Happy Passover and Happy Easter!

Girls Night Out: Cinzia Tona-Stark was explaining her UndercoverWear business to a Chamber audience: “Girls-night-out parties for the sale of lingerie.” And Mr. B got to thinking we’ve never had that kind of giveaway. Though he didn’t feel comfortable asking for the lingerie, he did get a girls night out. Gal pals Jodi, Meredith and Carol at the Marriott Residence Inn Cultural District know a thing or two about Girls Night Out and they’ll host one. One reader will get two adjoining suites for four, six, eight, who-do-we appreciate guests. Fill them with your friends. Check in early, stay late and make it a date worth remembering.   Pineapple Expressed to you: Glenda Diaz and Edible Arrangements produce some of the more unique creations in gift deliveries. And she likes to keep our readers on the precipice (new word Mr. B learned) of style. Her Easter Celebration with Dipped Daisies that we are delivering to one reader is a delicious combination of gourmet chocolate-dipped pineapple bunnies in an array of beautiful fresh strawberries, cantaloupe, honeydew, grapes and chocolate-dipped pineapple daisies. It’s a chocolate fantasy of dietetic food.   Jay Z Arts: Jay Downie is the Face(book) of MAIN ST. Fort Worth Arts Festival (April 16-19), rated one of the  nation’s top three fine arts fairs, right behind San Fran and Ashtabula, Ohio. Main St. always looks to add a friend of the festival, which has grown and grown and grown during its 24-year run. One special benefit is a MAIN ST. Experience package, which includes XTO Skybox seats for two, Main St. t-shirts and visors for two, and dinner on the street with four sheets of 12 coupons per couple. We’ve got two packages to give away, one for April 16 and one for April 17.

PICTURE OF THE WEEK       Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief and billionaire Speedway Motorsports owner Bruton Smith took the stage and took questions in an impromptu program at Texas Motor Speedway last week. NASCAR’s Ryan Newman, No. 39 U.S. Army Chevrolet Impala SS, was scheduled for Chamber Day at the Speedway presented by Office Depot, but high winds delayed his flight. Newman did eventually drop in and also took questions from fans. See more event photos in our Online Photo Gallery.     Sponsored by

Katz her while you can: About 30 years ago, Mr. B and Karen Katz had summer jobs as Neiman Marcus mannequins. When shoppers weren’t watching, we’d wink back and forth. Mr. B then managed to pose his way through a 30-year newspaper career, but Karen really came alive and worked her way up through shoes, then bags, then couture…all the way to the top. Today she is President and CEO of Neiman Marcus. And on April 16, Karen is the featured breakfast speaker at the TCU Neeley Tandy Executive Speaker Series. If you want to sit at the Chamber table and wink at Karen from afar, we’ve got seven seats.

Here’s a freebie: Employers can sign up free (registration, booth and parking) for the June 11 Hiring Fair 2009 by contacting Lila Boydston at (817) 871-3116 or Lila@esc11.net before April 30. It runs from 1-4 p.m. at the Will Rogers Memorial Center. Partners for Hiring Fair 2009 are the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber, Fort Worth Chamber, Department of Assistive and Rehabilitative Services, Jobing Foundation and Workforce Solutions for Tarrant County. About 800 job seekers are expected.

How to succeed in business: The Chamber is all about business so maybe you should address all your successes to new Star-Telegram business editor Jim Fuquay.

Where the west ends? Could that be Amarillo? Melissa Dailey, ex-Director of Transportation and Planning for Downtown Fort Worth, Inc., is the new CEO of Downtown Amarillo, Inc. OK, so that's a news flash: There really is a downtown Amarillo. Melissa will do well there. She was instrumental in our downtown Heritage Trails program, which meant she, too, had to work with the Miserly Mistress (yikes!), and updated everybody who would listen on all the upcoming redevelopment projects throughout the downtown area.   No gender gap: After only 119 years, the Young Men’s Christian Association (YMCA) has a female chair of the board. It’s Cindy P. Milrany, CFO and Chief Administrative Officer at Freese and Nichols.

Fort Worth on the runway: The Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport board of directors has a decidedly Fort Worth flavor. Ben Muro of Acme Brick is the new chair and attorney Francisco Hernandez is the vice chair.

