Century-old companies are rare but D-FW has more than a few

With Commercial Metals Co. celebrating a century of recycling and steel-making this year, at least 44 companies headquartered in the Dallas-Fort Worth area are now 100 or older.

Before continuing, a plea for help: Odds are that our research missed some firms that should be included. If you know of one, or more, please email me.

Century-old companies are rare. When IBM turned 100 awhile ago, USA Today reported that fewer than 500 of more than 5,000 U.S. publicly traded companies were that age. A decade earlier, author James Lamprecht noted that about 2.5 percent of more than 30,000 manufacturing firms were a century old.

The Dallas Morning News’ North Texas Century Club list includes some of the biggest publicly traded companies on the planet, such as AT&T Inc. and Exxon Mobil Corp., which moved their headquarters here. It also includes small, family-run operations, such as Dallas Plumbing Co., that have always been based here.

Not included are arguably the two most influential homegrown corporations the region has known. Texas Instruments won’t celebrate its centennial until 2030. Electronic Data Systems, founded by Ross Perot in 1962, was wildly successful for decades. But the EDS name quickly evaporated after the company was acquired by Hewlett-Packard in 2008.

So how does a company survive to be 100, especially in this era of ever-accelerating change?

Experts cite several common characteristics: These companies avoid too much debt. They have a strong culture and sense of mission. They regularly create new growth businesses. They exit old operations when growth stops.

Here are five traits that dominate the North Texas Century Club:

• Involve the family. Nothing beats the commitment and sense of business purpose that comes from family connections. It appeared again and again in North Texas as control was passed from generation to generation in companies like Sewell Automotive, Dallas Plumbing, Henry S. Miller, A.H. Belo and Oriental Rug Cleaning.
• Be willing to make a big change. There’s no better example than Kimberly-Clark in the 1970s. Under CEO Darwin Smith, K-C sold its paper mills and bet its future on consumer products, like disposable diapers. Smith moved the company to North Texas in 1985, retired as CEO in 1991 and died of a heart attack in 1995. In 2003, best-selling author Jim Collins put Smith on his list of the 10 best CEOs of all time.
• Pursue aggressive mergers and acquisitions. “Keep growing,” former AT&T CEO Ed Whitacre told his successor, Randall Stephenson, when Stephenson took the top job in 2007. Stephenson got the message and should soon close the biggest acquisition yet of his career in satellite television provider DirecTV. Other examples of organizations that grew through mergers: BNSF, Exxon Mobil, Baylor Scott & White.
• Provide the necessities of life. Think electricity, natural gas and communications. These companies help keep us warm in the winter and cool in the summer, stay in contact with friends and transact business: Atmos, TXU, Oncor, Luminant, AT&T.
• Move to D-FW. This may have less to do with longevity than other traits, but it’s still interesting. More than a dozen of the companies on the list moved their headquarters here from somewhere else, including A.H. Belo, which began in Galveston and launched The Dallas Morning News in 1885. Others that moved here include TracyLocke, Dr Pepper, Lennox International, Atmos, Kimberly-Clark, J.C. Penney, Greyhound, BNSF, Exxon Mobil, Fluor, AT&T, Rolland Safe & Lock.  

• The North Texas Century Club

   

  Adolphus Hotel, Dallas, 1912
  Several hundred guests dined on Cotuit oysters, pommes Parisienne and filet of black bass during the grand-opening celebration of the hotel 113 years ago. They also drank a toast to the long life of St. Louis beer baron Adolphus Busch, who built the place at an original cost of $1.5 million. Over the years, the hotel hasn’t changed its name, but it has expanded and changed owners, most recently in 2012, when it was acquired by RockBridge Capital LLC of Columbus, Ohio.
  Atlas Metal Works, Dallas, 1904
  Because of the levees then being built along the Trinity River, the sheet metal and plate fabrication company moved in 1929 from its original location near downtown to its current site in West Dallas.
  Atmos Energy, Dallas, 1906
  Eighty years after its beginning in Amarillo, the natural gas distribution company moved its headquarters to Dallas, in part to raise the firm’s visibility. At the time the company was known as Energas, a spinoff from Pioneer Corp. In 1988, with the help of the Richards Group in Dallas, the company changed its name to Atmos. Charlie Vaughan, then the CEO, said he wanted something short and easy to pronounce, according to News columnist Cheryl Hall. The largest natural gas distributor in Texas, Atmos serves a total of about 3 million customers stretching from Virginia to Colorado.
  AT&T, Dallas, 1879
  The telecom giant traces its beginning to the creation of Bell Telephone 136 years ago. After the breakup of the Bell system in 1984, Southwestern Bell, one of the regional operating companies, rebuilt itself through aggressive acquisitions, eventually purchasing its former parent and reclaiming the valuable AT&T brand by renaming itself. The new AT&T moved its headquarters from San Antonio to Dallas in 2008. Historical note, courtesy of Darwin Payne’s illustrated history of Dallas: Before June 1881, there were only three telephones in the entire city, including one at the home of department store proprietor Alexander Sanger.
   
