School’s Needs Go Beyond 3 Rs to 50 Projectors

When asked by members of the Fort Worth Chamber’s North Area Council board what the students of J.P. Elder need, Principal Virginia Dean’s response was heartfelt. “What don’t they need?” The NAC board held its board meeting at the school so members could see first hand what the school’s most pressing needs were and then determine how they might 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 and 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.

“Many of these students come to school dressed inappropriately,” said Dean. She explained that sometimes the students don’t have proper school clothes. Often, however, parents are at work when their children leave for school and they don’t have the opportunity to see what their children had left for school dressed in. “We try to keep a supply of basic plain tee shirts here for students to change in to when they show up in inappropriate school clothes.”

Dean had a “wish list” for the school that started at the bottom with daily supplies and went up the line to Junior Cadet Corps uniforms -- $45 each. Dean noted that Elder’s JCC is the number one rated JCC in its district, but many of the students who want to participate can’t afford the uniforms.

From there, Dean’s wish list moved on to her “pie-in-the-sky” list which includes up to 50 multimedia projectors (about $800 each) for her classrooms and a web-based reading program that is TAKS-focused which costs $4,000. These items, she stressed, are all vital tools her teachers need to help students progress.

But most important on her wish list, said Dean, was mentors. “I cry out for mentors, especially male mentors,” she said. “These kids need positive male role models. Without them, they often turn to gangs.”

The NAC board is working to fill as many of Dean’s wishes as possible. Board members will participate in Elder’s Career Days in November and will also be part of the Halloween festivities being planned by the Fort Worth Cats for LaGrave Field, Saturday, Oct. 29. The second annual “Scaredy Cats Fall Festival,” which features games, trick-or-treating, a children’s costume contest and a haunted house, will be presented in conjunction with the H.I.K.I.D.S. program and the North Fort Worth Police Patrol Division.

Admission to the event is free, but there will be a $1 charge for kids and $2 for adults to enter the haunted house at LaGrave Field., 5:30 -90 p.m.

For more information on Chamber Area Councils, contact Pennie Blossom at pblossom@fortworthchamber.com or 817/336-2491, ext. 267.

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Chairman's Column

Remember the famous line from the movie “Cool Hand Luke” with Paul Newman? “What we have here is failure to communicate.” The line became a catch phrase in the1960s and 70s and was frequently invoked when communication lapses caused problems.

As Chairman of the Fort Worth Chamber, I believe it is imperative that the Chamber maintain an effective, up-to-date communications strategy that ensures that our members specifically and the public in general are kept abreast of Chamber activities, programs and initiatives.

To that end, many changes have been made recently in how the Chamber communicates its message.

If you’re reading this column, then you have an example of our newly updated Chamberletter. The addition of four-color photos and graphics and a fresh, eye-catching layout really enhances the section and makes it more reader friendly. And, we have increased the circulation 121,000 to 178,000 readers to include the rapidly growing northeast Tarrant area.

A new addition to the Chamber’s arsenal of communications pieces is the e-mail newsletter, Newz-E-Letter. This lively, weekly missive, written by the mysterious Mr. B, is full of juicy business tidbits, offers and events. Written in a tongue-in-cheek style, Newz-E-Letter keeps subscribers “in the loop” about goings on in Fort Worth.

Recently, the Chamber’s new Membership Directory and Economic Report came out. These publications, the first produced for the Chamber by Hal Brown’s Fort Worth Texas Magazine Venture, are bright, colorful and packed with vital information about our region. And, hot off the presses is the Chamber’s new Relocation Guide, also produced by Brown’s group. The guide is a comprehensive guide to Fort Worth living designed to give newcomers to our city all the info they need in one handy, easy-to-use publication. In fact, it’s great for any Fort Worth resident who wants a guide to the city.

