November Denton Business Chronicle 2016

DENTON November 2016

Business

CHRONICLE

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Too close for comfort

Critics say single-room apartments jeopardize Denton’s historic legacy ABOVE — Randy Hunt lives in the Oak-Hickory Historic District and is concerned about new student housing proposals.

Photo by Tomas Gonzalez

LEFT — CastleRock at Denton is a student apartment complex on Meadow Street.

By Matt Payne | Staff Writer ndependent student living companies with sights set on Denton could end up raising more conflict than profit.

Single-room-occupancy apartment complexes market to students who move from another town and wish to live in the same vicinity as their school, but these transient residents who come and go — often after only one or two years — worry some Denton residents who praise the quaint homes intended for families to occupy for decades.

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DRC file photo

HOUSING | CONTINUED ON PAGE 6

Late-term rule limits gas ‘flaring’

By Matthew Daly | AP

By Jenna Duncan | Staff Writer Denton is preparing to say goodbye to a longtime cowboy stop: Weldon’s Saddle Shop & Western Wear. Owner Weldon Burgoon, 89, announced his retirement this month, and his family announced this week they’ll close the store after

the holidays.

Weldon’s isn’t the only local Western retailer facing closure: Smith Brothers on Ganzer Road expects to close between Thanksgiving and Christmas. The store is currently doing liquidation sales, and when DUNCAN | CONTINUED ON PAGE 7

WASHINGTON — With two months left in President Barack Obama’s term, his administration issued a rule Tuesday intended to clamp down on oil companies that burn off natural gas on public lands.

The new rule seeks to reduce waste and harmful methane emissions as part of a strategy to address climate change.

But a new Republican administration under President-elect Donald Trump could reconsider the rule or even scrap it, although any effort to do so would likely take months.

Trump has said he will seek to sharply increase oil and gas drilling on federal lands and said on the campaign trail that restrictions supported by Obama and former presidential candidate Hillary Clinton would hurt energy-producing states such as Colorado.

Energy companies frequently “flare” or burn off vast supplies of natural gas at

Ron Baselice/DMN file photo

Atmos Energy “flares” natural gas near Interstate 635 in Dallas. drilling sites because it makes less money than oil. A government report said an estimated 40 percent of the gas being flared or vented could be captured economically and sold.

Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said the new rule updates 30-year-old dril-

ling regulations to meet modern standards and ensure that natural gas is used to power the economy — not wasted by being burned into the atmosphere. The rule is set to take effect in FLARING | CONTINUED ON PAGE 10

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Enterprising Voices

Leaders turn obstacles into opportunities requently, I am asked “How did you overcome obstacles to get to where you are today?”

My view is we need to turn this thinking around. Instead of viewing situations as obstacles, we need to see them as opportunities.

How do you do that? I have four steps I recommend no matter where you are in your career or life.

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Understand your environment When I joined the U.S. Air Force in the 1970s, I knew I had to do three things: look the part, read every book and document that could help me do my job, and use effective listening skills to get information from those around me.

As one of the few females in the military at the time, I stood out. Because of my reading and listening, I gained a veneer of confidence that evolved into real confidence as I understood more about the environment in which I was working. I learned how to set the pace.

My knowledge and specialties were desired. People wanted me on their teams, as they knew I was effective at my job. This led to promotions and a career path that put in me in parts of the world I never dreamed of as a young girl in Nacogdoches.

When you understand your environment, you can figure out ways to take advantage of opportunities others may miss.

Maj. Gen. Mary SAUNDERS Find mentors When I was an undergraduate student at Texas Woman’s University, I had a professor who taught me about the importance of critical thinking. I learned how to put forth an argument and to explore different views and opinions.

In his classes, I got advanced experience articulating my views and delivering polished messages quickly. I gained self-confidence to speak up for myself. This is what made me successful in the Air Force and, now, back at TWU as executive director of its Leadership Institute.

Figure out what your weaknesses are and identify people who can help you with what you don’t know. I recommend having three mentors at any one time. This is important at all stages of your career.

Learn how to work with others I frequently rely on what I learned while earning degrees in social work and counseling: Working well with others is a key to success.

You have to put some effort into it, but developing relationships can make a big

DRC file photo

Former Gov. Rick Perry talks to retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Mary Saunders, left, and fellow Texas Women’s Hall of Fame member Ann Williams on Oct. 12, 2012, at Hubbard Hall. difference in any project, turning what many see as an obstacle into an opportunity.

When I came to TWU to set up the Leadership Institute, I did not have higher education experience. During my first week on the job, I met with each of the college deans.

I wanted them to tell me what they thought the purpose of the institute should be. After each meeting, I sent a note, highlighting something discussed when we met one on one. Several expressed surprise in my quick response, but all understood my sense of urgency and the importance of what I was trying to accomplish.

Biz on the Wire

I also met with many alumni and members of the university’s faculty and staff. I learned about the environment through listening. I developed relationships that were very valuable as the institute’s program got off the ground. As seen during my time in the military, I could make significant change through the help of other people.

Develop a career plan Studies have shown that many women are afraid to speak for themselves and find a place where they can be influencers. This takes research. Get the facts. Do the planning.

Figure out what you career

Tuesday, Dec. 6, 6:30 p.m.

Argyle Chamber of Commerce has a monthly breakfast meeting at Lantana Golf Club, 800 Golf Club Drive, the third Tuesday of each month.

Tuesday, Dec. 20, 7:30 a.m.

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

Jeff Chiu/AP file photo

A man walks past a mural in a Facebook office in Menlo Park, Calif.

Tuesday, Dec. 6, 6:30 p.m.

Facebook juggles issue of fake news NEW YORK — Facebook is under fire for failing to rein in fake and biased news stories that some believe may have swayed the presidential election. Its predicament stems from this basic conundrum: It exercises great control over the news its users see, but it declines to assume the editorial responsibility that traditional publishers do.

On Monday, Facebook took a minor step to address the issue, clarifying its advertising policy to emphasize that it won’t display ads on sites that run information that is “illegal, misleading or deceptive, which includes fake news.”

The company said it was merely making explicit a policy that was already implied.

Its move followed a similar step by Google on Monday, after the search giant acknowledged that it had let a false article about the election results slip into its list of recommended news stories.

In the case of both companies, the aim is to discourage fake-news sites by depriving them of revenue.

Facebook also is said to be facing brewing internal turmoil over its influence and what it can and should do about it.

Employees have expressed concern over Facebook’s role in spreading misinformation and racist memes, according to The New York Times and BuzzFeed. Some reportedly have formed an unofficial task

force to investigate the role the company played in the election.

Founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, however, insists that Facebook remains a neutral technology platform where its users can share anything they want, with only a tiny fraction of it fake or problematic.

Last week, Zuckerberg called the idea that voters might have been influenced by what they saw on Facebook — fake, uber-partisan stories, such as a false one about Pope Francis endorsing Donald Trump for president — “pretty crazy.”

Facebook control People post to Facebook so frequently that the company has no choice but to filter what everyone sees in their news feeds — the main artery through which users see posts from their friends, family, businesses, news sources and celebrities they follow.

The company’s secret algorithms are designed to deliver the posts from friends and other sources that will draw people in and lead them to read, click, “like” and share — “maximizing their engagement,” in Facebook jargon.

Facebook frequently tweaks its algorithm to improve engagement. Various changes have been aimed at shutting out sites that promote clickbait and other garbage that users say they don’t want to see, even as they click

Two roads diverged in a wood, and I — I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference.

Understand that you can have your own, individual path to success. Look at the road less traveled as an opportunity to turn an obstacle into something rewarding.

Retired MAJ. GEN. MARY SAUNDERS was first female general officer selected as the director of transportation in the U.S. Air Force. She serves as the executive director of the Leadership Institute at Texas Woman’s University.

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

By Barbara Ortutay | AP Technology Writer

goals are important to you. You are your best advocate.

At the Leadership Institute, we are teaching our students about the actions of leadership, not just having them read about it. We want them to have both the knowledge and skills to be leaders. We show them how to be open to perspectives different from their own. We ask them questions to help them explore various paths available to achieve their goals.

Find your own voice. Realize you don’t have to do things the same way as everyone else.

My favorite poem is Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken.”

I live by these lines:

on it and share away. When users are surrounded by posts they want to see, they’re more likely to stick around.

That’s key to Facebook’s advertising business. But it can be problematic when it comes to false but highly interesting posts.

Facebook’s news feed “maximizes for engagement. As we’ve learned in this election, [BS] is highly engaging,” former Facebook product designer Bobby Goodlatte wrote in an Election Day post.

“Highly partisan, fact-light outlets” on both the right and the left, he wrote, “have no concern for the truth, and really only care for engagement. ... It’s now clear that democracy suffers if our news environment incentivizes [BS].”

Social media companies have to acknowledge that they are news organizations, said Jeffrey Herbst, president and CEO of the Newseum, a journalism museum in Washington. “Not like news companies of the 20th century,” he added.

“But not just pipes where people get their news. They determine what is news.”

In a post Saturday night, Zuckerberg rejected that idea.

“News and media are not the primary things people do on Facebook, so I find it odd when people insist we call ourselves a news or media company in order to acknowledge its importance,” he wrote.

“Facebook is mostly about helping people stay connected with friends and family.”

Aubrey 380 Area Chamber of Commerce will host its monthly networking luncheon at the Prairie House restaurant, 10001 U.S. Highway 380 in Cross Roads.

Registration is available at www.aubreycoc.org and costs $12 per person.

Wednesday, Dec. 21, 11:30 a.m.

Denton Black Chamber of Commerce meets the second Tuesday of the month at the Denton Housing Authority, 1225 Wilson St. Tuesday, Dec. 13, 6 p.m.

Denton Chamber of Commerce will host its quarterly membership luncheon at the University of North Texas’ Gateway Center. Individual tickets cost $35, and table sponsorships, seating eight people, cost $400.

Friday, Dec. 9, 11:30 a.m.

Denton Chamber of Commerce will host its Speed Networking Happy Hour at Hilton Garden Inn, 3110 Colorado Blvd. The event costs $20 for members and $25 for nonmembers. Those fees include appetizers and one drink ticket per person.

Thursday, Dec 8, 4 p.m.

Denton County Young Professionals hosts meetings every Wednesday, except for the first of the month, at The Chestnut Tree, 107 W. Hickory St. Wednesday, Nov. 30, 7:15 a.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 14, 7:15 a.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 21, 7:15 a.m.

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

Denton County Young Professionals hosts a monthly mixer at a new business each month. November’s mixer will be at Steve’s Wine Bar, 219 E. Hickory St. Thursday, Dec. 1, 5:30 p.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, Dec. 17, 9:30 a.m.

