September 2022 Newsletter

Welcome to fall – and the cooler weather arrived right on schedule this past Thursday – the first day of the new season.

Everything has returned to normal. The City of Grapevine hosted Grapefest to a huge crowd Sept. 15-18 and the HEB Chamber held its Honky Tonk HEB last Saturday. Next up are the Hurst Fire Department Steak Dinner on Saturday, October 8, and Southlake Oktoberfest October 14-16. And, of course, there’s plenty of high school, college, and professional football!

We’ve had some more news in regard to our school districts. Dr. David Hicks, who started as Superintendent of Northwest ISD earlier this year, and joined NLF recently, passed away unexpectedly. The NLF Board and membership would like to offer our prayers and warmest condolences to the Hicks family.  

And this past week, Dr. Robin Ryan announced that he will retire from the Grapevine Colleyville ISD in January. He joins Steve Chapman, who retired as Superintendent of HEB ISD this past year.

Since school is in session, that means that over 20 recipients are sitting in their trade school, community college, or university classrooms with part of their education funded by an NLF Foundation scholarship. We raise money for these scholarships through the profitable operation of the Heart of North Texas Conference and our annual award luncheon, with our funds matched by the Nancy & Alan Hamm Foundation.

Speaking of our scholarship program, Coca-Cola Southwest Bottling Company, which donated a new Dell laptop to each scholarship recipient at our April award luncheon, has agreed to repeat its kind gesture for this next group of recipients. We are picking up the computers from Ish Arebalos this week.

Each of our area chambers of commerce is up and running with its leadership program, and NLF was delighted to provide a half scholarship for one class member in each chamber’s program. After all, leadership has always been a major focus of Northeast Leadership Forum.

I’m very grateful to Kathryn Rotter, RaDonna Hessel, and Craig Hulse for finalizing our speakers for the Heart of North Texas that will take place on Wednesday, November 2. Please read below and let’s look forward to another awesome event.

Finally, let’s congratulate the Community Foundation of Texas for being the catalyst behind North Texas Giving Day this past Thursday, which raised over $62 million spread among over 3,300 local nonprofits. A great number of our local nonprofits raised large amounts of donations through this 14-county collaborative effort.

Please seek out community leaders to join NLF, so we can continue to expand our influence while also expanding the influence of our new members.

Finally, we can all look forward to these cooler temperatures in the mid 80s and low 90s!

I will always be receptive to your ideas, so please contact me directly at 

817-564-2300 or at [email protected].

-Shelby Bruhn

ARPA Grants for Small Business Conclude,

Texas Travel Industry Grants Next

Tarrant County’s ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) grants are continuing to be reviewed and approved by program managers.

The Governor’s office has concluded the first two grant cycles of its Texas Travel Industry Recovery Program. The cycle that concluded on September 22 focused on Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation.

The October 1 – 22 cycle will provide up to $20,000 grants for entities whose NAICS code begins with 7211. The focus of this grant is on “Traveler Accommodations: Hotels, Motels, and Bed & Breakfasts.”

The fourth cycle will occur November 1 – 22 and will provide grants up to $20,000 for “Food Services and Drinking Places.” These entities’ NAICS code must begin with 722.

For more information on the Texas Travel Industry Recovery Program, please click here.

Details Being Finalized on the

25^th Annual Heart of North Texas Conference 

“May the Workforce Be with You, Now and in the Future.”

Sponsors have finalized their participation in this marquee event, so please respond now for your last opportunity to join a big success.

Kathryn Rotter, RaDonna Hessel, and Craig Hulse have been leading their committee in a combination of in-person and Zoom planning meetings to finalize our major November event. The date will be Wednesday, November 2, from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at the Hurst Conference Center. 

PLEASE NOTE that this meeting is on the first Wednesday instead of the first Friday of the month. 

Remaining sponsorship levels are:

• Platinum Sponsors: $3,500
• 25^th Anniversary Sponsor: $2,500
• Silver Sponsor: $1,000
• Table Sponsor: $600
• Individual Tickets: $75

We thank our confirmed sponsors

Presenting Sponsor

Paycom

Platinum Sponsor

Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Grapevine

Medical City North Hills

Texas Health Resources Foundation - Texas Health HEB -

Texas Health Southlake

25^th Anniversary Sponsors:

First Financial Bank

Republic Services

Tarrant County College – NE Campus

Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley/Commissioner Gary Fickes

Silver Sponsors

Aviation Personnel

Ciera Bank

EECU

Frost

Legend Bank

Linebarger Attorneys at Law

Mason-Dallas, Inc.

