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FACES & PLACES POW                                                                                  
Mopping up laughs: Lookee here...Donald Trump was in Fort Worth yesterday with big ideas and bigger hair. As President, "I may not be able to eliminate the national debt," The Donald said, " but I'll at least comb it over." He also said Air Force 2 would be re-named Hair Force 1. #NotRealDonald was part of The Capitol Steps comedy troupe that performed during the Chamber's Annual meeting at the Omni Fort Worth Hotel. Giving GOP support in the background is Sarah Palin. Dannon was the presenting sponsor and XTO Energy brought in the
the entertainment. 

See additional pictures from the event here.
PRESS YOUR LUCKPrizes
Click on the links below to enter for prizes

Steps to the Capital: Gloria Starling often credits the staff of The Capital Grille for the restaurant's greatness. The Managing Partner, though, sets the stage. Her bio lists five "best" honors the past two years. She is involved in the community with at least 14 nonprofits and events that she rattled off recently. She doesn't take "no" for an answer and she doesn't expect patrons to, either. She couldn't very well say "no" to B2B Insider for a $50 gift card. Treat yourownself to a world-class ribeye for lunch or bring a friend for bodacious burgers. This food is almost as good as "bestest" Gloria.

Re-making a connection:
Mr. B has a friend. Well, more than one on good days. But this one friend has been ill (cancer and heart condition) about six months and it has had an effect on his love life. This friend attended a feel-better-about-yourself-in-times-of-Illness session at The Velvet Box and highly recommends it when it returns July 22. He said he picked up some helpful aids at The Velvet Box, a lingerie and toy store, and it has made a huge difference. Whether you're ill or not, B2B Insider has a $50 gift card for two readers ... and just in time for Father's Day.
 
Chicks are here to roost: Summertime, and the livin' is easy. Just ask the Chamber Am-Bass-Adorables, who will be flapping their wings with joy as they help Chicken Salad Chick open at 8825 Tehama Ridge next Tuesday at 10:30. The Adorables are sure to be clucking about all the great deli offerings and catering opportunities from franchise owners Meggie and John Schissler. You'll be clucking, too, if you win this large Chicken Salad Chick cooler that will include a Tervis tumbler, one pound of chicken salad and one pound of a side.

A bang-up deal: Mr. B's father was a rabbi on Miami Beach. Having pets or guns in the house was not kosher. The Prospective Ms. B grew up in Texas with pets and guns. (They do say opposites attract.) Mr. B is sure to lose any household war of words because the Prospective has been a regular at Winchester Gallery. She photoshops a picture of Mr. B onto her target and with a rented gun blows holes into it/him the size of a watermelon. She then brings home the target and a shuddering Mr. B wonders how soon that first pet will show up. Hopefully your life doesn't have so much aggression/stress and you can relax and enjoy this shooting certificate and gun rental for two from Diana at Winchester.

Congratulations to June 8 Prize Winners:
  • Melanie Kilman, Texas Discount Solutions
  • Kimberly Perkins, Rylander, Clay & Opitz
  • Bryan Way, Bell Helicopter
  • Lisa Boyd, Brackett & Ellis
  • Rhonda Taylor, Congressman Joe Barton
  • Leila Peeples, MedStar Mobile Healthcare
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS



 
  
HE SAID, SHE SAID, THEY SAIDSoundBytes
There's a woman to blame...: Christi Ketcham of @Work is such a big Buffett fan (Jimmy, not Warren) that she went to the Margaritaville resort in Hollywood, Florida for her honeymoon.

BIGgins kudos: Lillie Biggins, President of Texas Health Harris Hospital, is the winner of the Chamber's first Susan Halsey Executive Leadership Award, which recognizes leadership excellence in business. Biggins' healthcare career spans 45 years; she has been President of Harris since 2012. She was a driving force behind Harris' Marion Emergency Care Center, the Amon Carter Medical Training Simulation Center, the Bloxom Tower, which has more than 100 ICU beds, the Klabzuba Heart Center and the Ben Hogan Center. She has happy employees, too; satisfaction numbers at Harris consistently have been in the 90th percentile. Two finalists were Republic Title's Jeff Davis and Texas Wesleyan University's Fred Slabach. Halsey, a former Chamber Chairman, was a real estate attorney and the managing partner of Jackson Walker's Fort Worth office. She passed away in December 2014.

