The Latest News for You from the Northeast Leadership Forum- October 2020

October 2020 Newsletter

Getting Back to Normal - Sort of!

Well, we’re getting back to some degree of normal with the Northeast Leadership Forum. We held our breakfast on Tuesday, October 13 that featured three entertaining and inspirational business leaders on our Entrepreneurs Panel.

Our panelists shared clever reflections on how their businesses have grown and shared insightful tips that we can all apply.

We thank each of them:

Sue Schulz, owner of What’s Poppin’ Texas in Bedford
Steve Buyers, founder of Buyers Barricades in Richland Hills
Ted Bilsky, owner of Scratch Catering & Fine Foods in Southlake

Our final presidential debate took place last week and election day is this coming Tuesday, November 3. Please remember that you can still avoid the long waiting lines and vote today – the final day of early voting. You may vote at any polling location throughout Tarrant County, and click here for up-to-date information on where to find the shortest lines.

Eli Mercer and our Heart of North Texas Conference team have once again assembled an impressive list of speakers and the event has sold out again this year including all sponsorships, tables and tickets. Great job, team!

The event will be held in the Grand Hall at the NRH Centre beginning at 8:00 a.m. and ending at 1:00 p.m. We look forward to see you there for these phenomenally gifted speakers:

Robert Earley, CEO of JPS Health System
Michael Sherrod, Executive-in-Residence at Texas Christian University
Ross Perot, Jr., founder and visionary behind Alliance, Texas and Hillwood

We are grateful for all of our sponsors supporting our event and look forward to seeing you there in person. COVID-19 Precautions: Wear your mask, wash your hands and practice social distancing.

I urge you to remain vigilant in treating this COVID-19 seriously. Please be cautious with this virus and wear a mask, particularly to Heart of North Texas.

-Nick

Election Day: Today and Tuesday

Today is the final day of early voting for the General Election with voting locations closing at 5:00 p.m. Voting hours on Tuesday, November 3, will be 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

As you prepare to vote, please click on this link that will provide you with the locations and current waiting times for each voting location. Please remember that you may vote at ANY Tarrant County voting location. You are no longer required to vote at your local precinct.

For voter questions, please call Tarrant County Elections Administration at 817-831-8683.

Entrepreneurs Share Challenges

and Humor in Their Jobs

We were fortunate to listen to the comments from three successful entrepreneurs from Northeast Tarrant County during our October 13 luncheon. Each of these speakers has won honors for excellence from their local chamber of commerce.

Socially-distanced Entrepreneur Panel Members (from left): Ted Bilsky, Steve Buyers, Sue Shultz

NLF President Nick Sanders (right) turns over podium to new board member. Mike Taylor

Sue Schulz, owner of What’s Poppin’ Texas in Bedford, began her career after managing hair salons for J.C. Penney and then managing a cosmetic business. A friend in Phoenix showed her the potential of the flavored popcorn and candy business, so she opened What’s Poppin’ Texas in 2015.
Favorite comment: I’ve made just about every flavor you can imagine, and that includes one customer who wanted chocolate covered Cheetos. Aside from that customer, I’ve never sold a single chocolate covered Cheeto, so I’ve focused on items that are a little more popular. Still, I do listen to my customers’ requests, and that’s why I carry flavored popcorns plus such in-demand specialty items as buttered popcorn flavored Jelly Bellys.

Steve Buyers, founder of Buyers Barricades in Richland Hills, started his business in 1984 because the customer service of the barricade vendor for his construction site at DFW Airport was so terrible. He fired his existing barricade company and went into the barricade business himself the next day. Today, Steve and his wife Shelba operate the largest privately-owned barricade business in Texas.
Favorite comment: I had bought $10,000 of two-way radios for my employees to stay in touch with each other. Things got crosswise and I let all of them go. So, there I was, with $10,000 worth of radios and nobody to talk to. Lesson learned: Never let your employees take you hostage!

Ted Bilsky, founder of Scratch Catering in Southlake, pivoted careers after 25 years in the construction busines so he opened his own catering company. Among his most loyal customers is Southlake Mayor Laura Hill. His offerings include fall-off-the-bone BBQ ribs and Teddy Cakes – his own alternative to crab cakes. Ted makes them with brisket and hash brown potatoes along with a couple secret sauces. If you recall our delicious meals at our 2018 annual award luncheon in Keller and 2019 in Southlake, Ted was our caterer.
Favorite comment: Always answer the phone! I saw “ESPN Radio on my phone’s caller ID and figured it was a salesperson selling advertising. Against my instincts, I answered the phone and it was a producer from ABC’s Good Morning America. Emeril Lagasse was coming to Dallas to serve breakfast for 500 students and teachers and honor the Dallas ISD Teacher of the Year. This one event literally created an identity for me, and it was pivotal to the growth of our business. When I asked the producer why she had chosen me, she said, “I called several caterers with high ratings and you’re the only one who would answer the phone!”

Whenever you have the choice, we ask you to support our local businesses, particularly these three who took the time to join us.

2020 Heart of North Texas Conference Just ONE Week Away!

Ross Perot, Jr. will be our Luncheon Keynote

This event is SOLD OUT again this year.
COVID-19 Precautions will be taken.
Please plan to bring and wear your mask.

