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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.
Left to right: Reese Witherspoon, Lyda Hill, and Nicole Small [Photos: Hello Sunshine's Shine Away/Southwestern Medical Foundation/Michael Samples]
The Last Word: On Lyda Hill Philanthropies Partnering To Produce Women-in-STEM Movies and TV Shows
by David Seeley | Feb 11, 2025
Today is the International Day of Women and Girls in Science—an ideal day for a Dallas nonprofit to align with a Hollywood movie star to celebrate women in STEM in film and television. According to the Dallas Morning News, Dallas-based Lyda Hill Philanthropies is partnering with Reese Witherspoon’s media company Hello Sunshine to produce and distribute movies and TV shows that champion women's achievements in STEM (science, technology, engineering & mathematics).
by David Seeley |
Feb 6, 2025
Last April, Dallas Innovates told you about Not Beer, a newly launched no-buzz beverage that “looks like a beer, feels like a beer, tastes like premium American sparkling water.” The brand's Dallas-based founder, Dillon Dandurand, launched his product just one month after Liquid Death—another sparkling water brand with attitude—got a valuation of $1.4 billion after announcing $67 million in new funding.
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by David Seeley |
Feb 5, 2025
Dallas-based Brinker International saw its stock (NYSE: EAT) jump 16% last Wednesday. One big reason: Its Chili's Grill & Bar casual dining chain posted a Q4 sales jump of 31% for restaurants open at least a year. That marked the brand's third straight quarter of double-digit sales growth—with a 20% boost in foot traffic, not higher prices, contributed to the Q4 leap.
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by Dallas Innovates | Staff Report |
Feb 4, 2025
Fort Worth has taken off like a rocket in population growth (it had the largest numeric population gain of any city in America in 2022). Now there's speculation that actual real-life rockets could be launched into space from near the Panther City, according to a 2025 Tarrant County Commercial Real Estate Forecast discussion between Corriente Advisors CEO Mark Hart and Robert Allen, president and CEO of the Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership.
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Kenny Bowers painting one of his art works [Photo via Kenny Bowers Art]
The Last Word: Restaurateur Kenny Bowers on His Art Show Benefitting St. Jude Children’s Hospital
by David Seeley | Jan 29, 2025
Bowers—whose restaurant group operates popular local restaurants including Kenny's Wood Fired Grill, Kenny’s Burger Joint, Kenny’s Italian Kitchen, and Kenny's Authentic East Coast Pizza—took off his chef's hat during the pandemic and began creating art. On Saturday, February 1, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., he'll be hosting a benefit art show with 100% of the proceeds going to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
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by David Seeley |
Jan 28, 2025
Azzurro Living—a "luxury-driven" outdoor furniture company in the Dallas Design District—aims to push the boundaries of craftsmanship for outdoor-indoor lifestyles. "We founded Azzurro Living on our love for design and saw an opportunity to bring something truly exciting to the outdoor furniture space," Partner and VP of Design Brandon Kershner said in a statement.
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by Dallas Innovates | Staff Report |
Jan 23, 2025
This coming Monday, Jan. 27, marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz concentration camp, also recognized as International Holocaust Remembrance Day. In the run-up to this global event, the Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum is opening up its doors for free to students this Saturday and Sunday, Jan. 25 and 26.
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by David Seeley |
Jan 22, 2025
Since 2013, Dallas-based Bedford Lodging has built hotels across the U.S. that look like, well, hotels—including The Hoffman Hotel in Basalt, Colorado, an AC Marriott in Santa Rosa, California, and a Fairfield Inn & Suites in El Paso, among numerous others. But one being built now in Fort Worth is the first to feature a fire pole.
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The Last Word: On The Spark Makerspace at the University of North Texas
by David Seeley | Jan 16, 2025
At the University of North Texas' Willis Library in Denton, you can find lots of books. But something else is getting checked out: The Spark, one of three makerspaces operated by the university. Open to all UNT students, faculty, and staff, The Spark offers a long list of high-tech tools that can be accessed after training—including 3D printers, laser cutters, a computer numerical control mill, sewing and embroidery machines, tools for science and pottery projects, and more. Audio-visual gear and power tools at The Spark can be borrowed as well.
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by David Seeley |
Jan 15, 2025
Last week, Irving-based Caterpillar marked its 100th anniversary year with celebrations throughout the U.S. commemorating "a monumental moment" in the company's history. The company officially turns 100 on April 15, marking a century of "customer-centric innovation and industry-leading transformation"
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by Quincy Preston |
Jan 7, 2025
From tech and finance to fashion and food, "Dallas is becoming a melting pot of industries—and that diversity is a recipe for innovation," Healy says in D CEO. "Dallas is where dreams become reality, period."
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by David Seeley |
Dec 20, 2024
Editor’s update: Sky Elements Drones, which was set to perform in Dallas on Dec. 31, has “informed Reunion Tower that they will not be able to fly their New Year’s Eve show,” Reunion Tower President Dusti Groskreutz said in a statement on Thursday, Dec....
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Fort Worth Economic Development Director Robert Sturns [Photo: City of Fort Worth]
The Last Word: Fort Worth’s Robert Sturns on How ‘Full‑Contact’ Government Drives Innovation
by Quincy Preston | Dec 16, 2024
Fort Worth's “explosive growth”—nearly 6% population growth since 2020—isn't happening by accident. It takes what Economic Development Director Robert Sturns calls "full-contact local government," a term once coined by the city manager to describe Fort Worth's unique approach to progress.
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by David Seeley |
Dec 11, 2024
Fort Worth-based Ratliff is one of many North Texans who've weighed in on a recent Texas Monthly story titled In Defense of "Y'all," a Perfect Word. Writer Dan Solomon wrote the piece in response to a New York Times opinion column which pooh-poohed "y'all" as "much too slangy, regional or what you might even call ethnic to ever gain universal acceptance."
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by David Seeley |
Dec 10, 2024
A recent column in The Economist asks the question "Does Dallas offer a vision of America's future?" The answer in a nutshell: "In America Inc’s fever dreams, more cities turn Dallas-like in their pro-business temperament—and America as a whole transforms into a continent-size small-government Texas."
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by David Seeley |
Dec 5, 2024
Think wine just comes from grapes? Plano-based Pizza Hut has poured out an innovative twist that may surprise you. Just before Thanksgiving, the company launched Tomato Wine by Pizza Hut, a limited-edition offering it says "captures the essence of your favorite slice in every sip." The splashy launch has proved so popular, you have to get on a wait list to order some.
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