🪴THC off the shelves soon... again; FW's FirstCash announces new CEO; TAD's True Prodigy works (yay)!

Texas will ban several products containing THC starting July 31, including anything containing delta-8, delta-10 and delta-6, as well as THCP. The ban is a result of the Texas Supreme Court upholding a 2021 regulation that classified anything other than delta-9 THC as a controlled substance. Last year, Gov. Greg Abbott vetoed legislation of a full ban of THC products championed by Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick. More to come during 2027. 

Fort Worth-based FirstCash announced Rick Wessel, CEO and Vice-Chairman of the Board, will transition to Executive Chairman, effective January 1, 2027. T. Brent Stuart, current President and Chief Operating Officer, will become Chief Executive Officer and President the same day. Stuart also will join the Board of Directors, effective immediately.

Siemens, with two Tarrant and four D-FW locations, entered into an agreement to acquire Defacto Technologies, a privately held Electronic Design Automation software company. The company's products assist electrical engineers in the design and manufacture of complex electronic systems. 

Community colleges beat student outcome predictions. Now Texas can’t afford to pay the related incentives, according to this Texas Tribune report. 

Fort Worth Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Peter Licata said since January there have been 1,026 separations. He said the talent acquisition team has dropped the number of (job) openings into the 20s. "Those separations are divided into multiple categories: resignations, retirements, relocations," he said. "And there's some promotions in there as well."

The Dallas Mavericks mentioned in the same sentence as the Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees? Yes, because the Mavs chose Legends Global to help with getting its Valley View arena up and running. Legends was born out of a partnership that included (Jerry) Jones Concessions and Yankee Global Enterprises ownership, managed and chaired by Hal Steinbrenner. Sixth Street Partners is the majority owner. 

Earnings reports:

• Fort Worth-based FirstCash Holdings announced better-than-expected revenue in quarter two, with sales up 29.4% year over year to $1.07 billion. Its non-GAAP profit of $2.50 per share was 4.8% above analysts' consensus estimates.

• American Airlines reported record revenue of $16.7 billion during its second-quarter 2026 financial results. It was a 16.3% year-over-year gain. Strong demand and execution offset nearly a $2.2 billion year-over-year fuel expense increase. GAAP net income was $0.11 per diluted share and adjusted net income was $0.15 per diluted share.

• Lockheed Martin raised guidance after reporting a blowout 2026 second quarter of $20.1 billion in sales, a $1.9 billion year-over-year gain. Net earnings were $1.8 billion, or $7.94 per share, compared to $342 million, or $1.46 per share in 2025. Cash from operations was $3.2 billion, compared to $201 million in 2025. Free cash flow was $2.9 billion compared to $(-150) million in 2025. The stock was up $54.23 / 10.54% on the day.

• General Motors reported second-quarter revenue of $48 billion. Earnings per share adjusted for the first half reached $7.27, a record and up 35% year-over-year, exceeding six of the last 10 full-year results. The company raised full-year 2026 guidance for the second time this year -- earnings per share to $12-$14 and adjusted automotive free cash flow of $9.5-$11.5 billion. Performance was driven by robust demand for full-size pickups and SUVs, disciplined pricing and margin expansion.

Today in history: 1982 = Survivor’s “Eye of the Tiger”, the theme song from Rocky III, reached the top of the Billboard Hot 100 and stayed there for six weeks. Sylvester Stallone commissioned the song after being denied permission to use Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust.”

The Fort Worth, Arlington and Dallas film commissions will host their first regional film-friendly mixer, aimed at bringing together filmmakers, industry professionals and city representatives. The event is Aug. 12 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. at PBR Texas at Texas Live and will highlight growing opportunities for film production in the region.

Fort Worth's Brey Browne will premiere his debut feature film, Cinematic Nothingness, Sunday at the Texas Theatre as part of Oak Cliff Film Presents. Created entirely through improvisation, Cinematic Nothingness began as an ambitious filmmaking experiment in 2020. With no script, no pre-determined story, and no roadmap for where the film would go, Browne set out to discover whether a feature film could emerge organically through the creative process itself.

