Social: Dallas billionaire Ross Perot Jr. was named board chair of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. The Republican donor has expressed concerns over tariffs and deportations
ART: Ross Perot, Jr., with U.S. Chamber of Commerce building in Washington D.C.
Real estate billionaire Ross Perot Jr. is stepping into one of the most influential roles in American business advocacy.
The Hillwood chairman has been elected board chair of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the country’s largest lobbying group, the Dallas Business Journal reported.
His two-year term began Thursday, following the tenure of outgoing chair Mark Ordan, CEO of Pediatrix. Perot has served on the Chamber’s board since 2020 and was previously vice chair.
Perot is best known locally for spearheading some of North Texas’ largest real estate plays, including the 27,000-acre AllianceTexas logistics and mixed-use development north of Fort Worth. Through Hillwood and the broader Perot Group of family businesses, he has also overseen the development of downtown towers and thousands of residential lots across the region.
As board chair, Perot will help shape the Chamber’s efforts to push for pro-business policies on Capitol Hill, including tax reform, expanded domestic energy production, new trade agreements and permitting reform. The group spent more than $76 million on federal lobbying last year and nearly $20 million so far this year, according to OpenSecrets.
Perot, a major Republican donor and the son of the late presidential candidate Ross Perot, has kept a close eye on Trump administration policy moves buffeting the economy. He called tariffs a particularly “big concern” in February and spoke of adding clauses in development contracts to account for rising construction costs. He also signaled unease over the potential economic fallout of mass deportations.
Perot said in a statement that the U.S. Chamber is “the leading voice fighting for free enterprise and American businesses of all sizes.” He added: “The free enterprise system is what allowed my family to create and live the American dream, and there’s no other organization standing up for economic freedom around the world like the Chamber.”
He told Axios that the year is shaping up to be challenging for businesses, with ongoing uncertainty around the federal tax code and international tariffs. The Chamber’s agenda aims to return the country to 3 percent annual GDP growth, which it views as a benchmark for sustainable economic expansion. The U.S. GDP grew 2.8 percent last year.
— Judah Duke
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