Room with a view: It’s not too early to begin thinking of your St. Patrick’s Day celebration; and unlike last month’s Saturday Valentine’s Day, Tuesday March 17th shouldn’t be too difficult to get what you want. May we suggest trying a night at the going-green Renaissance Worthington Hotel? May we suggest happy hour and then a dinner of corned beef hash at Vidalia’s followed by some Irish Whiskey or Guinness at the hotel bar overlooking the lobby? And may we suggest a breakfast of Boxty with green grits to get you started Wednesday? We’ve got the accommodations for one night in a deluxe room, but the rest is up to you.
Room for a few: Sometimes, just getting out of the office and into another environment makes for a better meeting. Mr. B never felt more creative than the day he spent conferencing at the Norris Conference Centers in downtown Fort Worth. It has meeting rooms galore with all the accommodations and accoutrements your group ever would need. Try this complimentary meeting room for a day. It’s good for up to 90 people classroom style and includes tables and chairs, individual room thermostat control and free wireless.
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Sarah Walls, partner at Cantey Hanger law firm, shared her experiences as a woman attorney in the 69% male world of Texas law firms at last week’s Women Influencing Business luncheon. Sarah is a Harvard Law School graduate and a leader in environmental law. Early in her career, she was asked to wear her hair in a bun so she would “fit in” better.
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Cowtown crowns: Mr. B was walking the concourse at a Fort Worth Cats game last summer and made his pitch to three women, so beautiful they appeared to be wearing halo(s). Forty dollars later, Mr. B was a new member of the HALO Society courtesy of Meredith and Jodi of the Marriott Residence Inn. HALO Society is a business networking and auxiliary group that supports CASA of Tarrant County, which assists children in the family court system. HALO is hosting Cowtown Casino at River Ranch March 7 and we have a pair of tickets, which includes a barbecue buffet, beer, wine, margaritas, $1,000 in casino chips, and live music.
Sun-dancing for dollars: Never get tired of all the terrific reviews people write and say about Sundance Square? Ever wish you had a little extra cred in the pocket while window shopping all those great stores, restaurants and bars? Sundance’s marketing maven Tracy Gilmour is here to help. She grabbed two $50 certificates while President Johnny Campbell was at sax practice and they’re good at any shop or restaurant in the Square.
Dancing for cheers: A couple of weeks back, Linda Armand, director of sales and sponsorships at Bass Performance Hall, whispered to Mr. B that the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders were rehearsing at the Hall. Mr. B high-tailed over there, hi-jacked the choreographer and since then has spent a glorious time Alvin Ailey-ing the ladies for tonight’s performance of a family-friendly, two-hour variety show featuring rock, hip-hop and country music. Jealous?
Bell ringer: Mary Rusnak is back in town as a community relations peep for The Salvation Army DFW Metroplex Command.
Going and going and going: Ever wonder why Hispanic Chamber bosswoman Rosa Navejar has so much energy? Well, she’s the youngest of 10 children and learned to move fast to get what she wanted.
|  | What did he say? The Chamber (Miserly Mistress) sat Mr. B at the last table in back of the 1,200-seat Fort Worth Convention Center for the Mayor’s State of the City Address. So when Mayor Mike Moncrief said Fort Worth was a death-friendly city, Mr. B had heart palpitations. Seems what 3M really said was Fort Worth was a deaf-friendly city. Also from the Mayor:
- The city has added 28 firefighters and expects the response time to be under 4 minutes city-wide, which is about 30 seconds after super-fire photographer Glen Ellman arrives.
- Since its inception in 1994, the half-cent crime tax has helped reduce crime 39 percent.
- Executive director Carol Klocek and the Presbyterian Night Shelter moved more than 400 people from a homeless situation into housing in 2008. And that Workforce Solutions of Tarrant County found jobs for 348 homeless persons through its Project Wish program.
- “One of the most exciting things for me personally was having my own bobblehead doll. Thank you, Fort Worth Cats.”
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Networking works: Glenda Diaz of Edible Arrangements met Will Adley of Adley Transportation at a Chamber event. She asked him to help out with her Valentine’s Day deliveries. “Will Adley is a great person to work with,” Glenda said. “I think he didn’t know what he was getting himself into. He helped me with over 270 deliveries in three days with no complaints and on time! With his help I was able to break my record from last year and was #2 in the state!”
