A decommissioned fire station in Hurst is about to get a second life training military veterans for careers in real estate and construction. Rehab Warriors, a nonprofit founded by U.S. Marine Corps veteran and former HGTV “Flip or Flop Fort Worth” co-host Andy Williams, plans to redevelop former Hurst Fire Station 2 at 433 Precinct Line Road into its new headquarters and veteran training hub, with a groundbreaking ceremony set for Monday.
The project traces back to a Chapter 380 economic development agreement through which the City of Hurst transferred the former station to Rehab Warriors for redevelopment, according to a press release distributed via EIN Presswire and carried by The Des Moines Register. The groundbreaking is scheduled for Monday from 10 to 11 a.m. Central at the Precinct Line Road site, and the ceremony is meant to mark the partnership between Rehab Warriors and the city. Media and the public are invited to attend.
From Fort Worth to Hurst
The move represents a full relocation of operations. Per the release, the relocation from Fort Worth will establish Hurst as the home base for an organization that says it has trained 250 veterans, with 75 more currently in different stages of training. Veterans from 14 states have chosen Rehab Warriors for their education, the release states.
The new headquarters is designed to do more than house offices. The building will provide space for operations, instruction, meetings and project-based learning, according to the same account, positioning the former fire station as a working classroom as much as an administrative base.
Credentials Behind the Curriculum
Rehab Warriors says it has secured Department of Labor apprenticeship registration, Texas Workforce Commission career school licensing, and Department of Veterans Affairs education and training approvals, the release notes. The organization focuses on education and workforce development for military veterans pursuing careers in real estate development and construction project management, with training that emphasizes planning, budgeting, scheduling and coordinating people and resources on projects.
That approach echoes reporting from the Fort Worth Report, which described Williams and Army veteran Shareese Blakley running an eight-week program that puts transitioning service members through real estate management training. The same outlet has reported on Rebuilding the Fort, a nationwide nonprofit based in Fort Worth that empowers veterans to reinvigorate their neighborhoods through development and community building, and noted that the group had partnered with the cities of Fort Worth, Arlington, Irving, Hurst and Balch Springs.
A Building's Second Mission
Williams said the former station’s history of public service will be followed by a second mission, according to the release, and he said veterans’ leadership, accountability and decision-making under pressure can translate into careers managing projects and leading in real estate and construction. He also credited the city, saying Hurst made a tangible commitment to the work.
Hurst Mayor Henry Wilson said the redevelopment supports veterans’ transition to civilian careers while revitalizing a historic Hurst building, per the release, and said the city welcomes Rehab Warriors’ headquarters to Hurst. Williams is expected to attend Monday’s groundbreaking alongside Wilson and city officials.
A Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation project listing identifies a Recon Rehab Warriors Center project at the same Precinct Line Road address, with an estimated cost of $850,000, according to the state registry. The listing does not spell out the full scope of work covered by that figure.
