 |
Presented By 
|
|
|
FACES & PLACES 
|
Last month Vision FW members convened at Joe T Garcia's to hear PJ Budler speak about his success at such a young age. PJ shared about his life as an internationally renowned Beef Cattle Judge and how he formed his multiple business ventures in the industry. Originally from South Africa, PJ holds the auction record for an Angus Bull. In 2012 he founded HerfordBreeder and AngusBreeder (websites) and has since relocated to Fort Worth, Texas. Budler spoke as the first guest of the year for Vision's "Young Visionaries" series.L to R: Nicole Stanley, Frost; PJ Budler, TheCattleMarket.net; Sunny Brous, Junior Achievement of the Chisholm Trail.
See more additional photos from Chamber events here and videos on our YouTube Channel. |
Ma, mom, mum: We are absolutely and incredibly just 25 days from another Mother's Day and yes, who doesn't love Mom, but all this holiday and birthday gift buying is anxiety-inducing ... though better than the alternative. Where would you be without mom? That said, in a very run-on opening sentence, Mr. B is aware that you are counting on him to "assist" your gift buying (read: win something). To get the Mother of all holidays started, B2B Insider turned to Cash America and Barbara (no relation to Jerry) Lewis. Many of you know of the Fort Worth retailer with almost 900 U.S. stores, but not all of you are aware of its Fort Knox of brand new goods. Barbara unlocked the vault and you can cash in with this 14-carat, white gold, 18-inch, chain necklace with a heart-shaped gold pendant with diamonds. Ain't (Cash) America great!
 What about Gunner? If you were told Clare Bowen, Chris Carmack, Charles Esten and Aubrey Peeples were playing Verizon Theater in Grand Prairie April 23, you might be perplexed. Or yawning. Or wondering what jimaustinonline.com had gotten itself into this time. But if you were told Nashville TV actors/singers/songwriters Scarlett, Deacon, Will and Layla were performing, you'd be strumming Miss Leslie's ol' country favorite I'll Stand in Line. Performers from the wildly successful television series are touring for the third off-season and the biggest accolades have been for Deacon, who had been playing small San Fran bars on the side before Nashville stardom. The jimaustinonline.com suite could be singing your tune and you won't have to stand in line because Norma has two tickets and a VIP parking pass. Spring cleaning: What if you could host a cocktail reception for nine friends? For free. And feed them platters of fancy schmancy hors d'oeuvres? For free. April 27 is Clear Out, Help Out, a benefit for Center for Transforming Lives (formerly YWCA), which "moves women, children and families from poverty to independence through housing stability, affordable high-quality child care and financial empowerment coaching." As a host for Clear Out, Help Out, you can invite nine guests to join you for food and drink. The clear out part is an ask for your guests to bring their extra unused or no-longer-wanted clothing, furniture, jewelry, etc...to be sold in the Center's resale shop. Stephanie (related to Son No BGood) Raben sent over a host spot that could transform into your's. Chance to get edukated: Mayor Price is Right is NOT a morning person. Yet she'll be doing her best Drew Carey emcee excellence at 7 a.m. April 28 as moderator of Leadership Fort Worth's Breakfast University. The area's top higher education officials will offer Grade A answers to the Mayor's questions about how their institutions are driving the economy and helping to shape the future of Fort Worth. Dr. Joy Gates Black, Tarrant County College District; Dr. Victor Boschini, Texas Christian University; Frederick Slabach, Texas Wesleyan University; Dr. Michael Williams, University of North Texas Health Science Center; and Vistasp Karbhari, University of Texas at Arlington are scheduled to attend. Play tardy with work with this seat at the Fort Worth Club classroom. Congratulations to April 6 Prize Winners:
- Paige Wilson, Camp Fire First Texas
- Barbara Lundgren, Meals on Wheels
- Melissa Edmonds, Carlton Staffing
- Kristy Minter, Ronald McDonald House Fort Worth
- Laura Stewart, Lockheed Martin
- Wes Bailey, Frost Bank
- Lisa Lumley, Shannon Gracey Ratliff & Miller
|
|
|
HE SAID, SHE SAID, THEY SAID
|
 Greatness! If you're not too taxed by Monday's IRS deadline, another deadline is just 11 days after that. The first Susan Halsey Executive Leadership Award nominations and supporting 1,000-page documents, including your 10-year plan, P&L's since 1931, hiring manuals and more, are due to the Chamber April 29. Susan was Managing Partner of the Jackson Walker law firm and former Chairman of the Chamber Board. She passed away in 2014. The exec doesn't have to fill her heels or even reach her greatness. But if he/she is close, get your nomination form here. You'll need two letters of reference to support the nomination, so start now. The recipient will be announced at the Chamber's Annual Meeting June 14.
To Tell The Truth: Kelly Pilkington of Logan Graphics starts each day by posting a positive, happy, don't-you-hate-her message on Facebook. "You feel that great every morning?" Mr. B asked. Said Kelly: "No way! I'm just sick of all the negativity and trying to do my part."
Sticks and stones...: Chris Arredondo, President and CEO of Eclipse Entertainment, started his acting career at Six Flags Over Texas before theater and television gigs. He says his acting claim to fame was being about the same size as Chuck Norris and frequently having the heck beat out of him on Walker, Texas Ranger.