Denton Planning and Zoning Commission meets at City Hall, 215 E. McKinney St. Wednesday, Nov. 30, 6:30 p.m.

Wednesday, Dec. 14, 6:30 p.m.

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

More upcoming locations will be listed at www.lakecitieschamber.com/chamberevents.

Wednesday, Nov. 30, 8:15 a.m., Kensington Park Apartments, 3150 S Garrison St. Wednesday, Dec. 7, 8:15 a.m., Corinth City Hall, 3300 Corinth Parkway Wednesday, Dec. 14, 8:15 a.m., Corinth City Hall Wednesday, Dec. 21, 7:15 a.m., Lake Cities Chamber of Commerce

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, Nov. 29, 8 a.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 13, 8 a.m.

Sanger Chamber of Commerce hosts regular coffee club meetings the third Thursday of the month at Carson’s Coffee Corner, 801 W. Chapman Drive.

Thursday, Dec. 15, 7:30 a.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 WalMart Distribution Center, 2120 N. Interstate 35.

Wednesday, Nov. 23, noon

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.

Saturday, Dec. 10, 8 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

Revisiting case of Lakewood Village vs. Bizios y March 2015 column in Denton Business Chronicle discussed a recent case styled Town of Lakewood Village vs.

Bizios.

That case was one of first impression and dealt with the issue of whether the town of Lakewood Village could enforce its building codes and building permit requirements within its extraterritorial jurisdiction.

The 2nd Court of Appeals in Fort Worth determined that the Denton County town could not enforce such codes and permit requirements within the ETJ since the town was a general law municipality. That case was appealed to the Texas Supreme Court, which granted a petition for review. The case was argued before the Texas Supreme Court on March 8, 2016, and the court issued its opinion on May 27.

As promised in that first article, the following will provide an update on the Supreme Court’s decision and the final law relating to the whether a general law municipality can enforce its building codes and building permit requirements on property located solely within its ETJ. The Texas Supreme Court (the “court”) affirmed the decision of the 2nd Court of Appeals. In doing so, it further affirmed the position of Mr. Bizios that state law does not allow a general law municipality to enforce its building codes and permit requirements over property located within its ETJ. The court differentiated between the powers of homerule municipalities (cities that have a population in excess of 5,000 and choose to be selfgoverned) and general law municipalities (towns of

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Scott ALAGOOD | 5,000 or less).

Home-rule municipalities are empowered by the Texas Constitution and are only limited in what they can do by state law. To the contrary, general law municipalities are political subdivisions of the state of Texas and only hold the powers expressly conferred upon them by state law.

When it comes to building codes and permit requirements, the court confirmed that any municipality, homerule or general, has the authority under state law to enforce such codes and permit requirements for property within its municipal limits.

However, with respect to a general law municipality’s ETJ (that area outside of a municipality’s limits that acts as a buffer to other municipalities’ annexation powers), only a specific state statute can authorize it to enforce building codes and permit requirements.

The town argued that Sections 212.002 and 212.003 of the Texas Local Government Code gave the town power to enforce its building codes and permit requirements within its ETJ. Section 212.002 of the code provides that, “the governing body of a municipality may adopt rules governing platting and subdivisions of land within the municipality’s jurisdiction to promote the health, safety,

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morals, or general welfare of the municipality and the safe, orderly, and healthful development of the municipality.”

Section 212.003 states, “the governing body of a municipality may by ordinance extend to the extraterritorial jurisdiction of the municipality the application of municipal ordinances adopted under Section 212.002.”

Lakewood Village contended that building codes and permit requirements are the same as “rules governing plats and subdivisions.” However, the court disagreed that “platting and subdivision” in Section 212.002 includes “building codes and building permits.”

The town further argued that Sections 214.904 and 233.153 of the Texas Local Government Code supported

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its position.

Section 214.904 requires municipalities to either grant or deny an application for a building permit within 45 days after submittal. That section goes on to provide, “this section applies only to a permit required by a municipality to erect or improve a building or other structure in the municipality or its extraterritorial jurisdiction.”

Section 233.153 allows counties to enforce certain building codes in unincorporated areas, unless a municipality has adopted building codes within that municipality’s ETJ. In that situation, the municipality’s building codes will supersede the county’s building codes.

Again, the court disagreed with the town’s interpretation

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of Texas law, and instead adopted the Fort Worth court’s rationale that the general reference to municipalities in Sections 214.904 and 233.153 does not constitute an independent grant of authority for all municipalities to enforce their building codes within the ETJ, but only applies where any such municipality otherwise has been expressly afforded that power.

The court went on to strike down the town’s arguments on implied powers inherent in a municipality’s rights to extend its powers within the ETJ. The court forcefully reiterated that there was no express or implied authority in the Texas Local Government Code that allowed the town to extend its building codes and permit requirements into the ETJ.

The court declined to follow either the town’s or Bizios’ public policy arguments.

In conclusion, the court made it clear that general law municipalities do not currently have the authority to enforce building codes or permit requirements within their ETJ. However, in 2017 the Texas Legislature goes into session. It remains to be seen whether or not a bill may be introduced to overturn the court’s decision in Town of Lakewood Village v. Bizios.

R. SCOTT ALAGOOD is certified by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization in commercial and residential real estate law and can be reached at alagood@ dentonlaw.com and www.dentonlaw.com.

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Enterprising Voices

Make it a tradition to shop, dine small s we begin the holiday shopping season, let’s recommit to honoring our neighborhood champions, the Denton County small retailers and neighborhood eateries.

On Nov. 26, I encourage you to join millions of Texans and other Americans to “shop and dine small” on Small Business Saturday, which has become an American tradition. Small businesses represent the dynamic demographics of Denton County, encompassing everyone from your delicious, unique momand-pop coffee shops, restaurants and bakeries to your neighborhood specialty boutique or traditional manufacturer.

This past fiscal year, the U.S. Small Business Administration approved $200.2 million in loans to 297 Denton County small businesses.

These companies created or retained 3,794 local jobs.

When we shop and dine small, we’re supporting small businesses like those in Denton County.

million restaurant locations nationwide. The restaurant industry employs 14.4 million people.

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Impact of the retail industry According to the National Retail Federation, consumer spending accounts for 70 percent of gross domestic product year-round, delivering a big boost to the U.S. economy. That’s why consumer motivations and behavior behind that spending are critically important this time

Impact of Small Business Saturday Herbert AUSTIN | of year. Holiday season sales account for 19 percent of annual retail industry sales, according to the NRF. This year, NRF expects U.S. holiday retail sales to rise 3.6 percent, which is ahead of last year’s 3.2 percent increase and ahead of the seven-year average of 3.4 percent since our economy began to recover in 2009.

Impact of the restaurant industry In Denton, you don’t have to search far to find local restaurants. The National Restaurant Association reminds us this industry is a huge component of the U.S. economy. In fact, the restaurant industry’s economic health is now a leading indicator of the nation’s economic health.

The restaurant association reports the industry’s annual sales are projected to reach $783 billion by the end of 2016, which constitutes 4 percent of U.S. GDP. On a typical day, restaurant sales are $1.8 billion across the 1

In 2015, 95 million consumers spent $16.2 billion at local and “main street” merchants and restaurants on Small Business Saturday.

That’s an 8 percent increase in the number of consumers and a 14 percent increase in dollars spent over 2014. The average Small Business Saturday shopper and/or diner spent $170.

Many consumers said Small Business Saturday inspires them to continue to shop and dine small throughout the year and not just for the holidays.

Among those who shopped on Small Business Saturday, 81 percent helped spread the word by encouraging family and friends.

Do your part with these six simple steps ■ If you’re a business owner, make sure you’re prepared for the season by checking out helpful advice at www.sba.gov/ smallbusinesssaturday.

■ If you’re a customer, commit to making at least one purchase from a locally owned small retailer. Get to know the owner, and make your gift more meaningful by sharing their story as part of what you give your loved

DRC file photo

Small Business Saturday is set for Nov. 26. Denton residents starting their Christmas shopping will have plenty of options to “shop and dine small.” ones.

■ Also, after a day of shopping, you can continue to support small businesses by dining small at your favorite local restaurant, coffee shop or watering hole.

■ Enjoy the experience.

Travel outside your comfort zone — and away from your computer screen — to discover an out-of-the ordinary shopping district with trendy local stores.

■ Join the conversation on social media, using the tags

#SmallBizSat, #ShopSmall and #DineSmall to amplify your support. If you find a great small retailer with unique products, tweet or Facebook your find so others can enjoy it too.

■ When you open your gifts, start a conversation about which one came from the most distinctive and creative sellers. This can make for great debate over eggnog or your drink of choice.

Join me in supporting and

driving Small Business Saturday until the sun goes down on Nov. 26 in Denton County. And remember that “shop small” refers to whom you buy from, not how much you buy!

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.

Biz on the Wire

Retail sales jump 0.8 percent in sign of consumer health

By Christopher S. Rugaber | AP Economics Writer WASHINGTON — American consumers ramped up their spending last month in a sign of robust health heading into the crucial Christmas shopping season.

Retail sales rose 0.8 percent in October, after an upwardly revised 1 percent gain in September, the Commerce Department said Tuesday. The two-month increase was the largest since the spring of 2014.

The numbers suggest that the economy may grow more quickly in the final three months of the year than many economists had expected.

Retail sales are closely watched as a sign of consumer health. Consumer spending makes up about 70 percent of the economy.

Steady hiring and emerging signs of solid pay increases have made Americans more confident and willing to spend. The unemployment rate fell last month to a low 4.9 percent, and in October workers saw the biggest annual pay gain since the end of the recession.

And while many companies, such as Dunkin Donuts, blamed their own weak sales figures in the late summer and fall on consumer concerns surrounding the election, Tuesday’s figures show that the presidential campaign had little impact overall.

“If electoral uncertainty were restraining activity prior to last Tuesday, it is nowhere apparent in the consumer spending data,” JPMorgan Chase economist Michael Feroli said.

Revisions to September and August data indicate that consumers spent more than previously estimated in the July-September quarter, Feroli said. That means growth in the third quarter may have been as high as 3.2 percent, he estimated, above the 2.9 percent figure reported last month.

Some of the biggest sales increases were in autos and gas, with higher prices boosting gas station sales. Even excluding those categories, however, sales rose 0.6 percent in October and 0.5 per-

cent the previous month.

Auto sales rose a healthy 1.1 percent, though many dealers relied on steep discounts.

Sales of home and garden supplies also rose 1.1 percent in October, a positive sign that more Americans are remodeling and expanding their homes.

Home Depot, the nation’s biggest home improvement chain, upped its outlook for the year Tuesday after beating Wall Street expectations handily. Customer transactions jumped, as did the amount they spent on each visit, the company said.

