The Frisco Chamber of Commerce Candidate Forum

The Frisco Chamber of Commerce invites the public and chamber members to the March 2010 Candidate Forum 6-7:30 p.m. Thursday at the Frisco Chamber of Commerce, 6843 Main Street, Frisco. Business owners and the voters will have direct access to their representatives at a unique opportunity.

The setting is informal and no set speeches will be given. Instead, attendees will decide what questions they want to ask, if they want to ask, or if they just want to listen to what others have to say. RadioFree Frisco will broadcast the event on site as well as conduct candidate interviews.

The following candidates have confirmed their attendance:

Collin County Judge Race
Keith Self Representative & John Muns Representative

Collin County District Attorney Race
James Angelino, Jeff Bray & Greg Willis

Collin County Justice of the Peace Precinct #4
Mike Yarbrough (I), Kelley Adley & Douglas Reeves

Denton County State Representative District 65
Burt Solomons (I) & Mike Murphy

Denton County District Attorney
Paul Johnson (I) & Brent Bowen

Denton County Justice of the Peace Precinct #2
James DePiazza (I) & Carlos Gallardo

For more information, contact Tony Felker at The Frisco Chamber of Commerce (972) 335-9522.

Chamber Hosts March 2010 Candidate Forum

Frisco, TX – February 3, 2010 – The Frisco Chamber of Commerce will be hosting a March 2010 Candidate Forum where business owners and the voters will have direct access to their representatives.   The unique opportunity will be informal and no set speeches will be given.  Instead, attendees will determine what questions they want to ask, if they want to ask, or if they just want to listen to what others have to say.

The Forum will be held on Thursday, February 11, 2010, from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Frisco Chamber of Commerce Event Room, 6843 Main Street (parking and entrance in back of the building).

“In a time when businesses and residents are tired of hearing canned speeches and ads from candidates, we are offering an opportunity for our members and the Frisco community who want to get to see and hear the candidates in person,” said David Arbuckle, Chair of the Chamber’s Governmental Affairs Committee.

“Business owners must make their voices heard and the Frisco Chamber is giving you the tools you need to do so,” added Kelly Kunst, member of the Governmental Affairs Committee.  Candidates will be positioned throughout the Chamber building.  Business members and residents present can circulate among those present, ask questions of who they want to know more about, listen to other questions, etc.

“Some people may have their mind made up about all candidates except one,” said Tony Felker, President of the Frisco Chamber of Commerce.  “However, if there are questions about that one office or race, and they want to stand there and listen to those two candidates and only those two candidates for an entire hour or more, they will be able to do so.”

The Frisco Chamber of Commerce feels this format will help engage more of its business members to get involved in the March elections.  “We want to be a strong resource for all business people and residents to be able to turn to for information on any election affecting our community,” said Felker.

While this particular candidate forum will be limited to races involving state representative, county judge, district attorney, and justice of the peace affecting Frisco (both Collin and Denton County), the Chamber will also be providing much more information on other elections/races.   The Frisco Chamber website will soon have a section detailing all contested races in the March 2 election, links to all of the candidates, and voting information (times, days, locations).

Candidates who have invited/committed to attend include Collin County Judge candidates Keith Self and John Muns, State Representative District 65 candidates Burt Solomons and Mike Murphy, Collin County District Attorney candidates Greg Willis, James Angelino, and Jeff Bray, Denton County District Attorney candidates Paul Johnson and Brent Bowen, Justice of the Peace Precinct 4 (Collin County) candidates Mike Yarbrough, Kelley Adley and Doug Reeves, and Justice of the Peace Precinct 2 (Denton County) candidates James DePiazza and Carlos Gallardo.

For more information, visit the Frisco Chamber of Commerce website at www.friscochamber.com or call 972-335-9522.

