February Denton Business Chronicle 2017

DENTON February 2017

Business

CHRONICLE

www.dentonbusinesschronicle.com

Garbage in, geeking out

Photos by Jeff Woo

Two workers discuss garbage Friday at the landfill at Denton’s ECO-W.E.R.C.S. Resource Recovery Park.

Environmental awareness part of plan as international students visit landfill

By Matt Payne | Staff Writer enton’s home to a load of garbage.

And the landfill that garbage fills at ECO-W.E.R.C.S. Resource Recovery Park is no joke.

Processing nearly 8,100 tons of waste from more than 29,000 homes in 2016, according to its website, the city’s solid waste and recycling department is just one local group to double down on environmental friendliness and capitalize on renewable resources.

From Jan. 16-27, Denton’s solid waste department hosted 38 students representing 30 countries admitted into the city’s second International Solid Waste Training.

The two-week program featured hands-on maintenance of Denton’s landfill incorporated with research and study at the University of Texas at Arlington. International Solid

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A crane places garbage into a machine that removes non-wood materials Friday at the Denton landfill.

Waste Training is a collaboration between UTA, Denton and the International Solid Waste Association, based in Vienna.

Sahadat Hossain, a professor of geotechnical engineering at UTA and member of an ISWA work group, vied to bring the program to Denton for the first time in Janaury 2016, boasting the efficiency of Denton’s landfill and a good relationship between the department and the university.

“One of our missions is to bring the young out into solid waste careers,” Hossain said. “We want to train them so they can go back and do things for their countries.”

With so many countries represented, Hossain said there have been no language barriers. Rather, RESOURCES | CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

Pilots union leaders blast American CEO

By David Koenig | AP Airlines Writer

By Jenna Duncan | Staff Writer Denton’s got a new natural foods store: Green Foods Nutrition at 405 Fort Worth Drive. Its official grand opening is set for Friday, the shelves are filling up with natural supplements and non-GMO foods, and it’s working to provide events in

the space.

WinCo Distribution Center is here and operational. The 800,000square-foot center is receiving trucks for the first time today, to be loaded with fresh produce and goods and delivered across North Texas to DUNCAN | CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

DALLAS — Support from labor unions was critical when Doug Parker’s US Airways forced a merger with American Airlines, but now the CEO of the world’s biggest airline is under fire from unions unhappy about pay that lags rates at rival Delta.

Leaders of the pilots union say they have lost confidence in the ability of Parker and senior executives to lead the airline. Flight attendants picketed Tuesday at company headquarters in Fort Worth and three big airports.

The unions are complaining about lower pay and profit sharing than counterparts at Delta Air Lines.

Delta said it will pay about $1.1 billion to employees as their share of the company’s 2016 profit. American set aside $314 million.

American says it has increased wages and benefits by $3.5 billion

Tony Gutierrez/AP file photo

US Airways CEO Doug Parker responds to a reporter’s question at AMR headquarters Dec. 4, 2013, in Fort Worth. since its 2013 merger with US Airways.

Airlines have become hugely profitable in recent years after a string of mergers. Parker has pledged

that American will provide industryleading pay when contracts come up for renegotiation, but that isn’t until AMERICAN | CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

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Enterprising Voices

Hiring marketing firm a long-term partnership can’t tell you how often we come across this scenario: A client comes to us with their marketing in tatters (or dormant, on fire or nonexistent). They need help badly because their marketing has fallen into neglect (or into a black hole). So we patch ’em up and give them a fancy new website, an awesome brochure or a strategy for future marketing.

We delineate ongoing tactics that support that strategy.

We tell them exactly what needs to be done, we look at how they’ve been doing on marketing (they’ve usually been doing zilch), and we discuss the various ways we can help them get back on top of their marketing — and stay there.

They politely decline, take the thing we made them, and walk away. Then three months go by. Maybe six months.

Maybe even a year. And suddenly, they’re back at my door with another marketing fire on their hands. Or maybe their business is starting to take a turn for the worse and they need an infusion of marketing help fast.

I think to myself: “If only you’d listened ... If only you had taken my advice, invested in this partnership or at the very least leveled up your own marketing team, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. You wouldn’t be standing here with your hat in your hand and your marketing running around in the background with its hair on fire.”

But you know what? I get it. I totally understand why this happens.

Working with a marketing firm is a partnership

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Heather STEELE | COMMENTARY

Marketing often seems like the lowest priority on the totem pole of “fires that need to be dealt with right now or we all die.” (Not really, but as a business owner myself, sometimes everything seems like an emergency above my own marketing — and I know better.)

This is because nothing bad happens immediately when our marketing isn’t up to snuff. It takes time to fall apart. Unfortunately, it’s just not something you can do once and walk away.

Marketing isn’t a one-off purchase And it never should be.

Marketing is something you do continuously — all the time, without breaks. It’s not even like maintenance on your car; it’s like your steering wheel. If you take your hand off, even for a little while, the car starts to get a lot more familiar with the guardrail than you’d like it to be.

But most folks treat their marketing like an oil change — something that can be done once and ignored for three months, something that can be put off for six months before they really have to worry about it, something that just about anybody can do.

It’s an ongoing relationship, and like any relationship, it requires work, investment and time.

And, just like any relationship, if you’re putting in the work, time and investment required, you’re paid dividends.

Our most successful clients know one thing: They don’t have the time, expertise or manpower to do what we do.

They realize that investing in their own in-house marketing firm is not only a huge undertaking, it’s something that can easily fail if the right people aren’t hired. And they realize that working with experts and letting them take the reins is easier, more effective, less time-consuming and more cost-effective in the long run.

This applies to all marketing firms I’m not trying to sell you on our services. If I wanted to do that, I could find easier ways than writing an article in the Denton Record-Chronicle — like maybe just paying for an ad instead of giving you my knowledge.

I’m trying to help you see the truth about your own marketing. Because I’m willing to bet that about half of you reading right now are thinking, “Dang, I think my marketing may be the on-fire type she mentioned earlier.”

Frankly, I don’t care who you pick to do your marketing — there are plenty of businesses out there for everyone.

Instead, I want you to act in a very informed, conscious manner when thinking about

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how to improve your marketing. I want you to find someone to help you put that fire out and keep it out — for good.

I want you to understand that you need to view working with a marketing firm as a partnership — not a one-off, not an oil change, not a set-itand-forget-it auto-pay feature.

A partnership, a relationship, a thing you enter into realizing that you need to put in some effort. But also a thing that can pay you incredible dividends in the long term.

Funny thing about experts Experts tend to know what they’re doing.

You’re an expert at what

you do; that’s why you do it.

You’re awesome at it; otherwise, you wouldn’t be where you are now. And you can recognize when someone else knows what they’re doing as well.

Hiring a marketing firm, partnering with them for the long term, and leveraging that relationship to increase your leads, increase your sales, keep customers happy and keep them coming back can only benefit you in the long run.

It helps you avoid those periodic fires, and it ensures that you’ve got someone on your side at all times who’s more worried about your marketing than you are. And it positions you for success.

Biz on the Wire

Calendar of Events

Peugeot owner eyes GM’s Opel

APIs and IPAs, hosted by TechMill, meets every other Tuesday at Harvest House, 331 E. Hickory St., for a techcentered hangout.

Denton County Young Professionals host meetings every Wednesday, except for the first of the month, at Loco Cafe, 603 N. Locust St.

Tuesday, Feb 28, 6:30 p.m.

Tuesday, March 14, 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 15, 7:15 a.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 22, 7:15 a.m.

Wednesday, March 8, 7:15 a.m.

Argyle Planning and Zoning Commission meets the first Tuesday of the month at 308 Denton St.

Denton County Young Professionals will hold a mixer for anybody to meet City Council candidates. This mixer will be at Eastside Denton.

By David McHugh | AP FRANKFURT, Germany — France’s PSA Group, maker of Peugeot and Citroen, says it’s exploring a possible takeover of Opel, General Motors’ money-losing European business.

PSA said Tuesday that it was considering “numerous strategic initiatives” that would expand the existing cooperation, and that a takeover of Opel was one of them.

PSA Group and GM are involved in several joint projects in Europe.

GM said “there can be no assurance that an agreement will be reached.”

Detroit-based GM is weary of having to report losses year after year in Europe, where it last made a full-year profit in 1999 on a pre-tax basis. An outright sale would eliminate the losses; but GM relies on Opel for design work and uses Opel models as the basis for GM models in other markets.

Rebecca Lindland, executive analyst for Kelley Blue Book, said “Opel has been hemorrhaging money for the last 16 years, so hard decisions are on the table in [CEO] Mary Barra’s version of a profitable GM.” Lindland said untangling Opel from GM would not be easy but that “even if GM sells Opel to PSA, I can see a world where both companies continue with existing joint projects long into the future, as these types of engineering collaborations provide vital economies of scale on a local and global basis.”

Combining PSA with Opel and Opel’s British brand Vauxhall would create the second-largest carmaker by market share in Europe, with 16.6 percent of sales according to 2016 figures. The combination would be second only to Volkswagen, with 23.9 percent, and would vault ahead of the Renault-Nissan alliance, which had 13.9 percent.

Being bigger can in theory

Tuesday, March 7, 6:30 p.m.

Denton Black Chamber of Commerce meets the second Tuesday of the month at the Denton Housing Authority, 1225 Wilson St. Tuesday, March 14, 6 p.m.

Martin Meissner/AP

An Opel sits at a Peugeot dealer Tuesday in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. bring per-vehicle cost advantages by spreading fixed costs such as investment in plants and equipment over a larger number of vehicles.

Efraim Levy, an analyst at CFRA Research, said “deeper integration or partnership is more likely in our view than an outright sale” of Opel.

GM and PSA formed an alliance in 2012 in an attempt to make production more efficient. In late 2013, GM announced it was selling its stake, although the two companies continued working on joint vehicle projects. GM will make Citroen’s forthcoming subcompact crossover beginning this year at a plant in Zaragoza, Spain.

Since leaving bankruptcy protection in 2009, GM has lost $5.88 billion before taxes on European operations, according to government regulatory filings.

It had hoped to reach break-even in Europe by now, but last year posted a loss of $257 million despite selling 1.1 million vehicles, and even as GM as a whole turned in a robust profit of $9.4 billion. The company noted that the European operation would have broken even if it had not suffered a $300 million hit from the British vote to leave the European Union. The resulting

plunge in the British pound shrinks the dollar value of earnings from its Vauxhall models in that market.

Barra has underlined the company’s commitment to Opel several times in recent years. But she expressed dissatisfaction with the unexpected loss.

“We aren’t satisfied with these results and the team is focused on mitigating the effect through further cost efficiencies” and new models, Barra said after the earnings update.

GM Chief Financial Officer Chuck Stevens said the company expected only a "relatively flat performance" in Europe this year.

Opel has had some success with the Mokka, which was ahead of the trend toward smaller SUVs. Its mainstay Astra hatchback, which competes with the Volkswagen Golf and Ford Focus, won the European Car of the Year award.

But it lacks larger SUV models that would bring fatter profits.

Metalworker Adam Opel started making sewing machines in 1862 in his hometown of Ruesselsheim, Germany, where the company headquarters is located. Opel added bicycles and then autos in 1899. General Motors bought Adam Opel AG in 1929.