Model leaders:
While passing the gavel of Chairman of the Chamber to Bank of Texas' Mark Nurdin, outgoing Chair Dee Kelly of Kelly, Hart & Hallman said, "I'm a big believer of out with old and in with the new. One piece of advice, Mark; stay out of (Chamber President Bill) Thornton's way. They have this down pat. We're only here for our good looks."

Street smart? New Chamber members Matthijs and Jie Melchiors of Mel / Arch studio, a reusable, sustainable architecture firm, have a vision for the near south side, east of I-35. They bought two lots at Rosedale and Evans to build an extended-incubator workspace made from shipping containers and have plans for more growth in that area. Proximity to hospitals and downtown is a huge selling point.

Exit left:
Paul, wife Britta and daughter Bri are equal partners in Vagabond Treasures, An Artisans' Haven. "We get it up and running," said Paul, and then "Britta and I are outta here." The store, home to the works of approximately 90 artists, has been open about a year on West Vickery.

Almost Father's Day shout out: Tarrant County District Attorney Sharen Wilson has one sister, who is an attorney. "...Grandfather paid for both our educations. Do you know how much that meant for us? I wish he were here so I could have that time back to tell him."

Reverse psychology: Dr. Laura Riehm owns Skin Deep Laser MD and gets an assist from husband Richard. Skin Deep does lots of laser hair removals, but when asked about putting hair back into some thinning -- or bald -- spots, Richard said, "Sure, we can just put the laser in backward."

10-day forecast: His name, Sunny Lowe says, sounds like "bad Gulf moisture heading to the U.S." The boss networker at Blue Jean Networks is sponsoring a contest. Send in a photo of the ugliest server room around and Blue Jean Networks will do a free makeover to the (loser) winner.

The Jet set: Chamber prize treasure(r) Monta (not Ellis) Noe, has been so busy with successful Chamber field trips she hasn't had time to ask Elon for a Tesla or a space odyssey as giveaway prizes. Until late July, she still is booking an Oct. 1-8 Canada fall foliage frolic, and already is working "Sail in comfort along the Garonne & Dordogne rivers in France" April 2-10, 2017. Next Tuesday night, Jet Vacations travel agent extraordinaire Carl Monticelli will give a free presentation at the Chamber on the Bordeaux Wine Region river cruise. E-mail Monta here to reserve a (free) spot for the presentation.

"I work for a duck!"

                                                -- Jason Weeks, Aflac
Split loyalties: Michael Wheaton, Lucien Wright Insurance, played two years of baseball with College World Series-bound TCU Frogs and two years with the Texas Wesleyan Rams. Calls himself a "Fram."

Out of his shell:
The 2014 and 2016 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies (No. 1 at the box office the week ending June 5, 2016) bring back fond memories for the titular President of Kenn Scott Consulting. Kenn appeared as Raphael in the original and the 1991 sequel -- the kung-fu stunt performer for Raphael in No. 1 and the actor-performer for Raphael in No. 2. He recently appeared in fan expos in Louisville, Tulsa, Winnipeg and Dallas, and is headed to Australia and Georgia later this year.
  • "The guys in the movies today do an amazing job, but they are doing motion capture for computer animation. Their bodies are covered in ping pong balls so the computer can track their movements. They don't have to wear 50 pounds of turtle suit."
  •  "For me, being a part of the phenomenon is an amazing experience that I will always treasure. I've gotten to travel the world, meet fans, raise a lot of money for charity and spread a lot of smiles."
  • "Now that I'm older, I prefer being a marketing consultant for small businesses here in Fort Worth. I don't have to sweat out 10 pounds every day."
Where buffaloes roam: Paul McKinney, owner of Buffalo West restaurant, is doing more than catering. He took his smoker out to Fort Worth Nissan and ... sold it a Chamber membership. Paul says he is considering additions of potato/sweet potato and salad bar for his catering. And adding anecdotes -- he has a new, part-time person working the grill who didn't fill out the time portion of his time-card. "He's not money hungry," Paul quipped.

Kudos 1: The Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra has been selected to participate in SHIFT: A Festival of American Orchestras in Washington, D.C., April 9-15, 2018. It's presented by The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts and Washington Performing Arts. These guys really orchestrate their future plans.

Kudos 2: Jan Norton and Charles Norton with Authentic Fort Worth Sights and Scenes have been selected by England-based Luxury Travel Guide as 2016 Tour Operator of the Year for Fort Worth.

Head in the clouds: Mr. B has his computer, wi-fi "stuff" and data protection in the cloud with B2B Insider sponsor Consolidated Communications. But he remains very confused about this cloud stuff because he reads that all the data storage centers are on the ground.
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