Fort Worth Inc. - Fall 2022

Erin Duran Qualbe Marketing Group

Scott Clark Burns & McDonnell

Eurasia Lambert APEX Capital Corp

Brad Turner D&M Leasing

DOING MORE TOGETHER.

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Contents / Features

44 Best Companies to Work For

From elaborate Halloween parties to unlimited PTO to assisting employees with credit card debt, here are the area’s top companies that strive at putting smiles on employees’ faces.

64 From East to West

Mike Hoque, the Dallas-based, self-taught restaurateur and developer, is riding the wave of his successes to the Fort, where he’s set to break ground on a new development at Evans and Rosedale.

70 Outsourcing Guide

If your business hasn't hopped on the outsourcing train, this handy guide is a good place to start. 'Cause in business, as in life, one should stick to what they do best.

Contents / Departments

6 Publisher’s Note

Bizz Buzz

9 A New Namesake: The TCU School of Medicine, which welcomed its first class of students in 2019, will officially bear the name of the school’s $50 million donor, Anne Burnett Marion.

16 EO Spotlight: Getting stir crazy seems to be in Viran Nana’s blood, who, along with his brother, has gone from installing satellite dishes to owning hotels to recently selling his lucrative car wash business.

Executive Life & Style

22 Distinctive Style: Former big-league pitcher and Mama’s Pizza franchise owner, Dillon Gee, just purchased himself a sweet, 52-year-old ride that he describes as a minivan — with wings.

24 Health and Fitness:

As an avid cyclist and Fort Worth’s most healthconscious public servant, is it any surprise former Mayor Betsy Price sees her personal trainer five times a week?

28 Tech: In this day and age, a lack of Wi-Fi is akin to swimming without arms; yes, you will drown in the busines world. Enter Muama Ryoko, a device that’ll get you internet service wherever you may be.

32 Off the Clock:

Swimming across the frigid waters of San Francisco Bay and running marathons in Hawaii on a whim are just a couple of financial planner John Loyd’s fearless exploits.

38 Office Space: Ryan Mordecai of Third Coast Bank has an office that seconds as a trophy room, only these trophies don’t have gold-dipped columns or marble bases.

Bizz Wrap-Up

86 Analyze This/Legal and Tax: When it comes to preemployment drug testing, Vianei Braun thinks employers need to get out of the weeds.

86 Analyze This/ Economic Development: What kind of impact will the expansion of Texas A&M’s School of Law in southeast downtown have on the city?

88 1 in 400: For Louella Martin, one of Fort Worth’s most giving philanthropists, faith and family have guided her charitable ways.

Employees and Company Culture

OWNER/PUBLISHER HAL A. BROWN

Company culture is a stimulating topic, often mentioned as being the heart and soul of a company. Mike Waldum, the president of our company, often uses Peter Drucker’s saying, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” when we are discussing important topics related to future company-related activities. What exactly does “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” mean? It means that no matter how strong your strategic plan is, its effectiveness will be held back by members of your team if they don’t share the proper culture.

Having written long-term goals and a mission statement are extremely important, but knowing where you’re going is not enough. Great companies, like the ones featured in our cover story, also need a cohesive set of core values because core values set the tone for a company’s culture. A company’s core values cannot just be a list that resides in an HR pamphlet. They must be a living mode of day-to-day functioning that everyone from the intern to the CEO not only knows, but also buys into.

In many (not great) companies, there is a misalignment between the company’s core values and the employees who supposedly embody and emulate them every day. So, why is it that oftentimes the culture a company portrays is so different than the one they actually have? And, who owns it? My answer may surprise you.

While the CEO and upper management may own the task of creating and coaching the core values, it is the employees who own the culture. Culture does

not appear suddenly like some magical incantation just because of a list of core values. Culture is about behavior, first and foremost, and that behavior starts and ends with employees. Employee behavior creates and contributes to the overall culture and is as important an accountability as anything else in their job description.

When interviewing a potential employee, many companies spend the majority of time evaluating the candidate’s experience and skill set, not ensuring the potential hire’s culture fit. Such an omission leads to an inherited culture where, by default, the organization’s culture becomes a mishmash of employees’ personal core values that may or may not align with the company’s. And, as a company grows, its culture problems grow proportional to the size of its workforce.

The solution: Spend as much time investigating a potential employee’s culture fit as you do their other qualifications. In this time of increased competition for good people, companies with a strong, unified culture can yield significant dividends that can positively impact a company at all levels.

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how to contact us For questions or comments, contact John Henry, executive editor, at 817.560.6111 or via email at jhenry@fwtexas.com.

Bizz Buzz

TCU honors the combined $50 million gift of Anne Marion by naming its new School of Medicine in her honor. Says TCU Chancellor Victor Boschini: “This level of generosity will create a lasting legacy through the many doctors who will go on to be physician leaders in their communities and in the field of health care, serving others and changing lives for the better for generations to come. We could not be more proud to have our School of Medicine bear her and her family’s great name forever.”

TCU Names Medical School to Honor the Late Anne Burnett Marion

WORDS BY JOHN HENRY AND BRIAN KENDALL

The TCU School of Medicine, which welcomed its first class of medical students in July 2019, has landed on a namesake. TCU announced via a press release that the new school will be named the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine in honor of the late Anne Burnett Marion, who, according to a press release, invested $50 million in the school of medicine.

Marion gave to nearly every area of the university through The Burnett Foundation. Her final gift of $25 million is among the most generous gifts in university history and a pivotal one for the TCU School of Medicine, as it established The Anne W. Marion Endowment to support the students, faculty, and programming of the school permanently.

“This level of generosity will create a lasting legacy through the many doctors who will go on to be physician leaders in their communities and in the field of health care, serving others and changing lives for the better for generations to come,” TCU Chancellor Victor Boschini said in a statement. “We could not be more proud to have our School of Medicine bear her and her family’s great name forever.”

The first gift ever made by The Burnett Foundation, formerly known as The Anne Burnett Tandy and Charles Tandy Foundation, was to TCU, an endowment in her mother Anne Burnett Tandy’s and Charles Tandy’s names.

With family ties to the Fort Worth community dating to over a century — including a long history of supporting the priorities of the city and its institutions — Marion was deeply committed to the city and supporting the future of medical education.

“Legacy and loyalty have always been

Burnett family traits,” Windi Grimes, Marion’s daughter, says. “My grandmother’s first foundation gift was to TCU, and it seems fitting that my mother’s last foundation gift goes to support the university as well. My mother was inspired by the TCU School of Medicine, and we hope that the Anne Burnett Marion School of Medicine will provide a profound impact to all those it serves.”

The gifts that total $50 million for the School of Medicine strengthen TCU’s endowment and propel the university closer to its $1 billion goal for Lead On: A Campaign for TCU.

“The Anne W. Marion Endowment will provide funds to support our students, faculty, and programming for the medical school and continue to fuel our mission of transforming health care by inspiring Empathetic Scholars,” says Stuart D. Flynn, the founding dean of the School of Medicine. “This generosity empowers us to continue recruiting and nurturing talented and diverse students who are shaping the future of medicine and health care in an abundance of ways. We continue to carry out the vision of creating physicians who are knowledgeable and compassionate caregivers.”

TCU is also expanding the university’s footprint in Fort Worth into the Near Southside area and Medical District to open a new campus for the Burnett School of Medicine. The four-story, and approximately 100,000-square-foot medical education building, will sit at the northeast corner of South Henderson and West Rosedale streets. It will be the academic hub for 240 medical students and hundreds of faculty and staff. Completion is planned for fall 2024, and additional facilities are part of the master plan.

NOTES Personnel, promotions, and other news around the Fort.

by John Henry and Brian Kendall

Nanoscope

Therapeutics

Takes Another Step Bedfordbased Nanoscope Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing gene therapies for retinal degenerative diseases, announced that the first patient has been dosed in a Phase 2 trial of its MultiCharacteristic Opsin (MCO-010) ambientlight activatable optogenetic monotherapy for Stargardt disease, a rare genetic eye disease.

The company’s RESTORE Phase 2b trial for Retinitis Pigmentosa patients has completed enrollment, and results are expected in Q1 2023, according to Nanoscope CEO Sulagna Bhattacharya.

Loews Hotels ‘Tops Off’ $550 Million Arlington Hotel and Convention Center Loews Hotels recently marked the “topping off” of the $550 million Loews Arlington Hotel and Convention Center and announced the new signature restaurant for its hospitality destination, Soy Cowboy, a PanAsian concept of Houston-based Berg Hospitality.

Topping off is a tradition among construction workers that commemorates the completion of the building’s structure as the final steel beam is placed.

Berg Hospitality

owns and operates eight restaurant concepts in Houston and Fort Worth, including Clearfork’s B&B Butchers & Restaurant, with plans to open 10 more between now and 2024.

M2G Ventures Adds

Mark Collier as COO and CFO M2G Ventures, a North Texas-based real estate investment and development company, announced it has hired Mark Collier as its chief financial and operations officer.

Collier, who has more than 20 years of experience, spent the last two years as the chief financial officer for the Leon Capital Group with assets under management of $1.5 billion. During this time, Collier effectuated a restructure of the firm, allowing for growth following the pandemic. He previously served as the senior vice president and chief financial officer at Crescent Real Estate/ Goff Capital Partners.

Standard

Meat

Names Zach Calkins Executive Chef Standard Meat, a Fort Worth-based protein packaging and portioning company, announced the addition of Zach Calkins to the company’s product development team as executive chef.

Calkins has been a consultant to Standard Meat for the past seven years. In that role, he supported

As a hybrid workforce, we harness technology, programs, and workspaces that give teams and individuals the flexibility and tools they need to be successful -whether that be from a remote workplace or in the office. We champion employee growth and development by offering extensive digital and hybrid courses, while constantly evaluating our health and wellness offerings to deliver exceptional benefits to employees.

Apex promotes connectedness by celebrating holidays and milestones -we had an entire Employee Appreciation Week! We are deeply passionate about supporting local philanthropies through events such as an annual golf tournament, food drive, bowl-a-thon, holiday gift drive, and various other activities. We strive for transparency throughout Apex and listen to employees' ideas and concerns, regardless of tenure and title.

We know that each employee makes the company great, and in turn fuels our success as a business.

We take care of each other, our clients, and business partners.

product development, performed trend research, and validated recipes for accuracy. Before serving as a culinary consultant, Calkins was a leader at Quiznos, first as executive chef and then as senior vice president of global product innovation.

United Way of Tarrant County

Appoints Gary Doubrava as CFO

United Way of Tarrant County has hired Gary Doubrava Jr. as the organization’s executive vice president and chief financial officer.

As CFO, Doubrava will be responsible for all financial matters of the organization, information technology, and facilities management.

Before joining United Way of Tarrant County, Doubrava, who has a bachelor’s in business administration from Shawnee State University in Portsmouth, Ohio, served as CFO at the Atlanta Botanical Garden for the past nine years, leading the Garden through expansion and, later, the pandemic. Before that, Doubrava served as controller for the Georgia Aquarium.

Hillwood Communities Partners with BB Living on SingleFamily Rental Homes in Argyle Hillwood Communities, a Perot Company, and BB Living, a company in the build-to-rent market, announced they are partnering on a single-familyrental neighborhood within Harvest, a residential agrihood

community.

BB Living will build 191 high-quality homes in Harvest that range from three to four bedrooms and 1,800 to 2,500 square feet. Families will benefit from the existing amenities and award-winning lifestyle program. The company will also offer on-site management.

The development is located in Northlake and Argyle at Interstate 35W and Farm-to-Market Road 407, just north of Texas 114.

Tarrant County to Use $25 Million in Federal Funds for Small Business Grants Tarrant County is designating $25 million in federal funds it received from the American Rescue Plan Act for the purpose of helping small businesses.

Applications for Tarrant County’s Small Business Workforce Recovery Grant will be taken through Aug. 31. They will be reviewed on a first-come, firstserved basis.

“When the funds are gone — they’re gone,” says Maegan South, economic development manager with the county.

Applicants must be a business with 50 or fewer employees, fall within an impacted industry, and be operating within Tarrant County since Jan. 1, 2020. Businesses are eligible to receive up to $27,500. Anticipating a high volume of applications, the county set the maximum award to a manageable level, South says.

Bank of Texas Expands Fort Worth Corporate Banking Team with Two Additions The Bank of Texas has expanded its Fort Worth corporate banking team with the addition of Bryson Bowden and John Gerdes.

Bowden joins as team lead of the corporate banking team and Gerdes as relationship manager, both reporting to Fort Worth Region CEO Mark Nurdin.

As a native of Tarrant County, Bowden has served as a commercial banker in the community for more than 17 years. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Arlington. He supports the community by serving on the board of directors of Communities in Schools of Tarrant County since 2017 and as Fort Worth board chair for the Association for Corporate Growth in Dallas-Fort Worth since 2015.

Gerdes, a graduate of Leadership Fort Worth’s Class of 2017, previously held similar roles at Comerica, BBVA Compass, and Bank of America. He earned his MBA from TCU’s M.J. Neeley School of Business and his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Texas. Gerdes is currently serving on the board of Como Lion’s Heart.

Fort Worth-Based Novaria Group to Acquire Stroco Manufacturing Fort Worth-based Novaria Group, a leading manufacturer of specialty hardware for the aerospace and

defense industries, announced it reached an agreement to acquire Stroco Manufacturing, Inc.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close this month, according to a press release.

When the acquisition closes, it will mark Novaria’s ninth since June 2020.

Founded in 1963, Stroco Manufacturing serves the defense and aerospace industries in both the military and commercial sectors. Its customers include Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Bell Helicopter, and Gulfstream.

“We are delighted to add Stroco as Novaria further bolsters its product and service offerings, specifically in the defense market,” says Novaria CEO Bryan Perkins in a statement. “Stroco’s products are complementary to several of our business units and enable us to offer more complete packages to customers. They are a respected name and growth supplier in the industry, making this deal an ideal fit. I’ve also known Kris for over a decade, and we’re excited to add him to our experienced management team.”

PMG, Just Do It

Fort Worth agency reportedly scores highprofile client in Oregon

PMG has apparently just done it.

The Fort Worth-based marketing agency has reportedly landed a very big contract — perhaps the behemoth of them all —the North America share of Nike’s $1 billion media business, according to reports.

According to a report in Adweek, Nike selected PMG as its media agency of record in North America. IPG Mediabrands’ Initiative oversee the brand’s media in other parts of the world.

As reported by the Fort Worth Report, the North American portion of the account is worth about $300 million to $400 million, according to a source in the Adweek story.

“When you get a client like Nike, you get a lot of flexibility to do your best work and show your best work because they

A best place to work because we believe in our work.

Since 1946, our people have made us the life insurance company we are – staff and agents who are intensely loyal, not only for the way we treat each other, but especially for the way we serve our policyholders, putting them first in tangible ways, such as limiting our own profits to maximize their dividends.

Faith in humanity insured.

Bizz Buzz

PMG continued from previous page

are not afraid to do innovative work,” says Brian Cross, a partner at the St. Louis-based Elasticity, who spoke to the Fort Worth Report.

