FWCC - About the Chamber

FastTrac, a program designed to help small business owners streamline business processes, analyze strengths and shortcomings, and achieve more balance in their work and personal lives, is forming its next class which runs March 9-May 18. FastTrac is a cooperative program of the Fort Worth Chamber and the Tarrant County College Small Business Development Center.

The 10-session FastTrac program helps participants interact with a diverse group of business pros sharing ideas, strategies and successes. FastTrac helps business owners create a network of entrepreneurial peers and valuable mentor relationships. Upon completing the program, participants can prepare a strategic business and marketing plan for growth and possess the skills necessary to successfully handle business ventures.

FastTrac also gives graduates the financial management tools required to run a successful business. They can continue to access further business counseling and mentoring as necessary and FastTrac graduates can always repeat any course segment at no additional cost.

The class will develop research skills including:

Participants develop successful marketing campaigns by learning the most effective marketing tools for their businesses.

Scholarships are available. For more information on FastTrac, contact Lydia Hall at 817/336-2491, ext. 272 or Netty Matthews at ext. 250.

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Time sure flies when you’re having fun. We’ve all said that. But in this case, time has flown faster than a NASCAR race car around the Texas Motor Speedway (TMS) track.

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Speedway’s debut and what a wild ride it’s been. From the very beginning, Bruton Smith’s brainchild has been a huge success bringing Fort Worth fantastic publicity, thousands of visitors and billions of dollars in economic impact to the entire area. On General Manager Eddie Gossage’s watch, the TMS was reported to have had an economic impact – including construction and operation -- of more than $2 billion by 2004. And that was before the Speedway had obtained a second NASCAR Cup race.

That 2004 economic impact study, commissioned by area chambers of commerce and convention and visitors bureaus, confirmed what we already knew. The Texas Motor Speedway is a huge economic engine, not just for Fort Worth, but for the entire region. Along with our historic Stockyards, beautiful downtown, nationally-acclaimed zoo and our world-class museums, the Texas Motor Speedway truly makes Fort Worth an all-around tourist location. When you couple that with the national TV coverage it brings, the Speedway is priceless to Fort Worth.

Prior to the addition of the fall NASCAR Cup race, the Speedway was already bringing in close to one million spectators per year, with fully 60 percent of those being non-local visitors. The study projected that by 2008, a second race would boost attendance by approximately another 430,000 a year generating an additional $37.8 million in annual sales tax. Those visitors eat at local restaurants, stay in hotels and visit the other fabulous sites I’ve mentioned. That’s outside money flowing into Fort Worth and Tarrant County’s coffers.

On April 6, we’ll be hosting our annual Chamber Day at the Speedway. In recognition of the fact that the Texas Motor Speedway is a boon to the entire region, many area chambers of commerce are joining the Fort Worth Chamber to make it the Tarrant Area Chambers Day at the Speedway. As always there will be a luncheon at the spectacular Speedway Club and Eddie Gossage will have a NASCAR driver on hand to answer your questions about racing. After lunch, attendees are free to stay for that day’s time trials. I can’t think of a better way to show Bruton Smith, Eddie Gossage and all the folks who have made the Speedway such a success how grateful we are than to be on hand for that event.

Just over a decade ago, there was a lot of wide open space north of Fort Worth and a few folks who had a big dream – NASCAR racing in Fort Worth. Today, the reality of that dream is bigger than we ever could have hoped. Here’s wishing the Speedway a happy anniversary. It may be their anniversary, but North Texas continues to get the “many happy returns.”

The Fort Worth Chamber Nominating Committee has nominated 13 community and business leaders as incoming directors to serve a three-year term beginning April 1, 2006. These nominees’ terms will expire on March 31, 2009.
The following individuals have been nominated to fill the expiring terms of one-third of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce board of directors. The nominees are:

If there are no signed petitions received from at least 25 Fort Worth Chamber members within 10 days of publication of the March Chamberletter, the aforementioned nominees, as presented by the Nominating Committee, will be elected to the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

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Recap of Recent Economic Activity in Tarrant County
Sunrise Senior Living in McLean, Va. plans an assisted-living and Alzheimer's center on seven acres directly west of Harris Methodist Southwest and fronting Bryant Irvin Road. Building permits totaling $7.48 million in construction costs have been issued for the project. The project, 6151 Bryant Irvin Road, will consist of three buildings totaling 53,000 square feet of space. Star Telegram, Jan. 17