23rd Annual Heart of North Texas Conference on Friday, November 6

Just as our 2019 Heart of North Texas Business Conference sold out well in advance, so has the 2020 edition: the 23rd Annual Heart of North Texas Conference on Friday, November 6.

Please click here to view the event flyer.

We have secured dynamic and influential speakers for this in-person conference:

Robert Earley, CEO of JPS Health System, will be our breakfast speaker, sharing insights on how health care systems have faced the pandemic and how they are moving forward.

Michael Sherrod, Executive-in-Residence at TCU and founding publisher of Texas Tribune, former vice president of Ancestry.com and vice-president of AOL, is a futurist that will share insights on where our area and the nation are moving.

Ross Perot, Jr. is the founder and visionary behind Alliance, Texas, and so much of the development in that area. This widely-sought speaker will keynote our luncheon.

Eli Mercer and his committee have done a magnificent job of bringing this program together, which will be in-person with a maximum of six seats per table.

The event will be held in the Grand Hall at the NRH Centre beginning at 8:00 a.m. and ending at 1:00 p.m.

Precautions will be taken for COVID 19

The number of tables will be limited for spacing.
The number of people per table will be limited to 6.
Please bring your mask and practice social distancing.
We ask that you wear your mask when not eating or drinking.
Thank you in advance for pitching in and doing your part!

We will be LIVE STREAMING the event this year

LIVE STREAMING access will be limited to paid sponsors and ticket holders.
Log-in details and the password for access will be shared by email on Wednesday the 4th.
Please let us know Thursday if you have questions or do not receive this info.

Thank you ALL and we look forward to a safe, fun and informative event!

We appreciate the early support of our sponsors!

LUNCH Sponsor: Texas Health Resources

Texas Health Alliance, Texas Health HEB, Texas Health Southlake

BREAKFAST Sponsor: Tarrant County College - Northeast

NETWORKING BREAK Sponsors:

Venture Business Impact (VBI)
Glen Whitley, Tarrant County Judge
Gary Fickes, Tarrant County Commissioner Precinct 3
Chamber Appreciation Table

VENUE Sponsors:

Linebarger Attorneys at Law
Republic Services

TABLE Reservations include:

Town of Trophy Club

City of North Richland Hills

City of Haslet

City of Hurst

Frost Bank

JPS Health Network

City of Keller

City of Colleyville

Atmos Energy

Ciera Bank

United Way of Tarrant County

ONCOR Electric

City of Southlake

Hillwood, a Perot Company

Word to Life Technologies

City of Watauga

Watauga Economic Development Corporation

City of Grapevine

Accelerate DFW Foundation

Freese and Nichols

City of Bedford

NLF Board Retreat - Friday the 13th of November

Of course. the date will be Friday the 13^th. What else would you expect in 2020?

Chair-elect Howard Shotwell will lead the NLF board of directors in a morning retreat to plan for 2021 and to finalize the slate of officers. We look forward to his leadership in the new year and to learning how he plans to continue the growth of Northeast Leadership Forum as a vibrant forum for leaders.

The board will also schedule the dates of our four 2021 breakfast meetings.

Tarrant County Rides to the Rescue - Again

Tarrant County opened the application window for Phase 2 Small Business Grant Funding Grants this past Monday, October 26, with all applications due by Friday, November 6. All funds must be allocated and used by December 31 of this year.

According to the program website, the Program Information, Eligibility Criteria and Documentation Requirements are available online. Click here to find out more.

The Second-Round application maintains the same basic eligibility requirements as the first round, with the addition of independently owned and operated Franchise Business that were not eligible in Round 1.

Businesses that did not apply in Phase 1 and those whose applications were not approved in Phase 1 are eligible to apply.

The financial information to be included by the applicant in the application has been streamline for the second round and is limited to the total business deposit amounts for January, February, April, and May 2020, with tax documentation and bank statements to be uploaded.

This should make for an easier application process for the applicant and a faster review process for the audit team. This is an ONLINE APPLICATION ONLY and all documentation must be uploaded with the application before submittal.

We appreciate Tarrant County Precinct 3 Commissioner Gary Fickes, who is overseeing the small business grant, and Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley for his leadership over the entire grant program that includes nonprofits and more.

Keep NLF Dynamic and Growing

As announced at our October 13 breakfast, Northeast Leadership Forum is proud to announce the addition of two new members:

Harry Zimmer

Council Member, City of Euless

Edward Lopez

Mayor of Richland Hills

As you interact with business and community leaders who impress you, please invite them to one of our meetings next year.

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 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 warmly welcome visitors and new members to our breakfast meetings. Growing the power of networks is one of the main benefits of NLF.

Chamber of Commerce Resources

Throughout this pandemic that began in March, all our area chambers are reaching out to their local businesses and overall communities to offer whatever assistance they can provide. Our chambers are hosting digital meetings from such platforms as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Cisco Webex and Facebook Live to produce interactive sessions or offer information on a one-way transmission.

Our chambers have helped connect small businesses with area banks participating in the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. The chambers have also provided all the information about the Tarrant County Small Business Grant Program to their members.

Our chambers of commerce are the voice of business for our community and we are indeed fortunate to have such committed and caring leaders as their presidents/executive directors and officers.