Portland-based Nike, the company founded by Phil Knight in Oregon, has been renowned as an innovative risktaker as a promoter in its ads over the course of four decades, particularly in pushing social commentary to the forefront.

The campaign featuring former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick is a more recent example.

Nike had net revenues of $44.5 billion in 2021, the highest in the brand’s history.

PMG is also on the move.

The company, which said it had 76 percent revenue growth in 2021, was recently named among Adweek’s Fastest Growing Agencies. The agency, led by CEO George Popstefanov, said this spring that it will grow by 91,000 square feet in 2022, including new offices in Dallas and Austin.

In April, the firm said it had opened a 16,000-square-foot office on Fifth Avenue in New York, growing from a small WeWork, complete with all the conveniences of Union Square.

In 2022, the agency plans to expand its footprint to Los Angeles and London, too.

The physical growth is being witnessed in Fort Worth, too. The current location at 2845 W. Seventh St. is being expanded to encompass two stories and more than 33,000 square feet.

Its client list includes Gap Inc., Best Western hotels, Madewell, and Sephora. In December, the agency announced that Kohler Co. had selected it as its media agency.

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Final Rinse

Actually probably not, but this entrepreneur seeking new opportunity after selling car washes

WORDS BY JOHN HENRY IMAGE BY CRYSTAL WISE

Viran Nana’s life as an entrepreneur is entering a new stage. What that new phase looks like, he’s not entirely sure. But rest assured, his full attention is on the next step.

“I’m not sure,” Nana says over the phone. “Looking for something bigger and better now. We’re still going to keep building car washes but do something else also.”

In June, Nana and his partner and brother, Jags Patel, sold their car wash business, Q Car Wash, to Caliber Car Wash, an Atlanta-based company.

The deal includes all 11 of Q Car Wash’s locations, including five in Fort Worth, and one each in Benbrook and Arlington.

The brothers built Q Car Wash into one of the largest operations in the express car wash space.

Nana, 58, who has a degree in business from UTA, and his brother still own three hotels, including a Marriott property in City View and two others in Denton.

Hotels were where it all started for Nana, who was born to Indian parents in Zambia, where his father was stationed in the service all those years ago as part of the Queen’s empire. The family moved to Dallas in the mid-1970s. His father bought a small hotel near White Rock Lake. The family lived there, his parents ran it, and the children were the hired help — working there and going to school at the same time.

The brothers reentered the hotel industry for themselves in the mid-to-late 1980s, buying one on auction in Greenville. They eventually started a construction company to build the hotels themselves so as to better control the quality.

FW Inc.: How did you find your way to the car wash business?

VN: “In 2008, when the downturn

happened, we couldn’t build any more hotels. We were stuck with a few pieces of land. Luckily, we rode through that and survived that downturn, but we couldn’t build hotels for a year or a year and a half.

“I got kind of bored. My son was small. I didn’t want to go too far away and build hotels in other markets. We always wanted to get into recycling. The hotel industry was so good that we couldn’t spend the time and energy to do the research. But now I had the time. We started going to conferences. We were in Canada, and this guy starts talking about car washes.

“They recycle the water, and they’re a positive carbon footprint and some other things I didn’t really understand. Took us about three years to research and go to conferences and get our first car wash opened in west Fort Worth.”

FW Inc.: It sounds like the entrepreneurial spirit is a family trait.

VN: “I was at UTA [in the early 1980s] when the TV satellite boom had just come out. My brother says, ‘Hey, do you want to install these things?’ We went to the distributor and said, ‘We’ll buy it if you teach us how to install this thing.’

“He taught us the first couple, and we put these satellite dishes around hotels, mostly hotels in Dallas-Fort Worth. I was doing really well.

“I graduated, and I thought I’d get a job. I got a job, and I was making one-third of what I was making while I was in school. I said, ‘This doesn’t work.’ My mother was at home, and she kind of missed the hotel business. So, we bought a hotel at auction in Greenville. Got back in the hotel business.”

FW Inc.: Do you ever see yourself retiring?

VN: No, not completely. I enjoy business. It’s not just about the money. I enjoy creating things and building things. I think I’ll die if I retire.”

"I graduated [from college], and I thought I'd get a job, and I was making one-third of what I was making while in school. I said, 'This doesn't work.'"

Is your bank’s leadership strategizing for your success?

Anna Alvarado, Chief Legal Officer at Texas Capital Bank, credits her success and prestigious title to the team that surrounds her. When she talks about the work at Texas Capital Bank, Alvarado says that it’s, “a lot of blood, sweat and tears, but the beauty of it is the talent.”

Early in her career, Alvarado knew she shouldn’t be intimidated by others because she is a woman in the workforce. “I decided that it was my job to make people comfortable with me. Period.” It’s something she has continued to exhibit in her current role. In eight short months, Alvarado has already been a huge contributor to the transformation of Texas Capital Bank.

Alvarado credits many of her leadership characteristics to her various past experiences in service. Her goal and motto in leadership was founded from her opportunity to contribute to making lives better through ACH Child and Family Services. “For me, in giving back, if I somewhere along the way improve someone’s life…that for me is super fulfilling,” she says. “Growing up with very limited money, I was fortunate to meet people along the way who opened the door for me and listened. I learned how much something like that can change someone’s life.”

When looking back to see what Alvarado found

so spectacular about Texas Capital Bank, she expounded on the one-on-one approach with both consumer-driven and corporate banking. She mentioned how the pandemic and the impacts of the war in Ukraine might affect clients, as well as housing and mortgage rates. “We are proactive with our clients, we’re not sitting back waiting for the client to call us…quite the contrary. We ask how is this affecting you and how can we help? That is exactly how we’ve managed some of those social issues that we’ve seen.”

Alvarado notes she can’t help but comment on the downturn in the markets and the increase in rates in today’s economy. She’s impressed, however, with the strategies and proactive stance that Texas Capital Bank takes in caring for their clients through these hard times. “We have a finger on the pulse of everything that is going on and being practiced… a lot of our commercial clients are mortgage brokers. Working with them hand-in-hand with some of the stuff that is going on is real-time for us, daily almost.”

When Alvarado looks at the future of the banking industry, she emphasizes that there is quite a transformation taking place in the industry with block chain technology becoming available. “It’s going to be very interesting,” Alvarado says.

“I think we’re in the middle of a transformation, being more open towards new technologies that are coming down.”

Many national and regional banks are trying to keep up with new technologies in order to maintain relevance in an everchanging society.

“There are a lot of companies out there trying to fulfill that need,” she says. “The trend I’m seeing – there will be very niche financing companies. I think that there will be more options for sure.” As for Texas Capital Bank, they are being targeted and strategic in how they manage that space.

“Our clients will never outgrow us with changes we’re making and enhancements we’re offering. Part of that vision was rolling out the broker-dealer within the bank. What it allows the bank to do is to service the clients that would otherwise go to New York or San Francisco to do deal offerings or to do an acquisition or to sell off a major division. Being the only full-service bank in Texas that is a regional bank, that is what makes us unique. We have a lot of really great things that help us position ourselves to be that,” she says.

Texas Capital Bank offers many banking solutions that thousands of Texans rely on each year. Earlier this year, Texas Capital Bank was named the #1 Most Trusted Bank in America by Newsweek in its inaugural list of America’s Most Trusted Companies 2022. This reputation was built by providing outstanding experiences and best-in-class financial solutions while working through multiple economic cycles. This honor is consistent with Texas Capital Bank’s commitment to act with transparency, candor and discipline as they continue to build toward becoming the flagship financial services firm headquartered in Texas.

If you’re ready to connect with a team of bankers that’s focused and motivated by empowering your success, call Texas Capital Bank’s Fort Worth office at 817.852.4000 or visit texascapitalbank.com to learn more about its services.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views and opinions of Texas Capital Bank.

Ex-MLB Pitcher-TurnedEntrepreneur Living Flight of Fantasy

Dillon Gee and flying partners buy in to a Cherokee 6-300

WORDS BY JOHN HENRY

Dillon Gee pitched in front of tens of thousands of people as a major-league pitcher, but not even his big-league debut was more nerve-racking than a test to become a private pilot.

“I do think it helps,” Gee says of having that experience performing in a major professional sport, “but I was more nervous going into Friday’s test than anything.”

He passed, by the way.

Gee,36, left behind a nine-year professional baseball career that took him to the New York Mets, Kansas City Royals, Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins, and a season pitching in Japan. Afterward, he turned his full attention to entrepreneurial pursuits. He is part-owner of two

Mama’s Pizza franchises, in Granbury and Cleburne (not open yet); a part-owner of Comfort Pros, an HVAC company based in Cleburne, Gee’s hometown; and owns and rents residential real estate.

“Recently, about a year ago, I flew somewhere with a guy,” Gee says. “I was like, ‘I’ve always wanted to fly a plane.’ Being that close, I was like, I want to do this. I want to learn how to fly an airplane.”

And, of course, he needed a plane. He and two others, PGA Tour golfer John Peterson and banker Dan Hebert, president of First Bank of Aledo, went in together on a 1970 Piper Cherokee 6-300.

“They call it the ‘Minivan of the Sky,’” Gee says. “Perfect for what all three of us wanted to do — a private pilot who wants to take his family somewhere.”

The “Big Six” is a prodigious people packer, essentially a six-seater which is easily converted to handle a large amount of cargo loaded through its spacious rear double doors.

The engine in this plane is a 300-hp Lycoming. It can reach speeds up to 180 mph. The range is 840 miles.

The plane these three purchased ran into the $200,000s, Gee says, noting that the price depends on a number of factors, prominently among them engine life. He says this Cherokee 6 has about nine years left on the engine before they’ll have to overhaul it.

It’s a bargain says one reviewer on Plane &Pilot Magazine

“I am positive that no one has found the perfect airplane, but for this airline pilot’s wallet, a Cherokee 6 comes as close as it gets.”

Straighten Up and Fly Right: Private Planes the Pros Recommend

1981 Beechcraft

King Air F90*

$845,000

The King Air F90 is known as the “hotrod” of the King Air series. The F90 has a pair of PT6A-135 engines, delivering 750-shaft horsepower each and a set of fourbladed propellers. Range of 900-nautical miles.

1975 Beechcraft

A36 Bonanza*

$345,000

Generally, a higher price point on these, again, depending on several factors. More expensive to maintain, too. However, one reviewer calls it one of the most “satisfying singles to own.”

1982 Piper Seneca III

$279,000

Says one owner to Aviator Insider:

“The Seneca III provides comfortable, confident, generally reliable 200 mph transportation for four with bags, in most weather. My family and I have been absolutely delighted with it now for 34 years.”

1983 Piper Archer II*

$159,000

The Archer II makes an excellent entrylevel airplane for new pilots, what with its predictable handling, simplicity, good looks, nice interior, and well-stocked panel, according to AOPO.

*Prices listed are specific to a plane on the market, sold by an individual or company.

On this particular Wednesday morning, the former mayor was working out with weights with her trainer, whom she works out with five days a week.

Cycle for Life

Betsy Price left office, but she didn’t leave fitness

WORDS BY JOHN HENRY IMAGES BY CRYSTAL WISE

Believing a community is fully whole only when it is healthy in body, mind, and spirit, Betsy Price brought to the office of mayor of Fort Worth a vow to be an exemplar of living well through healthy choices and an active lifestyle in exercise.

It was more important than many perhaps realized.

“Community health is so critical,” Price says recently. “This isn’t about people being thin. It’s about a healthier, fitter community. When kids are healthy, they’re more likely to be in school and be better students. When their parents are healthy, they’re in our workforce and at work every day and make sure their kids are out. It’s also a way for communities to get out and get engaged and talk to each other.”

No one else in America was doing rolling town hall meetings on bicycles or putting on a mayor’s triathlon. Price, 72, is proud of

the policy adopted and the ethos advanced during her 10 years in office, among them the Blue Zones Project and FitWorth.

Since leaving office last year, her workout habits haven’t changed.

“I do something six days a week,” she says, including five days with her trainer, Tim Tarpley.

She is also an inductee of the YMCA Hall of Fame, merited by a life of fitness, including the “dubious distinction of being the person who has done the most Turkey Trots in Tarrant County.”

That’s 40 for 41. If those aren’t hall-offame numbers, then there aren’t any.

The Cowtown Marathon is an annual must-do, as well. She does the 10K, half, or marathon relay each year. On her calendar this fall is the Keller Monster Tri, a triathlon sprint comprising of a 300-meter swim, a 12.8-mile bike ride, and a 3.1-mile run.

And though the popular Mayor’s Tri is a

thing of the past, Price says she is planning to breathe new life into a reincarnated sprint tri. She’s not exactly sure what that will look like yet, but “I think we’ll get that done.”

What Betsy Price’s Workout Week Looks Like Price works out with trainer Tim Tarpley five times a week. “Even when she was mayor, I saw her five times a week,” Tarpley says. “What we do each week varies, depending on times and schedules. It’s really funny. If she’s forced to take a rest day because the schedules don’t align or she’s tired, it really bothers her. Resting is not in her wheelhouse in any way, shape, or form.”

This is what she did the week we talked to her.

Monday Weights. “The studies show the older you get, you need to lift more weights for muscle mass and bone structure.”

Tuesday Cycling. Six hill repeats. That is, ride up a hill, return to the base, and ride back up the hill. Repeat. “They were a real booger,” she says laughing. However, that’s her preference. “I can hardly stand the trainer [a device that makes you bike stationary]. I’d rather be outside, unless it’s real cold or wet, and I absolutely need to ride.”

Wednesday Another workout with weights. A swim was planned, but her schedule didn’t allow. “I’m not a big swimmer, but I force myself to do it once or twice a week.”

Thursday and Friday More aerobic activity, walking or running, most likely. However, “I’ve pretty much gone to walking. I still run a little. And it’s very slow.”

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Always Connected to the Dots

Muama Ryoko portable Wi-Fi makes sure you are connected no matter where you are.

WORDS BY JOHN HENRY

For just about everybody, at the peak of their careers, retired, or otherwise, Wi-Fi connectivity is to living what air and water is.

Meet a hot gadget of 2022, the Muama Ryoko 4G pocket-size, portable Wi-Fi. In the parlance of our day, it’s trending.

The Muama Ryoko is also trending with glowing reviews, which include the virtues of user-friendliness, affordability, reliability, and security.

This is ideal for freelancers — hello, content creators — and business people who need to be online just about all of the

day to check in on work or emails.

And you never know when the power grid is going down, do we?

What users are saying about it:

It’s speedy Speed is critical, right?

Reviews say the Muama Ryoko offers a speedy internet connection, offering users 4G networks and ensuring the best possible internet speed. Muama Ryoko offers up to 150 Mbps download speed. That means you can watch a movie without interruption while waiting to board a plane.

It’s secure Company officials say Muama Ryoko is “guaranteed” to thwart hackers with ill-intent. (Hold on: What hacker has good intent?) But the company says your Wi-Fi is completely secure because no one will be able to access your hotspot without your permission. Personal data? You can stop worrying about it.

