Martha Williams and Joan Trew, co-founders of Williams Trew Real Estate and 2016 Fort Worth Business Executives of the Year, will address the Texas Wesleyan community at 9:25 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 20, in Nicholas Martin Hall. Students, faculty and staff are invited to attend and admission is free.

Each year, Texas Wesleyan, the Fort Worth Business Press and the Fort Worth Chamber join forces to present the Fort Worth Business Hall of Fame, which promotes business as a challenging and dynamic profession.

This is the first time in the history of the award that two recipients have been named in the same year, and only the second time a business woman has been selected for the award. The first woman to be honored as Business Executive of the Year was U.S. Rep. Kay Granger ’65 HON ’92 in 1999.

About the honorees

Prior to founding Williams Trew in 2000, Martha and Joan were real estate agents for Wm. Rigg Realtors, as well as shareholders of the company and its parent organization, The Rigg Group. In 2015, Williams Trew was acquired by Dallas-based residential real estate brokerage Ebby Halliday Real Estate Inc. The firm continues to be branded and conduct business under the name Williams Trew with the added appellation – an Ebby Halliday Real Estate company. Martha and Joan continue in their leadership positions with the firm.

Over the years, Martha and Joan have cultivated the respect of peers and establish a client base that spans generations. Williams Trew has a unique culture based on a core set of values that promote the success of the team rather than the individual, a concept that has helped make the company one of the most successful real estate firms in Fort Worth history

Williams and Trew will be honored at the 47th annual event on Thursday, Sep. 29, at The Fort Worth Club. This year's presenting sponsor is Capital One. The event supports the Thomas H. Law scholarship program, which benefits business students at Texas Wesleyan University.

Tickets for the general public are $250 each or $2,500 for a 10-person table. To make reservations, contact Adrian Bumgarner at 817-531-5806 or RSVP@txwes.edu. The reception begins at 6 p.m. and the dinner begins at 7 p.m. Dress is business attire.