Denton Black Chamber of Commerce will host its 20th annual banquent at the UNT Gateway Center. Tickets are on sale now at www. dentonblackchamberonline. org, and cost $55. For more information, call 940-3829100.

Saturday, March 4, 6:30 p.m.

Denton Chamber of Commerce hosts the Smart Business 101 series regularly for members at the chamber office, 414 W. Parkway St. The event is free to members and $15 for nonmembers.

Tuesday, Feb 28, 11:45 a.m.

Denton Chamber of Commerce hosts a monthly business networking lunch at the Hilton Garden Inn, 3110 Colorado Blvd. Admission is free, and lunch can be purchased from the venue for $13.

Thursday, March 2, 5:30 p.m.

Denton Hispanic Chamber of Commerce holds lead generator luncheons the second Tuesday of the month.

They are at Sidewalk Cafe, 2900 Wind River Lane, and admission is $5 for members and $10 for guests.

Tuesday, March 14, 11:30 a.m.

Denton League of United Latin American Citizens No. 4366 meets the third Saturday of every month at the Denton Senior Center, 509 N. Bell Ave. Saturday, Feb. 18, 9:30 a.m.

Electronics recycling takes place at The Cupboard Natural Foods and Cafe, 200 W. Congress St., the second Saturday of each month. Drop off any computer-related electronics for recycling. Visit www.computercrusher.com for a list of acceptable items and more information.

However, some people can do it themselves. Now, the awesomeness of experts aside, some people are beasts when it comes to running a business, and they can do the marketing stuff themselves.

They generally just need a little guidance.

We recently put out a marketing e-book for just those folks. You can check it out at www.bluesteelesolutions.com /resources/analyze-your-mark eting.

Happy marketing.

HEATHER STEELE is the founder of Blue Steele Solutions. She can be reached at heather@bluesteelesolutions. com.

Lake Cities Chamber of Commerce holds weekly coffee meetings at rotating businesses on Wednesdays.

While some have not been announced, the Feb. 15 meeting will be at Toyota of Denton.

Upcoming locations will be listed at www.lakecities chamber.com/chamber-events.

Wednesday, Feb. 15, 7:15 a.m.

Wednesday, Feb. 22, 7:15 a.m.

Wednesday, March 1, 7:15 a.m.

Little D Open Coffee Club, hosted by TechMill, meets every other Tuesday at West Oak Coffee Bar, 114 W. Oak St., to discuss technology and startups.

Tuesday, Feb. 21, 8 a.m.

Tuesday, March 7, 8 a.m.

NodeSchool Denton, hosted by TechMill, meets every other Saturday at Big Mike’s Coffee, 1306 Hickory St. Saturday, Feb. 18, 2 p.m.

Sanger Chamber of Commerce holds a networking leads luncheon the fourth Wednesday of every month.

RSVP at http://sangertexas. com. This month’s luncheon will be held at the Wal-Mart Distribution Center, 2120 N. Interstate 35.

Wednesday, Feb. 22, noon

Saturday, Feb. 11, 8 a.m.

Friday, March 10, 11:45 a.m.

Who to contact Scott K. Parks Managing Editor 940-566-6879 | sparks@dentonrc.com Jenna Duncan Business Editor 940-566-6889 | jduncan@dentonrc.com Sandra Hammond Advertising Director 940-566-6820 | shammond@dentonrc.com Shawn Reneau Retail Advertising 940-566-6843 | sreneau@dentonrc.com

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Enterprising Voices

Lack of insurance impacts business success Health of Texas women, girls has substantial consequences for state he health of Texas women directly impacts the welfare of our state.

Healthy women create a positive ripple effect for their families and communities. But in Texas, 2.2 million women and girls have no health insurance.

Although that represents a 6 percent decrease since the passage of the Affordable Care Act, at 16 percent it is still the highest rate of uninsured women in the country. Lack of insurance has substantial consequences, not only for the women and girls left without insurance and their families but also for the residents and businesses of Texas.

For uninsured women, illness and accidents pose a serious threat to economic security. Because uninsured people have inadequate access to care and are less likely to receive outpatient or preventative care, they are more likely to be hospitalized for avoidable health problems and experience a decline in overall health.

Outcomes for the uninsured are poorer than for those with insurance. Uninsured women are more likely to forego services because of cost, less likely to have a regular source of care and tend to seek services at a hospital emergency room once a condition is exacerbated. Unaffordable medical bills lead to medical debt, and the inability to pay results in uncompensated care for hospitals and

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Pat DRISCOLL | COMMENTARY

health care providers.

A recent Kellogg study found that for each uninsured person the cost to hospitals is $900 per year. In Texas, nearly $2.4 billion in local property taxes went to pay for uncompensated care for uninsured patients receiving care in hospitals (Dallas Women’s Foundation report “Health Insurance: A Financial Shield for the Unexpected”). This, in turn, cascades to impact the cost of insurance as well as the overall cost of care for everyone in Texas.

Health insurance is the single biggest factor in addressing and decreasing racial and ethnic disparities in the quality of care. A preponderance of evidence from credible research has shown that there is a direct correlation between health insurance and racial/ ethnic disparities in access to health care. Hispanics were significantly less likely than non-Hispanic whites to have a usual source of care, based on lack of access to insurance.

This has obvious implications for Texas.

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Healthy women create a positive ripple effect for their families and communities. Uninsured women are more likely to forego services because of cost, less likely to have a regular source of care and tend to seek services at a hospital emergency room once a condition is exacerbated.

To ignore the significance of health insurance for the women of Texas is to place the overall welfare of the state in jeopardy. The correlation between the health, welfare and economic security of women and the health, welfare and economic security of their families and communities is well documented.

The report provides meaningful policy recommendations that deserve our atten-

tion. Among the areas that can be addressed while the legislature is in session are: ■ Grants to communitybased organizations to assist Texas women to navigate their health insurance and financial assistance obligations; ■ A health insurance option that closes the coverage gaps for low-income adult women and helps retain billions in federal aid in Texas; and

■ A directive to the Texas Department of Insurance to enact and enforce standards for mental health parity in the regulation of insurance plans.

The health of Texas women is fundamental to the ongoing success of our state, and the time to act is now. Our leaders must be familiar with the issues and join in a concerted effort to recognize and implement the solutions necessary to remove barriers to health

insurance in Texas.

The report, “Health Insurance: A Financial Shield for the Unexpected,” is a good place to start.

PAT DRISCOLL is a professor of healthy systems management at Texas Woman’s University. She serves on the Board of Trustees of Health First, a Florida-based nonprofit community health care system.

Biz on the Wire

Smaller firms lag in web security

By Joyce M. Rosenberg | AP Small businesses are lagging behind larger companies in preparedness for attacks on their websites or computer systems. That’s the finding of a survey by Hiscox, an insurance company whose target market in the U.S. is small business.

The survey released last week found that small businesses are less likely to make changes to their cybersecurity systems after an attack. Twenty-nine percent said they did nothing after being attacked, compared to 20 percent of larger companies. Small companies are almost as likely to be attacked — 68 percent of small businesses reported at least one in 12 months, compared to 72 percent of larger businesses.

Two key reasons are behind small businesses’ lack of preparedness: money and time.

Many small businesses can’t afford to have employees dedicated to information technology including cybersecurity, and the more sophisticated an anti-cyberattack system is, the more it costs. And owners who focus on getting and working with customers may keep putting off tasks like ensuring their companies can deter or recover quickly from cyberattacks.

The survey found that smaller companies had costs of $41,334 connected to their largest cyberattack. For companies with 250 or more workers, the costs were $81,322. But a larger revenue stream made it easier for larger businesses to absorb those costs.

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Enterprising Voices

SBA loves Denton County’s small businesses t is exciting when a new business opens in Denton County, and we love it because it strengthens both the community and the economy.

The latest U.S. Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy stats show small firm openings have accounted for 40 percent of the “new” American jobs over the last two decades.

During the first quarter of fiscal 2017, the SBA approved 64 loans for $30 million to Denton County small businesses. Twenty-nine loans for $11 million went to startup firms, creating 177 jobs and retaining 89 jobs.

The loans funded a startup car wash, a brand-new sub sandwich franchise, a popular new restaurant that serves delicious pastries, a brewery and a day care center, to name a few. Loans to these startups ranged from $5,000 to $3.4 million during the first quarter, with an average loan size of $386,062.

Entrepreneurs are an exciting and inspiring population, and it’s hard not to love them.

They demonstrate courage, creativity, resilience and stubborn optimism.

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Herbert AUSTIN | COMMENTARY

Think about it. When men and women light up the “open for business” sign, they already have conquered the first major obstacle to success — getting started. Startup entrepreneurs exude a sense of pride and accomplishment; however, these same characteristics also are true of those who continue to survive in business after a few years.

About 80 percent of establishments started in 2014 survived until 2015 — the highest share since 2005, according to SBA stats. About half of all establishments survive five years or longer.

These numbers are important because at SBA we love it when businesses get started and we love it when businesses grow. Ensuring success is our goal.

So far this fiscal year, the SBA has approved $18 million in loans to 35 established and growing small businesses in Denton County to help them expand. These loans range from $25,000 to $3.8 million, with an average loan size of $537,806, and helped create 76 jobs and retain 172 jobs.

The SBA loans were approved for firms including a landscape business, local pharmacies, a furniture store, an auto shop, a physical therapy business and a manufacturing company.

Although the SBA has grown and evolved in the years since it was established in 1953, the bottom-line mission remains the same — to help Americans start, build and grow businesses.

If you’re ready to launch a startup or expand, visit www.sba.gov for information and resources, including online classes. Connect with local resource partners by visiting www.sba.gov/tools/localassistance. Simply plug in your ZIP code for a list of nearby counselors and workshops.

If you’re ready to apply for small business capital, you can start at www.sba.gov/tools/

Tomas Gonzalez/DRC

Customers watch the Super Bowl at Dan’s Silverleaf on Feb. 5 in Denton. linc. The LINC (Leveraging Information and Networks to access Capital) program is an online referral tool to connect small business borrowers with participating SBA lenders.

Prospective LINC borrowers complete a short questionnaire. The responses are forwarded to participating SBA lenders that operate within

the small business’s county. If lenders are interested in the referral, the lender’s and prospective borrower’s contact information is exchanged. You also can call the Dallas-Fort Worth District office at 817684-5000 for assistance.

Visit, support, tweet and post on Facebook or Instagram about your favorite

Denton County small business.

HERBERT AUSTIN serves as the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Dallas-Fort Worth District director and oversees the agency’s programs and services in 72 Texas counties, including Denton, Tarrant and Dallas.

Bush speech to highlight Denton County Days exas Land Commissioner George P. Bush will be the featured speaker during the Denton County Days luncheon March 1 in Austin.

The luncheon is the final component of several events associated with Denton County Days in Austin, which has been coordinated by the Denton Chamber of Commerce in conjunction with every regular session of the Legislature since 1987.

All elected members of

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Chuck CARPENTER | COMMENTARY

both legislative houses, as well as key state officials, will be invited to a special reception

the evening of Tuesday, Feb. 28. Denton County Days participants will have an opportunity to meet and discuss pertinent issues with the state’s top leadership.

