Eight businesses gave their final pitch before a panel of judges at the Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth as part of the Fort Worth Business Plan Competition.
Three of those businesses can now plan to spend the cash they received on Oct. 14.
The Fort Worth Business Plan Competition, now in its 14th year, is an annual celebration of the city’s entrepreneurs and small business ecosystem. Twenty businesses complete several weeks of business development training and coaching before applying those skills to their own written plans.
After the written plans are judged, the top eight make their final three-minute pitch to the judges, followed by a two-minute round of questions.
This year, the grand prize of $10,000 in cash was awarded to Wai-Yan Htun of XO Halal, a company that offers subscription-based snack boxes containing curated, halal-certified treats from around the world.
Second prize — a check for $6,000 — went to Ricquel Archer of Create + Collaborate. The nonprofit helps first-generation college students transition into adulthood through mentoring, leadership training and life skills. Create + Collaborate also won the Perfect Pitch prize audience vote, receiving a $500 credit for custom merchandise courtesy of sponsor Printed Threads.
Third prize — and a check for $4,000 — went to Nicholas Ditto of Fort Worth STEAM Academy. Fort Worth STEAM Academy is a planned public charter middle school focused on personalized learning and advanced STEAM education.
The emcee for the evening was Lauren Kutschke of Salted Pages, the 2022 grand prize winner of the competition.
Businesses from nine of the city’s 10 council districts participated in the competition cohort. The Fort Worth Business Plan Competition was organized by the city ’s economic development department and sponsored by Frost Bank.
A variety of supporting partners also helped provide coaching and mentorship to the participating businesses, including the Accelerate Fort Worth Foundation, Ensemble Coworking, Foundations EDC, Tarrant Small Business Development Center and SCORE Fort Worth.
The other five businesses who pitched during the finale were:
Modern Menagerie Interiors, a full-service interior studio that offers space planning, custom furnishings and project management for remodels and new construction.
OakSpy Signs and Graphics, a custom sign solution business.
Open-Minded Counseling offers mental health and wellness services through in-person, virtual or hybrid sessions.
Story and Strategy PR, a boutique public relations agency with a focus on health care, nonprofit and higher education.
Tulla, an integrated coaching, consulting, training and therapy company, focused on helping people reach their full potential and contribute their talents in meaningful ways.
Aerospace/manufacturing training grant
The GE Aerospace Foundation will launch a $30 million, multiyear workforce skills training program as part of GE Aerospace’s overarching efforts to help meet the need for advanced manufacturing workers nationwide.
GE Aerospace and its foundation also announced $2.5 million in new donations for this year to support existing workforce training efforts. Contributions will help partners develop and expand technical programs and reduce cost barriers for individuals seeking critical skills.
As part of that effort, the organization has awarded $250,000 to Tarrant County College to fund scholarships, technology and training tools for students pursuing aviation maintenance and mechanics skills.
The GE Aerospace Foundation’s new program aims to increase the number of highly skilled manufacturing workers by 10,000 beginning in 2026. The program represents a commitment of $30 million over five years for local programs to purchase new equipment, help hire new instructing staff and expand curricula, and alleviate financial barriers for students. According to a recent study by the Aerospace Industry Association, 76% of companies face difficulty finding engineering talent and 56% in skilled manufacturing.
Real estate transactions
Transwestern Investment Group has acquired Lone Star Commerce Center, a 380,020-square-foot, Class A industrial park at 2901 NW Centre Drive.
Sagora Senior Living has acquired Wilshire Senior Living in Burleson as part of its Texas expansion, strengthening its operational presence in the growing market. The approximately 100-unit complex sits on 25 acres at 1600 Greenridge Drive.
Construction completed
Prim Construction has completed the update and relocation of the Four Stars Ford dealership in Jacksboro. The new dealership is 22,870 square feet and features 17 service bays.
The store is based on Ford’s prototype design, featuring new and modern amenities for clients, including an enlarged waiting area and a service area more than 300% larger than the previous facility. The new dealership also allows for future electric vehicle charging and service at a later day.
The design team for the project was led by David Campbell and
his team at Huitt-Zollars in Fort Worth.
Dealership construction
Fort Worth-based design-build general contractor Speed Fab-Crete completed construction on the new state-of-the-art, 41,688-square-foot Classic Honda of Midland dealership, located at 400 S. Loop 250 W. in Midland. It is one of the first facilities in the U.S. to be built using Honda’s new “Blue Stage” Generation 4 prototype design concept.
The new dealership encompasses three new buildings across 7 acres, including a 36,869-square-foot, two-story main dealership building; a 3,343-square-foot pre-owned vehicle facility; and a 1,476-square-foot car wash.
Design features include an expansive floor-to-ceiling glass showroom with the distinctive Honda blue entry frame, a cantilevered canopy, a concrete plaza for new vehicle display, advanced digital technology, LED lighting, polished concrete floors, lounge areas, a café and a climate-controlled service center.
In addition to Speed Fab-Crete as the general contractor, other project team members include Fort Worth-based Callahan & Freeman as the architect, and Midland-based Parkhill and Fort Worth-based Baird, Hampton & Brown as engineering partners.
Tarrant County emergency services takes lease
LanCarte Commercial has finalized a lease agreement for a 31,780-square-foot industrial building, with 2,415-square-feet of office space at 14485 U.S. Highway 377 in Fort Worth.
Founder Sarah LanCarte and senior associate Finn Wilson of LanCarte Commercial represented the property. Jon McDaniel of NAI Robert Lynn represented the tenant, Tarrant County Emergency Services District.
Do you have something for the Bob on Business column? Email Bob Francis, business editor for the Fort Worth Report, at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org.
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