Alan Petsche Honored as 2023 Dream Builder by Downtown Arlington Management Corporation

ARLINGTON, Texas - Sept. 25, 2023 - PRLog -- The Downtown Arlington Management Corporation (DAMC) named Alan Petsche the 2023 Dream Builder. This is the eighth year for the award, which honors individuals that have made the greatest contributions to revitalizing downtown Arlington and making Arlington the American Dream City.

Petsche, a long time resident of Arlington and graduate of Lamar High School and UTA, has a legacy of building successful businesses and helping the community. At the age of nine he began working for his father, who started the A.E. Petsche Company in the family garage. Petsche eventually became the COO of the family business, which served the aerospace industry.

A serial entrepreneur, Petsche has owned a variety of businesses ranging from a comic book store to a music studio, a computer company, commercial real estate organizations, and restaurants. He is highly regarded in Arlington for his generosity, business acumen, integrity, musical talent, and service to the community.

Petsche and his wife, Bonnie, founded the Fort Worth chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and have raised hundreds of thousands of dollars each year for the organization. Through Arlington's famous Candlelite Inn, which Petsche purchased in 2014 and meticulously restored, his team serves lunch to 150 volunteers of Mission Arlington weekly. The Court at the College Park Center Special Events Arena is named in his honor as a major donor to the University of Texas at Arlington.

As a downtown property owner, Petsche has invested in multiple small businesses and real estate, including the expansive Urban Union project. He was the biggest investor in the Urban Union development, helping drive major re-investment and bringing dozens of new businesses into downtown Arlington. Urban Union currently has 24 storefronts within eight buildings and more than 70,000 square-feet of lease space. He has renovated many of the old buildings, such as Joe's Radiator Shop on East Street, which is now home to pizzeria Cane Rosso.

"This year's Dream Builder is both a dreamer and visionary, with a charming personality," said Maggie Campbell, President and CEO of the Downtown Management Arlington Corporation. "Alan's love for his hometown of Arlington is evident in the investments he has made, such as restoring the Candlelite Inn, and his passion for making downtown Arlington a prime destination for living, work, and entertainment that appeals to residents and visitors."

Campbell added, "Alan's legacy will also live on through his musical contributions as a recording artist and lead guitar player for The Pengwins and the purveyor of Spyder Pop Records."

About Downtown Arlington
Downtown Arlington (https://downtownarlington.org/) is a 501-c3 non-profit organization that forges alliances between property owners, businesses, residents and the City of Arlington to improve, enhance and promote Downtown Arlington. Downtown Arlington is also the steward of the Arlington Cultural District.