december denton business chronicle 2011

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Dec.11

DentonBusinessChronicle

Career AdvancementCameron Cox joined the law

firm of Elsey & Elsey on Nov. 1.He is a statewide board mem-

ber of the TexasYoung LawyersAssociation andserves as theDistrict 11 rep-resentative. Hehas been amember of theGreater DentonCounty Young Lawyer’s Associ-ation since 2007 and serves onthe board. He also is a memberof the Denton Bar Associationand Dallas Bar Association.

He is the chairman ofLeadership Denton and hasserved in a leadership and vol-unteer role at the DentonChamber of Commerce,Children’s Advocacy Center forDenton County, NelsonChildren’s Center, Denton ISDAdopt-A-School and DentonISD Mentor Program.

Based in Flower Mound,Elsey & Elsey specializes in com-plex civil litigation, business liti-

gation and business law, familylaw, custody disputes, probate,estate planning, real estate law,public condemnations and emi-nent domain, and oil and gaslaw.

�

Ashley Ann Smith recentlyjoined Grunden FinancialAdvisory as office administrator.

Her experi-ence includesfive years incustomer serv-ice and twoyears as anoffice manager.

“Ashley’sstudies inhuman behavior and experiencein customer service help herprovide the best customer expe-rience for our clients,” said RickyGrunden, president and CEO ofGrunden Financial Advisory, aDenton-based fiduciary firmthat specializes in wealth man-agement.

Smith will graduate summacum laude with a bachelor’s

degree in development and fam-ily studies from the University ofNorth Texas this fall.

Grunden Financial Advisoryis located at 2516 Lillian MillerParkway, Suite 110.

�

Travis Scott is now seniormortgage loan originator atNorthstar Bank Mortgage Team.

Scott has 10years of mort-gage experienceand previouslyworked as aloan officer withFairwayIndependentMortgage,Standard Pacific Mortgage,Maverick Mortgage and WellsFargo Mortgage, according to apress release.

He graduated from KellerHigh School and earned afinance degree from theUniversity of North Texas.

Scott will work out of theLake Dallas facility at 2004 S.Interstate 35E.

Cox

Smith Scott

Vital Statistics

Business Mixers

Best Western Premier Crown Chase Inn & Suites recently was recognized with three brand awards at thecompany’s annual North American Convention in Orlando, Fla. The Denton hotel received the M.K.Guertin Award for representing the vision of Best Western’s founder and demonstrating exceptional levelsof service, quality, value and commitment to the brand. The hotel also won brand awards for design andcustomer care. Additionally, the hotel received the Best Western Chairman’s Award — one they havereceived for the past three years.

Best Western Premier Crown Chase Inn & Suites

David Kong,Best Westernpresident andCEO, left;Sharon Helm,CharlesHelm, MonicaGlenn andZach Glenn,owners andoperators ofHelm HotelsGroup; andP.G. West,board chair-man of BestWesternInternational.

DENTON COUNTYLease: Ace Unit COperator: Williams Prod. Gulf Coast LPLocation: 225.34-acre unit, B. Hunter Survey, A-554;Within LewisvilleField: East Newark (Barnett Shale)Total Depth: 8500'

Lease: Ace Unit COperator: Williams Prod. Gulf Coast, LPLocation: 225.34-acre unit, B. Hunter Survey, A-554;Within LewisvilleField: East Newark (Barnett Shale)Total Depth: 8500'

Lease: Alliance Gateway Cartwright UOperator: Quicksilver Resources Inc.Location: 291.69-acre unit, MEP&P RR Co./J. ShortSurvey, No. 80, A-1236; 1.84 miles SE ofRoanokeField: East Newark (Barnett Shale)Total Depth: 9000'




Lease: BaldingerOperator: Vantage Fort Worth Energy LLCLocation: 259.7-acre unit, MEP&P RR Co. Survey, A-1470; 2 miles SE of KrumField: East Newark (Barnett Shale)Total Depth: 9000'Lease: BaldingerOperator: Vantage Fort Worth Energy LLCLocation: 259.7-acre unit, MEP&P RR Co. Survey, A-1470; 2 miles SE of KrumField: East Newark (Barnett Shale)Total Depth: 9000'

Lease: Cobb UnitOperator: Williams Prod. Gulf Coast LPLocation: 263.76-acre unit, B. Hunter Survey, A-554;Within LewisvilleField: East Newark (Barnett Shale)

Total Depth: 8500'

Lease: Dr. Bob Smith B WestOperator: Williams Prod. Gulf Coast LPLocation: 260.52-acre unit, MEP&P RR Co./L.K. HeathSurvey, No. 60, A-1597; 3.7 miles W of Flower MoundField: East Newark (Barnett Shale)Total Depth: 8500'

Lease: Dr. Bob Smith B WestOperator: Williams Prod. Gulf Coast, LPLocation: 260.52-acre unit, MEP&P RR Co./L.K. HeathSurvey, No. 60, A-1597; 3.7 miles W of Flower MoundField: East Newark (Barnett Shale)Total Depth: 8500'

Lease: Howard GibbsOperator: J-W Operating Co.Location: 40-acre lease, Z.J. Harmonson Survey, A-532;2 miles SE of JustinField: East Newark (Bend Conglomerate)Total Depth: 8529'

Lease: McMurrey Ranch Unit BOperator: Burlington Resources O&G Co. LPLocation: 440-acre unit, J. Thomas Survey, A-1239;11.54 miles W of SangerField: East Newark (Barnett Shale)Total Depth: 8748'

Lease: Peggy Smith Gas Unit AOperator: Devon Energy Operating Company LPLocation: 541-acre lease, A.J. Hitchcock Survey, A-608;4.8 miles SW of PonderField: East Newark (Barnett Shale)Total Depth: 9000'

Lease: Peggy Smith Gas Unit AOperator: Devon Energy Operating Company LPLocation: 541-acre lease, A.J. Hitchcock Survey, A-608;4.8 miles SW of PonderField: East Newark (Barnett Shale)Total Depth: 9000'

Lease: Smith A Smith B (SA)Operator: Devon Energy Production Co., LPLocation: 1082-acre lease, P. Sullivan Survey, A-1221;5.2 miles SW of PonderField: East Newark (Barnett Shale)Total Depth: 9000'

Lease: Smith A Smith B (SA)Operator: Devon Energy Production Co. LPLocation: 1082-acre lease, P. Sullivan Survey, A-1221;5.2 miles SW of PonderField: East Newark (Barnett Shale)Total Depth: 9000'

Lease: Wright COperator: Williams Prod. Gulf Coast LPLocation: 300.4575-acre unit, N. George Survey, A-477;1.6 miles SE of ArgyleField: East Newark (Barnett Shale)Total Depth: 8486'

OIL AND GAS LISTINGSThe following oil and gas reports for the month of November were posted by oilandgasreports.com LLC, P.O. Box1540, Corpus Christi, TX 78403. For more information, visit www.oilandgasreports.com.

Arturo Delamora, Genesis Hair Cut Salon, 1023-BDallas Drive, DentonBrandie Armijo, Kimberlys Pride II, 213 Lakeside Drive,Shady ShoresCalvin T. Dial, Hurricane Softball Club, 4251 FM2181,CorinthColby Kizer, North Texas Organic, 2102 North TrinityRoad, DentonDaymon L. Warren, Super Paintless Dent Repair, 717Bolivar St., DentonDee Rinehart, Uniquely Tan, 2413 Kariba Lane, DentonECA Berthume LLC, Swash Labs, 733 Fort Worth Drive,DentonGary W. Haack, The Running Path, 2416 Lillian Miller,No. 190, Denton

Glen A. Harrison, Denton or DHS Baseball Camp, 1417Cambridge Lane, DentonGustavo Ovalle Sr., G&O Carentry, 2212 Fort WorthDrive, No. 154, DentonJaime Santillan, Santillan Financial Group, 3525 St.Johns Drive, DentonJames C. Lutsinger, Dooty Jobs, 215 Harrison Court,Shady ShoresJames H. Mayes, James Mayes Remodeling, 427 StroudSt., DentonJeremy Aldrich, Texas Five Star Fencing and Gutters,1131 Bent Oaks, DentonJudy J. Fairchild, Backflow Tracking System, 625

ASSUMED NAMESThe following names (followed by DBA and address) were posted in November in the Denton County Clerk’s Office.

| CONTINUED ON PAGE 9

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Dec.11


Altrusa International Inc. of Dentonmeets for its monthly dinnerand program at Vigne WineShop & Deli, 222 W. Hickory St.Cost is $10 per person. Call940-387-5031 or visitwww.altrusadenton.org.

Tuesday, Jan. 24, 6:30 p.m.

American Association of UniversityWomen, Denton Branch meets atFremaux’s MetropolitanCatering, 932 W. UniversityDrive. Visit www.aawdenton.org.

Wednesday, Feb. 1, 6 p.m.

Aubrey 380 Area Chamber ofCommerce meets at the PrairieHouse restaurant, 10001 E. U.S.Highway 380 in Cross Roads.Cost is $12 per person.Reservations are required. Call940-365-9781 or e-mail [email protected].

Wednesday, Jan. 18, 11:30 a.m.

Investment Perspective Seminar Coffeehosted by financial adviserKathy R. Bauer of Edward Jonesat 2925 Country Club Road,Suite 101A, in Denton. Coffee iscomplimentary. Call 940-382-0280.

Thursday, Jan. 19, 9 a.m.

Thursday, Feb. 16, 9 a.m.

Denton Black Chamber of Commercemeets at the Denton HousingAuthority, 1225 Wilson St.

Tuesday, Jan. 10, 6 p.m.

Denton League of United LatinAmerican Citizens No. 4366 meets atthe Denton Senior Center, 509N. Bell Ave.

Saturday, Jan. 21, 8:30 a.m.

Denton Planning and ZoningCommission meets in the councilchambers at City Hall, 215 E.McKinney St.

Wednesday, Jan. 11, 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 25, 6:30 p.m.

Hickory Creek Planning and ZoningCommission meets at HickoryCreek Town Hall, 1075 RonaldReagan Ave.

Wednesday, Feb. 1, 7 p.m.

