🟢FW a priority in A&M plan; Seminary, Mavs score court wins; Whitten to head Visit FW.

🎖️Scheduling note: 817 Biz will be off Monday, May 25 for Memorial Day and will resume publishing May 27.

A Tarrant County District Court jury has awarded Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary $7.1 million from Hanover Casualty Co., saying the insurer "acted unfairly" and "knowingly" against an institution it was paid to protect. 

The Board of Regents of The Texas A&M University System approved a $6.8-billion capital plan for 2027-2031 that will support continued growth, expand research and workforce capacity, modernize infrastructure and preserve historic facilities across the A&M System’s 12 universities and eight state agencies. Specific priorities include continued expansion in Fort Worth, major research and academic investments at Texas A&M University, health science and workforce development projects across the state, and restoration work on some of the A&M's historic facilities.

Mitch Whitten has been named President & CEO of Visit Fort Worth, the organization that builds and supports tourism and hospitality for the city. Whitten has been with Visit Fort Worth 13 years, most recently as chief operating officer.

The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas approved more than $103 million in 69 new cancer research and innovation grants. UNT Health Fort Worth received $2.4 million for its Research Scholars program. And TCU received its first CPRIT grant: $250,000 for a mobile 3D imaging tool that predicts breast density and encourages greater participation in mammograms. 

Wondering about getting Elon Musk's SpaceX stock ahead of its expected mid-June IPO, possibly the largest that has occurred? Through private market platforms, accredited investors can buy existing stock from current employees or early investors, and the price is running about $650. The IPO numbers will be staggering. Here's what to know. 

A judge with the Business Court of Texas ruled in favor of the Dallas Mavericks, giving the basketball team control of the American Airlines Center, where the Dallas Stars also play. 

A homeless, disabled veteran left his baby - a dog - at a Fort Worth fire station with a note asking for firefighters to keep it. Here's the rest of the story.

Semiconductor manufacturer Texas Instruments says a former vice president who refused to disclose his new employer after an abrupt resignation has surfaced at a competitor looking to use its technology trade secrets. According to Bloomberg, TI is asking the Texas Business Court to prohibit Kannan Soundarapandian from continuing his employment at GlobalFoundries US Inc., which TI says is a competitor that will offer clients process power to build semiconductor devices with the proprietary technology developed by Texas Instruments.

TriWest Healthcare Alliance’s President and CEO David McIntyre Jr. apologized to Fort Worth Army veteran Guy Shoemaker, 64, and four million other military personnel after NBC's investigation of the company's decisions since taking over their healthcare coverage. 

NASCAR icon Kyle Busch, who won more races across the sport's three national series than any other driver, has died at 41. His last race, in the truck series last week in Delaware, he celebrated in the winner's circle.

Bell Helicopter celebrated 75 years in Fort Worth yesterday. In the 1940s, Lawrence “Larry” Bell saw something few others did: the future of vertical lift. When Bell Aircraft’s original home in Buffalo could no longer support the company’s growing helicopter ambitions, he chose Fort Worth. On May 21, 1951, Bell broke ground, and 75 years later, the company is still operating on the same land.

Lockheed Martin’s CEO unveiled AI-powered warfare tech built to stop drone swarms. Jim Taiclet says the company has partnered with Nvidia to power its AI-driven national security missions.

eBay may have shot down Grapevine-based GameStop's $56-billion buyout offer, but the videogame retailer announced it had boosted its stake in eBay from 5% to 6.55%, which reflects common stock and shares underlying put/call option pairs.

Finn Wilson and Sarah LanCarte of LanCarte Commercial represented the landlord in the sale of a 4,592-square-foot office property at 8500 Precinct Line Road in Colleyville. The two-suite building constructed in 2016 has offices of approximately 3,350 and 1,242 square feet of separately accessed space.

Texas' Attorney General office filed suit against WhatsApp and its parent, Meta, saying WhatsApp misled consumers regarding the strength and scope of its end-to-end privacy protections for its messaging app. The AG alleges the representations led users to believe their communications were fully private and inaccessible to third parties. 