According to Presidio Hotel Group Management, the California-based group is expected to acquire The Fort Worth Plaza Hotel located at 1601 Commerce St. The group plans to renovate the two 12-story towers totaling 284,049 square feet. Fort Worth Business Press, Jan. 23

The last building on the historic former James E. Guinn campus at Rosedale and I-35, the home of the Fort Worth Business Assistance Center, will be renovated in the next three years, thanks to a September state appropriation of $3.1 million. Fort Worth Business Press, Jan. 9

Plans for a new 56,000-square-foot Southwest Regional Records Display Museum were presented for approval at the Jan. 31 Fort Worth City Council meeting. The proposed site for the U.S. National Archives’ Museum is a three-acre tract of land that lies between the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History and the Fort Worth Community Arts Center on Montgomery Street in the city’s Cultural District. Fort Worth Business Press, Jan. 30

Construction on Citizens National Bank broke ground sometime during February. The planned two-story bank building will be located in the 2700 block of W. Seventh St. Fort Worth Business Press, Jan. 30

Baskin-Robbins plans on opening one-hundred locations in the Metroplex with 30 to 40 in Tarrant County. Fort Worth Business Press, Jan. 30

Expansions and Moves
Advanced Gaskets and Supply, a manufacturer and distributor of gaskets, is moving to 3332-3336 Stuart Drive, where the company has bought an 8,000-square-foot industrial building. Star Telegram, Jan. 3

Under Construction
Atlanta-based Seefried Properties is building a 320,000-square-foot warehouse at 15990 Trinity Blvd. in its RiverPark development. JanPak, a supplier of janitorial supplies to the commercial industry, will lease 170,000 square feet of the $6.5 million building when it is completed in April, with the remaining 150,000 square feet available for lease. Star Telegram, Jan. 23

Renovation work on DFB Pharmaceutical's Coria Building at Hulen Street and Vickery Boulevard has been completed by Innovative Developers. The interior of the 22,000-square-foot, two-story structure was renovated and a vestibule and elevator were added. Parking was added, and a 12-foot stainless steel and glass sculpture will be installed in the spring. Star Telegram, Jan. 23

Fort Worth’s Kysor Panel Systems broke ground on its new 182,500-square-foot corporate campus on Jan. 27 at Mercantile Center Business Park. Fort Worth Business Press, 23

Hahnfeld Giordano Cocanower Residential Development and N3 Capital broke ground on the companies’ joint residential project, Chamberlain Heights, on Jan. 26. Chamberlain Heights, located at 4700 Dexter Ave., one block off of Camp Bowie Boulevard, will consist of 23 luxury town homes reminiscent of New York brownstone neighborhoods, according to project listing agent Tappan Bailey of Brants Realtors. Fort Worth Business Press, Jan. 23

Reeves Construction Services recently began construction on a 65,000-square-foot shopping center near Alliance Town Center in northern Fort Worth. Fort Worth Business Press, Jan. 16

Heritage Trace Plaza Shopping Center, which will be located at the northeast corner of Heritage Trace Parkway and North Riverside Drive, is positioned across the street from the Alliance Town Center, which is currently being developed by Hillwood Development. Fort Worth Business Press, Jan. 16

The Tarrant County Bar Foundation and the Tarrant County Bar Association began renovations of their offices at 1315 Calhoun St. in downtown Fort Worth during January. The interior of the facility will be demolished to make way for new offices, a boardroom, and conference facilities for local attorneys and associated groups. The Bar Association moved into temporary offices behind the building during construction. Fort Worth Business Press, Jan. 23

On the Dotted Line
Professional golfer Jim McLean, who operates a string of top-rated golf schools, purchased the former Academy at WaterChase School and the adjoining nine-hole practice facility on the north side of Interstate 30, near Eastchase Parkway in east Fort Worth. The name has changed to Jim McLean Golf School at WaterChase. Star Telegram, Jan. 16

Chisholm Development has purchased 254 acres near the southwest corner of Willow Springs Road and U.S. 287 for residential development. Chisholm will develop 180 half-acre lots at Willow Ridge Estates to sell to custom builders. Star Telegram, Jan. 16

The former Levitz Furniture store, 6913 Camp Bowie Blvd., was bought by Hearthstone Properties, an entity of Nationwide Auction Systems, a California-based auction company. Star Telegram, Jan. 3