Most other retailers also saw healthy increases: Grocery stores, health and personal care outlets, sporting goods retailers, clothing stores, and online and catalog retailers all reported strong sales.

Online and catalog retailers are continuing to seize market share from older-line outlets such as department stores.

Michael Brian/AP file photo

Dam Store manager Sara Judge, left, helps Jessica Wiechman with a purchase Oct. 21 in Loveland, Colo.

Online and catalog sales have increased 12.9 percent in the past year, much faster than

the 4.3 percent gain for all retailers. Department stores, meanwhile, have seen their

sales plunge 7.3 percent in the past 12 months.

Furniture stores were one

of the few to report a drop in October, with sales falling 0.9 percent.

Steady hiring may be boosting spending. Employers have added about 175,000 jobs a month this year, down from last year’s pace but still enough to push unemployment even lower over time.

That appears to be boosting consumer confidence, which has been mostly healthy in recent months. A measure of consumer sentiment by the University of Michigan rose in the first half of November.

Even with solid growth in the October-December quarter, the economy has been weak this year. It expanded at just a 1.1 percent pace in the first six months of 2016. It accelerated to a 2.9 percent pace in the July-September quarter.

Even with a healthier expansion in the fourth quarter, growth may not reach 2 percent for the full year.

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Enterprising Voices

State government a truly Denton industry etween our two universities and the Denton State Supported Living Center, not counting our county and school district, over 12,000 individual careers in Denton are directly attributed to state government.

Subsequently, state government meets the definition of “local industry” in our city.

Retention and expansion of any valuable industry require good resources, which in this case is having state legislators who can be effective in Austin.

We’ve been blessed to have Myra Crownover as our state representative the last 16 years.

When the 85th Texas Legislature convenes Jan. 10, we

constituents of Denton and District 64 during the Denton Chamber of Commerce membership luncheon Friday, Dec. 9 in the Gateway Center at the University of North Texas.

There’s probably no more grassroots level of elected public office than the school board. Stucky served on the Sanger board of trustees from 1997-2012, during which he spent four years as school board president. He is a graduate of the Denton chamber’s third class of Leadership Denton.

A key area initiative of every regular session of the Legislature since 1987 is Denton County Days in Austin.

We have changed and con-

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Chuck CARPENTER | will have a new representative for House District 64. Sanger veterinarian Lynn Stucky will be the primary resource for supporting our local industry, which he will balance with advocacy for the profit and free market sector.

Stucky has been invited to share his strategy for addressing the needs of the

Jeff Woo/DRC file photo

Lynn Stucky, left, celebrates a primary win May 24 in Sanger. On Nov. 8, Stucky was elected to be the state representative for Texas House District 64. firmed the dates for the 2017 event to Feb. 28 and March 1.

Denton County Days is

designed to acquaint the state’s top elected decision makers and key agency offi-

cials with the many assets of the county, and heighten the overall image and visibility of the North Texas region.

A joint project of the chambers of commerce of Denton County, the ultimate intent is to provide more exposure for area legislators, thus helping them to better represent the needs of their constituents.

For more details on chamber luncheons, as well as Denton County Days, please call the chamber office at 940382-9693.

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

Community involvement goes with customer service ost businesses are rooted in their communities, and Denton is no exception.

We teeter on the brink of being a large city, but we’ve got a small-town heart.

So many businesses here live and die on the local dime, but, because of our fairly large size, I think it’s easy to forget that these people who come through our doors, day in and day out, our are neighbors.

Even for a business like ours, where we can work with folks all over the globe, local business is where we feel most comfortable, where we have the most fun and where we get to work people who are just like us at heart, who recognize Denton as a special place.

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Our customers are our neighbors It’s easy to forget our neighbors in the daily grind.

It’s easy to go about business as usual. It’s easy to come across a less-than-satisfied local customer and say, “You know what? I tried. Too bad for them.”

We’ve all done it, but it’s something none of us can afford. Because that customer is a neighbor, a community member, maybe even a friend.

I think that’s why it’s so incredibly important to provide the best possible customer service to everyone, but especially to folks local to Denton. The kind of service that goes over and above the norm, that blows people’s minds and makes them come back through your doors again and again.

That’s why it’s critical to reach out to them, to find out how to take them from unhappy customer to excited brand ambassador.

Everyone makes mistakes But it’s how you respond to those mistakes that makes the difference.

Forming those long-term relationships, both with customers and in the Denton community at large, is the most consistently effective method to growing your business over time.

It costs roughly 10 times as much to get a new customer as it costs to keep an existing customer, but it’s much more than the cost of loss we’re talking about here.

A customer you’ve gone over and above for is going to spread the word. They’re going to keep coming back.

They’re going to think of you whenever they have a problem you can solve. They’re going to give you years, if not decades, of business.

And word is going to get around, one way or the other.

People talk, especially in a community of this size.

Heather STEELE | name can brighten someone’s day.

A small act of kindness, a simple thank-you for someone’s business, a resolute determination to right wrongs and fix mistakes, can endear a customer to your for life.

And who knows — that customer you helped, the one you took the extra time with, might just come back next week with an order that will change the course of your business.

Great customer service starts now Denton is growing. One day, God willing, Interstate 35E construction will be complete, and it will be easier than ever to get into and out of Denton.

The seeds are already being planted to grow this community into the third point of the Dallas-Fort Worth triangle, and we need to be prepared for an influx of folks looking for jobs and housing.

There are tons of folks in the Denton community right now laying the foundation for a larger, stronger business and tech community, organizations like TechMill (https://techmill. co), the Denton Economic Development Partnership (http://dentonedp.com) and Denton Community Market (www.dentoncommunity market.com).

People are moving to Denton, commuting to Denton and walking through the doors of your business.

Are you showing them the best side of Denton?

Will people walk away

DRC file photo

Denton Community Market is part of a movement that is laying the foundation for a larger, stronger business and tech community in the city. from your business and say, “Hey, we should go back there”?

Will they think, “You know, this would be a nice place to live!”

Or will they go somewhere else?

As Denton grows, customer service becomes more important than ever. It’s one of the simplest ways to set yourself apart from the crowd, especially if you can’t compete on price or quality.

Those folks coming into Denton, finding jobs and settling in for the long haul are going to remember their

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first impression of your business.

Make it a good one.

Show everyone how awesome Denton is I’ll end with this: Denton is growing, but it won’t keep growing without new, awesome people getting involved.

We all have to make customer service a focus, to show old and new residents alike that Denton is more than some town at the top of the map.

That we’re not a far-away suburb of Fort Worth or Dallas.

Our people, our culture and our dedication to our city

set us apart.

That’s part of what makes Denton so great — we have dedicated, passionate, intelligent people here who understand the needs of the community and are willing to devote their time and resources to making Denton a great place to live.

We have awesome people developing amazing products and services and making a positive impression on DallasFort Worth, the state of Texas and the world.

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Big relationships start small It’s hard to form those large relationships that can rocket a business to the next level if we’re not making good on the small relationships that come through our door every day.

Something as simple as remembering a customer’s

So, as the holidays creep around the corner, as stress and tension begin to run high, as we all struggle to plan vacations, finish as much work as possible, complete the school year and brave the madness of gift shopping, remember how critical it is to make a good impression.

Be of service, and show your customers why Denton is such an awesome place.

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Cover Story

Photos by Tomas Gonzalez

EdR Collegiate Housing has been working on plans to build a five-story apartment complex where Voertman’s and Subway stand now.

HOUSING | CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Although the University of North Texas’ student body reached a record 37,973 students enrolled this fall, with many residing in Denton, Randy Hunt, who’s lived in town for 35 years, doesn’t think these off-campus housing options are entirely necessary.

“They’re saying it’s for student housing, but it has no affiliation with UNT,” Hunt said. “If the university came forward and said they wanted to build something, I bet we could work with them. But this is not a state function.

This is a group of investors who want every cent returned as quickly as possible.”

Two recent proposals to the City Council for SRO complexes on Hickory and Scripture streets have faced scrutiny from council members and residents alike. The proposed space above Voertman’s on Hickory was denied 4-1 at an October council meeting, and a moratorium for a discussion on how Denton should approach these SROs was observed Nov. 8 in place of the council’s agenda. The council says the meeting has been postponed to December.

Rodney King, vice president of development with EdR Collegiate Housing, has repeatedly said growth is coming and the private sector is responding to university growth.

“Fortunately — or unfortunately, depending on your point of view — the University of North Texas is growing,” King said late last year.

“They have a growth plan that is extremely aggressive. I don’t want to sound bold or anything, but development is going to come to satisfy the market need.”

Around Denton, there are 26 complexes that lease single rooms to students, for a total of 9,384 beds, according to a city report.

Many people in the surrounding neighborhoods cite concerns with U Centre at Fry Street, which has had a hard time keeping retail tenants.

The complex, furnished with 194 units and 614 beds, replaced longtime Fry Streetarea businesses and flooded the area with more students.

The neighborhood was promised a lot by the original developer, Sterling, which later sold the property.

The integrity of neighborhoods would be threatened if colossal buildings imposed their way into old areas, council members and residents say.

For the past two years, Hunt and fellow locals in a group called Historic Denton

have worked to earn the OakHickory Historic District recognition in the National Register of Historic Places.

Eventually, Historic Denton hopes neighborhoods all the way out to Jagoe and Panhandle streets will be recognized, where more than 350 homes compose a longtime community.

Since 2004, Hunt and his wife, Annetta Ramsay, have owned and lived at 722 W. Oak St., in the Oak-Hickory Historic District. Ornate copper ceilings complement solid wooden floors in the home built in 1904. A chandelier gifted to J.R. Crystal, the original owner, from Thomas Edison hangs above the dining table.

Hunt said the blind desire for apartment companies to make a profit despite encroaching on established zoning is offensive to the community.

“Go look at an SRO advertising themself: It’s a party house,” he said. “That’s the offensive part. We’ve even seen people living in SROs who are coming over here, asking, ‘Are y’all renting any rooms? We can’t study over there.’”

Since moving to Denton in 1981, Hunt has worked in the business incubation department at UNT. In his time living in Denton and through constant involvement with the university, he’s noticed a spike in the number of online courses available, and said that approach has permeated into several degree programs and among faculty members.

The assumption that in-

Rawlins Hall opened in the fall of 2015 at the University of North Texas and houses 500 students. UNT is working on adding another 1,000 on-campus beds over the next few years. dependent student living companies address a need for SROs versus a greater number of students online and outside of Denton creates the conflict that Hunt has targeted.

