🔑U.S. home values up 46% in 5 years; Textron, AZZ are dealing; FW wins AirBnB battle.

🌷Scheduling note: 817 Biz will be off next week for spring break and back in your inbox March 24.

A Tarrant County judge upheld Fort Worth's regulations prohibiting short-term rentals in single-family neighborhoods, ending a two-year battle with owners using platforms like Airbnb and VRBO. The city passed zoning rules requiring operators to register and pay applicable taxes. City attorneys argued the ordinances are "rationally related" to legitimate government purposes, such as preserving neighborhood quality.

Textron Systems’ Ripsaw 3 ground combat vehicle has won the U.S. Army’s latest Robotic Combat Vehicle competition, according to a trio of Breaking Defense sources familiar with the program. The decision is expected later this month, but vendors have been notified, and sources inside the industry and the Army told Breaking Defense that Textron is the victor.

The NTSB's Jennifer Homendy called on the Federal Aviation Administration to implement several "urgent safety recommendations" after releasing a preliminary investigation report into the Jan. 29 mid-air collision between a U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter and an American Airlines regional jet. All 67 people involved died. 

Fort Worth-based AZZ is selling the Electrical Products Group of its joint venture in Avail Infrastructure Solutions for $975 million, 12.5 times the anticipated trailing 12-month EBITDA. AZZ has a non-controlling 40% interest in AVAIL and will continue to own a 40% interest in AVAIL's Industrial Lighting and Welding Solutions Businesses, representing approximately 30% of pre-transaction group revenue.

Since 2020, U.S. home values have risen by 45.3%, packing in more than 10 years of typical home value growth into just five years. According to the Greater Fort Worth Association of Realtors, home values in Fort Worth increased at the same 36% rate as the previous five-year time frame.

CVS will open a dozen mini stores next year that focus on healthcare products and pharmacy. During 2023, 78.9% of CVS' revenue came from prescription drugs and 21.1% came from front store and other products. The 5,000-square-foot stores are half or a third of traditional stores.

Southwest Airlines had the highest on-time rating during February, according to data from aviation analytics. Spirit was second, Delta third and United a very close fourth. Also, Southwest announced it was closing flight attendant bases in Fort Lauderdale and Austin, impacting about 280 of the nearly 20,000 flight attendant crew members.

Bags now fly for a fee: Southwest Airlines said it will begin charging certain passengers to check their luggage on flights. The policy and assigned seating are part of a reset of perks as the airline tries to increase profitability. 

Pinstack has come to Westlake, along the north side of Parish Lane and west of SH 170. It offers bowling, arcade games, laser tag, rock climbing walls, bumper cars and a rope course, with a full-size dining area, according to Mark Moore, president and CEO.

The Securities and Exchange Commission declined to back a Goodyear effort to toss a shareholder proposal urging the tiremaker to pursue microplastics reduction goals, raising the odds that investors will vote on the resolution.

Grapevine-based BILT, which creates interactive instruction apps, is among three Texas companies announced as part of the Program Year 2025 Strategic Funding Increase by AFWERX, the innovation arm of the Air Force. Dallas Innovates has the story.

Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe announced its second multi-unit franchise group in the D-FW market. It's a four-store agreement to open during the next five years. Pickleman's is fast-casual dining with a menu that includes toasted sandwiches, soups, salads, and tavern-style pizzas.

The Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit from Republican attorneys general in 19 states to block climate change suits against the oil and gas industry.

Fort Worth-based Simpli.fi, which provides programmatic advertising and workflow software to agencies, brands and media companies, has been recognized as a Campaign & Elections Reed Award finalist in the "Best Political Service Team" category. 

University of Texas at Arlington physics Professor J. Ping Liu won the 2025 Hill Prize in Physical Sciences for pioneering new ways to design magnets that power high-tech devices.

Advisor Brown Gibbons Lang & Company announced the real estate sale of the Eye Consultants of Texas & Lonestar Ambulatory Surgery Center (17,724 rentable square feet) in Grapevine to Flagship Healthcare Properties.

Dallas Mavericks Governor Patrick Dumont will become Las Vegas Sands' chairman and CEO next March, replacing Robert Goldstein, who will transition to senior advisor until 2028.

Significant stat: More than half of U.S. adults (54%) are ready to do away with Daylight Savings Time (spring forward) – up from 23% in 1999 when Gallup last asked that question.

Daily digit: A record-high 8.9 million Americans have multiple jobs, per the new February jobs report; that’s 5.4% of employed workers, a level last seen in April 2009.

Snippets:

• Texas will become the 37th state to adopt the NextGen bar exam, beginning in 2028. 

• Solar accounted for 84% of new U.S. power added in 2024, report says.

Announcements:

• Tarrant Regional Water District: Hires Susan Alanis as Panther Island Program Manager.

• Cook Children’s Health Care: Promotes Allison Carroll to Assistant General Council.

• United Way of Tarrant County: Names Shon Dorsey Executive Vice President and Chief Impact Officer to lead direct service programs.

• TCU Neeley School of Business: Hires Alex Thompson as Assistant Director of Employer Relations. 

• Tandem Theory: Adds Katie Douglass as Vice President of Business.

• National Society of Compliance Professionals: Hires Debbie McCoy as Executive Assistant and Board Liaison.

• UNT Health Science Center at Fort Worth: Announces Lisa Nash will take over as Vice President Clinical Affairs and transition from interim Dean of the Texas College of Osteopathic Medicine to permanent Dean, the first woman to hold that position. 

• Cadence Bank: Promotes Wayne Parkman to North Central Plains division President, overseeing Fort Worth and Waco. 

• Nanoscope: Hires Ramesh Arjunji as EVP of Value and Access. 

• Cardinal Health: Elects Robert Musslewhite, former CEO of Definitive Healthcare Corp., and Sudhakar Ramakrishna, President and CEO of SolarWinds Corporation, to its Board.

• Signature Solar: Hires Jacqueline Griffiths as graphic designer. 

• MYCON General Contactors: Hires Terry Helmich as Director of Pre-Construction.

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