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Finalist Natividad Ramirez of Rios Interiors.
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The Moores: Ashley Moore and Winter Moore of WinterGreen Synthetics. They started a business because, well, they're not great employees.
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Bradley Bruce, founder and CEO of mFORCE Capital.
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Hal Brown, Fort Worth Inc. publisher, addresses the gathering. There's a reason this thing isn't called "Entrepreneur of the Year." Believe us, we tried.
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Boot menu items.
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Will Ginger Curtis of Urbanology Designs go boot scootin' boogie?
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Our good friends from Texas Capital: From left, Rusty Anderson, Jennifer Baggs, Amanda Arizpe, and Eric Hyden
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From left, Netty Matthews, Fort Worth Inc. 2024 Supporter of Entrepreneurship award winner, Mike Coffey, Lisa Cobb, and Cyndy Tonniges.
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Where does Sarah LanCarte stand among her peers in the real estate category? We'll find out Nov. 21.
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Trevor Theriot, founder and CEO of ManaMed. He was a member of Entrepreneurs Organization in Dallas. Someone invited him to EO in Fort Worth. "I went to a meeting and thought, 'OK, these are my people.'"
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From left, Tyler Ayres and Morgan Price of Whitley Penn; finalist Natividad Ramirez of Rios Interiors; Fort Worth Inc. sales extraordinaire Tammy DeNapoli, who is probably running six miles as I type; and Whitley Penn's Haley Mitchell.
Finalists for Fort Worth Inc.’s 2024 Entrepreneur of Excellence program gathered on Thursday for a boot fitting party at Wild Salsa in downtown.
Winners in each category will be unveiled at a black-tie gala event on Nov. 21 at the Fort Worth Club. Each of the finalists will also be featured in the Winter issue of the magazine.
Moreover, each winner will also receive a pair of custom-made boots from Justin Boots. In order to do that, the bootmaker, as skilled a craftsman as you'll find, has to take precise measurements to accommodate comfortability and support.
That’s what we did on Thursday, while nibbling on Wild Salsa’s scrumptious fare. Nibbling probably isn’t the right word. More like a hyena dining on Cape buffalo. The ceviche was out of this world. They also have this green salsa that comes with a delicious kick. And it stands to reason that I can't remember the name of the spicy margarita that bit me like a testy water moccasin this morning.
But sip on adult beverages we did, while mixing and mingling with the great innovators and thinkers of this year’s cohort.
It is with sincere gratitude that we thank our sponsors, including Whitley Penn, our presenting sponsor; Texas Capital, platinum sponsor; and TCU Neeley School of Business, our gold sponsor.
And, of course, Justin.
It’s amazing the things you find out while circulating.
Take, for example, Haley Mitchell, an audit senior manager at Whitley Penn. She is a CPA with bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accounting from Texas Tech University in Lubbock, the Hub City of the South Plains.
She is also a member of the Wuensche family.
So, you ask, what?
Well, the Wuensches hold the record for most family members to graduate from the same university. That number is 44, all from Texas Tech. It’s etched on a page in the Guinness Book of World Records, presumably right next to, or near, the records for longest time lying on a bed of nails and tallest stack of hats worn at once. (It’s more than 3 feet, by the way. That guy also holds the record for most tennis balls caught blindfolded — 11.)
The Guinness entry reads: “The most family members to graduate from the same university is 44 and was achieved by members of the Wuensche family (USA), who graduated from Texas Tech University, in Lubbock, Texas, USA, as verified in July 2022.”
Amber Wuensche Parker, Guinness goes on, read an article on the previous record-holders, which was 40. She posted it to a Facebook group the Wuensche family use to keep in touch.
They began counting.
There are also an additional 14 spouses who earned degrees from Matador U.
School officials honored the family at a football game last year, the 100th year of the university that Fort Worth’s Amon Carter worked so hard to establish in West Texas.
While on the field being recognized, however, they were upstaged by a possum, who picked that very moment to come out of his hidey-hole, not play dead, and scamper across the field in front of approving fans seeking an underdog that wasn’t the football team. (I can say that. I went there, too.)
Fort Worth Inc. Entrepreneur of Excellence Finalists
COMMERCIAL CONSTRUCTION
John Avila — Byrne Construction Services
Jonathan Gaspard — Restoration Roofing
CONSUMER & DURABLE GOODS
Chris Favors and Cheryl Favors — Favors Business Solutions
Stephen Gilchrist — Gilchrist Automotive
Natividad Ramirez — Rios Interiors
HEALTH CARE & LIFE SCIENCES
Sara Camp and Steven Camp — Steven Camp MD Plastic Surgery
Trevor Theriot — ManaMed
David Woolsey and Ramon Cazares — Integrated Ultrasound Consultants, Inc.
HOSPITALITY
Trevor Armstrong and Larry Auth — Game On Sports Complex
Rex Benson — Ol’ South Pancake House
Justin Howe — HTeaO
PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
Bradley Bruce — mFORCE Capital
Ralph Manning and Edward Crawford — Coltala Holdings
Benson Varghese and Anna Summersett — Varghese Summersett
REAL ESTATE
Jessica Miller Essl and Susan Miller — M2G Ventures
Sarah LanCarte — LanCarte Commercial
Matt Lewis and Jeff Anderson — League Real Estate
RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION
Ginger Curtis — Urbanology Designs
Jennifer Johns and Robert Johns — The Kitchen Source
Winter Moore and Ashley Moore — WinterGreen Synthetic Grass
UP-AND-COMING
Katy Abraham — Construction Cost Management
Christie Redmon Moore — Mansfield Funeral Home & Cremations
Chelsie Synatschk — Fort Worth Focused Real Estate