Albon Head

My year as chairman of the Fort Worth Chamber board of directors is coming to a close and it’s a good time to take stock of our city, region and state.

As the Chamberletter’s lead story notes, the Fort Worth/Dallas Metroplex has again been honored as a top market for new and expanded corporate facilities in 2005 by SITE Selection magazine. Last year we ranked number one and this year we placed number two behind Chicago, a tremendous tribute to the work of economic development professionals in our 12-county area.

And Texas again took home SITE Selection’s Governor’s Cup which recognizes the state with the most total projects. Not surprisingly, the Fort Worth/Dallas Metroplex contributed 37 percent of the state’s total, and, I am proud to add, Fort Worth had 38 projects and Dallas had 31.

Also during the past year, the BRAC (Base Realignment and Closure) process was completed with Fort Worth’s Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base coming out intact. The Fort Worth business community breathed a collective sigh of relief when the closure lists were published. Not only had NAS JRB survived, but the base was slated to receive additional missions and personnel. It is gratifying to know that the Department of Defense recognized and affirmed the military value of the base and we look forward to future development there.

Those were certainly highpoints of my tenure, but I would be remiss if I did not point out some of the challenges we face here on both the local and state level.

First is the Wright Amendment. Congress has threatened to repeal the amendment if the cities of Fort Worth and Dallas are unable to reach an acceptable compromise. And we are working towards a harmonious resolution to this situation. It must be clear, however, that the Fort Worth Chamber’s top priority is the continued viability of Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. DFW is the economic engine that drives this region. The Fort Worth Chamber is committed to helping DFW International reach its fullest potential and we stand ready to work with our regional partners – the City of Dallas and the Greater Dallas Chamber – to resolve this matter equitably.

The greatest challenge facing the entire state is public school finance and tax reform. The Fort Worth Chamber is working closely with the Texas Tax Reform Commission to ensure that our public schools are adequately funded. I believe it is imperative that the method of taxation for funding our public school system put forward at the upcoming special session of the Texas Legislature is fair to all businesses concerned.

Because of our enviable quality of life, our city and state are growing at a fantastic pace. Experts expect our population to double over the next 50 years. We must find a way to prepare for this growth and that includes providing a quality education to Texas students that prepares them for the jobs of the future. School funding must come from reliable sources and Texans must share the burden. But we encourage the Legislature to find a means to fund education that will not stymie our projected growth.

Texas’ future is a bright one and I am proud that my association with the Fort Worth Chamber has allowed me to play a vital part in making it so.

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In the Future, Where Will the Water Come From?

The Chinese, it seems, have a proverb for anything. Google the word “water,’ and you get this: Distant water cannot extinguish nearby fire.

But to hear Bill Meadows, board member of the Texas Water Development Board (TWDB), or Jim Parks, chairman of the Region C Water Planning Group (RCWPG) talk, North Texas residents must begin eying distant water if we are to have adequate supplies to meet the area’s growing future needs.

“We are facing a serious challenge,” Meadows told a group of interested citizens recently. According Meadows, experts predict that by 2060, the region’s population will have more than doubled. If new sources of water for the area are not identified and developed now, there will be a predicted shortfall of seven million-acre-feet of water for the area.

RCWPG, the group preparing an updated water plan for North Central Texas, approved its Regional Water Plan at a public meeting in December and has submitted that plan to the TWDB, which will review the plan and consolidate it with other Regional Water Plans into the State Water Plan for submission to the Texas Legislature in January 2007.

“We have real challenges in North Texas,” stressed Meadows. “We have a huge percentage of the state’s population, which creates greater demands on our water and we don’t have the resources.”

“Water planning in Texas is critical to prepare for the contingencies of the future,” said Parks. “Our tremendous challenge is to develop new water resources now. When you consider that Texas is prone to drought and our population is expected to double over 50 years, it is clear we must double our lake capacities. Even current supplies will decline in coming years due to sediment.”

