Born in Missouri, Jason Bottenfield moved to Flower Mound in 1986 when he was just eight years old. He later moved to Dallas in 2004 and began working in the Park Cities that same year. Jason’s wife, Brandi, is originally from Oklahoma and moved to Dallas in 2014. The couple now reside in University Park after moving from Dallas in February 2020. They have a daughter, Ainsley, who is 16 months old, and two dogs, Teddy Bear and Ace. Jason says he had a different college career compared to most people. “I went to college and was drafted in the 1999 MLB draft to the Boston Red Sox as a pitcher prior to finishing my finance degree,” he shared. “Following my childhood dream, I decided to try my hand at professional baseball.” After a few years in the organization, Jason had career-ending shoulder surgery in 2001 and spent six months in Fort Meyers, Florida completing active rehab. “Long-time pitcher, Bret Saberhagen, would eat breakfast with me and ask how I was doing,” said Jason. “I told him, ‘My fastball is down to 90-91 from 96, and I can’t throw but every three to four days without pain.’ He said, ‘Look around here. Some of these guys are 30 years old or more and may not make it. You’re 22. Don’t drag out baseball if you’re not coming back to where you were. Start your life and career.’” Jason took the advice of Bret Saberhagen and began to pursue his career in financial planning. He returned to college life and completed his degree in finance at UNT. “I then went on to pass the Certified Financial Planner designation test in 2005,” explained Jason. “To get into financial planning in my early 20s wasn’t easy. I started in the mailroom at Citigroup in one of their real estate management buildings. I began emailing Smith Barney managers to build rapport and let them know of my desire to work in the business and my timeline for finishing my degree. Eventually, Steve Austin, manager in the Smith Barney Park Cities branch, gave me a chance to meet with him, and I guess I did well because he gave me a shot.” Jason and his business partner created the Park Cities Group in 2006 while working at Smith Barney. They later left the corporate world of wealth management and are now equity partners in their broker-dealer and independent IRA firm. “This was always the goal for us,” said Jason. “We have enjoyed working and living in the Park Cities for so many years and look forward to many more.” Brandi, a cheerleader in college, earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology. When she first came to Dallas, she worked at Neiman Marcus and later transitioned into running her own Real Estate business, REBRANDI LLC, where she helps buyers and sellers with their real estate needs in the Dallas area. Brandi met Jason on Labor Day in 2014 while enjoying outdoor activities for the holiday. They were married on May 25, 2018, at a property they own in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. “The Casa Marina is typically considered a wedding hotel on the beach,” said Brandi. “It was a wonderful, sunshine-filled wedding that we got in just before Tropical Storm Alberto came through a few days later.” In addition to Florida, the Bottenfields have great memories of traveling coast to coast from San Francisco to New York on annual trips while dating and married. They continue to travel on long weekends when Jason races his 1969 Texaco Camaro in the Optima Ultimate Streetcar series. “I started this grassroots racing when Covid shutdown the baseball league I played on in Dallas,” he explained. “I was looking for something to fill the void, and I already had my Camaro which was my first car at age 15. We built it into a pro-touring, race-prepped car and traveled to the West Coast, East Coast and near Canada to compete. We have continued to travel and race even with Ainsley being born, racing one weekend a month. She has been to 20 states by the time she was one.” Brandi plays the role of team mom and part-time crew chief during the racing season. She has also enjoyed competing in various marathons in Texas and Oklahoma before Ainsley was born, and she is looking to get back into that in a few years. Together, the family attends Park Cities Baptist Church (PCBC) and love walking there on Sundays for worship. “We have always enjoyed PCBC and the opportunities they provide the local community,” they shared. “We did our pre-marriage classes at PCBC and look to involve Ainsley in all the offerings they have for kids.” The Bottenfields enjoy their Bryn Mawr neighborhood and the ability to walk to some of their favorite locations, some of which include Mesero for dinner or Hudson House for lunch. “A guilty weekend pleasure is getting coffee at Drip Coffee and grabbing a few ‘piggies’ at Yummy Donuts during our walk around the neighborhood with Ainsley,” stated Brandi. They love the safety of the community and say they are thankful for the University Park Police Department and all they do for the community. “We have a wonderful community and wonderful neighbors,” they said. “We moved in during Covid, so we are looking forward to spending more time with our neighbors and seeing the neighborhood kids play together as Ainsley gets older. We are thankful to be in a great community with such wonderful schools within walking distance. We both grew up with that, so having that for our daughter means so much”
October Featured Family: The Bottenfields
