🎄An early Christmas present; Healthcare Institute coming to FW; Arlington to test drone, robot deliveries

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📣NEWS OF THE DAY:

500 Taylor St, the new corporate headquarters of Dickies, will soon undergo upgrades. It was built in 1974 as an annex and parking for the Fort Worth National Bank Tower (now The Tower). Fort Worth's Downtown Design Review Board has approved a request for new color-changing accent lights on the facade, upgraded pedestrian lights, fresh paint and new Dickies signage.

Future Dallas Mavericks majority owner Dr. Marian Adelson was a featured speaker this week at the Texas Association of Business Policy Conference. No doubt, building a casino came up in talks between the Las Vegas Sands owner and the business community. But her primary mission was to join Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum to express their thanks for Texas' solidarity with Israel. 

A Christmas gift for Susan Huston, an Arlington woman in cancer remission, was a family trip to New York to see the holiday display at Saks Fifth Avenue. She didn’t expect a random meeting with ABC World News Tonight anchor David Muir and the opportunity to recommend an Arlington toffee maker (Nancy’s Toffee) for his holiday gift segment. See her cameo in the Made in America video clip here.

With the help of a $780k grant from the U.S. Department of Energy, the City of Arlington will conduct a pilot program to test the efficiency and scalability of using autonomous, electric drone and robot delivery vehicles. The goal: Deliveries from food banks that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Commercial real estate firm Newmark said the previously announced DrinkPAK to Fort Worth deal has closed. The canned beverage manufacturer headquartered in California closed on two industrial leases totaling 2.9 million square feet, nearly tripling the company's real estate footprint. The leases are the largest new industrial occupier commitment completed in a single market across the U.S. this year and are projected to create 1,000 full-time jobs by 2026.

Leon Capital Group purchased 15 acres near Trinity Blvd and House Anderson Rd. in Euless to construct two 125,000-square-foot industrial buildings. Purchase price and construction estimates were not disclosed. Separately, Leon plans to build a nearly 150,000-square-foot industrial facility in east Fort Worth near the intersection of Gravel Dr and Jack Newell Blvd, according to a state filing.

General contractor Skanska has begun construction on two new buildings on Tarrant County College's Northwest campus. The contract is worth $155 million and will include classrooms, academic and administration spaces, faculty offices, learning stairs, study/focus rooms, sculpture/painting studios and an auditorium/theater space. 

Texas A&M Law School Dean Bobby Ahdieh announced the legal/healthcare Institute for Healthcare Access at the Fort Worth campus. Texas A&M Health Science Center, Texas A&M Law and the Texas A&M School of Medicine have partnered to establish the university-wide center, which aims to establish a national forum to challenge conventional thinking, inspire decision-makers, and generate advances in access to healthcare. 

Southlake-based medical device manufacturer Heart Test Laboratories, Inc. dba Heart Sciences, raised $1.6 million, according to a filing. The proceeds were used to pay off a loan and for general working capital purposes. Led by Chairman and CEO Andrew Simpson, the company is developing an electrocardiogram device called MyoVista to test heart health.

The announced $70-million partnership between Fort Worth and Hoque Global for the development of the Evans-Rosedale project is off. The city is looking for a fresh start after severing ties with the current developer.

Mark Jones, political science fellow at Rice University’s James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy, ranked Texas senators from most conservative to most liberal based on votes they cast during the 2023 regular session and four special sessions. Here’s where they stand. 

Varghese Summersett, a firm focused on personal injury, criminal defense and family law, acquired The Griffin Firm based in Keller. Wade Griffin will become a partner at Varghese Summersett. His firm focused on family law. 

That’s a win-win: Congrats to Elise Christmas (yes, that’s her real name), winner of our contest for a VIP package to the Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl. She plans to gift her tickets to her dad, David Christmas, who was granted American citizenship in June after calling Texas home for over 20 years.

Keller ISD trustees named Tracy Johnson as their lone finalist as Superintendent of the district. She starts Jan. 2 and will become the first female Superintendent in Keller’s history. 

People on the move:

• Institute for Healthcare Access: Adds Keegan Warren, JD LLM, as Executive Director 

• TimelyCare: Hires Cortney Johnson as CFO

• TPG: Adds Nehal Ram, Jeffrey Rhodes and Josh Baumgaren to its Board. All work for TPG.

• League Real Estate: Promotes Nicole Clifton to Brokerage Director

Snippets:

• Which states pay public school K-12 teachers the most and least when considering cost of living adjustments?

• Mortgage rates are dropping. Here’s what to expect in 2024 if you want to buy a home, experts say.

• This historic Fort Worth office building is a good luck charm for businesses.

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