Chamber newsletter distributed
through the Fort Worth Star-Telegram the first
Tuesday of each month to approximately 120,000
subscribers as well as the entire membership.
Latest Edition - December 2003
From the President
Like the old Vaudeville line, I've got some good news for you and I've got some bad news. The good news is that the Fort Worth Chamber's Economic Development Department is now in the midst of its fourth Controlling Our Destiny (COD) campaign. It began last month and will run through the end of July 2004. The bad news, I'll get to in a moment.
COD is a Chamber economic development initiative intended to raise the necessary funds to support our efforts to promote Fort Worth nationally and internationally. This marketing activity is designed to fuel the continuation of the economic growth and diversification that Fort Worth has enjoyed over the past 15 years. In plain terms, COD represents more than 100 local businesses and organizations contributing their hard-earned dollars to help ensure Fort Worth's continued economic growth.
COD began in 1989 and since then, just over 1,000 significant business locations or expansions creating over 230,000 jobs have diversified Fort Worth's economic base. Today, Fort Worth's economy measures up as one of the strongest in Texas and the U.S. That's quite a turnaround from the early 1990s when reduction of defense spending and the closing of Carswell Air Force Base jeopardized the future of our local economy. Now, Fort Worth is recognized as a hot spot for market growth, job growth, investment and living. COD funds directly enable us to work to retain and expand Fort Worth companies as well as attract new ones to the area.
COD's success since its inception stems directly from a variety of alliances forged with partners - public and private - with whom we share common interests and goals. Some of the successes include keeping Pier 1 Imports and RadioShack in downtown Fort Worth, the investment in major new corporate facilities in Fort Worth by Bank One and Motorola and a partnership with Lockheed Martin and Bell Helicopter maximizing international opportunities for these longstanding employment giants.
Again it is time for us to reach out to our current COD investors as well as others in the community to ask for financial support in our continuing campaign to keep Fort Worth prosperous and growing. I hope you will choose to be a part of COD. The program is well named; through it, we do control Fort Worth's economic destiny.
Now for the bad news. The Fort Worth Chamber staff is losing a valued member. Bob Farley, our executive vice president of economic development, has been named President and CEO of Team NEO (Northeast Ohio), an economic development organization based in Breckville, Ohio. I cannot express my disappointment in his departure strongly enough, but when you have someone of Bob's caliber, you must expect others to recognize his outstanding qualities as well. It is a professional opportunity he simply could not refuse and the entire Chamber staff wishes him the best.
In the interim, we are fortunate to have seasoned economic development pros in key positions, which will allow us to keep our focus.
SBOY Nominees
Record Number of Nominees for SBOY Awards
Normally, the cover story of the December Chamberletter features the Fort Worth Chamber's Small Business of the Year (SBOY) winners. The next awards ceremony will be held March 26, 2004 are sponsored by Citizens National Bank and KBK Financial.
The nominees for the next round of SBOY awards have been received and are listed below. Once nominated, businesses wishing to be considered must complete an application form and submit to judging. That judging will be completed this month and finalists will be announced in the January Chamberletter. A reception honoring the finalists will be held in January. Judging groups were made up of professionals from finance, consulting, human resources, public relations, and customer service as well as past winners.
- What: Small Business of the Year Finalists Reception
- When: Tuesday, Jan. 27, 5-7 p.m.
- Where: The Fort Worth Club, Horizon and Trinity Rooms, 12th floor, 306 West Seventh St.
"This reception will honor the 15 finalists, three from each of the five categories," said Lydia Hall-Benson, director of business services for the Fort Worth Chamber. "Each finalist will have a table and the opportunity to set up a tabletop display. The event will be a cross between a Business After Hours and a small trade show."
The five categories include:
- Emerging Business (in business less than three years)
- 1-10 employees
- 11-50 employees
- 51-100 employees
- 101-250 employees
In February, the Small Business Council Breakfast will feature a "best practices" panel discussion featuring SBOY finalists also. Following is the list of all the small businesses nominated this year.
AA Laser Recharge
Advance Petroleum
Adventures in Advertising/Promotions Etc.
Affairs Afloat Balloon Decorations Both Fun & Fancy
Artisan Works Group
Atys US, Inc.
