🚥Another gateway to the Near Southside? Could Rep. Goldman's bill work? Camping with Taylor Sheridan & friends.

Loews Hotels & Co., an owner, operator, and developer, announced plans for Americana by Loews Hotels – Arlington. It replaces the Sheraton Arlington and will be the company's third hotel in the Entertainment District. The  existing hotel will be demolished, and Loews will start construction this summer on the project that has 507 guest rooms, including 39 suites.

Fort Worth commercial real estate firm Elkhorn Union sold the property at the northeast corner of South Main Street and W. Vickery Boulevard, a key gateway site between downtown Fort Worth and the rapidly growing Near Southside district. The buyer, a development group, aims to transform the intersection into a prominent mixed-use project for the area. 

Brad Chapman, President of Layne Glass Company and founding partner of Epic Entry Systems, has merged the companies -- "Two companies collaborating with one goal in mind: creating a buying experience that people remember for the right reasons."

Fort Worth-based Precision53 has acquired substantially all assets relating to club machining, refinishing and chroming of Arizona-based The Iron Factory. The asset acquisition includes heavy industrial equipment for lathe turning, CNC machining, roll-stamping, polishing, chroming, and other processes, as well as assets including trade secrets, unique production, process, and materials knowledge. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed. P53, founded by Managing Director Christopher Griffin, is a small, luxury golf equipment company catering to a select, invitation-only clientele.

Patrick Hicks of Smoke'N Ash BBQ in Arlington is the only Tarrant County semifinalist for the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards. Finalists will be announced March 31.

Who knew? Taylor Sheridan has a Cowboy Camp. Actors in Sheridan's shows, especially 1883 and 1923, attend for authentic training in horsemanship, roping, saddling, herding cattle and developing "muscle memory" so the actors look natural. Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Isabel May, LaMonica Garrett (from 1883), and Brian Geraghty (from 1923), among others, have learned essential skills at the camp to make their performances realistic.

Mister O1 Extraordinary Pizza, with two Fort Worth locations, has teamed with Texas legend Terry Black's BBQ to create a Terry Black’s Brisket Pizza. It is available through Feb. 28.

Dallas-based OneRyan Global, the family office of G. Brint Ryan, increased its ownership in Mr. Gatti's Pizza, the Texas-born pizza and entertainment brand. OneRyan acquired a controlling interest after having purchased the corporate-owned Mr. Gatti's at South Park Meadows in Austin last October. That transaction completed the company's transition to a 100% franchised system. OneRyan also owns the Mr Gatti's Family Entertainment Center in Big Spring.

ESPN is reporting the USC Trojans are finalizing a deal to add former TCU head coach Gary Patterson as the school's next defensive coordinator. A deal is expected to come together in the near future.

Westlake-based Virbac unveiled an L2 leptospirosis vaccine for dogs, which it believes will play a “crucial role” in minimizing the disease’s risks to the liver and kidneys. Canixin L, was developed to stimulate an immune response against a disease that is spread through direct contact with rodents or their urine, indirect contact with contaminated material such as bedding, or social contact with other dogs.

Arlington-based D.R. Horton's first-quarter 2026 net income was $594.8 million (down 30%) on $6.9B revenue (down 9%), but the numbers beat expectations. Cash flow was strong and dividends and buybacks continued. It also announced a new dividend and provided updated guidance. 

U.S. Congressman Craig Goldman, who represents parts of Tarrant and Parker counties, introduced a bill to eliminate the capital gains tax for all homeowners who’ve owned their home for more than two years. Goldman said he introduced the Don’t Tax the American Dream Act in response to what he believes is a "slowing down” of the housing market. 

United Airlines punched back against American Airlines' flight escalation at Chicago's O'Hare Airport, vowing to add flights to hold its gate count in 2026. The airline said it is profitable and has widened its lead. Analysts say gates and peak-time slots help win corporate travelers.

Airlines have gotten increasingly good at monetizing their premium cabins. The trend is most obvious with American Airlines. It doesn't want customers to rely on complimentary upgrades, but instead, is trying to condition customers to pay for upgrades, whether it’s with miles or cash. Ben Schlappig with One Mile at a Time offers this comprehensive look at pricing and value, and tips for getting the most for your money or miles.  

Lockheed Martin was awarded a $202,782,136 modification to a contract for inspection, re-certification and repair of PAC-3 missiles to return them to serviceable condition. Work will be performed in Grand Prairie, with an estimated completion date of June 30, 2028.

