Discovery & Entrepreneurship’s Fort Worthies
With the launch of Madeworthy, we wanted to have a page dedicated to local people, places, and events that add to our city. Originally called “Be Seen,” this page was renamed “Fort Worthies” in our first anniversary issue. Here are the Fort Worthies we featured in our Discovery & Entrepreneurship 2023 issue.
Fort Worth Country Day was selected by the Texas Wildlife Association to implement its new Land, Water & Wildlife Expeditions Program (LWWE) during the 2022-2023 school year. FWCD is the only school in Fort Worth and one of only five schools in Texas selected for partnership. The program involves providing free natural resources, conservation, agriculture, and stewardship education programs to FWCD students in the seventh through 12th grades to enhance comprehension of natural resources as part of their formal science curriculum. Students will engage in rigorous and relevant science lessons to learn about Texas’ natural resources, water cycles, responsible hunting, and land stewardship, and take part in activities such as wildlife scavenger hunts, topography hikes, water-quality testing, and more. At the end of the program, students will relay their knowledge of conservation during an “Expedition Day” taking place outdoors at a privately-owned ranch near Fort Worth.
Taste Project is partnering with the City of Arlington to replicate the Taste Community Restaurant program in Fort Worth at 200 North Cooper Street in Arlington. The Project’s programs in Arlington will include pay-what-you-can meal service, culinary job training, and farm and garden activities. The Taste Project is designed to feed, educate, and serve Tarrant County’s food-insecure residents, who make up 13% of the county’s population. Since opening in 2017, more than 125,000 people have dined at the original location in Fort Worth, enjoying healthy, high-quality meals made from seasonal ingredients from the surrounding area. The menu has no prices. Guest simply either pay what they can afford, pay what they would typically pay for such a meal, or pay what they would typically pay, plus a little extra to help a neighbor in need.
Fort Worth businesswoman Sandra McGlothlin has unveiled Empire Holdings, a commercial real estate development company specializing in single-tenant, build-to-suit industrial properties with design, technology, and innovation at the forefront. With a mission to change the way commercial industrial spaces are built, McGlothlin has assembled a powerhouse leadership team for Empire Holdings, with 15-year development pro Bowie Holland serving as president, and Trenton Laird, founder of The Construction Group, serving as its construction partner. Together, the team has already led Empire Holdings to acquire and develop more than 100 properties across five states, with a primary focus on Texas. McGlothlin said, “Our mission is to change the way industrial spaces are built – with a user-focused design that takes our clients’ facility needs and turns them into a strategic business advantage.”
Local leaders have taken the next step in developing Panther Island into a robust mixed-use development that will bring more food, drink, and entertainment options to Funkytown. Once completed, the Panther Island district, just on the outskirts of Downtown, will include a a riverwalk, a park system, roundabouts, a fixed transit line, the Trinity River promenade, a houseboat district, pedestrian bridges and the Town Lake and Marina. While the project was founded on the premise of flood control, local leaders and stakeholders have since honed their attention on the economic development phase, which aligns with the city’s economic development strategic plan.
The TCU Values and Ventures Competition, presented by the Neely School of Business, celebrates trailblazing college students who leverage their business skills and innovation to solve the world’s problems. On March 24 and 25th, undergraduates from around the world will present their ideas for conscious capitalism ventures that make a profit while also solving a problem. Undergraduate innovators will pitch their business plans and act as investors in other teams in the Investor Challenge, choosing who they think will advance in the competition. Winners take home thousands of dollars in capital to help make their businesses do well by doing good.
Fort Worth Inc.’s Entrepreneur of Excellence (EOE) Awards Program recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs whose vision, creativity, and integrity have made Fort Worth the premier place to do business. Travis Patterson of the Patterson Law Group was named an Entrepreneur of Excellence in the Professional Services category. Patterson said, “While it’s definitely an honor to win this award, I view this as a team award – 100%. An entrepreneur is only as good as the team in the background making the magic happen. I’m incredibly proud of our team of dedicated lawyers and legal professionals who work their tails off every day for our clients. Plus, getting to do it all with my wife Anna by my side is a dream come true.”
Dickies Arena has just been nominated for 2023 Venue of the Year by Pollstar Magazine. This is the second nomination for the arena since its opening just four years ago. The Arena has quickly become an anchor for entertainment in the Fort Worth community while garnering national and international recognition as a first-class facility for concerts and sporting events. “Being nominated for Venue of the Year by Pollstar Magazine is an incredible honor especially still being a young venue,” said Matt Homan, president, and general manager of Trail Drive Management. “Dickies Arena brought top-notch entertainment to Fort Worth in 2022 and will continue in 2023 with amazing events and concerts with the fan experience always being our number one priority.”
Our need for disinfectants continues to grow, but most disinfectants are harsh, and some are downright dangerous. Local inventor Marc Patterson has come up with a solution. River Refresh is a non-toxic, non-corrosive and organic, cleaner, deodorizer, sanitizer, and disinfectant. The only ingredient in River Refresh is something your white blood cells produce to help kill pathogens in your body called Hypochlorous Acid or HOCL. Used by veterinarians and pet owners, River Refresh kills germs more effectively and quickly than harsher chemicals and is patent pending.