Home Builders Association of GreaterDallas, Greater Denton Division hasits monthly meeting andluncheon at the Prairie Houserestaurant, 10001 U.S. High-way 380 in Cross Roads. Costis $15 for associates andbuilders with reservations and$18 for walk-ins. Call 940-383-0853.

Tuesday, Jan. 24, 11:30 a.m.

Krum Chamber of Commerce holdsits monthly meeting atNorthstar Bank, 1101 E. McCartSt. in Krum. Call 940-482-6093.

Thursday, Feb. 2, 6:30 p.m.

Lake Cities Chamber of Commercemeets for coffee at SwisherDental and Chiropractic, 3941FM2181 in Corinth; Bill UtterFord, 4901 I-35E in Denton;and Corinth City Hall, 3300Corinth Parkway.

Wednesday, Dec. 28, 7:15 a.m.

in Corinth

Wednesday, Jan. 4, 7:15 a.m. in Denton

Wednesday, Jan. 11, 7:15 a.m. in Corinth

Wednesday, Jan. 25, 7:15 a.m.

in Corinth

Lake Cities Netweavers business net-working group meets at theIHOP restaurant off Interstate35E in Hickory Creek. Cost is$12 and includes breakfast. E-mail [email protected].

Thursday, Dec. 22, 8 a.m.

Thursday, Dec. 29, 8 a.m.



Lake Dallas 4A Economic DevelopmentCorp. meets at Lake Dallas Muni-cipal Complex, 212 Main St.

Monday, Jan. 2, 7 p.m.

Lake Dallas 4B CommunityDevelopment Corp. meets at LakeDallas Municipal Complex, 212Main St.

Monday, Jan. 9, 7 p.m.

NAACP, Denton County Chapter meetsat the Denton HousingAuthority, 1225 Wilson St.

Thursday, Jan. 12, 7 p.m.

SCORE, the Service Corps of RetiredExecutives, offers free manage-ment counseling for prospectivenew business owners or existingbusinesses in trouble. Confi-dential, one-hour counselingsessions are available by ap-pointment every Wednesday atSouth Branch Library, 3228Teasley Lane. Call 940-349-8752.

Wednesday, Dec. 21, 9 a.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 28, 9 a.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 4, 9 a.m.

Wednesday, Jan. 11, 9 a.m.

Small Business Breakfast meetingsponsored by the NorthCentral Texas College SmallBusiness Development Centerat the Denton Chamber ofCommerce building, 414 W.Parkway St. A light breakfastis provided. Call 940-380-1849.


Women Business Owners of DentonCounty will hold its monthlyluncheon at Oakmont CountryClub, 1901 Oakmont Drive inCorinth.


Please tell us about your event or

meeting by e-mailing Karina

Ramírez at [email protected],

by fax at 940-566-6888; or by mail to

DBC Calendar,

Denton Record-Chronicle,

314 E. Hickory St., Denton, TX 76201.

She also can be reached at

940-566-6878.

IndexJonathon Fite | 4Other Enterprising

Voices | 8, 11Career

Advancement | 2Mixers | 2, 8, 11Vital Statistics

| 2, 8, 9

Who to contact

Dawn CobbManaging Editor

[email protected]

Sandra HammondAdvertising Director

[email protected]

Shawn ReneauAdvertising Manager

[email protected]

December 2011 Contents | Calendar of Events

On the cover

An A-train commuter rail car leaves the downtown Denton transit center in July.

Photo by David Minton

December 2011 | Vol. 7, No. 10

Publisher: Bill Patterson

The contents of this free publication arecopyrighted by Denton PublishingCompany, 2011, a subsidiary of A.H. BeloCorp. (www.ahbelo.com, NYSE symbol:AHC), with all rights reserved.Reproduction or use, without permission,of editorial or graphic content in anymanner is prohibited. Denton BusinessChronicle is published monthly byDenton Publishing Company, 314 E.Hickory St., Denton, TX 76201. E-mail:[email protected]

“Management really only hastwo jobs. One is to attract andkeep outstanding talent to runthe various operations. The otheris capital allocation.”

— Warren Buffett

After months of marketcommentary and valueinvesting insight, my

business partner and I thoughtwe should dedicate December’scolumn to the importance ofinvesting in companies witheffective managers at helm. It isoften difficult to assess the “peo-ple developer” facet of Buffett’snugget of wisdom. Fortunately,the capital allocation aspect ismore readily discernable.

But before we delve into some

of the performance metrics wemight look for, let us first definewhat we mean by capital alloca-tion, and ask why it’s so impor-tant.

At the end of the day, after thewidgets are shipped, theemployees paid and the billscovered, a company should havesome money left over for its

owners. Accountants call thisearnings or profits. If we ownedthis business outright, we wouldget to decide what to do withthese profits: put them in thebank, take the family on a nicevacation, buy some moremachines to make more widgets,or something else along theselines.

Shareholders of publicly listedcompanies are owners too. Butwe have professional managersat the helm making these alloca-tion decisions on our behalf.These managers (with inputfrom their board of directors)get to decide if the money is putin the bank, paid out in divi-dends, used to pay down debt,reinvested in the company or

funneled to share repurchases.These decisions can greatlyimpact the long term perform-ance of an investment and it isbased on these decisions thatMr. Buffett issues his final gradeof a manager’s effectiveness.

In our column fromNovember 2009, we spent sometime discussing how return onequity (or ROE) is a fairly goodmetric of capital allocation effec-tiveness. Finding companieswith long track records of highROE often indicates a highquality company, a high-qualitymanagement team, or most like-ly, both. But as value investors,who want to buy businesses at adiscount, we seldom have theluxury of finding Coca-Cola (afamously long-term, high-ROEcompany) on sale.

So, when other companiescome onto our radar, but do nothave the ROE track record wewould love to find, is there noth-

ing else we can assess? To com-plement our ROE assessments,perhaps the single biggest factormy business partner and I evalu-ate is the timeliness of share-repurchase decisions by man-agement.

Take Ashford HospitalityTrust, a Hotel Real EstateInvestment Trust (Hotel REIT)based in Dallas that owns awonderful portfolio of Marriottand Hilton properties businesstravelers love in major citiesacross the U.S. For years,Ashford paid a nice dividend.But during the 2008-09 eco-nomic downturn, many playersin the hotel industry werecrushed and Ashford’s shareprice tumbled with the rest. Butunlike the operational chal-lenges of many of its peers,Ashford’s managers continuedto see cash roll in.

4

Dec.11


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Enterprising Voices

Avoid the monkeys

Jonathon FITE |

FITE | CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

5

Dec.11


The role of the mental healthprofessional in family lawcases is vital. These profes-sionals serve family lawclients as counselors, parentfacilitators/coordinators, andas the mental health expert incollaborative law cases.

To discuss how family lawyers and the mental

health community can effectively work to-

gether in family law cases, the divorce and

family law firm KoonsFuller held a reception

and discussion session for mental health pro-

fessionals in November at the Denton office.

Marriage and family therapists and other

mental health professionals from throughout

North Texas convened to discuss parent facili-

tation/coordination and to learn more about

collaborative law.

Charla Bradshaw, managing partner of

KoonsFuller in Denton, spoke about how

teamwork between therapists and family

lawyers is essential to address the problems

she sees in her practice every day.

“Just today, we had three instances in which a

mental health professional was vital in the

lives of our clients and their families,” Charla

said. “We need to be able to refer people to

the right professionals to serve their needs,

and I want to personally know those profes-

sionals."

Charla completed all but her thesis toward a

master’s degree in marriage and family thera-

py before she went to law school. She main-

tains close connections with the mental

health community for her clients and those

served by other KoonsFuller attorneys.

Also participating in the event were the other

Denton-based KoonsFuller lawyers — Sean

Abeyta, Neda Garrett, Eric Navarrette and

Victor Rivera.

ADVERTISER SPOTLIGHT: KOONSFULLER

FIRM STRESSES MENTAL HEALTH NEEDS AT DENTON EVENT

Denton Managing Partner Charla Bradshaw, second from left, is shown with Denton-area mental health professionals KarlaHutcherson, left, Linda Polo and Mary Ann Kildeback.

ABOUT KOONSFULLERKoonsFuller is one of the nation’s largest andmost experienced family law firms, with 26attorneys in four North Texas locations.KoonsFuller attorneys handle a wide range offamily law matters, including comprehensivedivorce litigation, complex property settle-ments, child custody and visitation, premaritaland marital agreements, paternity, post-divorce modifications, appeals, mediation,arbitration and collaborative law.The Denton office is located in the Access 1stCapital Bank Building at 320 W. Eagle Drive(corner of Eagle and Carroll Boulevard), Suite200. To speak to a KoonsFuller attorney, call940 442-6677. For more information, visitwww.koonsfuller.com.

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE LEFT: Mentalhealth personnel Jeremy Flemmons, left,Dirk Lemasters, Karen Hunt and ScottWisenbaker.

KoonsFuller Denton attorneys EricNavarrette, left, Victor Rivera, CharlaBradshaw, Sean Abeyta and Neda Garrett.

Jack Dickerson, left, Victor Rivera,Roxanne Brown and Linda Miller-deBerard.

6

Dec.11


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So Ashford’s managementteam did something very adept:Rather than ladling out one div-idend after another, Ashfordsuspended its dividend andbegan using that money torepurchase shares. Because theshares were so cheap, manage-ment shrank the share count ata significant discount to theirintrinsic value, greatly increas-ing the worth for its remainingshareholders. Once the shareprice recovered, managementsuspended the repurchase andreinstated the dividend, but eachAshford shareholder thenowned a much larger and muchmore valuable stake in thosehotel properties.

This stands in stark contrastto many of Ashford’s peers whoactually <ITAL>sold shares atdistressed prices only to keeptheir dividend steadily rolling.Ashford’s astute capital alloca-tion made their shareholdersmuch better off in the end.

In more recent news, Mr.Buffett himself announced avirtually unlimited stock repur-chase. After looking aroundwith this elephant gun loadedfor another $10 billion-plusdeal, he recently stated hebelieves his own company,Berkshire Hathaway, is one ofthe greatest bargains around. Itwill be fascinating to see howmuch of the company Berkshireis able to buy back on the cheapand the impact it will have onshareholders over the next fewyears.

