⚖️Large law firm opens in FW; Tarrant's fastest growers; Happy birthday, Apple.

Munsch Hardt, a law firm with a track record in real estate, finance and construction, is opening an office in Fort Worth, its fourth in Texas. TCU grads — Managing Shareholder Adrienne Wall and trial attorney Austin Franklin — will lead the Fort Worth office, which is located downtown at 777 Main Street on the 19th floor. Theo Bruton, who served as in-house counsel for a commercial real estate developer in Fort Worth, has joined this Munsch Hardt office. 

The Supreme Court ruled against a law banning “conversion therapy” for LGBTQ+ kids in Colorado, one of about two dozen states (Texas included) that ban the practice. An 8-1 majority sided with a Christian counselor who argued the law banning talk therapy violates the First Amendment. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was the solo dissent.

The Texas Supreme Court ended lawsuits against power generators from thousands of Texas residents and businesses that lost electricity during the 2021 winter storm that left billions of dollars in damages and killed hundreds of people. It did not give a reason why.

This definitely was no joke! 50 years ago today, Apple was introduced to the world by founders Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. See how it has evolved by decades. 

Lockheed Martin Space, a division of Lockheed Martin, secured a $1.36B contract modification, covering new scope and prior un-priced work. The deal supports U.S. Navy missile and launch platform production for Conventional Prompt Strike, expected to be completed in 2032. 

The Southwest List of Inc. magazine's fastest-growing private companies includes 11 Tarrant companies: Black Level Ingredient (12), Nascence Group (18), HTeaO (49), Department of Doody (56), Timely Telehealth (67), Valor (82), Higginbotham (91), Livingspring Family Medical Center (98), Eosera (99), Stansberry Asset Management (118) and Bloc House Construction (120). 

Fort Worth-based M2G Ventures filled a 51,000-square-foot urban infill at 4919 Woodall in Dallas with a single tenant -- experiential event design and production company Social Llama Events.

Fort Worth's Bricktop Capital said it has acquired 1500 Central Park Drive, a 2.23-acre industrial outdoor storage asset in Hurst. The property is improved with a 16,000-square-foot warehouse and is 100% leased. The location is at the intersection of Tx121 and Loop 820.

A U.S. appeals court upheld a lower court decision to dismiss Boeing criminal cases stemming from two fatal 737 MAX plane crashes that killed ​346 people.

Today at 2 p.m. 817 Biz is hosting a FREE, one-hour AI Workshop for local business owners, executives and managers. Emmy-winning business strategist Ryan Dohrn will walk through practical examples of how AI tools can be used. Plus all attendees receive an AI Tool Cheat Sheet chock full of (non-technical) prompts and practical tips for work and life. Register here.

Maggie Campbell, long-time champion of Downtown Arlington’s economic and cultural revitalization, will step down from her role as President and CEO, effective September 30. The Board adopted a succession plan, which names Vice President Garret Martin as the organization’s next President and CEO, the fourth in the non-profit organization’s history.

Did Rivian's win in Washington state signal a breakthrough in how cars are sold? The electric vehicle maker has gained the right to sell vehicles directly to consumers; dealerships dropped their fight when Rivian threatened to take it to a public vote. Long-standing franchise laws require automakers to sell through independent dealers. 

Tomorrow is the deadline to register for the May 2 election. You can register to vote or update existing voter registrations online. April 20 is the last day to apply for a mail ballot and the start of early voting. Full election details are available on the Texas Secretary of State’s website.

Babies4.US, the first virtual, herbal-based, non-invasive fertility clinic, launched at 1285 N. Main Street in Mansfield for coverage in the United States, Canada and Europe. The platform offers “private, painless, proven and affordable fertility care” designed to support families through natural and holistic approaches.

Applications for the new Ph.D. in Pharmaceutical Sciences degree program at UNT Health Fort Worth are being accepted with classes expected to start this fall. Deadline is July 1. 

Osprey Landscape Group, a portfolio company of Southfield Capital, acquired Palm Gardens, a commercial landscape services provider in D-FW. The acquisition positions EarthWorks Inc, Osprey's existing Texas platform, to expand its ability to serve clients.

