🔑Berkshire in talks to sell real estate brokerage; Rap sheet gets longer for ex-DJ; Southwest H.S. great Miller passes away at 54.

🌷Scheduling note: 817 Biz will be off next week for spring break and back in your inbox March 24.

Compass is near a deal to acquire Berkshire Hathaway's HomeServices business, according to the Wall Street Journal. The unit includes residential real estate, brokerages, mortgage, franchising, title, escrow, relocation and insurance. Revenues are approximately $500 million.

Davidson Bogel Real Estate represented Fort Worth in the sale of approximately 24 acres of industrial land located at the southeast corner of Westport Parkway and Harmon Road in Haslet. The buyer, R+L Carriers, a shipping and logistics company, plans to develop a truck terminal for industrial shipping and e-commerce distribution in the Alliance sub-market.

Missed probation orders means more troubles ahead for former north Texas deejay Justin Frazell. 

An Oklahoma grand jury indicted Texas' Gateway Church founder Robert Morris, accusing him in five felony counts of lewd and indecent acts with a girl during the 1980s. Morris resigned as senior pastor last June after admitting to "inappropriate sexual behavior." The accuser said she was 12 when Morris first sexually abused her on Christmas in 1982. He was 21.

The IRS estimates that $94.7 million in refunds remain unclaimed by 102,200 Texas taxpayers who have not filed their Form 1040, Federal Income Tax Return, for the 2021 tax year. The deadline to collect is fast approaching. 

Fort Worth is suing the military and chemical manufacturers for water supply contamination. It is seeking more than $420 million in relief for damages suffered by the infiltration of so-called "forever chemicals" into its water supply.

First Tee is launching a national awareness campaign to celebrate the impact of its coaches. Kicking off the "Dear Coach," campaign at the Charles Schwab Challenge in Fort Worth May 19-25, First Tee Week aims to engage communities and encourage them to celebrate the coaches who create active learning experiences that build character like inner strength, self-confidence and resilience. See activities here.

North Richland Hills-based Calloway's Nursery and Cornelius Nursery today will launch the first glow-in-the-dark plant, the $39.99 Firefly Petunia. Gardeners can be the first to experience its glow at a special event at all locations Saturday from 6-8 p.m. The Firefly Petunia is a stunning white petunia by day, and radiates an ethereal glow, produced from its living energy as it grows and blossoms.

In partnership with Canadian Pacific Kansas City, Patriot Rail Co., an operator of U.S. short-line and regional freight railroads, will expand its transload services in Texas. The facility will handle a variety of commodities throughout D-FW, including lumber, cement, fly ash, steel and consumer appliances.

Fort Worth-based Thomassen Amcot Holdings, which purchases idle assets globally, reached an agreement with TC Energy to acquire an unused Alstom160 MW steam turbine generator package in Calgary. The power shortage in select U.S. markets has generated a need for fast-tracked and lower-cost equipment solutions. 

City Cave is opening its holistic Fort Worth health spa April 5 at 465 S Main St, Suite 100. The spa offers patrons a head-to-toe rejuvenation experience with its unique float therapy experience, infrared sauna and massage therapy. 

Sponsored by TCU Neeley Executive Education 

This week, TCU Neeley Executive Education celebrated its 10th anniversary, marking a decade of leadership and growth. Starting from the ground up, the organization has impacted more than 5,500 professionals and delivered over 250 programs. From local employers like Cook Children’s Healthcare System, JPS, TTI, BNSF and JTaylor, national firms like Marsh McLennan, and global leaders like igus Motion Plastics, its reach continues to expand, equipping leaders with the skills to navigate an evolving business landscape.

Amber Capone, CEO of Southlake-based Veterans Exploring Treatment Solutions (VETS), is on the Inc. Female Founders 500 list. She and her husband, former Navy SEAL Marcus Capone, founded VETS in 2019 after their experiences with psychedelic therapy provided the healing relief their family needed.

Oliver Miller, a star basketball player at Southwest High School and on a Final Four Arkansas team, who then played in the NBA, has passed away at 54. Players and fans around the country react here.

Vietnam Airlines has selected Southlake-based Sabre's Network Planning and Optimization technology as it plans for global growth.

Grapevine awarded a $3.51-million contract to Jagoe to widen Fairway Drive from two lanes to three.  Construction is expected to start June 2 and will close the road from State Highway 26 to Marina Drive for six months. Also added will be a single-lane roundabout at the entrance to Silver Lake Marina and Cowboys Golf Club. 

Nothing to do with business: Today is Pi Day. Celebrated on March 14 because the date, written as 3/14 (or 3.14) corresponds to the first three digits of the mathematical constant pi (π), which is approximately 3.14159. In celebration, here’s each state’s most popular pie recipe.

Significant stat: Texas is a leader in data center employment, with the second highest number of jobs nationwide, new data shows. Texas saw a 38% increase in data center jobs from 2018 to 2024.

Daily digit: Dallas-Fort Worth grew 2.18% between July 2023 and July 2024, down from 2.41% between July 2022 and July 2023, according to new census estimates. D-FW saw a population increase of 177,922 in the time period, reaching a total of 8,344,032. Midland and Odessa ranked among the 10 fastest growing in the country at 2.8%.

Snippets:

• Southlake approves a paved heli-pad for Methodist Southlake Medical Center.

• Definition of irony: Tesla warns the U.S. trade rep about the harmful impact of tariffs.

• Only 44.4% of workers have a positive outlook for their company during the next six months, the lowest since 2016, according to the Glassdoor Employee Confidence Index.

Announcements:

• Crescent Real Estate: Promotes Co-CEO Conrad Suszynski to CEO. Promotes Christopher Goff to Senior Managing Director, head of capital formation; Andrew Lombardi to Senior Managing Director, CFO; Noelle Garsek to Managing Director, General Counsel; and Ben Molk to Managing Director, office. Adds Joseph Pitchford to the senior management committee.

• WLS Lighting and Electrical: Promotes Brandon Scogins to CEO.

• Sabre Corporation: Nominates Ashan Willy, a SaaS technology and platforms executive, as a Board director.

• Omnicell: Executive Vice President and CFO Nchacha Etta will be stepping down Sept. 15 or until a successor is named.

• Privia Health: Promotes Jeanne Sajben Jenkins to Senior Director, New Provider Recruitment.

• Tarleton State: Hires Melissa Musser as Academic Advising Coordinator.

• Raincloud Media: Hires Aubryn Burkhart as Digital Advertising Specialist.

• Mental Health Connection of Tarrant County: Adds Lauren Pohl as Office and Membership Coordinator. 

• Junior Achievement: Awards Charles Schwab its U.S. President’s Volunteer Service Award (George W. Bush started when he was in office).

• Likewize: Appoints Ryan O’Hara as CEO, succeeding Rod Millar, who was CEO since 2019.

• Dusty Griffith: Launches real estate brokerage.

☘️Reminder: 817 Biz will be off next week for spring break and back in your inbox March 24.