Conversely, let’s examineNetflix, whose managers clearlydo not seem to understand the“buy low, sell high adage. Arecent Wall Street Journal arti-cle summarized how Netflixgenerated a little over $500million in cash-profits for own-ers from 2007 through mid-2011. During that same time, itspent almost $1 billion repur-chasing shares, racking up a lotof debt along the way. Well,maybe Netflix were a bargain?

In the last three quartersalone, Netflix spent almost$200 million buying backshares at an average price of

over $220 per share when thestock was absurdly overvalued,as readers of this column willrecall. Since then, the stock hastanked, and the business is run-ning short of cash. So, manage-ment recently decided to sell$200 million of shares at just$70 a piece! These folks surelydon’t understand you are sup-posed to buy low and sell high— not the other way around.

Interestingly, during this time,while this management teamwas spending its shareholder’smoney on expensive stockrepurchases, the managersthemselves were selling millionsof dollars of their own personalstock they had been granted fornext to nothing. Needless to say,these monkeys messed up thekitchen.

Prospective investors,whether assessing their compa-ny’s management performanceby looking at ROE track recordsor share repurchase histories,would do well to avoid compa-nies with monkeys hangingaround the executive manage-ment suites.

JONATHAN FITE is manag-ing partner of KMF Invest-ments and a professor with theCollege of Business at the University of North Texas.Comments may be sent [email protected].

Enterprising VoicesFITE | CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

In more recent news,Mr. Buffett himself

announced a virtuallyunlimited stock

repurchase. Afterlooking around withthis elephant gunloaded for another

$10 billion-plus deal,he recently stated he

believes his owncompany, BerkshireHathaway, is one of

the greatest bargainsaround.

7

Dec.11


LN

As 2011 comes to a close,we take a moment toreflect upon the year’s

activities and prepare forupcoming projects.

The years 2009 and 2010were slow years for economicdevelopment in Denton, asplanned projects were either puton hold or were cancelled alto-gether. This has turned out to bea more active year, with con-struction of new business andexpansions of existing business-es. In the last half of 2011, we’vealso had an increase of compa-nies actively interested inDenton as a site for their busi-ness location.

Following are of some ofDenton’s achievements this year:

� Peerless Manufacturing Co.

is planning an expansion of itsoperations in the industrial areanear the airport. Phase Iincludes the construction of anadditional 250,000 square feet,followed by Phase II construc-tion of an additional 237,000square feet. Fifty-six new jobswill be created, bringing thecompany’s total workforce to114. The estimated capital

investment is $14 million.Construction is expected tobegin next year.

� Target Corp. broke groundon a approximately 400,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art dis-tribution facility for its perish-able and frozen foods. The esti-mated project capital invest-ment is $100 million and willcreate 140 jobs.

� Schlumberger Ltd., a lead-ing worldwide oil services com-pany, completed renovation ofan existing building at GranitePoint for its centralized mainte-nance facility. The project’s esti-mated capital investment is $28million.

� Golden Triangle Mall waspurchased by GTMDevelopment, a joint venture

with MGHerring Group andCencor Realty Services. The newproperty owners are planning toinvest $30 million to $45 mil-lion on building renovation andremodeling.

� Unicorn Lake continues toadd new restaurants and med-ical offices to the development.This year saw the addition ofChuy’s and Bella Pizzeria.

� Construction on the northside of Rayzor Ranch TownCenter continues to near com-pletion. Next year, constructionon the south side of the 412-acremixed-use development isexpected to begin. In the yearthat the north side has been inoperation, $1.2 million has beengenerated in sales tax revenuefor the city. In addition, the valu-

ation of the property hasincreased $37 million.

� The Denton EconomicDevelopment Partnershipreceived an honorable mentionfor Excellence in EconomicDevelopment for our DentonAirport Available Propertiesbrochure in the category ofSpecial Purpose Brochure andour Downtown IncentiveReimbursement Grant in thecategory of NeighborhoodDevelopment from theInternational EconomicDevelopment Council.

As we enter 2012, I’m hopefulthe economy will continue tomove forward and expand andthat Denton’s businesses will con-tinue to grow and prosper, as well.

KAREN DICKSON is vicepresident of economic develop-ment for the Denton Chamberof Commerce.

8

Dec.11


Enterprising Voices

Vital Statistics Business Mixers

Year of commitments, expansion

Karen DICKSON |

75034Worldwide Electric Salvage Inc., Worldwide ElectricSalvage Inc., 5222 King Road, Suite 101, Little Elm

75065Native Technology Inc., Native Technology Inc., 62Lakewood Drive, Hickory CreekRider 2 Rider Store LLC, Rider 2 Rider Store, 231Pembrook St., Lake DallasXtreme Iron Holdings LLC, Xtreme Iron Holdings, 6060S Stemmons Freeway, Hickory CreekXtreme Iron LLC, Xtreme Iron LLC, 6060 S. StemmonsFreeway, Hickory Creek

75068Alvin Claiborne Jr., Portusa, 1045 Lake Trail Drive,Little ElmClickrange LLC, Clickrange LLC, 104 Hardwicke Lane,Little ElmDavid Beauchamp and Rebecah Beauchamp, The DreamStudios, 2829 Starshine Drive, Little ElmDoctor Sound Home Theater Inc., Doctor Sound HomeTheater Inc., 2485 Bridgeport Drive, Little ElmJonathan C. Sargent, Dabrije Music Company, 2637Rockport Lane, Little ElmKim Brown, Kims Krafts, 2501 Heatherdale Drive, LittleElmLittle Elm Ventures LLC, Chevron Complex, 500 W.Eldorado Parkway, Little ElmLittle Elm Ventures LLC, Elm's Liquor, 500 W. EldoradoParkway, Little ElmRosa Aminta Rodas and Diana De Santiago, 720 AutoRepair, 2521 W. FM720, Little Elm

76201Angela C. Lott, Invision Beauty Studios, 411 Stroud St.,DentonBrandy Stein, Brandy Stein, 207 W. Hickory St., Suite212, DentonClub Envii, Club Envii, 827 Eagle Drive, Denton

Cowtown Gold & Silver LLC, Cowtown Gold & Silver LLC,2317 W. University Drive, DentonCynthia Oliver, Oliver's Crafting, 1315 Margie St.,DentonDylan West Todd, DW Technologies, 1103 Bernard St.,Apt. 622, DentonFrontier Flavors Group LLC, Burguesa Burger, 214 E.Hickory St., DentonRaquel Brabender, Arte Obscure Botanica, 1402 Coit St.,DentonRicky B. Perritt, Perritt Enterprises, 210 N. Elm St.,DentonScrap - School and Community Reuse Action Project,Scrap-Denton, 215 W. Oak St., Denton

76205Alestin Wireless Inc., Tomorrow Telecom, 2215 S. Loop288, Suite 322, DentonJas Image Inc., Image, 2201 I-35 E. South, Suite S14B,DentonJodi Marie Butts, K&J Snowballs, 1115 Dallas Drive,DentonJudson Tucker Johns, DG Lumber, 1700 Shady OaksDrive, Suite 137, DentonKristi Ann Taylor, Kristi Taylor Photography, 1429Kendolph Drive, DentonMegan Lay, Megan Lay, 300 Trailhead Lane, DentonMichael Lynn Leesley, Mike's Furniture, 1008 FortWorth Drive, DentonRosa's Cafe & Tortilla Factory Ltd., Rosa's Café, No. 37,1275 S. Loop 288, DentonSimon Kim Enterprise Inc., Knit, 2201 S. I-35E, SuiteL11B, DentonStephen Earhart, Stephen Earhart, 2300 Fort WorthDrive, DentonTexas Wings Holdings LLC, Hooters of Denton, 985 S. I-35E, Denton

76207Container King Inc., Container King Inc., 3020 Ganzer

Road, DentonMichael Keith Morgan, Offset Design, 205 Solar Way,DentonPaula K. Hawkins, Timeless, 5800 N. I-35, DentonWitron Logistik + Informatik GMBH, Witron Logistik +Informatik GMBH, 3952 Corbin Road, Denton

76208Jason Stewart, Stew's Shack, 6005 Goldenrod Drive,DentonJesus D. Rodriguez, Tire Shop Two Brothers, 3920 E.McKinney St., DentonJesus Fuentes, North Texas Computer Services &Repairs, 5301 E McKinney St., Trailer 521, DentonJoshua Woessner, Allusion Graphics, 5512 WoodlandHills Drive, DentonPatricia C. Williams, Pride Consulting Services, 313 S.Shady Shores Road, Shady ShoresRandy S. Hyman, Bugless Windows of Texas, 5001 ParDrive, DentonSorensen Industries Inc., Pro Titan Steel, 3603 E.University Drive, DentonSweeper King Inc., Sweeper King Inc., 6504 Daisy Drive,Denton

76209Donald Dee Webb, Webb Auto Parts, 1717 GreenwoodDrive, DentonJuscor 69 LLC, Juscor 69, 111 E. University Drive, Suite102, DentonSharon G. Arnold, Light the Wick, 2425 KayewoodDrive, Denton

76210Anabel Fernandez, Anabel Sales Cars, 8304 Seven OaksLane, DentonBalvinia Lezama, Decoraciones Barbara, 9100 TeasleyLane, Trailer 42K, DentonBillie D. McLaughlin, Billie Dianne's, 1726 Timber RidgeCircle, CorinthBrian Garcia, Aquascapes By Escaudio, 2814 GoodnightTrail, CorinthChristopher Lewis & Joshua McQueen, Come N Get It,2700 Colorado Blvd., Apt 414, DentonEmily McClendon, Quilts By Emily, 1710 SunflowerDrive, CorinthGerardo Nicolas Garcia De Alba, 24 Hr Plumbing, 3900

SALES TAXThe following sales permits were issued by the State Comptroller’s Office for November. The list includes the owner,name of business and address within the area codes of 75034, 75065, 75068, 76201, 76205, 76207, 76208, 76209,76210, 76226, 76227, 76234, 76249, 76258, 76259 and 76266.


Lady Justice Advantage Services donated $3,000 worth of art toDenton County Friends of the Family for the agency’s new offices. Theart pieces were handed off on Nov. 15 at the ribbon-cutting for LadyJustice Advantage Services.


