Our Story

 

Founded in 1993 by Craig Dunagan, Travis County Exchange Corporation has grown into a family business that prides itself on premiere service for 1031 exchanges, reverse exchanges, and exchange advice. Beginning as a solo venture whilst working as a Board Certified specialist of commercial real estate law, TCEC grew into a life of its own in time with Craig’s own family. 

In 1993, Craig met Lauren Dunagan while she was working as an award winning projects supervisor overseeing large scale projects including commercial build outs and asbestos abatement of apartments. Lauren was the sole owner and operator of Deferred Exchange Company, and when the pair were married in 1996, Deferred Exchange was integrated into TCEC and Lauren served as vice president for over 20 years. Craig and Lauren Dunagan have 3 children, a daughter and 2 sons, all who have grown up in and around the family business. 

Ryder Dunagan is the most recent addition to the family business. Currently living in Los Angeles, Ryder has taken to the virtual world and aided in facilitating upgrades to office hardware, scheduling software, and creation of TCEC’s online presence.

Craig and Lauren’s youngest son, Ryan, is currently studying for his Masters degree in computer science at Denver University in Colorado.

Additionally, our team is composed of exchange finance coordinator, Cristina Vera, bookkeeper, Lisa Chafin, and exchange associate, Lauren Gilbert. Our small team allows for individualized attention to each individual exchange that comes through our door. TCEC has never commercially advertised and operates solely by unsolicited referral. Despite this, we have been in constant operation since our founding and have acted as qualified intermediary for an estimated +7,500 exchanges. 

TCEC is run in conjunction with Dunagan Childs law firm which was founded in 2003 with friend and long time business partner, Kevin Childs. Our connection to the firm, and Craig’s nearly 40 years of practice in commercial real estate law, provide a level of expertise unparalleled in the 1031 exchange business. This experience, paired with our commitment to service, top of the line financial and informational security measures, and family driven mentality guarantee only the best 1031 exchange accommodation services are provided by Travis County Exchange Corporation. We plan to keep it that way, for generations to come.

Meet The TCEC Team

  • A portrait of Craig A Dunagan, he is a man with brown and salt & pepper hair, he is smiling, wearing a black collared polo style shirt with a zipper instead of buttons.

    Craig Dunagan, President

    Craig received his J.D. from the University of California, Hastings School of Law in 1983 and is admitted to practice in both Texas and California. He is board certified in Commercial Real Estate Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, a specialization he has held since 1989. For over 30 years, he’s been advising clients on 1031 like-kind exchanges and has guided TCEC’s growth into Texas’ leading 1031 exchange company. Craig is a lifelong athlete, competing in several Iron Man triathlons, though these days he prefers racing with his buddies up and down 360. Loser buys the beer. When he’s not in the office, you can find him with his family in Houston at Minute Maid park, cheering on the Astros.

  • A portrait of Cristina Vera. She is smiling, and has medium shoulder length hair that is a brown to blonde "Ombre" style. She is wearing a short sleeved dress with black and white horizontal stripes..

    Cristina Vera, Exchange Finance Coordinator

    Cristina Vera has 13 years of banking experience, and prior to joining Travis County Exchange Corporation, she was one of TCEC’s main contacts with Texas Capital Bank. Cristina graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington with her Bachelor’s degree in University Studies and graduated from Southeastern Oklahoma State University with her Master’s in Business Administration. When not working, Cristina enjoys spending time outdoors, hiking, running, beating the Texas heat with a few laps in the pool, and traveling to new places.

  • Lauren Gilbert, Exchange Associate

    Lauren is an Exchange Associate at Travis County Exchange Corporation. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Media Studies from Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. In addition to her work at TCEC, she is a certified Pilates and yoga instructor, balancing her time between the office and the studio. Born and raised in Austin, she has a passion for wellness, travel, and lifelong learning. When she’s not teaching or working, she enjoys exploring new countries, reading, and practicing yoga.

  • A selfie style portrait of Lisa Chafin. She is smiling at the camera, and her blonde hair is in a bun style up do with side swept bangs. She is wearing a coral colored blouse with small blue and white flowers on it.

    Lisa Chafin, LC Bookkeeping

    Lisa Chafin has a degree in Accounting from San Jose State University, and has worked in accounting, payroll and general management departments of both for and non-profit organizations before starting LC Bookkeeping in 2000. Lisa has been focused on helping small businesses with every aspect of their bookkeeping needs, and has since lived in California, Arkansas, and Texas, bringing her diverse client base and years of experience with her every step of the way. When not working, Lisa, her husband, and their two sons are avid travelers. She has visited all 50 states, and 8 countries, though when not traveling by plane, she enjoys taking out one of her classic cars for a cruise.

  • A portrait of Ryder Dunagan. He is smiling, and has very curly, shoulder length red hair. He has red short cut facial hair, and a mustache with curled ends. He wears a white tee shirt, and has a floral tattoo on his left arm.

    Ryder Dunagan, IT Specialist

    Ryder Dunagan has recently joined TCEC as the head of Information and Technology. Based in Los Angeles, Ryder can be found at his coffee machine before taking charge of wrangling computers, programs, and the never ending stream of ones and zeroes that help the humans of the office stay at their best. With 5 years of experience in administration for film and television, and a year spent aiding in the building of a digital administration network for Nickelodeon in the age of COVID 19, Ryder is excited to join the family business. When not working, Ryder enjoys hiking, playing Dungeons and Dragons, or watching Star Wars with his 2 cats.

  • A split image of two pitbull labrador mixed dogs. They both wear harnesses. The one on the left is black, and is laying down facing the camera with her tongue out. The one on the right is black with a white muzzle/neck, and is laid down in the grass.

    Tony and Pepper

  • Two cats stare at the camera. One is larger with long fur, brown and gray with stripes, and a square maine coon face with yellow green eyes. The other is a small orange tabby with a white and orange striped chin and belly with green eyes.

    Winslow and Caleb