July 22, 2015  
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FACES & PLACES POW                                                                                  
Was this Four Day Weekend? Actually, this is what regional cooperation looks like. Mayors Beth Van Duyne (Irving) and Mike Rawlings (Dallas) are cracking up about their salary disparity. Mayors Jeff Williams (Arlington) and Oscar Trevino (North Richland Hills) are not pictured because this newsletter needs a better camera. The four joined Fort Worth Mayor Price Is Right at the Fort Worth Convention Center for the Chamber's fourth annual High Impact luncheon.  Approximately 450 attendees heard about some hot topics, including workforce development, education, transportation, regional cooperation and workforce development. (It was that big!)

View additional event pics here.

(Advance through the Chamber photo album using gray arrows upper right)
PRESS YOUR LUCKPrizes
Click on the links below to enter for prizes

Idols are not idle: If the upcoming winter season -- No. 15; gosh, remember Kelly Clarkson?  -- is the last for American Idol, could it be possible that this summer's American Idol Tour is the finale? (Idol idea: Wouldn't it be noteworthy to have a tour of the 15 season champions?) This summer's headliners are winner Nick Fradiani and runner-up Clark Beckham, who sure can sing but can't Bend It Like Beckham. Other top finishers are scheduled, too. This tour hits Verizon Theater Aug. 12 and thus B2B Insider is iTuned into the jimaustinonline suite. Two guarantees: The talent and entertainment will be good and cheesy, and the two seats in the jimaustinonline suite will be fab. VIP parking, too.

 

Does not come with batteries: Mr. B saw that the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History was featuring Personality Robots July 31 as part of its Mini Maker Camps and just assumed that the WhitneySmith human resources company was doing some kind of workplace personality testing of the robots. But Caroline at the museum would not leave Mr. B's brain wrongly Strand-ed such as that and wrote: Personality Robots, from 1-4 p.m. July 31 is a class for teens and adults to "learn to use Arduino UNO to create your own robot! Discover how you can use code to control LEDs and servos! Add in a dash of your own personality and the ideas for the types of robots you can create are endless!" (Exclamation points were supplied.) You can even bring your own computer, arduino UNO, LEDs, servos, breadboard, etc. Like robot rote, Caroline Strand provided one admission.  

 

Go Rangers! The major baseball trade deadline is approaching. Will Yovani Gallardo still be a Texas Ranger come Aug. 1? Can the slumping Rangers rebound and be close enough to the top of the American League West pennant race to make a two-month run behind the Fielder-Beltre-Hamilton-Moreland middle of the lineup and a beefed-up starting pitching staff? Those are questions for GM Jon Daniels and he probably isn't reading B2B Insider this time of year so we're turning to Underwood Law Firm for answers. Underwood bats 1.000 with these four great tickets to the 7:05 p.m. Rangers game Aug. 5 against the Houston Astros and you'll have your answers from a perfect ballpark perch. It's also dollar hot dog night for you not watching your weight and free autographs for kids under 13.

Happy anniversary to you: Three years this month for the beautiful Fairfield Inn & Suites across I-30 West from Ridgmar Mall. The Marriott property lights up at night as well as anything in the area except the jets flying overhead and around the NAS Joint Reserve Base. So, what is there to do for the two nights, two days and two free breakfasts you'll be spending at Fairfield thanks to Linda Franko? There's Ridgmar Mall and Lockheed Martin, obviously. A movie theater down the street that has first-run, $3 matinees. The best french fries on the west side at the Cowtown Farmers Market. Miniature golf is nearby, too. After you have exhausted yourself, head back to the Fairfield for indoor swimming and comfortable rooms with big-screen TVs.

Giveaway for everyone: Serge Walczak was surging with excitement with this invite for Saturday's 90th birthday party for and at Meacham Airport. And you're invited. And you. And you. And your Minions II, III and IV. It's plane to see that the City of Fort Worth aviation is expecting lots of people and lots of partying from 9 a.m. to noon at 4601 N. Main St. Faux pilot the aircraft on display and there will be food trucks, face painting, wall climbing, a bounce house, airport tours, live entertainment and more.


Congratulations to July 15th Prize Winners:
  • Trent, Henckell, Alpha Industries
  • Darrell Samuelson, Glennscapes
  • Karri O'Connor, William C. Jennings Company
  • Barbara Lewis, Cash America

Winners will be announced weekly 
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS
 
    
HE SAID, SHE SAID, THEY SAIDSoundBytes
Is lasting Legacy redundant? Mr. B had a world of choices to write about from the Chamber's High Impact luncheon last week, but in his never-ending quest to get Texas Rangers seats in the owners' box as a B2B Insider giveaway, he chose to write about Legacy Award winner Bob Simpson, Chairman of Morningstar Partners and co-big-shot owner of the Rangers. (Sorry, none of the five Mayors had an obvious giveaway.) Simpson was honored for his numerous building reconstruction projects, including the still-in-progress Rangers.
  • He said one of the heartaches of selling XTO to Exxon was personally having to leave the Waggoner Building. He rebounded nicely with the reconstructed former Star-Telegram building. Simpson and his brown bag lunches are ensconced in the former office of Amon Carter hisownself.
  • Simpson credited long-time aide Joy Webster for the rehabs. He said he has had a "little" input. "I have had a lot of financial input."
  • He said he was very proud of convincing Exxon to keep XTO headquarters in Fort Worth rather than moving it to Houston. He said he asked former CEO Rex Tillerson "to give Fort Worth a try." XTO has since grown from 1,600 to 3,000 Fort Worth employees.
Guns up! Cantey Hanger law firm was formed in 1882. Sarah Walls said she wasn't around for the start, but the attorney says it was Open Carry at the courthouse.