Carol George, left, Erin Carney, Katherine Dickenson, Karen Sandelinof Lady Justice Advantage Services and Amanda Sawyer of DentonCounty Friends of the Family

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Northridge St., DentonJulia A. Richason, Bodyscaping, 207 W. Hickory St.,Suite 210, DentonKathey K. Hannah, K&M Hannah Properties, 3517Bentley Court, DentonKathi Travers, Trinity Power, 3605 Leeds Court, CorinthKelly T. Muthiani and Peter W. Muthiani, CustomImpressions, 2436 S. I-35E, Suite 376-255, DentonKen Minhinnett and Linda Minhinnett, Best ValueFinance, 7200 I-35, DentonKen Minhinnett and Linda Minhinnett, Best Value RVSales and Service, 7200 I-35, DentonKimberley A. Dickey, Campus Walk Apartments, 2425Louise St., DentonL&S Signature Investments Inc., Lindy Signature

Studio, 1224 Shell Beach Drive, Little ElmLarry Cates and Karen Sutherland, Heart 4 Hudson,4207 Creek Hill Lane, CorinthLiliana Cordova, Keystone Enterprise, 427 Stroud St.,DentonMaritza Leon, Maritza Leon Insurance Agency, 111 E.University Drive, Suite 108, DentonMark H. Gray and Rebecca H. Gray, Best Made Gifts,1704 Palo Verde Drive, DentonMark S. Davis, Do Dad, 2418 Kayewood St., DentonMartha Saenz-De Martinez, New Image Salon No. 2,1111 McKinney St., Suite 105, DentonMichael Paulson, Map Build Remodel, 4251 FM2181,Suite 230, DentonMindy T. Quan, Natural Nails, 1001-B Ave. C, DentonMorgan A. Rayney, Pilot Point Golf Carts, 1204 S.Highway 377, Pilot Point

Nagaris T. Johnson, @iProduceDaSouth, 1712 Red OakCourt, DentonReaza Hicks, REEPH Cleaning, 3613 Andalusian Drive,DentonRhana Ramos, Denton High Softball Camp, 2927Lipizzan Court, DentonRobert C. Buttrum Jr., Out-of-Body Records, 628 LakeySt., DentonSteven E. Cox, Steves AC Services, 1509 Michial St.,DentonSylvia H. Salcido, St. Jude Helping Center, 515 E.Highway 407, ArgyleTessa L. Butler, Tessa's Helping Hands, 1005 StuartRoad, DentonTichaona Mangwiro, The Clay Pot, 6120 St. JamesPlace, Denton

ASSUMED NAMES

Vital Statistics

STATE TAX LIENSNAME/ADDRESS TYPE AMOUNT REC. DATEChristopher E. Cash, 168 Chaparral Est., Denton Limited sales, excise and use tax $1,226.21 11/08/2011Michael Shikle, 222 S. Elm St., Denton Limited sales, excise and use tax $585.24 11/10/2011William K. Kersey, 1801 Timber Ridge Circle, Corinth Limited sales, excise and use tax $1,010.97 11/02/2011

RELEASE OF STATE TAX LIENSBehrooz Anvari, 3001 N. Elm St., Suite 200, Denton Filed in error $1,099.09 11/17/2011

FEDERAL TAX LIENSAustin W. Warrick and Katherine G. Warrick, 1014 Kings Row, Denton JMR Equitties LLC $35,000.00 11/03/2011James P. Sawyer and Linda K. Sawyer, 2732 Peach Drive, Little Elm Jesus Calzada $35,906.59 11/02/2011Kara L. Ash and David A. Ash, 1312 White Dove Lane, Denton Watermark Design Rebuild Remodel $5,398.38 11/07/2011Leslie C. Siler and Kelly Seiler, 214 Buckingham Drive, Denton Structured Foundation $10,930.00 11/16/2011Michael Linett and July Linett, 140 Hidden Valley Airpark, Shady Shores Bailey Family Builders Inc. $669,048.00 11/09/2011Virginia J. Baker and Melba J. Baxter, 200 E. Pecan St., Aubrey Jones Construction $33,900.00 11/10/2011

RELEASE OF FEDERAL TAX LIENSCreekwood School LLC, 800 W. Eldorado Parkway, Suite 106, Little Elm 941 $13,891.01 11/08/2011Hy-Pro Chemical Products Inc., 1017 N. Highway 377, Suite D, Pilot Point 941 $10,102.23 11/17/2011Isaac and Lucy Chilton, 1420 N. Locust St., Denton 1040 $3,017.20 11/08/2011Raymond Conklin, 321 Redhead Drive, Little Elm 1040 $12,296.09 11/08/2011SL Bickers Inc. and Children's Learning Station, 315 Carlisle Drive, Lake Dallas 941 $7,334.93 11/17/2011

MECHANICS LIENSNAME/ADDRESS CONTRACTOR AMOUNT REC. DATEBruce and Betty Pryor, 513 Hearth Terrace, Argyle Noble Vilage Classics and Craftsman Village Homes $228,000.00 10/17/2011David and Wendy Rounsley, 11175 Mesquite Road, Sanger Cashion Custom Homes LP $285,835.00 10/24/2011David and Wendy Rounsley, 11175 Mesquite Road, Sanger Ace Water Wells Inc. $28,600.00 10/24/2011Earl E. Stander and Patricia I. Murphy, 5080 FM2931, Aubrey Oak Creek Homes $190,384.00 10/06/2011Eric and Angela Borchardt, 1580 Westfield Lane, Krum Christopher Grace Custom Homes LLC $25,000.00 10/31/2011Erika and Edward Reeves, 133 FM407W, Argyle ACS Remodeling LLC $57,553.00 10/11/2011Jacqueline K. and Donald S. Pajda, 1228 Ballycastle Lane, Corinth M.S. Hamilton Homes LLC $200,000.00 10/24/2011Lela F. Morrison and Mary S. Cooper, 10306 Field Lark Lane, Sanger Palm Harbor Village $120,800.00 10/25/2011Martin and April Bradshaw, 7401 Dawn Ave., Pilot Point Snyder Construction Inc. $517,000.00 10/10/2011Stephen M. Sheppard and Maria A. Sheppard, 2257 Hideaway Pointe Drive, Little Elm Hauk Custom Pools $39,000.00 11/14/2011

LIENSThe following liens were posted in November at the Denton County Clerk’s office.

| CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

SALES TAXTeasley Lane, Lot 117, DentonGloria M. Sandy, Taaria Fashion, 2813 Hilcroft Ave.,DentonHelen Virginia Hare, Artbyhelen, 2708 Hilcroft Ave.,DentonJennifer Lee Hitchcock, Gold Standard Pest Control,6405 Pine Hills Lane, DentonJennifer McMahan, J&M Crafters, 2724 Hilcroft Ave.,DentonJoshua R. Carney, R&J Services, 6728 Hayling Way,DentonMette McConnell, MM Fashions, 2802 Surrey OaksCourt, CorinthTanya Anne Springer, Longdog Quilting, 3517Forrestridge Drive, DentonVanessa G. Swindell, Designs By Vanessa, 1636

Nightingale Lane, Corinth

76226Enterprise Security Solutions of Texas Inc., EnterpriseSecurity Solutions of Texas Inc., 2126 Hamilton Drive,Suite 410, ArgyleJay M. Miranda, Miranda Air Classics, 412 Village Way,ArgyleLarry L. Flippo, Hilltop Kennels, 12903 Hilltop Road,Argyle

76227Cheers Spirits & Liquor LLC, Cheers Spirits & Liquor LLC,928 S. Highway 377, Suite 106, AubreyHaeng Sam Chong, Morning Donut, 26735 US Highway380E, Suite 109, Little ElmJared Dilon Supina, Light It Up Christmas Lighting,9434 Arvin Hill Road, Aubrey

Ron L. Martin, Ron Martin, 1843 FM1385, AubreySeong Jin Inc., Baker's Dozen Donuts, 12000 USHighway 380, Suite 112, Cross RoadsSorensen Industries Inc., Sorensen Industries Inc., 301S. Highway 377, Cross RoadsThe Pink Spur Trading Co. Inc., The Pink Spur TradingCo., 232 Glenview Drive, AubreyTimothy Joseph Hamm, Shade Tree Solar Screens andWindow Treatments, 917 Starling Lane, AubreyTonya D'Ann Harrison, The Dam Store, 9386 RunningBear Road, Aubrey

76234Joan Christensen, Leather and Turquoise Creations, 313Quail Chase Lane, DecaturSam Lee, The Corner Place 3, 119 W. Main St., DecaturTonya Briscoe, The Unique Boutique, 120 E. Main St.,Decatur


10

Dec.11


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Although Dec. 31 marksthe end of the 2011 cal-endar year, the Denton

Chamber of Commerce actuallyhas another three months left inits program and budget cycle.

Some highlights from the pre-vious nine months included thetransition of our AmbassadorsCouncil to the LEAD delegation.We basically took the previousambassadors concept, and splittheir prior responsibilitiesaccording to individual expertiseand knowledge. The LEADprogram actually puts a face onthe chamber, as well as a heartand spirit, instead of just amembership account.

After nearly two years ofresearching and negotiatingwith anonymous site locationconsultants, our EconomicDevelopment staff was able toannounce that Target Corp. willopen a 360,000-square-footfood distribution center just offAirport Road. Construction hasbegun, and will ultimately trans-late into a significant contribu-tion to the local property taxbase, as well as the creation of140 new career opportunities.

We’re also very excited abouta budding partnership betweenthe chamber, the Denton CountyTransportation Authority’s A-train and the city of Denton, aswell as our Convention &Visitors Bureau and LeadershipDenton. The graduation projectfor the 2012 Leadership Dentonclass is to research the conceptof a visitor information center,possibly in conjunction with the

A-train rail station near down-town.

Following a series of presenta-tions at area public hearings, thechamber was part of an aggres-sive effort to persuade the DCTAboard of trustees to retain week-end service in its initial serviceplan. In June, the rail servicebegan a seamless connection, sixdays a week, from downtownDenton to Carrollton, where itmeets up with Dallas AreaRapid Transit services.

