Presented By
FACES & PLACES POW                                                                                  
All the staff here at the Chamber wish our members and devoted B2B Insider readers a very happy and safe holiday. We thank you for your business and look forward to ringing in the new year with each of you. See you in 2017!

Watch our holiday video e-card here.

View pics from a variety of Chamber events, click here.
PRESS YOUR LUCKPrizes
Click on the links below to enter for prizes

Tasty tease: Many of you have asked Mr. B why he doesn't eat lunch. The simple answer, he says, is that it doesn't leave room for afternoon delights. Which is why you may have spotted him with Gloria (star of steakhouse stars) Starling at The Capital Grille the other afternoon having a divine and decadent dessert party with favorite B2B Insider editors. They split orders of warm double chocolate cake with port wine infused cherries and ice cream, classic crème brulee, coconut cream pie with house-made caramel sauce and seasonal berries with vanilla bean crème anglaise. Two coffees to stay awake the rest of the work day and a Lyft (actually a crane) back to the office for about $50. Gloria gloriously offered a $50 gift card for a B2B Insider reader. Anybody want to skip lunch and go directly to dessert next Tuesday?

Night moves: Senior Sales Manager Dave O'Lenick, which theoretically could mean he only sells to old people, sent B2B Insider a staycation for a Friday or Saturday night at the Sheraton Fort Worth Downtown Hotel. Very noteworthy about the Sheraton is that this is a major downtown hotel that you can staycay with your under-80-pound pet (with deposit). Fido gets the royal treatment, too, with an arrival gift package. You'll get one of the hotel's 429 individually appointed, non-smoking rooms with cable and Internet. There's free access to a 24-hour fitness center and a year-round indoor pool. If that pool isn't big enough, the beautiful Water Gardens are across the street.

We'll drink to that: Speed Fab-Crete Corp., one of the top-ranked Texas builders, specializes in pre-cast concrete structures such as the beautiful arched entryways to TCU's football stadium. Those are quite similar to how boss man David Bloxom pre-cast his family in tuxedos and gowns for this month's Jewel Charity Ball. Or how business development guy Randy Landers pre-cast this exquisitely-built $75 gift card for fine wines and spirits just in time for the holidays. These Fab-bers don't build specs; they just build relationships during all of the company's 60 years.

I scream, you scream ...: Mr. B's spoiled granddaughter, BamBino, has "banilla" Blue Bell ice cream with blue sprinkles nightly. She is the Cal Ripken of ice cream streaks. Papa Tex taught her to say that Blue Bell is her daily requirement of fiber. Don Scoggins at Blue Bell Creameries needs to sign her up as a taste-monially poster child before she gets too round for the poster.  With or without sprinkles, with or without chocolate syrup, Blue Bell is hands-down and face-in the best ice cream. Don has eight half gallons for one lucky reader.

Congratulations to December 14th Prize Winners:

  • Julie Lovett, TCU
  • Helen Stephens, Aspen Wealth Management
  • Holly Michelsen, Performing Arts FW
  • Reagan Ferguson, Pressman Printing
  • Graham Marshall, Marshall Wealth Management (Raymond James)
THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS


 
HE SAID, SHE SAID, THEY SAIDSoundBytes
Happy holidays: Bryan Way at Bell Helicopter went a little tilt rotor hisownself with this holiday ditty. "I love the holidays," he said, "but sometimes reality can be a bit more stressful than the carol implies."

Dashing through the snow (ice)
In a one-horse open sleigh (F-150 SuperCrew)
Over the hills (mixmaster) we go
Laughing all the way (cursing 35W traffic)
Bells on bobtails ring (horns blaring)
Making spirits bright (just headlights)
What fun it is to laugh and sing (scream)
A sleighing song tonight!
Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way...

Ask & you shall receive: Cheryl (not related to Tony) Romo West, Director of Sales at Hyatt Place Fort Worth Historic Stockyards, told Mr. B a few weeks back the Stockyards needed more hotel rooms. So he went to work THAT DAY and is happy to say the Courtyard by Marriott Fort Worth North/Stockyards will open Jan. 19 with the longest name in Stockyards history. Terry Elorreaga is GM.

Hope this isn't Armed: Have you seen the F-35 up close and personal? The kickoff week of the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl features an F-35 full-scale model on Main Street near Gen. Worth Square through Thursday. An F-35 pilot is available to talk from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. both days. At noon today, Lockheed officials will present a $315,000 check to the United Way of Tarrant County for its Veterans Support Program. Friday, the game features Navy vs. Louisiana Tech.

This was not staged: Shannon Worthington and Noah Putterman work at Casa Mañana. Their marriage Saturday was not an act.
 
LOL...and don't worry: Galderma has received FDA approval of two new Restylane gel products for the treatment of nasolabial folds, better (not) known as "laugh lines." During studies, there was a "clinically meaningful improvement" in wrinkle severity for up to 12 months.