No blame should be placed upon UNT for garnering record levels of students, he said. He referred to how the university is expanding south of the Oak-Hickory Historic District down past Interstate 35E and Apogee Stadium.

He said the university takes care of its own, and that students outside of its housing system don’t experience the same benefits as those on campus.

“The [resident assistants] and hall directors actually care what your GPA is,” Hunt said.

“They’re going to do whatever

they can do to enhance living on campus as part of an educational experience.”

A five-story SRO complex across from where City Parc at Fry Street sits on Scripture Street would ruin any potential the area has for national accreditation, Historic Denton says. The sheer height that would loom over houses has caused concern.

If Park7 Group, the company that proposed the complex, wanted to build in an area already declared commercial, such as where City Parc sits, Hunt said he wouldn’t have an issue with it.

“The big assumption that we dislike is that we need to have five-story structures to house people to go to school here,” he said. “We’re saying,

‘We don’t think so.’”

Paul Levine, Park7’s executive vice president of development, said this year that students remain attracted to housing developments.

“What we’re seeing in the market now is the demand for infill-type development, where you have higher density closer to campus, and that’s where students are moving to,” Levine said. “When you look at the economics of these types of buildings, if you’re talking about something that’s two or three stories and surface parking, that’s sprawl and that’s not going to satisfy the demand for housing.”

Councilwoman Kathleen Wazny says UNT must always be aware of how its student body will affect the surround-

ing areas.

Like Hunt with Historic Denton, the sheer size and population of apartment complexes threatens the integrity of historic neighborhoods, Wazny said, adding that longtime residents of Denton deserve a say in how their city looks.

“When you buy a home or invest in a business in Denton, you are a stakeholder,” she said. “We need to bring these stakeholders together to consider how they want this city to look 20 years forward.”

Currently, the city doesn’t distinguish between SROs and standard apartments, which is why Wazny spoke out for a moratorium so the council could examine how other college towns handle student housing, like San Marcos and Austin.

She said that through proper planning and city laws being rewritten, Denton will be better able to control the criteria for independent student living companies, and avoid typical issues Denton faces with construction and parking.

“It’s not the city’s responsibility to make way for student housing at the expense of neighborhoods,” Wazny said.

“As city planners, it’s our responsibility to nourish neighborhoods and let them flourish. This is where kids grow up and people get old: that’s what neighborhoods are.”

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

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Area Chamber Roundup Greater Argyle Chamber of Commerce The Greater Argyle Chamber of Commerce welcomed a record number of new members at our October breakfast, including AT&T Wise Wireless at Lantana Town Center, Bartonville Animal Hospital, The Shops At Highland Village, Habitat for Humanity of Denton County, Therapy Ranch, Selwyn College Preparatory School, Earl’s 377 Pizza, Bold Fitness Bootcamp, and Mike McCarthy of USHealth Advisors.

Ribbon-cuttings were held for Bold Fitness Bootcamp and Massage Green Spa, with a full schedule of ribboncuttings still to come before the end of the year.

Monday, Dec. 5 will bring our last fundraiser of the year, benefiting Born 2 Be Therapeutic Equestrian Center, Cross Timbers YMCA, Habitat for Humanity, Metroport Meals on Wheels, Mission Moms, Ranch Hand Rescue, Riding Unlimited, and Victory Therapy Center.

All profits from this “Caring at Christmas” event will be split with the listed nonprofits, with

Open/ Closed

Massage Green Spa of Highland Village the chamber’s share used to replenish its scholarship fund.

These fundraising events continue the model of a chamber that not only provides business networking and city awareness, but values and believes in businesses giving back to the community they serve.

To purchase tickets for the fundraiser, visit www.argylechamber.org/cac.

Aubrey 380 Area Chamber of Commerce Extended summer weather has made it hard to believe that the holidays are upon us.

The Aubrey 380 Area Chamber of Commerce would like to invite you to some upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas events in the area.

■ Nov. 20: Community Thanksgiving service and dinner — The Aubrey Com-

munity Thanksgiving Service will be at 5:30 p.m. Sunday at First Christian Church, 410 N. Main St. in Aubrey. Local fire department and law enforcement personnel and their families will be honored. A Thanksgiving dinner will follow the worship service at the Coffey Building, next to First Christian Church. Turkey and ham will be provided by Mom’s on Main. The public is

invited.

■ Dec. 1: Keep Aubrey Beautiful’s Hometown Christmas Tree Lighting — 6:30 p.m. at 301 S. Main St. Music by Monaco Elementary School and the Aubrey Middle School band. Free Santa Claus photos provided by Marissa Swarbrick.

■ Dec. 21: The chamber’s December networking luncheon — This is our annual Christmas carol luncheon, with music provided by the chamber’s own jazz artist Shelly Torres-West of LegalShield, and great Prairie House food. It’s at 11:30 a.m. at Prairie House Restaurant.

The chamber recently held a ribbon-cutting for the Turquoise Cactus Boutique to celebrate its move to a new location, as well as its Christmas open house. We also held a ribbon-cutting for new member American Stat Care Center in Cross Roads.

Other new members to the Aubrey 380 Area Chamber of Commerce include Cross Roads Smiles Dentistry, Cross Roads Express Car Wash and Pilot Point Home Health Inc. Welcome!

Remember to support your local businesses, not only during the holiday season but every day. Shop small. Enjoy a happy, healthy holiday season with your family and friends.

For more information about the Aubrey 380 Area Chamber of Commerce, visit www.aubreycoc.org and www.facebook.com/aubreycoc or call 940-365-9781.

Lake Cities Chamber of Commerce The Lake Cities Chamber of Commerce is gearing up for a busy November and December.

Thursday, Nov. 17 from 5 to 7 p.m. we will have our monthly mixer along with a ribbon-cutting for Master Shine Wash and Detail, 3950 FM2181 in Hickory Creek.

Our monthly lunch meeting will be held Monday, Dec. 5 at 11 a.m. at Oakmont Country Club. The luncheon will showcase businesses within our chamber, carolers and a dessert auction to benefit the Lake Cities Lions Club.

Please visit www.lakecitieschamber.com for locations and hosts of our weekly coffees and other events.

Biz on the Wire

Lyft replacing glowing moustache with beacon

DUNCAN | CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

supplies run out, the doors will close permanently.

After five years with a farm and a storefront, Earthwise Produce closed this month.

Over the summer, the business split from partner Johnson’s Backyard Garden in Austin, and now won’t be doing vegetable shares or selling local produce, eggs and goods at 728 Elm St. In a letter to its clients, Earthwise pointed people to Let Them Eat Local Denton, a seemingly new food delivery website that connects Denton residents with local produce: http://letthemeatlocal.com.

With Thanksgiving around the corner, we now have a HoneyBaked Ham store at 1435 S. Loop 288. This means tons of prepared ham, turkey, sides and desserts for all.

First United Bank and American Bank of Texas are now one company under the First United name. While Denton didn’t have any American Bank of Texas locations, those customers can now use the two First United banks in the city limits.

Sweetwater Grill & Tavern is now Agua Dulce (yes, a play on the Sweetwater name). The Mexican-inspired restaurant has a rebooted menu with tacos, enchiladas and a lot of margaritas.

Even more food: Komodo Loco is now open and serving up sushi and other Asianinspired dishes. It’s still testing an initial menu at 109 Oakland St., and the owners hope to expand the menu and its offerings soon.

Not sure when this one happened, but O’Philly Cheesesteaks is now closed.

A sign in the storefront on Loop 288 says DuPopIn popcorn and candy will take over the location, but more information wasn’t immediately available.

The Square is continuing to ramp up its retail options with the opening of Zig Zag Stripe, at 207 N. Elm St. The boutique is based in Arlington and makes its own affordable women’s wear, like leggings, dresses and sweaters.

Denton resident Darren Brown has opened a new AAMCO Transmissions storefront on South Elm, offering full-service auto repair and inspections.

Holiday Inn Express is planning another hotel in Denton: at the Unicorn Lake development behind the planned Buc-ee’s.

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

NEW YORK (AP) — Ridehailing service Lyft, the underdog rival to Uber, is getting rid of its iconic pink moustache logo and replacing it with something more useful: beacons.

The light-up beacons, which Lyft calls “Amps,” will be on the dashboard of Lyft drivers’ cars beginning Jan. 1

in New York, Las Vegas, San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Beacons can communicate with people’s smartphones using Bluetooth technology. In retail stores, this means guiding you to a certain shoe display, for example.

With Lyft, it means having your driver’s beacon light up a specific color once he or she is

near. You can have your phone light up in that same color, too, then hold it up so the driver can see you.

Lyft says this will make it easier and safer for drivers and riders to find each other.

This can be especially helpful at night, or in crowded areas where multiple people might be hailing a ride.

San Francisco-based Lyft says it won’t use the beacons for ads, though the passengerfacing side might be devoted to sponsored campaigns, such as a beer company warning against drinking and driving.

Lyft’s first symbol was a pink, fuzzy moustache attached to the front of drivers’ cars. Next came the “Glow-

stache,” a glowing plastic moustache. The Amp, while still bright pink, is a clean, oval shape.

Lyft held a retirement party for the moustache, said Melissa Waters, vice president of marketing. But the pink stays.

“It’s loud, proud, quirky, fun,” she said.

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Enterprising Voices

Investing after the presidential election wo months ago in this column we underscored the need for caution in a complacent market. Whoa — what an intriguing two months it has been.

As we predicted, the low levels of volatility and ultralow interest rates permeating the markets this summer did not last. Shortly after our September article, volatility measures began creeping up.

The Chicago Board Options Exchange Volatility Index jumped 50 percent in a few days as talking heads began to prognosticate that the Federal Reserve might hike interest rates in September. When the Fed took a pass, fear levels abated … until the presidential debates kicked off.

As the candidates exchanged verbal jabs, secret videos were leaked and more emails were discovered, fear gauges ticked up again, nearly doubling the complacency level observed just weeks earlier. Interestingly, while major market indices pulled back about 5 percent during this time period, our portfolio actually gained ground. This was the result of two primary forces.

First, the catalysts we have been writing about the past few quarters continue to drive gains in our portfolio holdings. Almost all of our portfolio companies reported earnings during the last month, and they are universally executing well. While many of the market’s highflying “momentum stocks” disappointed recently, companies that benefit from multiple operational, financial and macro catalysts and that are fundamentally undervalued continue to bear fruit.

Second, on top of this fundamental performance, our portfolio hedges also helped. Our cash balances buffered broader market declines, and the selective hedges we picked up when fear was low rose in value as fear returned. Buying these hedges this summer, when fear levels were low, made all kinds of sense. As Warren Buffett says, “It’s good to buy flood insurance in the midst of drought, not after the rains.”