To the rest of the world, theDenton chamber is viewed asthe primary initial source ofinformation for potential newresidents, prospective businessesand visitors. We completed aconversion of our website to anew service that not only sellsthe attributes of the area, butalso accentuates the productsand services made availablethrough the 900 businesses thatcurrently make up our member-ship.

For the final quarter, whichbegins Jan. 1, we will primarilyfocus on reactivating our BeAlert emergency preparednesscertification process, and finaliz-ing a five-year strategic plan.

Following final board approval inMarch, our hope is that this doc-ument will effectively addressneeds and goals over a five-yearperiod, beginning April 1.

Finally, the chamber hasoccupied its present facilities atthe corner of Carroll Boulevardand Parkway Street since 1975.We’ve carried out two of the fourcomponents of a long-rangeplan that was adopted in 1995 tohelp extend our occupancy atthis site.

Our board received a prelimi-nary draft of the program, struc-ture and services aspect of theproposed plan in October, and,will consider possible options forfuture site and office needs fol-lowing an assessment of theexisting facilities.

CHUCK CARPENTER ispresident of the DentonChamber of Commerce.

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Villa Grande of Cross Roads and La Milpa of Denton presentedDenton Race for the Cure with $1,005 and $1,500, respectively, onNov. 17. Villa Grande raised the funds by selling shirts and askingdiners to donate a dollar to help the effort, while La Milpa hosted“Tacos for the Cure” in October, with 20 percent of the proceeds bene-fitting cancer research.

Gabino Guerrero, a manager of La Milpa, left; Kaila Werner, assistantto Frenchy's; Andre "Frenchy" Rheault, owner of Frenchy's Lawn &Tree Service; Mary Frances Hoover, executive director of the NorthTexas Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure; Jorge Landeros, amanager of the restaurant; Barbara Gailey, a member of the DentonHispanic Chamber of Commerce; and Miguel Cantu, a member ofMariachi Quetzal

La Milpa and Villa Grande

At 4:57 a.m. on June 20, theDenton County TransportationAuthority’s first official A-trainride chugged southbound on its21-mile trek to Carrollton, wherepassengers could connect toDallas Area Rapid Transit serv-ices. The official launch of themuch-anticipated commuter rail

system coincided with the rushto build apartments, townhomesand restaurants along theHickory Street corridor to thecity’s Square, blocks away fromthe rail line’s downtown transitstation.

In the months before andafter the rail line’s launch, devel-

opers flocked to the area withplans for everything from multi-story housing complexes torestaurant chains.

Love Shack, Weinberger’sDeli, Mellow Mushroom andSeven Mile Cafe brought newflavors to town, while longtimearea businesses Campus Barber

Shop and Noles General Storerelocated near downtownDenton after spending decadesat their old locations.

Construction along the city’snorthern corridor continued inthe Rayzor Ranch Marketplaceat U.S. Highway 380 andInterstate 35, though only onthe northern side. Plans for thesouthern Rayzor Ranch TownCenter remained on paper.

In town, work began on theproposed mixed-use develop-ment Sterling Fry Street, whichwill include an apartment com-plex, parking garage and retail

space on a 4.3-acre site once thehome of a collection of olderbuildings in the Fry Streetregion. The area, now owned byThe Dinerstein Cos., was thetopic of much consternation sev-eral years ago after a new ownerbought it and eventually razedthe buildings.

12

Dec.11


Cover Story

Denton Mayor Mark Burroughsspeaks at the official launch ofthe Denton County Transporta-tion Authority’s A-train commu-ter rail line on June 18 in Denton.


Welcome to the neighborhoodThe arrival of the Denton County TransportationAuthority’s A-train rail service and the ongoingdevelopment around downtown Denton rise to thetop of this year’s business activity.

13

Dec.11


A redevelopment plan forGolden Triangle Mall wasunveiled this year after theDenton City Council in mid-August approved a $9.5 millionincentive agreement withMGHerring Group and CencorRealty Services. The agreementwill allow the new mall ownersto recoup some of their invest-ment over time through newsales taxes generated at the mall.The companies formed GTMDevelopment Ltd. as a joint ven-ture to buy and redevelop themall.

Renovations are scheduled tostart soon, with a grand reopen-ing planned for next fall, thecompanies have said. Companyofficials expect to invest $60million in the project.

An ice and snow storm in thefirst week of February haltedbusiness and most travel acrossNorth Texas as an arctic blastdumped snow, sleet and blister-ingly cold temperatures on theregion. Business owners saidthey saw little traffic in theirstores as most companies andgovernment agencies closeddue to hazardous travel condi-tions.

The year began withannouncement from Russell-Newman that it would be shut-ting its Denton warehouse inMarch and laying off 79 employ-ees.

On Tuesday, RNA HoldingsLLC and Russell-Newman Inc.sent a letter under the federalWorkers Adjustment andRetraining Notification Act stat-ing it is permanently closing theits Denton facility.

The company was founded inDenton in 1939 as a manufac-turer of women’s undergar-ments. The business wasacquired by IndustrialRenaissance in 2007, moving itsheadquarters to New York.

The year ended with recordsales on Black Friday – oftenconsidered the first day of holi-day shopping and a precursor tothe season’s sales. The day’sactivity set new records as shop-pers flocked to area stores aswell as to shops across the coun-try.

And in 2011, just as DATCUcelebrated its 75th anniversaryand Denton Good Samaritanturned 35, Del Taco, GameOnAthletics, and N.V. Cupcakes cel-

ebrated their first year in busi-ness. The year also introduced anew way to conduct business —Denton’s Armadillo Ale Worksused Kickstarter to raise$30,000 in start-up fundingand Emma’s Boutique took itsshop online, after spending twoyears as a brick-and-mortarbusiness.

Residential foreclosuresdipped significantly for the firsttime in several years andemployment numbers alsoshowed a decline.

1-5

Denton businesses register with E-Verify

Nearly 50 Denton-areaemployers were among the6,047 Texas businesses regis-tered with E-Verify as of May,according to data obtained bythe Denton Record-Chronicle.

Many local companies havesigned up to use a governmentprogram to verify whether theirnew employees are eligible towork in the United States.

E-Verify, a voluntary pro-gram, compares an employee’s

Form I-9 information withmore than 455 million SocialSecurity Administration recordsand with more than 80 millionrecords in the Department ofHomeland Security immigra-tion database.

Participants include Jostens,Sally Beauty Holdings Inc.,Miller of Denton and McNattToyota Dodge and DATCU.

1-7

NCTC holds open house at new campus

North Central College held itsdedication and open house inFlower Mound today.

“It’s exciting to move intosomething new,” said RoyCulberson, dean of the Corinthand Flower Mound campuses.

The public will have a chanceto tour the two-story, 32,000-square-foot Parker Square build-ing at the open house.

1-9

Texas Health Resourcesgains MedicalEdge

Texas Health Resources,

which operates Texas HealthPresbyterian Hospital Denton,announced last week that itacquired MedicalEdge Health-care Group, and along with it,420 physicians, physicianassistants and nurse practition-ers.

With more than 250 prac-tices in the Denton, Collin,Dallas, Grayson, Johnson,Parker and Tarrant counties, theMedicalEdge group gives TexasHealth a slightly larger physi-cian base than its main com-petitor, Baylor Health CareSystem.

Texas Health now has about680 physicians and midlevelproviders including physicianassistants and nurse practition-ers. The Baylor system has a lit-tle more than 500.

Neither Texas Health norMedicalEdge disclosed theacquisition’s price, but bothentities said it was the country’ssecond-largest acquisition of anindependent physician practice.The largest acquisition was theBlackstone private equity firm’s$1 billion purchase of TeamHealth Inc. in 2005.

Good Samaritan celebrates expansion

A groundbreaking ceremonyand celebration for expansion ofthe therapy room at GoodSamaritan Society-DentonVillage was held today at theirlocation at 2500 Hinkle Drive.

The event, hosted by GoodSamaritan Society-Denton Village and Modern Woodmen,began at 12:30 p.m. in the thera-py room with the groundbreak-ing ceremony following at 12:45p.m.

Emma’s Boutique goesto online-only sales

The owners of Emma’sBoutique announced Tuesday onFacebook that they closed theirDenton storefront and moved allsales online.

Co-owners Crissy Camp andher mother, Teri, have run theirstore, located at 1800 BrinkerRoad, for about two years.

Camp, who has accepted a full-time job at a Denton company,

Photo by David MintonHoliday banners are hung outside Golden Triangle Mall on Nov. 17. Two companies formed a partnership this year to revitalize and renovate theDenton mall.


14

Dec.11


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1-12

County hires engineerfor I-35W widening

Denton County commission-ers approved an engineeringcontract with HNTB Corp onTuesday.

Under the $1.8 million con-tract, the company will bewidening Interstate 35W fromState Highway 170 in FortWorth to its junction withInterstates 35 and 35E inDenton.

Officials in cities along thecorridor will use the schematicsto determine access points onthe interstate, including whereentrance and exit ramps will be,said Commissioner Andy Eads.

1-13

United Way extends2010 campaign

United Way of DentonCounty leaders have extendedtheir 2010 campaign until Feb.28 because some national cor-porations are slow in reporting

results and the campaign hasonly raised a little more than 73percent of its $2.4 million goal.

Final reports for about 20national corporations in the areaare still out, said Jodi Ramon,the organization’s resourcedevelopment director. For exam-ple, General Electric just filed itsresults Wednesday, she said.

The 2010 campaign so far hasraised $1,769,973.

1-22

Russell-Newman toshutter, lay off 79

Russell-Newman will be shut-ting its Denton warehouse inMarch and laying off 79 employ-ees.

On Tuesday, RNA HoldingsLLC and Russell-Newman Inc.sent a letter under the federalWorkers Adjustment andRetraining Notification Act stat-ing it is permanently closing thefacilities, located at 600 N. Loop288 and 3790 Russell NewmanBlvd.

The company was founded inDenton in 1939 as a manufac-turer of women’s undergar-ments. The business wasacquired by IndustrialRenaissance in 2007, moving itsheadquarters to New York.

Cover Story1-25

City board approvesDME rate hike

Denton Municipal Electriccustomers will pay more forelectricity starting next month,after a city board voted Mondayto increase a key rate.