Austin Bridge & Road/ An Austin Industries Co
BAE Systems
Big Rock Land & Exploration
Bistro Louise
Branch-Smith Printing Division
Bullseye Balloon Promotions
Bunge Foods
Business Advisers, Inc.
Cafe Aspen
Catered For You
Chemical Lime Company
Ci Host, Inc.
Cockrell Printing Company
Color-Box DFW
Comport Network Services & Solutions
Computerland Texas
Comresco Capital LLC
Contract Consultants Inc.
Cornerstone Security & Investigations
Cowtown Insurance Service
Creative Communications
D. K. Haney Construction
Dale Berkebile Illustration Design
Daydots International, Inc.
Denitech Fort Worth, Inc.
Diamond H Recognition
Dreamers Candles, Ltd.
DRH Training & Consulting
Duncan Disposal
Ed Parker Inc.
Elaine Stoltz Image Consultants
Empire Disposal, Inc.
Empire Roofing, Inc.
Estes Financial Service
ETC Group, Inc.
Expanco, Inc.
Eyes Nouveau
Falcon Steel
Firefighter Sprint Moving
First Choice Power
Flagship Car Wash & Lube
Focal Point Solutions
Fort Worth Cats Baseball Club
Freese and Nichols, Inc.
Galderma Laboratories, L.P.
Gilbert Companies
Global Group, Inc.
Gordon Boswell Flowers, Inc.
Green Bay Packaging, Inc. of Fort Worth
Grounds for Play
Hahnfeld Hoffer Stanford Architects
Hayes & Stolz Industrial Manufacturing
Health Insurance 4-u
Hidalgo Industrial Services
Higginbotham & Associates Inc
Humphrey & Associates
Imagetek Office Systems
J & D, Inc.
Joe T. Garcia's Restaurant
KRM Capital
Lantana Communications
Lee Angle Photography, Inc.
Letterpress Graphics Inc
Lone Star Scooters
Madhouse
Marketing Management, Inc.
Maze Sign & Distributing Co.
McKinney Commercial Real Estate
Mesco Metal Buildings
Mimi's Cafe
Mother Parkers Tea & Coffee USA, Ltd.
Neoris
Next Step Consulting
On Time Business Solutions LLC
On Time Texas
Paige Hendricks Public Relations, Inc.
Pepper-L Specialties
Perfect Touch Therapeutic Massage, LLP
PharmChem, Inc.
Photo Etch
Pioneer Packaging & Media Services
PIP Printing #1077
Planet Zolon
PolyOne Corp.
Printing Plus/Inkwell Graphics
Project Partners
PVI Industries, LLC
Quicksilver Resources, Inc.
Range Online Media, Inc.
Reasons Group, Inc.
Rebecca Low Sculptural Metal Gallery & Studio
Results! Project Management
Revcor Molded Products
Ridglea Office Partners
Roto Rooter Plumbing Service
Samaritan House
Santech Industries Inc.
Saxon Mortgage Services, Inc.
Sentry Aircraft Cylinders, Inc
SkiHi Enterprises, Ltd.
Smiley's Studio
Something Borrowed Something Blue
Southwest Office Systems, Inc
Southwestern ColorGraphics
Spirit Aviation Services, LLC
SPM Flow Control, Inc.
Standard Transmission and Gear Co.
Steele & Freeman, Inc.
Steinbrecher and Associates, Inc.
Tape Innovations, LLC
Teague Nall & Perkins, Inc.
Tech Data
Tension Envelope Corporation
Teresa's Treasures
The Barr Printing
The Fort Worth Club & Tower
The Fulcrum Group
The Hill Company
The Insource Group
The Leaders Institute
The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro
The Rogers Group: Advertising
The Strickland Group
The Work Group Advertising/ Design
Thomas Electronics
Thomas Group
Thos. S. Byrne, Ltd.
ThyssenKrupp Airport Systems, Inc.
Total Spectrum
Tri-Hawk Productions
Triangle Machine & Mfg. Co. Inc.
Trinity Coatings Company
TRIPAC Automotive Components
TriQuest Technologies, Inc.