The six-person Denton County legislative delegation will give a brief update and be honored at breakfast March 1.

Denton County is represented by two state Senate districts and four state House districts.

We’ll have multiple teams making visits with pertinent legislative offices to personally

deliver joint position statements. Although they will be advocating different topics, each of these teams will be made up of representatives from the chamber, city of Denton, Denton school district, United Way, the University of North Texas, Texas Woman’s University and North Central Texas College.

We’ve got additional briefings scheduled with the Texas Education Agency, Texas Department of Transportation, Texas Film Commission and

governor’s office of economic development.

Bush is the grandson of President George H.W. Bush, the son of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and nephew of President George W. Bush.

George P. Bush earned his Juris Doctor at the University of Texas. He practiced with Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP. Bush co-founded St. Augustine Partners LLC, a Fort Worth-based investment firm focused on oil and gas transactions and consulting

for private businesses.

There are obviously many moving parts to Denton County Days, but ultimately it is designed to acquaint the state’s top elected decision makers and key agency officials with the many assets of the county, and heighten the overall image and visibility of North Texas.

CHUCK CARPENTER is president of the Denton Chamber of Commerce. He can be reached at dcoc@ denton-chamber.org.

Business Spotlight

Gun industry seeks to ease restrictions on silencers

By Lisa Marie Pane | AP ATLANTA — They are the stuff of legend, wielded by hit men and by James Bond. For decades, buying a silencer for a firearm has been as difficult as buying a machine gun, requiring a background check that can take close to a year.

Now, emboldened by the election of Donald Trump as president, the industry has renewed a push in Congress to ease those restrictions, arguing that it’ll help preserve the hearing of gun users.

“We look at this as a Second Amendment issue. We look at it as a health issue,” said Erich Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America. “The decibel level of a fired gun, even the lowly .22-caliber, can cause hearing damage.”

Since the 1930s, silencers have been regulated under the National Firearms Act, facing the same paperwork, $200 tax and background checks required to buy a machine gun.

A background check to buy most firearms must be completed within three days, or the sale automatically goes through. But the process for a silencer and weapons regulated under the NFA can take eight months or more. Each silencer carries a serial number that can be tracked. Eight states outlaw the sale or possession of silencers.

Despite the barriers, silencers have gained in popularity.

In 2008, when West Valley City, Utah, based SilencerCo was formed, about 18,000 silencers were being sold each year by the entire industry.

These days the company, which has 70 percent of the

Ed Turner, owner of Ed’s Public Safety, has scaled back the number of silencers he carries because of the hassle of buying one.

Photos by Lisa Marie Pane/AP

A silencer is displayed Jan. 31 at Ed’s Public Safety gun shop in Stockbridge, Ga. For decades, buying a silencer has been as difficult as buying a machine gun, requiring a background check that can take close to a year. market, sells that many each month.

One of its founders, CEO Josh Waldron, said he suffers hearing loss and still deals with a ringing in his ears from when he went hunting for mule deer as a teen with his father’s .243 rifle.

Waldron and other advocates say one of the biggest benefits is for hunters who need to be able to hear what’s around them and detect the movements of prey — something made more difficult if they’re wearing ear protection.

“You need your senses when you’re hunting,” Waldron said while attending this year’s gun industry SHOT Show convention in Las Vegas. “What this is doing is taking the hearing protection that one would wear off your

head and putting it on your gun.”

Silencers, more technically called suppressors and nicknamed “cans,” were invented in the early 1900s by MITeducated Hiram Percy Maxim, who also invented a muffler for gasoline engines. They were brought under NFA regulations after Depressionera game wardens were concerned hunters would use them to poach.

Advocates say it’s misleading to call them silencers because they don’t mute the noise a gunshot makes so much as muffle it. They cringe at the images fed by Hollywood that show them as a tool of assassins and others looking to kill people without detection.

“It’s only in the movies

where you put on a suppressor — or as they call them in the movies, a silencer — and all you hear is ‘pfff.’ That’s not real life,” Pratt said.

U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan, a Republican from South Carolina, is a sponsor of the Hearing Protection Act, the latest attempt to pass such legislation. It’s previously been met with resistance, especially under President Barack Obama and among Democratic Party lawmakers who view it as a gun-promotion issue.

It doesn’t hurt now that Trump’s son Donald met with SilencerCo and was videoed trying out its products.

“I’m cautiously optimistic,” Duncan said. “Don Jr., who is an avid hunter himself, has come out in favor of this particular legislation. And so he

gets it. That gives us a little bit of juice within the White House and the executive branch. And hopefully we can tap that energy and have it transfer over to the legislative branch.”

Suppressors generally lower the sound level by 20 to 35 decibels, leaving most guns still louder than your average ambulance siren.

Critics say efforts to ease the restrictions will allow more criminals to use them and will make it difficult to detect when and where a shooting is taking place. There aren’t many cases to point to in which a silencer was used during a crime. Gun-control advocates say that shows that tightly regulating them is working, while the gun industry says it’s more an indication that criminals aren’t apt to use them even if restrictions are eased.

Lindsay Nichols, senior attorney with the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence,

scoffs at the idea that making it easier to buy a suppressor is motivated by protecting someone’s hearing.

“They’re not about protecting people’s ears. In fact a good pair of ear plugs and ear muffs work just as well as a silencer — and they don’t pose a risk that a criminal is going to use them in a violent crime,” she said, adding: “This is clearly something that I think that a lot of people can see through. They can see this is really about profits for the gun industry.”

Ed Turner, a former police officer and the owner of Ed’s Public Safety, a gun shop in Stockbridge, Georgia, said he’s scaled back the number of silencers he carries because of the hassle of buying one.

“To say that it’s going to enhance a criminal element, I think that’s kind of ludicrous,” Turner said. “Criminals don’t abide by laws anyway. ...

They’re getting them off the street. They’re stolen.”

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Enterprising Voices

Understanding contract boilerplate n the age of the word processor, most contracts are assembled from forms or using a contract one of the parties has used before. Very often at the end of these previous agreements or forms, some boilerplate provisions are included. Sometimes these provisions are a good fit for the new agreement and other times they are not.

If you understand the purpose behind the most used boilerplate provisions, you will be in a better position to make an informed decision about whether they should be included in the contracts you are using or are considering entering into.

Below are brief explanations of some of the most used and important boilerplate provisions:

the work to your subcontractor.

If you have plans to assign your rights and responsibilities under the contract to another entity, be sure this clause allows for it.

I

Governing law/ choice of law Governing law or choice of law provisions determine what law will be used to resolve a contract dispute. This could be relevant to you if the particular contract’s subject matter would be treated more favorably under one state’s laws over another state’s laws.

Generally, the state referenced in this term relates to where the contract will be performed or to the location of the parties to the contract.

If the state referenced is not the state where you reside, find out why that state has been chosen. If you don’t get a clear answer that satisfies you, request that governing law be changed to the state of Texas.

If the contract is to be performed in Texas, having the law of a different state apply to a dispute can add unnecessary cost and uncertainty to resolving the dispute.

Venue/forum selection Venue or forum selection clauses deal with where a suit to resolve a contract dispute may be filed. For example, many contracts drafted for Denton County businesses set the venue in Denton County, where the businesses are located.

Although venue provisions are not always enforceable, generally this means that anyone who files a claim based on the contract must file it in Denton County. Venue clauses can impact you negatively when they require you to litigate in a county or state where your business is not located. Locating and retaining attorneys may be more difficult, and travel to and from the selected forum can greatly increase the costs of the litigation.

Entire agreement/merger Sam BURKE | COMMENTARY

bitration can be faster and less expensive than filing a claim in state or federal court, but this is often not the case.

Arbitration decisions remain private, and arbitration clauses may place limits on traditional aspects of litigation, such as discovery. Unless your contract involves highly technical, industry-specific terms and expertise, generally the benefits of arbitration are not outweighed by the negatives, including increased costs and a very limited ability to appeal a bad decision.

Costs/attorney fees Costs and attorney fee clauses are a way to shift fees to one party to the contract or both parties. Costs can add up during a dispute, so it’s important to know by whom the fees will be paid if they are incurred.

In some cases, the party who claims breach of an agreement can be awarded attorney fees, and generally the party defending against the alleged breach of the agreement cannot recover its fees. However, this can be changed by contract.

Most contract provisions dealing with attorney fees allow the prevailing party to recover its attorney fees. For this reason, generally a prevailing party provision puts the party defending the suit in a better position than they would be in otherwise.

Assignment An assignment clause can either allow you to, or prevent you from, assigning your rights under the contract to another party. This could come into play in a contractor-subcontractor situation.

Let’s say you contract with a commercial business to install new flooring but wish to subcontract that work out to one of your crews. If an assignment clause in the contract prevents you from assigning the work, you may breach the contract if you give

Force majeure A force majeure clause indicates the events that will excuse performance under a contract. Standard force majeure events may include labor strikes, acts of war and extreme weather. Such events should be extremely unlikely to occur. These clauses can be tricky, because parties may insert events that aren’t really force majeure events as a preventative measure against events they can and should reasonably anticipate could impede or prevent the party’s performance.

If you see a force majeure clause, carefully read any provisions that define the term. It may be more or less expansive than you really intend.

Severability A severability clause allows parts of an agreement to be enforced even when some of the agreement terms are found to be unenforceable.

While the intent of these provisions is to prevent the contract from being unenforceable for “technical” reasons (i.e. being found enforceable because some minor part

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of the agreement is unenforceable), these provisions rarely come into play, and can lead to unintended consequences.

For example, they can operate to make an agreement enforceable even when an important promise that benefits you is found unenforceable.

Time is of the essence Generally, when a contract calls for a specific time for performance, the performance due will still be considered timely if performance occurs reasonably soon after the specified time. Many contracts deal with time-sensitive matters.

When a contract specifies “time is of the essence,” the general rule is changed. If time is specified for performance, failure to comply exactly will be a breach of contract. Construction contracts, where missed deadlines can have severe repercussions, often include time-is-of-theessence provisions.

Indemnification An indemnification clause deserves your careful attention. Indemnification clauses are used to protect one party from the actions or negligence of another party or make one party responsible for the other parties’ actions.

Indemnification clauses typically provide that the first party will pay any attorney fees and damages a second party may have to pay as a result of the first party’s actions, but they can also be used to make the first party responsible for attorney fees and costs resulting from the second party’s actions.

Because you cannot control others’ actions, it is important to include this clause when you are performing work jointly with other businesses. Indemnification clauses are very common in service contracts, especially when there are contractors and subcontractors performing the work together.

Indemnification clauses often contain arcane wording and are written in run-on sentences. Read and re-read them until you are sure you understand whose actions you will and will not be responsible for.

Conclusion Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, keep these two things in mind: First, boilerplate is as enforceable as the rest of the contract. Thus, “boilerplate” should not be understood to mean unimportant. Second, there isn’t really any such thing as boilerplate anymore.

Historically, the term boil-

erplate came from the similarity in appearance between curved metal plates used on water boilers and the curved metal pieces that were circulated to printing presses to allow ads and other repetitive material to be printed over and over. Once these plates were produced, they were fixed.

