🗝️Container Store finds new abode; Elbit, Lockheed awarded big deals; The #1 Easter candy is...

General Motors announced a year-over-year 9.7% decrease in vehicle sales for the first quarter, with a total of 626,429 units sold. With stronger March sales, GM maintained its position as the leader in U.S. auto sales for the quarter. GM’s Arlington Assembly plant employs an estimated 5,000 workers. Guru Focus offers this AI-generated update on the company.

Bed Bath & Beyond agreed to acquire The Container Store for $150 million. The Elfa and Closet Works units will anchor a home services division.

Collins Elbit Vision Systems, a joint venture between Fort Worth-based Elbit Systems of America and RTX Corporation, secured a $585.01-million contract to produce and deliver helmet-mounted display hardware for the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps. The work is expected to be completed by July 2029.

Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. was awarded a $56,645,000 modification contract that adds scope to procure long lead material, parts and components in support of five production F-35 Lightning II aircraft for the Marine Corps. Fort Worth will have 59% of the work, which is expected to be completed in December 2030.

Most of Texas’ school voucher applications come from white families and children who previously attended a private school or are home-schooled. Of the 256,700 Texans who applied as of late March, 45% are white, 23% are Hispanic and 11% are Black. Low-income families make up 36% of applicants — defined as a family of four earning $66,000 or less per year.

Fort Worth outlined a $9-million FIFA World Cup budget and expects federal reimbursement of about $5 million. $2 million of the budget is set aside for Visit Fort Worth.

The FIFA teams coming to north Texas are Sweden and Czechia. Sweden will be based at Toyota Stadium in Frisco, and Czechia will be based at the new Mansfield Stadium facility. Saudi Arabia picked Q2 Stadium in Austin and Houston will host the winner of FIFA Playoff Path 1, Jamaica or Congo DR.

No surprise here: Airbnb rental prices are spiking ahead of the World Cup as north Texas hosts offer options from a three-bedroom bungalow with a pickleball court for $16,400 and luxury spaces near the stadium for $23,000; families staying within a short walk may pay up to $25,000 for a week-long rental.

Dallas-based Westwood Holdings Group Inc. filed a prospectus with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission to launch an exchange-traded fund that lists the Texas Stock Exchange as its primary listing venue, a first for TXSE, which expects to start trading in July. 

Prospere Companies has relocated its D-FW corporate headquarters to 100 Village Center Dr. in Southlake. The company serves entrepreneurs and investors across north Texas in mergers and acquisitions, business brokerage and commercial real estate sectors.

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A federal judge in Tyler dismissed a lawsuit that sought to allow churches to endorse political candidates without losing their tax-exempt status. Several Texas churches and national Christian groups filed the lawsuit as the Trump administration and other conservatives have worked to eliminate the law. 

Country star Ella Langley debuted the music video for her hit “Choosin’ Texas” Wednesday at the same venue where it was filmed — a familiar Fort Worth backdrop, the historic Stagecoach Ballroom. The video features Yellowstone’s Luke Grimes and country music singer-songwriter Miranda Lambert. The video and song are currently dominating the charts, spending four consecutive weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Watch the video here.

The United Way of Tarrant County launched United Way Institute, a regional hub for research, innovation and non-profit capacity building designed to transform how the community understands need, designs solutions and delivers impact. The initiative is made possible by technology leader Dell Technologies. Read more here. 

American Express is expanding its existing space at D-FW International Airport, opening a Centurion Lounge in Boston and a second Sidecar concept in Charlotte. 

Dallas Innovates reported a patented golf ball from Topgolf International comprises "piezoelectric material and a wireless transmitter" along with an integrated gyroscope, magnetometer, and Bluetooth radio, designed to relay speed, spin, and location data without the sensor infrastructure that RFID-based systems require.

Arvato is opening a logistics hub in Denton with a scalable, high-security infrastructure network to support cloud computing and AI-driven growth. The facility comprises approximately 270,000 square feet, with an initial 150,000 allocated for operations and the rest for expansion. 

Loma TXMX has opened in Arlington's Choctaw Stadium, bringing a Tex-Mex concept to the Arlington Entertainment District. Loma TXMX serves “elevated” cuisine, including wood-fired fajitas, Wagyu beef dishes and classic plates. The concept comes from Arlington restaurateur Brandon Hurtado, founder of Hurtado Barbecue, which grew from a 2018 food truck into multiple north Texas locations and a presence inside Globe Life Field. View the menu here.

North Texas Frontier Waste Solutions has been sold to GFL Environmental by Concentric Equity Partners and Summer Street Capital Partners. No terms were announced. 

Reese's Peanut Butter Bunnies reign supreme in Texas and across most of the U.S. around Easter, according to a DoorDash report of five of the most popular Easter candies.

Significant stats: StorageCafe’s analysis of 2024 U.S. Census Bureau data shows Texas gained a net +76,000 residents that year, despite a broader slowdown that pushed interstate migration to a 10-year low. Still, Texas remains firmly in the lead. California continues to be Texas’s largest source of new residents; data shows 210 Californians moved to Texas every day during 2024. Texas home values on average are 59% lower and rents 30% lower than California’s.

Snippets:

• Fort Worth police were not joking with this April Fools' Day prank...and they had a gas doing it. 

• How many of these 13 reasons do you agree with as to why people are leaving Texas?

• Tarrant County College, similar to most schools, is massaging its offerings. One student makes a case to bring back the discontinued study abroad.

• Richard Rogers, co-founder of cosmetics giant Mary Kay, passed away at 82.

Announcements:

• Southside Bank: Hires Amy Sutton to lead new growth.

• North Texas Community Foundation: Adds Amy Knight Brown, Jamie Packer and Candace Sandifer to its Board of Directors.

• North Texas Community Foundation: Honors attorney Michael V. Bourland with its Lifetime Achievement Award.

• Nanoscope Therapeutics: Appoints Paul Hallen as Chief Operating Officer. 

• Texas: Governor Greg Abbott appoints Nelda Cacciotti of Fort Worth to the Advisory Committee to the Board of Criminal Justice. She is the Associate Judge of Probate Court No. 2 in Tarrant County. 

• Fort Worth Report: Hires Tommy Cummings as Newsletter Editor.

• Worthington Bank: Names Brian Compton Arlington market President and Mark Evans Chief Lending Officer.

• U.S. Energy Development Corporation: Promotes Aaron Thesman to General Counsel.

• Cleburne Christian Business Club: Celebrates its 50-year milestone today. Founded by John Fletcher and Darrell Miles. 

• Hiland Dairy Foods: Names Mike Leibacher General Manager after the retirement of Ray Gibson.

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