Greetings from your NLF Chair, Howard Shotwell |
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Looking forward to Friday!
The long-range forecast calls for sunny skies and a high of 75 degrees.
We will hear from Dallas Cowboys legend Drew Pearson, who will be inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in August.
Another legend, sportscaster, and Emmy Award-winning Scott Murray will interview Drew about his playing career, his excitement about his induction into the NFL Hall of Fame and his career as a successful small businessman.
We sent an eblast out on April 13 to advise that Drew has been commandeered by the NFL to be in Cleveland on Friday because he is announcing the second and third round choices of the NFL draft. Scott will interview him live with Drew in Cleveland and Scott at the Gaylord with us.
Because he felt badly about not being with us in person, Drew has graciously offered to autograph a small number of Dallas Cowboys footballs that we can auction. He has also donated his speaker’s fee to our vocational scholarship program, which now exceeds $11,500.
One of the things that impresses me the most about the camaraderie of NLF is that even after receiving the news of Drew appearing remotely, the reservations and sponsorships continued to come in. We are just shy of 230 attendees as of this morning.
As part of our program, we will recognize the Chamber of Commerce chairmen from our seven area chambers this past year because they played such a major role in helping our local business communities survive during this first year of the pandemic.
As a past chair of the Northeast Tarrant Chamber, I understand how time intensive the position is during a normal year, and this past year’s chairmanship of a chamber was quite intense and time consuming.
We will honor our friend John Fletcher as our 2020 Distinguished Leadership Award recipient. John is the owner of Fletcher Consulting Public Relations, and has served on the boards of the HEB, Colleyville and Southlake chambers of commerce.
Let's commit to being valuable resources during the balance of this pandemic. I appreciate what each of you does in Northeast Tarrant County and with NLF. Your commitment and passion for growing leaders in our region helps make us successful. If you have any ideas or suggestions or if I can be of help to you, please contact me at ghshotwell@gmail.com or (817-247-3240).
-Howard Shotwell
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Dallas Cowboys Legend and Future NLF Hall of Famer Drew Pearson to Speak as We Recognize 2020 Chamber Leadership
The Grapevine Ballroom of the Gaylord Texan will be filled with legends this Friday, April 30 – legendary achievers in business and government from Northeast Tarrant County, along with a pair of sports legends.
Legendary TV sportscaster and producer Scott Murray will interview “the original #88" – Drew Pearson – one of the most popular Dallas Cowboys to ever suit up with the blue star on his helmet.
You will recall that Scott was the #1 sportscaster for over 20 years at KXAS/NBC5 but you may not know what he received several Emmy Awards, including one for a documentary he produced on the 75th anniversary of the World War II invasion of Normandy. The Grapevine Ballroom will provide us plenty of space to socially distance. We will have four or five people per table in a large room.
Here are a few facts you probably did not know about Drew Pearson:
- He was known as “Mr. Clutch” because of how he performed in high-pressure conditions
- He signed with the Cowboys as a free agent as a third-team wide receiver because of his special teams play
- When the two wide receivers ahead of him went down with injuries, Drew became the starter
- In 1979, Drew, Tony Hill and Tony Dorsett helped the Cowboys become the first team in NFL history to have two 1,000-yard receivers and a 1,000-yard running back
- The Cowboys nominated Drew for the team’s NFL Man of the Year
- Three of his catches were among the Top 75 plays in NFL history selected by NFL Films in 1994
- He was named Football Digest NFL Receiver of the Year in 1977
- His teammates voted him offensive team captain four different times
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At South River High School, played wide receiver his sophomore year and team went undefeated due to Drew catching touchdown passes from --- Joe Theismann
- Attended the University of Tulsa on a football and baseball scholarship
- Received University of Tulsa’s “President’s Award” as the team’s best spirited and most unselfish member
- CEO of Drew Pearson Companies, manufacturer of licensed headwear since 1985
- Received the 2005 NLF Alumni Career Achievement Award for post-NFL career success
Drew will be autographing two Dallas Cowboys footballs that will be auctioned during the luncheon.
