Ben Appleby
Co-Founder & CEO
Co-Founder & CEO
Ben is the Co-Founder and CEO for Dogwood Commercial, Dogwood Management, and Dogwood Capital Management and the Founder and Managing Partner for 12 General Contracting Services (12GCS). He is responsible for leadership and strategic direction for Dogwood’s leasing, property management and construction management business units and for 12GCS’s operations. Prior to starting Dogwood (formerly Paladin Partners) and 12GCS, Ben served as Leasing and Development Director for Duke Realty Corporation and Senior Vice President at PM Realty Group. At Duke Realty, Ben helped launch the Office Development business unit in 2004. In his time at Duke, Ben was responsible the development and leasing of over 1 million SF of suburban office, including the recruitment of T-Mobile’s regional hub of 256,000 SF in Frisco and American Home Mortgage’s headquarters of 182,000 SF. At PM Realty Group (now Madison Marquette), Ben was responsible for growing the Dallas/Ft. Worth leasing and management portfolio. In his time at PM Realty Group, Ben increased PMRG’s office leasing and management portfolio by over 5 million SF and was responsible for diversifying the client base to capture both institutional owners and the large influx of private equity players coming to Dallas at the time.
Ben holds a B.B.A. from the University of Oklahoma. He is a member of the North Texas Commercial Association of Realtors, the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties, The Real Estate Council and The Touchdown Club. Ben served as Chairman of the NTCAR Young Professional Forum, was awarded the NTCAR Young Citizen Award in 2009, served as President of the NTCAR Board in 2019, was named to the Dallas Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 in 2015, was a member of TREC’s Associate Leadership Class and has held or does hold Board of Director positions with NTCAR, The Rise School of Dallas, and The Touchdown Club, DBJ 40U40, Our Friend’s Place and The Hall of Fame Award. Ben is very involved with Good Shepherd Episcopal School and Grace Bible Church. Ben and his wife, Cara, live in Dallas with their three children.