The first retail tenants have signed up at the Marine Central development at 1332 N. Main St., located at the intersection of Central Avenue and North Main in the Historic Marine neighborhood.\u00a0<\/p>\n
LanCarte Commercial says Wild Knox Hat Bar, Cultura Markets and Sol Dias Ice Cream & Paleteria will join the project. The transactions were facilitated by Brittany Doyle and Kristen Fegley of LanCarte Commercial, which represents the property on behalf of ownership.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Wild Knox Hat Bar will bring custom hat-fitting and -styling experience in a boutique retail environment, while Cultura Markets will offer a selection of specialty goods rooted in local culture. Sol Dias Ice Cream & Paleteria will add traditional paletas, ice cream, elote and other authentic Mexican specialties.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The redevelopment marks a significant milestone for Historic Northside\u2019s commercial corridor, an area experiencing renewed investment, community-driven revitalization and increasing foot traffic. Marine Central is located between the Fort Worth Stockyards and the Panther Island districts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNorth Main continues to be one of Fort Worth\u2019s most exciting growth corridors, and we\u2019re thrilled to help bring businesses like these to the project,\u201d Doyle said. \u201cEach tenant adds something unique, and together they\u2019re helping create a destination that serves both the surrounding neighborhood and visitors exploring the area.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
LanCarte Commercial is now marketing the remaining 9,592 square-feet of retail and restaurant space out of the project\u2019s 33,000 total square feet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Taking flight\u00a0<\/p>\n
A Mansfield-based aviation technology company and TechFW client has won $500,000 in a Defense Department competition in Dayton, Ohio, aimed at pushing the limits of how much weight drones can carry.<\/p>\n
Portal Aircraft Inc.<\/a> is an aerospace company developing gas turbine-powered, vertical take-off and lift, or VTOL, drone systems.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency <\/a>LIFT Challenge is <\/a>a program that tests novel drone designs that can carry payloads more than four times their weight.<\/p>\n Portal Aircraft\u2019s powertrain design took the prize in a field of more than 80 competitors from around the country focused on new approaches to heavy-lift drone technology.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe came to Dayton with a bold new approach to VTOL propulsion and left with DARPA\u2019s Most Revolutionary Powertrain award,\u201d the company said on LinkedIn. \u201cWe\u2019re incredibly proud of what this team has accomplished and grateful for the opportunity to build alongside such a dedicated group of engineers and partners like Galaxy Unmanned Systems and Texas A&M University.\u201d<\/p>\n Galaxy Unmanned Systems<\/a>, also a TechFW client, is a Fort Worth-based company producing a line of lighter-than-air unmanned aircraft.\u00a0<\/p>\n Portal Aircraft is led by founder James Thurman, a former U.S. Navy helicopter pilot, aerospace engineering professor at the U.S. Naval Academy and systems engineering\/architecture lead at Lockheed Martin.\u00a0<\/p>\n Logistics acquisition\u00a0<\/p>\n Stonepeak has acquired an 860,100-square-foot, rail-served warehouse logistics building in the AllianceTexas area.\u00a0<\/p>\n Last year, the New York-based investment firm acquired two logistics buildings in AllianceTexas totaling 748,000 square feet.\u00a0<\/p>\n According to a Stonepeak news release, the new building is served by two Class I rail lines, the BNSF Alliance intermodal terminal and the Perot Field Fort Worth Alliance Airport, with direct access to Interstate 35.\u00a0<\/p>\n Arlington BIRD\u00a0<\/p>\n The Arlington Economic Development Corporation has added a program to support local small businesses. The Business Innovation and Research & Development (BIRD) Matching Funds program is designed to help Arlington-based technology and innovation companies grow and bring new products and technologies to market.<\/p>\n The program provides matching grants to companies that receive outside non-dilutive funding, such as federal Small Business Innovation Research, Small Business Technology Transfer and Fast Track awards, among others.<\/p>\n \u201cThis program is our investment in the businesses and innovators that will shape Arlington\u2019s economic future,\u201d said Kay Brown-Patrick, assistant executive director of the Arlington EDC, in a news release.<\/p>\n \u201cBy helping Arlington-based companies leverage competitive research and development awards, we\u2019re strengthening our innovation ecosystem and reinforcing that Arlington is a place where big ideas become a reality,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Matching grants from BIRD are not to exceed $100,000 and may be used for eligible commercialization and research-related expenses, like product development technical research, product testing and business development. The funds may not be used for debt repayment, reimbursement of owner investment or relocation expenses.<\/p>\n For more information and to apply, visit the Business Resources page at <\/a>ArlingtonTxEDC.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n Hillwood goes north\u00a0<\/p>\n Hillwood has acquired 618 acres in Pilot Point for a master-planned community.\u00a0<\/p>\n Ben McCutchin, executive vice president\u00a0 of Younger Partners, brokered the sale of the property at the northwest quadrant of Friendship Road and FM 1385, north of U.S. 380, in Pilot Point. Hillwood plans to build approximately 2,000 homes there.\u00a0<\/p>\n At full buildout the community, named Lantern by Hillwood, is expected to represent approximately $1.2 billion in investment.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cHillwood has always believed great communities begin years before the first homes are built,\u201d said Brian Carlock, executive vice president of acquisitions for Hillwood Communities. \u201cLantern gives us the opportunity to invest in an exceptional location today while thoughtfully planning the infrastructure, parks, schools and amenities that will define this community for generations.\u201d<\/p>\n Lantern by Hillwood will be the developer\u2019s sixth Denton County master-planned community, continuing Hillwood Communities\u2019 strategic expansion. The community will join the company\u2019s growing North Texas portfolio, including Landmark by Hillwood<\/a> in Denton, Treeline by Hillwood in Justin and Ramble by Hillwood in Celina.<\/p>\n Water, water not everywhere\u00a0<\/p>\n Fort Worth-based Ranchbot<\/a> recently raised $15 million in financing that is part of a corporate \u201cflip-up\u201d that establishes Ranchbot Technology Holdings Inc., a Delaware corporation, as the group\u2019s new global parent company.<\/p>\n The transaction marks a significant milestone in Ranchbot\u2019s evolution from an Australian technology pioneer into a global ranch technology company based in Fort Worth, according to the company. Ranchbot\u2019s main product line is a satellite water level monitor and trough monitor system for ranches.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThis raise is an important milestone for our company and our dedicated team, who have worked for more than a decade to deliver solutions for the ranching and farming communities of the United States and Australia,\u201d said Andrew Coppin, co-founder and executive chairman of Ranchbot.<\/p>\n Ranchbot will deploy the new capital to expand its team across the United States and Australia, expand its existing products while building out new adjacent technologies, and pursue collaborations and partnerships.\u00a0<\/p>\n Do you have news for Bob on Business? Email business editor Bob Francis at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n