The Latest News for You from the Northeast Leadership Forum

October 2022 Newsletter

Greetings from your NLF Chair, Shelby Bruhn

Good Friday morning!

Aren’t you loving these brisk mornings – with morning temperatures near 50 and highs in the 70s until this weekend’s cold front?

I’m very grateful to Kathryn Rotter, RaDonna Hessel, and Craig Hulse for finalizing our speakers for the Heart of North Texas that will take place on Wednesday, November 2. Please read below and let’s look forward to another awesome event in less than a week. Please remember - this event is on a Wednesday, and not a Friday!

The program will feature a workforce update, insights on student analytics and education trends, work-based learning, and the future of human resources and workforce.

In addition, we’ll have a special farewell presentation by Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley, who continues to be a major sponsor.

Please read all the details below. This is our opportunity to showcase the true value of Northeast Leadership Forum by inviting associates and customers to join us.

Keep in mind that this is our largest money-maker of the year – the proceeds help fund our scholarship program!

Our annual award banquet committee, Randy Clinton, RaDonna Hessel, Randy

McCauley, and John Fletcher, is already discussing dates and the keynote speaker for our spring event. We look forward to an announcement soon.

We had a very good crowd for our breakfast on Tuesday, October 18, to hear Carlo Capua, Chief of Strategy and Innovation for the City of Fort Worth, share the bold moves that the city is making and how our communities can learn from them.

Please remember that early voting for the November 8 general election began Monday, October 24, and will continue through Friday, November 4.

For those seeking Covid-19 booster shots, the sites are most local pharmacies as well as additional locations, which you can discover by calling 817-248-6299 (option 1) or online at www.tarrantcounty.com/vaccinefinder.

Stay safe. Let’s look forward to seeing one another at the Heart of North Texas Conference next Wednesday, November 2.

I will always be receptive to your ideas, so please contact me directly at

817-564-2300 or at sbruhn@ffin.com.

-Shelby Bruhn

25^th Annual Heart of North Texas Update

This is the FINAL CALL for table reservations to this year’s conference.

We look forward to what will be another sold-out Heart North Texas on Wednesday, November 2, at the Hurst Conference Center.

This year’s theme is May the Workforce Be with You, Now and in the Future, and our speakers will reinforce we will prepare ourselves for immediate and long-term success and prosperity.

Kathryn Rotter and her fellow tri-captains of RaDonna Hessel and Craig Hulse have done a magnificent job delivering compelling speakers who are relevant and will share meaningful insights that impact our businesses.

This is your opportunity to showcase NLF to your associates and customers, whose influence and success can help expand as you invite them to attend.

To provide quality networking opportunities, our participants will enjoy networking breaks between speakers, with a theme and encouragement to connect with others present.

Schedule highlights are:

7:15 a.m.: Breakfast Buffet Open

7:30 a.m.: Registration Start

8:15 a.m.: Opening Remarks

8:30 a.m.: Morning Keynote: Julian Alvarez, III – Commissioner, Texas Workforce Commission: Workforce Challenges, Trends, and Opportunities

9:15 a.m.: Guest Speaker: Dr. CyLynn Braswell, Ed.D, Advisor with Student Analytics with Frontline Education: Career & Technical Education Trends and Participation in the Workforce

10:00 a.m.: Networking Break

10:15 a.m.: Featured Speaker: Kyle Hartung, Associate Vice President at Jobs for the Future: Work-Based Learning/Teen Employment/In-Demand Skills

11:00 a.m.: Special Presentation: Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley

11:30 a.m.: Networking Break and Buffet Lunch

12:00 noon: Luncheon Keynote: A.J. Griffin, Director of Government & Community Affairs, Paycom: The Future of Human Resource and Workforce

1:00 p.m.: Adjourn

We would like to thank the following sponsors for their partnership with NLF for their support for the Heart of North Texas Conference.

Presenting Sponsor

Paycom

Platinum Sponsor

Baylor Scott & White Medical Center - Grapevine

HSC Next

Medical City North Hills

Texas Health Resources Foundation - Texas Health HEB -

Texas Health Southlake

25^th Anniversary Sponsors:

First Financial Bank

Republic Services

Tarrant County College – NE Campus

Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley/Commissioner Gary Fickes

Silver Sponsors

Aviation Personnel

Ciera Bank

EECU

Frost Bank

Legend Bank

Linebarger Attorneys at Law

Mason-Dallas, Inc.