VirbacCorporation
We Care Nannies & Companions
Williams Trew Real Estate Services
Winston Services, Inc.
XO Communications
Zeig Electric, Inc.
Recap
of Recent Economic Activities in Tarrant County
Expansions and Moves
Fort Worth advertising agency GCG has started a healthcare division to provide advertising, design, and public relations services to pharmaceutical and health care clients.
Fort Worth Business Press, September 12-18
Kite's Custom Cleaners has opened a third location in Fort Worth. The new 22,000-square-foot store is located at 3225 Alta Mere Drive and will also serve as the company's operations center. The opening coincided with the company's 45th anniversary.
Fort Worth Business Press, September 26-October 2
Moncrief Cancer Center opened its newest facility at 5801 Oakbend Trail, next to the Baylor All Saints Cityview hospital. Also on site is the new Moncrief PET/CT Imaging Center.
Fort Worth Business Press, August 29-September 4
Café Aspen opened a 4,000-square-foot, 126 seat outdoor courtyard behind the Camp Bowie restaurant.
Fort Worth Business Press, September 19-25
The Café at Daired's, located inside Daired's Salon and Spa Pangea, has opened to serve dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings.
Fort Worth Business Press, September 19-25
New in Town
Newview Technologies Inc., a provider of direct material and supply management solutions, has moved its corporate headquarters from New York to Fort Worth. The company is located at 109 East Third Street.
Fort Worth Business Press, September 12-18
Franklin Development is developing its first senior living community in Fort Worth at 6301 Overton Ridge Boulevard. Franklin Park at City View will be a $12-million project with 203 units for people 55 years and older. It should be ready for occupancy in spring of 2004.
Fort Worth Business Press, August 29-September 4
Under Construction
Anchor Fabrication, a full-service metal fabrication company at 1200 Lawson Road, has broken ground on a 30,600 square-foot addition to its plant to make room for new state-of-the-art equipment.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, September 15
TCU Athletics director, Eric Hyman, announced that construction on a 22,000 square-foot basketball practice complex is underway. The $6-million project will stand southwest of Daniel-Meyer Coliseum on the grounds formerly used as the baseball field.
Fort Worth Business Press, August 29-September 4
Fort Worth custom homebuilder Kelly Beal is building a 60-foot tall pyramid shaped house for an owner in Justin. The structure will utilize 180,000 pounds of steel framing.
Fort Worth Business Press, September 12-18
On the Dotted Line
Consolidated Electrical Distributors Inc. leased 15,700 square feet at 3209 Alta Mere Drive.
Fort Worth Business Press, September 19-25
Phillips Packaging Inc., a collectibles retailer, has leased 770 square feet at 916 Roberts Cut-Off Road.
Fort Worth Business Press, September 19-25
Positive Influences, a provider of mental health counseling for children and adults, has leased 754 square feet in Water Gardens Place at 100 East 15th Street.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, September 29
Yum Brands, a restaurant franchise company, has a ground lease for 35,000 square feet at Beach Street and Western Center Boulevard, where it plans a combined A & W and Long John Silver's restaurant.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, September 29
DMJMH+N, an aviation and government service provider has leased 10,889 square feet at the Summit Office Park. Turner Collie & Braden, Inc., an engineering and planning firm has renewed its 15,205-square foot lease there.
Fort Worth Business Press, September 12-18
Simply Fashions has leased 3,000 square feet at Meadowbrook East Shopping Center, 6601 Meadowbrook Drive.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, September 29
Two new tenants have signed leases for the Shops at Ridgmar shopping center at 6949 Green Oaks Road. KNM Nails, a nail and facial salon has leased 2,000 square feet, and Pho's Little Saigon, which specializes in Vietnamese food, has also leased 2,000 square feet.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, September 15
B&B Learning Center has leased a 10,000 square foot day-care facility at 8221 Ederville Road.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, September 8
Humana Health Plan of Texas has leased 3,145 square feet, and Volt Information Sciences, a New York-based staffing service firm, has leased 1,697 square feet at Summit Office Park.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, September 8
Jim Ryffel has purchased the 12,095 square-foot Bright Horizons day-care center in the Fossil Creek Business Park. Bright Horizons has leased the building through 2008.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, September 8
Ronald P. Berlin of Berlin Interests bought a 9,140 square-foot building at 4017 Camp Bowie Boulevard. He has purchased and re-developed older properties in Dallas and hopes to re-create the same success in the cultural district of Fort Worth.