Based on RCWPG’s research, Region C faces a huge shortage of water if new supplies are not developed. If another severe drought -- like the 1950s “drought of record” – occurs, the socioeconomic impacts to Region C would be significant:
          • Projected 2060 population would be reduced by over seven percent
          • Projected 2060 employment would be reduced by nearly 700,000 jobs
          • Projected 2060 income to the region would be reduced by $58.8 billion
          • Additionally, constraints on growth from limited water supplies would result in a $160 billion loss of income and 
              taxes
Those projections were underscored in letter of support for the Region C Water Plan from the Tarrant County Mayors Council and signed by its chair Nelda Stroder.

“Region C is significant part of Texas in that it contains more than one-fourth of the state’s population and produces a third of its gross domestic product. Supplying water to accommodate the projected growth in Region C is important to Texas. Current supplies fall far short of addressing the future need.”

To meet projected future shortfalls, Region C’s updated Regional Water Plan includes recommendations for a variety of water management strategies to be implemented between now and 2060.

Of the supplies available by 2060 under the plan:
           • Approximately one-third would come from currently available, connected supplies (both surface water and
              groundwater)
           • One-quarter would come from conservation and reuse strategies
           • One-quarter would come from the connection of existing sources
           • Slightly less than one-fifth would come from new reservoirs
           • Additional water management strategies called for in the plan include development of region al systems,
             system of operation of reservoirs and use of groundwater

“Our responsibilities,” said Parks, “are to consider local plans, develop and adopt regional water plans while we consider public input.”

Meadows stressed that the process of developing new reservoirs will not be an easy one.
“Some environmental groups will oppose this new plan,” he said. “We must work with all groups to ensure that environmentalist’s concerns are addressed and fit into the plan. The plan must be balanced and recognize competing interests, but it must still meet our needs.”

For more information on the Region C Water Plan, contact Tim Keleher at tkeleher@fortworthchamber.com or 817/336-2491, ext. 264.

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Recap of Economic Development in Tarrant County

In the Works
AmeriSuites hotels including those in North Texas, are getting rebranded as Hyatt Place hotels and remodeled. Global Hyatt Corporation said it wants to give the hotels a more modern feel, with contemporary furniture and amenities, including coffee bars. Rooms will have L-shaped couches, Wi-Fi connections and plasma televisions. The hotel at 5900 Cityview Blvd. in Fort Worth plans to start renovations in April. Star Telegram, Feb. 13

A development group is seeking a zoning change for 22 acres west of University Drive along Rogers Road, including a half-mile of frontage along the Trinity River, for the proposed University Crossing. The in-fill development, north of Colonial Country Club, will have 388 residences and about 120,000 square feet of space for offices, restaurants and shops. Star Telegram, Feb. 27

Texas Wesleyan University is planning to construct a $2 million science facility. The center will be a 7,000-square-foot facility housing six SMART classrooms, four faculty offices, two multimedia seminar rooms, a student lounge and a kitchen. Fort Worth Business Press, Feb. 20

Under Construction
Mercantile Center has begun construction on a 182,500-square-foot build-to-suit space for Kysor Panel Systems, manufacturers of cold storage walk-in coolers and freezers, in the 4200 block of North Beach Street. Star Telegram, Feb. 6

The Tarrant County Bar Foundation and Tarrant County Bar Association are renovating their shared offices at 1315 Calhoun St. The interior of the 6,663-square-foot building is being gutted and new offices, a boardroom and conference facilities are being constructed. Star Telegram, Feb. 20

On the Dotted Line
Adventist Health Systems in Orlando, Fla., parent of Huguley Memorial Medical Center, bought 65 acres just north of the hospital on Interstate 35W in far south Fort Worth, near the Tarrant-Johnson county line. Star Telegram, Feb. 6

Vigor Properties in Plano has purchased a 10-acre tract of commercial zoned land on the northwest corner of North Beach Street and Fossil Creek Boulevard and plans retail and office space. Star Telegram, Feb. 6

Rutherford Property Co. in Fort Worth has acquired the nine-acre Wal-Mart site in the city's Woodhaven neighborhood. Plans suggest that the site might be good for a hotel or pad sites for shops. Star Telegram, Feb. 20

A 5,775-square-foot building at 2820 Hemphill St. was sold by Arthur Beedy to the Le Mode Beauty School, which plans to open in April. Star Telegram, Feb. 6

