✈️"Aviation Capital" grabs Sky Harbour HBO; Dorman back again with health startup; D-FW Airport seeks 14 concessionaires.

Porsche Cars North America opened a 21-employee, 300,000-square-foot Parts Distribution Center and Technical Training Facility in Fort Worth. It is designed to enhance service efficiency, support dealer operations and provide advanced training for Porsche technicians across the region.

Sky Harbour Group, an airport infrastructure company building Home Base Operator campuses for business aircraft, said Fort Worth has authorized the execution of a ground lease agreement for the development of a Sky Harbour HBO campus at Fort Worth Meacham International Airport. The agreement includes two 32,000-square-foot hangars. Meacham will be Sky Harbour’s third HBO campus in Texas and its 21st nationwide.

NanOlogy a private, clinical-stage oncology company, has begun a drug development program aimed at transforming the treatment of diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG), an aggressive highly lethal pediatric brainstem tumor. Founder and Chairman is Paul Dorman, who started Fort Worth-based Healthpoint and sold it to Smith & Nephew for $782M. Dorman also paid the first-year tuition for the inaugural class of TCU's School of Medicine. 

The Texas Education Agency will assume control of the Lake Worth ISD after the district's persistent failing accountability ratings. 

TCU is one of four potential FIFA World Cup 2026 Team Base Camp sites and would provide national teams with training facilities and easy access to their match venue and lodging. Speculation is that Japan is the target.

The National Football League will invest up to $32 million -- $1 million per team -- in getting men's and women's flag football leagues established. The NFL is seeking to capitalize on the international attention that will come with the sport appearing in the Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028. The league also sees flag football as a way to attract more women, and it has supported efforts that have made girls’ flag football a high school sport in 38 states.

American Airlines is expanding a system to help prevent missed flights by holding departing aircraft for delayed passengers when operational conditions permit. It has been tested and is going to be employed beyond the D-FW launch point. AA also will be able to notify customers when their connecting flight is being held, including the exact number of minutes the aircraft will wait. 

The U.S. has ok'd the sale of tech worth $686 million for Pakistan’s F-16s. Lockheed Martin's Fort Worth group will serve as the principal contractor for the sale.

Lockheed has been awarded a $104.6-million modification contract on a U.S. Navy contract for Canada featuring production of the Foreign Military Sale portions unit of the Solid-State SPY ASEA Radar. Completion date is January 2032. 

GameStop announced third-quarter revenue of $821 million and earnings of $0.24 per share.  Analysts had expected revenue of $987.3 million and earnings per share of $0.20. One reason behind the mixed results was GameStop’s cryptocurrency investments. GameStop said the value of its Bitcoin holdings dropped from $528.6 million in the second quarter to $519.4 million.

A MESSAGE FROM BURT LADNER REAL ESTATE:

This mid-century modern home at 3821 Harlanwood Drive in Tanglewood sits on an expansive lot. A spacious living room is anchored by a dramatic wall-to-wall fireplace, flanked by custom built-in couches. The open living and dining areas offer panoramic views of the backyard. The kitchen features modern cabinetry, quartz countertops, and a waterfall island. Major improvements include a new AC system and roof. Offered at $985,000 by Beth Caraway.

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport is seeking local brands and flavors that represent the best of north Texas as part of a new solicitation for 14 retail and dining locations across multiple terminals. Click here to see the details.

The central bank waded through an economic outlook clouded by the longest government shutdown in U.S. history to trim 25 basis points off the federal funds rate. The move was widely expected, but the 9-3 vote was the fourth consecutive meeting during which Fed governors were unable to reach a unanimous decision. The three dissents marked the deepest divide of this cycle.

Dallas radio station La Grande 107.5 raised more than $200,000 for Cook Children's Medical Center and Children's Medical Center in Dallas. All proceeds go toward supporting children and their families who receive care from the hospitals. 

Aurora, which has a Fort Worth to El Paso route, will have “hundreds” of driverless trucks on the road by the end of 2026, according to CEO Chris Urmson. Driverless trucks are not affected by "man-hours driving" regulations.

DrHouse launched its virtual healthcare service in Dallas-Fort Worth. It brings together telehealth consultations, online doctor visits and medication delivery into a single care experience.

Well-to-do, not so well-to-do. Dr. Nick Michels knew both growing up and was determined money never would come first in his life. Instead, he would make money work for him, focusing on the things that made him happiest. Today, he is a financial advisor and co-owner (with his wife Chelsea) of Michels Family Financial in Fort Worth. His first book, Rich by Choice: Take Back Control, Master Your Money, and Design the Life of Your Dreams is a best-seller.

Fort Worth launched an automated call triage technology within the Emergency Communications Center. This technology provides a way to get expedient help with non-emergency requests, conserving Public Safety Communicators (9-1-1 operators) for true emergencies.

Higginbotham, an employee-owned Fort Worth insurance, financial and HR services company, grabbed a foothold in Indiana by aligning with Synergy Insurance. The move strengthens support for Synergy’s commercial, employee benefits and personal lines clients and creates a shared platform for growth. Synergy traces its roots to the Michael Reddy Agency, founded by Synergy’s president and CEO Mike Reddy Jr. and his father.

Brick by brick: TCU alum John Walls builds creativity and connection on Fox's LEGO Masters. Read here to see his favorite.

Snippets:

• Texas has its first spot on the World Series of Poker circuit. Texas Card House will host the 2026 tour in Austin April 23-May 4.

• Dallas coffee chain White Rhino Coffee announced it had purchased Dallas dessert spot Emporium, its first acquisition.

• A new era: TCU coach Dykes is "fundraising" to keep QB Josh Hoover.

• The Arlington City Council voted, 5-4, against re-instating protections in its anti-discrimination ordinance.

Significant stat: Big scoop from Bloomberg on SpaceX — The Elon Musk-led company is moving forward with an IPO, seeking to raise significantly more than $30 billion, according to people familiar with the matter. That would make it the largest listing of all time. The target valuation is about $1.5 trillion, which would be comparable to that of Saudi Aramco in its mammoth 2019 IPO, with the timing in mid- to late-2026.

Believe it or not: Serial Guinness World Record-breaker David Rush appeared on Spanish TV and captured the title for the most cucumbers snapped in 30 seconds. Rush snapped 65 cucumbers in half in 30 seconds, obliterating the previous record of 50. Rush holds more than 300 Guinness World Records titles. See video of the record-breaking appearance here.

Announcements: 

• Hurst: Promotes Billy Keadle to Police Chief. He joined the force in 2001 and has been assistant and then interim Chief since 2018.

• McDermott + Bull: Names Ryan Harmon Managing Director of its Texas office.

• North Central Texas Council of Governments: Hires journalist Caroline Vandergriff as Public Affairs and Communications Officer.

• Federation of Defense & Corporate Counsel: Adds Kelly Hart Partner Scott Zimmer to its membership.

• PatentVest: Hires Brad Phelan as an Advisor.

• TCU: Adds Michelle Westlund to the Sales Program Executive Board.

• TCU: Will hire University of Connecticut offensive coordinator Gordon Sammis to the same position with the Horned Frogs.

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