Word processors don’t function this way. What we call boilerplate can be and often is modified when it is reused. For example, the “Attorney’s Fees” section in the contract you see today may not say the same as a similar provision you read last year.

For these reasons, give the boilerplate in the contracts you see the attention it deserves. Read it and try to understand it. If you can’t understand it, ask questions or change it.

Contracts are intended to reflect the contracting parties’ intentions. If you don’t understand any part of a contract, it is not likely to reflect your intentions.

SAMUEL B. BURKE is certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in civil trial law. He can be reached at sburke@ dentonlaw.com or www. dentonlaw.com.

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Arbitration Arbitration clauses take contract disputes out of court and into arbitration. Arbitration clauses waive your right to a jury or bench trial. Ar-

An entire-agreement or merger clause states that the contract is the complete agreement between the parties. The clause is intended to prevent either side from arguing there are any oral or other written agreements that modify or amend the contract.

This clause is important to a contract because without it a party may claim that a conversation modified the terms of the agreement, and in case of a dispute, each party would be able to present evidence of that conversation.

In practice, such a provision only limits evidence of conversations before the written agreement was entered into. For this reason, if there are any promises that were made orally before the written agreement is made, be sure they are included in the written agreement. Otherwise, those promises may end up being unenforceable.

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Business Spotlight

Take these steps if you haven’t gotten your W-2 NerdWallet You’re ready to file your taxes — except for one thing: You’re still awaiting an IRS Form W-2 from an employer.

Each January, companies issue W-2s to inform workers, and Uncle Sam, of the amount of money the worker made during the previous year and how much in income, Social Security and Medicare taxes was withheld. If you file without all of your W-2s, it could delay processing of your return — and the arrival of any refund.

Federal law requires employers to send W-2s to workers by Jan. 31 each year, or a few days later if the end of the month falls on a weekend. If you’re still waiting on your earnings statement, here are six steps you can take.

1. Check your calendar: If you’re expecting a refund, you probably want it as soon as possible. But technically, your employer meets the Jan. 31 delivery date requirement as long as it gets your W-2 in the mail by Jan. 31. If your company didn’t drop your W-2 into a U.S. Postal Service box until the very last day of the month, it could still be on its way to you during the first days of February.

2. Search your email: Many companies now give workers electronic access to company documents, including tax statements. While most won’t actually email your W-2 because of security concerns, they will send you an email notice that you can go to the company’s employee portal and download your earnings statement. If that mes-

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sage hasn’t appeared in your inbox, check your spam folder.

3. Call your company: If you’re well into February and there’s still no W-2 in your email or snail mail box, it’s time to touch base with your company’s payroll or human resources department. Your employer might have a wrong

address for you and your W-2 may have bounced back as undeliverable. In that case, correcting your address and asking your employer to reissue the document can solve the problem.

4. Contact the IRS: If you find yourself deep into February without your W-2, it’s time

to get the IRS involved. If your efforts to get a copy from your employer have proved fruitless, call the IRS toll-free at 800-829-1040.

During that call you’ll need: ■ Your name, address, phone number and Social Security number.

■ Your employer’s name, address and phone number.

■ The dates you worked for the employer.

■ An estimate of your wages and federal income tax withheld last year. Your last pay stub of the tax year should have these amounts. With this information, the IRS will

contact your workplace about the missing tax document.

5. File without a W-2: Filing without a W-2 will slow down processing of your return, but that might be preferable to waiting for your company to get you another copy.

It’s also an option if your employer went out of business and you can’t track it down to request W-2 data. In this case, you can submit a Form 4852, Substitute for Form W-2, Wage and Tax Statement, with your return. This document asks you to estimate your wages and taxes withheld last year. Again, your final pay stub can help provide these figures.

6. Request more time to file: If you want to wait for your official W-2, you may need to request more time to file your tax return. Filing Form 4868 will give you an automatic extension to file your 1040. Specifically, you’ll have an additional six months, giving you until Oct. 16, since the normal Oct. 15 deadline is on a Sunday.

An extension only gives you more time to file your tax forms. It is not an extension to pay any tax you owe. You must estimate how much tax you owe and include that amount with Form 4868. Interest and penalties may apply if you pay less than what you actually owe, so take your estimate seriously.

Regardless of which approach you take, file your return or extension request by April 18. If your official earnings statement arrives after you’ve filed your taxes, you can amend your return to reflect the accurate amount.

Biz on the Wire Now with MillerCoors, profits surge at Molson NEW YORK — Profits at Molson Coors Brewing surged during the fourth quarter, though not as much as industry analysts had expected and sales of Coors Light, its top beer, slipped.

While worldwide beer volume rose 1.2 percent, volume for Coors Light fell 1.9 percent.

It is the first quarter in which the brewer reported results that reflect its complete ownership of MillerCoors and its stable of brands, including Coors Light, Miller Lite and Blue Moon.

There were a lot of onetime costs and charges that, if included, show a $608.1 million loss in the quarter. The largest charge was an impairment charge for the Molson brands in Canada.

The company earned $1.44 billion, or $6.65 per share, during the quarter. Earnings, adjusted for non-recurring gains, were 46 cents per share, while analysts polled by FactSet, on average, expected 88 cents per share.

The beer maker’s revenue doubled to just under $2.47 billion, but that was still short of the $2.56 billion that Wall Street was looking for.

Starbucks to mix coffee, ice cream in test NEW YORK — Starbucks plans to start testing concoctions that mix coffee and ice cream.

The Seattle chain said it will serve “affogato” varieties of hot or cold coffee over ice cream at 100 stores in Orange County, California, starting today, with pricier versions sold at 10 locations with its “reserve” bars.

Spokeswoman Holly Hart Shafer said affogato means “drowned” in Italian. The priciest version is a 12-ounce option that costs $6.45 and mixes cold-brew coffee with ice cream.

— The Associated Press

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Cover Story

Jeff Woo

Various piles of sorted materials are pictured at ECO-W.E.R.C.S. Resource Recovery Park in Denton. At top left is a pile of old concrete set to be recycled. At right is a pile of concrete that has been ground up so it can be reused.

RESOURCES | CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

once students pass a rigorous selection process, the most challenging aspect of the winter academy is getting the students to the U.S. in the first place. Nine of the accepted students nearly didn’t get visas, and each student had to prepare several months in advance before being able to confirm there attendance.

Once the students were in Denton, instructors tailored the curriculum to address each student’s biggest concern over solid waste management they face in their home country.

Nearly all the students brought up the challenge to reduce contaminated water, and how to handle and treat landfills in less-developed countries. A majority of the students came from Eastern countries with higher levels of rainfall than the U.S., resulting in higher amounts of water at risk of contamination.

Denton landfill manager

Jeff Woo

This generator at ECO-W.E.R.C.S. Resource Recovery Park turns methane into electricity.

David Dugger said one major focus of the class was how to properly cover a landfill for rainfall each day, as well as the proper dirt-to-trash ratio for landfills. Though the logistics behind such a setup seem simple, Dugger emphasized the importance of things that can make a large difference in

foreign cities that often hold 5 million people or more in close vicinity.

“It’s a forward-thinking process to work the landfill together when they come here,” Dugger said. “They can see what’s possible for their countries if they moved forward with it.”

For future International Solid Waste Training events in Denton, the solid waste department wants to focus more on sustainable operations, meaning more programs and initiatives to recycle and better manage the tons of waste that pass through the facility.

Dugger and staff consider that an important topic, as they estimate 75 percent of landfill facilities worldwide still use a simple, open-dump operation for disposing of waste that doesn’t focus on renewable efforts.

“We try to make decisions with the ECO-W.E.R.C.S. site that are sustainable instead of unchanging,” Dugger said.

Thinking outside the box Denton-based packaging company Tetra Pak has made a similar commitment to advance its ecofriendliness.

Tetra Pak has pledged that by 2030 the greenhouse gas emissions from its operations will be at least 40 percent lower than in 2015.

Jason Pelz, vice president of environment at Tetra Pak U.S. and Canada, said the

Jeff Woo

A worker removes non-wood material from a pile of wood at the Denton landfill, wher the sorted wood is turned into compost. company has three main talking points in regard to the Denton facility: a larger array of solar panels, possible collaboration with Denton Municipal Electric and power purchase agreements for the electricity the solar array produces.

“For us as a company, sustainability is something important to us, in order to be good stewards to the environment and to grow as a sustainable company,” Pelz said.

“It’s in our DNA to be good to the environment.”

Tetra Pak operates in 130 countries, and each facility is designed to take advantage of its unique surroundings and strives to reduce its carbon footprint. Pelz said that a small number of solar panels have been installed at the Denton location, since Texas weather is often sunny. He added that it’s advantageous

not only for ecofriendliness but for the fact that the price to install the fixtures has gone down.

Tetra Pak’s product also is moving toward becoming more environmentally friendly. Increased recyclable material that goes into the packaging is on the way. Beyond just reducing his company’s carbon footprint, Pelz wants to reduce the carbon footprints of each of the company’s consumers.

“This is just another step in what we think is the right direction,” Pelz said. “It’s not new, nor a new thought process. It’s just a maturation, a growth toward what a company should be to become sustainable for the future.”

MATT PAYNE can be reached at 940-566-6845 and via Twitter at @MattePaper.

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Tetra Pak manufactures cartons in Denton.

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Area Chamber Roundup Aubrey 380 Area Chamber of Commerce

The Aubrey 380 Area Chamber of Commerce recognized Don Richmond, DATCU’s Aubrey branch manager, for serving on the chamber board for seven years.

Happy February!

At our January networking luncheon and annual meeting, the Aubrey 380 Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors recognized three of our members for outstanding service.

Don Richmond, DATCU’s Aubrey branch manager, was recognized for serving on the chamber board for seven years. During that time, Don represented the board as treasurer and president. He leaves the board because of term limits, but vows to remain very active in the chamber.

Diamond T. Arena was named the 2016 business of the year, and Sandi Holt of Winterhaven’s Crowning Touch was named person of the year.

Congratulations, and thank you for your contributions.

Our latest ribbon-cutting was for Born 2 Be Therapeutic Equestrian Center. Congratulations on your recent move to Winterhaven Ranch.

Networking luncheons are held the third Wednesday of each month at 11:30 a.m. at Prairie House Restaurant. The cost is $12 and the public is invited.

Mark your calendar for our 2017 Casino Night on April 29 at Diamond T. Arena. “Bet Your Bucks” it will be a great time!

For information on events or membership, call 940-3659781 or email chamber@aub reycoc.org.

Diamond T. Arena is the Aubrey 380 Area Chamber of Commerce’s business of the year.

Lake Cities Chamber of Commerce

Sandi Holt, right, of Winterhaven’s Crowning Touch is the Aubrey 380 Area Chamber of Commerce’s person of the year.

The Lake Cities Chamber of Commerce has already had a busy and eventful 2017.

Our Wednesday morning coffees were hosted by Good Samaritan Society, Huffines Kia Subaru and Homewood Suites. Our January luncheon was hosted by Gallery Custom Homes, and our speakers were city officials from Corinth, Hickory Creek and Lake Dallas. On Jan. 26, one of our newest members, DFW Nail Bar and Spa, hosted a grand opening and ribbon-cutting.