Wireless Zone, a provider of wireless products and services, has leased 1,935 square feet of retail space in Summit at Bridgewood Shopping Center, 1100 Bridgewood Drive. Star Telegram, Feb. 6

Grand Homes has leased 6,309 square feet of industrial space in the Centreport Business Center, 4690 Diplomacy Road. Star Telegram, Feb. 13

G Van Realty in Dallas has bought slightly more than an acre in the city block bounded by Leuda Street and Galveston, Terrell, and St. Louis avenues for a town-house development. Star Telegram, Feb. 20

Leasing has started on the fifth building in Park Glen Market Place, on 7.5 acres at 5411 Basswood Boulevard in far north Fort Worth. Construction on the 9,900-square-foot building will be completed by April 1. Star Telegram, Feb. 20

Addison-based Behringer Harvard REIT Inc. has purchased the Burnett Plaza office building, a one-million-square-foot office tower in Fort Worth, Texas, for $172 million. Fort Worth Business Press, Feb. 20

EGL Eagle Global Logistics, a freight transportation and logistics company, has leased 72,000 square feet from Hillwood Development in the Commerce Center 2 building at AllianceTexas. Fort Worth Business Press, Feb. 6

A unit of Williams, an energy exploration and production business, recently signed a five-year lease with BARIP Ltd. for office space at the West 20 Business Park, located at 6776 Corporate Parkway near the intersection of Interstate 20 and Markum Ranch Road, in Fort Worth. Fort Worth Business Press, Feb. 13

Secured Funding Corp. is leasing 7,636 square feet in The Village at Camp Bowie, just west of Bryant Irvin Road on Camp Bowie Boulevard. Star Telegram, Feb. 27

Nuclear Logistics, a Fort Worth-based supplier of safety-related equipment and equipment maintenance to the nuclear industry, has leased 12,350 square feet in Riverbend Business Park, 7660 Pebble Drive, for storage space. Star Telegram, Feb. 27

Anaphora, an investment partnership in Little Rock, Ark., has bought a 35,230-square-foot office and warehouse at 901 Terminal Road, from Azure Hill, a local joint venture. Star Telegram, Feb. 27

Out of Town Reporting
Angus enthusiasts led 141 entries at the 2006 Southwestern Exposition and Livestock Show's Roll of Victory (ROV) Angus Show, Jan. 28 in Fort Worth, Texas. Aberdeen American News, South Dakota, Feb. 10


Did You Know?
Texas has become the top destination state for newcomers. The state had a net inbound migration of 1,991 moves. Of those, 158 were to Fort Worth, according to Allied Van Lines. Star Telegram, Feb. 6

Donald Trump said that Fort Worth is “potentially” a great market and that he would consider investing here. Star Telegram, Feb. 6

Mayor Mike Moncrief said that city officials will focus on Fort Worth’s infrastructure and its transportation system during 2006, making way for a large influx in population that he says is bound to follow much of the recent developments in the area. Fort Worth Business Press, Feb. 20

Data provided by Strategic Insight Group, Intelligence Research Partner of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce

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Save the Date: Alliance Senior Leadership Conference
 

Thanks to the Alliance Human Resources Group (AHRG), 100 leading area high school seniors will get the opportunity to develop career skills and seek job opportunities in the Alliance area.

AHRG will host the second annual Alliance Senior Leadership Conference, a community service project designed to allow leading seniors from Northwest, Keller, Fossil Ridge and Central High Schools to experience the world after high school first hand.

• What: 2nd Annual Alliance Senior Leadership Conference,
• When: Thursday, April 20
• Where: Northwest ISD Administration Building, 2001 Texan Dr.,
  Justin, TX 76247

These students have been identified for their performance and leadership skills and were selected through an application process and review committee.

Four learning sessions will be held.

• Résumé Writing – critique of student résumés, instruction and tips on how to write résumés
• Interviewing Skills – discussion of types of interviews, how to dress, how to prepare, and role-playing
• Money Management – how to establish credit, maintain a good credit rating, and manage finances
• Career Development – what to look for in a company, benefits, tuition, reimbursement, quality of life, and promotional opportunities

A Networking and Information Fair with Alliance companies and colleges with information booths providing details on the companies and community colleges will also be held after lunch. Students will receive goody bags with information sheets and maps on Alliance companies, along with a place to store presentation handouts and notes.