We will recognize the 2020 chairmen of our seven area chambers of commerce to thank them for their outstanding service during last year’s start of the pandemic. These chairmen are:
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Colleyville Chamber
Mimi Tran
Grapevine Chamber
LeAnn Brown
HEB Chamber
Steve Ward
Keller Chamber
Donna Kirkwood
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Metroport Chamber
Tracy Martinez
Northeast Tarrant Chamber
Layla Caraway
Southlake Chamber
Ryan Peabody
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We Thank Our Sponsors!
VIP Table Sponsors
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Buyers Barricades
City of Bedford
City of Colleyville
City of Euless
City of Grapevine
City of Haslet
City of Hurst
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City of North Richland Hills
Frost Bank
Grapevine Chamber of Commerce
HEB Chamber of Commerce
Howard Shotwell
ONCOR
Town of Trophy Club
Valliance Bank
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CEC
City of North Richland Hills
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HEB ISD
What's Poppin Texas
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Distinguished Leadership Award to Honor
John Fletcher
We will honor John Fletcher, owner of Fletcher Consulting Public Relations, with our Distinguished Leadership Award at the 30th Annual Award Luncheon.
John opened Fletcher Consulting as a public relations and advertising agency in Hurst in 2004, where he became involved in his nearby chambers of HEB, Colleyville, Northeast Tarrant and Southlake. He has also involved his clients in their own communities and chambers.
He provides public relations and marketing services for some well-known brands: AgTexas Farm Credit, Ciera Bank, Dalworth Clean & Restoration, Expedition Royalty, Grandview Bank, Highland Landscaping, Renfro Foods, and James L. West Center for Dementia Care. He has also represented Allen Samuels Chevrolet (Waco), the Harlem Globetrotters and H-E-B Grocery. Yes, THOSE Globetrotters.
He describes himself as a “connector,” which may explain why he has assisted several chambers of commerce and organizations secure quality speakers for their programs.
John graduated from Texas Christian University, which he attended on a full tennis scholarship. As he says, “when I was slim and trim… before my chest fell.”
Following a career in broadcasting that began at KMCO radio in Conroe and moved to KCLE in Cleburne and KJNE-FM in Waco, John entered the public relations/advertising agency business in Waco when he opened Fletcher Communications. He also served as an adjunct professor at Baylor University, teaching Broadcast Management and Media Programming.
In addition to serving on chamber boards, he has also served on the boards of SafeHaven and GRACE and he remains on the advisory board of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes at TCU. He also created and managed the Leadership Colleyville program over a four-year period after it had gone dormant for three years.
John has received the Abe Lincoln Award as the #1 radio broadcaster in America for community service and the Better Business Bureau’s National Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics.
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Saturday is Election Day
Voters across Northeast Tarrant County and beyond will be voting this Saturday. If you have not voted early, please commit to voting and to reminding family, friends and associates to express their opinions by voting Saturday.
Many of our NLF members are elected officials and they definitely recognize how important an effective turnout is.
Races will include the District 6 seat in the U.S. House of Representatives left vacant by the death of Congressman Ron Wright, featuring a whopping 23 total candidates.
Mayoral, city council and school board races will take place in several Northeast Tarrant County cities, as well.
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NLF Foundation Scholarship Recipients to be Announced May 11
We look forward to announcing the recipients of $44,000 in scholarships to graduating high school seniors thanks to the matching grant from the Nancy and Alan Hamm Foundation. Students are eligible if they will attend a two-year college, four-year university or a trade school.
The NLF Foundation assembled a group of volunteers to review the applications and we are extremely grateful for their willingness to serve.
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NLF Announces New Tech Scholarships
One of the new initiatives of our 2021 Chairman Howard Shotwell has been the creation of vocational education scholarships. Howard has joined with two NLF members to raise $7,500 for vocational scholarships for graduating high school students to study vocational training at Tarrant County College. Additional recent contributions are causing that total to exceed $11,500.
Unlike our traditional scholarship program that required submission by March 31, the NLF Foundation will work with Tarrant County College and other trade schools to fund scholarships starting this summer and through the school year. Howard has met with officials from TCC about matching funds so the value of scholarships that lead students to TCC could have as much as double their value.
This Tech Scholarship Program has the potential to grow, so please reach out to Howard at (817) 247-3240 for more details.