  Baylor University Medical Center, Dallas, 1903
  What began in a 14-room renovated house grew over its first 50 years into the world’s largest — 850 beds — Baptist hospital, according to a story in The News at the time. The hospital also spawned the health insurance program that became Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas. Over the years, Baylor has continued to expand and in 2013 merged with Temple-based Scott & White Health, forming Baylor Scott & White, the largest not-for-profit health system in the state, with about $7 billion in annual revenue. “We put the two organizations together because we truly believe that one plus one equals three,” Baylor CEO Joel Allison told The News.
  A.H. Belo, Dallas, 1842
  The oldest business institution in Texas began in Galveston, started publishing The Dallas Morning News in 1885 and expanded into television in 1950. The firm’s TV stations separated from its newspapers in 2008 and are now part of Gannett Co. As it adapts to the digital age, A.H. Belo’s publishing operation faces one of its biggest challenges yet.
  Bolanz & Miller Realtors, Dallas, 1874
  If there were a symbolic CEO of the North Texas Century Club, it might be William Crenshaw “Dub” Miller, who died in 2006 at age 100. The former Dallas City Council member and director of the State Fair of Texas was active in his company to the age of 98, according to his obituary in The News. Miller joined his father-in-law’s firm, Bolanz & Bolanz, in 1937. The company calls itself the oldest family-owned and -operated real estate firm in Texas. It began 141 years ago as Murphy & Bolanz, once the official mapmaker for Dallas.
   
  BNSF Railway, Fort Worth, 1849
  Among the creators of BNSF’s 390 predecessor lines were legends like James J. Hill, a former steamboat company shipping clerk-turned-empire builder, and his Great Northern Railway. Another predecessor company was the Northern Pacific Railway, whose main line from Bismarck, N.D., to the Columbia River paralleled the route first explored by Lewis and Clark. In 2010, BNSF became part of Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. With about 32,000 route-miles, the railroad serves the western two-thirds of the U.S.
  Brook Mays Music, Dallas, 1901
  Founder Brook Mays wasn’t a musician, but he did appreciate the importance of good music when he started his piano dealership in Dallas shortly after the turn of the last century. When he died in 1940, he left his company to his employees. In 2006, after 105 years of operation, the instrument sales and rental firm was forced into bankruptcy and its assets were liquidated. Former CEO Bill Everitt purchased the names of the old operation and started over. The company, called Brook Mays and H & H Music Co., has stores in North Texas and the Houston area.
  Commercial Metals, Irving, 1915
  The scrap and steel-making company has had only six CEOs in its history. Three of them — Moses Feldman, Jacob Feldman, Stan Rabin — combined for more than 80 years in the top job. Through the years, the company has dismantled and recycled several smaller railroads, including track and rolling stock. One line, according to The News’ archives, was the Texas Electric, an interurban that ran from Denison to Waco. CMC went public in 1960 and generated about $7 billion in revenue during its most recent fiscal year.
   
  Dallas Plumbing Co., Dallas, 1903
  Founded the same year Dallas annexed the city of Oak Cliff, Dallas Plumbing has worked on such projects as Highland Park Village and the Texas Centennial Exposition at Fair Park. In 1914, Clarence Dickerson, an employee, bought the company from the widow of the original owner. Dickerson soon partnered with another employee, Ward Downs. After Dickerson died in 1950, his widow, Mary, became president. She was followed in that post by Downs and successive generations of his family. “We like to think of our business as a happy family that has grown up with Dallas,” Ward Downs told The News in 1963 when the company turned 60.
  Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Plano, 1885
  Through a soda fountain experiment at a Waco drugstore, Dr Pepper was invented a year before Coca-Cola. That makes it the oldest major soft drink in the U.S., according to the company. Dr Pepper moved its headquarters from Waco to Dallas in 1923, went public in 1946 and grew steadily into the 1980s when a series of buyout-related transformations began. Owned for a time by an investment firm headed by Tom Hicks and Bobby Haas, Dr Pepper merged with Seven-Up Cos., was acquired by Cadbury Schweppes and then separated along with Snapple and other beverage brands in 2008 into a separate publicly traded company doing business in the U.S., Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean. In 2014, Dr Pepper Snapple had revenue of more than $6.1 billion.
   
  Exxon Mobil, Irving, 1870 and earlier
  The oil company, which moved its headquarters from Manhattan to Irving in 1990, traces its beginnings to John D. Rockefeller and the formation of Standard Oil Co. Mobil goes back even further, to Vacuum Oil, founded in 1866 in Rochester, N.Y. Following a U.S. Supreme Court decision, Standard Oil was broken up in 1911 into 34 companies. Exxon (evolved from Standard Oil of New Jersey) and Mobil (from Standard Oil of New York and Vacuum) merged in 1999, reassembling pieces of the old Standard Oil.
  Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Dallas, 1914
  As the Great Depression strengthened in 1932, the Dallas Fed issued some advice that still resonates. “Credit is exactly like morphine,” the bank said, according to its online history. “Either credit or morphine used habitually leads inevitably to the gutter.” One of 12 regional banks in the Federal Reserve System, the Dallas Fed serves Texas, northern Louisiana and southern New Mexico. Among many services, it processes cash, check and electronic payments for commercial banks. At year-end 2014, the Dallas Fed had $161 billion in total assets, including $880 million in gold certificates, calculated at a rate set by law of $42.22 per troy ounce.
  
  Fluor, Irving, 1912
  The global engineering and construction company, founded by a Swiss immigrant carpenter in California, has worked on such landmark efforts as the Manhattan Project and the Trans-Alaska pipeline. “Fluor’s fingerprints are all over what’s happened in the world the last 100 years,” CEO David Seaton says. The company moved its headquarters to North Texas in 2006 and celebrated its centennial at the Meyerson in 2012 with a symphony commissioned from then-teenage British composer Alex Prior. Fluor called the composition “Dawn of Destiny.” Prior called it his sixth symphony.
   