PLAYBOOK MANAGEMENT INTERNATIONAL LAUNCHES

South Texas Area Regional Soccer Complex Becomes First Client

Frisco, Texas (February 1, 2010) – Playbook Management International, LLC, a Frisco, Texas-based sports and entertainment company, officially launched its business operation today with the announcement of its first client, the South Texas Area Regional (STAR) Soccer Complex in San Antonio, Texas.

Playbook Management International (PMI), founded in December 2009 by Managing Partner Michael Hitchcock, was created to assist clients run a more profitable business operation through the integration of the Playbook Management System, which includes the creation of a comprehensive, fully-integrated business plan called the Playbook.

“We established Playbook Management International to fulfill a growing need by sports and entertainment organizations to run a more efficient and profitable business operation,” said Hitchcock. “The Playbook Management System takes a strategic approach to helping our clients realize their potential.”

Utilizing basic principles incorporated by successful sports and entertainment organizations, PMI will assist its clients by helping them create a tailor-made Playbook, specifically designed to identify the organizations priorities, establish and reach goals, and effectively executing a business plan.

“The Playbook is a proven tool that can be applied to any sport and entertainment organization in the United States and around the world – from teams to leagues, promoters to events, stadiums to facilities,” added Hitchcock.

PMI is proud to announce the STAR Soccer Complex in San Antonio, Texas as its first client. The STAR Soccer Complex is a carefully designed sports facility featuring 13 regulation-size and fully lit soccer fields, complete with concessions stand, a pro shop, public restrooms, and two playscapes. The complex will be the largest of its type in the San Antonio region, increasing the area’s number of fields by nearly 25 percent and with the capability to accommodate large local, state, national and international tournaments.

“We are excited to partner with Playbook Management International as we open the STAR Soccer Complex and Morgan’s Wonderland Park,” said Gordon Hartman, Founder and CEO of the Complex and Park. “The expertise that PMI provides will help us make the STAR Soccer Complex and, in turn, Morgan’s Wonderland, successful organizations and great destinations for families and individuals. It’s been a great experience so far and we look forward to a great working relationship with PMI.”

The STAR Soccer Complex is pleased to be affiliated with Morgan’s Wonderland, the world’s first Ultra Accessible Family Fun Park. Located adjacent to the STAR Soccer Complex, the revolutionary 25-acre park was specifically designed for children and adults with disabilities. As part of the partnership, all proceeds from the STAR Soccer Complex will help subsidize free admission to Morgan’s Wonderland for all individuals with special needs. The STAR Soccer Complex and Morgan’s Wonderland, named after the daughter of Gordon and Maggie Hartman, are scheduled to open in the spring of 2010.

Prior to establishing PMI, Hitchcock was a leading executive in Major League Soccer for the past 12 years. Most recently, Hitchcock was General Manager of Major League Soccer club FC Dallas and its state-art-the-art sports complex, Pizza Hut Park, from 2005 through 2009.

During Hitchcock’s tenure at FC Dallas, the team increased its attendance by over 30 percent while the stadium complex welcomed over 1.5 million yearly participants and spectators throughout the 17 soccer fields and 20,500-seat stadium. In addition to hosting international and professional soccer games, club soccer tournaments and league play, and high school football games, the complex hosted dozens of large-scale music concerts by world-renown artists. Hitchcock also established successful business relationships between FC Dallas and soccer clubs in Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Trinidad and Tobago, which included international matches, an exchange of players, and the interaction of the management teams to share best practices.

Before joining FC Dallas, the Atlanta, Georgia native earned numerous accolades from Major League Soccer (MLS) for his accomplishments in leading various team sales staffs. As Vice President of Sales for the Los Angeles Galaxy (2003-2005) and Senior Director of Sales and Marketing for the Colorado Rapids (2001-2003), he won four MLS Sales Director of the Year awards while his sales staffs were recognized as the MLS Sales Team of the Year on five occasions. He earned the MLS Commissioner’s New Business Leadership Award as Corporate Sales Executive at DC United before joining Colorado.

For more information, please visit: www.playbookmanagement.com.