The Public Utilities Boardapproved a nearly 4.6 percentincrease to DME’s energy costadjustment rate, effective Feb. 1.The change will add about $4 tothe average homeowner’smonthly bill, DME spokes-woman Lisa Lemons said.

DME requested the increasebecause its parent agency, theTexas Municipal Power Agency,is facing higher coal transporta-tion costs, Lemons said. Nearlyhalf of Denton’s electricity comesfrom TMPA, which runs a coalplant in the Southeast Texastown of Carlos.

2-3

Rolling outages affectarea businesses

Denton businesses had toadapt to icy weather conditionsand rolling power outagesTuesday and Wednesday.

Shutting Golden TriangleMall down for two days wasn’texactly what general managerMatt Ludemann wanted to do,but he was worried about thesafety of employees and cus-tomers.

“We just didn’t feel it was safefor a huge flux of people,” he

said. One of the major concerns

was the mall’s parking lot, whichwas covered in ice. Ludemannsaid he hoped that since the sunwas out Wednesday, the icewould melt and evaporate a bitbefore the mall opens at 10 a.m.today.

Denton gas stations weremore affected by the power out-ages than the weather, but BillMonzer, owner of Shell FoodMart on McCormick Street, saidthe store hadn’t been gettingsome of its deliveries becausetruck drivers weren’t venturingout on the roads.

2-4

Storms puts SuperBowl business on ice

The city plans to have a wel-come center at Denton Airportdespite the icy weather, saidKim Phillips, vice president ofthe Denton Convention andVisitor Bureau.

Denton hotels have not seenmuch Super Bowl business butcould gain it from peoplestranded by the weather, Phillips



Photo by Al KeyJeff Solomon, general managerof Hannah’s Off the Square, saltsthe entrance to the restaurant sohis customers won’t slip on theice and snow built up there, onFeb. 9.

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CoverStorysaid. The airport was open untilMonday night before the icemoved in.

Or it may have caused extend-ed stays for people coming intoDenton for other business, shesaid.

Once the final teams wereannounced, the city ran adver-tisements in Pittsburgh andGreen Bay to let people comingin for the Super Bowl knowDenton was here, Phillips said.

The city will be at the SuperBowl media center in Dallastoday for its spotlight time infront of the media.

2-6

Denton may get new energy facility

Denton Municipal Electric isstudying the potential applica-tion of a 10-megawatt combinedheat and power plant in Denton,but details of the project haven’tbeen made public.

DME has signed confidential-ity agreements with a limitednumber of customers whosebusinesses could benefit fromthe proposed energy facility, soofficials are restricted in whatthey can say for now, spokes-woman Lisa Lemons said.

DME officials have discussedthe project with the City Counciland the council-appointedPublic Utilities Board in closed-door sessions, she said.

2-9

Council focuses onstreet maintenance

Denton city leaders startedoutlining a plan to tackle abacklog of street maintenanceand reconstruction projects thatcould involve selling bonds andmoving funds from other priori-ties over the next five years.

The City Council spent part ofits annual planning sessionTuesday on the topic, a day afterreceiving a report that the city’sstreet network was in steady



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decline after years of underfund-ing.

2-14

Local man’s HexBugs win national award

Joel Carter's bugs are cute,easy and fun to play with, andnow, they are specialty Toy ofthe Year.

Carter's HexBugs took theaward Saturday during the NewYork International Toy Fair,beating out several big names totake the top prize in the special-ty category.

“Occasionally, a small upstartcompany like ours breaksthrough and gets nominated.We were up against some reallyheavy competition,” theBartonville resident said.

2-20

Weinberger’s Deli opensAfter months of delays,

Weinberger’s Delicatessen finallyopened its Denton locationThursday. Owners of the

Grapevine eatery decided toexpand to Denton last fall, andset their sights on 311 E.

Hickory St.Written next to the daily spe-

cials is a note that reads: “Thankyou, Denton, for your patienceand support!”

Mike Wing is the generalmanager of the deli.

Wing’s team, which includesexecutive chef Jarrod Berger and16 other employees, offersChicago-style sandwiches,breakfast sandwiches, Italiansausages, hot dogs, gyros, soupand chili, desserts and a kids’menu.

3-1

United Way misses its2010 fundraising goal

United Way of DentonCounty leaders blamed a weakeconomy after their fundraisingdrive missed its target for thesecond straight year.

The 2010 campaign endedFeb. 28 with more than $1.96million raised, below the goal of$2.4 million. Still, donors andvolunteers deserve praise for

their work, campaign chairmanDavid Martino said.

Last year, the agency fell$67,000 short of its $2.45 millionfundraising goal, forcing socialservice agencies that receive aidfrom United Way to cut budgetsand programs. The agencies willsee another reduction this year,meaning there will be less aid forthose in need, Martino said.

3-4

PUC orders northernroute for power line

The Public UtilityCommission of Texas orderedOncor on Thursday to take anorthern route around RayRoberts Lake as it builds a 345-kilovolt power line from Krumto Anna.

The order came after morethan 700 intervenors filed tensof thousands of pages of docu-ments, provided four days of tes-timony to a panel of state

Joel Carter’sHexBugs werenamed spe-cialty Toy ofthe Year atFebruary’sNew YorkInternationalToy Fair.Carter is pic-tured with oneof his crea-tures at hisBartonvillehome lastDecember.

Photo by DavidMinton



16

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judges, paid millions in legalfees for help with the nine-month battle and packed severalrooms on the seventh and eighthfloors of the William B. TravisBuilding in Austin last week tomake their final, direct pleas tocommissioners.

3-13

Denton Black Chamberhosts annual banquet

The Denton Black Chamberof Commerce held its annualluncheon March 5. Mary Segovaand Robin Myles, banquet com-mittee co-chairwomen, wererecognized for their contribu-tions to the event, which wasthemed “Big Dreams and DoingBig Things.”

Keynote speaker was JimAustin, who co-founded theNational Multicultural WesternHeritage Museum and Hall ofFame, formerly known as theCowboys of Color Museum andHall of Fame, in Fort Worth withGloria Reed Austin, his wife andthe museum’s executive director.

Also at the event, chamberofficials gave two $500 scholar-ships to the Fred Moore DayNursery School and to theNAACP scholarship fund.

3-15

Drug plan to reducecosts for uninsured

Denton County residents whodon’t have a prescription drugplan can soon receive a discountwith a new program called Coast2 Coast RX through the countyhealth department.

Under the program, residentswho don’t have insurance orwho are underinsured can usethe cards to obtain discounts onany prescription medicine.

Bing Burton, the countyhealth department director, saidthe county has had a similarcontract with Caremark/NaCofor several years, but that con-tract has expired. He said theCoast 2 Coast program shouldoffer larger discounts than theprevious program.

4-1

Bartonville OKs halt to gas drilling permits

The Bartonville Town Councilvoted this week to impose a 90-day moratorium on new permitsfor natural gas drilling andhydraulic fracturing.

The council also agreed toform a seven-member advisoryboard on gas drilling and pro-duction, although no appoint-ments were made.

Mayor Ron Robertson saidthe moratorium, passed 3-0,would serve as a “cooling offperiod” as town leaders continuestudying potential new regula-tions.

4-3

Campus Barber Shopmoves to Hickory Street

Campus Barber Shop relocat-ed this week to the 300 block ofEast Hickory Street after spend-ing 51 years at 116 Fry St.

Upon opening, owner JeremyCarroll and his team — includ-ing Gene Hartman, the busi-ness’s previous owner, and long-time barber Russ Boaldin —went directly to work doingwhat they do best: cut hair.

Hartman held a farewell partyFeb. 19 to celebrate the closingof the Fry Street location andsend a thank-you to his loyalcustomers. Campus Barber Shopclosed the first week of March.

Campus Barber Shop is locat-ed at 311 E. Hickory St., Suite120.

4-10

Business owners openAny Lab Test Now

Owners of DentonPrescription Shop are launchinga new business.

Rick and Misty Appling willbegin operating a lab testingfranchise later this month at2501 W. Oak St., Suite 103. Thebusiness, named Any Lab TestNow, will offer standard testswithout requiring a doctor’sorder, appointment or insur-ance.

Some of the testing availableat the 1,800-square-foot facility

will be blood tests, drug screen-ing, DNA/paternity tests andSTD/HIV testing. Customerswill be able to receive confiden-tial test results within 48 hours,according to a press release.

4-16

Residential foreclosurespostings fall in May

Officials say the decline in res-idential foreclosure listings inthe region for May could be aresult of increased scrutiny onbanks’ foreclosure procedures.

Denton County residentialforeclosure listings totaled 480for May, down 14 percent fromMay 2010, according to a reportfrom Foreclosure Listing ServiceInc.

LULAC marks founding,gives scholarships

The Denton League of UnitedLatin American Citizens cele-brated its 30th anniversary witha banquet that honoredfounders who formed DentonLULAC in 1981.

Past presidents were on handfor the celebration includingFrank Dávila, the local organiza-tion’s first president and theevening’s keynote speaker, whodiscussed the inception ofDenton LULAC, the history ofthe national LULAC organiza-tion since 1929.

In an address to attendeeswhich included the 22 highschool senior scholarship recipi-ents, the group’s current presi-dent, Isabella Piña-Hinojosa,recognized local founders, theircommitment to work in anduplift the Denton communitywhile also investing in its youththrough college scholarships.

UNT wins in power struggle with city

The University of North Texaswon the latest round in its legalfight with the city of Dentonover more than $1 million indisputed electric bills.

The 2nd Court of Appeals inFort Worth reversed a district

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Dec.11


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judge’s 2009 ruling that a state-mandated electric rate discountfor public colleges and universi-ties expired in September 2007.The city of Denton, which pro-vides electric service to UNT,sued the university in anattempt to enforce the undis-counted rate.

5-2

University seekingbrand, new image

The University of North Texasis looking into changing itsbranding and public perception.

Last fall, President LaneRawlins appointed a council toreview the university’s brandingand public perception, but hewas not pleased with the results.So, in February, the universitybegan seeking proposals fromfirms for a new branding initia-tive.

In the request for proposals,the university sought four com-ponents: brand platform devel-opment and implementation,football stadium promotionsand marketing, evaluation anddevelopment of new and socialmedia, and evaluation anddevelopment of news services.

