Presented By
FACES & PLACES POW                                                                                  
The Chamber's Senior Vice President of Business Attraction, Retention and Expansion, Chris Strayer, spoke at the West Area Council Breakfast held at BRIT about an overview of our new strategy as well as an update on the Business Attraction, Retention and Expansion pillar. Chris comments on challenges we face in areas such as jobs and funding. He also addressed our mission to resolve these issues and how to grow Business Attraction.  Pictured at presenting sponsor UNTHSC's table are Rob McClain, Cameron Cushman, Anna Harris, Shelly Borders, Lee Ann Embry, Patrick Reyes, Ashley O'Beirne, and Bob Ferguson. See more pictures featured in our Gallery.  


PRESS YOUR LUCKPrizes
Click on the links below to enter for prizes

The Green Elf: Last week, we offered you turkeys a turkey for your Christmas dining delight. This week, thanks to Chef and his Elf, Leanne Green, at Ridglea Country Club, B2B Insider is happy to offer turkey AND the sides; it's a Christmas dinner for 10 people, six WWF wrestlers or 14 Weight Watchers. Ridglea's Thanksgiving dinner includes the turkey, dressing, gravy, mashed potatoes, green beans, cranberry sauce and pie. Thirty one years ago, Christmas 1987, Leanne's parents were eating their turkey at Ridglea. Her mom went into labor and they only made it as far as the 16th green. Hence, Leanne Green.

Are you ready for some football? Before the Houston Cougars and Army
 West Point Black Knights play Dec. 22 in the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl , they will be feted the day before at the LMAFB Kickoff Luncheon in the Omni Fort Worth Hotel . A huge crowd of stars, stripes and heroes will join the teams, coaches and fans to kick off a memorable bowl weekend that pays tribute to the nation's armed forces. Mr. B is pretty tight with LMAFB Executive Director Brant Ringler, but he is sworn to secrecy and can't say the luncheon speaker is an all-time great among Dallas Cowboys players. In exchange for that secrecy, Brant sent over a pair of luncheon tickets for four readers.

How to add, not subtract financially: Mr. B was looking for supplemental pennies to his 39 cents Chamber pay so he charged into Financial Additions' new Fort Worth office at the Southside Bank building at I-30 & University! In suite 201, he found sweet Tonya Falzett, the company's Business Development Director. Financial Additions, born 1999 and a winner of a  Best Places to Work award the past 10 years, helps top companies in the Metroplex identify and qualify the best candidates, and acquire the best talent. Righteous work! Financial Additions is celebrating its new home with a $50 gift card to Righteous Foods, owned by chef Lanny P. Lancarte, II and serving fresh and organic fare. "A healthy dose of friggin' awesome," Lanny says. 

One size fits all: The technological mapping systems on your phone or laptop are marvels. Scrolling up and down and every which way, however, is not always so easy. Enter Joe Shankles at Dynamic Color Graphics in N. Richland Hills. Joe has expanded coverage in one "screen," no scrolling necessary. It may not be so detailed as your mapping system, but Joe's is a work of art, an aerial view of Fort Worth / Dallas. The photo is enlarged to 60 inches wide and 48 inches high and framed with black edge trim. Joe includes cleat wall hangers ready for wall mount. 

Congratulations to the November 28th, 
Prize Winners: 
  • Lisa Cobb, Precise Energy Products
  • Elizabeth Northern, Tarrant County College District
  • Tracy Georges, Transwestern
  • Steven Lackey, SporTherapy
  • Jason Ray, Clayton Youth Enrichment 
A WORD FROM OUR GOLD SPONSORS


HE SAID, SHE SAID, THEY SAIDSoundBytes
Finalists announced: The 2019 Chamber Small Business of the Year finalists have been selected. The four category winners will be announced at the Small Business Awards Night Jan. 24 at the 4-Eleven. The finalists are: Emerging Business -- 6thAvenue Homes, Locavore and Signature Cuffs; Manufacturing / Distribution -- M-Pak, Sellmark Corporation and Silver Creek Materials; Consumer / Retail - Alchemy Pops, Klapprodt Pools and Tribe Alive; and Professional Services -- Affairs Affloat Balloons, Elements of Architecture and SporTherapy. One of the four category winners will be awarded the "Best of Show" as the overall winner at the Chamber's State of the City luncheon, featuring Mayor Betsy Price

Never a family feud:
Rosa Navejar and Rachel Phillips are mother and daughter. They work at The Rios Group, where Rosa is President. What is it like working together? Rosa immediately pointed to business manager Krystal Bybee and said, "We have a buffer!"

Pun and run: Always clever Tracy Georges, Transwestern, trying to win a Greenberg turkey for the holidays: "Heard they were accused of fowl play."

Twins: During a Chamber ribbon cutting at Comerica Bank's new digs in Sundance Square, including a visit from Mayor Price Is Right, Comerica Fort Worth President Cody Kiser pointed out that the bank and the city were founded in August 1849.