Fort Worth Business Press, September 26-October 2
Future Plans
KFWR/95.9FM "The Ranch" is planning to open a Fort Worth studio in the nearly 100-year-old Jett Building, at Fourth and Main Streets, in downtown Fort Worth's Sundance Square. Passers-by will be able to see deejays working in the studio while they are on the air.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, September 29
Re-development of the Montgomery Ward site could begin as early as this year, according to developer John Weber of Weber & Co. He said the retail phase of the project could be completed as early as July 2005, and the residential portion could be finished by July 2006.
Fort Worth Business Press, September 26-October 2
Global IEC Avionics plans to break ground on a major expansion that will involve building a 95,000 square-foot combination hanger and office at Fort Worth Meacham International Airport. The move could add up to 100 employees. That project will be followed by another project, similar in size that could employ as many as 400 workers.
Fort Worth Business Press, September 5-11
Fort Worth Meacham International Airport unveiled a master plan for the future. Recommendations from aviation consultants included a new tower, new aircraft hangars, the closing of a runway, improvements to other runways and an expansion that may involve the purchase of land to the south.
Fort Worth Business Press, September 5-11
Top Ten
The Houston Chronicle listed Tarrant County (Fort Worth) as one of the top 10 destinations for the nearly 500,000 residents who moved out of Harris County between the Census years of 1995 and 2000.
The Houston Chronicle, September 23
American Eagle, an arm of Fort Worth-based AMR Corp. that flies smaller planes to American Airlines' hubs, has grown to become the nation's biggest regional carrier. This year it broke into the airline industry's top 10, as measured by number of passengers.
The Dallas Morning News, September 16
Quality of Life
Fort Worth Art Dealers Association presented its 25th annual Fall Gallery Night on September 13. The event seeks to showcase not only the landmarks of artistic expression-the major Cultural District museums and selected collegiate venues-but also the out-of-the-way galleries and antique shops.
Fort Worth Business Press, September 12-18
Zestfest, sponsored by Fort Worth-based Chile Pepper magazine, was held September 27-28 at Will Rogers Center. The festival featured numerous vendors selling their trademark versions of salsas, nuts, salad dressings, dried fruit chips, and barbecue sauces.
Fort Worth Star Telegram, September 29
The inaugural Jazz by the Boulevard festival took place September 19-20 on the lawn of Will Rogers Memorial Center. Historic Camp Bowie Inc. created the festival to promote Fort Worth's cultural legacy, and to serve as a fund-raiser for preservation and beautification projects in the Camp Bowie district.
www.nbc5i.com
Data provided by Strategic Insight Group,
Intelligence Research Partner of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce
Dateline: Fort Worth...
Plenteous Pulchritude Abounds in Fort Worth
According to the November issue of Men's Health magazine, Fort Worth ranks number two in the nation for the most beautiful women per capita. As noted in an article in the Star-Telegram, Dallas made the list two spots below Fort Worth coming in at number four.
"Men's Health, which compiled the list as part of a 'Best and Worst Cities for Men' survey in its November issue, arrived at these vital statistics through an unusual methodology," noted the Star-Telegram. "It compiled the names of Playboy Playmates of the Year and winners of Miss America and Miss USA contests, over the past 23 years. From the 60 cities these women hailed from, the beautiful-women category was pared down based on winners per female as well as anecdotal evidence that relates to the survey objective."
"Over and over, we heard about one spot: 8.0 Restaurant & Bar. Go on a Thursday night, when there's live music. Or look for openings at the Kimbell Art Museum. '[Those] always bring out beautiful women,' says the owner of a local modeling agency. Something you didn't know about Fort Worth, Texas: The women are amazing," noted the Men's Health article.
"'We know that in particular, a lot of beautiful women in Fort Worth attend the art openings at the Kimbell Museum, so we are talking about women who are most likely very cultured in addition to being attractive, and that is something all guys should consider a plus,' says Matt Marion, health editor at Men's Health.