  Greyhound Lines, Dallas, 1914
  Founded by a Swedish immigrant transporting miners on the Iron Range of Minnesota, the company adopted the name Greyhound Corp. in 1929 and began using its famous running dog logo. In 1987, the company divested its U.S. bus operations, which then set up headquarters in Dallas as Greyhound Lines. Several mergers and reorganizations later, the bus company services more than 3,800 destinations in North America and is owned by FirstGroup PLC of the United Kingdom.
   
  Highland Park Soda Fountain, Dallas, 1912
  In the 1920s, Highland Park Pharmacy was Dallas’ first drive-in for food and drink, complete with car hops, according to the company’s website. In 2010, the pharmacy was removed from the business, resulting in the name change to Highland Park Soda Fountain.
  Jackson Walker, Dallas, 1887
  The law firm, with more than 350 attorneys, calls itself Texas-based with global reach and traces its start to its first office, established by W.J.J. Smith in Dallas 128 years ago.
  Ben E. Keith Co., Fort Worth, 1906
  In the beginning, Ben E. Keith himself delivered orders by horse and buggy. Now the privately held food and beverage distributor has annual revenue in excess of $3 billion,Forbes magazine reported last year.
  Kimberly-Clark, Irving, 1872
  Four partners, including John Kimberly and Charles Clark, pooled $30,000 to launch the company. A century later, led by CEO Darwin Smith, K-C withdrew from commodity paper markets, sold its mills and bet its future on consumer products like disposable diapers. “It was … one of the best examples in the twentieth century of taking a good company and making it great,” author Jim Collins wrote in his best-selling 2001 book,Good to Great. Since moving its headquarters to Texas in 1985, K-C has acquired Scott Paper Co. and increased its annual revenue five-fold to about $20 billion.
   
  Fred L. Lake & Co., Dallas, 1889
  The company, which makes custom rubber stamps, was owned by the Lake family through the late 1980s and acquired by David Atwell in 1992. Atwell told The News in 2002 that he didn’t give much thought to the company’s long history when he bought it. “But I thought it was cool enough that I didn’t change the name,” he said.
  Lennox International, Richardson, 1895
  Dave Lennox, who ran a machine repair business for railroads, invented the heating industry’s first riveted steel coal-fired furnace and founded the company in Marshalltown, Iowa. In 1904, newspaper publisher D.W. Norris purchased the firm, which remained privately held until 2000 when it went public. Norris’ family still owns a large stake. Lennox moved to Dallas in 1978 and to Richardson in 1990. In 2014, revenue exceeded $3.3 billion.
  Locke Lord, Dallas, 1891
  Maurice Locke began practicing law in Dallas 124 years ago. Through many combinations, his name is still on the firm, which grew to more than 1,000 lawyers in 23 cities when it merged with Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP in January.
   
  Henry S. Miller Cos., Dallas, 1914
  For much of its early life, the real estate firm was a one-man operation, founded by Henry S. Miller Sr. After serving in World War II, though, Henry S. Miller Jr. teamed with his dad and helped create one of the largest real estate companies in the country. Miller Jr. also mentored many agents who went on to establish their own firms, like Herb Weitzman and Dallas Cowboys legend Roger Staubach. “I was very fortunate to have a great mentor on the playing field, Tom Landry,” Staubach once told The News’Steve Brown. “And Mr. Miller was my mentor in business.” The firm’s current CEO is Greg Miller, a grandson of Henry Jr. Shown above: Henry Miller Jr., left, and Henry Miller III.
   
  Neiman Marcus, Dallas, 1907
  Stanley Marcus died in 2002 at the age of 96. He “was a retailing genius who put Dallas on the international fashion map,” Maria Halkias wrote then in The News. Marcus transformed the company founded by his father, aunt and uncle into one of the best-known luxury retailers in the world. Revenue for the Neiman Marcus Group, currently owned by Ares Management and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board, approached $5 billion last year.
   
  Nicholson-Hardie Nursery & Garden Center, Dallas, 1899
  Started by a young Scotsman and merged with another garden company a half-century later, Nicholson-Hardie is “where society gets its shrubs … and its flowers and fountains and azaleas and advice,” Rob Brinkley wrote recently in FD magazine. Shown above: co-owners Michael and Josh Bracken.
  Oriental Rug Cleaning Co., Dallas, 1911
  Three generations of the Amirkhan family have run the company, located on Ross Avenue since the 1920s. Oriental rugs should be vacuumed regularly, Ellen Amirkhan, granddaughter of the company founder, told The News on the occasion of the company’s centennial in 2011. Otherwise, dry particulate matter — dirt — can act as sandpaper and accelerate wear.
   
  Parkland Memorial Hospital, Dallas, 1894
  In 1893, voters approved $40,000 in bonds for a new hospital at Maple and Oak Lawn avenues, then just outside the city limits. The hospital opened the next year. This August, 121 years later, a new Parkland is scheduled to open. Cost: About $1.3 billion for 2.8 million square feet. One of the busiest public hospitals in the country, the Parkland system recorded total operating revenue of nearly $824 million in fiscal 2014 and had operating expenses of $1.3 billion.
   