To give our Economic Development staff top-flight tools to market the area, dynamic new brochures were recently developed by Witherspoon. The Economic Development “Flashguide” is packed with Metroplex facts and figures, maps and photographs of the area’s newest and most dramatic buildings. This piece will soon be complemented by an update to the Chamber website. The overall look of the marketing brochure will be carried throughout the redesigned, easier to navigate website. Economic Development professionals know that site selection specialists, developers and others looking at an area go to the local Chamber’s website first. That site must be compelling, inviting and informative or they move on. The Fort Worth Chamber’s updated site will be all that and more. Watch for its launch in the next few weeks. And, as a result of a recent membership survey, updated membership collateral materials have been created by Roundtree Advertising. These will also complement the Economic Development materials.

Other ongoing projects at the Chamber include the production of a new city map and the creation of a new Fort Worth “coffee table” book, the first since the Sesquicentennial book.

Fort Worth is a city on the move and it is a challenge for the Chamber to keep all the pieces of its strategic communications plan fresh, updated and ahead of the curve, but a challenge that is being met successfully.

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SBOY Nominees

Small Business of the Year Nominees

The following area businesses have been nominated for the seventh annual Small Business the Year “Rising Star” Awards. Those submitting completed applications will go on for further consideration. We congratulate all of our nominees.

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Economic Update

Recap of Recent Economic Activity in Tarrant County

In the Works
PNL Cos., the Dallas-based owner of the former Tandy Center in downtown Fort Worth, is negotiating with convenience-store operator 7-Eleven for a store in the proposed redevelopment of the twin office towers and shopping-mall complex. Star Telegram, Sept. 12

Property owners on University Drive, between the Trinity River and Henderson Street, are under contract to sell their land, possibly to Wal-Mart. Star Telegram, Sept. 26

DynCorp International is planning to move its Fort Worth employees from multiple local offices to a 120,000 square-foot office building located within the Alliance Texas commercial and industrial development in northern Fort Worth. The move is expected to take place by April. Fort Worth Business Press, Sept. 5-11

Alberto Lombardi plans on opening an upscale pizzeria, Taverna Risotteria Pizzeria, by the end of the year at 450 Throckmorton St. Fort Worth Business Press, Sept. 26 – Oct. 2

Piranha’s Killer Sushi plans to open at 335 W. 3rd Street in December. Fort Worth Business Press, Sept. 26 – Oct. 2

Expansions and Moves
Dale Carnegie Training, a worldwide provider of business skills and communications training, has moved its Fort Worth office to the River Plaza Building, 1701 River Run. Star Telegram, Sept. 26

Wells Fargo, a financial services company with 133 community banking centers in the area, is relocating its Fort Worth and Dallas community banking headquarters to City Tower 1 downtown. Fort Worth Business Press, Sept. 26 – Oct. 2

American Metal Services, owned by Marsha Graham, has moved from 340 G. North Beach to facilities at 2748 Ludelle Street that are larger and closer to downtown. Fort Worth Business Press, Sept. 26 – Oct. 2

Under Construction
Plaza Commercial, at the 900 block of North Sylvania Avenue, has begun construction on their office space and is scheduled to open in December. Star Telegram, Sept. 19

Mercantile Center has begun construction on three buildings in a planned complex located in the north Fort Worth business park. The development, in the 4800 block of Mercantile Drive, will include two 121,700 square foot buildings and one 137,500 square foot building. Fort Worth Business Press, Sept. 26 – Oct. 2

On the Dotted Line
JMcD 377 A L.P. has purchased 4.9 acres at the southwest corner of Denton Highway and Kroger Drive. Kroger/377 L.P. was the seller. Star Telegram, Sept. 12

Miller Electric has consolidated its Houston and Dallas facilities into 55,000 square feet in Riverpark 300, in the Seefried Properties Riverpark business park, just south of Dallas/Fort Worth Airport. Star Telegram, Sept. 12

Amalgamate Processing, which reprocesses foam carpet padding, has leased 10,000 square feet of warehouse space at 560 N. Beach St. in the 550 Beach St. Industrial Park. Star Telegram, Sept. 12

Lone Star Beverage, a private-label soda-bottling company, has leased 135,470 square feet in the warehouse at 8800 South Freeway, the former site of the American National Can Co. Star Telegram, Sept. 12

South Hills Baptist Church has bought 11 acres on Granbury Road, between Alta Mesa Boulevard and Columbus Trail, in southwest Fort Worth. Star Telegram, Sept. 19

