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: Starship Bagel’s Oren Salomon on Winning 3 Awards at the 2024 New York BagelFest

by | Sep 30, 2024
Salomon—who also founded the coworking space Dallas Fort Work and is the global director of the maps project for Open Coworking—has bagels in his blood. But unlike most Brooklyn-born Jews, he came to North Texas and did something about it, opening three locations of his Starship Bagels in downtown Dallas, Far North Dallas, and Lewisville. On Saturday, he proved he has the goods by schlepping back to NYC and winning three top prizes at the 2024 New York BagelFest—one year after winning "Best Bagel" there in 2023.
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The Last Word: On Dallas Getting Its 2nd Old Monk Pub 26 Years After First One Opened
by | Sep 27, 2024
Trendy new bar-restaurants seem to pop up every week in Dallas. But many fans prefer something cozy, tried, and true, like The Old Monk pub at 2847 Henderson Avenue. Fastidiously un-trendied since its opening 26 years ago, the pub has drawn crowds of happily laid-back patrons since McKinney, an Irish-American from Dublin, first opened it.
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The Last Word: On the Dallas City Council Adopting the ForwardDallas 2.0 Land Use Planning Guide
After a long and often contentious process, the Dallas City Council voted to adopt a new land use planning guide known as ForwardDallas 2.0 Wednesday by a vote of 11-4. The vote followed months of debate between housing advocates and single-family homeowners on the best way forward for the city's growth over the next decade.
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The Last Word: Cosm Dallas GM On Its ‘VR Without the Goggles’ Experience

“It’s VR without the goggles.”

Justin Renville
General Manager
Cosm Dallas
…via Inclusion Cloud’s Jayme Byrd after touring the newly opened Cosm Dallas at Grandscape.

Cosm Dallas, the new immersive entertainment venue at Grandscape, is turning heads....

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The Last Word: Mike Ablon on the Planned $350M Redevelopment of Dallas’ Bank of America Tower

by | Sep 23, 2024
Ablon and Mike Hoque of Dallas-based Hoque Global have the iconic 72-story Bank of America Plaza tower and four surrounding city blocks under contract, and are planning a $350 million redevelopment that includes a luxury hotel, street-level enhancements, and a potential new financial district in downtown Dallas, according to an exclusive report by D CEO's Christine Perez. 
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The Last Word: Six Flags’ ‘Chief Fright Officer’ on Turning Hit Movies into Fright Fest Attractions
by | Sep 20, 2024
It's scary enough to tiptoe through a regular haunted house. But when something pops out that gave you a heart attack during a movie—and sent your popcorn flying—the chills really kick up a notch. That's the idea behind Fright Fest, going on now through Nov. 3 at Six Flags Over Texas. Along with park-wide spooky vibes and "scare zones," there are new haunted mazes inspired by horror brands come to life: including Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures’ SAW franchise, Netflix’s Stranger Things, Warner Bros. Discovery’s The Conjuring, Legendary Entertainment’s Trick ‘r Treat, and Netflix & Legendary Entertainment’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
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The Last Word: It’s North Texas Giving Day, and There’s Still Time to Give
by | Sep 19, 2024
Giving is going gangbusters across North Texas today—because it's North Texas Giving Day, the 16th annual event presented by the Communities Foundation of Texas. More than 3,300 nonprofits from 20 local counties are participating this year, with 100% of donations going to support over 25 different cause areas. It's the largest community-wide giving event in the U.S., and it's centered around this website, where you can browse, search, and even take a quiz about causes you care about. As of 3:15 p.m. today, over $43 million has been raised—and you can add to that total by donating before midnight tonight.
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The Last Word: HOK’s Kay Sargent on the New ‘Neuroinclusive’ Workspaces from Dallas-Based MeSpace
by | Sep 18, 2024
MeSpace—a new Dallas-based company that manufactures "neuroinclusive" workstations that allow users to create their ideal work environment through sensory customization—was launched recently by Founder and CEO Travis Hollman. Sargent, who's a neuroinclusive consultant, lauded MeSpace for designing "an innovative workstation that enables individuals to tailor their environment to fit their unique needs."
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The Last Word: Innovating Brunch with ‘a Thai Twist’ at Grandscape’s Tande Thai

by | Sep 16, 2024
Imjard and Tande Thai Executive Chef Matt Baum have launched a new weekend brunch that offers guests "a unique fusion of brunch favorites infused with vibrant Thai flavors" from Imjard's roots in Thailand.
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The Last Word: On the Founders of Fort Worth’s Goldee’s BBQ Making Food & Wine’s 2024 ‘Best New Chefs’ List
People wait in line up to 5 hours to get into Goldee's, a BBQ restaurant in a rough-hewn wood shack in Fort Worth. So you know something special is smokin' up there. But now the line may get even longer—because Goldee's three co-founders made the 2024 Food & Wine Best New Chefs list this week. 
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The Last Word: Dallas-Based LTK’s Amber Venz Box On Competing With Tech Giants
by | Sep 11, 2024
Dallas-based LTK is proving that North Texas startups can go toe-to-toe with Silicon Valley giants. In a recent interview with Axios, Amber Venz Box discussed the company's impressive growth in the creator economy space.
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The Last Word: Cinemark CEO on Company’s Best‑Ever September Box Office Weekend
by | Sep 10, 2024
Plano-based Cinemark Holdings had a lot of popcorn to pop last weekend, thanks to a sequel to a huge 1988 Gen X hit. The company achieved its all-time best September domestic box office weekend driven by "Beetlejuice Beetlejuice," which also notched Cinemark's biggest domestic opening weekend box office for a September title. And one more record got hilariously, demonically set: a new September mark for Cinemark's September weekend food, beverage, and premium format sales.
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The Last Word: Ken Schaefer on Fort Worth’s ‘Unique’ Collection of City Nicknames

by | Sep 6, 2024
Most cities are fine with one famous nickname. But Fort Worth stands apart by having a lengthy string of sobriquets, including the ones scattered across the skyline above. Schaefer, who's worked with the city on past marketing campaigns, told Fort Worth Report this stem's from the city's "unique" desire to nurture several brand identities.
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The Last Word: CRE Lawyer on AI Algorithms and the Antitrust Landscape
by | Sep 5, 2024
The use of AI and algorithms in business practices is drawing increased scrutiny from antitrust regulators. According to a recent report in The Business Journals, attorney Jerrold Bregman highlighted the legal territory these technologies present.
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The Last Word: Future One Rangers Way Resident on Why He Wants to Live Near AT&T Stadium
by | Sep 4, 2024
Most people who look out their window are lucky to see a tree. But residents who move into the upcoming One Rangers Way—a $100M, 300-unit luxury apartment project from the Texas Rangers and the Cordish Companies—will get a sports-related eyeful in multiple directions. The project is located several field-goal kicks from AT&T Stadium and across from Choctaw Stadium and nearby Globe Life Field, and close to the looming hubub coming with the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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The Last Word: J. Small Investments’ Steven Davis on Life Sciences Companies’ Need for ‘Ripe’ Real Estate
by | Aug 29, 2024
At Bisnow's Future of DFW Life Sciences Summit, Davis predicted a "snowball effect" of success in the next three to ten years as the life sciences industry grows. Davis has today's "Last Word."
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