It’s shareable You can share your Muama Ryoko connection with up to 10 devices at a time. Wife’s tablet or the kids’ mobile phone. No problem.

It’s compatible The Muama Ryoko router is compatible with different ISP services in more than 100 countries, ensuring universal compatibility.

It’s ready from day one Muama Ryoko comes with a SIM card that supports 4G coverage. The router sent to you has the card already installed. So, all you have to do is just turn it on and use it, connecting with a QR Code or through your Wi-Fi settings on your phone. And, as of press, you can snatch one on the company website, getryoko.com, for $89, a 70% discount.

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Thinking bigger to get better.

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When you think of health, you think of wellness. But research and innovation are a big part of how we achieve it. As a premier academic medical center, HSC is committed to the bigger picture of health. And we’re investing in ideas that advance health care and improve outcomes for all people in North Texas.

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Among the most excellent outdoor adventures John Loyd has taken away from the office, the swim across the frigid waters of the San Francisco Bay was among the most rewarding because he went without a wetsuit.

An analytical businessman, Loyd pulled

out a T-chart to analyze the pros and cons of wearing a wetsuit. The reasons not to wear one outweighed the other, what many probably would consider the more reasonable, side.

For one, the sense of accomplishment would be that much greater, going 1.2 miles in the renowned choppy, freezing water

John Loyd’s Excellent Adventures

Curiosity roused the financial planner to go miles and miles in Texas and beyond.

WORDS BY JOHN HENRY

first discovered by European explorers, at least, in the mid-18th century. Two, there is a widely accepted — and widely discounted — belief that wetsuits attract sharks.

And three, and perhaps the decisive reason he chose not to wear a wetsuit: “If I did it without the wetsuit, I could say, ‘Hey, it was very possible for those folks who escaped Alcatraz.’”

History can’t record with any assurance that the three guys who escaped Alcatraz in 1962 made it to the freedom of the shore. But, for Loyd, it was mission accomplished.

Curiosity was how Loyd eventually founded The Wealth Planner, a financial services firm in which he guides individuals and families through all manners of wealth management. As a 16-year-old, having read up on finances, he tried to open an account with Dean Witter — which later merged with Morgan Stanley. The financial adviser told him he was too young, but if he still had an interest at age 18, he could open one then.

Loyd did and later served an internship with the company while a student at Texas State University. Last year, Loyd, who also has an MBA from Purdue, was one of Fort

Worth Inc.’s Entrepreneurs of Excellence, an annual program that recognizes the vision, creativity, and integrity of those unique entrepreneurs who have made Fort Worth a great place to do business.

The swim at Alcatraz is the kind of thing Loyd does to simply get away, that valuable time the medical professionals have said is essential for one’s mental and physical well-being.

“Business owners are under a lot of stress,” Loyd says. “It’s important to disengage from the business. It frees your mind and helps you think more clearly. In the long run, it helps you better serve your clients.

“I think as a business owner, we’re so busy, if you don’t have something on the horizon or a reason and for some folks that reason might be, ‘Hey, this makes me feel better, or it’s good for my health.’ But for me, you need some reason to keep you going.”

A big project away from the office, like, say, a marathon.

In the late 1990s, Loyd decided to do the Honolulu Marathon.

“I swore I would never do that again,” he says, a very typical response when you consider he did no preparation for the 26.2-mile trot. None. No coach and very little in terms of a “training regimen.”

“I didn’t do any other races before that,”

he says. “I didn’t train that much, and my body felt it. I was sore for a month.”

After that, he started swimming for exercise.

In addition to the Alcatraz swim, Loyd was also part of a four-person relay team that swam around Key West. Each member going 3 miles. One of the team members cycled from Key Largo, a distance of a little more than 100 miles.

“I thought, ‘100 miles! That’s crazy. How is that even possible?’” Loyd remembers thinking at the time. “With anything, you have to see it in your mind first. He was the one who told me about the Ironman. I thought that would be pretty neat.”

The Ironman is the ultimate challenge for triathletes. Triathlons come in varying distances, but the Ironman is the pinnacle. Competitors are required to swim 2.4 miles, cycle 112 miles, and, ahem, run 26.2 miles.

All in one day.

As it so happened, the Ironman in The Woodlands was upcoming in 2019.

“I always put the cart before the horse,” Loyd says. “I just signed up for that thing. I know if I sign up and have a deadline, it will force me to make it happen. That’s what happened.”

Loyd did do some training for that, hitting stationary cycling workouts and jogging afterward. And he swam, of course. He also kept notes on his progress and left notes of the goal around the

house, near the bed and even laminated in the shower.

“It helps to see it,” he says.

The 48-year-old Loyd, a black belt in the World Taekwondo Federation, has a list of 50 things to do before 50. He’s done many of them; another Ironman is on the list. He’s driven a bulldozer, and he’s memorized a deck of cards (so has his 12-year-old daughter).

Driving an 18-wheeler is also on the list. That’s been a bucket list item for many years, he says. And he’s having a difficult time making that one happen.

“I don’t want to do a long haul. Just even in a parking lot. Do I need to take a class? Maybe I’ll just go to a truck stop and offer a trucker $100 and go around the block.”

Like the deck of cards, many of these outings now involve his wife, Courtney, and children, Celia and Sarah. (Loyd and the children have aced the Rubik’s Cube.) Loyd and Celia did a 2.5-mile open swim in St. John’s, while Courtney and Sarah did the 1-miler.

“I have my kids writing goals every year,” Loyd says.

On Celia’s list of goals last year: the Honolulu Marathon.

Despite swearing off marathons decades ago, Loyd made good on another.

That’s now three total, including the Ironman.

Don’t bet against him doing another.

One family tradition enjoyed by John Loyd, his wife Courtney, and daughters, Celia, left, and Sarah, is running in races that benefit first responders.

Loyd raises his bicycle in triumph — a tradition in cycling circles — upon completing the "Hotter 'N Hell” 100-mile bike ride in Wichita Falls last year.

Thursday, October 6, 2022

11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Hilton Anatole | Dallas

Keynote Speaker: Allyson Felix

America’s Most Decorated Track & Field Athlete

Holder of 13 Global Titles, 10 U.S. Championships, 11 Medals and a World Record

Transforming Communities

This year’s event will focus on a very important question: How can we join together to create systems that support everyone and move women and families forward?

Luncheon guests will enjoy a moderated conversation with internationally renowned athlete Allyson Felix, who will discuss her transformative work in the areas of maternal health inequity, access to education, and support for mothers who are athletes. txwfluncheon.org for tickets, tables, and sponsorship packages

Playing Head Games

Ryan Mordecai’s big-game hobby has a home at his Third Coast Bank office.

WORDS BY JOHN HENRY IMAGE BY CRYSTAL WISE

No one can say Ryan Mordecai doesn’t operate a business built on service.

A customer told Mordecai he was selling his ranch he had just bought.

“He was telling me this story, and he said, ‘But the problem I have is this buffalo on it. I want the meat, but I can’t catch it. It’s so mean. It attacks me, attacks the kids …’ yada, yada, yada.

“I said, ‘Well, let’s go shoot it.’ He kind of laughed like you did and said, ‘You would shoot that thing?’ I said, ‘Absolutely.’”

The customer got his meat, and Mordecai added a buffalo head to an immense taxidermy collection, a trove he has assembled over the

course of a lifetime of aiming and firing.

Meet Ryan Mordecai, regional president of Third Coast Bank and big game hunter, who has harvested all over the world. He is also a board member of the Sportsmen’s Club of Fort Worth, which is dedicated to outdoor and wildlife charitable and educational activities for children.

Soon, much of his collection will find a new home in his new office home on West Seventh Street. Currently, the big stuff is in storage waiting for transport. His home is not an option.

“My wife has a no-dead-things-in-the-house policy,” he says.

Fair enough. We took a peek at what he has hanging in his office at the moment.

1.

2.

3.

1 Mordecai says he met the limits on mallards and wood duck on a trip to a friend’s ranch in Putnam, a town near Abilene. “He has a big body of water on his ranch. He was telling us that these ducks just keep dumping in on this place. They’re coming in … all green heads. We’re like, ‘Yeah, right.’ Sure enough, he wasn’t exaggerating.”

2

This biggun was found in Illinois. A friend who helps Mordecai find ideal hunting locales put him in touch with a farmer for this 230-incher. “I always told him that I wanted to shoot an over 200inch low fence midwestern deer. I’ll go wherever. He found a farmer in Illinois. He asked if I could do it. I was on a plane three or four days later and sitting in a corn field in Illinois. It walked out … .”

3

For his 40th birthday, Mordecai treated himself to a hunting trip to New Zealand. A flight into Auckland was followed by a drive to Wellington. The party then took a train into the mountains of Riverdale to hunt red stag and fallow deer. “The stag meat is so good. It tastes like elk.” Pictured is a fallow deer.

4

This chital deer, or spotted deer, native to India, was imported roughly 100 years ago to Texas. “Now they’re roaming all over South Texas. Generally, males will have six points, three on each side.” This guy was harvested in the Rocksprings-Lake Junction area. 4 3 1 2

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CAPITAL ASSETS

These 45 companies are exemplars in what a workplace should look like.

WORDS BY JOHN HENRY IMAGES BY CRYSTAL WISE

Fort Worth Inc.’s Best Companies to Work For in Fort Worth comprises 45 standouts that had to work through an obstacle course of an economy that has appeared sickly through the first two quarters of 2022. What does it take to make our annual honor roll, which the magazine began producing annually in 2016? First, this contest is run and judged independently of the magazine’s ownership and staff by the Workforce Research Group, a Humble, Texas-based research firm that’s behind more than 70 Best Places to Work programs worldwide and drills deep daily on what engages people in the workplace. Companies and other organizations that enter our contest submit answers to Best Companies on questions ranging from employee benefits, to work from home and vacation policies, communication from the top, wellness initiatives, opportunities for advancement, training and mentorship, diversity, and fun stuff like office happy hours and outings to a sporting event or perhaps axe throwing. (Don’t miss!) Entering companies also agree to allow their employees to be surveyed anonymously by the Best Companies Group to drill down on how they perceive their employer. Best Companies analyzes this information and produces our annual Best Companies to Work For in Fort Worth. Best Companies ranked employers in the small (up to 49 employees), medium (50 – 249 employees), and large (250 plus) company categories. In short, the magazine’s ownership and staff have no say in who wins this contest and how employers rank. The 2022 issue of the magazine and Best Companies’ rankings were released Aug. 4 at a luncheon at River Ranch Stockyards.

because

are our brand. That goes for employees, too.

Small Company

15-49 U.S. employees

1

Qualbe Marketing Group HALTOM CITY

What they do: Sales and marketing Employees: 32

Qualbe is a return high performer on our list of Best Companies to Work For. Founded in 1997, selling dental discount plans has evolved into a marketing, sales, and technology company that builds online brands.

Qualbe was the No. 1-rated company in the small company division.

“We are committed to building up businesses that build up people,” company officials say in their Best Companies to Work For questionnaire. “There are opportunities to market and sell many kinds of products or services that are profitable; however, we’ve chosen to be more selective. We are especially proud to offer our Dental Discount Plan that has saved many families hundreds or even thousands of dollars at the dentist.”

The company says relationships are the way they retain employees, which has created a safe and open work environment that “keeps people looking forward to work rather than dreading it.”

Employee achievement is recognized and rewarded through Rock Star recognitions, extra PTO days, surprise gift cards, bonuses, and fun events.

“The awards keep the atmosphere fun and upbeat.”

Erin Duran Designer

The people. My manager is the CEO, Randy Meinen. The thing I appreciate about him is he doesn’t micromanage. He gives high levels of trust. He is intentional with every level of employee. You don’t just work there. He asks about your life and who you are. He cares about those kinds of things. I really look forward to being a part of the team on a daily basis.

2

mma

ARLINGTON

What they do: Engineering Employees: 36

mma is a technology-focused design firm providing civil engineering, survey, landscape architecture, and planning services with a home base of Arlington now stretching more than 40 years.

It was rated No. 2 in the small company category.

Company leadership says it fosters “a culture of support, collaboration, and innovation.”

“I’m one of the older guys,” says Jacob Sumpter, company president. “I’m only 42. We have a very young professional staff, a lot of 20-year-olds who love coming to work and love what they do. And we just set them up for success.”

Benefits include a life insurance policy that covers 100% of an employee’s annual salary. The employee has the option to increase that amount at their expense. Other perks include inviting family members to company holiday events or celebrations, lactation facilities and lactation support programs, and flexible scheduling to attend family events.

Managers are also trained to encourage a work/life balance for their staff. Employees are required to take time off.

The company also offers “sabbatical leave.”

Jacob Sumpter Company president

“We’ve created a work environment in which everybody is happy. We all went to school to do certain things and have a passion, whether you’re a landscape architect or surveyor — I’m a planner by trade — and this is introducing someone’s passion and giving them a spot to flourish.”

3 REEDER Construction FORT WORTH

What they do: Construction Employees: 37

A construction management firm specializing in schools, REEDER Construction, with more than 25 years in business, is a business built on corporate culture.

“We say it time and again, it’s the people that make us great,” company officials say. We also invest in our employees to provide opportunity and add value to their lives; it’s our mission statement.”

As an example, the company notes that while it can’t control the current economic climate, leaders do have the capacity to support employees in the face of financial challenges. To that end, the company provided a 5% costof-living salary adjustment for all employees this year.

This marks back-to-back top five finishes in Best Companies to Work For for the company.

4

Wier & Associates, Inc. ARLINGTON

What they do: Engineering Employees: 36

Another returnee to Best Companies to Work For is Wier & Associates, a consulting firm that provides civil engineering, land surveying, and land planning related services since 1978.

“We provide training and guidance, empowering our team members to serve in a leadership capacity while creating an environment that, from top to bottom, is passionate about their work and takes pride in providing services that exceed our industry’s standards,” company officials say.

In addition to a broad health

care benefits, the firm matches up to 50% of employee 401(k) contributions, as well a provides annual profit sharing.

Through a third-party contract, the company partners with Marketplace Chaplains to provide personal support services for all employees every day of the year at any time.

5 CoreCoUSA, Inc.

WEATHERFORD

What they do: Geotechnical drilling

Employees: 27

Before a structure is built, whether that be a highway, solar farm, windmill farm, pipeline, house, high-rise buildings, or dam planned by the Army Corp of Engineers, a geotechnical investigation must be completed to provide engineers the information needed to plan a safe and effective build.

That’s what CoreCoUSA does.

In addition to a range of benefits, the company also uses a third party to provide financial education and assist employees with improving and resolving credit issues. CoreCoUSA also has an employee housing program, also managed by an outside agency, that helps employees get into a house immediately while building their credit.

“We work with lending institutions to find loans within their budget when their credit is established to begin building equity in their home.”

6

Curnutt & Hafer, LLP

ARLINGTON

What they do: Legal services

Employees: 20 (18 in Arlington)

Practice areas at Curnutt &

Hafer include business formation and litigation, personal injury, estate planning and inheritance disputes, family law, and oil and gas matters.

And “we love our tribe” of employees.

