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: NYSE’s Lynn Martin on Having Over 200 Listed Companies in the Lone Star State

by | Nov 15, 2023
NYSE President Lynn Martin was in Dallas last week meeting with business leaders of some of the 50-plus DFW companies listed on the NYSE, as well as others that may be looking to go public. She was definitely on business-friendly ground in both the city and the Lone Star State, since more than 200 of the nearly 2,400 companies listed on the NYSE are based in Texas.
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The Last Word: GEW North Texas on This Week’s Region-Wide Entrepreneurship Event
by | Nov 14, 2023
GEW North Texas—which kicked off Monday and runs through Sunday November 19—is part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, held in cities worldwide one week each November. The movement aims to inspire entrepreneurs around the globe while fostering connections and increasing collaboration within their ecosystems.
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The Last Word: Chris Gannett on How Cowboys-Giants Thrashings Mirror Dallas’ Business Edge over NYC
by | Nov 10, 2023
Gannett, a former chief marketing officer for "American Idol" and "So You Think You Can Dance,"  launched  Dallas-based Gannett.Partners to provide leadership coaching, operating advisory services, and strategic capital solutions. A native of Dallas who's lived in New York, he knows both cities well—and believes things are trending Dallas' way.
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The Last Word: Bree Kramer on a Rescued Sea Turtle with an Innovative Weighted Vest at Dallas Children’s Aquarium
by | Nov 9, 2023
One of the newest residents of the Dallas Children's Aquarium had a big problem after he was injured by a boat: A spinal injury had turned his life upside down. Trapped air—also known as "bubble butt syndrome"—made him float vertically and helplessly at the top of the sea. 
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The Last Word: Dallas College’s Ben Magill On the SMU-Led Proposal Landing the Texoma National Semiconductor Tech Hub, 1 of 4 in the U.S.

by | Nov 7, 2023
In late October, Dallas won its second federal innovation hub award in two months when the Texoma Semiconductor Tech Hub landed in the city as part of 31 nationwide tech hubs designated by the Biden-Harris administration.
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The Last Word: Dialexa’s Scott Harper on Founders Who Can’t Handle the Truth
by | Nov 6, 2023
Mizzen+Main Founder and Chairman Kevin Lavelle caused a bit of a stir on LinkedIn recently when he wrote candidly about the need for venture capitalists to provide feedback to founders— especially when they're passing on a pitch. 
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The Last Word: JPMorgan Chase’s Jamie Dimon on Business-Friendly Texas
by | Nov 3, 2023
The "Chase for Business Make Your Move Summit" at the Omni PGA Frisco Resort had its share of seat-filling speakers Wednesday through Friday, including Matthew McConaughey and Mark Cuban, along with sports stars Emmitt Smith and Sheryl Swoopes. But Jamie Dimon spoke at the summit with a rock star status of his own—and a national profile so exalted, he recently had to deny he's running for president in 2024. 
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The Last Word: Texas Rangers GM Chris Young’s January Mission For His Team
by | Nov 2, 2023
All of North Texas has been going bonkers since the Texas Rangers won the 2023 World Series last night, defeating the Arizona Diamondbacks 5-0 and snagging the series with four wins against only one loss. Way back in January, GM Chris Young told the Dallas Regional Chamber that this was the team's goal.
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The Last Word: Video Game Veteran Steve Bocska on Why ‘Real Engagement’ is the Key to Loyalty Programs

by | Oct 31, 2023
“We’re disrupting loyalty. So what better place to do it than where loyalty was created?” said PUG Founder and CEO Steve Bocska. He noted that Fort Worth-based American Airlines spawned the entire loyalty industry in 1981 by launching the first successful airline loyalty program.
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The Last Word: Fluor’s Richard Meserole on Partnering with Sweden’s Altris AB on a Sodium-ion Battery Facility
by | Oct 30, 2023
Irving-based Fluor Corporation announced Thursday that its Advanced Technologies & Life Sciences business line has been selected by Altris AB (whose CEO, Björn Mårlid, is seen above) to provide front-end engineering and design services for the world’s first industrial-scale sodium-ion battery production facility in Sandviken, Sweden.
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The Last Word: Inclusion Cloud’s Nicolas Baca-Storni on 4 ‘Real Digital Transformation’ Lessons Learned at the ServiceNow World Forum
Riding a wave of digital transformation and remote work, Inclusion Cloud recently expanded to Dallas from Latin America. With new offices in the U.S., Spain, and Chile, the company helps Fortune 500 companies and other enterprises rapidly build remote teams of skilled engineers at competitive costs.
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The Last Word: Clark Hunt On DFW’s Chances To Land a Big, Maybe THE Big, World Cup Match
by | Oct 26, 2023
Dallas billionaire Clark Hunt, owner of the reigning Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs, sat down with Anurag Jain at the Venture Dallas Summit on Wednesday. Hunt—the chairman and CEO of both the Chiefs and FC Dallas—was the headliner for the first event at the annual summit for innovators and investors at the Bush Center.
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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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