Smashburger, a nationally acclaimed industry-leading “better burger” restaurant, joined the Dallas Regional Chamber as a top investor member in early 2011.  To highlight Smashburger after its first full year of active membership, our chamber wanted to get to know local Smashburger franchise owner, Tye Williams, a little bit better.

My favorite part of Dallas is… the Meyerson Symphony Center.  My wife and I truly enjoy the many performances of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and the special entertainers that perform throughout the year. 

Smashburger is leading the “better burger segment” which means… that our restaurants are known for serving burgers that are fresh, made with 100% Certified Angus Beef, and are smashed and seasoned to juicy perfection on the grill.  Smashburger has developed a following of “Smashfans” that are loyal customers who appreciate the consistency, flavor and all around deliciousness of our meals. 

The most surprising thing about opening a being a franchise owner in the Uptown area has been…the diversity of patrons in Uptown Dallas.  The Uptown location serves so many different groups like business lunch guests, weekend visitors and residents of the local community. We are also able to provide jobs to some very loyal employees, many who travel a great distance for the opportunity to work in our Uptown location.  We are delighted to have been able to open Smashburger in Uptown.

As a business owner with a personal interest in being a good corporate citizen, you find it important to give back to your community because… In business there are two types of businesses, extractors and investors. Extractors see a location with huge potential and attempt to maximize their profits at the customer’s expense. Investors see a location and know they will benefit from the demographics of the surrounding area, so as they grow with the community, they have the opportunity to give back or invest in it. Giving is a governing principle of our company. We like to partner with groups and members in the communities we serve burgers to so that our success can be reinvested into the lives of the citizens that live or work around a particular location.

Your most notable experience as a top investor member of the Dallas Regional Chamber thus far has been… given that the first year of opening an establishment in a new area is one focused on the needs of the establishment and the surrounding customer base, I have been encouraged by the desire of the members to support each other through continued education, networking and joined community service. As a Certified Financial Planner, I understand the value of a team of advisors and it is nice to have the Chamber involved as a team member in our Uptown Smashburger location. Dallas is a vibrant city with potential to lead the country in fresh economic ideas and expanded growth. I am glad we have a chance to play a small part in this process. 

Tye Williams’ activation of Smashburger’s membership is a classic example of how members can utilize their membership effectively to gain the most value possible.  Tye serves as the Designee for Smashburger on our Board of Advisors program, will participate in our Top Investor Steward Program, and attends our events regularly.

Congratulations to Smashburger and Tye Williams on a wildly successful first year of membership.  For more information about Smashburger or a location near you, visit www.smashburger.com.

Test Your Knowledge

Did you excel in civics or government in high school? Do your children know more about our Federal Government than you? Let’s find out……What well-known U.S. Senator has been recognized for his/her outstanding public service by the following ten diverse, distinct groups?

• Association of Mexican American Chambers of Commerce
• American Farm Bureau Federation
• Indian Cultural Society
• National Newspaper Association
• National Latino Coalition
• National Association of Development Organizations
• Int. Comm. For Freedom to Support the Non Violent Movement for Human Rights in Vietnam
• National Coalition of Latino Clergy & Christian Leaders
• American College of Emergency Physicians
• Indian American Forum for Political Education

Is it too difficult a question? Maybe these clues will help. He/she…..

• Climbed Mount Fuji when he/she was young
• Wrestled while attending high school in Japan – Greco–Roman, not sumo style
• Played the trombone for ten years while growing up
• Studied for a real estate license while working as a waiter at Steak & Ale
• Met spouse on a blind date and married two years later
• Supported the death penalty, but sought a new punishment hearing for a condemned Hispanic inmate because prosecutors were allowed to use racially tinged testimony against him
• Selected as “Intramural Athlete of the Year” in college
• Sold houses for a year but determined he/she was not a very good salesperson
• Likes any food that contains blueberries
• Loves basketball, Jerry MaGuire and Bonfire of the Vanity

Okay, your time is up!

The answer is……………………..…click here.

Maryfran Johnson was named Editor in Chief of CIO magazine and events in January 2009. A longtime journalist and editor, she brings more than 20 years of experience covering IT leadership, technology and business trends to her role, along with an extensive network of CIO contacts from previous leadership positions at Computerworld and CIO Decisions magazine.