The 26th Annual Frisco Chamber of Commerce Awards Celebration Was A Huge Success!

Frisco Chamber of Commerce 26th Annual Awards Celebration Recap

Friday, January 29th, 2010
Embassy Suites Hotel & Convention Center

“What a fantastic evening!”

Jaw-dropping Silent Auction… Breathtaking Talent Performances… Exciting Awards Presentations… Heart Stopping “Live” Auction… Sizzling Casio After Party…

Words cannot easily describe the Chamber kickoff event of 2010! Congratulations to all of our nominees, contestants and winners. The winners for each category are as follows:

Silver Citizen of the Year
Dr. Vickie Blackmon Davis
 
Citizen of the Year
Dr. Jon Lineberger
 
Spirit of Frisco
Catherine Fowler
 
President’s Award
Rich Allen – ActionCoach Business Coaching

Ambassador Team of the Year
Peggy’s Powerhouse – Peggy Naas

Ambassador of the Year
Gayla Thomas
 
Chairman’s Award
David L. Prince

Small Business of the Year
Love Peace Popcorn
 
Medium Business of the Year
CORE Construction
 
Large Business of the Year
WorldLink, Inc.
 
Community Partner of the Year
Frisco RoughRiders
 
Entrepreneur of the Year
RCA Group, Ltd, dba ActionCoach Business Coaching
 
Developer of the Year
Frisco Square Development
 
Frisco’s Got Talent Contest Winner
Madison Varela

North Texas Commission – Free Webinar!

Financial Tools and Public-Private Partnerships – FREE Webinar Feb. 9 at 10 a.m. Learn tools and techniques needed to ensure successful public-private partnerships The North Texas Commission will offer a free webinar, “Financial Tools and Public-Private Partnerships” on Feb. 9 at 10 a.m. presented by Elizabeth Jones and David Epperson of the UT Dallas Center for Finance Strategy Innovation and Greg Hirsch of ETB Systems Inc. Click Here to register for the free webinar. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are gaining momentum as a new-found method for governments and private companies looking for ways to finance projects of all sizes. Implemented correctly, PPPs have proved successful in developing a wide variety of projects. By contrast, poorly constructed PPPs can leave a legacy of public cynicism and distrust. Policymakers and professional managers are taking a growing interest in learning about the tools and techniques needed to ensure successful PPP development and deployment in their jurisdictions. Register here for “Financial Tools and Public-Private Partnerships” on Tuesday, Feb. 9, at 10 a.m.

The North Texas Commission 8445 Freeport Parkway, Irving, TX 75063 972-621-0400 www.ntc-dfw.org

U.S. Chamber’s BCLC Activates Help Desk for Businesses Responding to Earthquake in Haiti

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – January 13, 2010      Contact: Katie Loovis 202-463-5407  U.S. Chamber’s BCLC Activates Help Desk for Businesses Responding to Earthquake in Haiti Central Hub Allows Businesses to Share Information, Coordinate Relief Efforts WASHINGTON, D.C.—After yesterday’s catastrophic earthquake struck Haiti, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Business Civic Leadership Center (BCLC) immediately activated the Office Depot Foundation-sponsored Help Desk (1-888-MY-BIZ-HELP, bclchelpdesk@uschamber.com) to connect companies who are interested in providing relief to the victims.  The Help Desk is a central hub for businesses to share information on the relief and recovery efforts and document corporate aid contributions in real-time.“When disasters strike, businesses are prepared to be on the front lines in providing aid,” said Stephen Jordan, senior vice president and executive director of BCLC.  “Businesses recognize that it’s not about dollars and cents, but about saving lives and rebuilding communities, and that is the goal of our Help Desk.”Similar response centers were activated by BCLC after Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar in 2008, China’s earthquake in 2008, the Gulf Coast hurricanes in 2006, the Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004, and several other catastrophic disasters.  In the coming days, BCLC will host coordination calls, share information, document corporate aid contributions, and inform the public and relevant partners about the current state of corporate disaster aid contributions.  BCLC has already heard from dozens of companies that are providing everything from health care to emergency food supplies to support for nonprofits on the ground.  Regular updates about ground activity in the disaster zones are available on BCLC’s website: http://www.uschamber.com/bclc/haitiearthquakeresponse.htm. Stephen Jordan will be available for broadcast and print interviews throughout the coming days to discuss the business community’s efforts to offer a coordinated response to the tragedy.  To book interviews, please call Katie Loovis, director of Business and Society Relations at BCLC 202-463-5407. The U.S. Chamber is the world’s largest business federation representing more than 3 million businesses and organizations of every size, sector, and region. www.uschamber.com            # # #            www.chamberpost.com

