Most people know me as the proud broker and owner of Boulevard Realty. To toot our horn, the firm has about 60 agents in Houston and Galveston, and together we once again ranked in the top 10 real estate firms selling inside the loop last year. In fact, we also ranked 46th out of 3,891 real estate firms in all of Houston. Looking past those numbers, I'm simply proud of the fact that we could be of service to so many Houstonians, and we're all grateful to have formed lasting relationships with those who count on us as trusted advisors.

My passion for the city of Houston is what motivates me every day. This includes an array of humble servant leadership opportunities, from serving once again as president of the Houston Heights Association, to sitting on the board for the Houston Epilepsy Foundation, co-chairing the AIDS Foundation Houston's World AIDS Day Luncheon and co-chairing Mayor Sylvester Turner's Quality of Life Transition Committee.

Most recently, I had the honor of being named to the City of Houston Planning Commission, my greatest opportunity yet to serve Houston and the one that draws from not only my professional experience but my ongoing study of the city's ever-changing landscape from a property owner's standpoint.

To me, each dwelling or commercial development is a unique building block toward Houston's future. Each one signifies a family or individual choosing their own place to retreat from a hard day's work, another chapter in Houston's longtime history as an economic powerhouse and how each of us has a sense of identity intrinsically tied to our community.

People might also know the great pride I take in calling 205 Bayland Avenue home. Once the personal home of Houston development pioneer, William A. Wilson, it took 12 months of painstaking and loving renovation to restore this house back to its historic grandeur.

What you probably don't know about me is that I'm a voracious reader, a cycling enthusiast and an ardent supporter of Houston's urban transformation. Houston has always been a phenomenal city, but it is now gaining international renown as the place to reside, work, play and prosper with an unparalleled quality of life. In every dimension of my life, I do all that I can to contribute to a city characterized by diversity, equitability and opportunity. That is my Houston.

At the end of the day, however, I'm just the proud father of Ginger, an alumna of Ole Miss who is now teaching at Harvard Elementary, and Richard, who recently graduated from my alma mater of Sam Houston State University. Regardless of any successes in my life - and I hope there will be many more - Ginger and Richard make me the proudest!