Gone shopping: Mr. B's B2B Insider contract is up Aug. 15 and it doesn't look good, with boss Miserly Mistress winning all these business awards recently for being so Miserly. Mr. B was scouring the Chamber job site and was impressed how Gena with Skyline Sector 5 made every job post seem more incredible than the previous. While site seeing, B went to the member-to-member coupon section and picked up discounts to Red Hot & Blue and SUPERCUTS and saved $13.99, which will come in handy when he's unemployed Aug. 16.

 

Order up for table of two: Recently married Meaghan Phillips, catering cohort at The Fort Worth Club, has been so busy she asks your indulgence for her to change out her Meghan Dufreeuw name tag.    

 

Fistful of (marketing) dollars: Too often in his past, people could not get Clint Shumate's first name correct. The studio manager for OrangeTheory Fitness, which opens this fall, said he would reply, "It's Clint, like Clint Eastwood." Now, his business card reads Clint "Eastwood." He says it does get lots of notice.  

 

HUGE SALUTE! To recently promoted and pinned Air Force Major General Brian Newby, of Counsel to Cantey Hanger. Can pretty much guarantee you won't run into too many two-star generals.  

 

Can't find quality help: The Women's Center is looking for volunteers to conduct mock interviews for its clients, which includes fellow nonprofit The Ladder Alliance. Mr. B is volunteering; he has had many interviews and been mocked mucho.      

 

Door-k test: After much consideration and discussion to that perplexing question of whether your doors are left- or right-handed openers, Patrick Tyler of Cimarron Window and Door miraculously walked through the door to help. "The hinges on the door are called behind hinges," he said. "Open the door and stand with your butt flush to the hinges. Then reach for the door handle. Whichever hand you reach with is what kind of door it is."   


"Give a fool a faster tool and you have a faster fool."

                                                -- Robert Hall
 Impact Your Business speaker
Be nice, now: Mr. B was reading a press release about Jan Neal becoming a Partner and Director of Assurance with JTaylor, an accounting firm. Had to look up Assurance, which is a nicer name for audit, which is an assurance of lots of uneasy moments.

Steel cage match: Donnie Boivin, sales trainer with Salesmastery/Sandler Sales Training versus a GMC Sierra car salesperson. Donnie bought, so car sales guy "won," but not without being wildly questioned/intimidated about his sales technique.
 
Making power points: Marketer Ashli Smick was presenting Professional Caretakers the ol' fashioned way. No digital. No electronics. She wanted attendees to know her better so she brought a large family photo. She also had a bag full of props to explain some of the non-medical, home care services PC offers -- a mini broom and dustpan, soap and wash cloth, a book, a deck of cards, a pillbox, a flower because PC does gardening and for the end of the day, a drink mixer/shaker.

 

Running with scissors: You probably are unaware of this, but Chamber Am-Bass-Adorables will be ribbon cutting at 4:15 p.m. tomorrow at Angel Unaware, 1001 8th Avenue, which is at the Ronald McDonald House. And you read about cricket possibly coming to AT&T Stadium, right?  Well, it's already here. Next Tuesday, Am-Bass-Adorables will do more than just phone it in when they are at Cricket Wireless, 6080 S. Hulen, at 11:45. Am-Bass-Adorables will have to scramble and runny quickly with a sunny-side attitude by 8:15 the following morning at The Egg & I, 6333 Camp Bowie.

Don't hear this much: From Mary Robb at Covenant Credit -"Just came from South Area Council event at Mexican Inn that was great and would love to see more of those (and Mr. B). Pepper (Sims of Pepper L Specialties and Mr. B) did great job of telling everyone to introduce themselves to entire group and that does not happen at all events.  Also wanted to send a quick note to say (Mr. B and the) Chamber staff is AWESOME!"
MARK YOUR CALENDARS Calendar 

Presented By
SUMMER SALE: FORT WORTH: ENERGIZED FOR THE FUTURE COFFEE TABLE BOOK Resources

 

 
Chamber's 200-page coffee table book tells the story of our city's remarkable growth and opportunity. This hardcover book highlights Fort Worth's people, companies and diverse culture through richly photographed pages. Purchase it today for $25.00*  Contact Christine Gores to purchase or for questions. 

*Member price. Price excludes tax.



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