The Rug Co. has leased 8,800 square feet of retail space in the Foch Street Showrooms, 821 Foch St., where it will move to from Chapel Hill Shopping Center before the year's end. Star Telegram, Sept. 19

C&S Interests, the holding company for PCI, which makes ventilation-duct components, has bought an 87,247-square-foot industrial building at 5101 Blue Mound Road. Star Telegram, Sept. 19

Fort Worth attorney Rita Rodriquez Utt, Marilou Martinez Stevens and health care professional Adela Gonzalez, under the name Armada Enterprises, have bought the 3,558-square-foot building at 424 S. Summit Ave. Star Telegram, Sept. 26

The Maryland-based DiamondRock Hospitality real estate firm has purchased The Renaissance Worthington hotel in downtown Fort Worth and announced plans for high-end renovations for the upscale hotel. Fort Worth Business Press, Sept. 5-11

New Jersey developer Diversified Capital purchased Fort Worth’s former St. Joseph’s Hospital at the northeast corner of South Main Street and Allen Avenue. They are planning to convert the building into high-end apartments and offices. Fort Worth Business Press, Sept. 12-18

WindStar Properties has leased nearly 33,000 square feet of retail space to Halloween Superstore Inc. The store will occupy the space at 4941 Overton Ridge Blvd. Fort Worth Business Press, Sept. 26 – Oct. 2

Openings
SuperTarget at Montgomery Plaza in Fort Worth is scheduled to open Oct. 5, with official grand-opening events planned for Oct. 9. The 175,000-square-foot store, which will sell discounted clothing, housewares and electronics, along with a full line of groceries, is located at the north edge of the shopping center, behind the former Montgomery Ward warehouse at Seventh and Carroll streets. Star Telegram, Sept. 26

Frontier Surveying, a Corpus Christi based surveying and mapping services company, has opened an office at Markum Ranch Road and I-20 in Fort Worth. Fort Worth Business Press, Sept. 5-11

Staffmark staffing company has announced plans to open its first Tarrant County office at the Alliance Texas development in north Fort Worth. Fort Worth Business Press, Sept. 19-25

Celebrations
On Sept. 24, the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine celebrated its 35th year in service with a birthday gala at the Renaissance Worthington Hotel in Fort Worth. Fort Worth Business Press, Sept. 19-25

EXPANCO celebrated its 25th anniversary on Sept. 22 with a fundraiser at Steve Murrin’s River Ranch. Fort Worth Business Press, Sept. 19-25

Out of Town Reporting
The Fort Worth Stockyards used to be the heart of a vibrant cattle industry within the city limits. Now it's a tourist attraction - men wearing various authentic 19th-century cowboy costumes, for example, drive longhorn cattle down the brick streets twice every day - but it's also the home of Billy Bob's Texas and the White Elephant Saloon, a storied and superb live-music venue. The Cowtown Coliseum - an ornate Spanish-style building that holds rodeos on weekends - dominates a stretch of the Stockyards area. The Denver Post, Colorado, Sept.29

The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, with a building and collection that are equally impressive, was a suggestion for entertainment to the sports fans coming to Dallas for the Cotton Bowl. The Sunday Oklahoman, Oklahoma, Sept. 26

A new series of powerful tractors was launched at John Deere's product-release convention in Fort Worth, Texas at the end of August. Weekly Times, Australia, Sept. 7

Did You Know?
Harris Methodist Fort Worth Hospital has received a Consumer Choice award from the National Research Corp. for the 10th straight year. Star Telegram, Sept. 26

Main St. Fort Worth Arts Festival and the Sundance Square Parade of Lights received Pinnacle Awards in 13 different categories at the International Festivals and Events Association's 50th Annual Convention, held recently in San Antonio. Star Telegram, Sept. 26

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

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Dateline: Fort Worth…

Proud Cow Town

In its youth, Fort Worth was a rough-and-tumble frontier town, home to the brave and the brawling. Today, one of the largest cities in Texas is home to a revitalized urban center and well-preserved Western heritage sites.

