Dallas is home to a number of non-profit organizations aiming to serve the city’s residents and surrounding communities, one of which is the North Texas Commission (NTC).
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, the NTC made it on our list of most influential community organizations of 2023. Some of the NTC’s objectives include promoting the region’s economic growth and advocating for local control of North Texas cities, counties, and school districts. The organization currently serves 50 cities and 13 counties in and around the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
The Dallas Express recently sat down with NTC President and CEO Chris Wallace for an interview.
Wallace assumed his role as head of the organization five years ago after previously serving as the president and COO of the Texas Association of Business and CEO of the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of Commerce.
Wallace said he has “tremendously enjoyed” leading the NTC since joining back in 2018.
“The commission takes on big challenges that reach across all jurisdiction lines … that really impact the DFW metroplex, the four core most populous counties [in North Texas], but also the nine other counties that make up the balance of the 13 where we have a lot of high growth,” said Wallace. “It’s very important that all of our projects and our efforts benefit all 13 counties.”
Originally founded in July 1971 by a group of civic leaders, the goal of the NTC was to put the burgeoning DFW area on the map by acting as a “regionally-unifying force” to make sure “North Texas [could] take its place among the nationally and internationally prominent regions of the world,” according to the organization’s website.
The NTC copyrighted the term “Southwest Metroplex” in 1972, which was later shortened to “Metroplex,” which is still used today to refer to the population center at the heart of North Texas.
In 2021, the organization celebrated 50 years of service to the region and was awarded the Texas Friends of Public Education Award.
Wallace described North Texas as an “economic powerhouse” on both a national and global scale, noting that the commission has dedicated itself to maintaining that economic progression. Part of that effort, he said, was achieved through bringing together leaders from both the public and private sectors.
“We convene them to ensure that public policies, particularly at the state and federal level, promote strong local governments, support excellence in public schools, increase our skilled workforce pipeline, and also safeguard a thriving business environment,” said Wallace. “We are truly a regional organization.”
The commission has dedicated itself to creating a sustainable business environment for companies that wish to make the North Texas Region home.
“We [are still] a good place to do business. Our job at the commission is to make sure we keep it that way and make sure that state legislation and federal law make it so that … businesses and employees want to move here from all around the world,” said Wallace.
The NTC has served Dallas and the surrounding region since its creation and aims to continue to do so in the coming years.