It feels like family, the firm’s leadership says, and in fact some are family, with one husband-wife and one fatherson team.

“Faith-based and inclusive, we pray for each other at firm huddles,” a spokesman says. “We hold ‘Lunch & Learns’ and a Christmas potluck lunch and invite our families at the Levitt Pavilion across the street.

Founders Kelly Curnutt and Doug Hafter, friends from law school, attend leadership training and encourage growth and learning, including an office-wide book study. Goals at the firm’s retreat include setting goals, sharing ideas, and bonding.

Carlo Silvestri Wier & Associates, Inc.

7Trinity Real Estate Investments

FORT WORTH

What they do: Real estate/ Renting/Leasing Employees: 18

Trinity Real Estate Investment Services is a commercial real estate brokerage firm specializing in net-lease and

investment sales, with a client list that includes developers, institutional investors, and private clients nationwide.

“We have strived from day one to create a company that we are proud of, that maintains a great reputation, and that focuses on getting great talent on the team and keeping them,” says Branson Blackburn, managing partner.

service human resource outsourcing company — to expand, improve, and significantly offer more benefits options.

“We are firm believers that people want to work somewhere they feel valued, believe in the vision of the company, and enjoy the people they are with,” Blackburn says.

8

Essential Lending FORT WORTH

What they do: Finance Employees: 20 (17 in Fort Worth)

Essential Lending offers a line of lending products for emerging credit consumers, placing team members and customers, both, at a “high priority.”

The company is best described in its core values, say leadership, those values that ensure the company is a “safe haven” for all employees and customers:

Transparent advocacy: “Advocate for what is best for each other and the customer. Listen with curiosity, speak with candor, act with compassion.

Make gratitude an attitude: “Embody gratitude by being humble, attentive, clear, and empathetic, focusing conversations on positive outcomes.”

Look beyond: “Follow through. Be diligently committed, care deeply about your work, look to do or learn more, take responsibility, and be selfmotivated. We regularly reward team members who embody our core values and go the extra mile.”

Every quarter, staff members participate in a two-day retreat led by “our very own business coach, or the ‘Guru,’ as we call him.” During the retreat, the company focuses on specific needs in the organization that

need more brainstorming, as well as reviewing each team member’s behavioral profile, which teaches us how to best communicate with each other.

9Shield Engineering Group

FORT WORTH

What they do: Engineering Employees: 45

Since 2009, Shield Engineering Group has offered comprehensive civil engineering design, water resources engineering, professional land surveying, and geographic information systems (GIS) to public and private clients.

Shield Engineering Group was awarded a Best Firms to Work For award in 2021 by Zweig Group. Company culture, workplace practices, employee retention, and professional development were all cited.

“Shield’s workplace culture has kept retention rates of employees high and turnover low,” a spokesman says. “We encourage an open work environment that fosters collaboration and innovation.”

Shield, which matches up to 4% of an employee’s contributions to their 401(k), keeps things light, also, with fun-todo outings and events, including a pie contest on Pi Day, a pumpkin pie-eating contest on Halloween, and the company organizes and sponsors a kickball team and permits family and friends to participate.

10 Satori Capital FORT WORTH

What they do: Finance Employees: 17

Satori Capital, an investment firm that manages customized

Cole Reeder REEDER Construction

portfolios for private investors, family offices, and institutions, ranked at the very top in the 2021 Best Companies to Work For, and returns again ranked very high.

“Our team members devote their time, energy, and talent to the work we do together,” says a company spokesman. “In return, we strive to ensure they work in a caring, supportive, and positive environment, and that they feel as special and valued as they are.”

In addition to an expansive benefits program, Satori also offers additional benefits through its Optimal Living Program, including chef-prepared lunches, a weekly on-site chiropractor and masseuse, guided mediation sessions, group workouts, and an annual $1,000 allowance per employee to use as they see fit in pursuit of their health and well-being. Also, every other year, the company offers health screenings, valued at $3,000 for each employee.

Satori also provides flexible hours and work-from-home capabilities that “align with a hybrid work culture.”

11 Varghese Summersett FORT WORTH

What they do: Legal services Employees: 17

Varghese Summersett, a criminal defense and family law practice law firm founded by husband-and-wife team Benson Varghese, managing partner, and Anna Summersett, partner, is based in downtown Fort Worth.

Employees enjoy health benefits and ample vacation time, as well as free parking, gym memberships, unexpected

bonuses, and frequent “fun field trips.”

“The firm embraces a family-first mantra and work-life balance that allows team members to take care of professional and personal commitments, including attending kids’ sporting or school events, getting a haircut, or even running home to walk the dog,” says a spokeswoman, who adds that Varghese and Summersett have made the work environment welcoming, positive, and inspirational.

Oh, and speaking of dogs: If an employee adopts a pet, he or she can have up to three paid days off, so that the owner and pet can get acclimated with one another and the pet can adjust to its new home.

12 Valor FORT WORTH

What they do: Finance Employees: 21 (20 in Fort Worth)

Valor is an oil and gas asset management company based in Fort Worth.

“Valor’s philosophy includes creating an environment where employees are empowered to learn, building trusting relationships, and contributing to the overall growth of the company,” says a company spokesman.

Valor also has made a commitment to employees’ health and wellness, both physically and emotionally. The company awards generous PTO which has recently experienced an increase and allows for a flexible work schedule. During the middle of the pandemic, executive leadership granted employees as much paid time off for COVID-19 as needed, without deducting from their

bank of PTO.

Spending time with friends and family is a management priority. One example: Valor provides complimentary admission and parking to the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo and other local concerts to all employees.

Employees benefit from Valor’s continuing education program which provides fully funded job-related continuing education or industry licensing.

Valor’s leadership implemented quarterly performance bonuses.

13

Handling Systems and Conveyors FORT WORTH

What they do: Manufacturing Employees: 15

Handling Systems and Conveyors is a manufacturer of process conveyors and material handling systems for large manufacturing companies, in particular, truck and heavy equipment manufacturers.

Handling Systems and Conveyors covers 100% of insurance costs for every employee; employees can add dental, vision, short-term disability, long-term disability, and dependent coverage at their expense in the group plan; the company also offers a basic life insurance policy of $10,000; makes 401(k) contributions; during current inflationary times, the company is giving a fuel-cost bonus every week to help employees deal with higher cost of gas; and the company has regular lunches for employees to show appreciation.

The company also has a bonus plan that is designed to provide employees with cash before the holidays or during the summer to help pay for holiday expenses, tuition, vacations, and back-to-school expenses.

14 HF Custom Solutions

FORT WORTH

“We care about our employees and go to extra lengths to take good care of them,” says a spokesperson.

What they do: Advertising/ Marketing/PR Employees: 17 (15 in Fort Worth)

HF Custom Solutions is a promotional products and branded apparel company that specializes in working with schools, health care providers, and businesses nationwide, with a focus on corporate branding, customer appreciation, and employee appreciation and retention.

The company culture has been established through seven core values: support, honesty, teamwork, fun, balance, hard work, creativity. “We have a culture that celebrates each other and shows appreciation for how hard the people around us are working to make the company successful.”

The company has adopted fully a remote-work system with the flexibility to “work anywhere in the world.”

“We actively encourage our employees to work from home or work remotely, and I think they really appreciate this level of flexibility,” says the company in its Best Companies to Work For questionnaire.

Additionally, the company offers full employee benefits, a retirement matching program, and bonuses based on com-

pany success.

“We understand that a successful company requires hard work, but we take as many opportunities as we can to show appreciation for that effort.”

15 National Farm Life Insurance FORT WORTH

What they do: Life insurance and financial products

Employees: 36

National Farm Life says family has always been a part of its ethos because authenticity and relationship are the brand. Founded as a company to provide Old Line Legal Reserve insurance to people of agriculture, today National Farm Life provides the financial tools to secure a family’s future, any family, well beyond that initial demographic.

Service, integrity, loyalty, and security are the virtues on which the National Farm Life foundation stands on the East Freeway.

“Loyalty inspires mutual trust and an unwavering dedication to policyholders, agents, and employees,” the company asserts.

In addition to a wide-range of benefits, the company offers a 25% match on employees’ 401(k) accounts (after one-year of service).

To advance professional development, National Farm Life encourages its employees to pursue job-related, selfimprovement courses through LOMA (Life Office Management Association). Course fees and study materials are reimbursed by the company upon completion of the course, and an additional bonus is paid.

16 G.L. Hunt Foundation Repair FORT

WORTH

What they do: Construction Employees: 36 (27 in Fort Worth)

Maintaining a healthy and structurally sound foundation is essential to securing the health and safety of a family, as well as one of your most precious assets. That’s the specialty of G.L. Foundation Repair, which can stabilize a foundation and/or assist in instructing homeowners on the best way to keep foundations healthy through drainage solutions and other methods.

In addition to competitive pay, flexible work schedules, a range of benefits, retirement savings options, and wellness programs, the company also puts a priority on professional development.

“We show gratitude, because we would not be where we are if it was not for the fantastic team we have,” says executive leadership in its Best Companies to Work For questionnaire.

“G.L. Hunt strives to foster a positive work environment for all of our team members because we know that we are only as successful as our team members.”

17LanCarte Commercial FORT WORTH

What they do: Real Estate/ Renting/Leasing Employees: 27

LanCarte Commercial is a women-owned commercial real estate company headquartered in Fort Worth, a firm, the company says, with “the drive of a global player

and the compassion of a local expert, all rooted in integrity, knowledge, and dedication to clients.”

“Our employees relentlessly pursue what matters to our clients and also to the success of the company,” the company says in its Best Companies to Work For questionnaire. “Our success comes from each employee utilizing their strong relationships and high-level thinking to execute their roles.”

CEO Sarah LanCarte has adopted the Entrepreneurial Operating System for Business, which creates an opportunity for transparency for all to have a voice, and for all issues to be addressed and resolved as a team.

“This also structures the company to have collaborative efforts where each employee is valued for their part knowing we can achieve more together. We encourage an entrepreneurial mindset, thinking outside of the box and bringing ideas to the table.”

18

Cancer Care Services FORT WORTH

What they do: Free cancer support services Employees: 35

Cancer Care Services works on a bedrock of values in service to humanity, which includes achieving the well-being of others through service, showing compassion for all that it does, and a prioritizing the ideals of equity, inclusion, and dignity for all.

Cancer Care Services strives to limit the impact of the disease on patients and caregivers, from the financial implications to day-to-day well-being.

“We actively seek to promote

access, equity, and inclusiveness, and to discourage discrimination based on race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, or other factors which deny the humanity of all people,” the organization says.

“Cancer Care Services’ policies reflect the principle that organizational performance is greatly enhanced when people with different backgrounds and perspectives are engaged in an organization’s activities and decision-making process.”

Medical, long-term care, and life insurance are all available on the first day of hire. The organization also uses a professional employment organization for other things employees need.

19Loftwall, Inc.

GRAND PRAIRIE

What they do: Manufacturing Employees: 38

Loftwall, which is in the business of designing and building office privacy furniture, would love to “brag about our growth.” A true statement as the distinction of fastest-growing privately owned companies by Inc. magazine indicates.

“It’s growing the right way that we care most about,” says the company leadership. “Defining core values that are in our language that our people rally behind is what really sets us apart.

“We’ve all worked at places and with people that suck before. Whether it’s accountability, belief in what you are building, or investing in people, Loftwall works every day to set ourselves apart as an employer that our team is inspired by and wants to fight for.”

Loftwall also matches 100% of the first 3% of an employee’s

401(k) contribution and 50% for every following 2%.

20 Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth

FORT WORTH

What they do: Nonprofit Employees: 22

The Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth has taken on the cause of alleviating the burdens on families with seriously sick children.

It’s all in the determination to provide a sense of normalcy during a stressful time.

“Several employees have been with the organization for 10 or more years which speaks to the strength of organizational culture,” the organization says. “The family-centered mentality that permeates the mission is extended to employees. We take care of each other in a professional but welcoming and open way. But more than that, the organization is committed to providing a safe and inclusive environment for employees through competitive pay, generous benefits, and professional development. Each employee has an equal opportunity to participate in all benefits available to each employee classification.”

Through a third party, employees also have access to confidential emotional support, work-life solutions, legal guidance, and financial resources.

21 PROCO Roofing FORT WORTH

What they do: Construction Employees: 29

PROCO, a roofing company in our small classification, recently scored very well in an employee survey. A full 97% of

employees said PROCO was a great place to work, as cited in the company’s Great Place to Work Certification in 2021.

What employees love the most, company officials say, is the flexible work schedule that delivers that sometimes elusive work/life balance. “PROCO also provides many professional development opportunities throughout the year, which is a benefit many of our employees have never experienced with their previous companies,” according to the company’s Best Companies to Work For questionnaire.

“Employees stay at PROCO because they align with our vision of doing good for others in the communities we serve, upward career mobility, employee empowerment, great pay plus commission structure, a flexible work schedule, paid training and continuous learning opportunities.”

22

Ricochet Fuel Distributors, Inc.

SOUTHLAKE

What they do: Transportation/Distribution Employees: 32

Another women-owned business on the list of the Fort Worth-area’s Best Companies to Work For is Richochet Fuel Distributors. And that leaves owner and CEO Kelly Roberts often the only woman in the room in national fuel-supplier conferences.

Not a problem, she says. “I’m the easiest one in the room to remember,” she remembered several years back.

Ricochet Fuel Distributors is a fuel logistics company based in Southlake. For over 30 years, Ricochet Fuel has grown into a diversified, multi-state fuel

solutions provider by offering a variety of petroleum products, services, and resources to its growing customer base. Ricochet Fuel helps design and implement efficient single-vendor programs to help companies in every industry meet their respective corporate goals.

“Most of our employees have been here for four years or more,” Roberts says. “We take time to celebrate everyone — work anniversaries, birthdays, marriages, births — and we make sure to have frequent work celebrations.”

That is after all the workplace culture: “We work hard but also play hard.”

23

M3 Networks

SOUTHLAKE

What they do: support Employees: 15

There is some irony, no, in a company that offers cybersecurity services and partakes in a company outing at one of these increasingly popular “escape rooms.”

Probably not, but that was one of the fun activities the company took part in over the past year. It was instructive, staff members say.

“Many team members surprised us with their resourcefulness under pressure, thus helping us trust them more at work,” a company

official says.

M3 Networks is generous in paying 90% of health insurance premiums for team members and has negotiated favorable rates for employees to add family members. Health insurance —particularly mental health —is very important to company founder Michael Moore, who experienced severe trauma at age 12 when his family was involved in a 30-vehicle traffic pileup.

After being thrown from the back to the front of the motor home, Michael was left with a metal rod lodged in his skull. “He wants his team to have quality care, so they never experience that depth

Karen Mitchell CoreCoUSA, Inc.

Medium-Sized Company

1United Way of Tarrant County FORT WORTH

What they do: Nonprofit Employees: 72

For 100 years now, United Way of Tarrant has confronted the most pressing social issues of our community. “We are prepared to serve and improve the lives of every member of our community — veterans, older adults, children and families, those living in poverty and experiencing homelessness — by strengthening networks of support and strategically investing knowledge and resources in the people and organizations who serve these populations,” the agency says through its submission for Best Companies to Work For.