The cattle industry was king for a generation of people working the Fort Worth leg of the Chisholm Trail. Cowboys worked and played in the Stockyards district, driving cattle on Exchange Avenue. No visit is complete without seeing the Fort Worth Stockyards National Historic District. It looks much the same today as it did 100 years ago – the entire avenue is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Catch the Fort Worth Herd, the world’s only daily cattle drive, on their twice-daily drive down Exchange Avenue.

The authentically restored Grapevine Vintage Railroad’s Tarantula Train carries visitors daily into Stockyards Station. The former hog and sheep pens now hold a festival marketplace. Rodeo action and Wild West shows take place all year in the Cowtown Coliseum. The restored Stockyards Hotel, where Bonnie and Clyde once stayed, has a lobby decorated in “cattle baron baroque.” Within the hotel, the restaurant and saloon sports saddles for bar stools.

The Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame, located in one-time mule barns, pays tribute to the cowboys and cowgirls of the Lone Star State. The museum also features the Sterquell Wagon Collection, John Justin Trail of Fame, and the Western Gift Shop.

“Texas-sized” takes on a whole new meaning at Billy Bob’s Texas. This hotspot hosts country music’s biggest names and live bull riding thrills visitors each weekend. The White Elephant Saloon is an authentic Old West watering hole offering live music year round.

Downtown Fort Worth is a success story – glittering skyscrapers form a ring around Sundance Square. The shopping and entertainment district, restored to its original Victorian beauty, takes its name from Western outlaws Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and is filled with restaurants, live entertainment, shops, museums and galleries.

This 20-block area is also site of the Nancy Lee and Perry R. Bass Performance Hall, the first permanent home for the city’s symphony, opera, ballet, Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, and productions of Casa Mañana Theatre.

Group Tour Magazine
Summer 2005

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CAC Luncheon

Council Member Davis Speaks at CAC Hosted Luncheon

City Council member Wendy Davis, now serving her fourth term as District 9 representative, will address the Fort Worth Chamber at its next General Membership Luncheon hosted by the Central Area Council. The luncheon is presented by Wells Fargo; gold sponsor is Advantage Rent-A-Car.

• What: General Membership Luncheon hosted by the Central Area Council featuring City Council Member Wendy Davis
•  When: Thursday, Nov. 17, noon-1:30 p.m. Registration and networking begin at 11:30 a.m.
•  Where: The Fort Worth Club, 306 West 7th St., Horizon Room, 76102
•  Cost is: Chamber members - $25; Gold members- $20; non-members - $40; and $250 for a table of eight

Every place has its ups and downs. In downtown Fort Worth, condos are going up and the Landmark Tower is coming down. An Omni Hotel is going up and pesky grackles are coming down.

City Council member Wendy Davis is serving her fourth term representing District 9, which includes downtown Fort Worth, the medical district, the TCU area, as well as neighborhoods in South and Southwest Fort Worth.

A resident of downtown, Davis will touch on some of the issues facing downtown Fort Worth today. Register online at www.fortworthchamber.com or with Jeanean Herod at jherod@fortworthchamber.com or 817/336-2491, ext. 275.

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Leads Group

Leads Groups Great Networking Opportuntiy

Leads Groups are comprised of no more than 30 individuals with each one representing a different industry. They meet weekly to help members generate new business. Participants must be members of the Fort Worth Chamber. There is a $50 annual fee per company, but a company may be in two Leads Groups, until/unless that slot is needed for another company in the same industry. Gold members participate for free with the same restriction.
To visit a Leads Group, either contact the coordinator or call the leader directly to ensure there is no conflict of industry. Each group has its own rules and personality, although they all loosely fall under Chamber guidelines. Consistent attendance provides the maximum benefit.

Coordinator: Diana Dugan, 817/336-2491, ext. 258, dugan@fortworthchamber.com

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Action Ambassador

Action Ambassador for August 2005

Congratulations to Shelly Russell, the Fort Worth Chamber’s top Action Ambassador for August 2005. Russell has been an ambassador only since June 2005 and is the owner of Russell Specialty Advertising.

