Texas Wesleyan University, the Fort Worth Business Press and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce are pleased to announce that Martha Williams and Joan Trew, co-founders of Williams Trew Real Estate, have been selected as the 2016 Fort Worth Business Executives of the Year.

They will be honored at the 47th annual Fort Worth Business Hall of Fame event on Thursday, Sep. 29, at The Fort Worth Club. This year's presenting sponsor is Capital One.

“It’s a special year and we’re delighted to honor Martha and Joan for their outstanding business achievements. They are real pioneers when it comes to women entrepreneurs.  Not only have they  demonstrated strong business judgement, but more importantly, uncompromising business ethics,” Hunter Enis, 2015 Fort Worth Business Executive of the Year and chair of this year’s selection committee, said.

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.

Tickets

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.

This year's 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 for 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.

About the Fort Worth Business Hall of Fame

Each year, Texas Wesleyan, the Fort Worth Business Press and the Fort Worth Chamber join forces to present the event, which promotes business as a challenging and dynamic profession. Last year's recipient was Hunter Enis.

The event supports the Thomas H. Law scholarship program, which benefits business students at Texas Wesleyan University.