The Tarrant Appraisal District (TAD) officially certified the 2026 appraisal roll and touted the successful implementation of its True Prodigy appraisal system. Certification was completed ahead of the district’s original schedule, allowing TAD to provide certified values to taxing entities earlier and keep local governments on track for the Truth-in-Taxation (TNT) process.

U.S. apartment demand outpaced new supply the past year for the first time since early 2022, according to Cushman & Wakefield's second-quarter 2026 U.S. Multi-family MarketBeat. Vacancy fell below 9% for the first time since 2024 and construction activity continued to retreat during the second quarter. 

Fort Worth-based Yesway reminds us that today (7-24) is the day many U.S. convenience stores participate in the annual 24/7 Day, a nationwide celebration recognizing everyday heroes. Free stuff for first responders, EMTs, doctors, nurses, 911 professionals and American Red Cross volunteers.

Ensuring that AI is trustworthy while supporting some of the nation's most advanced scientific facilities is the mission of a University of Texas at Arlington research project. It is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy.

Significant stat: $1.3 billion = What vacation rentals in World Cup host cities raked in from visitors.

Daily digit: 1,680,517 = The Fall 2025 enrollment in Texas' institutions of higher education, including health-related institutions, 2-year colleges, and the 4-year public and private universities. 

Snippets:

• Bright Site Builder, founded in 2025 by Lizbeth and Joe Berlin, won the Fort Worth Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Business Pitch Competition. FIrst prize paid $3,000. 

• American Airlines is adding 12 destinations during its third quarter, which brings it to 361 airports globally, second only to United Airlines' 375. 

• Texas Neighborhood Services and Catholic Charities Fort Worth are partnering to expand case management services into Parker County. 

• The FDA has a voluntary recall of cetirizine hydrochloride tablets — a generic version of the allergy medicine Zyrtec — because of possible cross-contamination with ranitidine, a medication used to treat heartburn.. 

• The State Fair of Texas starts Friday, Sept. 25 and the list of performers for the various music stages is online. 

• Is Christmas about to become even bigger? A 75-acre, walk-through holiday attraction is under construction about 15 minutes from downtown Fort Worth. An exact location has not been announced.

Announcements:

• Fort Worth Report: Hires Fanny Ramirez as Audience & Membership Manager. 

• Encore Bank: Hires Paxton Flores as VP-Commercial Relationship Manager. 

• ÒneWorld: Names International Airlines Group CEO Luis Gallego Chairman of its governing Board. 

• Dynamic Development Strategies: Hires Talia McCallister. 

• Camp Fire First Texas: Hires Brooke Traylor as a Marketing Content & Design Specialist. 

• Dallas Arts District: Hires Alhava Silkey-Jones as Executive Director. 

• Weatherford: Hires Kerry Sullins as Human Resources Director. 

• DistributeRx: Adds Katy Hoertz as Marketing & Sales Coordinator.

• Lockheed Martin: Hires Darren Martin (no relation) to Missiles and Fire Control Engineering Functional Labs team. 

• RealPage: Adds Destiny Coe as a Sales Development Representative.

• Invited Clubs: Names Dani Chambers Regional Vice President - Private Events & Outings. 

• Coury Hospitality: Names Sylvia Mier General Manager of Courtyard Fort Worth at Alliance Town Center. 

• Tarrant To & Through Partnership: Promotes Arielle Hamilton to Managing Director of Data & Analytics. 

• American Fusion: Selects Alec Rossa as Chief Revenue Officer. 

• Mustang Containment Solutions: New name of Mustang Energy Services in Fort Worth, which Todd and Whitney Creel sold approximately eight years ago and have just re-purchased.

• Hotel Drover and 97 West: Named among OpenTable's Top 100 Hotel Restaurants and recognized by Travel + Leisure for the fifth consecutive year. 

• Six Flags Over Texas: Happy 60^th birthday to Runaway Mine Train.

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