February has been equally exciting with our weekly coffees — every Wednesday at 7 a.m. Please visit www.lakeci tieschamber.com for locations.

Our annual banquet will be held Thursday at Global Spheres Center. The title sponsors this year are Huffines Kia Subaru and Dave Reese Farmers Insurance Agency. We will be awarding two scholarships and recognizing our Member of the Year and Business of the Year.

Our February luncheon will be held at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 21 at Oakmont Country Club. Our speaker is Carol Cain from the WASP Museum in Sweetwater — honoring Women Airforce Service Pilots — and our sponsor is DFW Nail Bar. We would love to have you join us.

The Aubrey 380 Area Chamber of Commerce’s 2017 board of directors.

DFW Nail Bar and Spa hosted a ribbon-cutting with the Lake Cities Chamber of Commerce.

Sanger Area Chamber of Commerce The Sanger Area Chamber of Commerce held our annual awards banquet Jan. 28.

Congratulations go out to: ■ Business of the year — BNB Stone & Sweetheart’s Yard Art, 917 N. 10th St. in Sanger. They provide the best natural flagstone, building stone, boulders and decorative gravels in North Texas. Go check them out at their convenient location off Interstate 35.

■ New business of the year — Kamme Art Gallery & Studio, 300 Bolivar St. in Sanger. Established in 2015 by Charles Mekailek to give resident artist Kathleen Mekailek a permanent place to show her art, it also brings attention to the many styles of art being produced in Texas. Support the arts by visiting their amazing collection of beautiful artwork, jewelry and more.

■ Citizen of the year — Byron Colston of Cops 4 Cops TX Police. Byron and partner Van Maples co-founded the nonprofit based on helping law enforcement officers and employees, not only in Sanger but the surrounding areas, with life-changing events.

They host events such as the Blue Santa project, which helped provide over 60 families with monetary donations for food, toys and children’s clothing. Colston dresses as Spider-Man, Iron Man and Batman at fundraising events so children of all ages can have a good time.

■ Special outstanding recognition award — Sanger Area Historical Society, city of Sanger, Carlos Araoz and others who contributed their time, effort and money to renovate the historic Sanger Presbyterian Church. It’s absolutely gorgeous! Everybody must go see it.

And thank you to:

■ Our casino table sponsors — STARS Massage Clinic and Nortex Communications.

■ Our awesome raffle donors — DATCU, Jan Bragg Howard, Country Girl Pix, JBM Homes, Nortex Communications, Sanger Insurance Agency, Team Avery, Sugar Ridge Winery, Sanger Ace Hardware, Pure Romance by Erica, STARS Massage Clinic, The Crafters, First United Bank, Gypsy Cowgirl, BNB Stone & Sweetheart’s Yard Art, Kamme Art Gallery & Studio, Sportsman Liquor, and Sunny Daze. We could not have pulled off our amazing awards banquet without your generous support.

We also want to give big shout-outs to the Sanger Elks Lodge for hosting our banquet with its perfect space and delicious food. Also thanks to Steve’s Bake Shop for the tasty and festive king cakes for dessert. We highly recommend these local businesses!

The Aubrey 380 Area Chamber of Commerce held a ribbon-cutting for Born 2 Be Therapeutic Equestrian Center.

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Biz on the Wire

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My Fit Foods closes AUSTIN (AP) — Texasbased My Fit Foods has closed all of its stores.

The prepared food and meal planning services company announced the closure Tuesday on its website.

My Fit Foods last fall reported having more than 50 locations in five states, plus grocery retailers and corporate and college campuses. Austinbased My Fit Foods didn’t immediately provide additional information on the locations, offering what the company called nutritionally balanced, ready-to-eat meals and snacks.

The online statement says My Fit Foods, since 2006, was on a mission to make healthy eating easy and accessible for everyone.

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Unemployment Update National numbers

By Josh Boak | AP WASHINGTON — The number of Americans seeking unemployment benefits dipped to a 12-week low at the start of February, a sign of a stable job market for U.S. workers.

THE NUMBERS: Claims for jobless aid fell 12,000 two weeks ago to a seasonally adjusted 234,000, the best reading since November, the Labor Department said Thursday. The less-volatile four-week average declined 3,750 to 244,250, which was the lowest average since November 1973.

The number of people receiving jobless benefits has fallen 7 percent over the past 12 months to 2.08 million.

THE TAKEAWAY: Jobless claims are a proxy for layoffs. The low levels suggest that employers are confident enough in the economy to retain their workers and possibly looking to hire.

Applications for unemployment benefits have been below a key threshold of 300,000 for the past 101 weeks.

Employers added 227,000 jobs in January as the unemployment rate ticked up slightly to 4.8 percent. Unemployment rose largely because more people are searching for work and thus counted as jobless.

Biz on the Wire

Senators try to give boost to self-driving cars

By Joan Lowy | AP WASHINGTON — In the first major congressional attempt to address the advent of self-driving cars, two senators said this week they’re launching a bipartisan effort to help to speed up the deployment of the vehicles on the nation’s roads.

Republican John Thune of South Dakota, the chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, and Democrat Gary Peters of Michigan said they’re exploring legislation that “clears hurdles and advances innovation in selfdriving vehicle technology.”

The senators’ counterparts in the House also are gearing up to address the new technology, and held a hearing Tuesday.

Automakers cite federal requirements that all vehicles must have steering wheels and brake pedals as examples of regulations that presume there will be a human driver and might inhibit the introduction of self-driving cars. Congressional action may be needed to make changes.

“Without changes to those regulations, it may be years before the promise of today’s technology can be realized and thousands of preventable deaths that could have been avoided will happen,” Michael Ableson, General Motors’ vice president of global strategy, planned to tell the House Energy and Commerce Committee, according to prepared testimony.

Proponents of self-driving cars say they hold the potential to dramatically reduce traffic deaths by eliminating human error, which the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says is a factor in 94 percent of all fatal crashes. More than 35,000 people were killed on the nation’s roads in 2015, up over 7 percent from the previous year. Traffic deaths surged an additional 8 percent in the first nine months of last year.

Automakers also complain that states are moving ahead with their own regulations, creating the potential for a confusing patchwork of laws.

“Our effort will also include a discussion on the existing patchwork of laws and regulations and the tra-

ditional roles of federal and state regulators,” Thune and Peters said in a joint statement.

Safety advocates have urged the government to set standards that specifically address the safety of selfdriving cars. The Obama administration last year issued a voluntary set of safety goals for makers of self-driving cars to meet with the understanding that enforceable regulations could follow.

The Trump administration hasn’t yet indicated what approach it will take to the technology.

Some people may first experience riding in a selfdriving car by hailing an ondemand, ride-sharing service like Uber or Lyft. Uber began offering passengers rides in autonomous cars with a human as a backup driver last year in Pittsburgh.

Joseph Okpaku, Lyft’s vice president of government relations, said in prepared testimony for the House hearing that the company’s goal is “to operate a pilot in a major city this year that will permit consumers to enjoy, for the first time, a Lyft in an autonomous vehicle.”

Google selfdriving Lexuses are pictured May 13, 2014, in Mountain View, Calif.

Eric Risberg/ AP file photo

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Enterprising Voices

Value investing making another big comeback “I can tell you the secret [value investing] has been out for 50 years. Yet there seems to be some perverse human characteristic that likes to make easy things difficult.”

— Warren Buffett’s 1984 essay “The Superinvestors of Graham and Doddsville” oday’s investment world is cluttered and noisy.

Investors looking to put their hard-earned savings to work can be overwhelmed by buzzwords and jargon. They need clarity. It helps to begin by asking a simple question: What investing approach has achieved the best results in the long run?

The answer is clear: value investing. Focusing on buying good businesses at underval-

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Jonathon FITE | COMMENTARY

ued stock prices works very well. Value funds handily beat growth, momentum and index funds. A recent study indicates that value approaches outperformed the S&P 500 by a factor of 10 times over the last five decades!

That’s why Warren Buffett and most of the world’s wealthiest investors built their fortunes by practicing value investing.

But value investing’s longterm success demands patience and fortitude. That’s because value has periods of disappointment that test investors’ resolve. This lag is especially noticeable in bubbly markets where glamorous growth stocks become the center of attention. This was true in the early-1970s Nifty 50 bubble and in the late-1990s internet bubble.

From mid-2014 to mid-2016, value lagged as money poured into fast-growing, richly valued stocks like Amazon and Netflix.

By mid-2016, the rubber band had stretched way too far. Value stocks had become a coiled spring poised to rise higher. In our portfolio, we saw many catalysts — macro, operational and financial events — that would create a

big rise. That’s why we focused on this theme in many articles.

Value investing made a powerful comeback in 2016.

Financial firm MSCI maintains a very comprehensive set of measurements for various markets and investment categories. In 2016, value stocks substantially outperformed growth stocks (and market indices) across all classifications: large companies, small companies, American and international.

For example, U.S. value stocks rose 17 percent while U.S. growth stocks gained only 5 percent. Funds focused on the best value stocks did even better.

But will value continue to shine? History suggests the answer is yes.

Before 2016, there were

One key observation is that value stocks didn’t go up in a straight line during these six big turning points — markets remained choppy. That’s why we are advocates of dollar-cost averaging in bargains. By steadily, systematically adding to holdings, investors can exploit market volatility along the way.

Before 2016, there were six big turning points where value switched from underperformance to outperformance. six big turning points where value switched from underperformance to outperformance. Each of these winning stretches for value lasted more than 24 months.

In the current cycle, value’s turn started in mid-2016, so the trend seems likely to last quite awhile. Indeed, if key macro forces such as inflation and interest rates continue to rise, value stocks may be poised for a good multiyear run.

JONATHON FITE is a managing partner of KMF Investments, a Texas-based hedge fund. Jonathon is a lecturer with the College of Business at the University of North Texas. This column is provided for general interest only and should not be construed as a solicitation or as personal investment advice.

Comments may be sent to email@KMFInvestments. com.

Biz on the Wire

No-fault crashes still boost premiums

By Jennifer C. Kerr | AP WASHINGTON — Most drivers don’t expect to be hit with a rate hike on their auto insurance after a car accident that wasn’t their fault. But a consumer group says it happens, and it’s a problem.

The Washington-based Consumer Federation of America says it found rate hikes on annual premiums as high as $400, in some cases.

In the report released Monday, the group analyzed premium quotes in 10 cities, including New York and Chicago, from five of the nation’s largest auto insurers. The researchers found that Progressive aggressively used a not-at-fault penalty, surcharging drivers in eight of the 10 selected cities. Rates in Oklahoma City and Los Angeles did not change. Oklahoma and California prohibit nofault penalties.

The group said Geico and Farmers raised rates in some states by 10 percent or more.

Allstate had occasional penalties. State Farm was the exception, with no increases on premiums for not-at-fault accidents.

“Most people know that if they cause an accident or get a ticket they could face a premium increase, but they don’t expect to be punished if a reckless driver careens into them,” said Bob Hunter, CFA’s director of insurance and the former insurance commissioner of Texas.

In response, the Insurance Information Institute said the underwriting of a new auto insurance policy requires the collection of much more information beyond what CFA gathered from the auto insurers’ websites.