T

Love the volatility We love these periods of volatility as investment managers. While we had hoped for even greater levels of fear — which would have likely resulted in much more significant levels of buying — we deployed a little more than 10 percent of our capital since early September.

Not bad for a few weeks of work. Let’s review where that capital was focused.

For a few years now we have been following the major players in the retail sector. You may recall Wal-Mart was a large holding (and subsequently a large winner) for our fund during the 2011-14 period.

While we like to keep abreast of what Wal-Mart is up to, we also follow many of its peers, competitors and smaller rivals.

Earlier this year, retail stocks were pummeled across the board. Companies like Macy’s, Dillard’s, Kohl’s, Bed Bath & Beyond and the Container Store sold off on a “weak consumer environment.”

While each of these could be good investments at the right price, we have begun to build a position in a niche retailer with its own set of operational, financial and macro catalysts. This position is not fully developed, still shy of our traditional 5 percent allocation at current levels.

Hopefully, prices will continue to fall and more capital can be deployed into this opportunity.

Pharma down Another area that has taken it on the chin this year is the pharmaceutical sector.

You may recall various drugmaker CEOs appearing before congress testifying why they were gouging the American consumer with their highpriced drugs. Sen. Bernie

Jonathon FITE | Sanders, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and candidate Hillary Clinton all blasted the “greedy bastards.” Naturally, this scrutiny led to the deferral and in some cases outright rollback of price hikes that had become standard in the industry.

This led to selling pressure in the big-name drug companies. But this also created pain further down the supply chain. Drug distributors like McKesson, Cardinal Health and AmerisourceBergen have come to depend on those escalating prices. As turmoil spread across the sector, their stock prices fell 30 to 50 percent from recent highs. This angst has even trickled down to the “last mile” of the supply chain, with pharmacies like Walgreens and CVS seeing their stock prices tumble.

We have been studying this sector for about six months.

Our summer intern spent his entire duration with us exploring the dynamics of the key players above. As the pressures mounted in the weeks ahead of the election, our entry prices for our focal company were triggered and we started building another new position for the fund. Like the retailer above, this position is currently shy of our traditional 5 percent allocation. Ideally, prices would fall further and this position would be nearly twice as large.

But these two new opportunities were not the only destination for our new capital. We had the opportunity to deploy another 5 percent or so into several existing portfolio holdings.

Coal up For example, we have been very active across the “capital stack” in our Powder River Basin coal company holding.

Earlier this year, this company was a $1-and-change stock.

Today it trades north of $7.

Not bad. Let’s explore a little of how we managed the position in between.

As the company’s shares languished this spring, the prices of its bonds also sold off. So, while we held a lot of stock, the bonds were even safer, trading at a big discount, and we felt we could help create our own catalyst. We began buying the bonds at 40 cents on the dollar and continued buying in the 50- to 60-cent range.

This summer we met with the company management team and its board of directors, encouraging them to initiate a tender offer for the bonds. In essence, we encouraged the company to buy back its own debt. In September, they announced they would buy back the bonds at 89 cents on the dollar. This was a good deal for them, as they retired $1 worth of debt for 89 cents. But it was a great deal for us, since we almost doubled our money on our bond purchases.

Even though the tender had been announced, the market had a muted reaction to the company’s stock. So we bought more in the mid-tohigh $3 range. As the shares breached $5, we began trimming again, believing a Clinton presidency would not be great for coal companies.

But a Donald Trump presidency is a game changer. One of his key platforms was to roll back the regulatory regime that President Obama and the Environmental Protection Agency had thrust upon the coal sector. The news of Trump’s victory has sent coal shares soaring.

But coal has not been the only winner. Several of our portfolio companies are likely

Alex Brandon/AP

House Speaker Paul Ryan, left, shows President-elect Donald Trump and wife Melania Trump the view of the inaugural stand that is being built, from the speaker’s balcony Thursday in Washington. to benefit from the presumed lower regulatory environment that should pervade under Trump. When you combine this reality with a belief that deficits will mount as taxes are cut and fiscal spending on infrastructure and programs increases, inflation becomes a reality again.

Yes, believe it or not, inflation may actually be a thing again. Where have you heard that before? Oh, right — in this column.

This has begun to create positive sentiments across our hard-asset plays and our interest rate plays. During a gathering of our partners in September, we were asked “Why do you believe interest rates will rise? Clearly, the world’s financial system was not ‘baking that into the cake.’

Why is an assumption of higher interest rates part of your portfolio strategy?”

Because no one believed rates would ever take off again.

We knew the $13 trillion of negative yielding debt was a tinderbox ready to catch fire.

It just needed a spark to set it ablaze.

Borrow and spend Trump’s victory, and the expected inflation that comes with it, may have been that spark. Interest rates, as measured by the 10-year Treasury, have jumped 50 percent since mid-summer. The rates themselves are still low, but the rate-of-change is huge … maybe even “bigly.”

So, while we owned a handful of companies with interest rate sensitivity, our core thesis was based on operational catalysts that were evident that would drive value creation independent of interest rates. Yet, on top of these independent operational catalysts, we believed these companies would see massive gains if interest rates jumped higher.

These holdings have been big winners for us thus far in the fourth quarter. While some may attribute these recent jumps to Trump’s ascension, the reality is that Clinton’s fiscal policies weren’t much different — they were both going to borrow money and spend more.

The catalysts we have been writing about eventually would have taken shape regardless of who wound up in the White House. So while the election may have sucked the intellectual oxygen out of the room, the reality is that

themselves. If fear spikes again, be poised and willing to build new values in your portfolio, regardless of who sits in the Oval Office.

we owned deeply undervalued holdings that had wellaligned managers who were operating their businesses well.

As markets rally, consider building some cash and placing some key hedges that can be monetized to exploit new opportunities as they present

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.

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Unemployment Update National numbers

By Christopher S. Rugaber | AP WASHINGTON — Fewer Americans sought unemployment aid in the most recent week of data available, the latest sign that companies are holding on to their workers.

The Labor Department said Nov. 10 that weekly applications for jobless benefits fell 11,000 to a seasonally adjusted 254,000 the previous week.

That’s down from a threemonth high the week before.

The four-week average, a less volatile measure, ticked up 1,750 to 259,750.

Just over 2 million people are receiving unemployment aid, up 18,000 from the previous week.

Applications, which are a proxy for layoffs, have remained below 300,000 for 88 straight weeks, the longest streak since 1970.

Businesses appear to be confident enough in their future prospects to maintain their staffs. And when layoffs are so low, companies typically step up hiring.

Hiring has slowed from last year but remains solid enough to lower the unemployment rate over time. Employers added 161,000 jobs in October, and the unemployment rate fell to 4.9 percent, the government said two weeks ago.

Vital Biz on the Wire Statistics CEO: Election won’t keep Ford from moving Focus production BUILDING PERMITS The following building permits were issued by the Denton Planning and Development department in October. Commericial alterations and commercial permits reflect the owner or tenant and the address of the business.

DETROIT (AP) — Ford Motor Co. CEO Mark Fields says the presidential election won’t change the company’s plans to move small car pro-

duction to Mexico.

President-elect Donald Trump has criticized Ford for moving production to Mexico.

Trump wants to renegotiate

the North American Free Trade Agreement and has called for a 35-percent tariff on goods shipped from Mexico.

In an interview with CNBC on Tuesday, Fields said Ford is proceeding with its plan to move Focus production from Michigan to a new plant in

Mexico by 2018.

He stressed that no jobs will be lost, since the Michigan plant will make two other vehicles.

CERTIFICATES OF OCCUPATION Ajay Patel, 507 S. Locust St. Armando Villadiego, 1776 Teasley Lane, No. 106 CCI Inv. Ltd., 525 S. Carroll Blvd., No. 202 Charlie Yue 517 N. Loop 288 500 Cardinal Drive, A-L Danny Koh Insurance Agency, 601 N. Carroll Blvd.

Ezekiel Setne, 2301 N. Masch Branch Road, No. 226 Five VP. Texas LP, 4505 N. Interstate 35 Life 365 Church, 5800 N. Interstate 35, No. 200 Members Choice Federal, 3351 Unicorn Lake Blvd.

Robert A. McAshan, 603 N. Locust St., No. 108 Robert Rice, 717 S. Interstate 35E, No. 130 Yandeh Touray, 5800 N. Interstate 35, No. 500 COMMERCIAL ALTERATION Brookdale South, 2525 Lillian Miller Parkway Coronado Oaks Apartments, 201 Coronado Drive, Building 123 Denton County Sheriff’s Department, 127 N. Woodrow Lane Denton County, 1505 E. McKinney St. Denton Medical Office Building, 3537 S. Interstate 35E Denton Oak Dentistry, 4920 Teasley Lane, No. 102 Firehouse Subs, 2735 W. University Drive, No. 1059 Hairapy Color Lab, 513 S. Locust St. Lonestar Food Store, 700 S. Interstate 35E Premium Beats, 608 E. Hickory St., No. 116 Project Ranger One, 300 S. Western Blvd.

Sean Chambers, 115 Industrial St. Texas Oral Surgery, 2711 Shoreline Drive The Zigzag Stripe, 207 N. Elm St., No. 101 COMMERCIAL Denton Creek Realty LP 960 N. Masch Branch Road 980 N. Masch Branch Road Kent Key and John Rainey, 3555 Duchess Drive L&G Capital Inv. Ltd., 2402 Fort Worth Drive Lee Allison, 2415 N. Elm St. Ranch Hands Rescue, 9477 Fort Worth Drive Robson Ranch Denton, 9416 Ed Robson Circle S&J Bringedahl Enterprises LLC, 2550 Hickory Creek Road Terry R. King, 5070 Jim Christal Road RESIDENTIAL Country Lakes West LLC, 6124 Meandering Creek Drive DR Horton 4020 Crosstrees Drive 3916 Crosstrees Drive 4004 Crosstrees Drive 4008 Crosstrees Drive History Maker Homes 5421 Marinara Drive 3705 Juniperio St. 5401 Wharfside Place 5309 Wharfside Place Kenneth Reedy, 2329 Emerson Lane Robson Denton Dev. LP 8113 Dunlin Drive 9504 Rivercrest Drive 9905 Baywood Court 10508 Goodland Drive 8312 American Way 9700 Rivercrest Drive Stephen Spurgin, 701 Seville Road

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

NAME — DBA/ADDRESS Adam Settles, Denton Glass Company, 520 S. Elm St., Denton Analytic Concepts LLC, Aging Parents Support Group, 9905 Cypress St., Denton Attaway Brothers LLC, Capones, 118 W. Oak St., Denton Calvin Nobles, Calvin’s Property Preservation, 2520 Stockbridge Road, Apt. 18107, Denton Chan Nhoc Gieng, Divine Nail and Spa, 3969 Teasley Lane, Suite 1200, Denton Chris Berry, Mean Green Elite Lawn Care, 225 E. University Drive, Apt. 5, Denton Denton Lodging Partners, Best Western Plus Inn and Suites, 2910 W. University Drive, Denton

NAMES | CONTINUED ON PAGE 11

www.DentonRC.com KP

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Denton Record-Chronicle

Biz on the Wire

TAX-SEASON SAVINGS ON VEHICLES THAT BOLSTER YOUR BOTTOM LINE 2016 Silverado 1500 New Chevy longbed WT – Knapheide Body*

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FLARING | CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

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“This rule to prevent waste of our nation's natural gas supplies is good government, plain and simple,” Jewell said in a statement. “We are proving that we can cut harmful methane emissions that contribute to climate change, while putting in place standards that make good economic sense for the nation.”