U.S. Chamber of Commerce | 1615 H Street, NW | Washington, DC 20062-2000 www.uschamber.com | www.chamberpost.com

Collin County Business Days In Austin 2010

 

A delegation of interested business and community members are making a trip to Austin to visit legislative committees and meet with statewide department leadership. This is an opportunity to learn more about the legislative process and hear about the business-related issues that will be coming up in the 2011 Legislative Session.The Allen, Frisco, McKinney and Plano Chambers of Commerce are organizing this trip so please make plans to attend with your Chamber.

February 18-19, 2010 Austin, Texas
 

Register Now! online event registration by Regonline

We will begin with lunch on the 18th and adjourn before lunch on the 19th. Please mark your calendars now and RSVP to this email if you are interested in attending or would like to be put on the list for more information. 

Registration will include your lunch and programs on the 18th and breakfast and programs on the 19th.

Additional Funding for SBA Recovery Lending Programs will Support $4.5 Billion in Small Business Lending

Agency plans to restart Recovery loan approvals by Dec. 28

WASHINGTON – President Obama signed the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) appropriations bill on Saturday, which included $125 million to continue through Feb. 28, 2010, the enhancements made possible through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) to SBA’s two largest loan programs. The SBA estimates the additional funding will support $4.5 billion in small business lending.

New approvals of loans with the higher guarantee and reduced fees made possible by ARRA are expected to begin by Dec. 28.  Loan applications from borrowers who chose to be placed in the SBA’s Recovery Loan Queue will be funded first, followed by new loan approvals beginning on or before Dec. 28.

“This Administration and Congress recognize that these key programs were successful in helping jump-start the economic recovery for America’s small businesses,” said SBA Administrator Karen Mills. “The increased guarantee and reduced fees on SBA loans helped put more than $16.5 billion in the hands of small business owners and brought more than 1,200 lenders back to SBA loan programs. The extension of these programs through February is important to continuing our path toward recovery and will mean thousands more small business owners have access to the credit they need. 

“Just two weeks ago, President Obama laid out key aspects of his jobs plan, including significant ongoing support for small businesses. We will continue to work with Congress on moving those proposals forward, including extending these loan enhancements as the President called for, to ensure that small business owners have the tools they need to drive economic growth and create jobs in communities all across the country.”

As part of ARRA, SBA received $730 million, which included $375 million to increase the SBA guarantee on 7(a) loans to 90 percent and to waive borrower fees on most 7(a) and 504 loans. More information about the waived fees can be found here.  The funds for these programs were exhausted on Nov. 23.

SBA created the Recovery Loan Queue as part of its transition back to pre-ARRA lending on Nov. 23 because previously approved loans are sometimes canceled or never disbursed for a variety of reasons.  Eligible small businesses, in consultation with their lender, could choose to be placed in the queue for possible approval of an ARRA loan if funding became available.  Currently there are 1,069 loans totaling almost $530 million in the Recovery Loan Queue.

The extension included in the DOD bill authorizes the higher guarantee levels through Feb. 28, 2010.  The fee relief is authorized until this additional funding is exhausted or the end of the fiscal year, whichever comes first.  As was the case in November, SBA will transition into a queue system as the funds start to wind down in order to ensure the maximum simulative effect of the programs and disbursement of funds.