Fort Worth is clearly not just where the West begins, but also where a certain ideal of Western beauty has its roots."
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
October 2003 Men's Health,
November 2003
BRAC
Community Braces, Prepares for Next BRAC
"This base review process is my top priority right now, and I look forward to working with the Fort Worth BRAC Strategy Task Force. Having been through this as mayor, I doubt that anyone could take this process any more seriously."
Congresswoman Kay Granger |
|
Who can forget what the west side of Fort Worth looked like in the mid-90s? A palpable pall was cast over the area when Carswell Air Force Base shut down as part of the 1992 round of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) by the U.S. government. Businesses closed. Residents lost jobs. Residential for sales signs sprouted like toadstools after a rain.
But there was sunshine after the storm. Carswell was realigned into the Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base (NAS JRB) and is now a model of success as a base for joint operations and training of all service branches. But another round of BRAC looms.
In 2002, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld proposed, and the U.S. Congress approved, moving forward with plans to close approximately 25 percent of U.S. stateside military installations in 2005. "The secretary (of Defense) has always said he thinks there is 25 percent excess capacity," according to William Ehrie, chairman of the Texas Military Preparedness Commission quoted in the Star-Telegram. "Do the math and it's about 100 (bases)." Texas is home to 18 of those installations. The Secretary of Defense must submit a list of bases to close by May 16, 2005, which then goes to the president. If it is accepted, the closures would become law in 45 days.
The 1992 closing of Carswell stunned the community. And area stakeholders in the success of NAS JRB are meeting the challenge of the next BRAC head on. In August, the Fort Worth Chamber convened a BRAC task force to work proactively to ensure that not only does NAS JRB survive the next BRAC closings, but also increase the base's military value and economic impact on the area.
"The Chamber, working closely with U.S. Representative Kay Granger, convened this community-based task BRAC task force comprised of government and business leaders, key military support groups and experts in the base realignment and closure process to proactively address BRAC-related issues and Department of Defense decisions that will have an impact on the future of NAS JRB and the entire North Texas area," said Tim Keleher, vice president of government and urban affairs for the Fort Worth Chamber. "We are facilitators. We have been successful in bringing the stakeholders together to deal with this critical issue. Now, we must highlight the value of the base to the local community and to the national defense community."
According to the task force chair Albon Head, they have two goals - avoid base closure and encourage the assignment of additional missions to the base. "Carswell got closed in the first round of BRAC," Head told a General Area Council luncheon last month. "We want to start now to make sure that NAS JRB meets or exceeds the Pentagon's criteria this time."
Although the criteria have not yet been announced, economic impact to the surrounding community will probably not be a high priority to the DOD. Conventional wisdom holds that the more activities a base performs, the less likely it is to be closed. A Los Angeles Times article noted that the bases that survive BRAC will be those that house more than one branch of the service, are command posts or are home to Reserve and National Guard units. NAS JRB meets those criteria.
"We think the smallest and the largest military installations are the most at-risk," says Keleher. "NAS JRB is a medium-sized base and therefore, well-positioned. But no one is taking the situation for granted."
Community and government leaders across the state are taking BRAC very seriously. Virtually every community with a military installation nearby has formed similar task forces. For Congresswoman Granger, who was Fort Worth's mayor when Carswell was shuttered, BRAC is on her front burner.
"This base review process is my top priority right now, and I look forward to working with the Fort Worth BRAC Strategy Task Force," she said. "Having been through this as mayor, I doubt that anyone could take this process any more seriously. The thing that we all have to remember in this process is that we are talking about realignment and closure and frankly, NAS JRB is the model for realignment to the nation. And now I'll fight like heck to protect that model."
At the area council luncheon, NAS JRB Commanding Officer Paul Paine noted that the base should be viewed as a benchmark for future joint military installations because it eliminates redundancies and enhances efficiencies saving on infrastructure and operating costs.
In anticipation of BRAC, the Chamber advocated the passage of Proposition 20 in September's election. The proposition, which provides $250 million for loans to defense-related communities for economic development projects that enhance a base's military value, was passed. Now, says Keleher, that money is available for such projects.