For more information on the Alliance Senior Leadership Conference, contact Lynda Fouts at 682/831-4914 or Lynda.fouts@cardinal .com.

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Dateline: Fort Worth
    A Family of Foods

For 65 years Renfro Foods has stayed one spoonful ahead of American dining trends.

The Renfro family gathers at a table near their company’s executive offices in Fort Worth. They may be having lunch, or they might be tasting the next corporate project of Renfro Foods, Inc. Their senses of taste and smell are what turned a mom-and-pop business into a multi-million dollar corporation.

The company began in 1940,with George and Arthurine Renfro selling packaged spices, pepper sauces, and their Dixieland Waffle syrup they made at home to fruit and vegetable stands around town. Now their two sons and three of their grandchildren add accents to American plates. Their sauces and salsas, syrups and dips, jalapeno peppers and chowchow add fun and flavor to dishes…

With 27employees, Renfro Foods, a $12-million-a-year company, makes and sells 26 products. That’s a far cry from its humble origins.

Scents From Future Kitchens
By the 1970s, the Renfros exhibited their real strength as a company – their ability to sniff out the next aromas coming from American kitchens – and bought a small salsa company. Over the years, they created new products. First, they lend their taste buds at lunch, when they sample and critique batches of salsas and then tweak the ingredients until all like the taste. Then begins the time and expense – at least $100,000 – of bringing a new product to market…

Doug (Renfro) believes they are following the scents of Asian and fusion cooking to home and restaurant kitchens. “We’re perfectly set up to do Asian sauces with food service and retail,” he comments.

Southern Living
March 2006

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What’s Up with Drilling in Fort Worth?

You can’t pick up a newspaper or listen to a business report in Fort Worth without hearing about the Barnett Shale and all the drilling going on in Fort Worth. So what’s up with that?

City Councilman Carter Burdette, a semi-retired attorney whose practice has incuded oil and gas law, commercial litigation, and employment law, will update the Fort Worth Chamber on recent developments in drilling the Barnett Shale within the city limits, drilling in City-owned minerals and the City’s authority and role in regulating gas well drilling at the next What’s Up Fort Worth? Luncheon.

• What: What’s Up Fort Worth? Luncheon featuring City Councilman Carter Burdette
• When: Monday, April 10, noon-1:30 p.m. Registration and networking begin at 11:30 a.m.
• Where: The Petroleum Club Wildcatters Room, 39th floor, 777 Main St. 76102
• Cost: Chamber members - $35; Gold and Preferred members - $30; non-members - $60; and a table of eight - $350.

From 1958 to 1962, Burdette was a corporate counsel for Champlin Oil & Refining Co., and from 1962 until 2003, he practiced with Cantey & Hanger.. Burdette’s years of practice have been devoted primarily to oil and gas matters, civil litigation, employment law and civil rights matters.In May, 2005, Mr. Burdette was elected to the Fort Worth City Council representing District 7.

Register online at www.fortworthchamber.com or with Jeanean Herod at jherod@fortworthchamber.com or 817/336-2491, ext. 275.

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Save the Date: 124th Fort Worth Chamber Annual Meeting

It’s going to be hard to top last year’s Fort Worth Chamber Annual Meeting when our illustrious “Commander in Chief” made an appearance at the luncheon. But we’ll be “welcoming back” a beloved TV star, comedian Gabe Kaplan as our guest speaker. Be sure to mark your calendar now for the 124th edition of the Fort Worth Chamber Annual Meeting presented by Compass Bank.

• What: 124th Annual Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce Annual Meeting and Luncheon
• When: Wednesday, May 31, 11:45 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Registration and networking begin at 11:30 a.m.
• Where: Renaissance Worthington Hotel, Grand Ballroom, 200 Main St., 76102
• Cost: Individual tickets are $80

Gabe Kaplan is best remembered for 1970s TV series, “Welcome Back Kotter,” in which he played a high school teacher who returns to his old Brooklyn neighborhood. The series featured his students “the Sweathogs” and launched the career of John Travolta.

