🍎A&M-Fort Worth leader going home; BNSF sued, AA settles suit; 2027: Take stock in your U-18 kids.

Billionaire Elon Musk said next year he will give every child in the U.S. one share of SpaceX, his $2-trillion aerospace and AI company. There are approximately 72-to-73 million children under 18 in the U.S. The share price is around $147, which would be a value of nearly $11 billion. Musk owns 4.8 billion shares and 6.4 billion with options and unvested awards. 

You can go home again: Pace University, a private university with campuses in New York City and Westchester County, announced Robert (Bobby) Ahdieh as its ninth President, effective January 1, 2027. Since arriving in 2018, Ahdieh has been the face and driving force for A&M-Fort Worth. He has served simultaneously as Dean and Anthony G. Buzbee Endowed Dean's Chair of the School of Law, Vice President for Professional Schools and Programs for the Texas A&M system, and Chief Operating Officer of Texas A&M–Fort Worth.

7950 Calmont, a multi-use development by 2SP Partners, breaks ground Thursday on a distribution facility for Adams County Diaries and a dedicated activity gym for the Fort Worth Police Department and Police Activities League for the Las Vegas Trail community. 2SP is made up of co-founders Kyle Poulson, Ricky Stuart and Jared Shope, and Partner Gibson Duwe. It recently announced Pearson Grove, a $25.5-million, 14-story luxury condo tower at 1630 Rogers Road along the Trinity River. 

Fort Worth-based BNSF Railway has been sued by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission for allegedly firing a former employee after he requested disability accommodations at a company training facility. According to the EEOC, BNSF Railway “illegally fired” a worker with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome — a genetic connective tissue disorder that causes severe joint pain, joint hypermobility, skin hyperextensibility and tissue fragility.

The widely reported suit of a child recorded in a plane bathroom on an American Airlines flight has been settled. The agreement follows an airline attendant's guilty plea of sexual exploitation of children. Terms were not disclosed. 

The FDA approved Fort Worth-based Alcon's Brytly, an over-the-counter drop for eye redness. Alcon says it works for up to 12 hours, about 50% longer than a competitor, and plans retail and online sales.

After experiencing its lowest total attendance numbers in seven years in 2025, the State Fair of Texas bounced back in 2026, welcoming nearly 2.1 million visitors, according to an official release. That represents a slight bump up from the 2,020,064 that came through the gates in 2025. Both numbers are still down significantly from the highs of 2019 and 2022, when more than 2.5 million people attended.

Building permits:

• The Fort Worth Water Department filed for a $1-million, 7,058-square-foot pump station and ground storage tank at 373 Northern Cross Blvd. Work is scheduled for April 2027 to May 2029.

• White's Chapel Methodist in Southlake filed a $1.08 million, 4,200-square-foot sanctuary remodel at 185 S. White's Chapel Blvd. Kline Hardin Architects is the designer. Work is scheduled for December to May 2027.

Southlake-based LateralCare raised $11.3 million in SAFE financing from 16 investors, according to Texas CEO Magazine. That brings its total raised to about $14.2 million. Investors weren't named. 

General Motors posted third-quarter results that topped estimates, tightened its full-year profit outlook, but issued shareholders a big prize -- a $20-billion share repurchase program. GM posted quarterly revenue of $50.0 billion, up 2.9% from a year ago, and adjusted earnings per share of $3.70 versus $3.57 estimated.

Fort Worth-based GM Financial reported third-quarter net income of 487 million. Retail loan and operating lease originations were $13.6 billion. As of Sept. 30, available liquidity was $28 billion.

A MESSAGE FROM BURT LADNER REAL ESTATE:

Payne Ranch FOR SALE: 200 Acres, Highway 14, Thornton, TX (Limestone County). Approximately 70% of the property is heavily wooded; the remaining acreage is native grass and fields. The property includes three stock tanks and cattle pens. Perimeter fencing is in good shape, with no cross fencing. No structures on the property. Offered at $1,799,000 by Steve Sikes. See listing and video.

Across D-FW, the region has added 700,000+ residents in the past decade, yet the certified nurse aide workforce has shrunk by nearly a third. To that end, Dwyer Workforce Development, a national non-profit, offers tuition-free, CNA training through local partners, including TSC Career Institute in Mesquite and Texana Training Solutions in Burleson.

Bradford Commercial Real Estate Services closed an all-cash sale for a three-story building in downtown Fort Worth’s Houston Street corridor. Located at 907 Houston St., the vacant 7,131-square-foot building is next to the Fort Worth Convention Center. Shane Benner, first vice president of Bradford, and Courtney Stanford, senior vice president, represented the seller, 907 Houston Street LLC. Westport Capital is listed as the owner. 

NET Force, a program to bring together Fort Worth resources to address some of the city’s most challenging properties, has selected seven properties for Year 2. They are Central Motel, 5800 E. Lancaster Ave.; Ranch Motel, 3620 N. Main St.; Cowboy Inn, 3107 N. Main St.; Shopping Center, 3249 N. Beach St.; Mirabel Apartments, 6301 Woodway Drive; and residences at 2929 Mount Vernon Ave. and 3300 E. Rosedale St.

