👠Vogue, Brokers high on FW vibe; It's Chiefs-49ers in Super Bowl

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With a two-part agreement that could deliver more than $30 billion in orders to Lockheed Martin, the U.S. Department of State approved the sale of fighter aircraft to NATO allies Turkey and Greece. The separate deals cover 40 F-16V multi-role fighters for Turkey and 40 fifth-generation F-35 stealth fighters for Greece.

Taylor Swift is going to the Super Bowl. Boyfriend Travis Kelce and the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the top-seed Baltimore Ravens, 17-10, to reach their 4th Super Bowl in five years. They will play the San Francisco 49ers, who defeated the Detroit Lions, 34-31. Super Bowl LVIII is in Las Vegas Feb. 11. Taylor also will be entertained by Usher, the halftime performer.

Arlington will take over the operations at Arlington Municipal Airport in April, according to KERA. The price is $17 million, with the Arlington Economic Development Corporation contributing $9.5 million and the city paying $7.5 million. The city projects, with additional development, the acquisition will add $78 million in benefits during the next 20 years. 

Fort Worth folks “don’t need to live in Austin to be cool.” Here are highlights from the Real Estate Council of Greater Fort Worth’s annual forecast.

Bella Hadid. Taylor Sheridan. Adan Banuelos. Cutting horses and rodeos. Bowie House. See what Vogue has to say about Fort Worth.

No worries here: Fitch Ratings has affirmed TCU's Issuer Default Rating at 'AA-'. Fitch has also affirmed at 'AA-' the ratings on various taxable and tax-exempt higher education revenue bonds, issued by the Red River Education Finance Corporation on behalf of TCU.

American Airlines Group reported its fourth-quarter and full-year 2023 financial results, which included record full-year revenue of approximately $53 billion. Fourth quarter and full-year net income was $19 million and $822 million. The company reduced total debt by $3.2 billion in 2023. AA stock surged 10.27% on the news.

The Park Village shopping center in Southlake has been sold to Houston-based investor Fifth Corner. The retail center near Southlake Blvd and Hwy 114 has more than 185,000 square feet of restaurants and shops, including REI and an IKEA Plan store. CBRE Group marketed the property.

D-FW homeowners who sold their properties last year averaged $112,527 gross profit, according to a study by Attom Data Solutions. Profits were down compared to 2022, but four times what they were a decade ago. Sellers owned their property for nearly seven years on average before selling. 

QTS Data Centers plans to build a $22-million project near AllianceTexas, according to a filing with the state. The two-story, 471,000-square-foot building is slated to begin construction in March, with completion in 2026. QTS has an existing data center at the site.

Commercial real estate investment firm Guardian Equity LLC has raised $2.25 million for a fund titled "GE CW Wimbledon MF LP," according to a federal filing. The Fort Worth-based firm was founded last year by Barry Kromann and Blake Lloyd.

Justin Timberlake is going on tour, including a stop at Dickies Arena June 4. Tickets for his first tour in five years will go on sale at 10 a.m. Feb. 2 at JustinTimberlake.com.

Put a cork in it:

• Bingham Family Vineyards has opened a tasting room in Roanoke. The multi-generational, wine-growing family produces 100% Texas-grown and crafted wines. The location has a patio and a private room for classes and tastings.

• Salute Wine Bar has opened in the Foundry District in Fort Worth. The wine-on-tap bar offers 42 selections by the glass or tasting and has added a turbo chef kitchen serving shareables. 

People on the move:

• Coltala Holdings: Promotes Jonathan Nauert to Senior Associate

• Rally Department: Adds Annalise Aldaz as Sr Director of Client Services and Harrison Cobb as Account Executive

• Texas Women's Foundation: Announces exit of Dena Jackson, interim president and CEO: names Hattie Hill Executive in Residence

• United Way of Tarrant County: Hires Quaniqua Carthan as program director of the One Second Collaborative

• New Hope Equine Assisted Therapy: Adds Christine Cioffe, Jason Hodson and Jennifer Kiedrowski to its Board of Directors 

• Vartabedian & Hester: Tentative name for firm of Partners Rob Vartabedian and Conrad Hester, who left Alston & Bird, which has closed

Quick hits:

• BNSF announces $3.92B capital investment plan.

• The Federal Reserve is expected to hold interest rates steady during its Tuesday-Wednesday meetings. 

• The early bird gets the refund. Today marks the first day that the IRS will start accepting tax returns. Most filers get a refund, which the IRS usually issues within 21 days of receiving your return.

By the numbers:

• 18.7 million: Members of Planet Fitness, up from 14.4M at the start of the pandemic, during which the industry slimmed down. Today, it's looking chiseled with membership surging.

• 53,793: Number of U.S. restaurant openings in 2023, up 10% over 2022, according to Yelp. The fastest-growing were dessert-oriented openings, up 66%, as well as creperies (+63%), hot pots (+53%), pasta shops (+48%), and pop-up restaurants (+63%).

• 6: The number of water slides on the world’s largest cruise ship, the Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas, which departed from Miami last weekend on its maiden voyage. It also has seven pools and 40+ restaurants, bars and lounges. The 250-ton ship is five times the weight of the Titanic.

  

Believe it or not: San Francisco tried to build a $1.7 million public toilet. It’s still not done and the expensive public bathroom project symbolizes the city’s bureaucratic inefficiencies. (NYT gift article)

Last issue’s poll: In politics, as of today, which do you consider yourself? Republican (38%), Lean Republican (15%), Democrat (9%), Lean Democrat (29%), Independent (9%).