David Weekley, owner and chairman of David Weekley Homes, was honored by the Mosbacher Institute, Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M, Wednesday night with the McLane Leadership in Business Award.
The award, given to a leader in the business world selected from anywhere in the nation, recognizes an individual for their successes in business and public service.
After decades of work in the real estate market, David Weekley Homes boasts impressive sales this year, according to Weekley.
“I started at the age of 23, and have been doing this for over 40 years now,” Weekley said. “This year we will do about 4,000 homes, and $1.8 billion in sales. And we’re in some 22 cities across the country.”
Lori Taylor, director of the Mosbacher Institute and professor of Public Service and Administration at the Bush School, said it was an easy decision to give the award to Weekley.
“Mr. Weekley was definitely a logical choice,” Taylor said. “He is someone who has already been recognized for his business acumen and management strategies.”
David Weekley Homes has received many national awards and distinctions from various magazine and organizations, Taylor said.
“He has been Professional Builder Magazine’s National Builder of the Year a couple of times,” Taylor said. “His firm has also been named 10 times to Fortune magazine’s Top 100 Companies to Work For.”
Weekley refers to these efforts as giving his skills to charitable organizations that might be in need of them.
“A lot of these charities are led by very passionate people that are really good with the program of the organization,” Weekley said. “But often they’re not business people. So they might need some help with developing a strategy and a plan for fundraising. And these are areas that we’ve got some experience in, and that we can help in.”
The area in which Weekley has most shined, however, is in his philanthropic work, according to Will Brown, professor of public service and administration at the Bush School.
“Mr. Weekley’s name comes up pretty consistently when I’m out interacting with nonprofit organizations,” Brown said. “He really has a cool approach to what he does. He doesn’t just give money to these organizations. He will give money, and then come in and help them in rethinking how they run their organizations. He helps them with their efficiency and their accountability.”