Is that four or fore? Sandlot, a subsidiary of Newz-E-Letter calendar sponsor North Texas Specialty Physicians, has begun an information exchange among hospitals and healthcare providers and an integrated electronic medical record platform that links providers in the Tarrant County area. No more scribbling, fewer translation mistakes and more time for golf.
Raising symbolism: BNSF Railway’s exempt employees will not receive merit raises during 2009. “The $18 million savings isn’t a significant savings,” CEO Matt Rose said. “But, symbolically, it’s important.” Rose was the featured interviewee at the TCU Neeley Executive Speaker Series. Other tidbits:
- “I’m convinced every day that we’re one day closer to a recovery. No. 1, we must curb deficit spending.”
- “What’s created out of a recession/depression is amazing. Companies re-invent themselves.”
- “We have been guilty as a nation of taking advantage of our wealth. But we shouldn’t lose perspective as to how great our nation is.”
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Eats beat: David Rotman’s Café Aspen turns 20 in April. Grace and Del Frisco’s won most votes for best dessert at Lena Pope Home’s Sweethearts Dessert Fantasy, and Mr. B went steroidal over Del Frisco’s Blue Bell delight, Lanny’s white chocolate mousse and Pop’s Safari Room’s chocolate brownie cake.
Art meets architecture: David Stanford and Lee Hill at Hahnfeld Hoffer Stanford Architects have their original paintings displayed throughout the firm’s offices and in local galleries. So it’s no surprise that HHS teamed with Venturi Scott Brown for the Wall of Art displayed on the south side of the Museum Place Post Office. On the outside wall facing south is a mural of the Fort Worth sky, with the public art piece just south of the building in the newly created public plaza. The art is reflective of the 2000 tornado.
Give me a break: How come spring break occurs before spring?
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A good budget cut: Last April, the Presbyterian Night Shelter began requiring screenings for tuberculosis as part of its intake process. Now, the Tarrant County Department of Public Health is reporting that actively managed cases dropped from 109 to 83 in a year at an average savings of $20,000, or a total of $520,000.
Good and bad news: Daughter MisBehavin’ has a job, her first in 21 months. She’s on Day 6; her previous job lasted 13 days. Bad news is she’s back on the California highways, where she is rated among the state’s worst two percent of drivers. (True breaking news: MisBehavin’ has just rear-ended a car on her way to an appointment…fifth accident in 11 months, but only four are her fault.)
Leader of the pack: Mike Roundtree of roundtree + advertising has taken over the Leads Group that meets Thursdays at Chadra Mezza. Leads Groups are a good way to … ah … ah … get leads. Go here <to URL for Leads Groups, please> to see how you can get involved.
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Waist not: When Mr. B first heard about Chamber member Expanco, he thought it was the company that made those expanding waistline pants for men and women. It actually offers packaging and fulfillment options, secured document destruction and a unique workforce -- adults with physical and/or mental disabilities. Rumor has it that Expanco has won a huge shredding contract, but the paperwork already is pffft!
Free-dom of speech: Dave Lieber was a lowly reporter in Philadelphia back in the early ’90s when Mr. B brought him to Fort Worth to be a Star-Telegram columnist. Big mistake, similar to Nelson Cruz’ first two attempts with the Rangers. Wait patiently... and now Dave is a noted humorist, storyteller, author of two books and award-winning columnist. His “The Watchdog” column is a wonderful resource for consumer rights. You can hear Dave speak freely March 9 at the Texas Cowboy Hall of Fame’s monthly “Evenin’ With…” That’s your cost, too…freely.
Slick event: It’s time for the third Barnett Shale EXPO (www.barnettshaleexpo.com), which begins March 11 with a luncheon at 11:45 a.m. and is followed by a free Expo from 1-6 p.m. at the Fort Worth Convention Center. The theme is Natural Gas - Moving us Forward, and Mr. B wondered what Will Ferrell, Jack Black or Dane Cook might do with that working title. The luncheon, which isn’t free, features economist Dr. Ray Perryman. The EXPO includes five informational sessions starting at 1:30 p.m. Presenting corporate sponsors are Devon Energy Corporation, EnCana Oil and Gas (USA), Inc. and XTO Energy, Inc.
Did you know? Your head weighs 12-to-15 pounds. Think of it as a bowling ball.
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