Much like mayors of competing Super Bowl cities, high-ranking executives of two leading commercial real estate and investment companies who are particularly well-known in Dallas have agreed to a friendly wager surrounding the MetroPCS Dallas Marathon on December 8.
The bet was sealed when Roger Staubach, Executive Chairman, Americas for Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL), recently accepted a challenge from Behringer HarvardÂ’s CEO, Bob Aisner. Each company will send a team to compete in the SMU Cox Corporate Relay Challenge, an event associated with the MetroPCS Dallas Marathon that has been sponsored by Behringer Harvard for eight consecutive years. The team finishing with the faster time will win the challenge.
“I’m thrilled that my friend and NFL legend Roger Staubach has accepted our challenge on behalf of Jones Lang LaSalle. I hope this inspires other executives to extend a similar challenge to another team participating in the Corporate Relay Challenge,” said Aisner. “It’s all good fun for a good cause, but everyone knows Roger’s a competitive guy. We definitely have our work cut out for us.”
A bit of humble pie is all thatÂ’s at stake in this good-natured challenge. If JLLÂ’s team wins, Aisner, a Boston native and passionate Red Sox fan, must wear StaubachÂ’s No. 12 Dallas Cowboys jersey to the companyÂ’s Addison offices. Conversely, if AisnerÂ’s Behringer Harvard team wins, Staubach will be obliged to suit up in the jersey of the reigning World Series champs for a day at JLLÂ’s offices.
I accepted Bob’s challenge because healthy competition is just good for the soul, and in this case, it’s also good for our community,” said Staubach. “We’re both looking forward to seeing how many companies turn out for the Corporate Relay Challenge. I don’t know who will have the faster team, JLL or Behringer Harvard, but I’ll be waiting at the finish line to shake the winner’s hand.”
The SMU Cox Corporate Relay Challenge is a full marathon-distance (26.2 miles) relay race for five-person corporate teams. Winning relay teams in a variety of categories will share cash prizes that will be presented directly to Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children (TSRHC) in the names of their respective corporations at a ceremony in early 2014. As a result of its eight-year sponsorship of the SMU Cox Corporate Relay Challenge, Behringer Harvard has provided more than $300,000 in funding that has directly benefited TSRHC. As a leading pediatric orthopedic center, TSRHC has treated more than 210,000 children since its inception, with more than 40,000 clinic visits each year.