Kaplan himself will tell you what he really wanted to be was professional baseball player. He tried for two years to break on to a minor league team roster, but never succeeded. He hung up his bat and went to work as a bellman at hotel which featured comedians three times a week. After watching them for a while, he thought he could do that too. Kaplan “borrowed” some material and began playing small clubs and coffee houses, but his big break came with an appearance on “The Tonight Show.” And the rest is history. These days, when not acting, Kaplan focuses on his standup comedy. He is also a world-class poker player.

Sponsored tables of 10 are available at the following levels:

• Gold sponsor - $2000
• Silver sponsor - $1500
• Bronze sponsor - $1200

More information is available from Beverly Rozanski at 817/336-2491, ext. 263. Or go online to www.fortworthchamber.com and click on Annual Meeting.
 

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Action Ambassador for January 2006

Congratulations to Cecil Action Ambassador of the month for January 2006. An ambassador since 2001, Nutall is an agent and registered representative for Allstate Insurance and Financial Services.

Action Ambassadors work on behalf of the Chamber calling on new members and serving as greeters at various Chamber functions. Ambassadors must be members of the Fort Worth Chamber. It is also a great networking tool allowing ambassadors to contact Chamber members on the Chamber’s behalf. Contact Teresa Pearson at 817/336-2491, ext. 249 for information on becoming an Action Ambassador.
 

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Save the Date: May 11; Wiki-What?

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Randy McGuffee’s Advice: Get Up and Go!

Any salesman will tell you, you can’t sell a product you don’t believe in.

Clearly, Randy McGuffee, vice president of FutureStone, believes in the Fort Worth Chamber’s Stay-In-School Initiative. In his role as chair of the Chamber’s South Area Council, he emceed the recent Membership Luncheon hosted by the SAC and talked about his own experience working with a Go Center at South Hills High School.

Go Centers are clearinghouses located within high schools that provide students with information related to career exploration, higher education and financial aid.

Go Centers also serve as a hub around which a number of college preparation-related programs connect in each school.

McGuffee recalls how the SAC board had, at the Chamber’s urging, agreed to focus on some part of the SIS Initiative. He was already involved with South Hills High School as part of its Site-Based Decision Making Committee. When the Chamber’s Go Center Coordinator made a presentation to the SAC board, McGuffee encouraged them to become Go Center volunteers at South Hills.

“I took the training and scheduled myself for Wednesday afternoons,” said McGuffee. “At first, no one came by.”
Then one day, Yvonne Mendoza, an intervention specialist with Fort Worth ISD’s student and social services, introduced herself to McGuffee and asked why he was there. He explained he was a Go Center volunteer who to that point had little going.

“Wait right here!” McGuffee remembers Mendoza saying. She disappeared into her office returning with a stack of folders on students who were in the top 10 percent of their class, but had little hope of going on to college. She made sure that McGuffee and the four students made contact.

“All of a sudden, I was their new best friend,” McGuffee said. “But just getting them on the computer to look through various programs wasn’t really that helpful.”

It was immediately apparent that, for these kids who would be first generation college students in their families, money was a huge hurdle. But McGuffee had an idea. He called the financial aid office at TCU and asked if he could bring them in.

“The folks at TCU were very helpful and the students loved the setting, but money was still an issue,” McGuffee said. “The next week they asked if I would take them somewhere else, so I contacted Texas Wesleyan University.”
The Wesleyan financial aid office requested the students send their transcripts before they visited. “Each student was responsible for getting their information together and faxing it to Wesleyan,” McGuffee stressed. “These kids are motivated.”

When they visited, the Wesleyan officials already had folders prepared for each student and took them on a tour. One student was interested in business, one in psychology and one in veterinary medicine and the tour included something for each. Three of the four students McGuffee was working with made the tour. Before they left Wesleyan’s campus that day, two of the three had been accepted and offered scholarships. The third needed to follow up with test scores, but was accepted as well.