Table Sponsors

1 Million Cups – NE Tarrant

Allen Wealth Advisors

City of Bedford

City of Colleyville

City of Hurst

City of Keller

City of North Richland Hills

City of Southlake

Community Enrichment Center: The CEC

HEB ISD

JPS Health Network Foundation

Lift Aids, Inc.

Lucas Funeral Home & Cremation Services

M3 Networks

Mike Taylor

NE Tarrant Chamber

North Texas Commission

ONCOR Electric Services

O Trevino Construction

Providence Bank

R&D Associates, Inc.

Town of Trophy Club

United Way of Tarrant County

Venture Business Impact

Schedule highlights are:

8:00 a.m.: Registration & Breakfast Buffet

8:15 a.m.: Opening Remarks

8:30 a.m.: Morning Keynote: Julian Alvarez, III – Commissioner, Texas Workforce Commission: Workforce Challenges, Trends, and Opportunities

9:15 a.m.: Guest Speaker: Dr. CyLynn Braswell, Ed.D, Advisor with Student Analytics with Frontline Education: Career & Technical Education Trends and Participation in the Workforce

10:00 a.m.: Networking Break

10:15 a.m.: Featured Speaker: Kyle Hartung, Associate Vice President at Jobs for the Future: Work-Based Learning/Teen Employment/In-Demand Skills

11:00 a.m.: Special Presentation: Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley

11:30 a.m.: Networking Break and Buffet Lunch

12:00 noon: Luncheon Keynote: A.J. Griffin, Director of Government & Community Affairs, Paycom: The Future of Human Resource and Workforce

1:00 p.m.: Adjourn

One of the event’s highlights will take place as we honor Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley, who is retiring following an outstanding 25-year career, serving 10 years as Precinct 3 Commissioner and the past 15 years as County Judge. He has been a dedicated public servant and left his fingerprints on the local, regional, and national stages. 

In addition to the exceptional subject matter experts, the event will include both breakfast and lunch. We are riding a wave of continued success at the Heart of North Texas due to the relevance of our agendas and the outstanding quality of our speakers.

Please click below to view the sponsorship flyer or contact RaDonna Hessel directly for more details about how your company may become a supporter of this event.

Please remember that the net proceeds of the Heart of North Texas are the major source of funding for our scholarship program.

Carlo Capua to Keynote October 18 NLF Breakfast

City of Fort Worth Chief of Strategy and Innovation, Carlo Capua, will keynote our quarterly breakfast on Tuesday morning, October 18. His presentation, entitled “Innovation at City Hall: A Glimpse into the Future”, will share insights developed at the City of Fort Worth that are portable to other communities and into corporate life, as well.

Carlo has a diverse international background. After earning his BBA in Marketing and Japanese from TCU, he earned his Master of Education from Tecnologico de Monterrey. After spreading his entrepreneurial wings into restaurant management and ownership, home construction, and even creating his own company, The Meeting Squad - creating innovative meetings during the Covid pandemic, he returned to school.

Not just any school - Harvard, where he earned his Master of Liberal Arts and received the Dean’s List Academic Achievement Award. At the start of the pandemic, Carlo brought needed energy to the Rotary Club of Downtown Fort Worth with hybrid in-person/virtual meetings. He grew the club’s membership in a trying time.

He became Deputy Chief of Staff for Mayor Mattie Parker and the Fort Worth City Council in October 2021, and last month advanced to Chief of Strategy and Innovation.

You will definitely want to bring friends and business colleagues with you to see Carlo Capua in action on Tuesday morning, October 18, at 7:30 a.m. at the Hurst Conference Center.. Please arrive early to visit with him.

We thank our breakfast sponsor

Membership Continues to Grow

Our NLF Board of Directors approved the following new members at its September 13 meeting:

• William Gladbach – North Texas Regional Managing Director, DEC (formerly known as Dannenbaum Engineering Corporation)

• Andrie Krahl – Public Affairs Manager, Atmos Energy



• Arthur Miner – Mayor, City of Watauga

• Jared Shelton – President, Texas Health Resources Harris HEB Hospital

As you interact with business and community leaders who impress you, please invite them to sit at your table for our next NLF breakfast on Tuesday, October 18 at the Hurst Conference Center. These influencers are making a difference in our area, so let's invite them to participate in NLF. Membership is the lifeblood of our organization.

