❌FW to “off-load” Will Rogers management; Downtown D: Neiman’s out... Mavs, Stars next? UNT Health adds a Ph.D. accreditation.

Fort Worth soon will vote to outsource management of the Will Rogers Memorial Center with a non-profit (Gendy Street Management) made up of three non-profits heavily invested in the facilities. It would be similar to management contracts made for the Fort Worth Zoo and Fort Worth Botanic Gardens.

UNT Health Fort Worth received approval from the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to offer a Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences degree. It will be the first degree program of its kind in D-FW.

Elon Musk's SpaceX has won a contract to build a $4.16 billion low Earth orbit satellite network to track advanced airborne threats under the Space Force's Golden Dome initiative.

Texas Secretary of State Jane Nelson, a long-time north Texas elected official, announced she will resign July 17, capping off three and a half years as the state’s top elections official.

The Dallas Mavericks chose the former Valley View mall site off I-635 in north Dallas for its billion-dollar arena and entertainment district. Plans are for the Mavs to move in time for the 2031-32 season after its American Airlines Center lease expires.

The Dallas Stars selected Plano as the team's future home. It signed a non-binding letter-of-intent to build an arena and entertainment district at The Shops at Willow Bend site. The letter was submitted to the Plano City Council and placed on the agenda for a vote.  

Law firm Munck Wilson Mandala is launching in Fort Worth and has hired legal and business executive Quintin Cassady as a Partner and leader of the office. Cassady has spent more than three decades advising global pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and consumer product companies on complex litigation, mergers and acquisitions, intellectual property strategy, compliance and corporate growth initiatives.

President Donald Trump issued an executive order to address potential cybersecurity threats posed by artificial intelligence. His directive calls for less-advanced government scrutiny than the White House had been set to impose last month — the AI industry’s latest victory in its push to avert heavier federal oversight.

North Carolina-based accounting/financial services company Cherry Bekaert acquired Calvetti Ferguson, an accounting and advisory firm. Headquartered in Houston, Calvetti had a strong presence in D-FW, San Antonio and Nashville. 

Unreal real estate: A 667-acre tract just west of Cleburne is on the market with an asking price of $20,013,360. Robinson Branch Ranch at 3900 W. Highway 67 has more than 10,000 feet of frontage on U.S. 67, a limestone creek with rapids and deep pools, an established bass fishery, six stock tanks, and internal roads. The tract is being offered by TT Ranch Group. 

Andrew Left, the founder of Citron Research and the short seller who clashed with GameStop's retail army during the height of the 2021 "meme stock mania," has been convicted in a landmark securities fraud trial.

GameStop's results for the first quarter ended May 2 showed the highest quarterly net income in history with $389.6 million, and the highest first quarter operating income with $143.3 million. Net sales grew 14% year-over-year, driven by collectibles.

Real estate transactions:

• Cabot Properties acquired The Mark IV, a three-building, 1,025,500-square-foot industrial portfolio in Fort Worth. The seller of 2121, 2233 and 2340 Providence Drive near I-35W and Loop 820 was Dalfen Industrial, which purchased the portfolio from Crow Holdings in September 2020 for $83.1 million. The buildings are fully leased to six tenants, including DHL, AER Precision Transmission, Intermodal Bridge Transport and CSG Forte, according to Yardi Matrix.

• LanCarte Commercial says a 13,092-square-foot industrial facility at 189 Bear Cat Road in Parker County has been leased. The transaction was led by Finn Wilson and Sarah LanCarte of LanCarte Commercial. 

• Archer Peak Oral Surgery, led by Dr. Robert Peak and Dr. Benjamin Paul Archer, has leased approximately 9,000 square feet at 2925 Riverglen Drive in Fort Worth. Transwestern’s Principal Kirk Kelly and Blake Grable handled the agreement. 

The U.S. Supreme Court approved a multi-state and federal settlement addressing the distribution of the waters of the Rio Grande between Texas, New Mexico and Colorado. Texas had sued New Mexico and Colorado in 2013 to address unfair siphoning of water from the Rio Grande before it reached Texas. 

Alphabet plans to raise $80 billion in equity offerings, including a $10B private placement with Berkshire Hathaway comprised of $5B in class A common stock at a price of $351.81 per share and $5B in class C capital stock at a price of $348.20. "AI is driving an expansionary moment for Alphabet ... at levels that are exceeding the company’s available supply...," according to Alphabet. At the end of the first quarter, Berkshire's Alphabet stake was just under 58 million shares, worth close to $17B.