“It was amazing,” said McGuffee. “These students went not really expecting much and came away with scholarships. The entire experience was so neat. That hooked me. I’m in for years now.

McGuffee downplays his contribution. “I made a phone call and drove these kids over there; anyone can do that,” he said. “I simply provided the access. Now college is a viable option for these students.”

McGuffee knows, however, that these were motivated students at the top of their class and he worries about the kid in the middle of the pack who may have the talent but not the access.

“With just a little effort, you might be able to get him there,” says McGuffee. “How can you tell someone you don’t have time to help out with a program like this? It’s an hour a week. There’s more need than any one person can fill, but you can make a difference.”

The FWISD has several programs such as Adopt-A-School, Team Fort Worth or the Go Centers seeking volunteers to help the schools. But, as McGuffee says, these programs are just structures, frameworks for volunteers to work within.
“These programs are great opportunities to get involved, but without volunteers they’re nothing,” he said. “Just plug in. Get involved, it works. Success builds on success.”

McGuffee is self-effacing about his part in getting the students into college.

“What I do is a drop in the bucket,” he said. “But you can be a hero.”

For more information on the Stay-In-School Initiative or the Go Centers, contact Glenn Spoons at gspoons@fortworthchamber.com or 817/336-2491, ext. 233.
 

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Members Get Your Password and E-Newz

The Chamber website has areas that require you to use a username and password to change your online directory information, get an electronic decal for your website, receive member pricing for publications and register for events.

If you don’t know your username and password, go to www.fortworthchamber.com, click on Members Only and there will be a prompt which will automatically send your password to your e-mail address, if we have your e-mail on file.

The computer assigns random gobbledygook numbers, but if you’d like to change it to something you can remember, sign in and click on Edit Individual information at the left navigation menu.

Also, to receive Chamber E-Vents (weekly calendar of events) and Mr. B’s amusing weekly Newz-E-Letter, be sure your e-mail program is set to accept e-mails from Events@fortworthchamber.com and Mr.B@fortworthchamber.com as safe senders or these may be seen as spam or land in your junk e-mail folder. They use HTML graphics for readability, but your e-mail program may be blocking them. Both of these are important member benefits that inform you of what’s going on both in the Chamber and around Tarrant County.

Call Teresa Pearson, membership manager, at 817-336-2491, ext. 249 if you need assistance.


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NAC Gets Uniform Results

JCC members PFC Tony Oro and Cpl. Elizabeth Meadors, front row; PFC Marisol Gomez, PFC Ashly Castorena and Gunnery Sergeant Farley Simon, middle; NAC Board reps Richelle Hicks, Pennie Blossom (FW Chamber), Earl Mahar, Virginia Dean (Elder principal) and Mark Presswood.

Last fall, members of the Fort Worth Chamber’s North Area Council Board met with J.P. Elder Middle School Principal Virginia Dean to ascertain needs the school had and investigate ways to help.

Dean had a laundry list of needs ranging from simple school supplies to moderate Junior Cadet Corps (JCC) uniforms to pricey multimedia projectors. NAC board members knew they could not address them all, but they did want to help.

Elder is the largest middle school in Fort Worth ISD. The school has an “acceptable” rating with 82 percent of students passing the writing portion of the last TAKS test while 72 percent passing the reading portion. According to Dean, many of the 1,153 students enrolled at Elder come from financially disadvantaged families and need everything from basic school supplies such as notebook paper and composition books to clean tee shirts and shoe laces for the kids.

NAC board chair Frances Broussard and incoming chair Mark Presswood felt that, in addition to supplementing Elder’s school supplies, perhaps there was a way to fund some JCC uniforms costing $45.
Elder art teacher Leann Williams had her students do pieces of art which they gave to the NAC board members who in turn have sold them for $45 each. To date, $910 has been raised in that art sale and funds were presented to Elder’s JCC.
“Often students wishing to participate in the JCC cannot because they can’t afford the uniform,” said Broussard. “These funds should help more students get involved.”

In addition, through fundraising efforts, the Fort Worth Chamber Foundation donated $600 to Elder’s technology fund which may be used towards the purchase of a classroom projector.