Jamie Moreno has purchased 5 acres at 3101 S. Cravens Road and will use the land for storing and selling stone. Star Telegram, Jan. 3

Kraft Energy Systems, a provider of products and services to the prefabricated-concrete products industry, has leased 6,273 square feet of office space at 5450 Stratum Drive for its headquarters. Star Telegram, Jan. 3

SGD-121 FW, an investment group based in Omaha, Neb., bought the 47,690-square-foot industrial building leased by Federal Express, 109 N. Chandler Drive, in north Fort Worth from Conti Partners, the real-estate investment company of Bruce Conti. Star Telegram, Jan. 9

Mid South Engine has leased 15,000 square feet of industrial space in the Village Creek Industrial Park, 5035 Martin Luther King Freeway. Star Telegram, Jan. 9

Easy Access, an application software-solutions, consulting and Internet-services company, has leased 1,200 square feet of office space in Overton Centre Tower 2, off Hulen Street in southwest Fort Worth. Star Telegram, Jan. 9

Complete Maintenance has bought a 23,250-square-foot office and warehouse building on 1.1 acres at 5216 David Strickland Road. Star Telegram, Jan. 17

W.W. Partners has bought a 5.8-acre tract at 7000 John T. White Road for the development of single-family homes. Star Telegram, Jan. 17

JaGee Real Properties, which is amassing nearly 10 acres for a residential and retail project off West Seventh Street and University Drive called Museum Place purchased the one-story building that is leased by Chase Bank at Bailey Avenue and Sixth Street and the 4.69 acres the building sits on from The Bombay Co. Star Telegram, Jan. 23

Murphy Turner & Associates, a political consulting firm, has leased 1,134 square feet of office space in the 2001 Beach Street Building. Star Telegram, Jan. 23

Enterhost, a Fort Worth-based Web hosting company, signed a lease for nearly 20,000 square feet of office and datacenter space in the lower level of Burnett Plaza, making the company one of the largest co-location entities in the downtown area. The company will consolidate its offices, located on Camp Bowie Boulevard and in the International Building. Fort Worth Business Press, Jan. 23

Blue Star Title Inc. announced a corporate name change to Sendera Title Inc., effective Jan. 2. Fort Worth Business Press, Jan. 9

Cox Lancaster Venture in Dallas purchased the former Stripling & Cox department store at 3616 E. Lancaster Ave. Star Telegram, Jan. 30

Interface Security Systems, a provider of custom security services and solutions, has leased 8,847 square feet of industrial space at 14500 Trinity Blvd. Star Telegram, Jan. 30

Summit HMR, a medical-billing company, has purchased a 24,000-square-foot building at 4916 Overton Plaza, a former State Farm Insurance Co. claim center. Summit HMR will move from the Park Gardens office building near Interstate 30 and Forest Park Boulevard to the new location in March. Star Telegram, Jan. 30

Openings
Houston-based Hospitality USA Management Group has opened its third Metroplex location of 221B Baker St. Pub & Grill at 6333 Camp Bowie Blvd., in The Village at Camp Bowie shopping center. Baker St. is a British-themed pub, offering a full menu and bar, state-of-the-art audio and video systems, complimentary wireless Internet access, live music nightly and traditional games of skill such as billiards and steel-tip darts. Star Telegram, Jan. 3

The Fort Worth Independent School District recently completed construction on the district’s first Future Farmers of America Center. The center, located at 1855 North Las Vegas Trail in Fort Worth, is a 9,900-square-foot facility for livestock. The 10-acre site will be the headquarters for the local school district’s FFA program. Fort Worth Business Press, Jan. 23

Fort Worth veterinarian Steve Hotchkiss now has a complete animal-care center near his Hulen Hills Animal Hospital on Hulen Street south of Interstate 30. It now includes the Grand Pet Resort and Spa, luxury accommodations for cats and dogs. The $1.4 million building includes flat-panel televisions, Web cams, granite window sills and rooms with a view of the bone-shaped pool. Star Telegram, Jan. 30

Around Town
Last year’s overall grounds attendance for the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo totaled 941,100 and included patrons from the United States and 94 foreign countries, according to show records. Based on last year’s numbers, estimates are that the economic impact of this year’s livestock show and rodeo at more than $100,000 million. Fort Worth Business Press, Jan. 9

Out of Town Reporting
City officials are close to signing off on nearly $22 million in incentives to help renovate Fort Worth Town Center. Developers plan to spend $42 million to renovate the mall. The Post Standard, Syracuse, New York, Jan. 1

Did You Know?
Ben E. Keith Company, a foodservice distributor based in Fort Worth, will celebrate its 100-year anniversary this year. Fort Worth Business Press, Jan. 9

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

Bell Helicopter Textron Inc. lives by the slogan “Fly Smart, Fly Bell.” Michael Redenbaugh, chief executive officer of the company, will speak at a special Business Forum breakfast and share his vision for the company’s future. The breakfast is presented by Weaver & Tidwell, LLP. Media sponsor is the Fort Worth Business Press.

