Business
Washburne is a co-founder of the M Crowd Restaurant Group,owning forty-six restaurants,including the Mi Cocina and Taco Diner restaurant chains. [2] [3] He also has real-estate developments in several states and is the CEO of Charter Holdings. In 2009,Washburne and his family bought the Highland Park Village,an upscale shopping center in Dallas,for $170 million (~$241 million in 2024). [2] [3]
In December 2020,Washburn'e HP Village Management was contracted by the owners of Knox Street District in Dallas to assist with the leasing,marketing,and management of their property. [4]
In April 2022,Washburne's HP Village Management acquired a stake in the shopping center Phillips Place,located in Charlotte,North Carolina. [5] [6] In the same month,Washburne's Charter Holdings acquired Watters Creek shopping center in Allen,Texas. [7]
In July 2019,Washburne’s Charter DMN Holdings purchased an 8-acre campus that was home to the iconic Dallas Morning News "Rock of Truth" building for $28 million and announced development plans that included a boutique business hotel and entertainment amenities that would complement the city's new convention center that was under construction. [8] In February 2025,he announced that the bulk of the property had been sold to an undisclosed entity that was planning to build a data center on the site,which he said was caused in part by the city's lack of communication about its development plans. [9] Two months later in April 2025,he sold the property to the city of Dallas for $51.5 million. [10]
In June 2024,Washburne's HP Village Management acquired Country Club Plaza in Kansas City from Macerich and Taubman Centers. [11] [12] The acquisition followed a discussion at an Urban Land Institute conference in May 2024,where Nuveen,a lender associated with Highland Park Village,approached Washburne about a new project. [11] Washburne,who had previously invested over $100 million in Highland Park Village,would make a substantial investment in the Missouri complex with Nuveen remaining involved. [11] The redevelopment plan for Country Club Plaza includes its division into several districts,each dedicated to contemporary fashion,food and beverage,and luxury and designer goods. [11]
Washburne is currently the Chairman of the Board of Sunoco,LP. [13] He is also a member of Council on Foreign Relations and a board member of SMU Cox School of Business Executive Committee. [14] [15]
Political fundraising
Washburne was actively involved in raising money for George W. Bush's presidential campaigns in both 2000 and 2004,and in the following years continued to raise money for the Republican Party. [27] In 2011,he became finance chairman of Governor Tim Pawlenty bid for President. [28] Later,in the 2012 presidential election,he backed Mitt Romney,the Republican Party's nominee,and became the campaign's Texas co-chair,while also raising money. [29] [30] Following the 2012 election,in which Romney was defeated,Washburne became the finance chairman of the Republican National Committee,during which he raised $160 million (~$215 million in 2024) for the party. [31]
In 2015,he became a part of Chris Christie's 2016 campaign for president,serving as the finance chairman. [30] Christie subsequently conceded in the race,and after Donald Trump emerged as the Republican front-runner,Washburne raised money for Trump's campaign and became the vice chairman of the Trump Victory Committee,which acted as a bridge between the campaign and the RNC. [32] [33] After Trump's victory,he was the head on the Trump transition team for the Commerce Department. [34]
In 2020,Washburne played a role in convincing Trump to call for restoring a tax break allowing corporations to fully deduct restaurant meal and entertainment costs. [35] [36] [37]