In what is mostly a procedural clean-up, "white collar" overtime exemption salary thresholds officially are back to 2019 pre-Biden levels. Standard Exemption: Most executive, administrative and professional employees must earn at least $684 per week ($35,568 annually). Highly Compensated Employees: The annual compensation threshold remains at $107,432. 

The Real Deal reported the sale of a 487-acre ranch near Weatherford to Kenmark Homes, an Aledo developer. "Located in a center of the rodeo and equestrian world, a 487-acre tract near Weatherford was expected to sell to a horse operation. A residential developer grabbed the reins and said neigh. An LLC tied to residential developer Kenmark Homes bought the Parker County estate for more than the $11 million asking price."

Because of term limits, the final days of service are upon Arlington City Council member Barbara Odom-Wesley. She talked with KERA about her hopes to leave a legacy of progress and advocacy and how the work she’s done to support equity and diversity makes her proud. 

Fort Worth-based Legacy Medical Consultants, a provider of allografts for the treatment of hard-to-heal chronic wounds, initiated the REBOUND clinical trial: a prospective, post-market randomized controlled study evaluating Orion™, a dual-layer amniotic membrane allograft for the management of diabetic foot ulcers in adults 50 to 85.

Retired Tarrant County Senior Judge Ken Curry is donning his robes again after having been appointed to hear arguments in the Texas Tech quarterback Brendan Sorsby case as he fights to regain his eligibility. Sorsby has been suspended for breaking NCAA rules on gambling, which he acknowledged. 

In 1930, the Mount Olivet Cemetery Association began a Memorial Day tradition that continues Monday. The 97th annual Fort Worth Memorial Day Service at Mount Olivet Cemetery is 10 a.m. at 2301 N. Sylvania Avenue, and is free to the public. Veterans, local dignitaries and families will gather to honor brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice. The keynote speaker is U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Richard E. "Tex" Brown III (Ret.), who served 34 years on active duty.

Snippets:

• Sports Business Journal ranks Arlington the 24th best sports business city in the country. better than Houston and Fort Worth, worse than Dallas.

• Tickets (free) to the FIFA World Cup Fan Festival at Dallas' Fair Park are available. The festival opens Thursday, June 11, and runs 34 days.

Nothing to do with business: Joey Chestnut will defend his July 4th Nathan’s hot dog eating title while on probation.

Announcements:

• Center for Transforming Lives: Adds Amy Newell to its Board of Directors. She will be Chair of the Development Committee.

• Azle: Hires Amber Beard as City Manager.

• Whitley Penn: Adds Brittany Frantzen as a Healthcare Advisory Director. She will lead the firm’s Practice Optimization for healthcare clients.

• Sabre: Appoints Scott Hortenstine Principal Accounting Officer. 

• UT-Arlington: Hannah Lebovits, Interim Director of the Institute of Urban Studies, is leaving the university for a new opportunity.

• TCU: Hires Jerry Hobbie as assistant men’s basketball coach 

• Northwest ISD: Selects Sloan Heath as Daniel Elementary School Principal. 

• Rios Brothers Concrete Services: Names Valerie King Purchasing Manager. 

• Frost Bank: Adds Sandra Moreno as a business banker.

• Wilkinson International Holdings: Hires Evie Mangan as a financial analyst. 

• Lone Star Council of Charitable Gift Planners: Board of Directors adds Cathy Neece Brown as VP-Membership.

• Çref: Hires Micheal Miller as Senior Director of Regulatory & Facilities. 

• Hospitality Network, a Cox Business: Names Brad Palmer II, General Manager, Advanced Convention Services, as the liaison and exclusive telecommunications provider for the Fort Worth Convention Center. 

• Middleburg Communities: Hires Aaron Douthit to build the firm’s presence in Texas and Oklahoma, and then western expansion.

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