Bell Helicopter is a leader in the global helicopter industry and the pioneer of tiltrotor aircraft. Bell recently won the contract to build the VXX also known as Marine One -- the next-generation presidential helicopter -- in collaboration with Lockheed and Italy’s AgustaWestland.

Platinum sponsors for the event is Lockheed Martin Aeronautics. Silver sponsors are Charles Tandy American Enterprise Center and Wells Fargo. Bronze sponsors include: Advantage Rent-A-Car; North Texas Specialty Physicians; Pro Staff Personnel Services; The Trane Company; and TUSA Office Solutions.

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Leads Groups are comprised of no more than 30 individuals with each one representing a different industry. They meet weekly and generate a lot of 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 make sure 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.

Leads Group Coordinator: Diana Dugan, (817) 336-2491, ext. 258, dugan@fortworthchamber.com.

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Congratulations to Debbie Jansen as Action Ambassador of the month for both November and December 2005. The accomplishment is all the more impressive as Jansen has only been an ambassador since November. Jansen is a solution specialist with Reprographics Fort Worth, Inc.

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.

Sign up for the Fort Worth Chamber’s 16th annual Labor and Employment Law Update presented by the law firm of Haynes & Boone LLP. As in years past, the daylong seminar will address the current issues and trends affecting the workplace. The seminar will include a continental breakfast and lunch with attorneys as well as time for networking.

Practical information presented by industry experts will benefit business owners, in-house counsel, benefits managers, personnel/human resource managers and risk managers. CPE credit is available: CLE, PHR and SPHR are pending approval.

Registration Deadline: Tuesday, March 28. Register online or with Jeanean Herod at 817/336-2491, ext. 275 or jherod@fortworthchamber.com.

Best-selling author and expert on economic and financial affairs Frank Cappiello has made a living helping other people bring home the bacon. As the author of “Finding the Next Superstock,” he sets forth a blueprint for finding the Wal-Marts and MicroSofts of the future. But he is perhaps best known to television viewers as a regular panelist of the PBS series, “Wall $treet Week with Louis Rukeyser.”

Cappiello, currently chairman and managing director of Montgomery Brothers, Cappiello, LLC, will be the featured speaker at a special membership breakfast hosted by the East Area Council and presented by Wells Fargo. Cappiello's appearance is made available compliments of BizRadio. Gold sponsor is Advantage Rent-A-Car.

Cappiello is widely recognized as one of the country’s leading financial analysts as well as an expert on the national economy and a noted authority on investments. During his stint on “Wall $treet Week,” Cappiello was seen weekly on 250 stations with a viewing audience of nearly 3 million people. A panelist for 32 years, he was on the first show in November 1970 and the last in March 2002. He was a regular on Rukeyser’s next show, “Louis Rukeyser’s Wall Street” and he has been a frequent guest on ABC’s “Good Morning, America” as well as CNN’s “Money Line,” and on CNBC. He is also a regular participant on Business Talk Radio’s “The American Scene with Steve Crowley.”

Cappiello has written three books in addition to “Superstock,” including “From Main Street to Wall Street” and “Finding Value in Today’s Stock Market.”

His background in economics is extensive: formerly the chief investment officer for an insurance holding officer and research director of a major stock brokerage firm. For more than 20 years, he was past president of McCullough, Andrews & Cappiello, Inc., an investment advisory firm.

To register for this special breakfast event, go to www.fortworthchamber.com or with Pennie Blossom at pblossom@fortworthchamber.com or 817/336-2491, ext. 267.

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By Bill Chamblee and Jeff Ryan

In his recent State of the Union address and in speeches throughout the country, President Bush has reiterated his steadfast commitment to the war in Iraq. Since Sept. 11, 2001, the government has estimated as many as 530,000 members of the military have been mobilized in places such as Afghanistan and Iraq. Many of the men and women serving our country overseas in the national guard and reserves left civilian jobs when they were called to duty.