United Way of Tarrant County scaled the ladder from 14th a year ago in Best Companies to Work For to the very top: No. 1 in the category of medium companies and No. 1 overall, regardless of category.

Because the work employees perform can be intense and impactful, United Way believes it is “vital they are able to relax and celebrate successes and each other on a regular basis. We take advantage of every opportunity to laugh and engage with each other with an abundance of employee engagement events and parties.”

“We seek to grow our employees personally and professionally, and our managers are quick to recommend employees for talent management and development opportunities. Our staff members are incredibly talented at their jobs and are more than willing to go above and beyond to serve others. This dedication also reflects our practice of taking care of one another as we strive for excellence in our daily work.”

That includes an “all-out” Halloween party with elaborate costumes, décor, and pumpkin-decorating contests.

Agency leadership implemented “summer hours” from Memorial Day through Labor Day, allowing employees to take time off if job obligations permit.

Employee growth and well-being are a focus. Learning opportunities are available through the agency’s HRIS Learning Management System, and employees are offered excellent benefits packages, and “robust” paid time-off options.

Shakita Johnson

Vice president of Community Investment

Executive director for Area Agency on Aging

“In addition to being a mission-oriented organization, they really focus on a culture of collaboration. Really, really are supportive of their employees, not just in our roles, but us as individuals. We also have visionary leadership, which makes it very exciting to come to work and makes you proud to be a part of the organization.

2

Linbeck Group, LLC

HOUSTON

What they do: Construction Employees: 160 (70 in Fort Worth)

Founded in 1938 by Leo Linbeck and today with Leo Linbeck III serving as chairman and David Stueckler as president and CEO, the firm’s construction portfolio consists of health care, including a specialization in cancer treatment/proton therapy centers; cultural projects, such as religious, museum and performing arts venues; and higher education and K-12 education facilities.

Linbeck Group was rated No. 2 in the medium company category.

The company also does commercial projects, including hospitality, as well office and large mixed-use real estate projects.

Company leadership says that more than 20% of employees have tenures of 25 years or more, including a “large number” of secondgeneration families, employees’ children joining the firm.

“We say we are a family, and we mean it. We celebrate each other’s successes and milestones and are there to comfort and support each other during the hard times. We are able to work hard together and create long-lasting and beautiful additions to our communities that impact everyone who uses them.”

Linbeck Group also completed QPR training with the Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation, taking to heart data that showed the construction industry has the second-highest suicide rate in the U.S.

Mark Linenberger

Executive Vice President

“We have great people. I think we do a great job of attracting the right people; the right people stay. To me, it goes back to our guiding principles. It starts with integrity, the foundation that affects how we behave and act and serve others. Secondly, trust. We only get things done through relationships. We work hard in our relationships with each other and through our clients.”

3

Comfort Experts, Inc.

WEATHERFORD

What they do: Heating/AC, plumbing, electrical contractor Employees: 66

Comfort Experts has been providing heating and airconditioning services in the Fort Worth area for 50 years.

Family owned and operated, that’s exactly how they run the company, CEO Brett Hobson says.

“From their first day in training to their 20th year on the job, every single Comfort Experts employee is valued and cared for like a true member of our family,” Hobson writes. “In this way, we’ve built a collective team full of people who support one another, push each other to grow, and are genuinely invested in the success. We’ve always believed the best way to take care of your family is to treat it the same way we treat our own.”

The company offers flexible schedules with many employees working remotely or fourday work weeks, and a range of incentives and bonuses.

“We create team building activities and self-improvement trainings designed to empower each employee to take the initiative to sharpen their

skills, better themselves, and continuously move forward in the company,” Hobson says.

4

Muckleroy & Falls FORT WORTH

What they do: Construction Employees: 56

Since 1979, Muckleroy & Falls has been a commercial contractor with a footprint in DFW, Central Texas, and Austin. The company’s core market sectors are multifamily, hospitality, industrial, and office.

The company’s secret to maintaining high employee retention, according to paperwork filed for Best Companies to Work For, is the cultivation and nurturing of a positive work environment.

“M&F offers outstanding benefits, growth opportunities, competitive pay, and higher education opportunities, but M&F believes that success in the marketplace starts with instilling confidence in our team and building up others to reach their full potential.”

Monthly outings and events are conducted to increase company morale and promote bonding outside of the workplace.

There is a culture of trust within the organization, too.

The “gong” plays a role here as well, but without Chuck Barris. Each time a new project win is announced, a team member rings the gong, and the team celebrates the “MVP” of the pursuit. Ringing the gong provides gratification for the hard work leading up to that point and symbolizes a job well done.

IRA contribution matching, three-week paid vacation per year up to five years of employment, and four weeks after

the five-year mark are other benefits.

5 Peloton Land Solutions FORT WORTH

What they do: Engineering Employees: 180 (99 in Fort Worth)

Peloton Land Solutions is a team of civil engineers, surveyors, landscape architects, planners, environmental scientists, drafters, and support staff all doing the work that goes into preparing a site of land to be developed.

“Employees stay because of the opportunities that exist at Peloton as well as the culture,” the company says in the paperwork submitted as part of Best Companies to Work For. “As a small, but fast-growing firm, our employees have access to interact with all levels of leadership. We prioritize having competitive compensation and benefits that include company paid medical, dental, vision, life and disability insurance.”

The company also matches 50% of employee contributions up to 8%.

Peloton also provides opportunities for its employees to participate in local health or human service initiatives, including participation in community service during normal business hours without losing pay or using personal time off. Pelton also matches employees’ charitable donations.

6 Steele & Freeman, Inc. FORT WORTH

What they do: Construction Employees: 71

Steele & Freeman has provided professional construc-

tion management services for more than 42 years with employees who “are willing to go above and beyond every day.”

That dedicated team, plus a creed of the company’s 23 “fundamentals,” has resulted in a winning corporate culture, the company attests.

“SFI cares about its staff and their families,” a spokesman says. “We foster a team environment where we look out for each other and regularly include our families at appropriate times for a holistic work place that emphasizes striving for a happy and healthy life. The Can-Do Spirit we tout is alive and well, and most people say that is the thing they love the most about being part of the Can-Do Crew. Our teamwork and collaboration keep stress to a minimum, and our vigilance with safety means our team members can count on getting home safely to their families, which is (let’s face it) why most of us work so hard day in, day out.”

The company provides a 50% match on 401(k) contributions, “which is very high within the industry.”

7 Imperial Construction, Inc. WEATHERFORD

What they do: Construction Employees: 58

Imperial Construction notes a firm with a culture that is tight-knit, with many longterm employees who have helped grow the company. Imperial builds commercial buildings, such as offices, industrial buildings, large retail and hospitality developments, and health care facilities, and a wide range of educational facilities for K-12 schools and

higher education institutions, as well as government facilities for municipalities, state entities, and the federal government.

“For 22 years, Imperial Construction has been focused on creating a great place to work for its valued employees,” says the company in its Best Companies to Work For questionnaire. “Once employees themselves, the firm’s owners invested in a beautiful office space to help attract top-notch employees.”

In addition to complete health care benefits, the company offers supplemental benefits through AFLAC. Its products (accident indemnity, cancer care, short-term disability, critical care and recovery, hospital confinement indemnity, and term-life insurance) pay benefits directly to members and are guaranteed renewal for life. The company also pays for Healthiest You, a health service that physician consultations, any day or hour, to diagnose, treat, and prescribe medication

8 Work Wear Safety Shoes FORT WORTH

What they do: Retail Employees: 88 (55 in Fort Worth)

Work Wear Safety Shoes teaches companies how to craft powerful solutions for its employees’ safety in the areas of footwear, personal protective equipment, and apparel. The company employs a “chief experience officer,” whose job is to monitor and ensure a good experience for every customer and every employee every day.

“Our employees know they are part of a mission to ‘make

workers lives better,’” the company says in its Best Companies to Work For questionnaire. “And in our world, it’s not only better, but also could mean the ability to work at all. Injuries on the job are what we help prevent. And that is truly making a difference in someone’s life. A tangible mission makes all the difference. We also spend time each week sharing stories from our customers about how we have lived out our mission. We start every gathering of three or more employees reciting our core values and committing ourselves to living them out. We celebrate our people daily.” Employee growth is also a prerogative. Each employee has a biennual discussion with their supervisor about their “next step” within the company. The company calls the program “My Path.” A plan is crafted to help employees reach that next level.

9 Worthington National Bank FORT WORTH

What they do: Banking Employees: 53

Worthington National Bank has served as a commercial bank in Tarrant County for 20 years with offices in Arlington, Fort Worth, and Colleyville.

“We try to empower all employees to speak up when they see something that could be improved upon,” the company says. “We take care of each other. We promote from within the bank any time we possibly can. The bank pays for a large percentage of the employees’ benefits including some benefits paid at 100%. The bank pays our people to go to the gym because we care about their health. For every visit up

to four a month, we pay them $10.”

The company also uses third parties to assist employees with mental and emotional help, financial advice and counseling, and substance abuse. “Anything they need help with essentially.”

The bank also offers tuition reimbursement or assistance for employees in advance or post-graduate degree programs or business education workshops.

“Honesty isn’t the best policy; it is the only policy. Integrity and caring for those around you are important and goes a long way in making everyone love their jobs.”

10 Byrne Construction Services FORT WORTH

What they do: Construction Employees: 63

Byrne Construction Services has left an impression over its 99 years in operation, erecting lasting edifices with a focus on municipal, commercial office, higher education, aviation, and historic renovation.

Byrne has worked to maintain an employee-centric culture, providing attention to ensuring that personal and professional needs and aspirations are explored and supported.

Byrne lives by its creed that “people build buildings.”

When the pandemic shut down gyms, Byrne built an onsite gym and developed health and safety protocols for it. The company also built an outdoor pavilion to create an open-air area for employees and families to safely gather.

“We take a lot of pride in providing our employees with

a great place to achieve their professional goals, as well as a place that values their commitment to their families,” the company says.

One favorite event each year is the Byrne Annual Charity Golf Event, a day on the golf course with colleagues and subcontractors. Even non-golfers enjoy the day on a golf cart or interacting on a “challenge hole.”

As an added bonus, employees have access to a financial planner provided by the company to meet retirement and investment goals.

11Sand X GRANBURY

What they do: Manufacturing Employees: 75 (29 in Granbury)

Sand X, a family-owned business, is a comprehensive green solution for sand removal and gas separation through its patented Sand X and Super Loop technology, reducing the emission of hazardous materials and raw hydrocarbons into the atmosphere during flow back.

Through its processes, the sand is clean and safe for other uses while the produced water can be safely recirculated. It all results in good things, including greater environmental compliance, a safer well site, and savings on overall costs.

The technologies were the brainchild of Bruce Thompson.

“Sand X creates a great place to work by being a company that cares about its employees,” a company spokesman says. “The strong leadership of Mr. Bruce Thompson allows the executive team to do their job and contribute their own creativity to problem solving

Mark Linenberger Linbeck Group, LLC

Jacob Sumpter MMA

while working as a team. The respect of each employee and their contributions to the team are what make Sand X a great place to work.”

Sand X is also a generous giver for various causes, including Rope 4 the Cure, a charity that focuses on finding a cure for Type 1 diabetes; and Ruth’s Place, an organization that provides health care services to individuals who are working but do not have health care.

12 Lena Pope FORT WORTH

What they do: Nonprofit Employees: 214

Lena Pope has been an advocate for children in need for generations now.

“Lena Pope invests in its staff who invest in the children and families in our community,” says the agency in its Best Companies to Work For questionnaire. “Coworker relationships are close because everyone cares so deeply about the mission we serve. The pride every individual has in their work shines through to our clients, and everyone strives to provide the best experience to every individual we interact with.”

Lena Pope offers competitive salaries with similar organizations, affordable benefit premiums, tuition reimbursement, a retirement plan, loan and incentive programs, and employee assistant programs

The “Motivate Me” program through the agency’s medical provider allows employees to earn up to $515 to recoup some of their premium through preventative doctor visits and healthy activities, among other things.

An employee assistance program and travel assistance also stand out. EAP helps deal with things including stress, conflict, and loss of loved ones. Travel assistance is designed to assist with lost valuables, such as a wallet or luggage, or medical emergencies. That service will provide needed cash or other services lost.

13 Pinnacle Bank FORT WORTH What they do: Banking

Employees:

234

Pinnacle Bank opened in 1938 after the community of Palmer, Nebraska, lost its bank in the financial wildfire that was the Great Depression. Brothers George and Tom Dinsdale, and others, farmers by trade, opened what would become Pinnacle Bank, which now operates across eight states.

Yet, it is still a family-owned bank — a large one — with local control and lots of resources and lending capacity. The philosophy of integrity and community banking remains intact.

“Our bank management in each branch and region has the autonomy to recruit and utilize their resources and networking in their community,” the local chapter says. “They tap into local colleges, high schools, banks, etc. to gain great additions to our team. Our bank management is also very involved on various boards within the communities they serve, and this adds to the resources for recruiting and finding talent.”

Employees also are afforded opportunities for professional growth through the bank’s management trainee program, generally a year-long program in which up-and-comers spend time in all areas of the bank before being placed in a branch as a lender or other designated seat.

14 The Baker Firm FORT WORTH

What they do: Real Estate/ Renting/Leasing

Employees: 58 (48 in Fort Worth)

The Baker Firm is a title company, that neutral third party

that helps clients consummate real estate transactions.

“We work hard to create an environment that our employees can be proud of,” company officials say. “We want each employee to feel like they are a part of something that works toward the greater good for their personal development in their career, our customers, and our community.

“There are many opportunities for growth in our office and employees that work hard and with integrity are always recognized. We offer mentorship and training so that any employee from the front desk to a college intern can truly create a career, and there is no limit to their achievements within our firm.”

The firm covers 50% of all health, dental, and vision benefits for employees, along with their dependents. A $25,000 life insurance policy is also provided at no cost.

15

Tarrant Appraisal District FORT

WORTH

What they do: Tax Appraisal Employees: 198

The Tarrant Appraisal District, better known colloquially as “TAD,” is a political subdivision of the state of Texas responsible for local property tax appraisal and exemption administration for 73 jurisdictions or taxing units in the county.

Employees are attracted and remain, the district says, because of excellent paid benefits, flexible hours, and retirement plans, which include 401(k), 403(b), or 457 Pension Plan (SIMPLE, SEP

and/or SARSEP), and a defined benefit plan.

“Employees are vested after eight years and a 225% match,” according to its Best Companies to Work For questionnaire.

Officials describes the office environment as engaging with a flex schedule that allows for employees to collaborate and provide service with integrity to the public.

16 Riverside Homebuilders FORT WORTH

What they do: Construction Employees: 111 (89 in Fort Worth)

Riverside Homebuilders, which opened for business in 2012, is part of Lackland Holdings which was formed in 1991 by Tim Fleet, who serves as president of the homebuilding operation. Over the past four years, the company has grown at a 25% annual compound growth rate and was recognized as one of the top 100 new homebuilders in the nation for 2020 and 2021 in Builder Magazine.

