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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.
[Composite image: Marina Kislitsyna/ Aetam Jakob/istockphoto; DI Studio]
The Last Word: ENO8 Founder on Why Abe Lincoln Had the Best AI Advice
by Dallas Innovates | Staff Report | Oct 16, 2025
Dallas tech studio founder Jeff Francis says one of the best quotes about artificial intelligence comes from the 19th century. And it captures exactly what's wrong with how companies rush into AI coding.
by David Seeley |
Oct 7, 2025
Kane co-founded Dallas-based Show Tote with Deborah Bowles, after both of them ran into trouble getting their handbags past security and into concert events. Now their new company offers bags that "follow the rules and turn heads," including the Clear Envelope design seen above.
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by David Seeley |
Oct 2, 2025
Hats off to Garland, the Cowboy Hat Capital of Texas. It got that title from the Texas Legislature in 2013 in recognition of the city’s three hat manufacturers, HatCo, Master Hatters of Texas, and Dorfman Milano. Together, they roll out more than a million cowboy hats each year with labels including Stetson, Justin, Resistol, and Scala. The city only needed one more thing—a really big hat—and now it's got that, too.
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Enjoy Fun Fudge founder Suzanne Palmlund, left, and a fudge-nut selection. [Photos: Enjoy Fun Fudge]
The Last Word: Suzanne Palmlund on the Inspiration Behind Her ‘Enjoy Fun Fudge’ Truffles and Bonbons
by David Seeley | Sep 25, 2025
Suzanne Palmlund is a third-generation fudge lover. Her grandmother's specialty was peanut butter fudge. Her mother perfected dark chocolate fudge. Now "over 80," Palmlund is fashioning a fudge renaissance of her own with Enjoy Fun Fudge, an e-commerce business offering over 14 varieties of handmade, small-batch peanut butter fudge and dark chocolate fudge rendered as elegant truffles, and bonbons dipped in many various varieties of chocolate. "I've been a fan of chocolate decadence for as long as I can remember," she said in a statement.
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by David Seeley |
Sep 24, 2025
Last March, we told you about the new four-story Hampton Social, a see-and-be-seen dining and socializing destination at 1520 Main Street in downtown Dallas. Now Chicago-based Parker Hospitality says one of those floors will open on October 1 as Hampton House, an invitation-only members club. “Hampton House is the darker, sexier alter ego of The Hampton Social,” says Brad Parker, founder and CEO of Parker Hospitality.
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by David Seeley |
Sep 23, 2025
The Last Word above ran through Friedman's mind in 2019, when he was seeing "Hamilton" on Broadway. The Plano-based plastic surgeon didn't just muse about it—he put his own music talent to work, collaborating with Laura Goodenow to create "cleaVage," a comedic musical "inspired by the trailblazing surgeons and brave patients who shaped the spectacular rise, equally spectacular fall, and ultimate resurgence of silicone gel breast implants—which were invented in Texas in 1962."
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by Quincy Preston |
Sep 17, 2025
What does the Federal Reserve’s rate cut really mean? American National Bank of Texas CEO Robert Hulsey, who sits on the Dallas Fed board, weighs in.
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![Shane Scully behind the bar. [Courtesy: Caché]](https://s24806.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Shane-Scully_behind-the-bar-940x436.jpg)
Shane Scully behind the bar. [Photo: Samantha Marie Photography]
The Last Word: On Dallas’ Newest Hidden Cocktail Lounge Above S&D Oyster Company, Coming Soon
by Quincy Preston | Aug 19, 2025
Caché turns forgotten office space into a New Orleans-inspired sanctuary where every drink tells a story. Plus, take a look inside the Jones Baker-designed space.
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by David Seeley |
Aug 14, 2025
In June, Dallas Innovates wrote about how Chili's went viral on TikTok this year, snagging “over 200 million views" for videos about the chain's Triple Dipper menu offerings and stretched-out mozzarella sticks. Now Slate has taken a deeper dive into why the Dallas-based brand has become "the hottest restaurant chain in the country."
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by David Seeley |
Aug 12, 2025
Your pretty website won't save you when technical missteps torpedo your revenue.
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by David Seeley |
Aug 6, 2025
The BMW Dallas Marathon is gearing up for its 2025 race weekend, to be held in a long, winding course around White Rock Lake December 12–14. One way it's doing that is by unveiling "a bold new logo" featuring a modern take on the Pegasus—Dallas' celebrated icon—stretching its neck out toward victory. Along with a refreshed merchandise collection, the updated visual identity "reflects the organization’s evolution as a premier running event and its deep connection to the Dallas community," organizers said.
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These Truss Links self-assembled to form a tetrahedron. [Photo: Creative Machines Lab]
The Last Word: Fort Worth Engineer On a ‘Mind-Blowing Robotics Trend Alert’
by Quincy Preston | Jul 17, 2025
Columbia’s breakthrough points to a new kind of autonomy—because as one researcher puts it, “robots must ultimately learn to take care of themselves.”
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by Quincy Preston |
Jul 16, 2025
The NBA legend invested in BeatBox after reflecting on a call from Cuban, as he told People in a recent interview. Just weeks earlier, Shaq told WFAA he’s “75% gonna move [to Dallas] full time.”
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by Quincy Preston |
Jul 15, 2025
North Texas' Nanoscope just filed an FDA bid for its gene-agnostic therapy. If approved, it could help restore sight for people with inherited blindness, and potentially millions more with other retinal diseases.
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by David Seeley |
Jul 10, 2025
BFS Advisory Group President Debra Brennan Tagg is just one of several high-achieving female financial advisers quoted in D CEO's recent story "The Future of Wealth Management is Female." The article notes that by 2030, women in the U.S. will control nearly five times more wealth than they did 10 years ago. And increasingly, women are among the wealth managers who advise them on how to grow and protect their money.
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