Loretta Worters, vice president of communications at the industry trade group, says it also is rarely clear-cut as to who the at-fault party is after a collision. But she said one reason rates may rise for the not-at-fault driver is subrogation — when an insurer, after paying a loss, seeks to recover money from the atfault driver’s insurer.

Neil Alldredge, a senior vice president at the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, says the report “only underscores the fact that insurance rates can vary widely from company to company, based on how different companies may weigh the many different factors that are considered in determining rates.”

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Denton Record-Chronicle

FEBRUARY 2017

BC

11

Vital Statistics MIXED BEVERAGE TAX The following mixed beverage tax information was issued by the state comptroller’s office for January. The list includes the name of the business, address and reported tax.

380 Bar and Grill, 26781 E. U.S. Highway 380, Little Elm, $2,904.11 940s Kitchen & Cocktails, 219 W. Oak St., Denton, $2,679.39 American Legion Post No. 550, 905 Foundation Drive, Pilot Point, $1,746.55 Andy's Bar and Grill, 122 N. Locust St., Denton, $6,711.79 Angelina's Mexican Restaurant, 1400 N. Corinth St., Suite 111, Corinth, $1,063.42 Applebee's Neighborhood Grill, 707 S. Interstate 35E, Denton, $3,325.07 Applebee's Neighborhood Grill, 2672 FM423, Little Elm, $2,058.97 Aramark Educational Services, 303 Administration Drive, Denton, $215.94 Ashton Gardens, 2001 Ashton Gardens Lane, Corinth, $986.91 Azul Mexican Kitchen, 2831 W. Eldorado Parkway, Little Elm, $848.15 B.P.O.E. Denton No. 2446, 228 E Oak St., Denton, $1,015.11 Barley & Board, 100 W. Oak St., Suite 160, Denton, $6,640.77 Best Western Area Crown Chase, 2450 Brinker Road, Denton, $421.83 BJ's Restaurant & Brewery, 3250 S. Interstate 35E Denton, $4,780.45 Black-Eyed Pea, 2420 S. Interstate 35E, Denton, $0 Bone Daddys House Of Smoke, 3258 S. Interstate 35E, Denton, $2,232.57 Bono's Chop House & Saloon, 2025 N. U.S. Highway 287, Decatur, $1,992.17 Boomerjack Wings No. 8, 407 W. University Drive, Denton, $1,418.32 Brunswick Zone Denton, 2200 San Jacinto Blvd., Denton, $796.22 Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar, 1400 S. Loop 288, Suite 110, Denton, $3,531.90 Buff's Grill, 400 S. U.S. Highway 377, Pilot Point, $519.25 Cabana Beverages Inc., 2330 W. University Drive, Denton, $101.10

Casa Torres Mexican Restaurant, 2708 S. FM51, Decatur, $1,007.68 Caskey's Bar and Grill, 1206 W. Hickory St., Denton, $857.26 Chili's Grill & Bar, 600 S. U.S. Highway 287, Decatur, $2,328.65 Chili's Grill & Bar No. 1562, 2825 W. University Drive, Denton, $2,170.46 Chili's Grill & Bar, 2406 S. Interstate 35E, Denton, $1,585.01 Chilitos Private Club Inc., 619-623 S. Denton Drive, Lake Dallas, $231.08 Chiloso Mexican Bistro, 2215 S. Loop 288, Suite 312, Denton, $96.07 Chipotle Mexican Grill, 1224 W. Hickory St., Denton, $18.96 Chipotle Mexican Grill-Rayzor, 2735 W. University Drive, Suite 105, Denton, $18.76 Chuy's Denton, 3300 Wind River Lane, Denton, $4,917.86 Cool Bean's, 1210 W. Hickory St., Denton, $3,108.80 Courtyard By Marriott, 2800 Colorado Blvd., Denton, $135.94 Crossroads Bar, 1803 N. Elm St., Denton, $1,128.61 Dani Rae's Gulf Coast Kitchen, 2303 S. Interstate 35E, Denton, $927.54 Dan's Silverleaf, 103 Industrial St., Denton, $2,196.93 Denton, Country Club, 1213 Country Club Road, Argyle, $3,019.62 Drunken Donkey Bar & Grill, 3350 Unicorn Lake Blvd., Denton, $5,458.62 Dusty's Bar & Grill & Marina D, 119 S. Elm St., Denton, $3,959.83 Earl's 377 Pizza, 427 S. U.S. Highway 377, Argyle, $1,228.51 East Side Denton Oak Street, 117 E Oak St., Denton, $11,620.21 El Fenix-Denton Texas, 2229 S. Interstate 35E, Denton, $836.36 End Zone Little Elm Inc., 2833 Eldorado Parkway Suite 301, Little Elm, $2,677.99 End Zone Little Elm Inc., 2833 Eldorado Parkway Suite 301, Little Elm, $3,343.36

Ernesto's Mexican Restaurant, 10279 E. FM455, Suite 1, Pilot Point, $2,015.96 Frilly's, 1803 S. U.S. Highway 287, Decatur, $876.42 Fry Street Public House, 125 Ave. A, Denton, $6,537.65 Fuzzy's Taco Shop, 109 N. State St., Decatur, $849.62 Fuzzy's Taco Shop, 115 Industrial St., Denton, $724.60 Fuzzy's Taco Shop, 2412 S. Interstate 35E, Denton, $755.62 Fuzzy's Taco Shop, 1004 Maple St., Suite 101, Sanger $198.52 Fuzzys Taco Shop, 421 S. U.S. Highway 377, Argyle, $578.14 Fuzzy's Taco Shop Cross Roads, 11450 U.S. Highway 380, Suite 160, Cross Roads, $1,381.74 Gates Of Texas Argentina Café, 1313 N. U.S. Highway 377, Pilot Point, $107.20 Genti's Private Club Inc., 3700 FM2181, Hickory Creek, $734.92 Good Eats No. 729, 5812 N. Interstate 35, Denton, $0 Hangout Bar & Dine, 827 Eagle Drive, Denton, $66.33 Hannahs, 111 W. Mulberry St., Denton, $3,871.05 Harvest House, 331 E Hickory St., Denton, $5,785.24 Hickory Street Lounge, 212 E. Hickory St., Denton, $2,242.02 Hilton Garden Inn Denton, 3110 Colorado Blvd., Denton, $534.32 Hooligans LLC, 104 N. Locust St., Denton, $4,966.24 Hooters, 985 N. Interstate 35E, Denton, $3,878.16 Horny Toad Cafe & Bar, 5812 N. Interstate 35, Denton, $942.22 Hula Hut Restaurant, 210 E. Eldorado Parkway, Little Elm, $2,642.34 II Charlies Bar & Grill, 809 Sunset St., Denton, $4,203.51 J R Pockets Club, 1127 Fort Worth Drive, Denton, $1,905.61 J R Pockets Club, 1127 Fort Worth Drive, Denton, $2,218.10 Jack's Tavern, 508 S. Elm St., Suite 101, Denton, $1,919.41 Jack's Tavern, 508 S. Elm St., Suite 101, Denton, $3,226.85 Jem Beverage Company LLC, 217 W. Division St., Pilot Point, $75.91 Johnny Carino's Italian, 1516 Centre Place Drive, Denton, $660.88 Keiichi LLC, 500 N. Elm St., Denton, $437.97 Kobe Sushi & Steak LLC, 2832 E. Eldorado Parkway, Suite 208, Little Elm, $268.33

LIENS

The following sales permits were issued by the state comptroller’s office for January. The list includes the owner, name of business and address within ZIP codes 75065, 75068, 76201, 76205, 76207, 76208, 76209, 76210, 76226, 76227, 76234, 76249, 76258 and 76266.

STATE TAX LIENS TYPE Limited sales excise and use tax Limited sales excise and use tax Limited sales excise and use tax Limited sales excise and use tax

AMOUNT $799.54 $828.10 $2,230.75 $732.46

REC. DATE 1/18/2017 1/18/2017 1/19/2017 1/23/2017

FEDERAL TAX LIENS NAME/ADDRESS Ace Tech Motors Inc., 3701 E. McKinney St., Suite 703, Denton Shane A. Wells, 3700 Saint Johns Drive, Denton Erwin R. Garcia, 400 W. Ryan Road, Denton Jose J. Sr. and Diana Cardenas, 2611 Bolivar St., Denton Rosenbaum Chiropractic, Allan Joseph Rosenbaum, 121 W. Hickory St., Denton Johnny D. and Jonia L. Bradshaw, 2801 Spencer Road, Apt. 1502, Denton

TYPE 1040 6672 1040 1040 6721 1040

ASSUMED NAMES NAME — DBA/ADDRESS

NAME — DBA/ADDRESS

ABJ Ventures, 1817 Shawnee Series A, 5800 N. Interstate 35, No. 402, Denton ABJ Ventures, 3214 Avon Series B, 5800 N. Interstate 35, No. 402, Denton BB Counseling Services LLC, Hope for the Heart Counseling, 723 Interstate 35E, Suite 204, Denton Bernardo Flores Morales, Bernardo Automovil B Fix, 9100 Teasley Lane Colt Bell, Old Elephant Fencing Co., 1709 Wisteria St., Denton

Daniel Pardo, Pardo Productions, 1407 Bernard St., Apt. 1035, Denton Desmond Williams, Reconcyleation, 1900 Sam Bass Blvd., No. A-16, Denton Gary Roberson, Upscale Resale Shop, 3730 E. McKinney St., Denton Harold Woloschin, Done By Friday, 12005 Pepperidge Ave., Denton Ivy Kerr, Goblin Roze Creations, 708 Mulkey Lane, Denton Jamaine Clark, Bclean Pools, 2017 Paisley St., Denton

BUILDING PERMITS The following building permits were issued by the Denton Planning and Development department in January.

Commericial alterations and commercial permits reflect the owner or tenant and the address of the business.

COMMERCIAL ALTERATION 10 Below Ice Cream, 2215 S. Loop 288, No. 310 City of Denton Fire Department, 3535 S. Interstate 35E Coker Legal, 1413 E. McKinney St. Denton Church of Christ, 1510 Audra Lane Denton Opera House, 109 E. Oak St. NUCOR, 509 S. Locust St. Roy Freeborn, 1714 Teasley Lane Spiral Diner and Bakery, 608 E. Hickory St. T-Mobile, 903 S. Mayhill Road Water Blue Holdings LLC, 1418 W. Oak St. COMMERCIAL Denton Municipal Electric, 8161 Jim Cristal Road Walker Leasing Inc., 3201 Medpark Drive

AMOUNT $7,668.27 $46,239.92 $87,274.13 1,716.42 $1,587.12 $245.94

REC. DATE 1/112017 1/11/2017 1/11/2017 1/18/2017 1/19/2017 1/19/2017

NAME — DBA/ADDRESS

The following names (followed by DBA and address) were posted in January at the Denton County Clerk’s office.