“We want to thank everyone who purchased a picture done by the Elder art students,” said Presswood. “If you would like to purchase a picture and fund a uniform, just let us know.”

The NAC would like recognize and thank those who have contributed to the uniform drive:

Chamber staffer Pennie Blossom presents a grant check to Elder principal Virginia Dean.

Frances Broussard
Dub Blessing
David and Diemb Lehmann
Todd Truitt
Henry and Karol Swanson
Mark and Pam Presswood
Scott Roby
Larry and Patrice Allen
Steve Purvis
Sue Robinson
Carl and Linda Bell
Joan Maynard
Christina Goldsworthy
Pennie Blossom
Lydia Hall
The Fort Worth Cats
The T

For more information on how you can get involved in helping J.P. Elder Middle School, or any FWISD school, contact Pennie Blossom at pblossome@fortworthchamber.com or 817/336-2491, ext. 267.

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NASCAR, Texas Motor Speedway Team Up with Tarrant Area Chambers

Ken Schrader driver of the Wood Brothers Racing Ford Fusion Photo courtesy: Autostock 01/09/05 Daytona Pre Season Testing

It’s an annual rite of spring where Chamber members and guests can attend a luncheon at The Speedway Club, get up close and personal with a champion racecar driver and enjoy exciting time trials that afternoon. And this year, we are celebrating the Texas Motor Speedway’s 10th anniversary.

This year, however, the Fort Worth Chamber has teamed up with 15 area chambers to make this year’s Tarrant Area Chamber Day at the Speedway bigger and better than ever.

Special guests at the Chamber Day luncheon will be Bruton Smith and US Air Force Ford driver Ken Schrader. The oldest driver in the NASCAR Nextel Cup series, Schrader runs 50 races a year. According to TMS general manager Eddie Gossage, Schrader is one of the funniest drivers in the lineup. Take advantage of this opportunity to get up close and personal with a NASCAR driver.

Platinum sponsor is Southland Property Tax Consultants, Inc.
Gold sponsors are the T, ProDrivers, ProLogistix and ResourceMFG.

• What: Chamber Day at the Speedway
• When: Thursday, April 6, noon – until
• Where: The Speedway Club at Texas Motor Speedway, 3545 Lonestar Circle, 76247. Parking in Crystal Lot only.
• Cost: $35 for Chamber members; $30 for Gold members; $60 for non-members and $400 for a table of 10.

Participating chambers include the Fort Worth Chamber, Burleson Area Chamber of Commerce, Cleburne Chamber of Commerce, Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce, Hurst Euless Bedford Chamber of Commerce, Northeast Tarrant Chamber of Commerce, Tarrant County Asian American Chamber of Commerce, White Settlement Area Chamber of Commerce, East Parker Country Chamber of Commerce, Keller Chamber, Mansfield Area Chamber, Northwest Metroport Chamber, Northwest Tarrant County Chamber, Arlington Chamber of Commerce, and South Wise County Chamber of Commerce.

Registrations must be received no later than Monday, April 3 for processing. Attendees must have a parking pass to attend the event and must include an email address so that the pass may be emailed.

For more information, or to RSVP, contact Jeanean Herod at jherod@fortworthchamber.com or call 817/336-2491, ext. 275 or go to www.fortworthchamber.com.

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Recent Ribbon Cuttings

~~A ribbon cutting was held to mark the grand opening of Skin Healthy Medispa, 909 9th Ave., Suite 205, in Fort Worth. To learn more about the business, contact Dr. Pavani Bellary or Dr. Niraj Mehta at 817/870-3627.

~~A groundbreaking marking the beginning of construction of a new high school building for Treetops School International, a charter school offering K-12 was held recently. For more information on the school located at 12500 S. Pipeline, Euless, call Lou Blanchard at 817/283-1771.

~~Pump It Up Fort Worth, an indoor private party facility, held a ribbon cutting at its new location, 1624 Green Oaks Rd., Fort Worth. Sabra Smith, at 817/732-9663, has more details.

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March 2006 Editionn
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Chamberletter contact below:

For more information contact:
Arden Dufilho
Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce
817-336-2491 Ext. 259