Northland Properties and Trammell Crow plan a six-story, 221-room Sandman Signature Hotel near Grapevine Mills, with construction expected to start Nov. 15. Plans include a 275-seat restaurant, a 4,200-square-foot banquet room, a gym and an outdoor pool. 

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. came to JPS Health Network in Fort Worth to announce a national kidney care plan. The visit put Tarrant County's public hospital system at the center of a federal push aimed at preventing kidney failure, expanding dialysis options and overhauling how transplants are managed nationwide.

We’re No. 1: For the first time in its football history, Tarleton State University is the No. 1 team in the country. Monday, the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll and the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 Poll moved the Texans ahead of South Dakota State to No. 1.

Defense industry digest:

• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met Monday with representatives of Lockheed Martin to discuss accelerating deliveries of Patriot air defense systems and F-16 fighter jets as Ukraine struggles to counter Russian missile and drone attacks.

• Lockheed Martin Aeronautics in Fort Worth was awarded a $9,376,464 modification contract to provide for the upgrades to electronic mate and assembly stations two, three and four at the F-35 Italian final assembly and support of F-35 production for the Air Force, Marine Corps, Navy, non-U.S. Department of War partners, and Foreign Military Sales customers. 93% of the work will be performed in Fort Worth with a March 2028 completion date. 

• The U.S. Army awarded a $215-million contract to a joint venture between RTX and Lockheed Martin to produce upgraded launch units for the Javelin anti-tank missile system. The upgraded launcher is 30% smaller and 25% lighter, and the joint venture delivered its first lightweight units to the Army in May. It has produced more than 55,000 Javelin missiles and 12,000 reusable command launch units to date.

Snippets:

• Fifth Third Bank, formerly Comerica Bank, is re-building its presence in Tarrant County. It plans two locations in Fort Worth, two in Arlington and one in North Richland Hills.

• Super Bowl LXI will be the first to feature a dedicated animated alternative broadcast. Disney Channel and Disney XD will air “Star Wars Funday Football,” while Disney+ will stream the production. 

• If the College Football Playoff goes to 24 games, what happens to the bowl games? The Sports Business Journal takes a look.

• Can you guess what is the No. 1 factor shaping U.S. site selection decisions?

Today in history: 1959 = The Guggenheim Museum opened in New York City, introducing Frank Lloyd Wright's revolutionary spiral design to the public. Wright, who died six months before the opening, spent more than a decade developing the building, which became one of America's most recognizable architectural landmarks.

Significant stat: 37,000+ = American Airlines team members that live and work in north Texas.

Daily digit: 96% = Colleyville’s retail occupancy rate. In addition, the city has given out more than $7.8 million in grants to local businesses since 2018.

Announcements:

• Simpli.fi: Names Sean McCaffrey CEO. Frost Prioleau remains Executive Chairman. 

• Newport Specialty Partners: Appoints Stephen Ciarrocchi as Head of Strategic Partnerships

• Trinity REIS: Promotes Cody Crist to Senior Director and Partner.

• Texas Health Resources: Selects Susan Meredith as Executive Assistant to the CMO and CNE.

• Nanoscope Therapeutics: Hires Mia Montoya Molina as Senior Regulatory Operations Manager.

• AZZ: Promotes Matt Hodges to Director of Investor Relations.

• Airpower Foundation: Adds oil and gas executive Tony Fenoglio to its Advisory Board. 

• Great Place To Work: Honors Hotel Drover for the 4^th time. Among more than 10,000 companies, it is the only independent property in Texas to achieve the distinction in 2026.

• Tarrant Roofing: Hires Reginald Thomas for the AI Engineering and Digital Support team. 

• Dentsu: Promotes Cody Faldyn to VP of Integral Social, Ops & Measurement.

• Tarrant To & Through: Hires Cassandra (Kacy) Barton as Managing Director of Student Advising and Family Engagement.

• Tarrant To and Through: Hires Katherine Curtis as Director of Philanthropy.

• HotelBell: Selects Jordan Farrell as Vice President of Growth. 

• Texas Rangers: Steve Pitarra, Manager of Partnerships, is leaving the organization. 

• Northern District of Texas: U.S. Attorney’s Office adds Adam Farrell to Criminal Division, Fraud Section. 

• Southwest Airlines: Promotes Taylor Wade to Customer Service Supervisor. 

• The Bankers Bank: Hires Brad Durham as Correspondent Calling Officer.

• Natural Resources: Selects Christopher Munoz as Director, Project Engineering.

• Smoothie King: Hires Valerie Hall as Payroll and Benefits Manager.

• Chase Hospitality Group: Hires Iris Pineiro as Director of Sales. 

• Fort Worth: Selects Cauner McDonald for Senior Planner-Zoning.

• Tarleton State University: Names Dr. Amy Cook Vice President for Research, with her appointment set to begin Dec. 7.

• Newsweek’s 2026 America’s Greatest Workplaces for Trust: Includes Fort Worth-based Incora, a defense supply chain company.

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