People are the greatest asset any organization can have, and the Greater Dallas Chamber's membership roster boasts some of the nation's top talent. Each month, The Chamber Report profiles some of the Chamber's most dedicated volunteers-the board of directors-sharing their corporate pathways to success.

This month, the Chamber's board of director spotlight features Robert A. Chereck of the Southwest Division of Wells Fargo Bank, Robert E. Sulentic of Trammell Crow Company, and Thomas Wilkins of The Wilkins Group, Inc.

Robert A. Chereck
Regional President and Commercial Banking Manager
Southwest Division of Wells Fargo Bank

Robert A. Chereck is Dallas regional president and commercial banking manager for the Southwest Division of Wells Fargo Bank (formerly First Interstate Bank). He is directly responsible for all commercial banking functions in Texas, New Mexico, Colorado and Arizona. He manages twelve regional commercial banking offices, which include specialized lending in agriculture and energy.

Chereck joined First Interstate in his current position in 1991, maintaining offices in both Dallas and Houston. Prior to his First Interstate assignments, he had been president of Norwich Financial Associates, Inc., managing director of Mason Best Company and executive vice president at Interfirst Bank Dallas, N.A. At Interfirst, his responsibilities included manager of the Dallas corporate division, manager of the energy lending group, Eastern corporate group and Southwest group, and group manager for Europe, the Middle East and Africa, operating through the bank's London office.

Chereck earned a bachelor's degree and was graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Texas at Austin, where he also received his M.B.A. degree.

Robert E. Sulentic
Chairman of the Board & CEO
Trammell Crow Company

Bob Sulentic began his career with Trammell Crow Company in 1984 as an industrial leasing agent in Houston. In 1987 he became a project partner in southern New Jersey. From 1988 through 1990 he was a partner in Edison and Voorhees, New Jersey. In 1990 Bob became divisional partner for New Jersey. Bob was promoted to managing director of the Philadelphia Division in 1991. He was named president of Trammell Crow NE, Inc. in 1995. In 1997, he became the national director of development and investment for Trammell Crow Company. Bob was promoted to chief financial officer in September, 1998. In October of 2000, Bob was elected president and CEO of Trammell Crow Company. He became chairman of the board in April 2000.

Bob received a bachelor's degree in computer science from Iowa State in 1980 and an MBA from Harvard in 1984. He serves on the Chamber's board of directors and on the United Way CEO Council. He is a member of the Dallas Citizens Council and the Real Estate Round Table.

Thomas (Tom) U. Wilkins
Founder and CEO
The Wilkins Group, Inc.

Tom Wilkins is founder and chief executive officer of The Wilkins Group, Inc. (WGI), a national telecommunications services firm, recognized as one of Dallas-Forth Worth's fastest growing technology firms by the Dallas Business Journal.

WGI offers turnkey voice, data and video solutions. With over 30 years of telecommunications experience, Tom has established alliances between WGI and AT&T, Texas Instruments, Nokia, Bank of America and Nortel.

Tom is a Registered Communications Distribution Designer (RCDD) and an accredited member of Building Industry Consulting Service International (BICSI). He is the recipient of the NationsBank Minority Supplier Showcase. He was honored with the Minority Business Executive Program at the Amos Tuck School of Business Administration, Dartmouth College.

In January 2000, Tom was appointed to the Telecommunications Infrastructure Fund (TIF) Board that manages the dispersal of over $1.5 billion for telecommunications. He is an active member of the National Association of Minorities in Cable (NAMIC), Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce and Dallas/Fort Worth Minority Business Development Council.

Tom is also on the Advisory Board for Richardson's Telecom Corridor's Technology Business Council and Collin County Community College's Telecommunications/Electronics/Computer Networking Advisory Committee, and on the Board of Directors for the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce. He writes weekly technology columns for BlackAmericaWeb.com, a black web portal founded by nationally syndicated radio show host Tom Joyner.

Tom has a Bachelor of Science degree in Electronic Engineering Technology from the American Technical Institute in Killeen, Texas, and is also a veteran of the U.S. Navy, where he was a member of the Presidential Ceremonial Honor Guard.  He is an avid golfer and embraces the "fun factor" principle.