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TUESDAY, MARCH 23, 2021

TESTING GROUND
7-Eleven Opens its First Corporate-Owned Drive-Thru With a Laredo Taco Company at an Evolution Store in Dallas

Coming to 7-Eleven's Evolution Store on Park Lane and Abrams Road is the first-ever Laredo Taco Company drive-thru restaurant. It marks the latest innovation at one of the Irving-based retailer's 'lab stores,' an experiential testing ground for patrons to try new concepts.

Plus, the retail innovator that literally invented the convenience store concept and trademarked the word "brainfreeze" is elevating the game by identifying artists to create neighborhood-specific murals on interior and exterior walls of its existing and new 7-Eleven stores. 

 
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AUTONOMOUS FLEET
Fasten Your Seatbelts: Arlington Launches First On-Demand Public Self‑Driving Shuttle Service

The City of Arlington has partnered with Via, May Mobility, and UT Arlington to launch the RAPID pilot program, the first autonomous driving shuttle initiative to integrate with an existing public transportation service.

 
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GIVING FOR GOOD
Irving-Based Mobile Banking App Porte Donates To Charity on Behalf of Customers through New #DoortoChange Program

This mobile banking app was created by Populus Group Financial with a younger age group in mind. Porte works to combine convenience and the desire to help others.

 
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Your daily catch-up of what's new + next in Dallas-Fort Worth.
THREE THINGS

⓵ INNOVATIVE SPACES: The historic restoration of one of Dallas’ oldest buildings, The Continental Gin Building in Deep Ellum, is now complete. Built in 1888, the landmark was once the largest cotton processing equipment manufacturing operation in the U.S. and an epicenter for the innovation of its time. More recently, the 133-year-old building served as space for artists. Now known as “The Gin,” it’s been reimagined as a hospitality-focused, mixed-use destination that can once again serve as a hub of innovation, according to project partners August Real Estate Co. and Common Desk. Take a look inside.


ENERGY ALTERNATIVES: Plano-based Toyota is funding a broadcast that tells the story of how hydrogen fuel cell technology is powering the nation. Toyota noted a renewed focus on the environment. With that focus, it says, can come the "ingenuity and science" as many organizations band together to recognize the value of technology—not just as an alternative to vehicles, but also as a possible energy source for buildings, communities, homes, and cities, according to the company. The program “Powering the Nation: Hydrogen Fuel Cells—the Clean Transportation Alternative” will be simulcast Friday at 6 p.m. on Science Channel and MotorTrend TV. It also airs Saturday at 8 a.m. on Discovery.
 


⓷ PUBLIC MARKETS: Charles Schwab, which officially relocated its headquarters to North Texas in January, announced an underwritten public offering of depository shares.


APPLY NOW

⟫  ECOSYSTEM BUILDERS: Do you have diverse experience across corporate and startup organizations? The DEC Network is looking for new members for its Associate Board to “take entrepreneurship to the next level.” Young professionals can get exposure to innovative ventures, gain mentorship, and maximize their own networks, and more. Applications close April 25.

⟫  FEMALE F&B: PepsiCo wants to expand partnerships with women-led food businesses that are committed to doing good. In March, the company brought together two initiatives (Food for Good X WomanMade) in honor of National Nutrition Month and Women’s History Month. Female-founded businesses can apply to become a registered supplier of healthy products and nutritious meal packages that are delivered to kids in need across the country. Women owners can also join PepsiCo’s WomanMade community, which currently has more than 3,800 members and offers access to tools, funding and mentorship from food industry experts. 

⟫  LAST CALL: The deadline for Fast Company’s Best Workplaces for Innovators has been extended to March 26. Companies are evaluated for their cultures that empower employees at all levels to improve processes, create new products, or invent new ways of doing business. Those chosen will appear in the publication’s September 2021 issue and online. 


To read more and get our week's Top 10, head here.

New Water Coalition Launched to Invest in Conservation Efforts for the Upper Trinity River
A group of industry, nonprofit, and governmental organizations—including Texan by Nature, Molson Coors, Coca-Cola, Frito-Lay and PepsiCo, and Keurig Dr Pepper—have formed the Texas Water Action Collaborative to improve the water quantity and quality of the Trinity River.

Alexa, Let’s Chat: UT Dallas Is Part of a $500K Global Competition To Teach Amazon’s AI How To Make Small Talk

Leading CX Design Company Expands to Dallas

Can Restaurants Revolutionize the Juvenile Justice System? This Dallas Chef Turned Nonprofit Leader Is Betting On It

"Whitney Wolfe Herd may be the youngest commencement speaker we have ever had."

R. Gerald Turner
President 
SMU
…in a statement announcing the Bumble founder/CEO as the featured speaker for the university’s May 15 commencement address. Wolfe Herd, who became the youngest woman to take a company public in February with the initial offering of her dating app shares on Nasdaq, is an SMU alumna.


It’s only been ten years since Bumble founder Whitney Wolfe Herd walked across the stage in a cap and gown at SMU.

“Our graduates will feel a kinship,” President R. Gerald Turner said in a news release. “She began experimenting with entrepreneurism while at SMU, and went on to transform a big idea into something that helps people connect in new ways.”
 
The 31-year-old entrepreneur founded two companies while she was pursuing her degree in international studies at SMU: one marketing fair trade clothing and another raising funds for wildlife affected by the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Graduating in 2011, she volunteered overseas and then worked for a customer rewards app company briefly before co-founding Tinder in 2012.
 
Her signature company, Bumble, was born to reinvent the internet for women, according to SMU. “On the Bumble app, women must send the first message to men they are interested in within the first 24 hours of matching.” In 2018, she told SMU Magazine, “When you think about it, women are making the first move, which is empowering. We tolerate zero abusive behavior, so that kindness piece is there, too.”

The outdoor commencement ceremony, which will be live-streamed, is scheduled for May 15, 8 a.m., in Ford Stadium.


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