Action Ambassadors work on behalf of the Chamber calling on new members and serving as greeters at various Chamber functions. The Action Ambassador program is a great way to learn more about the Fort Worth Chamber and plug in to all of the programs it offers. Contact Teresa Pearson at 817/336-2491, ext. 249 for information on becoming an Action Ambassador.

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Best Workplace Awards

Area Companies Help Clear the Air

Are you breathing a little easier these days? Does the air seem a little bluer? Perhaps that’s due is some part to local commuters who have found ways to reduce the number of miles they commute to work. According to the North Texas Clean Air Coalition’s (NTCAC) “Try Parking It” website, participating commuters reduced the number of miles they drove by 467,384, which NTCAC says accounts for 420,646 fewer pounds of solid pollutants in the air.

According to the NTCAC, more than 50 percent of the harmful emissions in the Dallas-Fort Worth area come from mobile sources such as cars and trucks and the organization focuses on changing citizens’ driving habits to cut down on air pollutants and ease traffic congestion.

Last week, the NTCAC held its annual North Texas’ Best Workplaces for Commuters Awards luncheon at the Intermodal Transportation Center. Among the dignitaries and local officials on hand to present awards were Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief; Mike Eastland, executive director of the North Central Texas Council of Governments; City Council member Wendy Davis; Brian Boerner, chairman, NTCAC; Carl Edlund, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Bill Thornton, president and CEO, Fort Worth Chamber.

More than 50 Metroplex companies competed for this year’s awards which include:
Van-tastic Vanpool – L-3 Communication – driver Walter Mar
2005 Vanpool of the Year – Vought Aircraft – driver Roy Morrison
Employee Transportation Coordinator of the Year – Kathy Luper, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics
Top-Ranked Commuter Challenge Participant (under 500 employees)- Motheral Printing
Top-Ranked Commuter Challenge Participant (over 500 employees) – Bell Helicopter
Clean Air Partners – Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce; Fort Worth Economic Development Corp.; Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co.; City of North Richland Hills; Office Depot; Project Partners; Texas Christian University; Texas Department of Transportation – Fort Worth Office; Texas Health Resources; U.S. General Service Administration; Witherspoon & Associates; Baylor University Medical Center; Fannie Mae; Glasfloss Industries; Greyhound, Inc.; City of Plano; Radiologix, Inc.; Rockwall Chamber of Commerce; and Texas Department of Transportation – Dallas District.
Best Workplaces for Commuters North Texas
NTCAC Employer of the Year (under 500 employees) – Fort Worth Black Metropolitan Chamber
NTCAC Employer – (over 500 employees) – City of Fort Worth
Commuter Challenge Winners – Drew Ivey, UT Southwestern; Rebekah Britton, Kaiser Permanente; Amy Wyatt, North Central Texas Council of Governments; and Judy Thouvenel, Bell Helicopter

Best Workplaces for Commuters (2004 winners who won again in 2005)

Other 2004 Best Workplaces for Commuters not present include:

New Best Workplace winners for 2005 include:

The NTCAC was formed in 1993 to educate North Texans about air quality and encourage individuals to “do their share for cleaner air.” Members of the NTCAC include the North Central Texas Council of Governments, North Texas Commission, Greater Dallas Chamber, Fort Worth Chamber, Dallas Area Rapid Transit, Fort Worth Transportation Authority, the Denton Country Transportation Authority and others.

Mayor Mike Moncrief and Carrie Reese, center, present the Employee Transportation Coordinator of the Year award to Kathy Luper, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics.	Mike Eastland, North Central Texas Council of Governments, and Stanley Polk award the 2005 Vanpool of the Year award to Roy Morrison, Vought Aircraft.
Fort Worth Chamber President Bill Thornton presents the Employer of the Year award for companies under 500 to Devoyd Jennings of the Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber.	The City of Fort Worth took the Employer of the Year award for companies over 500 employees. Bill Thornton presents the award to Mayor Mike Moncrief, Councilman Sal Espino and Brian Boerner.
Brian Boerner, North Texas Clean Air Coalition, presents the Commuter Challenge award for companies under 500 employees to Erin Pierson, Motheral Printing.	Brian Boerner awarded the Commuter Challenge award for companies over 500 to Debra Rodriguez and Joe Downing of Bell Helicopter.

