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  • šŸ”‘Compass to be $10B real estate company; THC law in effect; AMC's Swifties party.

šŸ”‘Compass to be $10B real estate company; THC law in effect; AMC's Swifties party.

Plus, more bite-size news about business in Tarrant County.

Paul Atkins, chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, said the agency will propose a rule change after President Donald Trump’s call to switch quarterly earnings reports to a semi-annual schedule.

Compass has agreed to acquire Anywhere Real Estate for $13.01 a share in an all-stock transaction that creates the world's largest brokerage enterprise. The new entity is worth approximately $10 billion and would be home to 340,000 real estate professionals in 120 countries and territories. The deal is expected to be finalized in the second half of 2026. John Zimmerman founded the local Compass group. 

This didn't take long. September 10th, Gov. Greg Abbott said he wanted no one under 21 to be able to buy THC. Enforcement of the law begins Oct. 1 after the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission approved it yesterday.

DallasNews has accepted a buyout bid from Hearst and joins a lineup of other leading Texas newspapers under Hearst ownership, including the Houston Chronicle, the San Antonio Express-News, and the Austin American-Statesman.

Tarrant County passed an $825-million budget with a 1.86% lower tax rate, but not before a brief political standoff and back-and-forth over hospital funding. 

Approaching 100 years in 2026, American Airlines starts the party early with a release of its centennial logo and a video merging past and present.

Elliot Hill’s path from kinesiology student to Nike President and CEO almost didn’t start at TCU. He landed a job as a trainer in the athletics department to help pay his way. TCU head mens’ basketball coach Jamie Dixon was a player in the ā€˜80’s and put it this way: ā€œā€œAre you asking me if I thought the guy taping my ankles was going to end up the CEO of Nike? No, but everybody on that team knew he had charisma. He had attitude, energy and positivity. You saw that he had great people skills and a joy in what he was doing.ā€ Jen Floyd Engel has the story.

Lockheed Martin was awarded a $25,998,051, time and materials contract from the Air Force for F-16 system support to Ukraine under the Falcon Enterprise indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract. It provides for the creation of F-16 country specific technical orders and work is expected to be completed by May 30th, 2029.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is preparing to strike large-scale deals valued at more than $10 billion for Boeing passenger planes and Lockheed Martin fighter jets. The plans need approval from President Donald Trump and are expected to be on the agenda when Erdogan visits the White House tomorrow.

Lockheed Martin is betting on new F-35 drone technology for future flights. The Wall Street Journal takes you on a 6-minute video ride. 

Transwestern announced it had handled both sides of a lease agreement for 18,914 square feet of Class A office space at 2000 E. Lamar Blvd. (Bank of America) in Arlington. Trevor Brown and Theron Bryant represented the landlord and Kirk Kelly, Blake Grable and Jim Sager represented the tenant. 2000 E. Lamar is conveniently located to the Entertainment District and D-FW International Airport.

University of Texas at Arlington President Jennifer Cowley explains how its research and innovation institute in Fort Worth positions the city to lead.

ā€œWe’ve decided to honor that magic by giving it a joyful, heartfelt sendoff.ā€ With that said, Campo Verde Mexican Bar &  Grill in Arlington announced its closing after more than 40 years of holiday magic, festive lights and cherished community traditions. It will close after Christmas Eve dinner and open re-imagined during 2026. 

Dallas-based OneRyan Global has taken a minority stake in Fort Worth-based Mr Gatti's Pizza. This is a continuation of OneRyan's investment and commitment to the Mr Gatti's Pizza brand. "We began our journey with Mr Gatti's in 2022, and we've had a terrific experience as operators," said Amanda S. Ryan, CEO of OneRyan. "We love the history, the nostalgia, and the margin profile ... We believe the future is very bright and it's certainly the most fun investment we manage."

After having lost its contract with Amazon, Accelore announced layoffs at two north Texas locations, including one in Fort Worth. Approximately 206 employees, mostly delivery drivers, are affected. 

Southlake-based Sabre announced its first agentic solutions to power AI-driven travel retail. The agentic-ready APIs are possible because of a proprietary Model Context Protocol server, which acts as a universal translator. The tools allow AI to seamlessly shop, book, service and optimize trips in real time.

Toys 'R' Us Express has opened a stand-alone store at Grapevine Mills Mall. The Toys 'R' Us chain closed its doors in 2018.

A law requiring the display of donated copies of the Ten Commandments in Texas public school classrooms is under challenge by another lawsuit aiming to prevent its implementation in 14 school districts. Fort Worth, Arlington, Mansfield and Azle are among the 14. 

AMC is working with Taylor Swift on a secret(?) release party film for her new album to be shown in 540 U.S. AMC locations starting October 3. 

Believe it or not: The average monthly cost to repair and maintain a vehicle has risen by 43.6% from January 2019 to January 2025, per data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Culprits are tech overload, a labor crunch, average vehicle age and tariffs.

Notable and quotable: ā€œPressure is something you feel when you don’t know what the hell you’re doing.ā€

—Peyton Manning, NFL quarterback (18 seasons), twice as a Super Bowl winner

Snippets:

  • Plano-based Raising Cane's Chicken Fingers is going to be the next Texas food provider to be in D-FW International Airport. 

  • MP Materials, with a major magnet manufacturing facility in Fort Worth, has been added to the S&P 400.

  • Who qualifies for ā€˜no tax on tips’ and what counts as a tip? President Trump’s request is taking shape and here are some potential rules.

  • A Charles Schwab study says equity compensation plays a major role in workers' retirement planning. 

Significant stat: 342,000 = Number of people in the U.S. who live full-time in an RV, boat or van. That’s up 41% from 2019.

Daily digit: $10.9 billion = Valuation that wearables company Oura just landed after raising another $875 million in funding. Oura has sold 5.5 million of its health tracking rings. 

ā€œCan I have your assurance that this is not a shell company?ā€

Announcements: 

  • Long Game Consulting: Hires consultant SaJade Miller. 

  • Cantey Hanger: Hires Legal Assistant Michelle Boone.  

  • Century 21 Mike Bowman: Adds Realtor Vida Samas.

  • Tarleton State: Joins the Texoma Semiconductor Tech Hub.

  • U.S. Energy Development Corporation: Appoints Howard House Senior Vice President and Chief Strategic Officer and opens an office in Houston.

  • United Way of Tarrant County: 2025-2026 added Board members are Caleb Clark, Senior Manager, Audit & Assurance, Deloitte Services: Jeanelle Davis, Senior Principal, Rainwater Charitable Foundation; Andrea Glispie, Senior Manager, Community Development, Charles Schwab Bank; Chuck Noteboom, Noteboom Law Firm; Jordan R. Stimpson, Partner, Linebarger Goggan Blair & Sampson; Carly Tatum, Senior Director, Giving & Impact, Dell Technologies; Lauren Team, Senior Vice President of Marketing at Security State Bank & Trust.

  • Ranchbot Monitoring Solutions: Appoints Davide Defendi Global Chief Technology Officer.

  • Tarrant County Sheriff's Office: Presents Deputy Haley Drew with Tiny Miller Award for exemplary service within the community.

  • NASA: Adds TCU graduate Anna Menon to its newest astronaut candidates program.

  • Cintas: Hires Dwight Miller as Service Center Manager.

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