Congressional Republicans vowed to overturn the rule, calling it a “midnight regulation” that will drive away jobs from federal land in the West.

House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy said in a letter to Obama that lawmakers will review all regulations issued in the next two months and overturn them if appropriate.

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New rule Under the new rule, energy companies that drill on 245 million acres of public land, mostly in the West, will be required to capture natural gas that can be used to generate power for millions of homes and businesses.

Between 2009 and 2014, enough natural gas was lost through venting, flaring and leaks to power more than 5 million homes for a year, Jewell said.

The new rule also should generate tens of millions of dollars a year that can be returned to taxpayers, tribes and states while reducing pollution, Jewell said.

The rule, developed by Interior’s Bureau of Land Management, will require oil and gas producers to limit the rate of flaring at oil wells on public and tribal lands, periodically inspect their operations for leaks and replace outdated equipment that vents large quantities of gas into the air.

Most of the gas being burned at drilling sites is methane, a powerful greenhouse gas that is about 25 times more potent at trapping heat than carbon dioxide, although it does not stay in the air as long. Methane emissions make up about 9 percent of U.S. greenhouse gas emissions, according to government estimates.

The oil industry has argued that new regulations are not needed for methane because the industry already has a financial incentive to capture and sell natural gas. Methane emissions have been reduced by 21 percent since 1990 even as production has boomed, according to the Western Energy Alliance, an industry group.

The energy alliance, along with a group representing independent petroleum producers, challenged the rule in federal court in Wyoming on Tuesday, saying the rule goes beyond authority granted by Congress.

“We support the goals of capturing greater quantities of associated gas and reducing waste gas, but overreaching regulation that fails to acknowledge industry success is not the most effective way to meet those goals,” said Kathleen Sgamma, a spokeswoman at the Denverbased energy alliance.

Fred Krupp, president of the Environmental Defense Fund, said the new rule “will conserve an important domestic resource, improve air quality, lower asthma attacks and slow climate change,” all while protecting taxpayers.

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Cell: 940-389-3139 rorourke@jameswood.com

KP

BRAD ROBLYER Cell: 940-453-4700 broblyer@jameswood.com

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Vital Statistics SALES TAX The following sales permits were issued by the state comptroller’s office for October. 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, 76259 and 76266.

75065 Regina G. Maxwell, Massage Depot Dallas, 6060 S. Interstate 35E, Hickory Creek Thomas Schulz, Thomas Schulz, 209 S. Shady Shores Drive, Lake Dallas Tina Frady, Enable-You 104, Timber Lake Lane, Hickory Creek Wireless M. Hickory Creek LLC, Wireless M Hickory Creek LLC, 4070 FM2181, Hickory Creek 75068 Chidiebere Nwankwo, Royal Reign, 2825 Enchanted Eve Drive, Little Elm Dallas Technology Solutions LLC, Dallas Technology Solutions, 3036 Lakefield Drive, Little Elm Eric E. Gonzalez, Taquizas Ely, 1036 Waterview Drive, Little Elm Jose Mamia Bazan and Valemai Paula Peimetti, Direct Goal, 2489 Hammock Lake Drive, Little Elm Kathleen M. Crumpton, Just Have Fun Photography, 2308 Sumac Court, Little Elm Kilburn Management II LLC, Smoothie King 1260, 2731 Little Elm Parkway, Suite 320, Little Elm Kristen Jasper, Jasper Design, 1304 Red Drive, Little Elm Kristen Jasper, Tea+Grace, 1304 Red Drive, Little Elm Luimako Dawson, Ruffled Up Kustom Kids Boutique, 809 Lake Woodland Drive, Little Elm Mark C. Davis, Davis Designs, 1417 Castle Creek Drive, Little Elm Move Smart LLC, Move Smart LLC, 14628 Logan Springs Drive, Little Elm Mpjm Enterprises LLC, Studio Salon 720, 2700 E. Eldorado Parkway, Suite 102, Little Elm Najat Murillo Live, The Give, 705 Lone Pine Drive, Little Elm

Nancy Brock, Nancy Brock, 2405 Kingsgate Drive, Little Elm 76201 Chad D. Smith, Wicker Productions, 1004 W. Hickory St., Apt. A, Denton Exposing History Photography LLC, Exposing History Photography, 701 Fort Worth Drive, No. 133, Denton Faith Gantz, Pandapop, 1407 Bernard St., Apt. 108, Denton Filigree Winter Inc., Filigree Winter Inc., 118 Cedar St., Denton Hm Salas LLC, Techy & Co Hair Studio, 1720 W. University Drive, Suite 104, Denton Lindon R. Webb, LRW's Nostalgic Corner, 108 N. Locust St., Denton PQH Wireless Inc., PQH Wireless Inc. 604 W. University Drive, Denton Rachel Milliken, Rachel Milliken, 702 Emery St., Denton Roger T. Johnson, Shop The Barn, 116 N. Locust St., Denton Sergio Gonzalez, La Indita Meat Market, 404 W. Sherman Drive, Denton Shay Daniel, Mcanally Pono, 802 W. Oak St., Apt. 5, Denton Source Gaming LLC, Source Gaming, 108 W. Congress St., Denton 76205 Anecia D. Davis, Anecia D. Davis, 2101 Colorado Blvd., No. 52328, Denton Ashley Roybal Otaku, Scents Candle Company, 1408 Teasley Lane, Apt. 3322, Denton Ashly Sharp, Ashly Sharp, 1408 Teasley Lane, Apt. 1313, Denton

Cody Jinks LLC, Cody Jinks LLC, 700 Pennsylvania Drive, Denton Daccm LLC, Calvert Automotive, 210 Dallas Drive, Denton Eric J. Hall Jr., DDS, P.A., Affordable Dentures Denton, 2318 San Jacinto Blvd., Denton Legionnaire International Ltd. Co., Legionnaire International Ltd. Co., 1513 Greenspoint Circle, Denton Melvin D. Johnston, Donavon’s Freelance Wedding Photography, 1030 Dallas Drive, Apt. 214, Denton Owd LLC, Old West Café, 2420 S. Interstate 35E, Denton Princewill Nojku Jr., Brothers and Sons Lawn Care, 1005 Cook St., Denton Warranty Logistics LLC, Warranty Logistics LLC, 1435 S. Loop 288, Suite 107, Denton Westport Denton Self Storage LLC, Westport Denton Self Storage LLC, 1815 Shady Oaks Drive, Denton 76207 Bryan J. Russell, Duffy's Auto Service, 2401 Worthington Drive, Suite 151, Denton Patricia A. Heberling, Pat Heberling Fine Arts, 11708 Oak Brook Court, Denton 76208 Bethany Hodge, Black Orchid Customs, 1950 Riverside Drive, Denton Jeffrey Gamble, Jeff Gamble Photography, 8000 Oak Creek Lane, Denton Junklove LLC, Junklove LLC, 2905 Windridge Lane, Corinth Margaret Raye Bates, Margaret Bates, 2711 Wandering Oak Drive, Corinth Sarah Beth Geslien, Sarah Beth Geslien, 4181 Silver Dome Road, Lot 164, Denton 76209 Allison Smith, Allison Smith, 2812 Newport Ave., Denton America Prepay Communications Services LLC, America Prepay Communications Services LLC, 619 E. Sherman Drive, Denton Bailey Kathleen, Valasek Ink Harmony Screenprinting, 3228 Huisache St., Denton

Black Tie Liquors Inc., Black Tie Liquors, 2824 N. Locust St., Denton Damon Ryan Ortega Livesoreokc, 508 Woodford Lane, Denton Kaylia C. Schunemann, Vegan Delights, 2421 N. Bell Ave., Apt. 225, Denton Quality Thrift Supplier Inc., Recycle 2 Support, 1217 E. University Drive, Denton Taqueria Guanajuato LLC, Taqueria Guanajuato, 1017 E. McKinney St., Denton TWU Chapter Association of Texas Professional Ed., TWU Chapter Association Of Texas Professional Ed, 1200 Frame St., Denton 76210 Alicia Buckner, Safety First Personal Protection and Surveillance, 2928 Tomlee St., Denton Andrea Fritz, It's All For His Glory Tees, 1108 Beechwood Drive, Denton Esteban Villa, 4 Seasons Grounds Keeping Service, 9100 Teasley Lane, Trailer 8i, Denton Jason Clouse, Jason Clouse, 8405 Early Dawn Trail, Denton Jhinuk Chowdhury, World Class Courses, 1720 Andover Lane, Corinth Jonaton M. Crocker, Third Street Skateboards, 3624 Lake Country Drive, Denton Maelani Bird and Kaeli Bird, To The Moon and Back, 2700 Pottery Trail Corinth Matthew Anders, Forrest Hall Voice Over Solutions, 8301 Swan Park Drive, Denton Michael Kennedy, Seamless Integrations, 3319 Brampton Drive, Corinth Mirella Miriam, Augustine Divine Indulgence Day Spa, 3510 Meadowview Drive, Corinth Negin Naderi and Sonya Naderi, Naderichic, 117 Meadowlands Drive, Denton Pajemo LLC, Pajemo LLC, 7909 Hidden Path Lane, Denton Taylor Michelle Hunt, Magic Touch Roofing, 3150 S. Garrison St., Corinth