The Dallas Regional Chamber is proud to partner with CIO Magazine for CIO Perspectives, a one-day IT executive event packed with informative sessions and professional networking opportunities.  Maryfran will moderate the February 16^th event in Dallas, and we were fortunate enough to catch up with her to ask a couple questions about the latest buzz.

• The CIO Perspectives events are taking place in 9 U.S. cities in 2012. Why did you choose Dallas as your first stop?
  We’ve been starting our CIO Perspectives series out in Dallas since 2009 and it somehow sets the tone for the rest of the year.  The CIOs and the IT leader community here in Dallas is so friendly and welcoming, it’s always an incredibly upbeat, enjoyable day for us all. “We’re all like family here,” is how one CIO put it at our Dallas event last year, and everybody in the room nodded in agreement.

• What is at the top of every CIO’s mind right now?
  In my experience, CIOs are always thinking about three things: innovation, leadership and business strategy. Everything they do somehow connects to those big-picture topics, especially since the way companies use IT today can determine their success in the future.  The big tech trends that are having the greatest impact on businesses today – and therefore very ‘top of mind’ for CIOs – include “cloud” computing (what everyone used to call outsourcing), mobility, social media, consumer devices (smartphones and tablets, etc.) in the workplace,  and data security/customer privacy protections.

• What do you think the technology interface will look like in five years?
  Five years is like five lifetimes in the IT industry, so it’s awfully hard to predict anything at all. But I think we’re seeing the first wave of intuitive, human-friendly interface designs showing up on smartphones and tablet computers now. In five years, I’d guess that voice- and facial-recognition technologies will be much more advanced than today, which could make the whole interaction with our technologies so much easier. Personally, I’d love to see someone invent the “Replicator” from the TV series Star Trek Enterprise. Remember how the Captain could just saunter up to a hole in the wall and order “Earl Grey tea, hot?” And pffft, it would appear. Now there’s a technology interface to love!

•  Just last week SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) and PIPA (Protect IP Act) were kicked into oblivion.  What is your take on the proposed bills?Oblivion can be short-lived in politics, and these bills could always resurface.  I think the lack of due process and government censorship aspects in both Acts had great potential for harm, and the massive, unprecedented online protests prompted a lot of second thoughts – even among supporters.  No law-abiding citizen is in favor of online piracy or theft of intellectual property, of course, but SOPA and PIPA were clearly not the right answer.

• What are CIOs worried about in the social-media world?
  Data security and privacy protections around customer information and intellectual property would be the No. 1 concern, followed quickly by the back-end integration complications that arise with some of these social technologies. What looks simple to us as consumers and users can be quite a tangled mess to deal with behind the scenes.  Most midsized to large companies have incredibly complex IT infrastructures and legacy systems (remember mainframes? 90% of corporate data still lives there) that were never built to manage all this “unstructured” data from multiple sources. But I have every confidence that CIOs will figure it all out – they always do!

Please join the Dallas Regional Chamber and CIO Magazine on Thursday, February 16^th for CIO Perspectives.  Event information can be found at www.cioperspectives.com/2012Dallas.  Qualified DRC members can register at www.cioperspectives.com/DallasChamber  for complimentary tickets.

Former Ambassador James C. Oberwetter, President and CEO of the Dallas Regional Chamber said,

“We are indeed very sympathetic with the position of American Airlines, with its people and all of those who are affected by the restructuring process.

“ We believe that the plan, which American’s chairman Tom Horton has set out,  will successfully reconstitute the airline transforming it into an outstanding competitor which meets the needs for domestic and world-wide flights to and from the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

“The airline business is a very competitive one.  Other more recently formed or previously restructured airlines have had distinct advantages over American.  We are confident that American’s leadership team along with those who lead and comprise its workforce will find ways to overcome the challenges in the times ahead.

“We are a region of 6.5 million people, the fourth largest metropolitan area in the United States, and the fastest growing.   We can be exceptionally pleased that American Airlines has announced its plan to become a profitable, growing and even stronger member of the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan region and a great global world-class airline.”

(Aside:  DRC President Oberwetter serves on the board of the Greater Dallas Workforce Solutions board.)

