⛽GM, UAW agreement near? Rangers game 3 tonight; How's your net worth?

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📣NEWS OF THE DAY:

Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge and Ram manufacturer Stellantis reached a tentative contract agreement with the United Auto Workers union that follows a template set by Ford's agreement with the UAW. Conflicting reports Saturday about General Motors. One said it is on the verge of finalizing a similar deal after intense negotiations that lasted through the night Friday. The potential agreements promise a 30% increase in the top wage rate, surpassing $40 per hour. The other said the strike was expanded Saturday evening to a GM plant in Tennessee. The work stoppages started September 15.

U.S. automakers are saying the 50% growth of electric vehicle purchases is not keeping pace with the costs of production. Read what they say about the dilemma.

Late last week, Fort Worth-based Ben E. Keith Company filed a notice of a data breach and sent messages to 39k customers that an unauthorized party was able to access files stored on the company’s computer network, including their names and Social Security numbers. The company’s food distribution division services 15 states, and the beverage division serves more than 62 counties in Texas.

Big bats and no bats and it's tied 1-1 in the Rangers-Diamondbacks best-of-7 World Series. The next three games are at 7 pm Monday to Wednesday in Arizona. If no winner is determined by game 5, then games 6 and 7 will be this Friday and Saturday in Arlington.

Regardless of the outcome of the World Series, both team owners stand to be winners. The Texas Rangers were bought for $593M in 2010, and as of this year have an estimated value of $2.23 billion. The Arizona Diamondbacks were bought for $238M in 2004, and today have an estimated value of $1.38 billion. That means the Rangers value increased by about 276% and the Diamondbacks value increased by about 480%.

The Tarrant County Historical Society is planning the construction of a black granite monument in honor of those lost during the Vietnam War. The organization has raised $25k toward the approximate $300k-plus it needs for the monument in Veterans Park.

A civil engineering researcher at UT-Arlington and her team are hoping to restore damaged or dying coral reefs—inspired by the remarkable durability of ancient Roman construction materials in seawater. They have $2 million in funding to develop 3D-printed coral reefs.

Pickleball Kingdom announced an expansion plan of up to 20 pickleball clubs in D-FW. No sites were named. Franchisee Dan Jenkins is spearheading the developments. 

The number of CEO changes at U.S. companies rose in September as 164 CEOs left their positions. It is up 4.5% from the 157 CEO changes announced in August, and up 122% from the 74 CEOs who left their posts in the same month last year, according to a report released by outplacement and coaching firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas, Inc. This year, 1,425 CEOs have left their posts, up 47% from the 969 during the same period in 2022. It is the highest total in the first nine months since the firm began tracking in 2002.

Oklahoma City-based Paycom is expanding its Grapevine campus with the addition of a 4-story building on Highway 121. The payroll processing firm last year opened a 150,000-square-foot operations center to house 1,000 employees. According to a filing with the state, a second 118,000-square-foot office building will be added at a cost of $27 million and will open in 2025.

“I would describe this year as being the year of fraud, theft and abuse, starting out with a $700,000 load stolen, then insurance goes up and costs go up,” Dennis Martin told FreightWaves. So, after 26 years in transportation and 12 years as owner of Fort Worth-based SEL Supply Chain Solutions, Martin is kicking the tires and closing down.

General Motors' Cruise self-driving vehicle unit is pausing operation after the California DMV froze Cruise's permits because of an Oct. 2 incident in which one of the company's AVs was involved in a hit-and-run. "The most important thing for us right now is to take steps to rebuild public trust," Cruise said in a statement. Cruise has operations in San Francisco, Austin, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix and Miami. 

👟PEOPLE ON THE MOVE:

• Cox P.L.L.C: Adds attorney Lynn Winter as Partner

• Nanoscope Therapeutics: Hires Naj Sharif as VP of Global Research & Development

• Quorum Architects: Adds Amanda Robinson as interior design project manager

• Elevate Dreams: Launched by Rebecca Castro

✂️SNIPPETS:

• A professional pumpkin carver spills his guts. Adam Bierton is allergic to pumpkins, but that doesn’t stop him from carving dozens each fall, the most intricate of which can cost $5,000. (NYT gift article)

• Not your average stoner: For the past five years, British artist Justin Bateman has been creating intricate portraits out of pebbles and stones. His work is striking in its level of detail and scale, with pieces ranging in size from 10 square feet to over 80. (see images)

• Nothing to do with business: Would you like some grated parmesan with that? A bear was caught on camera in a Connecticut home where he proceeded to open the freezer and remove a package of lasagna. With pasta in tow, the bear is seen leaving through a kitchen window. (video)

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