  J.C. Penney, Plano, 1902
  Calling it the Golden Rule, James Cash Penney opened his first dry goods store in Kemmerer, Wyo. He moved the company’s headquarters to Salt Lake City in 1909 and then New York City in 1914. Attracted in part by acres of inexpensive office space and cheap land on which to build, the company moved its headquarters to North Texas in 1988. Like many retailers in recent years, Penney has been pruning and refocusing its operations.
  Pierce Pump Co., Dallas, 1897
  Founded by William Pierce, who specialized in pumps for farms and rural homes, the company was acquired in 2013 by Columbus, Ohio-based FCX Performance, which was acquired by private equity firm Harvest Partners.
   
  Republic Group, Dallas, 1903
  Beginning with fire insurance, Republic Insurance Co. has grown into Republic Group and now offers personal and commercial coverage through independent agents primarily in Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Arkansas.
  Ridgway Mailing, Dallas, 1905
  Located near the main post office and the bulk mail center in Dallas, Ridgway has evolved from its beginnings as a printing firm to a direct mail and order fulfillment company.
  Rolland Safe & Lock Co., Dallas, 1905
  Founded in New Orleans, the security company moved to Dallas in 1983.
   
  Rudolph’s Market and Sausage Factory, Dallas, 1895
  The chopping blocks are deeply cupped from decades of slicing and cutting meat. No mistake. This place is authentic, whether you want steaks for the grill or pork butt for the smoker. Beginning in the 1930s, Cyrill “Sid” Pokladnik and his wife, Justine Marie, ran a grocery story next to Rudolph’s on Elm Street in Deep Ellum. When the owner of Rudolph’s retired in 1947, the Pokladniks took over. Their descendants still run the place, which goes by the motto: “Your Neighborhood Butcher Shop — Since 1895.”
  
  Sewell Automotive Cos., Dallas, 1911
  Over the next couple of years, Sewell plans to add four German-brand car dealerships, bringing the company total to 18. That’s a long way from the beginning when Carl Sewell’s grandfather began selling Ford Model T’s out of his hardware store and livery in Arlington. The company is privately held and doesn’t normally discuss financial information. In a 2010 story, though, The News’ Terry Box said Sewell had annual revenue of more than $500 million.
  Sparkman/Hillcrest Funeral Home, Dallas, 1893
  For a while the Sparkman family’s funeral business was located in downtown Dallas in the Belo Mansion, built by the founder of The Dallas Morning News. That’s where the funeral for the notorious Clyde Barrow was held in 1934. The funeral home moved to its current location on West Northwest Highway in 1968.
  Star-Telegram, Fort Worth, 1906
  When Fort Worth publisher and oilman Amon Giles Carter died in 1955, his obituary inThe News called him “perhaps the most internationally famous Texan of the 20th century.” With a small group, he launched the Fort Worth Star, which bought out the rival Telegram in 1909, creating the Star-Telegram. Several years later, according to an old biographical sketch by The Associated Press, Carter gained controlling interest of the publishing company. Like other newspapers today, the Star-Telegram has gone through wrenching change. It is currently owned by the McClatchy Co. Carter’s legacy, though, lives on. Among many honors, he has a museum and college football stadium named after him in Fort Worth and a mountain peak — 5,688 feet — in Big Bend National Park.
  Texas Pacific Land Trust, Dallas, 1888
  For 2014, the trust reported the highest net income — $34.7 million — in its 127-year history, largely because of the oil boom. Created during the reorganization of the Texas and Pacific Railway Co., which came to Dallas in 1873, the trust manages and sells property acquired by the railroad through land grants. While the original 3.5 million acres has declined to about 900,000, the trust has a royalty interest in about 3,400 oil and gas wells. The T&P railroad itself was later acquired by Missouri Pacific, which was acquired by Union Pacific, a large rival to BNSF.
  Thompson & Knight, Dallas, 1887
  On its website, the law firm says it grew up with Dallas “in many ways.” Thompson & Knight was founded by William Thompson and R.E.L. Knight, law graduates of the University of Texas. The firm has about 150 partners and offices throughout Texas as well as New York, California and international.
  The Cattleman, Fort Worth, 1914
  One of the oldest publications of its kind in the country, The Cattleman has offered the same basic fare for 101 years. Readers can count on stories about raising cattle, managing their land, preventing livestock illness and fighting theft. Published by the Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association, which was founded in 1877, the magazine has featured work from famed cowboy photographer Erwin Smith, author J. Frank Dobie and John Erickson, creator of the Hank the Cowdog series of books and tapes.
  TracyLocke, Dallas, 1913
  Founded in Oklahoma City by Shelly Tracy and Raymond Locke, the marketing agency moved its headquarters to Dallas in 1917 and became part of Omnicom Group in 1982. Over the years, TracyLocke gave 7-Eleven its name, introduced Borden’s Elsie the Cow and came up with the term “slacks” for Haggar’s casual trousers. Shown above: former CEO and current mayor Mike Rawlings, with microphone, and Tracey-Locke employees celebrate the 75th anniversary.
  TXU Energy, Luminant and Oncor, Dallas, 1882 or so
  The genealogy here gets complicated, indirectly extending back to the Dallas Electric Lighting Co. and the first electric lights in town. Through industry consolidation, regulation and deregulation, foreign expansion and retreat, what had become TXU Corp. was acquired by private equity firms for $45 billion in 2007. Energy Future Holdings, the resulting company, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2014. TXU Energy is the retail electric provider of EFH, Luminant the wholesale electric generation provider, and Oncor the regulated transmission and distribution utility.   