Dallas/Fort Worth area entrepreneurs and the Dallas Regional Chamber announced the launch of Startup DFW, a regional initiative of the Startup Texas chapter working with the Startup America Partnership, the national organization dedicated to helping young companies grow in order to spur job creation across the country.

The Dallas/Forth Worth Metroplex launch of Startup Texas is the first step in helping create a collaborative ecosystem for the entrepreneurial community in North Texas. Along with partnerships with key organizations such as The Dallas Regional Chamber and the North Texas RCIC, Startup DFW will focus on uniting entrepreneurial leaders across the entire DFW metroplex, encouraging the use of shared resources, and creating a community of innovation and cooperation. Texas is one of the initial eight states that have launched Startup America regions across the country, and will be joined by nine additional regions today on Startup America’s one-year anniversary.

“The DFW area is a hotbed of entrepreneurial activity, from new technology startups to Fortune 500 corporations encouraging innovation in their current businesses.  We believe now is the perfect time to inject the resources, relationships, and capital that Startup DFW can provide,” said Jason Illian, CEO of Rethink Books and Co-Chair of Startup DFW.  Leveraging the national resources of Startup America, the goal of Startup DFW and Startup Texas is to create jobs and spur entrepreneurial activity across the state.

There will be a local event held in February for companies in the DFW area that would like to participate or support Startup DFW.  More details on this will follow as the event nears.

“We are excited that Startup DFW has launched as a part of the Startup Texas Region,” said Scott Case, CEO of the Startup America Partnership. “We are encouraged to see the collaborative spirit that the DFW metroplex is demonstrating as an example of how the entire state of Texas will work together to facilitate resources, relationships, and benefits to its thriving entrepreneurial community.”

By combining the power of the Startup America Partnership’s national network along with the local resources and capital opportunities across Texas, entrepreneurs will be able to access key tools which will provide business with a high potential for growth creating more jobs and a boom to the local economy.

Startup Texas will work to provide assistance to entrepreneurs in the following areas:

• Expertise: Connect entrepreneurs with training, mentors, advisors and accelerators
• Services: Provide entrepreneurs access to critical services at reduced costs
• Talent: Assist entrepreneurs in recruiting and training the people that can help them grow
• Customers: Help to scale startups through new and existing markets
• Capital: Highlight sources of capital available to entrepreneurs in various regions and sectors

“I am confident that by fostering a collaborative ecosystem through a solid network of resources, availability of capital and a strong community of entrepreneurial leaders that Startup DFW will propel the growing entrepreneurial community in DFW to a global stage,” said Trey Bowles, serial entrepreneur and Co-Chair of Startup Texas.

To get involved with Startup Texas and Startup DFW communities throughout North Texas, young companies, entrepreneurial leaders and potential partners should visit www.startuptx.us and http://www.startupdfw.org

About The Dallas Regional Chamber
The Dallas Regional Chamber(DRC) is the area’s leading membership-driven business organization committed to promoting economic prosperity by leading economic development, driving improvements in public education, influencing public policy, and catalyzing and advocating for regional partnerships. The DRC works to ensure the Dallas region will become the most economically prosperous region – and the most desirable place to live and work – in the United States. The DRC recognizes that an innovative economy is at the core of our region’s vitality and quality of life and is committed to developing, promoting and sustaining the Dallas region as a global leader in technology and innovation. Its activities bring together business leaders, universities, entrepreneurial organizations, accelerators and incubators, policymakers, and capital providers to engage in a dialogue on how best to build on regional industry cluster strengths while fostering new innovation and ideas. These initiatives, if successful, can attract capital investment into the Dallas region, create new companies or expand existing ones, and create substantial new job growth while increasing the region’s competitiveness and productivity. For more information, please contact the Dallas Regional Chamber at (214) 746-6600 or visit www.dallaschamber.org.

About the Startup America Partnership
The Startup America Partnership was launched at the White House in response to President Obama’s call to celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship throughout the nation. The Partnership is bringing together an alliance of major corporations, funders, service providers, mentors and advisors working to dramatically increase the prevalence and success of high-growth enterprises in the U.S. AOL co-founder Steve Case chairs the Partnership and the Kauffman and Case Foundations are founding partners. American Express OPEN, Dell Inc., Intuit Inc., and Microsoft are sponsors. The Partnership will identify, measure and report on the effectiveness of cross-sector collaboration in support of entrepreneurial ventures and its effect on job creation and growth. For more information on the Partnership, visit www.startupamericapartnership.org.