5-8

Devon Energy seesearnings decline

Devon Energy — the largestproducer in North Texas’Barnett Shale region — reporteda decline in earnings during itsfirst quarter, attributing the lossto lower natural gas prices andnoncash losses of $254 million,according to a May 4 newsrelease.

The company reported earn-ings of $416 million or 97 centsper share during its first quarterending March 31. This comparedto $1.2 billion or $2.66 a sharejust a year earlier.

5-11

Companies seek partnerin mall renovations

Two Dallas-based companies

are asking for help from the cityof Denton as they consider apotential purchase and majorrenovation of Golden TriangleMall.

Representatives of TheMGHerring Group and TheWeitzman Group appearedbefore the Denton City Councilon Tuesday to offer a broadoutline of the project and apublic-private partnership thatwould help fund it. CencorRealty Services and TheWeitzman Group have beenoverseeing Golden TriangleMall with plans to revitalize theproperty and bring in morename-brand retailers. TheDallas-based sister companieswere hired to manage theDenton mall and handle leas-ing as of Sept. 1 by JPMorganChase & Co., which purchasedthe mall after foreclosure pro-ceedings in July.

5-12

TCEQ levies $9,000fine against Williams

The Texas Commission onEnvironmental Qualityapproved a $9,000 fine againstWilliams Production-Gulf CoastCo. LP for operating three unau-thorized storage tanks at a natu-ral gas drilling site at Mitchelland Plainview roads near Krum,according to state records.

Commissioners waived$1,800 of the fine as part of anagreed order that required thecompany to install a vapor-recovery unit to capture emis-sions from a separator and con-densate tanks to meet state lim-its for volatile organic com-pounds.

5-15

Game On celebratesfirst year in business

Training facility Game OnAthletics celebrated its first 365days of helping area residentsshape up with an anniversaryparty Tuesday.

At the event, attendees wereinvited to participate and com-pete in various sports, includingvolleyball, basketball and soccer.

Cover StoryAbout 200 people attended

the event, said Angie Maffey,Game On’s adult fitness pro-gram director.

5-21

Salvation Army breaksfrom United Way

The local Salvation Army is

parting ways with the UnitedWay of Denton County, aSalvation Army official saidFriday.

The prospect of a split be-tween the two longtime partneragencies became public thismonth after Salvation Army offi-cials in Dallas who run theDenton branch objected to an 81

percent decline in United Wayfunding this year.

Maj. Ward Matthews of theDallas-Fort Worth SalvationArmy said Friday the two agen-cies could not agree on a com-promise to salvage the relation-ship. The Denton Salvation



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Army will ask the public fordirect donations to make up forthe loss of United Way funding,he said.

The United Way’s 2010fundraising campaign endedthis February about $430,000short of a $2.4 million goal. As aresult, the United Way cutgrants to partner agencies by 30percent, from $1.43 million in2010 to $1 million this year.

5-25

Newspaper announcesWimgo partnership

The Denton Record-Chroniclehas partnered with Wimgo.comto offer a new online method forfinding out what’s happening inDenton.

Through Wingo.com, anationwide, hypersocial searchdirectory, area residents will beable find restaurant reviews andinformation about local busi-nesses, events and much more.

The directory will provide cat-egory listings for more than20,000 businesses in DentonCounty and allow users to inter-act with other users and busi-nesses.

5-29

Noles General Storemoves to Hickory St.

Noles General Store, a localgift and home decor store onEast McKinney Street, will berelocating to East Hickory Streetnext month after spending fouryears at 118 E. McKinney St.

Store owner Celeste Douglascontinues a 40-year family tra-dition that started with hergreat-grandfather, John K.Noles, opening two gas and gro-cery stores, one in McKinneyand another in Fairview.

6-1

Funding found for U.S. 380 improvements

State transportation officials

have found funding for much-needed improvements to U.S.Highway 380 west of Denton.

Officials are using leftoverfunds from other projects thatcame in under budget to pay forroadwork improvements includ-ing a stretch of West U.S. 380that has been the site of numer-ous serious traffic accidents.

County officials were frustrat-ed late last year when $74 mil-lion that had been allotted toU.S. 380 construction work wasdiverted by Texas Department ofTransportation officials inAustin to other projects. One ofthe improvements was aplanned widening of U.S. 380 toa four-lane divided highway.

6-5

Ruby’s closes after 24years on the Square

One of downtown Denton’smost popular restaurants will beclosing after 24 years in business.

Co-owner Ken Willis hasdecided to sell Ruby’s Diner so

he could devote more time to hisfamily.

The space has been purchasedby John Cartwright, who plansto open a new family-stylerestaurant called Cartwright’sRanch House in August.

6-8

Council lowers fees for drilling permits

The Denton City Councilvoted 7-0 on Tuesday to lowermost of its fees on the naturalgas industry after an analysisfound they were too high.

Council members largely fol-lowed a consultant’s recommen-dation and authorized a new feefor annual inspections of gaswells in the city’s extraterritorialjurisdiction, or ETJ — land justoutside a city where it has somelimited powers.

The council did not accept arecommendation to lower thefee for gas well development siteplans from $7,500 to $3,900.The fee will remain $7,500.

6-12

Burger place to treadwhere pizza stumbled

The former home ofGiovanni’s Pizza and Pasta andHot Box Pizza will becomeBurguesa Burger by the end ofJune, company officials say.

Gio’s closed early this yearafter only a month in business;Hot Box Pizza had occupied thespace since April 2009.

Burguesa Burger is already afamiliar name in parts of Texas,with two locations in Dallas, twoin McAllen and one in Mission.Charles Ballard, chief progressofficer for the Dallas-basedrestaurant chain, said therestaurant in Denton’s entertain-ment district is part of the com-pany’s ongoing expansion plans.

6-18

Jobless rates bump upBoth the city and state



CoverStory

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Dec.11


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unemployment rates went upslightly from April to May, butit’s nothing to be concernedabout yet, says a University ofNorth Texas economist.

Denton’s unemployment raterose two-tenths of a percentagepoint, from 6.2 percent in Aprilto 6.4 percent in May, with 4,171people looking for jobs, accord-ing to data released Friday bythe Texas WorkforceCommission.

Countywide, the jobless rateincreased by one-tenth of a per-centage point, from 7 percent inApril to 7.1 percent in May, with25,669 people looking for work,the report stated.

6-20

A-train runs on timeOn Monday morning, the



21

Dec.11


time was nigh for the A-train toshow what it could mean to thecounty and the future of railtransportation in the area.

At 4:57 a.m., the DentonCounty TransportationAuthority’s first official A-trainride chugged down the 21-miletrack on its first southboundtrek to Carrollton, where pas-sengers can connect to DARTrail. Passengers hope the trainwill catch on and become aviable option for residents andcommuters here.

6-23

DME wins two nationalawards at conference

Denton Municipal Electricwon two national awards thisweek at the American PublicPower Association conference inWashington.

DME was a co-winner, alongwith San Antonio’s CPS Energy,of the 2011 Public Power WindAward from the U.S.Department of Energy for itswind energy purchases. DMEalso won a Community ServiceAward recognizing “good neigh-bor” activities including environ-mental leadership, educationalactivities and involvement in cityevents, according to a DMEnews release.

7-3

HGTV stops by Beau’sGinna Anthony, owner of

Beau’s Bath House and DoggieSpa, got to show off her skillsduring a recent taping ofHGTV’s My First Sale.

Three crewmembers arrivedat the shop a little after 8 a.m.Tuesday to set up for a segmenton Steve and Jen Young, whobrought their dogs in for a bath.

“They are following themthroughout the sale of their firsthome,” Anthony said.

Business center opensFlower Mound office

The Small BusinessDevelopment Center recentlyopened a new office at the

Flower Mound campus of NorthCentral Texas College.

The office will provide smallbusiness owners and entrepre-neurs in southern DentonCounty access to a wide range offree consulting services.

Mike Jacob, a certified busi-ness development specialist, isin charge of the new office,which is located in Room 108 onthe main floor of the NCTCFlower Mound campus at 1200Parker Square.

7-10

Aldi tops food chainAldi Inc. recently was ranked

as the nation’s low-price groceryleader in a consumer surveyconducted by Market ForceInformation Inc.

Aldi plans to open more than80 stores across the nation thisyear, according to a newsrelease.

The company has a 500,000-square-foot distribution centerin Denton, but as of yet, no localsupermarket.

7-16

Home foreclosures continue to drop

The number of residentialforeclosures in Denton Countydecreased again, continuing atrend that has developed overthe past few months.

The county has a total of 494homes posted for foreclosuresale at the Aug. 2 auction, down12 percent from August 2010,when 561 homes were listed,according to a report releasedThursday by Foreclosure ListingService Inc.

7-24

DCTA officials pleasedwith ridership numbers

With an average of 1,100 rid-ers per day since paid servicebegan last month, the A-train isliving up to Denton CountyTransportation Authority expec-tations, officials say.

Paid service began June 27, aweek after the rail line officiallyopened with a week of free serv-ice. The rail line operates during

commuter hours Mondaythrough Friday, late Friday andall day Saturday.

7-26

Property values riseNew construction drove a

$1.4 billion increase in DentonCounty property values in thepast year, officials said Monday.

The certified tax rolls totalednearly $53.5 billion, up 2.8 per-cent from 2010. The increasemore than made up for a $1.3billion decline in values last year.

8-1

Cardo’s Farm Projectholds fundraiser

Tours of Cardo’s Farm Projectwere given Saturday evening aspart of Cardo’s VegetableFestival, a fundraising event tohelp Amanda Austin and DanielMoon, who manage the Ponderfarm, expand their project tosupply more locally grown pro-duce to people and businesses inDenton County.

Along with the festival, thepair also has launched an onlinecampaign to raise $15,000 tohelp them double the Ponderfarm’s growing space, boost itseducational program, improveinfrastructure and allow them tostart a community-supportedagriculture program, throughwhich members buy shares andget a portion of the produce.

8-3

Company exploresalternate location

In response to public outcryagainst the gasoline distributioncenter proposed near Sanger,Denton Terminal LLC officialsare considering alternate loca-tions for their site.