Gary Jacobson/ Dallas Morning News

School Board approves 2% pay increase for all HPISD employees

The HPISD Board of Trustees approved an overall average pay increase of 2 percent for all employees today during a called meeting. The increase will take effect for the 2015-16 school year.

"The Trustees are pleased to approve a pay increase for our faculty and staff," HPISD School Board President Joe Taylor said. "In addition to allowing the district to maintain competitive salaries, this pay increase will help attract and retain talented employees who are committed to educational excellence."

This is the fourth consecutive year the Board has approved an overall pay increase. 

HPISD Assistant Superintendent for Business Services Tim Turner expressed his gratitude to district leaders and to the community for their support.

"HPISD appreciates our supportive community," Turner said. "Contributions from private donors make up 10 percent of our annual budget. Their generosity not only makes this raise possible, but also helps fund the excellent educational program for our students."

Highland Park ISD’s new superintendent will make $325,000 per year

Trustees for Highland Park ISD have made it official: They’ve hired Tom Trigg, a Kansas educator, to be the school district’s new superintendent.

Trigg, 62, signed a four-year contract on Monday for his role with the suburban school district, which covers all of University Park, most of Highland Park and parts of Dallas. He is the superintendent of Blue Valley Schools, a high-performing suburban district in Overland Park, Kan., which is about 12 miles southwest of Kansas City, Mo.

Trigg will make $325,000 per year, including a $5,000 annual stipend he’ll receive because he has a doctoral degree. He will get a car allowance of $1,000 per month and a technology allowance of $150 per month.

Highland Park ISD will also pay Trigg up to $20,000 for relocation expenses and cover realtor fees for Trigg to sell his home in Kansas and buy a new one in Texas.

As a condition of his contract, Trigg must live in the school district. He will receive a $1.2 million, interest-free loan from the district to pay for his home. He must pay back the money within four months of his contract’s expiration.

He will earn a higher salary than the former Highland Park ISD superintendent and the current superintendent of Dallas ISD, a district with many more students. Dallas ISD Superintendent Mike Miles makes an annual base salary of $300,000.

Dallas ISD’s enrollment was 160,253 students this past school year, compared to Highland Park ISD’s enrollment of about 7,000 students.

Dawson Orr, who Trigg will succeed, made an annual salary of $260,818. He left the district to be a professor and department chair at SMU’s Simmons School of Education and Human Development.

Trigg was named the lone finalist on June 1. State law requires a 21-day waiting period before school districts hire a superintendent.   

Melissa Repko/ Dallas Morning News

KT Burger Open In Highland Park Village, Five Creeks Opening Soon

Dallas has another burger offering, this time it is in Highland Park Village with the recent opening of KT Burger, which is adjacent to the theater. We made a pit stop to check out the burger and the new digs on a Monday evening and found a packed house bustling with burger eaters, families, and generally a happy crowd (we asked).

The burger is wonderfully basic, made with an 80/20 grind, lettuce, tomato, onions, pickles and mustard, which is the way every great Texan would dress their burger. Of course you may have it prepped your way. We added a side of the house-made venison chili for an extra bite and found this to be a great choice.  In addition to a pretty damned good burger KT offers a selection of sandwiches, hearty salads, brats and dogs, and a few tacos. Do not miss either the sturdy hand cut fries or onion rings. Both are a great choice.  

We also enjoyed the ahi tuna burger which is marinated in gentle spice for a few hours, then seared for just a moment. We loved this “burger” and will be back soon for another round.

There is a large selection of beer, both draft and bottled, but no real local brews unless you consider Austin or Shiner local. The bottles are displayed in cold chests that can be accessed as you make your way to the counter to order. If beer isn’t your thing, of course you have wine, soft drinks, and a pretty cute milkshake station located at the theater entry way. The shakes have actually been a huge success and not to be missed. Having the shakes located near the theater entrance allows the public to make a pit stop in just for a shake, bypassing burgers and fries should that be your game plan.

We chatted up the newly appointed food director for KT Burger, which also includes all Katy Trail Ice Houses, and the soon to open Five Creeks Tavern which will be located just above KT Burger in Highland Park Village.  Eduardo Flores may be a name that sounds familiar, we did a few stories on him in the past when we tasted the BBQ at Katy Trail. He is a formidable pitmaster, and made the easy transition to his director position.

We were interested interested in hearing more about Five Creeks. The name is taken from the five creeks that run into Turtle Creek. The day we visited they were installing a wood burning oven upstairs, and plan on doing certified Neapolitan-style pizzas. Flores took a short sabbatical to California to learn the pizza trade, and feels comfortable with that popular style now. In the same set of classes he was taught to make homemade mozzarella and ricotta cheeses, so you can bet those will be part of the Five Creeks menu.  

Flores told us that he plans on making fresh house-made pastas. He also has ideas on a slew of great appetizers, many with a seafood bent.

Look for Five Creeks to have 16 wines on tap, along with 12 beers and a full bar.

Flores gave us a tour of the Five Creeks space, and from the looks of the progress that restaurant should be open within the next few months. Flores assured us that the price point will be comfortable for all, giving the neighborhood a spot to check out several times a week and still enjoy plenty of options.