CERTIFICATES OF OCCUPATION 717 Stemmons Partners, 717 S. Interstate 35E, No. 126 Alex Nagal, 405 Fort Worth Drive Arc Institute Properties, 2620 Sirius Drive Barbara Young, 1007 Shady Oaks Drive, No. 101 CCI Inv. Ltd., 525 S. Carroll Blvd., No. 200 Jeff Ausbrook, 707 W. Hickory St. Joe Penn, 3825 Market St., No. 121 Juan Ortega, 619 E. Sherman Drive, No. 109 Kim, McKibben, 1306 W. Hickory St. Macho Storage, 525 Fort Worth Drive, No. 204 Saratan Corp. I, 909 N. Loop 288, No. 401-425 Steven Black, 908 S. Locust St.

Olive Garden of Texas No. 1611, 2809 S. Interstate 35E, Denton, $2,070.03 Ollimac Company, 1400 Corinth Bend, Suite 103, Corinth, $827.38 On The Border, 2829 S. Interstate 35E, Denton, $2,613.40 Outback Steakhouse, 300 S. Interstate 35E, Denton, $1,971.00 Parker Brothers Trail Dust, 1200 S. Stemmons St., Sanger, $624.57 Pedro's Tex Mex & Grill, 420 E. McKinney St., Suite 100, Denton, $359.18 Pedro's Tex Mex & Grill, 209 S. Washington St., Pilot Point, $333.05 Pei Wei Fresh Kitchen, 1931 S. Loop 288, Suite 130, Denton, $77.78 Pilot Point Columbus Club, 221 N. Prairie St., Pilot Point, $16.21 Pizza Hut, 730 S. U.S. Highway 377, Pilot Point, $19.49 Pollo Tropical Beverages LLC, 2220 S. Loop 288, Denton, $0 Prairie House Restaurant, 10001 U.S. Highway 380, Cross Roads, $1,562.10 Queenie's Steakhouse, 113 E. Hickory St., Denton, $2,127.04 Red Lobster No. 6349, 2801 S. Interstate 35E, Denton, $1,375.97 Riprock's, 1211 W. Hickory St., Denton, $4,040.30 Rockin Rodeo, 1009 Ave. C, Denton, $3,863.15 Rooster's Roadhouse, 113 Industrial St., Denton, $2,062.26 Rooster's Roadhouse Decatur, 106 N. Trinity St., Decatur, $2,209.12 Rosa's Cafe & Tortilla Factory, 1275 S. Loop 288, Denton, $134.00 RT's Neighborhood Bar, 1100 Dallas Drive, Suite 124, Denton, $7,961.34 Ruby Jeans Bar & Café, 309 N. FM156, Ponder, $0 Rusty Taco Denton, 210 E. Hickory St., Denton, $812.17 Savory Bistro & Gourmet To Go, 2650 E. FM407, Suite 165, Bartonville, $1,553.52 Shots and Crafts LLC, 103 Ave. A, Denton, $1,762.70 Springhill Suites By Marriott, 1434 Centre Place Drive, Denton, $176.94 Starbucks No. 6698, 4600 Swisher Road, Hickory Creek, $13.19 Sweetie Pie's Ribeyes, 201 W. Main St., Decatur, $375.60

SALES TAX

The following liens were posted in January at the Denton County Clerk’s office.

NAME/ADDRESS Smile Magic of Lewisville, 3600 E. McKinney St., Suite 100, Denton Juan Segura, Lucy’s Bakery, 3730 E. McKinney St., Suite 112, Denton Mike McKeown, 8532 Stallion Court, Denton OH Larkins Media Group LLC, 432 Fulton St., Denton

Komodo Loco, 109 Oakland St., Denton, $1,024.83 Lake Cities Post No. 88 The A, 105 Gotcher Ave., Lake Dallas, $1,535.57 Lake Dallas Point Restaurant, 303 Swisher Road, Suite 100, Lake Dallas, $1,826.01 Lake Ray Roberts Area Elks Lodge, 1601 Marina Circle, Sanger, $132.05 Lantana Golf Club, 800 Golf Club Drive, Argyle, $1,448.67 Las Cabos Cantina, 4451 FM2181, Corinth, $72.42 Leeper Creek BBQ & Cantina Club, 3142 N. U.S. Highway 287, Decatur, $75.57 Library Bar, 109 Ave. A, Denton, $781.82 Lone Star Attitude Burger Co., 113 W. Hickory St., Denton, $5,328.84 Los Jalapenos Restaurant, 420 E. Eldorado Parkway, Little Elm, $193.29 Lowbrows Beer and Wine Garden, 200 S. Washington St., Pilot Point, $685.41 Lucky Lou's, 1207 W. Hickory St., Denton, $7,936.28 Luigi's Pizza Italian Restaurant, 2000 W. University Drive, Denton, $292.38 Mable Peabody's Beauty Parlor, 1125 E. University Drive, Suite 107, Denton, $1,304.15 Mellow Mushroom, 217 E. Hickory St., Denton, $1,322.24 Meritt Ranch Beverages Limited, 2946 W. Ganzar Road, Denton, $169.77 Meritt Ranch Beverages Limited, 2946 W. Ganzar Road, Denton, $216.54 Metzler's Food and Beverage I, 1251 S. Bonnie Brae St., Denton, $138.02 Mi Taza Latin Tex-Mex Café, 5017 Teasley Lane, Suite 101, Denton, $660.41 Miguelito's, 1521 E. McCart St., Krum, $707.72 Miguelitos, 1412 N. Stemmons St., No. 178, Sanger, $1,020.47 Movie Tavern Denton, 4 916 W. University Drive, Denton, $4,187.23 Muddy Jake's Sports Grille, 222 W. Hickory St., Suite 104, Denton, $1,575.97 Mulberry Street Cantina, 110 W. Mulberry St., Denton, $3,170.84 Norman Heitz Memorial Post 104, 501 Thompson Drive, Lake Dallas, $1,001.18 Oak Street Drafthouse, 308 E. Oak St., Denton, $3,811.89 Oakmont Country Club, 1200 Clubhouse Drive, Corinth, $1,954.05

RESIDENTIAL Country Lakes West LLC 6400 Meandering Creek Drive 6309 Meandering Creek Drive 6420 Meandering Creek Drive 6317 Meandering Creek Drive 6208 Roaring Creek 6220 Meandering Creek Drive 6209 Meandering Creek Drive 6428 Meandering Creek Drive

Joseph Daniel Arispe, Texas Branded Graphix, 4709 Green River Drive, Denton Kenneth Hilger, Kenneth Hilger Properties, 811 E. Oak St., Denton Leigh Brackeen, JL Investments, 1905 Houston Place, Denton Luz Briseno, Sunshine Laundromat, 1101 E. McKinney St., Denton Marcus Boudreaux, Legacy Credits, 1501 Timberidge St., Denton Maria Allison, Allison Roofing and General Contracting LLC, 5224 Gaelic Court, Denton Mariela Alvarez, Sunny Side Music, 1801 Broadway St., Denton Robert Watkins, Dave’s Foreign Car Service, 400 S. Elm St., Denton

History Maker Homes 3621 Harbour Mist Trail 3800 Harbour Mist Trail 3720 Harbour Mist Trail 3721 Monte Verde Way 3816 Juniperio St. 3717 Monte Verde Way 3713 Monte Verde Way 3701 Monte Verde Way 3705 Monte Verde Way 3716 Harbour Mist Trail John and Krista Ackerman, 5829 Milam Ridge Justin and Kristi Teeter, 209 Blackberry Way

75065 Walcott Mechanical LLC, Walcott Mechanical LLC, 6060 S. Interstate 35E, Suite 400, Hickory Creek 75068 3GT Little Elm LLC, Fuzzys Taco Shop, 407 W. Eldorado Parkway, No. 390, Little Elm Akoya LLC, Akoya LLC, 1012 W. Eldorado Parkway, Unit 603, Little Elm, Christy Michelle Munoz, Christy Michelle Munoz, 1417 Danielle Creek Drive, Little Elm Darien Patterson, Bayou Unlimited, 2748 Lone Ranger Trail, Little Elm Envios Y Multiservicios Garland LLC, Envios Y Multiservicios Garland LLC, 1717 E. Eldorado Parkway, Suite 100, Little Elm Manuel Alejandro Soriano, Manuel Soriano, 2513 Indian Hills Drive, Little Elm Met Go Inc., Kabuki, 100 Hardwicke Lane, Little Elm Olufumilyo B. Olasewere, Envy, 505 Cavanal Hill Drive, Little Elm Parameshwar Bandari, Choice of India Groceries Inc., 2700 E. Eldorado Parkway, Suite 201, Little Elm Relics Unlimited LLC, Relics Unlimited LLC, 3718 Misty Cove, Little Elm Sean E. Coffey, Coffey Collections, 2336 Morning Dew Drive, Little Elm Southern Central Boutique LLC, Southern Central Boutique LLC, 1337 Water Lily Drive, Little Elm Waterfront Hideaway Ranch LLC, Waterfront Hideaway Ranch LLC, 640 Lloyds Road, Little Elm 76201 Azbi Begaj & Qiriako Begaj, Egg House Café, 1622 W. University Drive, Suite 100, Denton Chelsea Nzewi, Chelseaochelsea, 1200 Cleveland St., Denton, Janet Foster, Downtown Mini Mall, 118 N. Locust St., Denton Jarrett Hale, Jbird Computers, 214 Normal St., Apt. D, Denton Real Rad Records LLC, Real Rad Records LLC, 602 W. Hickory St., Denton Ryan Moyer, Moyer's Handyman, 1204 Linden Drive, Denton Vernon M. Banister, Vernon M. Banister, 118 N. Locust St., Denton William Charles Brannan, Brannan Auto Sales, 102 Maple St., Suite 102, Denton

76205 Backwoods Stump Grinding LLC, Backwoods Stump Grinding LLC, 2100 Highland Park Road, Denton Danielle Darese, Boatman Nature's Nectars, 1300 Dallas Drive, Apt. 1124, Denton Good Deal Charlie Inc., Overstock Furniture & Mattress, 1800 S. Loop 288, Suite 240, Denton Margaret Connealy, Margaret Connealy, 1224 E. Hickory St., Denton Wilpwr Rides LLC, American Eagle Harley-Davidson, 2201 S. Interstate 35E, Suite L13, Denton 76207 David A. Robinson, David Robinson, 3400 Fallmeadow St., Apt. 3217B, Denton Janell L. Harrell, 59015 My Goody Jar, 4937 Stuart Road, Trailer 350, Denton 76208 A&D Supply Company of Texas LLC, A&D Supply Company of Texas LLC, 3917 Morse St., Suite 218, Denton, Dallas Used Cars Inc., Dallas Used Cars Inc., 4108 E. University Drive, Denton DTB Ecommerce Solutions LLC, DTB Ecommerce Solutions LLC, 5201 Par Drive, Apt. 725, Denton Jel & Mad J Enterprises LLC, Jel & Mad J Enterprises LLC, 5544 Woodland Hills Drive, Denton 76209 Ashley L. Hetler, Ashlyn's Art, 3313 Kingfisher Lane, Denton Edith Torrez, Veronica's Café, 803 E. McKinney St., Denton Russell S. Batson, Rockin B, 509 Neptune Drive, Denton Shelby Leigh Flach, Shelby Flach, 1708 Boyd St., Denton 76210 Colin D. Talbert, Coat Of Arms Contracting, 1809 Sharon Drive, Corinth Jo & Choe Investment Inc., Good Morning Donuts, 5017 Teasley Lane, Suite 115, Denton PS Pizza LLC, PS Pizza LLC, 3202 Unicorn Lake Blvd., Suite 1135 Denton TMA Taekwondo Corporation, TMA Taekwondo Corporation, 5201 Teasley Lane, Suite 121, Denton Tom King Consulting Inc., Tom King Consulting Inc., 1770 Timber Ridge Circle, Corinth