Holiday lights: Tonight is the fourth of eight nights of lighting candles for those of you who, like Mr. B, own menorahs. Which will end first, Hanukkah or Cyber Monday? Happy holidays to y'all.

Where's Waldo? The two best times of the year for Mr. B are when Boss Miserly Mistress takes flight to chaperone the Chamber's Travel Program. While she's gone, Chamber moneybag Patti Steelman slips Mr. B some extra lunch money. He'll be able to afford the B&B Butchers & Restaurant signature beef while the travelers tour Croatia, Pearl of the Adriatic (April 18-28) and cruise the Rhone and Saone rivers around France during November. Trips are usually around $3800 and the Croatia one has a 3-night extension in Venice for $795. Everything is first class when you go here  or contact the Chamber's Monta Noe at [email protected] or
(817) 338-3331.

Ahoy, mate! Halyard Technologies is part of Junction Industries. Aaron Spatz, the GM at Halyard, says Junction's owner was a Navy guy; the names of the five companies listed on their website all have a nautical connection. Aaron hisownself is a former Marine Corps officer.

Going to be Missi-ng you: Heather Reynolds ends her fabulous CEO reign at Catholic Charities mid-month. She's off to Notre Dame as the inaugural Managing Director of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities. Returning to Catholic Charities as CEO-Fundraising is Missi (formerly Cowart) Winters. She changed her name so she could win even more B2B Insider giveaways incognito. Missi is short for Mississippi, where she is from, and she hasn't lost her accent in the 12 years she has called Texas home.

"It's Brandom, (like random,) my mother's maiden name. Gengel-bach...a great German wine?" 

--Brandom Gengekbach
FW Chamber EVP- Economic Development 

Cat-calling a "star": Cat Clayton, the Chamber's Investors Relations Specialist, is a movie celebrity. Well, at least more than Mr. B and probably you, too. She won a role as a walk-on in Gracie, though she was sitting during her scene.
  • She won the spot by answering a question online: "How do you instill discipline in your children?"
  • Prize included a flight for her and her hubby, and a 3-day, 2-night stay in a hotel in New Jersey. Not everything happens in New York.
  • The movie is based on the childhood of soccer player Elisabeth Shue. Cat met Elisabeth, her brother Andrew, Dermot Mulroney and Carly Schroeder, who played Elisabeth.
  • Her role was an extra in a funeral scene early in the movie. "I was seated behind the actress playing the best friend of the main character, Gracie. Unfortunately, I was mostly cut out of the scene. There is a split second as the coffin is coming down the aisle during which you can see my red hair in between the pallbearers." 
  • She was paid $300 and Andrew Shue arranged to get Cat a DVD with all of the main characters' signatures. 
  • "They say everyone has 15 minutes of fame," Cat said. "I'm hoping that wasn't mine."
Undercover Boss: When Lance and Julie Turner started their Express Employment Professionals franchise in 1995, Lance worked some of the staffing opportunities to get a better feel for the business. He recalls making leather products at Tandy Leather, building racks in a warehouse in Alliance, moving an office and computer equipment in a high school, and even subbing for a bell ringer for The Salvation Army when an associate did not show.

Just B-Kaws: The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth's recent acquisition of a bronze sculpture by KAWS goes on public view Sunday. Featuring KAWS' COMPANION characters, the bronze sculpture stands 21 feet tall and will overlook the museum's pond. KAWS' career began with graffiti in the 1990s;  this acquisition continues a relationship with KAWS that began in 2011 with a small-scale solo exhibition.

Kudos: To Jaime Ortiz and JDog Junk Removal and Hauling on being recognized a Purple Heart Business, believed to be the first one in Fort Worth.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Sponsored By


            Date          Event NameCalendar
12-11


Southwest Area Council Member Breakfas presented by Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center Fort Worth
12-13


Leader Insights Series Luncheon  presented by UTA College of Business  







Vision FW Events
12-7


YP Wake UP in Sundance Square







Ribbon Cuttings
12-5


Ribbon Cutting: GBGH Pizza #1 dba I Fratelli Pizza
12-6


Ribbon Cutting: BRIT (Botanical Research Institute of Texas)
12-10

Ribbon Cutting: The PARC
12-13


Ribbon Cutting: Hawkins Family Funeral Home
12-14


Ribbon Cutting: Grimaldi's Pizzeria







View  more Chamber and Member events
View past Ribbon Cuttings    

2018 BOOK OF LISTS HALF-PRICE SALE!resources
Compiled and published annually by the Fort Worth Business Press, this directory includes lists of top companies in more than 60 industries in Tarrant and Denton counties. 

Order a copy for a limited time at 1/2 price $47.50 (members only) from our eCommerce store here . Non -members price $112.50. Members need to login with member ID to receive member pricing on all publications. 

Email Cat Clayton  or call 817-338-3373 to schedule pickup or for more information. See more of our publications in our online store.

For sponsorship inquiries in B2B Insider, contact Jennifer Vuduris or call (817) 338-3335

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