🔥Lockheed, 3 others team to fight fires; Largest data center planned for Texas; Bananas & PB in business news?

Lockheed Martin, PG&E Corporation, Salesforce and Wells Fargo launched EMBERPOINT, a venture that will integrate next-generation solutions to help first responders detect, prevent and fight catastrophic wildfires. EMBERPOINT will employ artificial intelligence, autonomous systems and integrated command-and-control technologies to help first responders detect fires earlier, prevent their spread and enhance coordination for mitigation efforts.

Pacifico Energy received its Texas Commission on Environmental Quality air permit for 7.65 GW of gas-fired power generation, the largest permit granted in the U.S. It is a private-grid power generation campus in Pecos County, south of Odessa, purpose-built for hyperscale data centers and the next wave of AI innovation. The permit, a key regulatory milestone, authorizes construction and operation, and validates Pacifico's emissions-control strategy.

The Texas Education Agency’s takeover of ISDs because of F-grades at six campuses has elicited data that shows notable similarities. The Texas Tribune took a look.

According to The Real Deal, Hillwood is planning a $140-million expansion of its Alliance Center North 4 warehouse, adding 371,160 square feet, including office space.

Stillwater, OK.-based USA Rare Earth announced it would receive $1.6 billion from the Department of Commerce in exchange for an equity stake in the company. USAR said it entered a letter of intent, which also includes a collaboration with the Department of Energy, for a $1.3-billion loan and $277 million in federal funding.

Meet Alan Lund, the man running a "modern-day Manhattan Project” in Fort Worth. Backed by the Pentagon, Apple and others, Lund and MP Materials are re-building America’s rare-earth magnet supply chain—one of the most critical manufacturing bets of the decade. D CEO has the inside story. 

The numbers are Bananas: Savannah baseball team peels back the cover on its booming numbers, $100k salaries and six-team league.

Mattel is looking to cash in on its global co-master toy partnership with Netflix that gives it the right to create and sell toys and consumer products based on the KPop Demon Hunters franchise. It is rolling out fashion dolls, singing dolls, action figures, playsets and collectibles centered on the in-universe girl group HUNTR/X, with integration across its existing brands such as American Girl, Polly Pocket, UNO, and Little People Collector. 

Saks Off 5th, the discount branch of luxury retailer Saks Fifth Avenue, is shutting down its entire online operation and holding a major clearance sale with discounts up to 90 percent as it prepares to go offline for good. 

FAT Brands and its spin-off, Twin Hospitality Group, have filed for bankruptcy. FAT owns 18 restaurant brands, including Fazoli’s, Fatburger and Johnny Rockets. Twin owns Twin Peaks. 

Higginbotham has expanded its well-being service offerings with the addition of Function Health's preventive screening platform. Function says it makes lab testing, advanced MRI and CT scans, and longitudinal health data accessible and understandable.

Governor Greg Abbott has halted H-1B visas, ordering public universities and state agencies not to seek new visas without Texas Workforce Commission permission through the end of the 2027 legislative session.

For loyal Southwest Airlines flyers, yesterday was the first day of the rest of their lives. It was the day the airline bid farewell to its famous first-come, first-served seating policy and one-of–a-kind boarding process. Going forward, Southwest will have assigned seats on every flight.

American Airlines missed analysts' expectations, but projected first-quarter 2026 revenue would increase between 7% and 10% in comparison to last year and expects to have more than $2 billion in free cash flow in 2026. The fourth-quarter net income was $99 million and full-year net income was $111 million, or $0.15 and $0.17 per diluted share.

The long goodbye: Disney begins its phase out of the standalone Hulu app Feb. 5 with the new Nintendo Switch devices. Eventually, Hulu content will become part of the Disney+ app.

South Carolina-based Cameron Ashley Building Products has opened a distribution center at 2117 Franklin Drive in Fort Worth (76106). The location stocks fiberglass insulation, spray foam, cellulose insulation, Canopy® housewrap and accessories to support its customers.