HPISD names superintendent finalist

The Highland Park ISD Board of Trustees named Dr. Tom Trigg as the lone finalist for superintendent at a called meeting today.

Trigg, who is currently serving as superintendent in Blue Valley Schools in Overland Park, Kansas, has earned a national reputation as an outstanding education leader.

"Dr. Trigg is an educational leader and team-builder of the highest caliber," HPISD School Board President Joe Taylor said. "He has an impressive track record of working within a high-performing district to build on existing excellence while developing innovative educational programs to inspire students to both academic success and personal growth."

Dr. Trigg was featured as one of Education Week's 2015 Leaders to Learn From, where he earned accolades for bringing valuable career experiences to students by partnering with the business community. He was also named the 2011 Kansas Superintendent of the Year and one of four finalists for the National Superintendent of the Year.

"I am humbled and honored that the Highland Park Board of Trustees has asked me to join their leadership team," Dr. Trigg said. "I am extremely impressed with Highland Park's unyielding commitment to its students. I am excited to join a district that is committed to excellence, and I look forward to building relationships with the talented students, passionate educators, engaged families and supportive community."    

Dr. Trigg served as superintendent at Blue Valley Schools for 11 years. Before being promoted to superintendent, he served as assistant superintendent of administrative services for eight years. He was also assistant superintendent and high school principal in Gardner Edgerton Antioch School District in Gardner, Kansas, and also a mathematics instructor and athletic coach in Shawnee Mission School District in Overland Park, Kansas. Dr. Trigg received his doctorate from the University of Kansas, his master's degree in educational administration from Emporia State University, and his bachelor's degree in mathematics and physical education from Ottawa University.

Dr. Trigg's community involvement is also strongly evident in his leadership roles with the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce Superintendents' Forum, the Overland Park Chamber of Commerce, the Metropolitan Organization to Combat Sexual Assault, and United Community Services.

Dr. Trigg's wife, Julie, is a Spanish teacher. The Triggs have three children: Amanda, Whitney and Aaron. Amanda, a pediatrician, and her husband Steve, an obstetrician, reside in Amarillo, Texas with their daughter, Elizabeth. Whitney, a territory manager for a national pharmaceutical company, and her husband Cody, an Industrial Technology teacher and coach, reside in Johnson County, Kansas. Aaron is an athletic director and basketball coach in Scottsdale, Arizona.

The district will make a final announcement following the 21-day waiting period required by state law.

Goody Goody partners with Boston startup to provide 1-hour liquor delivery

Goody Goody Liquors soon will offer online and mobile delivery service to customers in several parts of Dallas.

The company has partnered with Boston-basedDrizly to begin the service, which will bring orders to customers' doors in less than an hour. Service, which begins June 11, initially will be available in downtown Dallas, West End, Deep Ellum, Oak Lawn, Uptown, Knox/Henderson, Highland Park, University Park, Lower Greenville, Preston Hollow and Lake Highlands.  

“We’re trying to keep up with the times and provide customers with the services they want,” said Armando Gonzalez, Goody Goody’s marketing manager, adding that the request on-demand services are on the rise. “It seems like a fantastic opportunity for us to branch out into a new vehicle of revenue.”  

The Dallas-based liquor company initially will be delivering from its Oak Lawn and Greenville stores but could expand the app to include more stores and more delivery areas based on demand, Gonzalez said. Customers pay for the product at its in-store rate, plus a $5 delivery service charge. The minimum purchase price for delivery is $20. As part of the launch, Drizly is offering free delivery for all orders through June 25 with the promotion code HELLODALLAS.

Dallas is the second market in Texas and 15th in the nation to offer Drizly. The app moved into Austin about eight months ago.

“We look for places where apps are succeeding and highly densely populated areas,” said Bryan Goodwin, Drizly’s vice president of retail partnerships. “It (Dallas) was a pretty logical next step for us, and we’re very excited about it.”

Goody Goody will pay Drizly through a tiered payment process based on the number of sales they close through the app. So Drizly only makes money if Goody Goody is making money.  

“There really is no harm financially for us in any way shape or form,” Gonzalez said, adding that Goody Goody hasn’t laid out any expectations for the app service. “If we were to design our own app, there’d be a development cost, time for setup, etc. That, of course, would be a huge blow for us.”

Goody Goody expects to use Drizly to compete with similar apps that have made their way into the Dallas market. After all, Goody Goody chose Drizly out of a pool of candidates that had approached the company pitching a similar service. None of them were locally based.

Beyond the fact that Drizly does not include surge pricing, Goody Goody considers Drizly as an extension of its in-store service as Goody Goody employees will make all deliveries.

Drizly, which was founded in 2012, said the biggest challenge will be getting the word out.

“Once people try the service, understand and appreciate it, then people will continue to come back,” Goodwin said. “We don’t anticipate Dallas will be any different.”  

Danielle Abril/ Dallas Business Journal 

Police seek ID of woman seen stealing TVs from hotel near Park Cities

Dallas police are seeking help identifying a woman suspected of stealing two televisions Saturday from a hotel.

The woman can be seen in surveillance footage carrying a TV wrapped in bed sheets and another in a large canvas bed out of a hotel in the 5900 block of Luther Lane. She is described as a white woman in her mid to late 20s with brown hair, police said.