In addition to that funding, however, the BRAC task force will be attempting to raise funds to engage consultants both here and in Washington D.C. to help ensure that NAS JRB emerges from BRAC stronger and more essential to the national defense than before.
According to Ehrie, "Everything will be scrutinized. No base is immune to the process."
BRAC committee
BRAC Strategy Task Force
Albon Head,
Chairman
Fort Worth Chamber Governmental Affairs Committee
Jackson Walker, L.L.P.
Cathy Batky,
Assistant Vice President
Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Company
Ronald R. Blanck, D.O.,
Lt. General, U.S. Army (Retired)
President, University of North Texas Health Science Center
Bob Bolen,
Senior Advisor to the Chancellor, Texas Christian University
Bill Ceverha,
Texas Military Preparedness Commission Member
Jack Chain,
General, United States Air Force (Retired)
Leland Clemons,
Executive Director, Westworth Redevelopment Authority
Jim Crites,
Executive Vice President Operations
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport
Vince Cruz,
Law Firm of Vince Cruz, Jr.
Ken Devero,
President, Downtown Fort Worth, Inc.
Eric Fox,
Senior Director, Governmental Relations
Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company
Carl Harris,
Director Public Affairs & Customer Communications
Bell Helicopter - Textron, Inc.
Allan Howeth,
Cantey & Hanger
Tim Keleher
Vice President Governmental & Urban Affairs, Fort Worth Chamber
Ed McLaughlin
Linda Morgan,
Fort Worth Economic Development Director
Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce
John Murphey,
Chairman Emeritus
Bell Helicopter -Textron, Inc.
Chuck Osmon,
Assistant Vice President Commercial Lending/Leasing
TexasBank
Pete Rose,
Williams Mullen Strategies
Terry Ryan,
Senior Advisor, TexasBank-Fort Worth Downtown
Vernell Sturns,
Intergovernmental Consultant, Montgomery Watson Harza
Bill Thornton,
President & CEO, Fort Worth Chamber
James Toal,
President/CEO, Gideon Toal, Inc.
Tim Ward,
President, Alliance Air and Aviation Services
Max Spillar,
Acting Chairman, Fort Worth Airpower Council
Richard Walker,
President, Air Force Association Fort Worth Chapter #272
Lyle Oelfke/Steve Brown
Co-Chairmen, Fort Worth Area Civic leaders
Bob Bythewood,
President, Fort Worth Navy League
Chet McKeen,
Major General, U.S. Army (Retired)
Joe Barton,
United States Representative
Michael C. Burgess,
United States Representative
Martin Frost,
United States Representative
Kay Granger,
United States Representative
Kim Brimer,
Texas Senate
Jane Nelson,
Texas Senate
Charlie Geren,
Texas House of Representatives
Anna Mowery,
Texas House of Representatives
Mayors' Designees:
* City of Fort Worth
* Lake Worth
* River Oaks
* Sansom Park
* White Settlement
* Westworth Village
Brandon Aghamalian,
Director Intergovernmental Affairs
Assistant to City Manager, City of Fort Worth
Reid Rector,
Assistant City Manager, City of Fort Worth
Gene Brooks
City of Lake Worth
Exhibits Manager, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company
Wayne Butler,
City of River Oaks
Jim Parnell,
City Administrator, City of Westworth Village.
Buy Local Trade Show
It's a Whole New Season: Tarrant Chambers Teaming for Success
For 2003, the Fort Worth Chamber has fielded a whole new team for its annual trade show. No longer Tradefest, the Fort Worth Chamber is teaming with 16 chambers from all over Tarrant County and fielding a new event - the Tarrant Chambers Buy Local Trade Show - designed to let exhibitors meet hundreds of potential customers from across the county in just one evening. It will be an action packed evening of booth browsing, food tasting and silent auction shopping - your chance to see businesses from all across Tarrant County.
- What: Tarrant Chambers Buy Local Trade Show 2003
- When: Thursday, Nov. 13, 4-8 p.m.