Table Sponsors

1 Million Cups – NE Tarrant

Allen Wealth Advisors

City of Bedford

City of Colleyville

City of Grapevine

City of Hurst

City of Keller

City of North Richland Hills

City of Southlake

Community Enrichment Center: The CEC

HEB ISD

Hillwood, A Perot Company

JPS Health Network Foundation

Lift Aids, Inc.

Lucas Funeral Home & Cremation Services

M3 Networks

Mike Taylor

NE Tarrant Chamber

North Texas Commission

ONCOR Electric Services

O Trevino Construction

Providence Bank

R&D Associates, Inc.

Town of Trophy Club

United Way of Tarrant County

Venture Business Impact

25th Annual Heart of North Texas Sponsorship Flyer

Carlo Capua Captivates Audience at October 18 NLF Breakfast

City of Fort Worth Chief of Strategy and Innovation, Carlo Capua, keynoted our quarterly breakfast on Tuesday morning, October 18. His presentation, entitled “Innovation at City Hall: A Glimpse into the Future”, shared insights developed at the City of Fort Worth that are portable to other communities and into corporate life, as well.

Carlo, who is also the incoming chair of Sister Cities International, opened his presentation with a 1994 video clip from the Today Show, where anchors questioned what the internet was and if it was a passing fad.

Since that time, Fort Worth was one of only two cities in America that has more than doubled its size. In describing innovation, he mentioned that a small concept can lead to something enormous.

As an example, he cited how Fort Worth w the first city to mine bitcoin, back on April 26. While the announcement was projected to achieve seven million impressions worldwide, the actual delivery was 752 million - and the enormous number has helped Fort Worth receive calls about corporate relocations.

Among his other observations were:

Covid accelerate the switch to virtual meetings
The younger generation has embraced and demanded more access to work-from-home
Mental health has become an important issue for the emerging workforce

To accommodate and welcome new interest in Fort Worth, the City is operating with the mantra to “roll out the red carpet and cut the red tape.”

He cited the City of Kyle, Texas, as an example of innovation. When analytics confirmed that bus ridership was so low that it cost that community $325 per bus ride, the City of Kyle’s leaders entered into an agreement with Uber and now subsidizes $10 for every ride taken, plus bonuses two free rides per month for frequent riders.

Carlo concluded by stating that the two major game-changers are the TCU Medical School and the Texas A&M Research project. An average of 60% of medical school graduates remain in the community where they receive their degree, and he emphasized that TCU and Texas A&M will push each other toward greater levels of achievement.

We appreciate our breakfast sponsor, Atmos Energy. Public Affairs Director Kelly Biegler has been assigned to the Dallas market, and she introduced us to her successor, Andrie Krahl.

Attention Tarrant County Restaurants:

Texas Transportation Industry Grant Accepts Applications Nov. 1-22

The final round of Covid-related grants - dedicated to food service and drinking places operating in Texas - will accept applications for grants up to $20,000 through the Texas Transportation Industry Recovering Program starting Tuesday, November 1, for three weeks.

The criteria for this final phase of the grant are that the applicant must:

have a NAICS code that begins with 722
have been in operation prior to January 20, 2020, and still be operating
operate within the state of Texas (the applicant may have other operations outside of Texas, but only the Texas businesses will qualify for the grant)
be either a privately-owned for-profit business or a non-profit organization
be open to the public or provide services for in-person events
have suffered negative economic impact due to Covid-19
be otherwise eligible to receive grant funding and must not be barred from competing for federal awards.

CLICK HERE for complete information on the grant program.

Membership Continues to Grow

Chairman Shelby Bruhn introduced and welcomed our following new members at our October 18 breakfast:

William Gladbach – North Texas Regional Managing Director, DEC (formerly known as Dannenbaum Engineering Corporation)

Andrie Krahl – Public Affairs Manager, Atmos Energy

Arthur Miner – Mayor, City of Watauga

Jared Shelton – President, Texas Health Resources Harris HEB Hospital

As you interact with business and community leaders who impress you, please invite them to sit at your table for the Heart of North Texas Conference on November 2 the Hurst Conference Center. These influencers are making a difference in our area, so let's invite them to participate in NLF. Membership is the lifeblood of our organization.

For any prospective NLF members you may know, click here to download the membership application. We want both established and emerging leaders to continue to join our organization to further the dynamic growth of Northeast Tarrant County.

We specifically ask you to welcome visitors and new members to our breakfast meetings because growing the power of networks is one of the main benefits of NLF.

Please reach out to Craig Hulse, our membership chairman, if you have a prospect: chulse@nrhtx.com or 972-849-3858.