The Candid Loft Inc., The Candid Loft Inc., 1002 Ballycastle Lane, Corinth Toni Hooks, Toni Hooks, 3495 Riverview Drive, Corinth Yang's Wok Inc., Yang's Wok, 5017 Teasley Lane, Suite 163, Denton 76226 Darrell D. Smith, JDS Business Solutions, 3912 Shiraz Drive, Denton Epic Etailers LLC, Epic Etailers LLC, 504 Wolf Run Road, Bartonville Jamie Moore, Inspired Thread, 285 Canyon Oaks Drive, Argyle Josette Marie Babineaux, Jo's Junque, 512 N. U.S. Highway 377, Argyle Kathleen K. Wason, Matador Floral & Gifts, 295 Peyton Place, Argyle Kristin Lee Maurer, Iron Grind Fitwear, 1908 6th St., Argyle 76227 6s Ranch LLC, 6s Liquor, 26411 E. U.S. Highway 380, Suite B, Little Elm 7-Eleven Inc., 7-Eleven Convenience Store No. 35856, 26411 E. U.S. Highway 380, Little Elm Cross Roads Smiles Dentistry, Cross Roads Smiles Dentistry, 11650 U.S. Highway 380, Suite 100, Cross Roads Kayla Boydston, Kayla Boydston, 824 Ridgecrest Court, Aubrey Matthew Nichter, Firefighter Pool Care, 1217 Golden Eagle Court, Aubrey Patrick John Clarke, Chicken Express Aubrey, 926 S. U.S. Highway 377, Aubrey Peng & Family Corp., 7-Eleven Convenience Store No. 35856, 26411 E. U.S. Highway 380, Suite A, Little Elm PT Consulting Partners Inc., PT Consulting Partners Inc., 4600 Keyes Lane, Cross Roads Redbox Automated Retail LLC, DVD Rental By Redbox Redbox Automated Retail LLC, 26411 E. U.S. Highway 380, Little Elm

76234 380 Motorsports LLC, 380 Motorsports LLC, 3936 S. U.S. Highway 287, Suite 10, Decatur Brenda Cottrell, Brenda Cottrell, 1198 County Road 4530, Decatur Stephanie Hiett, Neighborhood Waste Management, 1298 Private Road 4411, Decatur Toni L. James, Toni James, 1268 County Road 4530, Decatur 76249 Kasie L. Cater, Ranch 455 Scents & Soaps, 4700 Miller Road, Denton Kelli Leigh, Shrum Two Chicks & A Dick, 12456 FM1173, Krum Pandy Diane Lockridge, Pandy's Fireworks, 529 W. Lloyd St., Krum 76258 Barbara Schon, Schon Specialties, 12871 Strittmatter Road, Pilot Point Moises T. Camargo, Plus + Nine USA Handy Man, 1266 N. Washington St., Pilot Point Pipo's Chill Factory LLC, Pipo's Chill Factory LLC, 108 N. Washington St., Pilot Point 76259 Second Meadow Management LLC, Rebel Rouser Arms, 205 Shaffner St., Ponder 76266 Bethany Helen, Royston Bethany Royston Art, 4120 Bridle Path Lane, Sanger Entry Technologies of North Texas LLC, Entry Technologies of North Texas LLC, 2222 Hoffpauer Way, Sanger William S. Snyder, New Cross Detailing, 2012 Benjamin Drive, Sanger

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

STATE TAX LIENS NAME/ADDRESS Joe R. Schuessler, 2122 W. Prairie St., Denton

TYPE Limited sales excise and use tax

AMOUNT $102.10

REC. DATE 10/19/2016

TYPE Limited Sales, Excise and Use Tax Limited Sales, Excise and Use Tax

AMOUNT $4,997.33 $38,298.54

REC. DATE 10/07/2016 10/14/2016

TYPE 941 1040 1040 1040 1040 941 1040

AMOUNT $7,348.80 $28,516.50 $25,228.48 $28,148.05 $29,907.16 $4,096.52 $46,361.67

REC. DATE 10/13/2016 10/13/2016 10/13/2016 10/13/2016 10/19/2016 10/27/2016 10/27/2016

RELEASE OF STATE TAX LIENS NAME/ADDRESS Amanda K. Miner, 721 S. Elm St., Suite 101, Denton TSM Restoration Inc., 222 S. Mayhill Road, Unit 102, Denton

FEDERAL TAX LIENS NAME/ADDRESS 3924 Parkhaven Drive, Denton Caleb P. McCool, 1304 Rambling Brook Trail, Denton Jon G. and Lyndsay A. Barrilleaux, 3216 Staghorn Circle, Denton James E. and Amy S. McSweeny, 1625 Victoria Drive, Denton Dennis and Julie C. Brooks, 2201 Riverside Drive, Denton Tim W. Parker, Vapormax, 1776 Teasley Lane, Suite 112, Denton Vincete Izaguirre, 425 Gabe St., Denton

HQ

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

380 Bar and Grill, 26781 E. U.S. Highway 380, Little Elm, $2,451.93 940s Kitchen & Cocktails, 219 W. Oak St., Denton, $2,301.51 American Legion Post No. 550, 905 Foundation Drive, Pilot Point, $1,148.11 Andy's Bar and Grill, 122 N. Locust St., Denton, $6,305.30 Angelina's Mexican Restaurant, 1400 N. Corinth St., Suite 111, Corinth, $1,140.00 Applebee's Neighborhood Grill, 707 S. Interstate 35E, Denton, $2,830.75 Applebee's Neighborhood Grill, 2672 FM423, Little Elm, $1,961.35 Aramark Educational Services, 303 Administration Drive, Denton, $93.86 Ashton Gardens, 2001 Ashton Gardens Lane, Corinth, $2,231.43 Azul Mexican Kitchen, 2831 W. Eldorado Parkway, Little Elm, $1,047.67 B.P.O.E. Denton, No. 2446 228 E. Oak St., Denton, $746.51 B.P.O.E. Denton, No. 2446 228 E. Oak St., Denton, $877.96 Barley & Board, 100 W. Oak St., Suite 160, Denton, $5,890.30 Best Western Area Crown Chase, 2450 Brinker Road, Denton, $298.95 BJ's Restaurant & Brewery, 3250 S. Interstate 35E, Denton, $3,796.48 Black-Eyed Pea, 2420 S. Interstate 35E, Denton, $0 Bone Daddy’s House Of Smoke, 3258 S. Interstate 35E, Denton, $2,375.55 Bono's Chop House & Saloon, 2025 N. U.S. Highway 287, Decatur, $1,736.50 Boomerjack Wings No. 8, 407 W. University Drive, Denton, $1,244.86 Brunswick Zone Denton, 2200 San Jacinto Blvd., Denton, $812.30 Buffalo Wild Wings Grill & Bar, 1400 S. Loop 288, Suite 110, Denton, $3,961.91 Buff's Grill, 400 S. U.S. Highway 377, Pilot Point, $233.76 Cabana Beverages Inc., 2330 W. University Drive, Denton, $166.69 Casa Torres Mexican Restaurant, 2708 S. FM51, Decatur, $1,133.43 Caskey's Bar and Grill, 1206 W. Hickory St., Denton, $0 Chili's Grill & Bar, 600 S. U.S. Highway 287, Decatur, $2,092.67 Chili's Grill & Bar No. 1562, 2825 W. University Drive, Denton, $2,107.95 Chili's Grill& Bar, 2406 S. Interstate 35E, Denton, $1,484.58 Chilitos Private Club Inc., 619-623 S. Denton Drive, Lake Dallas, $278.58 Chiloso Mexican Bistro, 2215 S. Loop 288, Suite 312, Denton, $101.10 Chipotle Mexican Grill, 1224 W. Hickory St., Denton, $35.77 Chipotle Mexican Grill Rayzor, 2735 W. University Drive, Suite 105, Denton, $0 Chuy's Denton, 3300 Wind River Lane, Denton, $5,689.57 Cool Bean's, 1210 W. Hickory St., Denton, $4,006.73 Courtyard By Marriott, 2800 Colorado Blvd., Denton, $208.10 Crossroads Bar, 1803 N. Elm St., Denton, $1,072.60 Dani Rae's Gulf Coast Kitchen, 2303 S. Interstate 35E, Denton, $895.85 Dan's Silverleaf, 103 Industrial St., Denton, $2,708.00 Denton Country Club, 1213 Country Club Road, Argyle, $2,730.78 Drunken Donkey Bar & Grill, 3350 Unicorn Lake Blvd., Denton, $5,785.18 Dusty's Bar & Grill & Marina D, 119 S. Elm St., Denton, $3,888.14 Earl's 377 Pizza, 427 S. U.S. Highway 377, Argyle, $2,163.16 East Side Denton, Oak Street, 117 E. Oak St., Denton, $15,107.83 El Fenix-Denton Texas, 2229 S. Interstate 35E, Denton, $731.70 El Guapo's, 419 S. Elm St., Denton, $975.85 End Zone Little Elm Inc., 2833 Eldorado Parkway, Suite 301, Little Elm, $2,999.99 Ernesto's Mexican Restaurant, 10279 E. FM455, Suite 1, Pilot Point, $2,097.23 Frilly's, 1803 S. U.S. Highway 287, Decatur, $1,388.77 Fry Street Public House, 125 Ave. A, Denton, $8,363.54 Fuzzy's Taco Shop, 109 N. State St., Decatur, $1,132.97 Fuzzy's Taco Shop, 115 Industrial St., Denton, $669.86