Military analysts predict the troop level will decrease noticeably in the coming year and with 130,000 troops currently deployed in Iraq, such a decrease will be a welcome sign. With the prospects of more troops coming home in the coming year, it is a wise time for businesses to familiarize themselves with their responsibilities and the duties they owe to employees returning from military duty.

The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) protects the job rights of individuals who voluntarily or involuntarily leave employment positions to undertake military service. USERRA provides that a member of the uniformed services shall not be denied reemployment on the basis of service membership. It is important to keep in mind that USERRA applies to all employers. Small businesses are not exempt.

There are three basic criteria that must be met for an employee returning from military service to be afforded the protections of the act:

1) Prior to the leave, the employee must notify the employer of the required military service;
2) The cumulative length of the employee’s absence may not exceed five years;
3) The employee must submit an application for reemployment to the employer.

As with most statutes, there are numerous exceptions and qualifications that are spelled out in detail in the statute. For example, there are specifications on the timeframe in which an employee must reapply and the employee must have been released on honorable conditions.

Perhaps the most important principle of USERRA is the requirement that a service member who returns from duty be reemployed in an “escalator position.” The employer must allow an employee to step back into the position the employee would have occupied had he or she remained employed continuously during the time they were on military leave.

Such an “escalator provision” has a profound impact on businesses when it comes to determining a returning employee’s proper pay scale, seniority, health benefits, pension/IRA benefits, etc. The Department of Labor recently published final regulations implementing the provisions of USERRA. These new guidelines which went into effect Jan. 18 of this year provide a very detailed analysis of the requirements in an easy to read question and answer format.

There are certainly circumstances where complying with the requirements of USERRA may seem overly burdensome to small businesses. Businesses would be wise to plan early for the possible need to reemploy service men and women who left to fulfill their military duty. While making such accommodations may seem difficult, it is helpful to remember what the courts have readily recognized -- that such legislation is to be “liberally construed for the benefit of those who left private life to serve their country in its hour of great need.”

By familiarizing themselves with the requirements of USERRA and preparing to apply these provisions to employees returning from military service, businesses can take the lead in showing how we support our troops.

Bill Chamblee & Jeff Ryan are partners with the law firm of Chamblee & Ryan. Chamblee & Ryan is a firm dedicated to representing businesses throughout Texas.

Rising Star Winners Chosen

After receiving 121 nominations for the 2006 Small Business of the Year “Rising Star” Awards which were whittled down to 34 applications and 15 finalists, the winners have been chosen. The awards will be announced this month at a luncheon presented by Citizens National Bank and media sponsor Fort Worth Business Press.

Guest speaker for the event will be Daniel G. Short, dean of the M.J. Neeley School of Business at TCU, which was named one of the nation’s most outstanding business schools by The Princeton Review and was ranked #2 in Best Campus Facilities and #9 for the Greatest Opportunity for Women. Prior to joining TCU’s Neeley School of Business, Short was dean of the Richard T. Farmer School of Business, Miami University and dean/professor at Kansas State University.

Finalists for the Small Business of the Year Awards, presented in five categories, include:

Emerging Business:
Advanced Chemical Logistics, Ltd.
Business Flooring Specialists
Keller Williams Realty – Fort Worth

1-10 Employees:
American Metal Services
Buzz Fence Services, LLC
Skyline DFW Exhibits & Graphics

11-50 Employees:
Concussion Advertising, LLC
Fort Worth Electric
Pulliam Pools

51-100 Employees:
The Fort Worth Club and Tower
Painless Performance Products
Southwest Office Systems

101-250 Employees:
Empire Roofing, Ltd.
May Advertising International, Ltd.
Worth National Bank

Platinum sponsors for the event are Raymond James & Associates, Inc. and the Neeley Entrepreneurial Program – TCU.

Gold sponsors include: Advantage Rent-A-Car, Charter Communications, Lockheed Martin, Sam’s Club, and Weaver & Tidwell, LLP.

Silver sponsors include: 95.9 The Ranch, hireMAX; Office Depot and ProStaff Personnel Services. Supporting sponsor is Rountree Advertising + Marketing, Inc.

Register online for the luncheon at www.fortworthchamber.com/calendar of events or with Jeanean Herod at jherod@fortworthchamber.com or 817/336-2491, ext. 275.

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