Wilks Development, developer of The Harden at Public Market, a 199-unit apartment community located behind the historic Fort Worth Public Market, received approval from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to transition from senior living to conventional housing, opening the property to any potential resident.

Gov. Greg Abbott has endorsed challenger Nate Sheets in his race to oust Texas agriculture commissioner Sid Miller. The governor called Sheets a “Texas-first trade candidate” who is “laser-focused on producing clean food for Texans and strengthening labor security to protect our border and our ag economy.”

Diamonds Direct signed a sponsorship agreement making it the official jewelry partner of Fort Worth Colonial Charities. Diamonds Direct will provide designer jewelry items to be auctioned or raffled to help raise money in support of three of Fort Worth Colonial Charities' fundraising efforts -- the Colonial 80th Celebration, the Executive Women’s Day Uncorked Fashion Show and the Executive Women’s Day Luncheon.

(Maybe your company should sponsor Colonial?) Westlake-based Schwab reported record fourth-quarter and full-year 2025 results. New assets for the quarter were $163.9 billion, and revenues were up 19% year-over-year to $6.3 billion. The quarterly GAAP earnings per share were up 38% versus last year.

Re:Cognition Health, a clinical research and treatment provider, announced Medicare coverage for FDA-approved, amyloid-targeting medications Leqembi™ and Kisunla™ is available for eligible patients when prescribed and administered through its four U.S. centers, including the one in Fort Worth.

The promotional products association expo was a wild and fun display of personal and large-scale opportunities. Here are four trends that stood out. 

A futurist returns from the Consumer Electronics Show and offers his predictions as to how AI, robotics and well-being tech will re-shape the workplace.

Snippets:

• Here are the 2026 Oscar nominations, led by vampire tale Sinners, which made history with a record 16 nominations. 

• Zipline, the drone delivery service partnered with Walmart, raised another round of funding for expansion that values the company at $7.6 billion.

• Amazon is launching a megastore outside Chicago with a footprint so large it could fit nearly two average-size Target stores under its roof.

• Is President Trump's housing executive order all hat and no cattle?

• The White House and China finalize a deal to sell U.S. TikTok business to U.S. investors.

Significant stat: The luxury cruise travel market has tripled in size since 2010, according to Cruise Lines International Association. The number of passengers is expected to hit ~1.3M this year, up from 310k in 2021.

Daily digit: The average number of volunteers for Meals on Wheels in Tarrant County is 3,300 at any one time. And they average six years of service to the non-profit. 

Announcements:

• JPS Health Network: Selects Dr. Grant Fowler as Chief of Medical Staff for the teaching institution and provider of behavioral health services. He previously was Chair of family medicine at the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine at TCU, 

• Fort Worth Chamber: Hires Taylor Manziel, Senior Manager – Membership; Lorena LaGroue Operations Manager – Membership; and Emily Kirby, Digital Marketing Manager.

• Duane Morris: Law firm selects Partner John Polzer to lead its Fort Worth and Dallas offices. 

• Texas Wesleyan University: Selects Bennett Partners to lead a long-range facilities planning effort.

• Epic Entry Systems: Brad Chapman is the Founding Partner.

• The Blum Firm: Promotes Annie Counts, Doug Harvey and Tara Pedian to Senior Associate. 

• The Directions Group: Promotes Jeff Hunter to Senior Vice President-Healthcare Practice Lead.

• Red Productions: Hires Emily Sussman Blankenship as Post Production Supervisor. 

• Nextlink Internet: Hires Mark Mourer as sales representative. 

• Facilisgroup: Selects Carolyn Phillips of HF Custom Solutions for its EmPOWER Award for mentorship, advocacy and leadership to create growth and opportunity for women across the industry. 

• Texas A&M Law Review Volume 14: Selects Sarah Trevino, Editor in Chief; Darius Cardozo, Managing Editor; and Kaya-Ann Mason, Executive Editor. The full staff is here.

• University of North Texas: Hires Dejan Milyo Milosevic as assistant soccer coach, a position he held in 2024. 

• PNC: Renews sponsor deals with the Dallas Stars and American Airlines Center.

• MKC Beauty Lounge: Launched by Founder and CEO Palmira Cumbo.

• KeraLink International: Hires Tyler Emler as Director of Development.

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