Straight talk: When Jungus Jordan, a Fort Worth city councilman, asked Texas reps about the state's role in "city matters" during the Chamber's Leaders in Government lunch at Cendera Center last week, Senator Konni Burton (R, D-10) did not hesitate to answer: "I do continue to see that happening this session," she said of the 140-day political party that begins January 10. "We represent people, not necessarily cities. They (cities) do not have a unilateral right to do what they like."

If police are here, it's not a problem: Allan Rodger, the president of Zenith Roofing -- B2B Insider had one of its beautiful wreaths as a giveaway a few weeks back -- has had a lifetime passion for amateur wrestling and martial arts. He has volunteered as a wrestling coach at high schools, was the State Director for Amateur Wrestling in Texas and has trained mixed martial artists and police officers. An 8,800 square-foot gym at Zenith has several full-time trainers, a locker room and almost 100 pieces of equipment. Policemen, firemen, local athletes and friends of Zenith utilize it free of charge. 

"On a scale of 1-to-10, (the building) we were in was a minus-1 and now we're a 10."

                                                --  Executive Director Carla Jutson
on Meals on Wheels' new location
Casper, the friendly host: A Ghost Story, which screens at the Sundance Film Festival early next year, had one scene shot in Fort Worth, according to Jessica Christopherson of the Fort Worth Convention & Visitors Bureau. "The scene was in the construction pit of Frost Tower when it was a huge hole," she said. "The Fort Worth Film Commission worked with Anthracite Realty Partners, LLC./Jetta to secure the location."  Pete's Dragon and Ain't Them Bodies Saints director David Lowery is teamed again with actors Casey Affleck and Rooney Mara in A Ghost Story.

Seeing a (rich) future: At TECH Fort Worth, Bill Burns has worked more than TEN years on prescription eye drops so old folks won't need reading glasses. "We're on our way; this is a breakthrough product," he said. "After completing our Phase II clinical trial, we know this works. Our investors are looking at returns of many, many multiples over many years."

A varietal herownself: Emma Holzbach, a residential realtor new to Northern Realty Group, lists Fort Worth Fly Fishers Club and Metro Beekeepers Association among her outside interests. Speaking of the Northern family, Elizabeth Northern, who works at Buxton and is THE ultra / marathon runner in Fort Worth, ran five miles three weeks after giving birth in November.

Trending:
Sara Waskow, FranNet franchise adviser for Fort Worth and Dallas, says more corporate people are buying franchises and keeping their jobs. "They're looking to diversify assets."

Kudos: The Fort Worth Business Press' inaugural class of Minority Leaders in Business was recognized last week at the Fort Worth Club and more than a few are members of the Fort Worth Chamber. Honorees were chosen based on professional achievements, community contributions, philanthropy and other milestones and awards. Recognized from Chamber member companies were John Avila, Byrne Construction Services; Glenn S. Forbes, JPMorgan; John Hernandez, Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce; Rosa Navejar, The Rios Group; Oscar Oaxaca, Basecom; Vince Puente, Southwest Office Systems; Al Saenz, MULTATECH; and Timothy C. Vela, A.S.T. Landscape Services. Also, Devoyd Jennings, Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce received the Lifetime Achievement Award and Lillie Biggins, Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth, received the Erma J. Hadley Legacy Award.

Season's greetings: Thank you for allowing B2B Insider into your mailbox during 2016 and thanks to Southland Property Tax Consultants, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, Comerica Bank, Blue Zones Project and Tarrant County College for paying the freight. Go and enjoy your holiday season with these fun facts, courtesy of WalletHub.
  • The Times Square ball weighs 11,875 pounds and is covered with 2,688 Waterford Crystal triangles.
  •  20 percent of all charitable donations annually are pledged Dec. 30-31. 
  • The average cost of a DUI is approximately $10,000.
MARK YOUR CALENDARSResources
Presented By

            Date     Event NameCalendar
12-23

The Chamber office is closed for the holidays beginning December 23rd until January 3rd
1-12

WIN: Coffee & Conversation, Presented by University of Texas at Arlington College of Business
1-12

Membership 101: Orientation & Networking, Presented by Cantey Hanger LLP
1-17

North Area Council Membership Luncheon with Paul Ballard, President, Fort Worth Transportation, Presented by Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center at Fort Worth
1-19

Tarrant County Commercial Real Estate Forecast
1-19

Business After Hours at Cendera Center





Vision FW Events (Chamber's 40 and under programming)
1-13

"Table of 10" Mentoring Lunch





Ribbon Cuttings


Currently no scheduled ribbon cuts





View a  complete list  of Chamber and Member events

50% OFF ALL CHAMBER PUBLICATIONS!Resources
Tis the Season! Been naughty? We'll let it slide. Been nice? Extra props to you! Either way, take advantage of our biggest publication sale of the year (regardless of your behavior) starting December 20th through Friday, January 6th! To get your FREE or half-price publications or downloads, click  here and login to My Account to see member pricing.

For sponsorship inquiries, contact Jennifer Vuduris or call (817) 338-3335

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