⚠️Snoop Dogg couldn't save CEO; What's in a $500k gift bag? 🛍️

Grapevine-based Solo Brands has a new CEO, Christopher Metz, who most recently led Vista Outdoor, which makes and sells more than three dozen sporting and outdoor products. He replaces John Merris, whose departure is described by the company as a mutual separation that followed soft sales during the final three months of 2023.

Kelly-Moore Paints Co. temporarily will stop operations at its manufacturing plant in Hurst and seek investors to turn the Irving-based company around. About 700 employees will be furloughed though most of the 150-plus retail stores will remain open and use existing inventory to fulfill orders. The company did not provide financial details, but alluded to legal hurdles.

Sabre Corporation has entered into a multi-year distribution agreement with International Airlines Group (IAG) that will allow Sabre-connected travel buyers and agencies to have competitive access to offers from British Airways, Iberia, Aer Lingus and Vueling. 

Believe it or not: An iPhone that was sucked out of the door of the Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max 9 plane and dropped 16,000 feet was found. The person who found the phone said it was ‘in airplane mode with half a battery and open to a baggage claim.’ Surprisingly, it’s the second phone to be found from the flight.

Vision Commercial Real Estate facilitated the sale of an office/medical development at 3125 Matlock Road in Arlington. The two buildings total 22,000 square feet. The new owner, who was self-represented, plans to renovate the property. 

Co-location provider TierPoint has acquired a data center at 13701 Independence Parkway, its third in D-FW. The purchase price was not disclosed. On 13 acres, the building spans 209,200 square feet across two stories. Originally built by Hillwood in 2001 as the Alliance Gateway Data Center, it was purchased by American International Group (AIG) in 2002. It was put up for sale last year. 

Game on: The NFL accounted for 93 of the top 100 U.S. broadcasts last year, according to Sportico, up from 82 in 2022 and 61 five years ago.  The Dallas Cowboys were the biggest ratings draw with an average of 25.2 million viewers. America’s Team accounted for 18 of the year’s top 100.

Do you bleed football? The number of blood donors is at the lowest level in 20 years as hospitals struggle to meet the demand. To shore up the "critically" low supply, the Red Cross and the NFL said they will offer all blood donors this month a chance to win a trip to this year’s Super Bowl.

To secure student attention during class, schools are spending lots of money on magnetically sealed pouches where students store their phones during class. School districts nationwide spent $2.5M in the past eight years to buy the pouches from Yondr. Early customers were comedians and musicians who wanted to take steps to ensure fans could not record material during shows.

Star-studded loot: The 81st Golden Globe Awards was held Sunday, and $500,000 gift bags were distributed to 83 winners and presenters. Featured were extravagant items such as yacht charters, private jet credits, and an exclusive experience session with a celebrity tattoo artist. Here’s the complete list.

Provocative plunge: A man crashed his car outside a Bass Pro Shop in Alabama, stripped down to his birthday suit, did a “cannonball” into the giant aquarium and stood under the waterfall.

The candy company behind the iconic conversation hearts is launching a limited-edition Valentine's Day box set for those in a "situationship.” The newly designed release showcases blurry, misprinted heart-shaped candies that are intentionally difficult to read, just like some Gen-Z relationships.

Daily digit: 19.6% - The share of office space in the U.S. that wasn’t leased as of the fourth quarter, according to Moody’s. That is up from 18.8% a year earlier and the highest number since at least 1979, which is as far back as data goes. (WSJ gift article)

This date in history (January 10):

• 1901: The first major oilfield in Texas was discovered near Beaumont.

• 1949: Boxer George Foreman, who became the oldest world heavyweight champion in 1994, was born in Marshall, TX.

• 2001: American Airlines agreed to acquire most Trans World Airlines (TWA) assets for about $500 million.

People on the move:

• The Blum Firm: Adds Attorney/Partner Lynn Waller Kelly 

• Kelly Hart: Hires Tipton Kindel as IT Support Specialist

• Guardianship Services: Names Diane Wolfe as Grants Manager

• Rock Retirement Club: Launched by Roger Whitney, CFP

• Capricorn Diversified Systems: Adds Debrah Bourk as Enterprise Account Manager

Snippets:

• Pass the mustard: Here’s your chance to see America from inside a 27-foot-long hot dog on wheels. Oscar Meyer is hiring 12 full-time Wienermobile drivers. The job includes salary, benefits, and a meal stipend (that hopefully isn’t just for hot dogs).

• Tiny helper: For months, someone — or something — had been tidying up a retiree’s workbench after him. So, he set up a night-vision camera. “Lo and behold,” he said, “I got a video of the mouse.” (NYT gift article)

• The last bite: Bill Granger, the “architect of avocado toast,” has died. The toast titan invented the dish in the '90s. America’s per capita consumption of avocados increased from 2 pounds in 2001 to more than 9 pounds in 2022.

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