For non-ARRA 7(a) or 504 loans funded during the transition period, this extension does not provide a retroactive guarantee or waived fees.  Loans that were funded under non-ARRA terms cannot be canceled and resubmitted to take advantage of the ARRA extension provisions.

This extension does not affect other SBA ARRA programs, including the America’s Recovery Capital (ARC) loan program or the agency’s microloans. ARRA funding still remains for both of those programs.

U.S. Small Business Administration
Contact: Hayley Matz (202) 205-6948
http://www.sba.gov/news

Do You Feed Negativity?

When negativity knocks at your door, do you recognize it and send it away? Or do you invite it in for dinner, or worse, to stay with you as long as it likes–possibly for your lifetime?

First, be clear that being the manager of negativity in your life isn’t about the fact that you have negative thoughts or feelings–you will. It isn’t about eliminating negative thoughts and feelings so you never experience them again–that’s not realistic. It is about training your conscious mind to notice such thoughts and feelings when they appear, and to recognize the different “costumes” negativity wears. You can’t manage negativity until you recognize and own how you engage it.

Whatever costume negativity puts on, what’s really embodied is fear. You might call it anger or another emotion, but underlying any negative emotion is fear–the fear you’ll lose something. This has everything to do with living in your personal power.

Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross said, “Natural anger lasts for only about seventeen seconds.” This means the actual emotion you feel (any negative emotion) has its full-charge expression for that period of time. Past that, your conscious (and subconscious) mind takes over, usually engaging in reactions related to whatever fear was triggered.

When fear is triggered, you may project a negative future vision. You may pull up old memories to support why you feel the way you do. You’d call this justification for the reaction. What it really is, is feeding negativity–because you aren’t focused on what you can do that’s productive; you’re focused on self-preservation at any cost. Depending on your habitual reaction mode, you may close up like a telescope or let your sharp claws and teeth out.

Here are several common forms of negativity you may feed (or feed on):
• Prejudice of ANY kind (race, religion, financial status, etc.)
• Demonstrating lack of self-respect or respect for others (if you do one, you do the other)
• Unproductive criticism (everyone needs to vent; but there’s a productive way to do this)
• Replaying past events as though they’re still happening (which only triggers more negative emotions in the present)
• Allowing more “news” into your life than you really need to know (this includes any form of “entertainment” or “information” that creates extraneous negative feelings for you about anything that doesn’t have a direct impact on your life or how you choose to engage it)
• Intentionally negative “humor” or comments (sadly, the ability to slam someone with hurtful words, directly or indirectly, is considered a prized trait)
• Paying more attention to what others are doing than what you’re doing
• Telling jokes or using comments to bash others (gender-bashing is top of this list)
• Stating speculations then acting as though they’re facts (ignoring that maybe you don’t have enough information)
• Using the words “always” and “never” (or labels), especially when you assign them to others’ behaviors (which closes your mind to allowing they “could” one day be different)

You can add more to this list as they occur to you. A good question to ask yourself whenever you do one of these is, “What fear is underneath this for me, and how can I address it appropriately?”

Feeding negativity is a learned habit. You can:
1. Acknowledge you engage in it.
2. Remind yourself to get your own attention about this. Author Guy Finley said, “No intention can be any stronger than our ability to remember it in the moment that it is needed.”
3. Start now to begin to do things differently. Choose to ask if your attitude, words, and actions are aligned with opening the path for a desired productive experience and outcome. There’s a difference in telling someone you feel angry and why and asking them to participate in a mutually beneficial resolution, and verbally attacking them. There’s a difference in telling yourself what you feel, why you feel it, and considering what you can do rather than entering the negative vortex.
4. Consider how you really see your authentic self. It isn’t that you have to suppress your personality or nature. It isn’t that you have to deny and keep quiet about what you really feel. It’s about what you do from there and how you do it. What do you really want to feed–as your experience and what you believe about yourself? If you don’t believe in your personal power, and right to live from it, how can you expect to act from there?