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Keep NLF Dynamic and Growing
As you interact with business and community leaders who impress you, please invite them to our next membership breakfast meeting on Tuesday, May 11. 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 joining our organization to further the dynamic growth of Northeast Tarrant County.
We 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.
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Victoria Seng Nelson
Victoria supports Catholic Charities Fort Worth in its mission to provide service to those in need, to advocate compassion and justice in the structures of society, and to call all people of good will to do the same. As Corporate and Community Engagement Manager, she works within the CCFW Office of Advancement to engage individuals, community partners, and businesses to share their time, treasure, and talent to help end poverty, one family at a time.
Before joining Catholic Charities Fort Worth, Victoria volunteered there while working as a Grassroots Director for healthy eating and active living campaigns across Texas with the American Heart Association. Before relocating to Fort Worth from Washington, DC, she earned a Master’s Degree in Public Health from the George Washington University, while working in federal government relations at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. Victoria is a proud alumna of the University of Maryland, where she studied biology before completing a year-long research fellowship at the National Cancer Institute.
Victoria volunteers as a former board member of both the Tarrant County Food Policy Council and the University of Maryland DFW Alumni Network, and is a proud wife and mother.
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Scott Hall
Scott has served thirty years developing and training leaders in the local church, both nationally and internationally. For the last five years, he has served as the lead pastor at Venture Church in Keller, Texas and as an Adjunct Professor of Old Testament at Dallas Baptist University. He engages in weekly leadership training in emerging countries in Europe and Central Asia helping young leaders discover and solidify their core values to forge their personal platform of influence in the marketplace.
In 2020, Scott and his business partner, Eli Mercer, launched Venture Business Impact (VBI). VBI is a non-profit incubator and accelerator in North East Tarrant County committed to building great leaders who build great companies. Scott’s lifelong practice is simply meeting people where they are and showing them the next step—collaboration, grounded in rich relationships, is the catalyst to success and sustainability. He is delighted to be a new member of the Northeast Leadership Forum.
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Support Your Local Chamber
Our local chambers of commerce have been powerful resources throughout the years, and they have definitely displayed their power and resourcefulness in the past 12 months.
We will be honored to recognize them at this Friday’s NLF Award Luncheon.
As you visit with local business leaders, please encourage them to join their local chamber(s) of commerce to grow the power of their connections and influence:
- Colleyville Chamber of Commerce: Chelsea Rose – 817-488-7148
- Grapevine Chamber of Commerce: RaDonna Hessel – 817-421-1522
- HEB Chamber of Commerce: Mary Frazior – 817-283-1521
- Keller Chamber of Commerce: JoAnn Malone – 817-431-2169
- Metroport Chamber of Commerce: Sally Aldridge – 817-937-2000
- Northeast Tarrant Chamber of Commerce: Jack Bradshaw – 817-281-9376
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Southlake Chamber of Commerce: Mark Guilbert – 817-481-8200
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Getting Back in Person: May 11 Breakfast Features Ian MacLean, Voice of Small Business in America
We move from the NFL this at this Friday’s luncheon to the playing field of small business just 12 days later.
Please mark your calendar to attend our Tuesday, May 11, breakfast when our keynote speaker will be Ian MacLean, owner and CEO of Highland Landscaping in Southlake.
Ian, who is a member of NLF, is halfway through his term as Chairman of the Small Business Council of the United States Chamber of Commerce. Yes, a member of our own organization is now the “National Voice of Small Business,” so we have a stronger presence on the national stage than ever before.
He will address the impact of the PPP 2.0 small business loan program, the most pressing issues facing small businesses and share how we can have a voice in these issues.
Ian has served at a variety of committee and board levels of the Small Business Council for the past five years. He is a two-time past chairman of the Southlake Chamber of Commerce and has also chaired Southlake Oktoberfest – the #1 rated Oktoberfest in Texas and #4 in the nation – for the past seven years.
Please remember to RSVP and bring small business
guests to hear his powerful message.
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2021 Membership Meetings:
(Please arrive by 7:15 to mix and mingle!)
Annual Events:
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Heart of North Texas
Friday, November 5, 2021
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For sponsorship opportunities, please contact John Fletcher at 817-205-2334.
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