Media Contact
Trey Bowles
Startup DFW/Startup Texas
917.362.4231
trey.bowles@startupdfw.org

Thanks to our friends at TXEN, we got our hands on this outstanding report today. We’ve attached a link for your review, but in case you don’t have time we’ll summarize the highlights.

First, North Texas rocks at getting startups investment as compared to other regions in Texas. Second, North Texas may not rock quite as much as we thought, especially if you remove the outliers (a $300M deal and a $645M deal). So which is it? Both of the large deals do skew the averages a bit, but they resemble a great trend that we are growing successful companies here. If we remove the two large deals, we were competitive with Central Texas/Austin and far above Gulf Coast/Houston. While we are seeing more deals funded in our region by a wide variety of investors, we are still not seeing as many early stage deals raise the capital they need to grow.

How do we fix this problem? How can we work better together as a region and as an ecosystem to facilitate the growth of entrepreneurship?  We hope to speak with you all, the community, the ecosystem, the partners, the investors, the entrepreneurs and bring you all to the table. We want everyone at the same tables, so that we are able to better network, get access to investors more easily, promote all of the good that is happening, and find unique ways to bring more new investors to our region through marketing and education.

Learn more about TXEN and download a copy of the 2011 report.

To stay in touch with our activities visit: www.InnovateDFW.com

The Dallas Regional Chamber is partnering with The City of Dallas and Education is Freedom (EiF) to offer more than 400 public school students in DISD and charters a real world job experience this summer through the Mayor’s Intern Fellow Program.  You can make this a reality, and we call upon you to host or sponsor an intern(s) for 20, 32, or 40 hours a week and profoundly impact a young person’s vision for his or her future. Companies that cannot employ an intern can sponsor an intern to work at a community organization or the City of Dallas office.

Open to businesses and community organizations of all sizes, the program provides paid internships and professional experiences. Your business will help develop the workforce of tomorrow by providing much needed job and communication skills; the soft skills that we all have to learn outside of the classroom. In addition, EiF provides training in resume writing, interview skills, and continues to monitor the interns’ progress through regular site visits.

Designed to provide a paid 8-week summer internship, this experience allows students to visualize their future, see the possibilities a quality education can present, and provide tools to chart the course to accomplish their goals. Equally as important, these young people will receive the opportunity to witness the powerful link between higher education and success in the workplace. The valuable experience gained from the internship will benefit the students in the coming years, as they apply for colleges, get into colleges, and apply for professional jobs.

The National Student Clearinghouse reports that 82 percent of the previous Mayor’s Intern Fellows who have graduated from high school since 2008 are verified as enrolled in college. This includes prestigious institutions including Georgetown University, Northwestern University, Howard University, University of Texas at Austin, Texas A&M University, Texas Woman’s University and Southern Methodist University.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings is challenging us as corporate and community leaders to make this the most beneficial summer intern program in the nation. Register online at www.mayorsinterns.org for your intern(s) by March 1, 2012.  For more information, please call program administrator EiF at 214-432-8552, go to the official website at www.mayorsinterns.org, or direct inquiries to Adam Powell at APowell@educationisfreedom.org. Here also are a Program Brochure and an At a Glance Fact Sheet, providing a timetable and information on what is required of your organization.

The goal in 2012 is to employ 400 interns at 150 or more companies. Take the challenge now and commit to sponsoring interns for the next summer. Your commitment today will help secure the City of Dallas’s success tomorrow and dramatically change the life of a young person.

• An overview of the DRC’s priorities and objectives for 2012
• Listings of the Board of Directors and staff members
• Member benefits
• DFW Details – statistics about the region
• Alphabetical and categorical listings of DRC members

This directory is free to members and available to non-members for $54.13.  You can order online by clicking here.  Be sure to also check out the online directory for the most up-to-date listing of members, as this list is updated daily.

If you have questions about your listing, please contact Yolonda Henderson, Manager of Member Services at (214) 746-6613 or yhenderson@dallaschamber.org.