projects.

How did you get involved with TREC and, more specifically, TREC Community Investors?

When I joined TREC at the beginning of 2022, I knew I wanted to get involved in multiple areas, but especially community-focused and specialized projects. At Young Guns Kickoff, I talked to the Young Guns Project Committee and signed up to work on the upcoming community investment project. As that project was kicking off, I received an email from TREC Community Investors inquiring about a project manager role for one of three grant projects that was awarded in the last year. I applied and was selected as Co-Project Manager with Josh Tellifero for both Men of Nehemiah and The Winners Assembly.

What did you know about the Dallas Catalyst Project (DCP) prior to getting involved with TREC Community Investors?

I didn’t know much about the DCP until I received the email invite to apply for the grant projects. I did some research and was very impressed and excited by the amount of work that has been done over the last few years and the opportunity to contribute.

Tell us a bit about the projects you worked on with Men of Nehemiah and The Winners Assembly.

The Winners Assembly is a church on Martin Luther King Boulevard that provides shelter, a food pantry, and ministries to residents of the Forest District. After talking with Pastor Raphael Adebayo and Austin Anetekhai at The Winners Assembly, it was clear that the goal for the grant funding was to create a sense of pride and security in their church.

With our $114,000 project grant, we renovated the entire exterior of the building, beginning in September. This included a new stucco façade, metal canopies, lights, gutter system, windows, and other provisions such as railing and walls to help disincentivize loitering. We’re also looking into a new security system and doors outside the scope of the grant. The project was substantially completed in February.

Men of Nehemiah is a Christian addiction recovery organization that combines military day structure, clinical services, and worship. Residents live on-site until they transition to independent living.

We worked with the directors of Men of Nehemiah, Stuart Williams and David Woods, to enhance the property’s workout area with a $15,000 grant. Before the grant, the workout area was simply a corner of the parking lot, leaving the equipment exposed to the elements. It was important to Men of Nehemiah to have a defined space that inspired both mental and physical self-improvement. To achieve this, we built a steel canopy structure with a metal decked roof, installed a weather resistant workout mat, and upgraded the workout equipment. The project was completed last December.

What has been the most rewarding part of being a part of TREC Community Investors?

The entire process of working with Community Investors – from our initial meeting, to creating a scope of work, to facilitating the building process to get the projects completed – was fantastic. I really enjoyed working with our partners, but most importantly seeing the satisfaction from those who benefited from these projects. I’d recommend the experience to anyone wanting to get involved.

I found it very meaningful to play a small part in a larger effort to revitalize a community.