Fort Worth-based Elbit Systems of America reached a strategic agreement with Anduril to offer the SIGMA Mobile Tactical Cannon for the Army's Self-Propelled Howitzer Modernization program. Elbit America is an experienced systems integrator and manufacturer of large ground vehicles. Anduril's expertise is in C5ISR, battle management and autonomy software.  

According to a release, the operators of Chimy's are opening Levee Porch, a fast-casual restaurant and beer garden, next to a 1,500-square-foot location of Dallas-based Tailwaters Fly Fishing Co. within Fort Worth’s $1.7-billion Westside Village off N. University Drive. Early 2027 is the target date. 

The Lanier Law Firm, known for representing clients in high-stakes personal injury, mesothelioma and product liability cases, is opening an office in the Clearfork area. The office will be led by Sam Taylor.

International clothing retailer Primark will open its sixth store in Texas June 25 at The Parks Mall at Arlington. Primark opened at North East Mall in Hurst in April and previously at Grapevine Mills. Parks Mall's Primark will have almost 30,000 square feet of retail selling space.  

The $60-million Caravan Court Hotel has opened at 205 N. Collins St. near AT&T Stadium, reviving the site of the old Caravan Motor Hotel. The145-room boutique property is from Valencia Hotel Collection. Its new restaurant, The Vandy, is from chef Yia Medina, leading a menu of upscale American fare. A rooftop bar, Elora Sky Club, is expected to follow.

La Pulga Tequila debuted a limited-edition, 90-proof reposado finished in Still Austin Red Corn Bourbon barrels, blending Jalisco agave with Texas whiskey influence. The double-barrel release rolls out this month at $69.99. La Pulga also announced a three-state distribution agreement with Reyes. 

Name recognition: American parents are still playing the hits. Olivia and Liam topped the Social Security Administration’s list of most popular baby names for 2025, keeping a seven-year run intact for Olivia and a nine-year streak for Liam. The top 10 boys’ names barely budged, while Charlotte moved past Emma for the No. 2 spot among girls. Still, the classics are not drawing the crowds they once did, as more parents turn to less common names. Last year’s fastest-rising names: Kasai for boys and Klarity for girls. See the list.

Significant stat: OpenAI's ChatGPT is the fastest app to surpass one billion monthly active users, according to SensorTower estimates. It took ChatGPT roughly three years to hit the milestone. Google's Maps, Chrome, and YouTube, and Meta's Messenger, and TikTok took five-to-eight years to reach $1B. 

Snippets:

• UNT Health has transitioned from six colleges to four, though no programs have been eliminated. 

• Fort Worth and the Tarrant Regional Water District will host a free Panther Island Form-Based Code update meeting tonight from 6-8 p.m. at Rose Marine Theater Gallery, 1440 N. Main St.

• The Hurst City Council approved a roughly two-year, $7-million contract to rebuild West Pipeline Road and, in a separate move, ratified emergency erosion work at Rickel Park.

• Beginning June 1, all Texas CDL and commercial learner permit knowledge tests must be completed in English. The move brings state procedures in line with federal English language proficiency rules.

Announcements:

• Joint Venture Equity Partners: Hires Caroline Cranz as Managing Director. 

• Fidelity: Hires Sarah Jackson as Vice President, Governmental Relations and Public Affairs for Texas. 

• Calloway’s: Promotes Jenny Moots to Vice President-Operations across 28 store locations. 

• MP Materials: Hires Kadee (Coffman) Blair as Senior Director of Texas Corporate Affairs. 

• Virtuoso Travel: Hires Charles Denison as Vice President of Finance. 

• Prosperity Bank: Promotes Aaron Shelby to Area Chairman. 

• JPMorgan Chase: Hires Bethany Kilgore as Vice President Experience Research.

• Bank of Texas: Promotes Noah Taylor to Commercial Relationship Manager. 

• Kelly Hart: Adds attorney Cyndi D'Ella to its Corporate & Securities practice area.

• Stryker: Adds Griffin Benson as Associate Sales Rep in Joint Replacements. 

• Quorum Architects: Promotes Bessy Segovia to Marketing Manager. 

• Pathologists Overseas: Hires Morgan A. Pence as co-Director of Laboratory Information Systems. 

• Halo: Promotes Melissa Powell to Sales Engineer, Recognition Solutions.

• McAdams: Promotes Ryan Akers to D-FW Metro Lead. 

• Rally Department: Hires Brennan Getchell as Account Manager. 

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