“We invest in the well-being of employees by paying generous portions of their monthly medical premium for them and their dependents,” the company says.

Riverside pays 87% of the employee premium and an average of 55% of the monthly premium for dependents, according to the company. Additionally, our medical plan is a cost-plus plan, which affords employees the option to see any provider, even outside the network.

Alliance Work Partners is the company’s third-party employee assistance program,

offering confidential services to support “employees when life happens.” That is, personal issues such as general stress and emotional trouble, and legal, financial, marital assistance or need of help for substance abuse.

17VLK Architects, Inc. FORT WORTH

What they do: Architecture Employees: 190 (87 in Fort Worth)

VLK Architects says it strives to provide a work environment that embraces the passion and creativity its employees have in their personal lives because it enhances the caliber of the firm’s work.

“There is nothing more important in our firm than our people,” the company says in its Best Companies to Work For questionnaire. “Regardless of their experience level, role, or background, everyone benefits from the shared beliefs and practices our culture has created. VLK shares our 10 established core values with every employee during their onboarding process. They are also posted on our intranet site. But more importantly, at every opportunity we identify and publicly discuss examples when members of our team embody any one of the core values.”

In 401(k) plans, VLK matches 50% up to 6% of an employee’s contribution. Employees are always 100% vested in their plan contributions and rollover contributions, plus any earnings they generate. VLK contributions, plus any earnings they generate, are vested on a five-year vesting schedule.

The firm also offers reimbursement for professional accreditations and licensure examinations.

18 Agency Habitat FORT WORTH

What they do: Advertising/ PR

Employees: 62 (61 in Fort Worth)

Inclusivity is a chief priority at Agency Habitat, an advertising and PR firm in Fort Worth.

“At Agency Habitat, we want to ensure our agency is inclusive of ALL individuals,” the company says in its Best Companies to Work For questionnaire. “As such, we have developed the Habitat Inclusion, Diversity & Equity Awareness Leadership (IDEAL) committee to serve as a taskforce to help continue to foster diversity, equity, and inclusion across the agency.

“This will include a diverse set of thought-leaders with varying backgrounds who are passionate about making the agency a place that everyone, regardless of differences, wants to be. The entire agency is responsible for bringing thoughts and ideas to the table, and then the committee will work together to drive the planning and implementation of ideas with the support of the management team.”

The agency provides a 100% match for the first 3% salary of retirement accounts, and a 50% match up to 5% of salary.

Large Companies

1

Apex Capital Corp FORT WORTH

What they do: Finance

Employees: 360 (328 in Fort Worth)

Apex Capital Corp provides financial services to the transportation industry, typically smallto medium-size trucking companies. Its core business is freight factoring which enables clients to grow their business through the support of additional cash flow and full back-office services, such as business start-up assistance, credit advice, and accounts receivable management.

The company is unflinching in its belief in its workplace.

Apex Capital Corp “truly IS the best place to work in Fort Worth!”

Well, Apex Capital has a great environment, make no mistake about it, the No. 1-rated large company in our Best Companies to Work For, and No. 11 overall.

“We provide rich benefits, world-class wellness, training and development opportunities, and foster an environment of transparency, connectedness, learning, innovation, and fun,” company leadership explains in its Best Companies to Work For questionnaire. “We believe in doing the right thing. We go about our work in a positive and optimistic way, believing we can get the results we want and have fun while doing it. We believe in people’s intentions and care about our clients, business partners, and each other. We have a strong sense of purpose and a deep passion for our organization. We believe that to be successful, we must continuously strive for improvement in every aspect of our business.”

The company offers quarterly profit sharing, as well as a hybrid work environment.

“It’s a workplace where you are encouraged to share your thoughts and ideas, and they are heard and often implemented by management. Apex has always been a ‘for you, by you’ service provider for our clients, and we extend this philosophy to our employees.”

Eurasia Lambert APEX Capital Corp

2

USI Insurance

NEW YORK

What they do: Health

insurance

Employees: 8,571 (23 in Fort Worth)

USI Insurance is one of the largest insurance firms in the U.S., a brokerage that assists employers with benefit package offerings for their employees.

“USI Insurance embraces a culture built upon continual investment in the opportunity for the professional growth of our employees,” the company says. “The empowerment that comes through the opportunity to challenge each other to be our best selves and be innovative with our solutions is what sets us apart from our competitors.

“We believe in hiring good people while fostering an environment of respect, relatable leadership, and defined opportunities for professional growth. A strong corporate culture is not just something we talk about — it is something we believe in and practice every day. We do not believe in micromanagement but rather in an empowered workforce that is encouraged to think outside of the box and incorporate their unique processes and work styles that leverage their personal and professional strengths in alignment with our overall corporate objectives. We believe in the power of working together, thinking together, and having fun together.”

The company matches the first 3% of 401(k) contributions.

3

Burns & McDonnell KANSAS CITY

What they do: Engineering

architecture and construction

Employees: 9,500 (140 in Fort Worth)

Burns & McDonnell is a family of companies bringing together a team of thousands of engineers, construction and craft professionals, architects, and more to design and build critical infrastructure. Founded in 1898 and working from more than 60 offices globally, Burns & McDonnell is 100% employeeowned.

“Our people aren’t just employees; we are 100% percent owners of the firm,” says a company spokesman. “Employeeowners are rewarded for their performance and share in the success of the company.”

The employee stock owner-

ship plan allows employees to participate directly in the profitability of the company on their first day at no cost. The company says it fosters a culture of transparency by sharing information with employee-owners through newsletters, division and department updates, annual companywide meetings, and weekly email updates from CEO Ray Kowalik.

“Regular surveys and meetings with managers and employee representatives exist to be an open channel of communication between upper management and employeeowners. Together, we join forces to give back to our communities by volunteering with organizations in Fort Worth. In 2021, we raised more than $4 million in our annual campaign for United Way chapters nationwide.”

4

D&M Leasing FORT WORTH

What they do: Auto leasing Employees: 368 (99 in Fort Worth)

Since its first lease was driven off the lot in 1976, D&M Auto Leasing the largest leasing company in the nation, with more than $1 billion worth of vehicles on the road today, according to the company. D&M has multiple locations across Fort Worth and Dallas.

“Our purpose is to have a positive impact on the lives of our customers, associates, and the community through service and

stewardship,” the company says in its Best Companies to Work For questionnaire. “We invest in our employees and their career as we strongly believe that happy employees result in happy customers.”

The company says it utilizes active initiatives to recruit veterans, women, and ethnically diverse workers. It also matches up to 4% in 401(k) employee contributions.

“At D&M Leasing, we don’t offer jobs. We provide careers. We strive every day to be the best we can be. We don’t settle for second place and to be ordinary. D&M Leasing is a positive environment of proven winners with a track record of success.”

Scott Clark Burns & McDonnell

Brandon Robinson USI Insurance

A LEGACY CONTINUES

Texas Women’s Foundation is proud to announce Michelynn “Miki” Woodard as President and CEO.

Nearly 40 years ago, our organization was created by 19 founders who refused to accept barriers for Texas women and girls.

Hailing from a long line of women who also challenged barriers, Miki Woodard embodies the determination, vision, and passion essential to the delivery of our mission. Join us as we continue our fight for equitable communities across our state.

TXWF.ORG

Mike Hoque is helping Dallas reimagine its southern quadrant, and he is helping Fort Worth reimagine her southeast corridor at Evans and

Rosedale.

FROM EAST TO WEST

Area developer Mike Hoque sees only the brightest pastures in Fort Worth.

WORDS BY JOHN HENRY

IMAGES BY CRYSTAL WISE

At a conference table in Mike Hoque’s office on the 56th floor of a stately high-rise in downtown Dallas sits the CEO of Hoque Global — a real estate development company — a top aide, and a visitor from Fort Worth. The wide window opening to the south is more than an opening for the impassioned summer sunlight that has seemingly never heard the word quit.

The window doubles actually as a frame for Hoque’s vision now put to action for Dallas’ southern quadrant, including two near downtown.

Hoque, who made a serious leap into the commercial real estate market with the purchase of the Adolphus Tower in 2015, is the business brawn behind the Newpark development, just south of Dallas City Hall, which promises to remake the southern part of downtown.

At the heart of the estimated 825,000-square-foot, hyper-tech, mixed-used development on steroids, which when fully developed will include three schools, is One Newpark, a 38-story tower consisting of office, retail, and living accommodations, both in the form of hotel rooms and apartments.

The development will be a key connector to Dallas’ planned new convention center.

The first phase of the project, estimated to cost in the neighborhood of $400 million, is so important to Dallas city leaders that the council voted to provide up to $96.1 million in economic incentives to see that blueprints become reality.

Roughly 15 miles beyond, in what seems to be green forest for as far as the eyes can see, is another of Hoque’s signature developments. It sits near the intersection of Interstate 20 and Lancaster Road. Emerging from this undeveloped land will be a large-scale mixed-used community, the 270-acre University Hills. Surrounded by a large town center, University Hills will consist of hundreds of single-family homes, 1,500 multifamily units, millions of square feet of commer-

cial space, and more than 50 acres of green space.

It will sit near the DART Blue Line and merely a short drive from the University of North Texas at Dallas campus. The Dallas City Council is invested in this, too, providing up to $31.4 million in tax increment financing for the first phase.

The project aligns perfectly with a Hoque Global mission statement, focusing on investing and developing in projects that benefit traditionally underserved communities. His focus and investment, Hoque is convinced, will bring along other investors and other projects.

The winners will be the residents who have lived there for generations but that development and prosperity forgot. Following the successful development, Hoque insists, will come along jobs and business growth to the area, affordable housing, and everyday conveniences of living that most take for granted.

“The addition of this development near UNT Dallas and the DART Blue Line supports our goal to improve the quality of life in this corridor of the community and is a prime example of the growth, progress, and improvements taking place in District 8,” says Tennell Atkins, Dallas’ District 8 council member.

Hoque’s desk in his office sits to the west. It might be merely coincidental. It might be intentional. But it is most certainly symbolic.

Over the horizon sits the skyline of Fort Worth. You have to use your imagination to see it, the distance in mileage, and perhaps the reality of the residue that comes with being one of America’s largest metropolitan areas, too much for even vision corrected by spectacles.

But Mike Hoque can see it clearly, and his imagination runs wild with the potential of growth in Fort Worth, particularly in her underserved communities.

The Evans and Rosedale development east of Interstate 35, in a predominantly African American neighborhood, stretches 7.5 acres over separate east and west blocks, envisioned to include 27,000 square feet of commercial space at ground level and approximately 320 residential units above. Building design will take inspiration from existing structures in the area,

such as Evans Plaza. Townhomes will line the eastern portion of the site, adjacent to the residential community; and larger structures will stand further west, with the apartments reaching four or five stories near South Freeway.

Groundbreaking is expected to take place in the first quarter of 2023 and take 18 months to complete, Hoque says.

“We’ve been very blessed,” says Hoque, whose entrepreneurial journey has taken him through the industries of transportation logistics and restaurants before real estate. “We focused on stuff no one else wanted to do. As you can tell, the world is changing on us. People are [recognizing] you have to help other people. You cannot just grow one-sided.”

This, too, is a public-private collaboration. The city is pitching in $13.2 million to support the construction, through funds it received from the American Rescue Plan Act, including $9 million in grants for Hoque Global, if it met certain conditions.

Those conditions include setting aside at least 20% of the planned 292 apartment units and 20 townhomes for affordable housing. Ten percent of the units will be set aside for households that make 80% or below the Fort Worth-Arlington area’s median income. The other 10% will be for residents making 60% or below the area median income.

Hoque Global is also required to invest $70 million in both phases of the project and 15% of contractors need to be minority- or women-owned businesses.

The Evans and Rosedale development is in ZIP code 76104, the area UT Southwestern found in a 2019 study, had the lowest life expectancy in the state.

The timing is good, too, as the renaissance on the Near Southside continues. The Evans and Rosedale project will connect that part of the South Side, separated by Interstate 35, with the Near Southside.

“It will demonstrate that, that part of the South Side can be developed and is open for business,” says Councilman Chris Nettles, who adds that the planned National Juneteenth Museum nearby will add to its prospects.

Nettles’ district also includes Renaissance Square, the 67-acre, more than 425,000-square-foot development on the site

of the former Masonic Home at U.S. 287. It is anchored by a Walmart Supercenter. Nettles alludes to the national chains that followed Walmart into the development.

Lockard Development, based in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and Midland-based Moriah Real Estate Co. partnered on that development.

“It can be done,” he says, “when you bring investors in willing to invest.”

Fort Worth, say hello to Mike Hoque.

“I didn’t just wake up one day and decide to go to South Dallas, or Evans and Rosedale. A project like this, you have to have a different mind-set, a different set of capital. If you don’t have a like-minded broker or like-minded architect, you’re in trouble.”

When starting down the road to design, Hoque ran into obstacles. He couldn’t find an architect who believed in his vision for a mixed-used development. All they could envision were apartments.

“They started challenging me, and I don’t blame them. An urban village with shops and retail and people going to work down here … this won’t work down here. If we do this, it will never get financed or approved by the city. They’re thinking this guy is nuts!

“So, I had to change architects.”

In another project in Dallas, the 15-acre SoGood development, on the site of a former Pilgrim’s Pride chicken plant on Cesar Chavez Boulevard in The Cedars, another neighborhood south of downtown Dallas, Hoque has partnered with Global Silicon Valley, a growth investment platform based in the Bay Area.

GSV Labs at SoGood will serve as an incubator for local startups and entrepreneurs, providing them with business tools and resources needed for ideas and businesses to bloom.

“We look to be a magnet of talent not only in the Dallas marketplace, but really in the regional marketplace and, frankly, from a global perspective,” says Michael Moe, cofounder of GSV Ventures.

As an aside, Hoque believes the DallasFort Worth region has a historic opportunity to lead on innovation and entrepreneurship, simply through the presence of the DallasFort Worth International Airport. He scoffs at the idea of Austin being synonymous with “Texas innovation.”

“I don’t want to go to Austin to save my

life,” he says, though he reminds that he does have a nifty little project down that way, a resort-style vineyard in Florence. “They don’t even have a true international airport.”

The Evans and Rosedale development will include a branch office of GSV, Hoque says.

The Dallas and Fort Worth projects “are a niche we created,” says Hoque.

“No one else wanted to go there,” he says, “but it is a purposeful project. You might not make a lot of money in the beginning, but eventually you will. And you help people.”

Hoque is Bangladeshi by birth. His father was selected by the Bangladesh government to help build a country after the 1971 Liberation War, a brutal armed struggle with Pakistan, which ended with Bangladesh a free and independent country.

Hoque says when he was home during the summer from boarding school in his mother country, he worked for his father in development.

“He was grooming me to take over his company,” Hoque says.

Those plans changed, however, at age 16. Hoque’s father sent him, unwittingly as it turned out, on a trip to New York City to explore the economic capital of the world. Hoque was supposed to come back and continue his education.