Lockheed Martin opened its Rapid Fielding Center in Dallas, a facility it says streamlines the end-to-end development, testing and prototype production of next-generation systems. The flexible, modular environment enables Lockheed Martin to develop and scale new capabilities quickly in response to the government's accelerated acquisition schedules.

Fort Worth is at the center of a huge crime-fighting expansion involving federal, state and local police.

The Labor Department announced a proposed rule to include alternative assets in 401(k)s. Last August, President Donald Trump issued an executive order directing regulators to expand access. Alternative investments include real estate, cryptocurrencies and private market assets such as private equity and private credit.

Cook Children’s Medical Center’s financial outlook was revised to positive from stable by Moody’s. The revision reflects the system’s strong financial performance and excellent management as it executes a multi-year, $1.25 billion capital project, Moody’s wrote. Cook Children’s has an “Aa2” rating with the agency. 

The Texas Attorney General’s office filed suit against a group of dental providers and marketers for bribing Medicaid patients and for performing medically unnecessary procedures to defraud Texas Medicaid. To read the lawsuit, click here. 

Applications for Texas’ school voucher program closed yesterday after a judge declined to extend the deadline. A federal judge previously had given families an additional two weeks to apply after Muslim parents and Islamic schools sued, arguing they had been improperly excluded from the program.

Today’s trivia: Every working dog in the military is a non-commissioned officer by tradition, per the U.S. Army. It is believed the custom originated to prevent handlers from mistreating their dogs by ensuring canines are always one rank higher than their handlers.

Ben Stevenson, ballet dancer turned ballet builder, has passed at 89. He was the artistic director of the Texas Ballet Theater from 2003-2022.

Mollie Lasater, a former President and long-time Fort Worth ISD champion, and founder of Fort Worth’s I Have a Dream Foundation, has passed away. She was 87.

Snippets:

• FEI competition in April sets up Will Rogers Memorial Coliseum as a horse hotel. 

• Dealers who advertise cars they’ve already sold now face a $50,000 fine.

• Reminder: Pre-rolled and other smokeable THC products no longer are legally being sold in Texas. 

• Here are the lead industry partners on the Artemis II flight. 

Daily digit: In February, there were 26 new project locations announced in areas across Texas by various news sources. The projects are expected to create more than $2.36 billion in capital investment and 4,315 new jobs. (EDT Research)

Significant stat: The Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce's annual revenue rose from about $250,000 in 2021 to $890,000 in 2025, president and CEO Michelle Green-Ford said during the organization’s annual meeting March 26 at Texas Wesleyan University.

Announcements:

• Texas Health Resources: After 40 years in the system, CEO Barclay Berdan is retiring. Winjie Miao has been promoted to President and will take over as CEO in September.

• Texas Health Resources: Names Laura Irvine Chief Operating and Growth Officer; names Jennifer Schroeder as General Counsel.

• Fort Worth Botanic Garden: Hires Chloe Rykard as Corporate Relations Officer.

• BNSF Railway: Promotes Kayla Kemppainen to Director Consumer Product Sales.

• Webb CFO: Hires Mary Elizabeth Roper.

• Porsche Cars North America: Names Autobahn Porsche a Premier Porsche Center, the only one in D-FW.

• Tech Titans: Selects Wendi R. Wilburn President & CEO, effective April 1. 

• Dallas Stars: Extends the contract of General Manager Jim Nill two years through the 2027-28 season. 

• Zimmer Biomet: Hires Ashanti Mims as Global HR Business Partner.

• Virtuoso Travel: Hires Emily Aguilar as administrative assistant. 

• Texas Stock Exchange: Hires Greg Ferrari as Chief Operating Officer and Liz Hocker as Global Head of Listings and Capital Markets. 

• GSBS Architects: Its renovation of the Mesa Arizona Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints receives Honor Award for Religious Architecture: Restoration from the 2026 Faith & Form International Awards for Religious Architecture & Art.

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