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In Focus

Business Interests and the Supreme Court

By Bill Chamblee & Jeff Ryan

Just as Chief Justice John Roberts is settling into his new position on the Supreme Court, the political interest groups are mobilizing to debate President Bush’s latest nominee to the high court, Dallas lawyer and current White House Counsel Harriet Miers. What role will the business community play in the debate and confirmation of this nominee as well as those in the future?

As usual, a great deal of the media’s attention has been focused on the nominee’s position on polarizing social issues of the day such as abortion, school prayer, public religious displays and gay marriage. However, the business community is beginning to raise its voice and play a greater role in making sure its own interests are made known in the confirmation process. Increased interest from corporate America should come as no surprise. Companies who are dragged into expensive and frivolous class action lawsuits understand what is at stake. Businesses that have seen federal courts expand regulations beyond what Congress intended know the impact the Supreme Court can have. Corporations and insurers that routinely deal with the uncertainty of potential jury awards expect judicial support of legislative caps. In addition, the Supreme Court will likely be presented with a multitude of additional issues directly impacting business such as antitrust, bankruptcy and employment related matters.

This increased interest from Wall Street was evident with the recent nomination and subsequent confirmation of Chief Justice Roberts who is widely viewed as a strong justice for the business community. Justice Roberts received active support from a number of pro-business groups such as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Manufacturers. Interestingly, even before President Bush selected Justice Roberts, he was one of only two potential nominees touted by the Wall Street Journal as of particular interest to the corporate community.

What role will business interests play in the confirmation battle over Miers? The initial response is supportive. While it is still too early for an official endorsement, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has praised President Bush’s nomination of Miers as a good pick for the Supreme Court. Chamber President and CEO Thomas Donohue has offered the opinion: “She has a reputation of getting things done and her diverse experience at the state and federal levels will be essential in guiding the court on an array of business and other issues.”

Like it did with the Robert’s nomination, the National Association of Manufacturer’s has created a Judicial Review Committee comprised of NAM senior executive officers and general counsels to evaluate the nominee. NAM has published criteria including whether a candidate has a commitment to applying the law rather than his or her own personal views, and an understanding of the importance and practical consequences of decisions to business. Miers’ prior work at her Dallas law firm as its managing partner, her legal work on behalf of businesses such as Microsoft and Walt Disney, and her more recent work on behalf of the Bush administration has also drawn initial support from a variety of business interests. In the coming weeks, we can expect the usual debate over the new nominee’s position on hot-button social issues. However, we can look for greater input from the country’s business community. The initial view is that President Bush’s nomination of Miers, like the nomination of Roberts, is good news for corporate America.

Chamblee and Ryan are partners with the law firm of Chamblee & Ryan – dedicated to representing businesses throughout Texas.

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Newcomer's Guide

Hot off the presses – the 2005-06 Fort Worth & Tarrant County Newcomer’s Guide.

Mmmmm… nothing like the smell of fresh ink.

Know someone who is moving to Fort Worth? Or do you love and live in Fort Worth already but want a comprehensive guide book for the city?

The Fort Worth Chamber’s annual Newcomer’s Guide has just been published and it is packed with useful, exciting information about Cowtown.

The Newcomer’s Guide is a 96-page color magazine, produced by Hal Brown’s Fort Worth Texas Magazine Venture. It’s an eye-popping look at Fort Worth, with maps and practical information on housing, education, health care, shopping, arts and culture, sports and recreation, economy and business, transportation, and amenities and attractions.
The guide also includes testimonials from families who have recently relocated here or decided to stay and make Fort Worth home.

Beautiful color photographs and informative feature articles, plus pages of resource information on schools, hospitals, neighborhoods, banks and businesses will allow you to have all your Fort Worth information right at your fingertips.
Purchase one for only $6 (members) or $8 (non-members) at www.fortworthchamber.com/publications or call 817-336-2491 x 242.

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Ribbon Cuttings