Sweetwater Grill & Tavern, 115 S. Elm St., Denton, $1,232.66 Tex Tapas, 109 Industrial St., Denton, $927.81 Texas Roadhouse, 2817 S. Interstate 35E, Denton, $3,864.82 The Abbey Inn Restaurant & Pub, 101 W. Hickory St., Denton, $2,296.82 The Aztec Club, 720 W. University Drive, Denton, $1,379.39 The Backyard On Bell, 410 N. Bell Ave., Denton, $667.32 The Bears Den, 11670 Massey Road, Pilot Point, $91.58 The Clubhouse At Robson Ranch, 9428 Ed Robson Circle, Denton, $708.39 The Draft House Bar & Grill, 2700 E. Eldorado Parkway, Suite 250, Little Elm, $2,214.81 The Fry Street Tavern, 121 Ave. A, Denton, $4,683.70 The Garage, 113 Ave. A, Denton, $2,994.49 The Green House, 600 N. Locust St., Denton, $1,749.37 The Labb, 218 W. Oak St., Denton, $2,222.39 The Loophole, 119 W. Hickory St., Denton, $3,896.72 The Milestone, 1301 W. Sherman Drive, Aubrey $3,422.29 Tokyo Samurai, 3600 E. FM407, Suite 100, Bartonville, $654.52 Toms Daiquiri Place, 1212 W. Mulberry St., Denton, $1,472.19 Tower Tap House, 290 E. Eldorado Parkway, Little Elm, $1,190.45 Tredways BBQ, 721 E. Hundley Drive, Lake Dallas, $244.75 University Lanes, 1212 E. University Drive, Denton, $904.63 Verona Pizza Italian Restaurant, 201 Loop 81, Decatur $32.83 Villa Grande Mexican Restaurant, 12000 U.S. Highway 380, Suite 100, Cross Roads, $1,493.96 Villa Grande Mexican Restaurant, 2530 W. University Drive, Suite 114, Denton, $1,652.01 Vitty's Sports Bar, 1776 Teasley Lane, Suite 102, Denton, $2,180.64 Walters Tavern, 201 Main St., Lake Dallas, $2,235.65 Wildhorse Grill, 9440 Ed Robson Circle, Denton, $2,505.26 Wing Daddys Sauce House, 2763 E. Eldorado Parkway, Suite 105, Little Elm, $2,680.13 Wing Town, 4271 FM2181, No. C316, Corinth, $0

76226 Bym Automotive Inc., Kwik Kar Lube & Service Center, 7100 Justin Road, Argyle Debbie Tanner Seidler, Tess Daley Designs, 209 Boonesville Bend, Argyle Lanternink LLC, Lanternink LLC, 2126 Hamilton Drive, Suite 460, Argyle 76227 Circle K Management LLC, Hwy U.S. 380 Travel Center 6500 U.S. Highway 380, Cross Roads K.S. Farm 2 Table Pro-Tech LLC, Proven Distribution Of North Texas, 8849 Liberty Road, Aubrey 76234 4L Oilfield Services LLC, 4L Oilfield Services LLC, 308B W. Main St., Decatur Fifth Avenue Salon & Spa LLC, Fifth Avenue Salon & Spa LLC, 1100 W. U.S. Highway 380 Business, Unit B, Decatur Kimberly Lynn Harris, Daffodil Farms, 301 Ridge Road, Decatur Mclaughlin Stone & Masonry Supply Ltd., Mclaughlin Stone & Masonry Supply Ltd., 598 County Road 4196, Decatur Norman Hall Digitron, Data Systems, 1576 E. U.S. Highway 380, Decatur Pamela S. Rouleau, Main Street Mall, 115 W. Main St., Decatur Retrac Conversions LLC, Retrac Conversions LLC, 1005 County Road 2527, Decatur Rick Lee Sinclair, Oh Shucks!!, 1195 County Road 1111, Decatur 76249 Gabrielle Miller, The Paisley Pistol, 15056 Stice Road, Krum Mark Dean, Mark's Handcrafted Woodworks, 10581 Plainview Road, Krum 76258 Marty Mart LLC, Marty Mart LLC, 11370 Strittmatter Road, Pilot Point Misty Kay Arrington, Southern Swag, 12509 Strittmatter Road, Pilot Point Tori Carr and Jennifer Johnston, Gypsy Road Photography, 111 Key St., Pilot Point 76266 Robert W. Whitlock, Advantage Machine Sales, 2411 Harvest Moon Lane, Sanger Tabitha Cox, Cox Team Diesel Repair, 12825 Metz Road, Sanger Viktoria Savannah Ly, Teeny Whales, 3023 Lake Side Drive, Sanger

Biz on the Wire

Lennar Homes 4101 Roxbury St. 1921 Pavilion Lane 4108 Fanita Place 1909 Hollister Lane 4100 Fanita Place

DR Horton 4104 Ranchman Blvd.

4100 Ranchman Blvd.

4108 Ranchman Blvd.

2101 Corsair Lane 3916 Cuddy Drive 4028 Crosstrees Drive 3900 Crosstrees Drive 3920 Crosstrees Drive 2117 Skysail Lane 4024 Crosstrees Drive 4025 Crosstrees Drive

Onyx Builders LLC, 4013 Winston Drive Red Gable Homes 2320 Chebi Lane 2320 Paxton Way Robson Deenton Dev. LP 9817 Ironwood Drive 11925 Willet Way 12021 Willet Way 10113 Cypress St.

Forestar Real Estate 3016 Lakeview Blvd.

3121 Dawn Oaks Drive 3008 Lakeview Blvd.

Open/Closed DUNCAN | CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

WinCo Foods stores.

While it’s south of Lewisville Lake, it could be worth the drive. Honest-1 Auto Care is now open in Lewisville, and is female-owned and operated. Located at 4740 Windhaven Parkway, the business drives to take care of all customers at an equal level, and has on-site child play areas.

Downtown Denton is getting a grocery option soon.

The lease is signed and Blue Bag Grocery is hoping to open this spring at 503 S. Locust St. It will be open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and offer necessities like toilet paper, eggs and coffee.

It. Is. Here. In-N-Out Burger is now open. While a lot of Texans maintain that Whataburger is superior, California ex-pats and burger enthusiasts can now get their Double-Doubles in Denton.

It’s located at Rayzor Ranch Town Center at 2835 W. University Drive.

Texas Turquoise Boutique isn’t closed. It just moved inside of Vintage Bleu Home. The boutique was on

Nathan Hunsinger/DMN

Flight attendant Bernadette Cassidy, left, and Shane Staples, communications chairman for the Association of Professional Flight Attendants, picket Tuesday at American Airlines headquarters in Fort Worth.

AMERICAN | CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Tomas Gonzalez/DRC file photo

In-N-Out Burger opened in Denton on Friday at 2835 W. University Drive.

Elm Street for more than two years, then decided to claim a dedicated space in shabby chic store Vintage Bleu at 221 W. Oak St. The online store also is still up and running.

Southwire’s customer service center will move operations of its Arlington facility to its recently acquired Denton facility. The facility is the home of United Copper, which Southwire

recently bought.

Seth Morgan, owner of Denton County Brewing Co., says it isn’t open yet but reports he hopes to be up and running by the Denton Arts & Jazz Festival the last weekend of April.

JENNA DUNCAN can be reached at 940-566-6889 and via Twitter at @JennaFDuncan.

2020 for American’s pilots.

They wanted upgrades after Delta and United pilots got raises last year.

The Allied Pilots Association board unanimously approved a resolution Monday saying it had lost confidence in Parker. Union president Dan Carey said American has made questionable decisions that have kept the airline behind Delta in customer satisfaction, operations and revenue.

Company spokesman Matt Miller said American shares the union’s goal of making the airline a great place to work and is pleased with its progress, so “further public dialogue serves no purpose.”

Separately, American flight attendants were picketing Tuesday at the company’s headquarters in Fort Worth and at airports in Los Angeles, Miami and Charlotte, North Carolina — all busy hubs for American flights.

Union president Bob Ross said that despite record profits, American flight attendants are paid less than at other airlines and are unhappy about frequent computer meltdowns, bad schedules and new uniforms that some employees say cause allergic reactions.

Miller said flight attendants have received average pay increases of 27 percent since the merger. The company said in November that pilot pay had climbed an average of 53 per-

cent in that time.

The vote by the pilots union board and the picketing by members of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants have no legal effect but symbolize worsening relations between the unions and senior management.

In 2013, Parker successfully courted the unions in his bid to force then-bankrupt American, which had a history of stormy relations with labor including strikes in the 1990s, to merge with his smaller airline. Parker’s team replaced the executives who were running American.

Shares of American Airlines Group Inc. fell 84 cents, or 1.8 percent, to close Tuesday at $46.57.

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FEBRUARY 2017

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Denton Record-Chronicle

CHAMBER SPOTLIGHT #DentonMeansBusiness WHAT’S NEW?

UPCOMING EVENTS

February 16, 2017 Be an early bird and join us for business and breakfast at our monthly networking meeting!

RIBBON CUTTINGS

NEW MEMBERS Carmean Property Tax Consulting

Powell & Fuselier Medical, PLLC; DBA Texas Vein & Aesthetics

111 E. University Dr. #105 Unit 183PO, Denton

Fit N Wise

DFW Nail Bar

Visiting Angels of Denton

Denton Breakfast Kiwanis

Texas Title

Discount Trophies

625 Dallas Dr #400, Denton txveinandaesthetics.com

Denton Alternative Medicine Center

Signarama Denton

207 N. Austin St., Denton dentonamc.com

723 S. Woodrow Ln., Denton signarama.com/tx-denton

Denton Kitchen and Bath Cabinetry

SME Teaming 1405 Constantina Dr., Denton SMETeaming.com

896 N. Mill St. #202, Lewisville kbacabinets.com

Talley Amusements, Inc PO Box 1319, Fort Worth talleyamusement.com

Denton Movie Tavern 916 W. University Dr., Denton movietavern.com

The Reese Agency Farmers Insurance

Green Food Nutrition 405 Ft. Worth Dr., Denton greenfoodsnutirtion.com

1420 Robinson Rd #220, Corinth agents.farmers.com/tx/corinth/david-reece

Mary Kay Inc.

Two Men And A Truck

9808 Bitterroot Dr., Oak Point marykay.com/victorious

2225 Belt Line Rd. #323, Carrollton twomenandatruck.com

PBK Architects, Inc.

United Rentals

100 Throckmorton St. #1500, Fort Worth pkb.com

3909 I-35E Frontage Rd., Denton locations.unitedrentals.com/tx/denton/c37

Denton African-American Scholarship Foundation

Interested in Membership? Call 940.382.9693 414 W. Parkway Denton, TX 76201 940.382.9693 Denton-chamber.org

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