Fuzzy's Taco Shop, 2412 S. Interstate 35E, Denton, $1,085.19 Fuzzy's Taco Shop, 1004 Maple St., Suite 101, Sanger, $311.14 Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, 421 S. U.S. Highway 377, Argyle, $928.95 Fuzzy's Taco Shop Cross Roads, 11450 U.S. Highway 380, Suite 160, Cross Roads, $1,441.63 Genti's Private Club Inc., 3700 FM2181, Hickory Creek, $384.04 Hangout Bar & Dine, 827 Eagle Drive, Denton, $162.00 Hannahs, 111 W. Mulberry St., Denton, $2,789.67 Harvest House, 331 E. Hickory St., Denton, $7,195.66 Hickory Street Lounge, 212 E. Hickory St., Denton, $2,222.45 Hilton Garden Inn Denton, 3110 Colorado Blvd., Denton, $404.68 Hooligans LLC, 104 N. Locust St., Denton, $3,929.01 Hooters, 985 N. Interstate 35E, Denton, $3,583.49 Horny Toad Cafe & Bar, 5812 N. Interstate 35, Denton, $1,158.69 Horny Toad Cafe & Bar, 5812 N. Interstate 35, Denton, $1,071.19 Hula Hut Restaurant, 210 E. Eldorado Parkway, Little Elm, $5,347.53 II Charlies Bar & Grill, 809 Sunset St., Denton, $3,944.82 J.R. Pockets Club, 1127 Fort Worth Drive, Denton, $2,304.53 Jack's Tavern, 508 S. Elm St., Suite 101, Denton, $2,275.58 Jem Beverage Company LLC, 217 W. Division St., Pilot Point, $214.26 Johnny Carino's Italian, 1516 Centre Place Drive, Denton, $552.61 Keiichi LLC, 500 N. Elm St., Denton, $60.70 Kobe Sushi & Steak LLC, 2832 E. Eldorado Parkway, Suite 208, Little Elm, $185.38 Komodo Loco, 109 Oakland St., Denton, $0 Komodo Loco, 109 Oakland St., Denton, $47.36 La Milpa Mexican Restaurant, I 820 S. Interstate 35E, Unit 1, Denton, $1,159.83 Lake Cities Post No. 88 The A, 105 Gotcher Ave., Lake Dallas, $1,533.69 Lake Dallas Point Restaurant, 303 Swisher Road, Suite 100, Lake Dallas, $1,863.94 Lake Ray Roberts Area Elks Lodge, 1601 Marina Circle, Sanger $318.78 Lantana Golf Club, 800 Golf Club Drive, Argyle, $2,852.05 Las Cabos Cantina, 4451 FM2181, Corinth, $106.06 Leeper Creek BBQ & Cantina Club, 3142 N. U.S. Highway 287, Decatur, $69.27 Library Bar, 109 Ave. A, Denton, $831.73 Lone Star Attitude Burger Co., 113 W. Hickory St., Denton, $8,292.12 Los Jalapenos Restaurant, 420 E. Eldorado Parkway, Little Elm, $226.52 Lowbrows Beer and Wine Garden, 200 S. Washington St., Pilot Point, $594.62 Lucky Lou's, 1207 W. Hickory St., Denton, $9,071.46 Luigi's Pizza Italian Restaurant, 2000 W. University Drive, Denton, $212.65 Mable Peabody's Beauty Parlor, 1125 E. University Drive, Suite 107, Denton, $1,301.20 Mellow Mushroom, 217 E. Hickory St., Denton, $1,281.71 Meritt Ranch Beverages Limited, 2946 Ganzar Road, Denton, $113.23 Metzler's Food and Beverage, 1251 S. Bonnie Brae St., Denton, $639.85 Mi Taza Latin Tex-Mex Cafe, 5017 Teasley Lane, Suite 101, Denton, $756.76 Miguelito's, 1521 E. McCart St., Krum, $854.78 Miguelitos, 1412 N. Stemmons St., No. 178, Sanger, $1,253.10 Motto Bar and Sushi, 222 W. Hickory St., Suite 103, Denton, $184.78 Movie Tavern Denton, 916 W. University Drive, Denton, $1,344.95 Muddy Jake's Sports Grille, 222 W. Hickory St., Suite 104, Denton, $Mulberry Street Cantina, 110 W. Mulberry St., Denton, $2,893.79 Norman Heitz Memorial Post 104, 501 Thompson Drive, Lake Dallas, $960.71 Oak Street Drafthouse, 308 E. Oak St., Denton, $6,919.76 Oakmont Country Club, 1200 Clubhouse Drive, Corinth, $1,901.72 Olive Garden of Texas, No. 1611, 2809 S. Interstate 35E Denton, $1,575.17

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

NAMES | CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9 NAME — DBA/ADDRESS Emile Cinque, Meadow Way Media, 1400 N. Austin St., Apt. 1, Denton Erin Maxwell, Max-Wellness Center, 2201 Belmont Park Drive, Denton Esteban Villa, 4 Seasons Grounds Keeping Service, 9100 Teasley lane, Trailer 8i, Denton James Allen Kuester, Relic Tone, 3321 Kingfisher Lane, Denton James Flint, D and D Construction, 2007 Jasmine St., Denton JJ Welding, 2029 Lake Haven Lane, Denton Jody Payne, Payne Masonry, 4709 Farris Road, Denton

NAME — DBA/ADDRESS John Birden Enterprises Inc., Jon’s EZ Lube, 102 Massey St., Denton John Robert Slay Jr., Slay Dent Specialists, 1706 Teasley Lane, Denton Jonathon Marcus Crocker, Third Street Skateboards, 3624 Lake Country Drive, Denton Kiri Trotman, Asthetic Appeal, 201 S. Woodrow, Denton Loma A. Lassiter, Serenity Consulting and Care Resource, 2721 Hilcroft Ave., Denton Mandi Redmon, 3014 N. Bell Ave., Denton Marcus McKee Moffitt, Crown Landscape Services, 2706 Crater Lake, Denton Maurice Lopez, A Taste of Renaissance, 3609 Oceanview Drive, Denton

Ollimac Company, 1400 Corinth Bend, Suite 103, Corinth, $653.04 On The Border, 2829 S. Interstate 35E, Denton, $2,655.34 Outback Steakhouse, 300 S. Interstate 35E, Denton, $1,979.38 Parker Brothers Trail Dust, 1200 S. Stemmons St., Sanger, $437.77 Pedro's Tex Mex & Grill, 420 E. McKinney St., Suite 100, Denton, $Pedro's Tex Mex & Grill, 209 S. Washington St., Pilot Point, $342.90 Pei Wei Fresh Kitchen, 1931 S. Loop 288, Suite 130, Denton, $54.94 Phil Miller Post No. 2205 VFW, 909 Sunset St., Denton, $1,201.98 Pilot Point Columbus Club, 221 N. Prairie St., Pilot Point, $12.66 Pizza Hut, 730 S. U.S. Highway 377, Pilot Point, $18.22 Pollo Tropical Beverages LLC, 2220 S. Loop 288, Denton, $15.34 Prairie House Restaurant, 10001 U.S. Highway 380, Cross Roads, $1,275.94 Queenie's Steakhouse, 113 E. Hickory St., Denton, $1,490.08 Red Lobster No. 6349, 2801 S. Interstate 35E Denton, $1,529.94 Riprock's, 1211 W. Hickory St., Denton, $4,966.24 Rockin Rodeo, 1009 Ave. C, Denton, $2,715.17 Rooster's Roadhouse, 113 Industrial St., Denton, $2,398.13 Rooster's Roadhouse, Decatur Cl, 106 N. Trinity St., Decatur, $1,908.89 Rosa's Cafe & Tortilla Factory, 1275 S. Loop 288, Denton, $208.50 RT's Neighborhood Bar, 1100 Dallas Drive, Suite 124, Denton, $7,479.00 Ruby Jeans Bar & Café, 309 N. FM156, Ponder, $0 Rusty Taco Denton, 1 210 E. Hickory St., Denton, $1,252.23 Savory Bistro & Gourmet To-Go, 2650 E. FM407, Suite 165, Bartonville, $1,550.04 Shots and Crafts LLC, 103 Ave. A, Denton, $1,841.36 Springhill Suites By Marriott, 1434 Centre Place Drive, Denton, $199.92 Starbucks No. 6698, 4600 Swisher Road, Hickory Creek, $13.06 Sweetie Pie's Ribeyes, 201 W. Main St., Decatur, $314.23 Sweetwater Grill & Tavern, 115 S. Elm St., Denton, $1,449.21 Tex Tapas, 109 Industrial St., Denton, $1,012.50 Texas Roadhouse, 2817 S. Interstate 35E, Denton, $3,524.53 The Abbey Inn Restaurant & Pub, 101 W. Hickory St., Denton, $3,026.05 The Abbey Inn Restaurant & Pub, 101 W. Hickory St., Denton, $2,913.56 The Backyard On Bell, 410 N. Bell Ave., Denton, $0 The Bears Den, 11670 Massey Road, Pilot Point, $138.42 The Clubhouse at Robson Ranch, 9428 Ed Robson Circle, Denton, $454.86 The Draft House Bar & Grill, 2700 E. Eldorado Parkway, Suite 250, Little Elm, $2,749.54 The Fry Street Tavern, 121 Ave. A, Denton, $5,865.85 The Garage, 113 Ave. A, Denton, $4,030.85 The Green House, 600 N. Locust St., Denton, $1,328.74 The Labb, 218 W. Oak St., Denton, $1,499.46 The Loophole, 119 W. Hickory St., Denton, $3,582.22 The Milestone, 1301 W. Sherman Drive, Aubrey, $2,586.93 The University Of North Texas, 1155 Union Circle, Denton, $0 Tokyo Samurai, 3600 E. FM407, Suite 100, Bartonville, $466.78 Toms Daiquiri Place, 1212 W. Mulberry St., Denton, $1,381.47 Tower Tap House, 290 E. Eldorado Parkway, Little Elm, $2,504.46 Tredways BBQ, 721 E. Hundley Drive, Lake Dallas, $255.06 University Lanes, 1212 E. University Drive, Denton, $776.93 Verona Pizza Italian Restaurant, 201 Loop 81, Decatur, $29.48 Villa Grande Mexican Restaurant, 12000 U.S. Highway 380, Suite 100, Cross Roads, $1,553.19 Villa Grande Mexican Restaurant, 2530 W. University Drive, Suite 114, Denton, $1,425.02 Vitty's Sports Bar, 1776 Teasley Lane, Suite 102, Denton, $2,050.53 Vizcarra, 114 W. Congress St., Denton, $6.49 Walters Tavern, 201 Main St., Lake Dallas, $2,391.02 Wildhorse Grill, 9440 Ed Robson Circle, Denton, $3,108.73 Wing Daddys Sauce House, 2763 E. Eldorado Parkway, Suite 105, Little Elm, $3,008.30

We are a Dave Ramsey SmartVestor Pro 2412 Old North Road, Suite 103 Denton, TX 76209 940.566.1212 DIRECT mike@stockerwoods.com www.stockerwoods.com

Mike Woods, CFP® President & CEO / Wealth Advisor

WE’RE HERE TO SERVE YOUR FINANCIAL NEEDS! Securities offered through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a Broker/Dealer. Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advisor Representative, Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor.Cambridge and SWF are not affiliated. Best of Denton award results are based on a general reader IU poll and do not reflect investment performance or client experience.

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NAME — DBA/ADDRESS Megan DeeAnn Morgan, Alpha Co. Fitness, 704 Windfields, Denton Michael Conduff, The Elim Group, 10 Royal Oaks Circle, Suite 201, Denton Michele Powell, Furever Love and Care, 500 Audra Lane, Apt. E, Denton Nathan A. Dragoo, Independent Painting Company, 2025 Stockbridge Road, No. 6308, Denton Preacher Doucette, 4130 Ink, 3311 Preakness St., Denton Rafid Mousa, KFC, 1516 Teasley Lane, Denton Rulette Lawson, Event’s by Lawsons, 1302 Teasley Lane, Denton Russell Pryor, DFW Refrigerants, 2804 Aspenhill Drive, Denton Sara Button, The Dentonite, 2226 Denison St., Denton Tyler Deussen, Premier Fire Life Safety, 604 Meadow View Court, Denton Warren Dane, Rockin Reindeer, 226 Bluebird Circle, Denton

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