The lure of America and opportunity was love at first sight for this impressionable, young 16-year-old who just graduated high school.

“I told him I didn’t want to go back,” Hoque says.

How did he take that?

“He didn’t like it.”

That might be an understatement. Hoque’s father essentially disowned him. Cut him off and cut off the relative he was staying with. Talk about collateral damage.

“I was stubborn like he was,” Hoque remembers. “He thought cutting me off would bring me back home.”

It didn’t. Hoque truly started his American journey on the streets of Gotham, selling books on street corners. He had everything it takes to live the American dream: intelligence, work ethic, and a willingness to hustle and dive after loose balls, to borrow a sports analogy.

He heard a call to Dallas and took it. Many of today’s great companies began

in garages or spare bedrooms or some such other — Apple and Google come to mind. Hoque Global began in the back of his town car: He was a driver, and while doing that, he uncovered inefficiencies in the industry. He believed he could do it better. He has since pivoted, converting his transportation logistics company into a technology company when he saw Uber play its chess piece in the marketplace, but Ridecentric is still around, 75% owned by his employees.

DRG Concepts, a restaurant business, was his next venture. He knew nothing about the business of restaurants. It has been a success after he finally found the right fit at CEO. That is Nafees Alam, a UT Arlington alum.

Hoque dipped his toe into the Fort Worth marketplace with Wild Salsa, the Wicked Butcher, and the Chop House Burger. Wild Salsa was hampered by the pandemic shutdowns, while the Wicked Butcher opened in the Sinclair Hotel during the pandemic. DRG’s other concepts are the Dallas Chop House and Dallas Fish Market, which also limped out of the pandemic.

Other than his father’s tutoring, Hoque has no formal education as a developer. Some 10 years ago, he asked a noted developer to teach him the ropes of development. Rather, Hoque says, he was sent on “wild goose chases to do things.”

“It didn’t teach me anything. I was wondering, ‘Why am I doing this?’”

Yet, he did learn, which isn’t surprising. Hoque’s mind is seemingly never at rest.

“If I had formal training, I’d just be going north,” he says, poking fun at the conventional wisdom of the promised land of Plano and Frisco and other former parts unknown, “rather than where we’re going.”

The Newpark development, mostly empty parking lots now, took years to come together, starting with the acquisition of the property. It’s the same property that Amazon flirted with before “walking away from us at the altar,” Hoque says. The experience, however, taught him what big companies are looking for.

Hoque has office space rented in downtown Fort Worth to see through Evans and Rosedale.

He is well aware of the look of suspicion “Dallas guys” get on this side of the metroplex. But he says he is committed to the city and believes his three-year commitment, so far, without a shovel in the ground at Evans and Rosedale, is proof of that.

And like the Newpark development and Dallas’ new convention center, Hoque’s mind is working a mile a minute on Fort Worth’s new convention center area blueprint and how it connects with the intermodal transportation center and Texas A&M’s forthcoming downtown campus.

“I want people to understand, this guy has done it in Dallas, and he’s coming to us,” Hoque says. “And he wants to do the same things. He wants to create stuff.

“I love Fort Worth.”

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Outsourcing Resource Guide

Outsourcing has evolved into an essential element to good management

WORDS BY JOHN HENRY

At the time, now many years ago, that a bank in Israel signed off on an outsourcing agreement with EDS, a spokesman for the bank answered a question from an inquisitive reporter.

“We believe the bank will save between $5 million and $6 million annually,” the bank staffer said. “Banking is our core business, not managing the IT infrastructure.”

In essence, the spokesman explained why companies deploy the strategy of outsourcing, which has evolved since the term became mainstream in the 1980s. In reality, some form of outsourcing has been in use since companies in the Industrial Revolution wrestled with how best to exploit competitive advantages to expand their markets and increase profits.

Time is money, it’s true. So, you need to be very aware of about where you spend your time. Outsourcing business functions, especially those in which you don’t have an expertise, can do that.

As it concerns outsourcing, Fort Worth’s very own Morton Meyerson is considered transformative in the innovation. Meyerson, who rose to president and vice chairman Ross Perot’s EDS, leading 50,000 employees, is credited with developing the concept of outsourcing and creating the first offshore development centers in Latin America and India, according to the IAOP, the organization that recognizes

pioneers in outsourcing.

The use of outside resources to perform activities traditionally handled by internal staff and resources today is a standard practice.

Manufacturers today outsource a large percentage of the content of their finished products. It used to be that only large companies outsourced much of their IT operations. No longer. More and more small businesses are doing the same. About 40% of small businesses outsource some operations, according to the Small Business Administration.

It’s a very favorable thing, which allows better control of costs, increases essential efficiency, and allows small-business owners to focus on part of the business they’re good at.

The core competencies.

The same goes with back-office operations, including human resources, payroll, accounting, and even order fulfillment, distribution and shipping. We’ve all talked to someone in customer service that obviously isn’t employed by the company we did business with directly.

In reality, companies may be more outsourced than producing inhouse, in some cases, particularly in these strange days of workforce shortages.

In many cases in 2022, the impact has been transformative in

reorganizing the roles of employees, managers, and executives, and completely altering the consumer experience.

The U.S. has the most percentage of outsourced jobs in the world, with almost 68% of companies delegating their services, according to outsourceaccelerator.com. The UK, meanwhile, has around 48% of companies offshoring business functions with talent shortage as the main factor.

The health care industry is one of the most outsourced industries to date, with the increased need for remote and telehealth services.

Deloitte projects that the global outsourcing market will reach $10 trillion by 2022. With this, international outsourcing and remote services are projected to reach $19.5 billion by 2025.

In terms of IT outsourcing efforts, companies will continue to utilize cloud solutions, which are expected to reach $760 billion by 2027. Meanwhile, cybersecurity remains to be one of the leading concerns of global corporations. This is especially when acquiring remote workers. A reported rise in cybersecurity threats and data breaches has been reported in 2020 alone, making companies more worried about their data privacy and security.

Generally speaking, outsourcing has evolved in three stages: traditional outsourcing, strategic outsourcing, and transformational outsourcing.

Traditional outsourcing takes an operation conducted internally to an external supplier, if it was cost effective to do so. The main objective was to reduce the company’s cost and maximize profit.

Strategic outsourcing, which academics date as having made an emergence in the 1990s and early 2000s, involves sending out duties that have a direct impact on business performance and its ability to compete in the marketplace. The objective is not fully cost optimization but to gain a competitive advantage by using external resources, enhancing internal capabilities and improving processes.

Until relatively recently, it had been accepted truth that no company in its right mind would outsource core competencies. However, over the past 30 years, outsourcing some core functions has become good strategy — customer service, one example — simply because it is so important.

Eastman Kodak’s decision to outsource the information technology systems that provide the basis of its business was considered groundbreaking in 1989, but it was actually the result of rethinking what their business was about. They were quickly followed by dozens of major corporations whose managers had determined it was not necessary to own the technology to get access to information they needed.

Transformative outsourcing, finally, seeks to change the prototype and usher in an entirely new business model.

There is a time for everything. When is the time to outsource?

How to decide whether to outsource

There are no simple criteria to conduct an outsourcing versus in-house analysis. The benefits associated with outsourcing are numerous, and one should consider each project on its individual merits. Ongoing operational costs that may be avoided by outsourcing are also a consideration. In a nutshell, outsourcing allows organizations to be more efficient, flexible, and effective, while often reducing costs. The following are suggestion from a study at North

Carolina State University. Some of the top advantages brought by outsourcing include:

• Staffing flexibility and frees internal resources for other purposes

• Acceleration of projects and quicker time to market

• High-caliber professionals that hit the ground running; outsourcing allows a company to access world-class capabilities

• Ability to tap into best practices

• Knowledge transfer to permanent staff

• Cost-effective and predictable expenditures and operating costs

• Access to the flexibility and creativity of experienced problem solvers

• Improve core competency focus

• Share risks with partner company

Impediments to outsourcing

As gleaned from The Economist: Reluctance to lose control and flexibility — When you outsource, you rely on a contractual relationship with a service provider. Some executives would rather manage contracts than internal processes. Fretting over flexibility fails to consider that outsourcing can actually increase management’s control over certain operations. A given function is too critical to outsource — Crucial functions, such as payroll, are outsourced all the time. In fact, an argument can be made for outsourcing pivotal functions to specialists who can perform them more effectively.

Anticipated negative reaction by customers — Customers may get nervous until they see the enhanced service levels that outsourcing makes possible. The involvement of a third party is a secondary consideration.

Employee resistance — Outsourcing often involves breaking down organizational structures to enhance efficiency, which changes job roles. When employees resist, companies should respond with proper communication and training.

Factors influencing successful outsourcing

The critical areas for a successful outsourcing program include:

• Understanding company goals and objectives

• A strategic vision and plan

• Selecting the right vendor

• Ongoing management of the relationships

• A properly structured contract

• Open communication with affected individual/groups

• Senior executive support and involvement

• Careful attention to personnel issues

• Short-term financial justification

Outsourcing process

There are four main aspects to a typical outsourcing program:

• Program initiation

• Service implementation

• Final agreement

• Program closure

Managing the outsourcing vendors

Effective management of vendors is based on these 10 principles, according to The Economist:

Maintain strategic responsibility — Operational issues must be handled at various levels, but do not delegate the alignment of your firm’s interests with its vendor/supplier. Making sure that the relationship works is a job for a top executive.

Create multiple organizational links — Promote them at every level of the company.

Hold regular meetings — Get together periodically to iron out any issues.

Employ technology — Use the internet, email and such tools in management.

Define escalation processes — Everyone should know the processes to be followed when issues need to be elevated to higher levels.

Use a scorecard — Define and apply metrics that will gauge success.

Apply carrots and sticks — Motivate employees with fair incentives and penalties.

Reward your vendor’s employees — Without becoming a coemployer, find ways to motivate and recognize the employees of your outsourcing partner.

Define the change process — How will both firms address the need for change?

Honor the relationship — Carefully manage, respect and nurture the outsourcing relationship. It is a strategic asset for your company.

A small business guide

Close to 40% of small businesses outsource at least some of operations, according to the Small Business Administration. Here are top areas the SBA suggests that small business delegate outside the shop:

Accounting

Accounting is one of the most common areas where small businesses choose to outsource. If you’re not a financial expert, then it can take a lot of time and skills to learn all the processes and compliance standards your company must meet. However, a skilled accountant can often manage this area for multiple businesses at once. This increases efficiency and saves you money.

Marketing

When it’s time to grow your business, an outside marketing firm can help you do it quickly. They can take the ad design, content creation or social media posting off your plate so you can focus on the internal functions of your business. Additionally, these firms are usually filled with professionals who can help you come up with creative ideas and helpful strategies you may not have otherwise had access to.

Sales

Similarly, your company might not have the personnel or expertise to make sales calls or set up funnels and processes geared toward closing deals. By outsourcing to sales firms or professionals, you can hand those tasks over to skilled individuals who will bring in more business.

IT Management

IT is one of the largest outsourcing industries around. In fact, the global market for outsourced IT services reached $85.6 billion in 2019. You can outsource to a managed service provider or work with a firm that offers on-demand assistance to handle any tech issues or initiatives you may have.

Administrative Tasks

Virtual assistants are becoming more and more common, especially for solopreneurs and entrepreneurs who work out of a home office. There are VAs who can handle everything from inbox management and scheduling to social media posting. This is often one of the least expensive ways to outsource, as there are VAs who charge as little at $10 an hour. However, you’ll likely pay between $30 and $75 per hour for skilled VAs or those with a particular specialty.

Customer Service

For businesses that deal with customers mainly online or over the phone, you can outsource your customer service strategy to an outside call center or chat service. To do this, you first need to have processes in place and make sure you provide clear instructions to the company that will be dealing directly with your customers.

Manufacturing

Setting up a dedicated manufacturing facility can be quite costly for a small business. That’s why so many product sellers choose to outsource this step. You don’t necessarily need to offshore this process either. The U.S. still holds about an 18% market share in global manufacturing. So, you could potentially find domestic outsourcing partners to keep your operations nearby.

Shipping and Logistics

Additionally, you can actually have your manufacturing facility or a separate drop shipping service handle the shipping and handling of your products directly to customers. This is a popular option for e-commerce sellers that want to really focus on the online and marketing aspects of their business.

Research

Is there something you need to learn about your customers or your industry as a whole? Whether you’re thinking about launching a new product or considering expanding into a new market, proper research is key. So, if you don’t want to spend days or weeks surveying your target audience or buried under tons of online content, you can outsource this step to a research firm. They should also have access to more resources to bring in especially valuable insights.

Human Resources

Human resources encompass any tasks in your business related to hiring, onboarding, or managing your team. The most common type of outsourcing in this area is to work with a recruiting service to bring in qualified candidates for a new position. However, there are options for outsourcing training, benefits administration, payroll, and time and attendance issues as well.

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Outsourced Professionals

Do you think you’re saving money by doing everything yourself? Outsourcing is an effective strategy to lower costs and save time in your business. These tried-and-true outsourced professionals are here to help so you can get back to doing what you do. The information in this section is provided by advertisers and has not been independently verified by Fort Worth Inc.

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9G Films

SERVICES: From commercials to corporate documentaries, 9G Films specializes in telling your brand’s authentic story. In a digital world where viewers have unlimited choices, it’s entertaining and meaningful content that connects people with brands and drives them to share. MOTTO: We Help Brands & Businesses Gain a Competitive Advantage in the Connected World. FOCUS: Our focus is to establish your brand and craft a powerful vision for your company. We help businesses grow, launch products, and build enduring relationships with their communities. WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT THEM: We are creative storytellers who are open, collaborative, and use our experience, design, and technical expertise to create meaningful and compelling content for all mediums. We embrace new challenges with an open heart, a hunger to learn, and a passion for solving problems. Our unique documentary style of filmmaking breaks down the business/client barrier by aligning the goals of your organization to the needs of your customers — creating exceptional brand experiences. FREE ADVICE: Branding is all about expressing a company’s personality and values, building a comprehensive and consistent experience that resonates with customers and nurtures lasting relationships. Learning your unique voice and translating that through the most effective mediums for your brand are the most powerful tools you have to not just gain new customers but create a community of true fans. PICTURED: Matt Short, Creative Director.

9G FILMS

682.410.6255 • 9gfilms.com • matt@9GFilms.com

IT & Technology

Compulabs Etc. LLC

SERVICES: Web Design, Social Media Management, IT Network Support Services. MISSION STATEMENT: It is our passion to create a functional and aesthetically stunning IT experience for your users. CORE VALUES: Excellence, Accountability, Longevity. CERTIFICATIONS: Certified Texas Historically Underutilized Business (HUB); Small Business Enterprise (SBE); Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE). AWARDS/HONORS: Award Vendor to FWISD and Katy ISD; NAACP Outstanding Partner Award. MEMBERSHIPS/AFFILIATIONS: Fort Worth Rotary Club. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS: Navigated the government contracting space into a long-term vendor agreement with highly respected independent school districts. Building my own proprietary website hosting platform for organizations called CompulabsCloud and getting it accepted into the Tech Fort Worth technology incubator. WHAT IS UNIQUE ABOUT THEM: CompuLabs Etc. was formed by a father and son team of technology experts with over 50 years of combined experience. We treat everyone in our organization like family. FREE ADVICE: The first piece of a great company is a great team. Build a team and continue to nurture an appetite for learning. PICTURED: Howard Rattliff.