For any prospective NLF members you may know, click here to download the membership application. We want both established and emerging leaders to continue to join our organization to further the dynamic growth of Northeast Tarrant County. 

We specifically ask you to welcome visitors and new members to our breakfast meetings because growing the power of networks is one of the main benefits of NLF.

Please reach out to Craig Hulse, our membership chairman, if you have a prospect: [email protected] or 972-849-3858. 

Andrie Krahl

Public Affairs Manager, Atmos Energy

Andrie Krahl moved to Trophy Club, Texas in January of 2021 and became Public Affairs Manager at Atmos Energy. She was recently reassigned to the greater Fort Worth market and will be joining our NE Leadership Forum in October. She has a distinguished career in public service, she worked as Head of Enid Oklahoma's Grant Resources Department where she administered State and Federal Funds for infrastructure projects and social programs. She then served as Executive Director of the American Heart Association over the State of Kansas and Vice President of Verbose Language Learning Center in Wichita.

Andrie has served the community as a Rotarian, and Board Member of the Salvation Army and Chamber of Commerce. She is also an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority incorporated.

Andrie earned her Bachelor’s degree in Social Sciences at Purdue University and then received her Master of Science in International Business and Economic Relations and then her Master of Business Administration at Oklahoma State University.

She has two beautiful sons Adler (5 years) and Avery (14 years). Andrie enjoys golf, tennis, travel, and family fun. Since moving to Texas, she has enjoyed frequent trips to local museums and the botanical gardens with her family.  

Jared Shelton

Texas Health HEB, President

Jared Shelton has become president of Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Hurst-Euless-Bedford. He will report to Kirk King. Jared was named president of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Allen in 2016 after spending six years at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Dallas, in progressive leadership roles advancing to the role of vice president of professional and support services.

During his tenure in Allen, Jared developed a strong culture, as indicated by earning the highest scores in the system in physician core engagement (90) and the patient safety culture survey (overall percent positive - 79%), and sustained employee engagement at 85%. He created and executed a campus master plan, including a $68 million hospital expansion that opened in June 2020, the Texas Health Athlete Complex, and a third medical office building with a spine ambulatory surgical center and new primary care offices. He also worked to expand clinical services in interventional cardiology/STEM(, sports medicine, robotic surgery and cardiac electrophysiology. 

Outside of work, Jared and his wife, Kathryn, enjoy parenting their 7-year-old daughter, Mackenzie, 5-year-old son, Jack, and 3-year-old daughter, Caroline. He also enjoys traveling, golfing and watching pretty much all sporting events. 

NLF Roundtables Update

• Chamber Presidents’ Roundtable took place on September 19 and the next Chairman’s Roundtable will be held in December.

• Mayors’ Roundtable will beet next in Roanoke.

• Economic Development Directors’ Roundtable members participated in the Fort Worth Chamber’s Regional Economic Development Update and also attended Live in Austin.



• Nonprofits Roundtable: A core of nonprofit members are discussing topics for a meeting to be held soon.

Chambers of Commerce Continue to be Valuable Resources for Business, Nonprofits, and Communities

As we discovered during the pandemic, our local chambers of commerce are valuable catalysts that help our communities survive and thrive. If you have not joined your local chamber, you are missing out on resources that can help drive the growth of your business.

Please reach out to our local chambers of commerce listed below to energize your business. Please contact them directly for more information: 

Colleyville Chamber of Commerce

Grapevine Chamber of Commerce

HEB Chamber of Commerce

Keller Chamber of Commerce

Metroplex Chamber of Commerce

Northeast Tarrant Chamber of Commerce

Southlake Chamber of Commerce

817-488-7148

817-421-1522

817-283-1521

817-431-2169

817-937-1000

817-281-9376

817-481-8200

25th Annual Heart of North Texas Conference

'May the Workforce be With You, Now and in the Future.'

Date: Wednesday, November 2

Time: 8:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

Location: Hurst Conference Center

For sponsorship opportunities, please contact Radonna Hessel.