- Where: Will Rogers Memorial Center - Exhibits Hall, 3400 Burnett-Tandy Drive
- Participating chambers include:
Arlington, Benbrook Area, Burleson Area, Colleyville Area, Crowley Area, East Parker County, Fort Worth, Fort Worth Hispanic, Fort Worth Metropolitan Black, Mansfield, Roanoke/Trophy Club/Westlake, Saginaw Area, Southlake, South Tarrant, Northeast Tarrant, Weatherford and White Settlement Area Chambers.
As many as 2,000 attendees are expected for this new and improved trade show which will feature complimentary food and beverages, a cash bar and one of the most popular silent auctions in Fort Worth. Among the items up for auction this year are Pier 1 Imports gift items, tickets to the PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl from Cap Rock Winery, dinner at La Piazza, a weekend stay at the Courtyard by Marriott on University, a one-night stay at the Ramada Plaza-Convention Center, gift certificates for Central Market cooking classes, a family package to the PlainsCapital Fort Worth Bowl, a Van Cliburn Concerts package including four tickets, two valet parking passes and two green room passes donated by JPMorgan Chase, one year memberships to Ladies Express Workout, dinner at H3 Ranch, and a $100 savings bond from OmniAmerican Credit Union. For more information on the Tarrant Area Buy Local Trade Show, go to www.fortworthchamber.com.
Upcoming Events...
House Speaker Craddick To Talk Politics
 |
| Speaker of the House Tom Craddick |
Texas Speaker of the House Tom Craddick is the first Republican to hold that position in 130 years. At only 25, Craddick made his first run for the Texas House despite discouragement from his father, R. F. Craddick, a Midland businessman and Democratic precinct chairman. "Texas is run by Democrats, son; you can't win." The younger Craddick proved his father wrong.
Speaker of the House Tom Craddick will address the Fort Worth Chamber's Leaders in Government Series held in partnership with the Petroleum Club and sponsored by Kelly, Hart & Hallman, TXU and Wells Fargo.
- What: Leaders in Government Series featuring Texas Speaker of the House Tom Craddick
- When: Monday, Nov. 17, noon-1:30 p.m.
- Where: The Petroleum Club Wildcatter Room, 777 Main St., 39th floor
- Cost: $15 for Chamber members; $30 for non-members.
As presiding officer of the House of Representatives, Craddick maintains order during floor debate, recognizing legislators who wish to speak and ruling on procedural matters - a task made more interesting during recent special sessions. The constitution also requires the speaker to sign all bills and joint resolutions passed by the legislature. As a member of the House of Representatives, the speaker may vote on all questions before the house.
For information on the event, contact Jeanean Herod at jherod@fortworthchamber.com or 817/336-2494, ext. 275. Register online at fortworthchamber.com. Media Savvy Sheriff to Address Area Council Luncheon
 |
| Sheriff Dee Anderson |
- Tarrant County Sheriff Dee Anderson is not your typical law enforcement officer. With a journalism degree and more national air time than some network reporters, Sheriff Anderson, a media savvy public official with the law enforcement credentials to back him up, will be featured at the next Fort Worth Chamber's next Area Council luncheon.
- What: General Area Council Luncheon hosted by the East Area Council
- When: Wednesday, Nov. 19, noon-1:30 p.m.
- Where: Fort Worth Club, Trinity Room, 306 West Seventh St.
- Cost: $25 for Chamber members; $20 for Gold members; and $50 for non-members.
In addition to being Tarrant County's 34th sheriff and running the county's largest department, supervising 1,240 employees with a budget of $68 million, Sheriff Anderson and the Tarrant County jail are the focus of an MTV reality program currently in production.
Anderson began his law enforcement career in 1980 with the Arlington Police Department (APD) serving as a patrol officer, field training officer and certified SWAT professional.
With a background in journalism, Anderson was a natural to be named media relations coordinator for the APD where he gained national notoriety during the 1993 siege in Waco and the 1996 kidnapping of Amber Hagerman. That case prompted the development of the Amber Alert program, which has since gone national. Anderson testified before Congress on behalf of the program and he continues to serve on two boards overseeing the plan.
For more information on the lunch, contact Pennie Blossom at 817/336-2491, ext. 267. To register, call Jeanean Herod at ext. 275 or contact her at jherod@fortworthchamber.com or go online to www.fortworthchamber.com.
