Every Last Word

Dallas Innovates’ signature series capturing what leaders across North Texas are saying — in their own words — about innovation, impact, and what’s next.

The Last Word: Kelly Kitchens on Garland’s Campy ‘It Came From Texas Film Festival’

by | Oct 23, 2023
Some of America’s favorite movies are filled with campy, schlock-y, over-the-top fun—and a lot them were filmed right here in Texas. This weekend, the city of Garland and Garland Cultural Arts are gearing up to celebrate them with the first annual It Came From Texas Film Festival, October 28 and 29 at the Plaza Theater on State Street in Garland.
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The Last Word: Nicole Small On Why the Dallas-Based ARPA-H Hub Is Focused on Clinical Trials
by | Oct 20, 2023
The Dallas-based customer experience hub of the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health had its official launch yesterday at Pegasus Park. The hub's first mission: making it easier for Americans from across the country to take part in clinical trials, through the Advancing Clinical Trial Readiness Initiative.
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The Last Word: Purpose Tea’s Chi Nguyen on Finding the Tea Behind Her Brand’s Mission
by | Oct 19, 2023
Nguyen founded Dallas-based Purpose Tea in 2017, launching a purple tea beverage company that's "powered by social purpose." Its mission: LIfting from poverty some of the world’s most impoverished women, by giving female tea pickers the opportunity for economic empowerment so they can improve their lives.
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The Last Word: Avara’s Emily Wickard on Leading the Fastest-Growing e-Commerce Business in the U.S.
by | Oct 18, 2023
in August, Dallas-based women’s fashion retailer Avara was ranked the No. 1 fastest-growing e-commerce business in the U.S. on the 2023 Inc. 5000 list. Achieving 1,089% three-year revenue growth, Wickard's company made the list for the second year in a row, Avara also ranked as the No. 4 fastest-growing women’s retailer in the nation and the 20th fastest-growing among Dallas-Fort Worth companies overall.
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The Last Word: Velvet Taco’s Clay Dover on AI as an R&D Tool

by | Oct 12, 2023
In July, we wrote about Dallas-based Velvet Taco launching a new “Chat GPTaco” as part of its weekly taco feature. Now using AI to help create menu items seems to be catching on nationwide. According to Business Insider, more restaurants—from local spots to big national chains—are taking the AI plunge.
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The Last Word: Gov. Greg Abbott on Why Tech Innovators Should Think Texas
by | Oct 11, 2023
On Friday, Gov. Greg Abbott addressed more than 250 CEOs, industry innovators, investors, political leaders, and military officials gathered at Circle T Ranch just outside Fort Worth for the invite-only UP.Summit. The three-day event—once described by a co-creator as “Sun Valley meets CES meets the Oshkosh Airshow meets Burning Man meets TED meets Davos“—convened minds, money, and mobility tech from across the globe.  
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The Last Word: UNT Dallas’ Teresa Espino on Wednesday’s ‘Walk a Mile in Her Shoes’ Event
UNT Dallas is hosting a “Walk A Mile In Her Shoes” event to enable people to take a stance against sexualized violence. It will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday October 11 on the university campus at 7300 University Hills Blvd. in Dallas. The public is invited to participate or attend the free event, with no registration required. 
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The Last Word: Briana Wucinski on TechFW’s Impact Showcase, and the Night’s Big Winners
by | Oct 6, 2023
TechFW's Impact Showcase "embodied the spirit of innovation, the essence of progress, and the promise of a better tomorrow" at Dickies Arena's  Simmons Bank Pavilion Thursday in Fort Worth.
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The Last Word: Duro Hospitality’s Chas Martin on Dallas as a Food & Beverage Destination

by | Oct 4, 2023
Duro Hospitality recently opened Mister Charles (above) in the former home of the historic Highland Park Soda Fountain in Dallas' Knox Street District. He spoke with Forbes' Benjamin Liong Setiawan about why Dallas has become an emerging food & beverage destination. 
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The Last Word: Mark Cuban Companies’ Ansley Carlisle on Her New Founder Interview Podcast
by | Oct 3, 2023
Carlisle, who joined the Mark Cuban Companies in 2021 as a venture capital associate, is hosting a new podcast that launched Tuesday—and "It's Just Business." On the podcast series, Carlisle will interview founders about how they started their businesses and lessons learned along the way.
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The Last Word: Jennifer Sanders on DIA’s Eight-Year Smart Cities Journey
by | Oct 2, 2023
Sanders recently marked the eighth anniversary of the Dallas Innovation Alliance by posting on LInkedIn, eight years to the day after DIA "formally launched at the White House during President Obama's $168 million commitment to smart cities across several agencies."
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The Last Word: Jared Drinkwater’s Easy Sell for Low and Slow Snacks
by | Sep 29, 2023
Drinkwater, who previously worked at Frito-Lay and as VP of national marketing at Pizza Hut, co-founded Low and Slow Snacks in 2019. The barbecue junkie told the Dallas Business Journal the idea struck when he doused a bag of corn chips in BBQ rub and smoked them in his backyard smoker—and his family gobbled them down in 30 seconds. 
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The Last Word: Republic Title’s Scott Rooker on Property ‘Seller’ Scams and AI

by | Sep 27, 2023
Rooker's firm has seen so many fraudulent property sale attempts lately—via Docusign and text messages from "fake sellers"—that it has created a fact sheet to warn clients, Rooker told April Towery of Candy's Dirt.
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The Last Word: Artist Natalie Neale on Her 70-Foot TCU Mural
by | Sep 26, 2023
Fort Worth’s newest public art installation greets residents and visitors with a bold message—to dream big, be bold, and lead on. The 70-foot mural is Texas Christian University’s capstone on its artful coast-to-coast tour celebrating TCU’s 150th anniversary.
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The Last Word: Peter Brodsky on the Vogel Childcare and Family Center at The Shops at RedBird
by | Sep 25, 2023
RedBird is donating the space for a 15,000-square-foot childcare facility run by Vogel at the reimagined and revitalized The Shops at RedBird. Called The Rita Sue and Alan Gold Child and Family Center in recognition of the Golds’ longtime support of and service to Vogel, the center will expand Vogel’s reach and offer onsite access to anyone working at RedBird, as well as the community at large.
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The Last Word: Nirav Tolia on Going from Yahoo! Employee No. 84 to Founding His Own Game-Changing Companies
by | Sep 22, 2023
The tech entrepreneur and investor, who moved from the West Coast to the Dallas region in 2021, went on to found Epinions and Nextdoor after leaving Yahoo! during its meteoric rise in the late '90s. Seeing the success of the Web juggernaut firsthand—despite a blunt warning from its co-founder—gave Tolia the courage to branch out on his own.
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