🍦Wendy's & McDonalds: a Frosty relationship; 'Plastics' business goes new age; Name drops: Amon Carter & Ross Perot

Lockheed Martin Missiles and Fire Control was awarded a $3.23B firm-fixed-price contract for a joint air-to-surface standoff missile and long-range anti-ship missile large lot procurement. It also received a not-to-exceed $358.4M firm-fixed-price modification to a previously awarded contract for long-range anti-ship missiles.

After months of negotiations and one temporary extension, a deal is in place to keep Baylor Scott & White as an in-network provider for Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Texas. The agreement starts Tuesday. 

Schwab Asset Management is splitting shares on two-thirds of its 33 exchange-traded funds, aiming to stimulate sales with lower share prices.

The $25-million Baker Martin Family Garden at the Fort Worth Botanic Garden is scheduled to begin construction in mid-November and be ready next summer, according to Sara Richardson, the vice president for advancement. The family garden will be a place where children can touch, dig and splash.

Cowtown Angels, a program of TechFW, has made an investment in Altis Biosystems, which helps pharmaceutical companies identify effective compounds earlier in development, reduce animal testing and make the drug development process faster, cheaper and safer.

Tanger Outlets in north Fort Worth announced apparel brands Buckle and Spring Step Shoes are new this fall, Coach has been renovated, and Ulta Beauty is on its way. 

Southlake-based Sabre has partnered with Google's Travel Impact Model in an effort to reduce carbon emissions, calculate the environmental impact of business travel and implement ways to lower emissions.

Fort Worth’s Historic & Cultural Landmarks Commission is looking at a Jan. 4, 2025 deadline to preserve the historic Kimbell Milling Co. building, located at 2109 South Main St. The 143,000-square-foot building, owned by non-profit Cenikor Foundation, is under threat of demolition. According to Fort Worth’s preservation ordinance, buildings in this category are granted up to 180 days of demolition delay before a permit can be issued. 

Undoubtedly, you’ve seen the name Amon G. Carter in Tarrant County.  Ken Bridges of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal has a little history lesson and reminder about the man.

The Carmelite nuns in Arlington have transferred ownership of their expansive wooded monastery to a new foundation amid an ongoing dispute with the Catholic Bishop of Fort Worth, according to CBS. The foundation, Friends of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns of Arlington, is made up of supporters and benefactors who stand with the nuns during its disputes with Bishop Michael Olson. 

The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office announced it has contracted with Smart Communications to provide MailGuard electronic mail services to the jail. Inmates will receive all mail digitally, except legal documents.

Is a friendlier United Arab Emirates - United States relationship a boon for Lockheed Martin’s F-35 program? Bilal Saab, head of US-Middle East practice at the TRENDS consulting firm, thinks so. 

The Ladder Alliance, which empowers women and domestic abuse survivors through education and employment, has merged with One Safe Place and become The Ladder: A Program of One Safe Place. The No. 1 reason why most women do not leave their abuser is because they have no marketable skills. The education they receive at The Ladder enables them to possibly escape their situations. The boards negotiated for months to reach an agreement.

Microsoft recently signed a 20-year deal to revive the Three Mile Island nuclear plant. Major global banks, including Bank of America, Barclays, Citi, Morgan Stanley, and Goldman Sachs, pledged to increase their financing, a long-awaited show of support given the critical role nuclear energy can play during the global energy transition.

Milestone moment: Entering its 35th year of operations, Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport (AFW) is the world's first industrial airport and the cornerstone of the AllianceTexas development. Since opening in 1989, Perot Field has become a leading aviation hub and a testament to what innovation and public-private collaboration can accomplish. 

Tomorrow is the 41st annual National Night Out. It's an excellent opportunity for all of us to turn on our porch lights and spend time outdoors with neighbors, police officers, and City personnel.

Gorilla marketing: Wendy's is taking a shot at McDonald's broken McFlurry machines with a $1 Frosty deal. Wendy’s also partnered with the creators of McBroken.com, which tracks McDonald's often ice cream machine outages.

Snippet: The benefits of a four-day work week, according to a champion of the trend.

Believe it not: Dallas is one of the best cities in the country for dating, but Fort Worth is one of the worst, study finds.

Daily digit: According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the number of people in their 20s who got Botox increased by 71 percent between 2019 and 2022, a phenomenon known as “baby Botox”.

Significant stat: A study by the Economics Research Group at the University of North Texas showed data that the 2023 State Fair had an impact of $562+ million on the D-FW economy.

Announcements: 

• GM Financial Parade of Lights: Announces Texas Rangers baseball team as Grand Marshal Nov. 24. 

• Fruit Street Health:  Appoints Matas Jonys as Chief Technology Officer.

• Fort Worth City Attorney: San Angelo City Attorney Theresa James says she has accepted the position of Deputy City Attorney managing government relations in Fort Worth. 

• Buxton: Names Heath MacArthur as Chief Revenue Officer. 

Poll results from the last issue: Which industry has the greatest need for more regulation? Answers: Pharmaceuticals (29%), Artificial Intelligence (20%), firearms (20%), health insurance (20%), social media (9%), and other (2%).