The Tower Former Bank One Building Will Again 'Tower'
 |
The Tower,
Completion date 2005 |
TLC Realty Advisors, the developer renovating Fort Worth's tornado-damaged former Bank One tower, recently unveiled the new look and name of the building now being transformed into residential and retail property. The building will simply be known as "The Tower," and renovation is expected to be completed in early 2005.
"The Tower is a simple, yet bold name that we felt will fully represent this development's one-of-a-kind standing and history, as well as speak to our primary residential, retail and office audiences," said Tony Landrum, president of TLC Realty Advisors. "In the true spirit of Fort Worth, we are taking what was a unique and vexing problem caused by the March 2000 tornado and turning this building into a real point of distinction and pride."
Ambassador of the Month Action Ambassador for August Recognized
The Fort Worth Chamber Action Ambassador for August 2003 was Robert Pollock, an Ambassador since January 2003. Pollock is a sales consultant for Administaff.
Action Ambassadors keep busy on behalf of the Chamber calling on new members and working as greeters at various Chamber functions. Currently, the program is recruiting new members. 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. 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. Robert Pollock,
Action Ambassador, August 2003
Info Clearinghouse
Clearinghouse Offers Health Information
How much do you know about the health of your community? With all the government agencies, community organizations and businesses involved in local health issues, searching for health data is not always easy. But that search just got easier with the new online Public Health System Information Clearinghouse.
Several Fort Worth area agencies have collaborated to create the information clearinghouse, with the purpose of enhancing communication among organizations dedicated to improving community health. This data clearinghouse is comprised of an on-line listing of available data sources related to specific community health topics.
While the clearinghouse contents were collected to facilitate interagency data-sharing, this information may be used by anyone interested in learning more about community health data gathered and produced at the local level.
The information clearinghouse can be found at:
http://www.fortworthgov.org/health/Resource_Library/DC/index.ASP
The contents of this clearinghouse are provided and maintained by the corresponding originating organizations. Some of the data holdings are confidential and may be obtained from the proper originating organization in the form of aggregate reports only.
The following organizations contributed to the development of this clearinghouse:
- City of Fort Worth Parks and Community Services
- City of Fort Worth Public Health Department
- Fort Worth Independent School District
- Healthy Tarrant County Collaboration
- Mental Health Mental Retardation of Tarrant County
- North Central Texas Council of Governments
- Tarrant County Public Health Department
- Texas Department of Health Public Health Region 2/3
- United Way of Metropolitan Tarrant County
- University of North Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health
- University of Texas at Arlington School of Nursing
For more information about the clearinghouse, or to find out how your organization can be included, contact the Fort Worth Public Health Department at (817) 871-7220.
New Employees
Chamber Welcomes New Employees
The Fort Worth Chamber recently welcomed three new staff members: Richelle Hicks, director of development; Laurie Fleiner, economic development project coordinator; and Jeanean Herod, business services coordinator.
Hicks, a Fort Worth native, is a TCU graduate in criminal justice. She worked as a caseworker for Child Protective Services and as executive director for a non-profit agency in Dallas. Currently pursuing an MBA at the University of Dallas, Hicks serves on the board of directors for Leadership Fort Worth and is a member of the Fort Worth Junior League.
A graduate of the University of Nevada, Reno, Fleiner has a bachelor's degree in geography. At the Chamber, she will research inquiries from cities, other chambers and companies interested in relocation. Prior to joining the Chamber, Fleiner worked for Gideon Toal for four years.
Herod will be the Chamber's "go to" person for event registrations and information. Previously, she worked for the Texas-Oklahoma Kiwanis district office in Arlington. She will continue that association as a volunteer district administrator over the college Kiwanis program, CKI.
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Richelle Hicks,
Director of Development |
Laurie Fleiner, Economic
Development Project Coordinator |
Jeanean Herod,
Business Services Coordinator |
For more information contact:
Lydia
Hall
Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce
817-336-2491 Ext. 272
September 2003 Edition
August
2003 Edition
July 2003
Edition
June 2003
Edition
Chamberletter contact below:
For more information contact:
Arden
Dufilho
Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce
817-336-2491 Ext. 259 |