21st century and beyond: Peter Ripa, tournament director of the Crowne Plaza Colonial Invitational wrote:”The PGA TOUR is testing putting microphones on caddies during the Shell Houston Open. (I’m) sure some exchanges will have to be edited, but we are finally catching up with other major sports.” Could cheerleaders and ballgirls be next?

Wow, he’s important: Texas Speaker of the House Joe Straus was a recent talker at a Chamber Gold Member breakfast. Outgoing Chairman Ben Loughry of Integra Realty Resources introduced Carl Richie, VP of Government Affairs for TXU Energy, who introduced state rep Charlie Geren of Fort Worth, who finally introduced Straus. It was noon by the time all the intros were finished. Geren, by the way, got the heartiest applause when his Railhead restaurant was mentioned. Some Straus highlights:

• To Geren: “That was a generous introduction, but you’re already a committee chairman.”
• Straus wasn’t elected to the House until 2005 and was surprised by his election to Speaker. “I don’t even know all the rules that well.”
• He said his No. 1 priority is to “restore civility to the House. We’re well on our way, past the rough patch.”
• The President’s stimulus plan, which Straus has not taken a stand on, “has taken the worry out of balancing the state’s budget.”
• “Generally speaking, I’m in favor of local control” on the local-option transportation issue.

Excellente: Three Chamber members – A-Custom Foundation Repair, Open Channels Group and Trilogy Payment Solutions – are among the finalists for the Business Press Excellence Award to be announced at the April 22 Entrepreneur Expo. This year’s luncheon keynote speaker is Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief.   Hitchin’ & pitchin’: Now that former President George W. Bush has tied his reins to a new Dallas ranch home, he was available to sub for Mr. B and throw out the first pitch Monday during the Texas Rangers’ home opener.

New to Fleet Street: Debbie Denman, an involved Chamber member, has switched companies and is doing project management, business development and everything in between for The Hill Company.  “I have tons to learn about the Fleet and Emergency Generator Fuel Systems,” she says.

A sight-ly visit: The Am-Bass-Adorables will be at Dr. Ditto’s place at 6333 Camp Bowie on Friday. If you visit Dr. Ditto, an optometrist, do you see double?

ID lines we like: From the lips of Paul McKinney Commercial Real Estate—“If your commercial space is too skinny, call McKinney”; From Reagan Ferguson at Summit Press – “If your printer left you a mess, call Reagan at Summit Press”; From Fran Sparks-Fuller at Mapsco: “Get Mapsco or Get Lost.”

Not your ordinary café: Mr. B was helping set up for a recent gala at TCU’s new ballroom and noticed the Chancellor’s dining room was down the hall. The volunteers ordered in pizza, bartered pizza for keys from a security guy and dined in Chancellor B style. Maybe Dr. Boschini could invite you some time. BTW, how come a round pizza comes in a square box?    Sending a message: Those Texas Tech billboards around town -- “We Make Texas Better.” Is that about our state or the university’s football team?

Confused and dazed: “Hi, Mr. B!  My first name is Doris, but I go by Deanna.”  Huh? Doris/Deanna is with ATK Integrated Systems, which is a public company, a Department of Defense contractor that modifies aircraft at Meacham Airport.

The Chieftains: This is not a concert of the Irish band at Bass Performance Hall. Instead, you’ll get the inside scoop April 16 during a Chamber lunch at the Fort Worth Club from Fort Worth chiefs Rudolph Jackson (fire department) and Jeffrey Halstead (police department).

Perhaps janitorial? If T.O doesn’t hold his job in Buffalo, which is a smart bet, John Calvert of Cintas/The Uniform People probably could fit him with something.   A fifth career: New Chamber member Primetimeplayer.com is a recruiting website hosted by Deion Sanders.

All covered up: The barstools in the suites at the new Dallas Cowboys stadium are covered with 2,000 yards of the finest Italian fabric, designed and distributed by Anzea, which is located on Foch Street. Bruce Doeren, one of the principals, says Anzea, an 18-year-old business, specializes in upholstery fabric for the healthcare, hospitality and casino industries and has done work for the MGM Mirage, the Fountainbleau in Vegas and DSW.