Train yourself to respond more often than you react; and acknowledge that will take conscious energy management. Reactions happen when you feel events or others have more power than you do. They don’t; that’s an illusion. They can only have as much power over you as you give them.

Any person or event that tests your personal power is an opportunity for you to pause and consider how you really see yourself: are you a volunteer victim or someone who looks out for your best interests–with integrity? If you feed (or feed on) negativity on a consistent basis, it can seem nearly impossible to feel you embody personal power.

Personal power is not a way of acting–it’s a way of BEing, even if you have to BEcome it one more-consciously-aware moment at a time.

Compare how much time you give to negative thoughts, feelings, words, and actions to the time you apply these to what makes you feel authentic, joyful, intentional, fulfilled–living on purpose.

No matter what’s going on around you, you always choose how to experience and process it. When you embrace this as a fact, you stand in your personal power. The more you do this, the more your innate power expands.

Feed negativity or feed intentional living. The choice is yours.

About the Author:

Joyce Shafer (jls1422@yahoo.com) is a Life Empowerment Coach and Author of “Reinvent Yourself: Refuse to Settle for Less in Life and Business.” 

Chattanooga vs. Frisco… A Battle For FCS National Championship Game Rights

The battle lines have been drawn, and the spoils to a football dynasty are at stake.. No, it’s not the F-C-S national championship game at Finley Stadium tomorrow night. It’s the rights to host the game for the next 3 years. Chattanooga’s trying to keep it, a suburb of Dallas is trying to land it.. We all know what Chattanooga’s got to offer, so our NewsChannel 9 investigation checks out the other team on the field. e found a different kind of competition just as fierce off the field, as on it. In this corner, the challenger.. Pizza Hut Park, Frisco, Texas outside Dallas.. It seats over 21,000 seats. And in this corner, the champion, 13 years straight, Finley Stadium, Chattanooga, Tennessee.. Seats 20,668. The purse… The N-C-Double-A Football Championship Subdivision National Championship game, for the next 3 years.. The game means a four-point-79 million dollar impact to the city that hosts it. Both cities are packing punches, with the Greater Chattanooga Sports and Events Committee touting experience. “Everybody that’s in a key position for this game, has been doing this ten or more years,” says Scott Smith of the Committee, “and that’s hard to match.. ever.” And the Southland Conference in Frisco is touting its sports-friendly atmosphere. “We’ve got obviously, what we think is a state of the art stadium to have the game played in,” says Southland Conference Commissioner Tom Burnett II. Both locations share weather positives.. The weather is practically the same in both cities around the middle of December. In the lodging department, Frisco itself has 1,500 hotel rooms.. Dallas, 30 minutes away has 70-thousand. Chattanooga has 9-thousand hotel rooms, all within 15 miles of downtown. For things to do outside the stadiums, both Chattanooga and Dallas have aquariums, lMAX theaters, Museums of Art, and Children’s Museums.. But Frisco is doing what Chattanooga did several years ago. The city is reinventing itself, catering to people who love sports. “We’re home to a minor league hockey team, we’re home to an NBA development league as well,” says Burnett, “a team in Frisco… there’s a lot of things to do.” Not to mention a huge mall, specialty stores, and outdoor festivals. Neither Chattanooga nor Frisco would reveal how much their incentives packages are worth. “I don’t think there’s a single area where I could clearly say that they have an edge over us,” says Smith. “Certainly any opportunity we have as a community is going to be very tough, because they’re doing so well here,” says Burnett. But the winner in this competition, gets an almost 5 million dollar economic windfall. The game is tomorrow night.. Both Chattanooga and Frisco will put their respective packages together, and present those to the N-C-A-A sometime next month. A decision on the host city for the next 3 years, will be made in a couple of months..

Courtesy of Calvin Sneed, Channel 9 News, Chattanooga, TN