The suspect has a tattoo on her right shoulder and another circling her right wrist. She was seen wearing a white tank top, jeans and black shoes at the time of the theft, police said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Dallas police at 214-671-8066 or Crime Stoppers at 214-373-8477.  

Tasha Tsiaperas/ Dallas Morning News 

Newly formed Highland Park target team rapidly growing

For fun, Buzz Shike gathers with friends at the gun range to shoot clay targets.

He’s been tagging along with his dad on hunting trips in the Texas Hill Country since he was around 4 years old. Now, as a member of the Highland Park Competitive Target Team, Shike is on a path that could take him to the Olympics.

The team, which became an official club at Highland Park High School this past school year, consists of boys and girls in seventh through 12th grades. Some, like Shike, shoot competitively, while others participate recreationally.

Separate from club activities, Shike is competing in the USAS Shotgun National Championships this week, which is one step on his journey to be considered for the 2016 Olympics.

For the Highland Park team, students focus on three main shotgun target disciplines: sporting clay, American skeet and American trap.

Shike said he prefers sporting clay, which requires competitors to shoot 100 biodegradable clay targets at varying distances and launch points. American skeet and American trap have set courses.

“American trap and skeet, they are based on shooting perfectly,” Shike said. “On sporting clays, you can get by on missing 10 targets and still win the whole thing.”

Shike and other teammates have received finishes in the top five this season. Coach John Calandro said he’s hoping for more top scores and maybe a top-10 placement for his team at the Youth Target Foundation State Championship in San Antonio this month.

Getting started

Calandro, a 2006 Highland Park grad, shot competitively as an individual in high school, but at that point there wasn’t a school team for him to join.

In the time since he graduated from high school, the sport has gained popularity among young people.

The Lewisville-based YTF, of which the Highland Park team is a member, started with one team in 2007. Now it has about 500 registered youth teams across the state.

“We are the fastest growing area in the country for high school clay target sports,” said YTF national youth director Sean McLelland.

Since clay target shooting doesn’t fall under the University Interscholastic League, McLelland considers YTF as the governing body for the sport in Texas. It helps set up teams and hosts competitions throughout the state.

The Highland Park team has experienced considerable growth in its short existence. Calandro said he started with a handful of kids last school year, and now there are 40 members.

But building a new organization brings challenges.

Team members must pay their own expenses, which can run as high as $6,000 a year for things such as a gun, ammunition, clay targets and contest fees, Calandro said.

Calandro hopes to get to a point where some of that can be paid for, but as a fledgling group it isn’t there yet, he said. The team scheduled a fundraiser in early May to help alleviate some of those costs, but rains caused the event to be canceled.

The area’s extended period of bad weather has also put the team out of a practice facility.

Along with other area clubs, Highland Park practices at Elm Fork Shooting Sports in northwest Dallas. Flooding closed down the facility, and it will likely not reopen until the end of June.

The next closest public range with shotgun clay shooting is in Decatur, which would likely be too far to drive for weekly practices.

Having an accessible place to practice can really make a difference, especially since most of the kids are new to the sport.

“It’s a practice-makes-perfect kind of sport, so you got to keep doing it and keep doing it to iron out all the kinks,” Calandro said.

Safety first

Once the team gets back into action, its No. 1 priority will continue to be safety, Calandro said.

Before competing, members must take a gun-handling safety course, and before each competition, there’s usually a briefing to make sure participants remain mindful.

Buzz Shike’s dad, Paul, said that in addition to picking up life skills, shooting competitively has helped teach his son the responsibilities of handling a gun.

“I don’t fear guns around my son because he’s been taught. He knows what they are, how to handle them. He knows what to do,” Paul Shike said.

In addition to Calandro, there are two other coaches and a number of parents who help supervise the students during practices.

Along with drilling students on safety, Calandro hopes he instills in them an appreciation for the sport that they can pass down to future generations.

“Some will go shoot for a couple of years. For others, it will be a whole lifetime of shooting,” Calandro said.  

CLAY TARGET SHOOTING

• The clay target is sometimes called a bird, but it looks nothing like one. Instead, it’s more of an inverted Frisbee.

• The target is not actually made of clay. Instead, some use a mixture of pitch and pulverized limestone or biodegradable materials.

• The average size of a target is 120 millimeters, but sizes can vary.

• In order to score a point, participants must pierce the target, causing a piece of it to break off.  

Heather Noel/ Dallas Morning News 

The Trains at NorthPark Kicks Off at LUBLU

The Trains at NorthPark 2015 co-chairs, April Cook and Jennifer Tobin, kicked off this year’s major holiday fundraiser at Kira Plastinina’s LUBLU boutique in the Plaza at Preston Center on May 13. Guests sipped and shopped Plastinina’s gorgeous, ultra-feminine designs and beautiful fine jewelry from Paolo Costagli with a percentage of proceeds benefiting the House. While shopping, they noshed on R+D Kitchen’s delectable delights and sipped festive beverages. The Trains at NorthPark is the largest fundraiser benefiting the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas.

During the remarks, Jill Cumnock, CEO of Ronald McDonald House of Dallas, told about a family whose two-year-old daughter was critically injured in a car accident that also injured her five-year-old brother in mid-February. She was not expected to make it, but is now doing well and in daily physical therapy at Children’s Health while her family is being cared for at the House, thanks to the funds raised. “Every dollar raised helps us keep the doors open to help families like these.”