Gold has topped $5,000 an ounce for the first time as investors kept up an insatiable appetite for safe-haven assets. Not to be outdone, silver continued its record-setting run, building on the momentum of surpassing $100 an ounce for the first time last week.

For last week, including the first two full days of the winter storm, restaurant stocks mostly took a hit, including Sweetgreen -15.7%, Cracker Barrel -15.7%, Bloomin' Brands -11.2%, Shake Shack -9.8%, Red Robin Gourmet Burgers -8.9%, Dine Brands Global (DIN) -8.5%, Darden Restaurants (DRI) -8.4%, and BJ's Restaurants -5.7%. Some outliers were Starbucks +3.8%, Domino's Pizza +3.3%, and Portillo's +3.3%.

U.S. Neurology Associates, a physician services organization, has affiliated with Texas Institute for Neurological Disorders across north Texas. The transaction is the company’s inaugural investment and establishes an anchor position in the high-growth Dallas-Fort Worth market.

Google expanded the availability of "Google AI Plus," its mid-tier subscription plan for productivity and creativity tools. The AI Plus plan starts at $7.99 monthly, but first-time customers can get it $3.99 per month for two months.

Fort Worth-based BNSF Railway announced a $3.6-billion capital investment plan for 2026. The largest component — $2.8 billion — is devoted to maintenance, which includes replacing and upgrading rail, track infrastructure like ballast and rail ties, and maintaining rolling stock. It will consist of approximately 13,000 miles of track surfacing and/or undercutting work, the replacement of 2.5 million rail ties and more than 400 miles of rail.

LGI Homes opened a 13.5-acre community park in it's Vista West residential neighborhood north of I-30 off Chapel Creek. The park was designed to offer outdoor spaces for recreation, relaxation and connection.

Daily digit: 3 = Number of golfers — Jack Nicklaus, Tiger Woods and Scottie Scheffler — who had 20 PGA Tour titles and won four majors before turning 30. 

Significant stat: 58 hours = Time that temperatures at D-FW International Airport stayed below freezing during last week’s winter storm. By contrast, the airport remained below-freezing for 139 hours in 2021.

Announcements:

• Middleton, Bird & McCall: Names Kim Middleton Managing Partner.

• Sine Tempore Solutions: Announces Christina Brooks as Managing Partner.

• Rainwater Foundation: Hires Sarah Cotton as Senior Vice President of Programs.

• Bradford Commercial Real Estate Services: Promotes Cade Navarro to Market Director and Luke Clardy to Vice President.

• Vartabedian Hester & Haynes: Adds trial attorney Toby Galloway.

• Telschow Johnson Law: Adds Jonathan Berry as Senior Associate Attorney. 

• Bhakti Injury Law: Launched by Hiren Bhakti.

• Brackett & Ellis: Adds attorney Taylor Harrington as an associate in litigation area. 

• RS Group: Appoints Jonathan Bennett President. He succeeds Doug Moody, who retired.

• Fort Worth: Names Jordan Steffan Operations Manager for the Fort Worth Convention Center. She had been Director of Sales at Will Rogers Memorial Center. Selects Shanda Cartwright, National Sales Manager at FWCC since 2022, to step into an interim role at WRMC as Director of Sales and Marketing.

• Colonial Country Club: Hires Kayla Macklin as event planner. 

• Eagle Venture Studio’s Profit Inc.: Hires Emily Bell Wootten as fractional CMO.

• SFP: Promotes Ileana Esparza to non-profit Tax Manager.

• Post L Group: Hires Tucker Allen as Field Operations Director.

• Elevate: Promotes April A. Sealy to Chief Human Resources Officer.

• Frost: Names Brian Boilla Director of Wealth Management Sales. 

• PlainsCapital Bank: Names Andrew Hall a Commercial Loan Officer. 

817 Biz is formatted for viewing on mobile devices. If this email doesn’t look right, click the link at top right. Some links may expire after initial posting or be paywall-protected.