The Besties: Now really, is it possible to have a better workplace than the Fort Knox of Girl Scout cookies? Eat and fete eight hours a day, five days a week, 50 weeks a year. But don't celebrate with your Thin Mints before the judges visit the finalists April 12-14 for the Chamber 2016 Best Workplaces for Women Award(s), founded by Women Influencing Business and presented by the College of Business at University of Texas at Arlington. Three finalists in three categories have been announced and the winners will be presented at a luncheon May 5 at the Fort Worth Club. The finalists: Small businesses -- Balcom Agency; PeopleFund and Skyline Sector 5; Medium businesses -- Girl Scouts of Texas Oklahoma Plains; The National Bank of Texas and United Way of Tarrant County; Large businesses -- BDO USA, LLP, NAS Fort Worth JRB and Texas Wesleyan University.
Words to friends: Just Q-ing you in that today is the official day for Scrabble. K?
 Not related to Ted: The University of Texas at Arlington Research Institute hosted more than 500 students last week during the National Robotics Week Showcase. There were more than 30 academic institutions and industry leaders showcasing their robotics, including UTA's Baxter (right).
What's cooking: Ten of the 11 largest cities in Texas, which constitute 74 percent of the state's population, met recently at TMS to share ideas. It was co-hosted by Denton and Fort Worth. According to Mayor Price Is Right, San Antonio is interested in returning to town to check out the TECH Fort Worth and IDEA Works incubators.
Cutting to the chase: The National Cutting Horse Association Super Stakes concludes Saturday. Marcelle LeBlanc, owner of The Velvet Box, has made her first competitive ride. "Doing pre-works at 5 a.m. I'm in bed before the sun goes down," she said, laughing, before herding to a 206 score, two points short of qualifying for the Finals. "Oh well," she said. "Not bad for first time. (My horse) is doing so well. Lee Tennison has been letting me train on his cutters the last two years. I probably wouldn't have pulled the trigger and bought my own and committed all the money if it weren't for him."
|
"Regardless of who gets elected, I hope they leave the (2012-13) tax reform alone."
-- Mack Lawhon, Chairman of Weaver
|
Colorful story: Mr. B has to landscape on a budget (you know his boss is Miserly Mistress) and the dollar stores aren't on the Top 10,000 list for plants. But he was sightseeing one day at the beautiful new-ish Calloway's Nursery on North Tarrant Parkway and saw Yin and Yang begonias for 99 cents. Now, his flower beds are multi-colorful purty. One man's junk, is...: The Junk King crew was cleaning out a storage unit for a customer when it found three one dollar bills in a frame. "My guys showed it to the client and asked him if he wanted to keep it," Junk King franchise owner Cody Rodgers said. "He said, 'Nah, just get rid of it.' What kind of awesome business is this? People are paying me to throw away their money!" Sold on marketing: Next Tuesday at the Business Assistance Center, Donnie Boivin of Salesmastery/Sandler Sales Training and Chuck Bouligny of Ascend Concepts kick off a free Let's Talk Marketing lunch series. If you can't make it, here are three sales tips from Donnie (a $995 value, yours today for free): (1) Relax! (2) Sell to a process; don't go for a home run each time; (3) Don't actively sell. Build relationships and sales will come. Rollercoaster ride: B2B Insider sponsor Comerica Bank had itsownself's Robert Dye, the Villanova of U.S. chief economists, at the Fort Worth Club last week to offer a forecast of "mostly positive, but volatile."
- Don't plan your business on $80-a-barrel oil, but $25 doesn't sound right, either. "Somewhere between $20 and $80," he said. "No, $45-$50. Every day above $27 we can breathe easier."
- Homeowner equity is storming back. "20-to-25 percent gains. Homeowner net worth is increasing, but the income distribution is not equal."
- Two Fed rate hikes in 2016 could "be optimistic. There might be just one."
 Try Krazy Glue: GlennScape Landscaping, according to Darrell Samuelson, had a guy call after the recent hailstorms and ask, "Do you guys put leaves back on trees?" "No sir, but they will grow back." Darrell's leads group is discussing purchase of an environmentally friendly green glue gun for this project. Still Clicking: Glenn Killman, a gentle man and genial photographer of many galas, passed away earlier this month. Similarly named Glen Ellman, more fire-y, but still genial photographer of thousands of events, said in the days after Glenn's passing that he received at least 10 calls and notes asking if he "were still here." Bracing for success: After months of free-loading at ribbon cuttings, the Chamber Am-Bass-Adorables Tuesday will only be served floss and whitening solution when they get their teeth cleaned for bigger, brighter smiles after seeing Dr. Shattuck at 12:30 at Radiant Dental Care, 295 FM 156 in Haslet. |
|
|
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
|
 Date Event Name
|
Fully updated, this is the only comprehensive news media directory for the greater Fort Worth area. It covers print media for the Fort Worth metro area (Tarrant, Johnson, Parker and Hood counties), as well as television and radio contacts for the DFW Metroplex. Online news and local blogs too. Listings include e-mail addresses, fax numbers, circulation figures and distribution areas. Available in PDF, Exel or combo (both PDF and Excel versions). Purchase it today from our online store! Prices begin at $30.00* Contact Christine Gores for additional information. *Member price. Price excludes tax. Login with your Chamber password to receive discounts. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