Tobin announced that Bank of Texas was returning for its seventh year as presenting sponsor. She also thanked the committee, the sponsors and the board members and announced the dates for this year’s exhibit: Nov. 21, 2015 through Jan. 3, 2016. The location will be on Level Two next to Nordstrom.

Pat Brockette, Senior Vice President of Corporate Banking for Bank of Texas, said, “Bank of Texas is pleased to once again be presenting sponsor of The Trains at NorthPark. The important work that the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas does in the community helps these children heal and helps keep the families intact during a difficult time in their lives.”

Serving as Honorary Chairmen for 2015 are Carolyn and Karl Rathjen, M.D. Dr. Rathjen has treated many children whose families stay at the House.  

The most elaborate miniature toy trains exhibit in Texas, The Trains at NorthPark includes locomotives rolling across multiple tracks on a journey across America marked by memorable landmarks. More than 60,000 visitors enjoy The Trains at NorthPark each season, which is one of Dallas’ most cherished family holiday traditions.

For those interested in underwriting and supporting The Trains at NorthPark, contact Diane Fullingim, Chief Development Officer at the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas, at 214.624.5365 ordfullingim@rmhdallas.org. Established in 1981, the House has served as a home-away-from-home for more than 36,000 families of seriously ill or injured children who have traveled to Dallas seeking medical treatment in area hospitals. By providing a caring, supportive, home-like environment, the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas keeps the family intact and helps allow a family to establish a normal routine in the midst of crisis. It also provides families with the opportunity to share their concerns with other families in similar circumstances. For more information, visithttp://www.rmhdallas.org/ or call 214.631.7354.

UP Police Blotter: GMC Vehicles Targeted Again for Wheel/Tire Theft

JUNE 1

FRAUDULENT USE/POSSESSION OF IDENTIFYING INFO

A 47-year-old resident in the 2600 block of Rosedale Avenue reported that an unknown suspect used his information to rent a vehicle from Avis without his permission sometime between April 17 and June 1. As of June 1, the vehicle had not been returned to Avis.

BURGLARY OF VEHICLE

A 59-year-old resident reported that an unknown suspect broke into his 2008 Jeep Wrangler and stole property sometime between May 23 and June 1 in the 3200 block of Lovers Lane.

FRAUDULENT USE/POSSESSION OF IDENTIFYING INFO

A 40-year-old resident in the 4100 block of Amherst Street reported that an unknown suspect opened credit cards in his name sometime prior to June 1.

JUNE 2

THEFT OF PROPERTY

A 67-year-old resident reported that approximately $3,000 cash, a Louis Vuitton purse and a necklace, valued at $15,000, were stolen from his residence sometime between Dec. 15, 2014 and June 2, 2015 in the 2900 block of Daniel Avenue.

FRAUDULENT USE/POSSESSION OF IDENTIFYING INFO

A 46-year-old resident in the 3400 block of Potomac Avenue reported that a known suspect used her information to open an account sometime between May 25 and June 2.

JUNE 4

THEFT OF PROPERTY

A 41-year-old resident reported that all four wheels and tires were stolen from his 2015 GMC Yukon Denali between 10:30 p.m. and 7 a.m. in the 3900 block of Bryn Mawr Drive.

THEFT OF PROPERTY

A 42-year-old resident reported that all four wheels and tires were stolen from his 2015 GMC Yukon Denali between 10:00 p.m. and 7 a.m. in the 3900 block of Southwestern Boulevard.

FRAUDULENT USE/POSSESSION OF IDENTIFYING INFO

A 41-year-old resident in the 2800 block of University Boulevard reported that an unknown suspect filed a 2013 federal tax return using his information without his permission sometime prior to June 4.

FRAUDULENT USE/POSSESSION OF IDENTIFYING INFO

A 36-year-old resident in the 3300 block of Bryn Mawr Drive reported that an unknown suspect used her information to obtain credit between May 27 and June 4.

JUNE 5

FRAUDULENT USE/POSSESSION OF IDENTIFYING INFO

A 50-year-old resident and a 49-year-old resident in the 2900 block of Rosedale Avenue reported that an unknown suspect tried to file a joint tax return using their information sometime between Dec. 31, 2014 and June 3, 2015.

CREDIT CARD OR DEBIT CARD ABUSE

A 50-year-old non-resident reported that an unknown suspect attempted to use a fake copy of his credit card six different times in the City of University Park prior to June 5.

JUNE 7

BURGLARY OF BUILDING

A 46-year-old non-resident reported that unknown suspects were able to gain entry into a place of business between 2:56 a.m. and 3:01 a.m. in the 6900 block of Preston Road. No property was reported stolen.

IMPROPER PHOTO/VISUAL RECORDING

A 46-year-old resident reported that a hidden camera was found in her bedroom, potentially placed by a known suspect sometime between June 3 and June 7 in the 3400 block of Potomac Avenue.

INTERFERENCE WITH CHILD CUSTODY

A 34-year-old resident in the 3500 block of Asbury Avenue reported that her child’s father refused to bring the child back to her at the end of his visitation.

BURGLARY OF VEHICLE

A 20-year-old non-resident reported that an unknown suspect stole her purse from the front seat of her vehicle while she was pumping gas at 7:40 p.m. in the 8400 block of Preston Road. 

All information provided by UPPD.  

Sarah Griffith/  Park Cities BubbleLife