Mr. Dirks has been Vice President and General Manager of the Dilworth Group since June, 1991. Mr. Dirks oversees all major functions of the operation, including establishment of company policy, selection and development of business opportunities, and control of major operational expenditures. In addition, Mr. Dirks has responsibility for the performance of all supervisory personnel.

 

    Mr. Dirks has extensive experience in the oil and gas industry. In 1982, he joined his father in the oil and gas leasing and brokerage business. Initially, he worked in the land department, checking title and determining ownership and mineral interests on various properties. Mr. Dirks was responsible for the preparation and execution of oil and gas lease documents. During his time there, Mr. Dirks packaged numerous prospects that were sold to investors. Included in those prospects was a 9,000 acre lease in the Olmos formation in which Dirks completed 4 wells, as well as a 5-well package in the Wilcox formation, both of which were later sold to investor groups.

 

    Mr. Dirks has been instrumental in the management and success of the Towers of Texas companies. These companies, with combined annual revenues exceeding $80 million over the last four years, have grown dramatically in the highly competitive tower industry. By the end of 1998, Towers of Texas and American Tower, among others, were often competing for the same tower sites and customers in Towers of Texas' home area of South Texas. This competition resulted in both companies constructing multi-tenant towers virtually across the road from each other, which meant both towers had decreased lease-up potential and, therefore, resale value. Recognizing the problem, Mr. Dirks drew upon his knowledge and experience from the oil and gas industry to creatively solve the problem for Towers of Texas. His innovative solution was Towers of America, a partnership between American Tower Corporation and Towers of Texas Investments. The partnership lasted for over two years and developed 129 new towers. Upon the sale of its partnership interest, Towers of Texas generated a gain of over $10 million.

 

    Since 1991, Mr. Dirks also has been instrumental in the continuing development of Dilworth's San lsidro Development Project. The San lsidro is a 2500-acre real estate development located in Laredo, Texas, one of the ten fastest growing cities in the United States. The San lsidro consists of an industrial, commercial, institutional, residential and parks/recreation development. Mr. Dirks has coordinated the efforts of engineers. architects and contractors in cooperation with City, County, State and Federal agencies in land development and sales totaling over $50 million on the San Isidro.

 

    Mr. Dirks was influential in the drafting of a unique tri-party agreement which united the efforts of the City of Laredo, County of Webb and the Dilworth Family in applying for and receiving funding from the U. S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration for the construction of new public streets within the development. In addition, Mr. Dirks negotiated a $6 million dollar build-to-suit agreement with Convergys Corporation, a spin-off of Cincinnati Bell, to locate a new call center on the San Isidro, which added 600 new jobs to Laredo.

 

    Mr. Dirks graduated from George West High School in May, 1980, and attended Southwest Texas State University from September, 1980, to May, 1983. He was among the ownership group that purchased the Country Bank of Charlotte in 1990. During the six years Mr. Dirks was an owner and director of the bank, it evolved from a one location bank to one with offices in four South Texas communities. The bank's deposits expanded from $12 million to over $45 million by the time it was sold to another regional bank. Mr. Dirks brings to San lsidro Development Company, LC, extensive oil and gas experience, as well as relevant experience in real estate acquisition and development, construction planning and management, and organization management.

 

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