Our Story... We've grown with Dallas

 A Broken Economy, Abandoned Buildings, A Lawnmower, Rake, A Few Brooms...

And People Who Wanted A Chance.

That’s where Arena Pros started.

In 2001, I was working at Trinity Ministry to the Poor in downtown Dallas, primarily helping single women with children. Then September 11 happened, and the needs around us changed fast.

More people were out of work. More people needed help. And more men were coming through our doors with very few places to turn.

We could offer food and clothes. Those things mattered. But I kept thinking about what happened after someone finished a meal and walked back outside. They still needed work. They still needed money. They needed somewhere to start.

So I went home, grabbed my lawnmower, weed eater, brooms, and a rake, and brought them back to Dallas.

I asked if anyone wanted to help clean up downtown. I was honest: I couldn’t pay them. All we could provide was food and clothes.

They said yes.

We started cleaning around abandoned buildings. It was hard, dirty work, but people showed up. They worked together. They could look at a place when we finished and see what they had accomplished. There was pride in that. A sense of belonging grew out of it.

But pride doesn’t pay the bills. I needed to find a way to pay these people for their work.

So I picked up the phone and called the Dallas Mavericks.

I asked whether they had work we could do for a small fee.

They said yes.

That yes changed everything.

Because of the Dallas Mavericks and Mark Cuban, the men and women working with us began earning money for their efforts. Watching them walk into those jobs and take pride in being part of something is something I’ll never forget.

Eventually, Trinity Ministry to the Poor closed. But the Mavericks kept calling me for work.

One job led to another. Then another. Somewhere along the way, what started with borrowed tools from my own house became Arena Pros.

Since then, we’ve done arena setups, assembly work, put out chairs, sealed envelopes, and handled plenty of jobs that don’t fit neatly into one category. We’ve grown by being willing to show up, figure it out, and do the work.

That’s still who we are.

This business is personal to me.

I remember how it started, who gave us a chance, and the people who showed up before I could even offer them a paycheck.

To the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Cowboys, and every organization and person across DFW who has trusted us with a job: thank you. You’ve helped build a local business and created opportunities for the people doing the work.

And to our crews: your work is the reason we keep getting called back.

Thank you, Dallas. From the bottom of my heart.

—Char