COMPULABS ETC. LLC

P.O. Box 15844

Fort Worth, Texas 76119

985.306.2959 compulabsetc.com info@compulabsetc.com

| Outsourced Professionals

HR & Placement Services

CornerStone Staffing

SERVICES: Contract, Contract-to-hire, Professional Placement, Payrolling, Remote Staffing. MISSION STATEMENT: To know J.O.Y. through our work!

AWARDS/HONORS: Best of Staffing, ClearlyRated – Client Satisfaction (Diamond Status), 2017 – 2021; Best of Staffing, ClearlyRated – Talent, 2019 – 2021; Best Places to Work, Business Journal, 2017 – 2019. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS: Our professional successes have allowed us to partner with and sponsor events with some amazing local organizations like Cook Children’s Hospital, The Ladder Alliance, Tarrant Area Food Bank and Ronald McDonald House – Fort Worth. Giving back to the community that we live and work in is extremely important to us! WHY THEY ARE UNIQUE: First, our experience. Not only do we have over 30 years of experience in the DFW market specifically, but the average tenure of our colleagues is eight-plus years, which is unheard of in our industry. Second, the

level of engagement we have with our clients and associates from a service level is unmatched, and this has been a proven success factor even through the pandemic. Lastly, we are able to customize our recruitment strategy to the unique needs of our client partners because we know not every business is the same. PICTURED: Clayton Graham, Assistant Operations Manager; Michelle Zabonik, Senior Assistant Operations Manager; Austin Ingraham, Account Manager; Amber Thomas, Operations Manager; Lindsey George, Assistant Operations Manager.

CORNERSTONE STAFFING

1300 Summit Ave., Ste. 110 • Fort Worth, Texas 76102 817.332.5882 cornerstonestaffing.com • FW@cornerstonestaffing.com

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Manufacturing & Logistics

Cowtown Express Logistics, LLC

SERVICES: Freight shipping of all types and brokerage services within the 48 contiguous states and Canada. MISSION STATEMENT: Our mission is to positively impact the transportation industry through execution of an excellent and transparent service to customers, carriers, and employees in order to build a better future for generations to come. PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS/AFFILIATIONS: TXTA; Women in Trucking; OOIDA; Fort Worth HR; SAM. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS: Doubling revenue and profit in one year through organic growth and increasing the number of employees by 150% in the last six months.

UNIQUENESS: Cowtown Express Logistics is a relationship-driven freight management company that provides constant, reliable communication

between third-party logistics companies, carriers, and customers so your freight arrives on time and safe. FREE ADVICE: Whatever you do in life or in business, do it with respect, resilience, integrity, and true grit. PICTURED: (back row, left to right) Colby Baskin, Scott Dickerson, Lawrence Zaverl; (front row, left to right) Raegan Baskin, Leslie Cunningham, Jim Corrigan.

COWTOWN EXPRESS LOGISTICS, LLC

2501 Parkview Drive, Ste. 303 Fort Worth, Texas 76102

817.696.9458

cowtownexpress.com

Finance

Whitley Penn

SERVICES: WP Edge; Client Advisory Services. MISSION STATEMENT:

The primary mission of Whitley Penn — from its inception to today –has been to provide an unmatched level of high-quality service to our clients. Focusing on this mission ensures consistent improvement as our firm continues to expand, diversify, and grow its clients, services, and professionals. EDUCATION/CERTIFICATIONS: Ryan Bolton –B.B.A., Angelo State University; M.B.A., Angelo State University; CPA. Sheri Hanner – B.S., University of North Texas; Certified Proadvisor for QuickBooks, Intacct – Implementation & Fundamentals. Trina Dicketts

– B.B.A., Southeastern Oklahoma State University; CPA. Glenn Hanner

– B.B.A., The University of Texas at Arlington; CPA; CITP; CGMA; CVA. AWARDS/HONORS: INSIDE Public Accounting 2021 Best of the Best Firms, Fastest-Growing Firms, and Top 100 Firms; Best Place for Working Parents 2022; Blue Zones Project Approved Worksite. GREATEST PROFESSIONAL ACHIEVEMENTS: WP Edge offers direct access to a

team of professionals that handle the details of accounting, bookkeeping, payroll and tax records on behalf of our clients. Staffed by accomplished and qualified professionals who are chosen for both their financial skills and client development abilities. UNIQUE SERVICES: If you are looking to outsource your accounting department or seeking assistance to address your Client Advisory Services (CAS) needs, WP Edge can aid in assessing that need and guide you toward the best operational assistance.

PICTURED: Ryan Bolton, Sheri Hanner, Trina Dicketts, Glenn Hanner.

WHITLEY PENN

640 Taylor St., Ste. 2200 Fort Worth, Texas 76102

817.259.9100

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FORT WORTH INC. ENTREPRENEUR OF EXCELLENCE

Fort Worth Inc. to Announce Entrepreneur of Excellence Winners and Finalists at a Formal Awards Ceremony

Fort Worth Inc.’s Entrepreneur of Excellence (EOE) awards program recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs whose vision, creativity, and integrity have made Fort Worth the premier place to do business. Successful business owners and entrepreneurs of the Greater Fort Worth area are invited to enter the running for this prestigious awards program.

Applicants for the program are evaluated against others in their category. An independent panel of judges will then select three finalists from each category and the winner will be announced at a formal awards ceremony on November 3rd at the Fort Worth Club. One special individual will also be selected by Fort Worth Inc. for the Supporter of Entrepreneurship award.

Finalists and winners will receive editorial exposure and publicity, including an interview in Fort Worth Inc.’s EOE cover story. Winners will be inducted into the Entrepreneur of Excellence Hall of Fame and receive a custom pair of Justin’s ostrich boots and a handsome awards trophy.

Thank you to our EOE applicants and sponsors. We’re looking forward to celebrating with each of you and announcing the Entrepreneurs of Excellence finalists and winners at our formal awards ceremony this fall.

BIZZ Wrap-Up

86 Analyze This / 88 1 in 400

Two factors have changed one writer's perspective on the wisdom of preemployment drug testing.

Preemployment Drug Testing — High Time for a Change?

WORDS BY VIANEI BRAUN

Perhaps it is time for Texas employers to reconsider their preemployment drug testing protocols. Specifically, there are reasons to skip screening for a common substance: marijuana (cannabis).

A few years ago, I would have dismissed that idea out of hand. But two major factors have changed: the overall labor market and state-by-state marijuana laws. The current labor market is extraordinarily tight. Employers are struggling to find qualified applicants.

State laws governing marijuana use have shifted. Eighteen states now allow recreational marijuana. Thirty-seven states, including Texas, have approved some form of medical use.

However, federal law still classifies marijuana as an illegal Schedule I drug, and efforts to change federal law have failed. This has created various legal conundrums.

For example, the recreational use of marijuana is legal in Colorado, and Colorado also has a law prohibiting employers from interfering with employees’ legal off-duty conduct. But Colorado residents have been disappointed to learn their employment remains at risk. The Colorado Supreme Court found that off-duty marijuana use is not protected because it remains illegal on the federal level. Colorado employers can still terminate or refuse to hire individuals who test positive for marijuana.

Texas law is far less lenient than Colorado’s. Texas law permits the use of low-THC cannabis only for medical purposes, as an adjunct to treatment for serious conditions such as epilepsy,

cancer, or PTSD.

THC (tetrahydrocannabinol) is the substance in marijuana/cannabis primarily responsible for a user’s altered mental state. Drug tests detect the metabolite of THC, which can linger in a user’s body. Depending on the amount and frequency of use, a urine drug screen can detect THC metabolites up to 30 days, and a hair follicle drug test up to 90 days.

Due to this lingering effect, some employers choose to exclude THC results from preemployment drug screening. In a difficult labor market, this can be a rational choice, so long as the employer is not hiring for a safety-sensitive or federally regulated position.

For example, consider three job candidates who spend the weekend at a college reunion. The first candidate samples THC gummies, legal in that state. The second candidate illegally uses cocaine. The third candidate drinks copious amounts of alcohol.

When sent for a preemployment drug screen late the following week, the first candidate is likely to test positive for THC. The second has probably metabolized out the cocaine, and the third has long ago cleared the alcohol from his system.

It’s possible the first candidate was the most qualified, mature, and responsible. Because recreational THC use is legal in some states and because THC metabolites linger in the body, the best candidate may end up being excluded.

Unless covered by a federal or customer contract requiring preemployment drug testing, private employers in Texas

may choose to skip such testing altogether, but that is risky. In addition to THC, typical 5-panel drug tests screen for opiates, cocaine, amphetamines, and PCP. It makes good sense to exclude illegal users of the latter substances.

THC use involves unique circumstances that merit special consideration. Texas employers have the right to exclude applicants who test positive. But it’s worth considering whether, in light of current circumstances, they should exercise that right.

Vianei Braun is a shareholder in Decker Jones P.C. She represents employers in a wide variety of industries and provides litigation and administrative agency defense, compliance assistance, and practical advice.

Texas A&M and Fort Worth: The Impact of Anchor Institutions

WORDS BY ROBERT B. AHDIEH

With Texas A&M’s announced plans to expand its presence in Fort Worth, it seems all but inevitable that the city will turn a little more maroon.

Of greater significance for the city, Tarrant County, and North Texas overall, however, are the contributions A&M’s new campus will make to the region’s economic and business development landscape.

The tip of that iceberg is how the new

Economic Development

campus will help accelerate growth in the relatively underdeveloped southeast quadrant of downtown — alongside Phase 1 of the Convention Center renovation, a new Convention Center hotel on a newly straightened Commerce Street, and the Deco 969 development. The campus will also encourage further growth along Lancaster Avenue and serve as a bridge between downtown and the Near Southside. A vibrant Commerce Street will flow directly from the Bank of America and Wells Fargo towers into the top of South Main. Butler Place will emerge as a far more attractive development opportunity — including a potential corporate headquarters given all that A&M will be doing next door. The new campus will connect its central quad to the Omni’s expanded facilities via a more open Water Gardens.

But the full impact of an “anchor institution” like A&M is far broader. Among Fort Worth’s most pressing needs is increasing its volume of business and corporate activity. Most tangibly, that will reverse our residential versus commercial property taxes. But no less consequential are the jobs it will bring — and the younger residents it will help the city attract and retain.

The distinct vision of Texas A&M Chancellor John Sharp and the A&M System Board of Regents for the new campus — with its emphasis on innovation, technology, and entrepreneurship — offers a unique opportunity to advance those goals.

Most obviously, the campus will bring both law students and students from a myriad other disciplines to Fort Worth — who will remain after their studies, given all the city has to offer. Students from the area, meanwhile, will have further educational offerings to keep them here. These graduates, along with those from other higher education institutions with which Fort Worth is blessed, will support the pressing need for a more highly educated workforce.

Compounding the economic impact of the new campus will be the contributions A&M can offer in meeting the region’s R&D and workforce training needs. With its more than $1.1 billion

in research expenditures and a commitment to partnering with industry to support commercialization, Texas A&M’s campus will allow Fort Worth to offer companies distinct opportunities for research collaboration. Given lab, research, and office spaces on the campus designed for business co-location, many companies will find that support directly down the hall.

Makerspaces on the campus, as well as facilities for incubators and accelerators, will offer opportunities for startups and early-stage companies as well, and for the entrepreneurs who stand behind them.

Additionally, through state agencies operating within the university’s system — including the Engineering Extension Service — A&M offers non-degree training programs for nearly 150,000 individuals and businesses a year.

All this will help Fort Worth tell a more robust story of itself as a hub for the highest caliber of research and development, workforce training, academic/ industry collaboration, and technology commercialization — for Texas and the entire nation.

Ahdieh is Dean of the Law School and the newly appointed Vice President for Professional Schools and Programs at Texas A&M. He previously taught at Emory Law School and served as a visiting professor at Columbia, Georgetown, and Princeton. He lives in Fort Worth with his wife and three children.

What is the average TIME SPENT READING A MAGAZINE?

builds relationships. Physical material is more “real” to the brain, involves more emotional processing, is better connected to memory, with greater internalization of ads — all important for brand associations.

‘Do All the Good You Can’

Louella Martin lives by the creed passed down by faith

WORDS BY JOHN HENRY

During the course of a life well-lived in proclaiming the good news of salvation as a founder of the Methodist movement in the 18th century, John Wesley was reputed to have appealed to any who would listen to him the importance of loving your fellow brothers and sisters.

Do all the good you can,

By all the means you can,

In all the ways you can,

At all the times you can,

To all the people you can,

As long as ever you can.

As a philanthropist in Fort Worth, Louella Martin is the face of that passage. Martin oversees the Nicholas and Louella Martin Fund, which is associated with the North Texas Community Foundation. Her husband, a successful businessman and real estate entrepreneur, died in January 2021.

“It’s very rewarding. I feel very fortunate my husband left me in charge because I grew up in Fort Worth, and I know what the community needs, I think,” Martin says. “And I know everyone who lives here. I try to use good judgment on the facilities we donate to.

“There are just so many that need help.”

Martin is part of Fort Worth Inc.’s The 400, a list of the most impactful people

in Fort Worth. Martin is a fourth generation Fort Worthian who was born into the Riverside neighborhood but moved right before entering high school. She is a graduate of Paschal.

Giving is actually a trait passed down from her family. Her parents provided lead gifts for the construction of the original Harris hospital tower in 1930.

She champions Methodist causes because, well, “I’m a Methodist.”

Texas Wesleyan has been a beneficiary

on several big-picture items, including the Nick and Lou Martin University Center.

Martin gave a lead gift to the recently completed First United Methodist Edward and Maxine Baker Children’s Wing, which she named in honor of her parents. She also gave a lead gift for the construction of the Jane and John Justin Tower at Harris Methodist Hospital downtown.

However, so many others, Methodist or otherwise, have been touched by the light that is her generosity.

Thursday, August 4, at River Ranch Stockyards

Fort Worth Inc. would like to congratulate our 2022 winners and thank our event sponsors.

To see the full list of winners go to: fortworthinc.com

Gold Sponsor:

Winner Sponsors:

Agency Habitat

Apex Capital Corp

Burns & McDonnell

Byrne Construction Services

CoreCo USA, Inc.

Curnutt & Hafer, LLP

D&M Leasing

Imperial Construction, Inc.

Lena Pope

Linbeck Group, LLC

M3 Networks

Muckleroy & Falls

mma

National Farm Life Insurance Company

Pinnacle Bank, TX

Riverside Homebuilders, Ltd.

Ronald McDonald House of Fort Worth

Trinity Real Estate Investment Services

United Way of Tarrant County

Valor

VLK Architects, Inc.

Wier & Associates, Inc.

Worthington National Bank