While Stephen Senter ofDenton Terminal has said workwill continue on the proposed siteat 8969 N. FM2164 east of San-ger, he has received suggestionsfrom residents and the countyjudge and will look into them.

The center would be a refill-ing stop for trucks deliveringgasoline to stations in theregion.

8-4

Voertman to leave$8 million to UNT

Denton resident and formerbookstore owner Paul Voertmanplans to leave an estimated $8million to the University ofNorth Texas in his will, the uni-versity announced Wednesday.

The funds will be sharedbetween three colleges: theCollege of Visual Arts andDesign, the College of Music andthe College of Arts and Sciences.Each college will use about 40percent of the funds it receivesfor scholarships.

8-5

Budget proposalpresented to council

A $585.4 million proposedcity budget that would hold thetax rate steady, boost spendingon streets and raise utility ratesto help fund infrastructure proj-ects got a warm receptionThursday from the City Council.

But a plan to offer employees2 percent raises will face morescrutiny before the council votesto approve the budget Sept. 20.

8-6

DATCU celebrates75 years in business

Dale Kimble, president ofDATCU, is proud to be part of acredit union that’s been aroundfor 75 years and made a differ-ence in the community.

DATCU, which started in1936 with 13 professors and$650, has grown to about60,000 members with about$550 million in assets.

On Friday, the credit unioninvited its members to celebrateits 75th anniversary with festivi-ties at each of the eight branch-es. The celebrations includediPad raffles, hot dogs, drinks,cookies and free merchandise,ranging from baseball caps tocozies.

8-7

Chuy’s holds ‘PreviewDay’ at Unicorn Lake

Chuy’s had an invitation-only

“Preview Day” on Monday tocelebrate its grand opening at3300 Wind River Lane inUnicorn Lake.

Close to 200 people weregiven an opportunity to see therestaurant’s interior and tastesome of the restaurant’s dishesfor free, said general managerDavid Cooper.

New business providesservice for seniors

With the goal of assisting sen-iors with their day-to-day tasks,the Chalet Senior ConciergeService began its first official dayof business July 25.

Chris Peterson and his daugh-ter, Nicole, decided to put theirthoughts into action, accordingto a news release. Peterson, whorecently retired from a govern-ment career, began volunteeringfor the Meals on Wheels pro-gram, where he met seniors andsaw a need to offer additionalassistance.

8-12

Denton businesses,police discuss crime

Members of the Denton MainStreet Association and theIndustrial Guild met Thursdaymorning with local law enforce-ment agencies to discuss effortsto curb criminal activity aroundthe downtown Square.

Denton police and DentonCounty sheriff ’s deputies alsoheard from business owners andresidents about what kind of lawenforcement presence is neededin the downtown area.

The county is mulling a userestriction policy that wouldmake it clear when county prop-erty was and wasn’t open to thepublic.

8-14

City debt mostlyout of voters’ hands

Area residents must dependon the wisdom of Congress toset the national debt level.Increasingly, they must dependon their city council to set the

Cover Story| CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20


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local debt level, too.By issuing certificates of obli-

gation, area cities have bor-rowed hundreds of millionswithout putting the matterbefore voters.

The city of Denton carriesabout $238 million in certifi-cates, the most certificate debtof any city in Denton County,according to a Denton Record-Chronicle analysis of state data.

At 35 percent of the city’stotal debt, that means morethan $825 of the $2,352 the cityof Denton currently owes forevery man, woman and childwas authorized only by the CityCouncil, not by voters.

8-17

City injects $9.5 millioninto mall renovation

The Denton City Council onTuesday approved a $9.5 millionincentive agreement meant tospur the redevelopment ofGolden Triangle Mall.

The council voted 6-0 toapprove the agreement with twoDallas-based companies thatplan to buy and renovate themall at Loop 288 and Interstate35E. Council member ChrisWatts was absent.

8-29

DCTA budget movesaway from construction

Denton County Transporta-tion Authority officials got a lookat the proposed budget for the2012 fiscal year, and so far, theylike what they see.

DCTA’s 2012 budget includes$21.1 million for operations andmaintenance, $2 million fordebt service, and funds to covera smaller slate of constructionprojects and a costly unfundedfederal safety mandate.

9-4

Summer energy costshitting consumers hard

Not only has Texas hadrecord-breaking temperatures,the state also had record-break-ing energy consumption, leading

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to expensive energy bills.Energy costs for Denton

Municipal Electric customers,both residential and commer-cial, are “10 [percent] to 12 per-cent higher than they were lastJuly,” said Ethan Cox, customerservice manager for DentonMunicipal Electric.

And the electric company isanticipating August will be simi-lar.

Dan Smith, spokesman forTXU Energy, said it’s not somuch the daily high tempera-ture that affects energy bills; it’sthat the low temperatures havebeen higher, causing air condi-tioners to work overtime.

9-7

Balcony structures facescrutiny after accident

City building officials are con-tacting all apartment complexesto inspect and secure access tobalcony features, including TheGrove, which bolted doors to itsJuliet balconies after one col-lapsed early Saturday, injuringthree men.

City spokesman JohnCabrales said the city would notcomment further until its inves-tigation into the accident wascomplete.

Over the weekend, crews atThe Grove bolted all the balconydoors closed to keep them fromopening to make sure “nothinglike this happens again,”spokesman Jason Chudobawrote in a prepared statement.

County budget includes raises, tax rate increase

Denton County commission-ers approved a budget Tuesday

that will include employee raises.Commissioners voted unani-mously for the $202 millionbudget, which includes cuts insome areas and reorganization inothers, but court members arepleased with the final version.

9-17

Rep. to continue effortto ban smoking at work

State Rep. Myra Crownoversaid she’ll continue pushing fora statewide ban on smoking inworkplaces, after the effortfailed again in the Legislaturethis year.

“I think we’ve passed the tip-ping point,” Crownover, R-Denton, said in an interviewFriday. “Six years ago peoplethought secondhand smoke wasmaybe an inconvenience. Nowthey realize it’s benzene, arsenic,particulate matter, and it’s justnot respectful of the person sit-ting next to you.”

Crownover made the remarksafter speaking at the UnitedWay of Denton County 2011campaign kickoff luncheon atthe University of North Texas.She said an ordinance that cityleaders are considering to bansmoking in Denton workplaces,including restaurants and bars,is the “second-best option.”

9-28

Sandwich shop to opensecond Denton location

A second Schlotzsky’s Deli iscoming to Denton.

The sandwich shop atUniversity Drive and CarrollBoulevard is tentatively sched-uled to open in early December.

Recent construction on the

Schlotzsky’s building, at thenortheast corner of the intersec-tion, has attracted the notice ofpassers-by. The building previ-ously housed a First UnitedBank branch.

9-29

Denton Good SamaritanVillage marks 35 years

Two women who are big fansof Denton Good SamaritanVillage will be among thoseobserving the Hinkle Drive facil-ity’s 35th anniversary Friday.

Carol Riddlesperger was partof a group of involved citizenswho helped bring the facility toDenton, and she now is a resi-dent of the independent livingapartments. Virginia McDaniel,director of resident services andsenior living, has worked at thefacility 29 years.

Riddlesperger was foundingdirector of Denton’s Retired andSenior Volunteer Program andworked in the group for 10years. She also served on the



23

Dec.11


Cover Story

advisory committee that workedto make today’s 27 1/2-acreGood Samaritan facility a reality.

10-9

New restaurants openTwo new businesses are set to

open Monday. MellowMushroom Pizza Bakers’ fourthTexas location will open at 217E. Hickory St., and GenghisGrill will open at the corner ofLillian Miller Parkway andInterstate 35E.

Franchisers Martha andMonte Jensen will open theirsecond Mellow Mushroom indowntown Denton.

Also starting this week, fansof Mongolian stir-fry will be ableto enjoy Genghis Grill’s fusiondishes at 2416 Lillian MillerParkway, Suite 100, the formerlocation of Tia’s Tex-Mex

Restaurant.

10-15

Ponder Town Council,to partner with EDC

PONDER — The TownCouncil has agreed to partnerwith the Ponder EconomicDevelopment Corp. to updatethe town’s land-use plan,although not all council mem-bers agreed with every elementof the plan.

The corporation had commit-ted $10,000 to update the planas it related to 100 acres of landit bought last year for newmunicipal facilities alongFM2449 on the southwest sideof town.

10-22

United Copper gets grantUnited Copper Industries

Inc., a Denton-based copper

wire and cable manufacturer,was recently awarded a $150million grant from GE Capital.

The loan was used to supportthe company’s acquisition byKPS Capital Partners LP and forUnited Copper’s ongoing capitalneeds.

11-8

35 Denton recognizedThe four-day music festival

now called 35 Denton won inthe best promotional event cate-gory of the 2011 TexasDowntown AssociationPresident's Awards program.The award was announced dur-ing the Texas DowntownDevelopment and RevitalizationConference on Thursday inNacogdoches.

Catherine Sak with the stateassociation said 35 Denton waschosen because the judgesappreciated all the event had to

offer to the city.

11-13

Fry Street project formsStructures are beginning to

take shape on the 4.3-acre lot onthe corner of Fry and Hickorystreets, where Cool Beans is thelone occupant. It's all part of theSterling Fry Street project,which is redeveloping the lot tobe a mixed-use space that willinclude apartments, retail spaceand a parking garage.

The parking garage, whichfaces Oak Street, is 40 percentdone and will be the first part ofthe development that will becompleted by the end of theyear, said Brad Dinerstein, exec-utive vice president ofDinerstein Cos.

The framing for building one,which faces Fry Street, is expect-ed to wrap up in the next monthand will be complete in June.

After building one is framed,framing will begin on buildingtwo, which faces Welch Street,and it is expected to be completeby July 2012.

Hoochie’s to move in near downtown

What was once an old yellowbail bond house will becomeHoochie’s Oyster Bar by the endof this year.

Owned by John Blackwoodand his partner Sam Solomon,the yellow house will now offerseafood along with some GulfCost favorites like catfish andshrimp dishes.

As for the name, Blackwoodsaid it was Solomon’s idea.Solomon told the North TexasDaily the name was once a termgiven to carefree flapper girls ofthe early 20th century.

— Compiled from staff reports

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december denton business chronicle 2011

Documents

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lawfirm of elsey elsey

best western chairmans

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