Fort Worth Business Press - Family Business

presents

2 • PlainsCapital Family Business Awards Fort Worth Business Press

PlainsCapital Family Business Awards • 3September 27, 2007

Community WinnersSiratt Partners ......................................................................................10

Community FinalistsCockrell Printing Company ................................................................10John Sons Press....................................................................................11May Advertising International Ltd. ....................................................11McBee Homes......................................................................................13

Emerging WinnerConcussion Advertising, Marketing & Design...................................13

Emerging FinalistsLone Star Bavarian Inc. ......................................................................15Texas Right of Way Inc. ......................................................................15Thumbtechs Corp................................................................................16Western Heritage Furniture & Accessories .........................................16

Family Oriented WinnerStacy Family Enterprises......................................................................17

Family Values FinalistsDrs. Alexander Orthodontics..............................................................17J&D Inc. ..............................................................................................18Lasiter & Lasiter Plumbing Inc. .........................................................19Marketing Management Inc. ..............................................................19

Heritage WinnerKube’s Jewelers Inc. ............................................................................20

Heritage FinalistsForeman’s Inc. .....................................................................................20Paris Coffee Shop.................................................................................21Rapp Ranch ..........................................................................................21

Innovative WinnerTeresa’s Treasures .................................................................................22

Innovative FinalistsEmpire Roofing Ltd. ...........................................................................22M&M Manufacturing Co.....................................................................23Printing Plus ........................................................................................25RPGA Design Group Inc. ....................................................................25

Longevity WinnerPulliam Pools ......................................................................................27

Longevity FinalistsMarvin Electronics Co. .......................................................................27Woodard Builders Supply ...................................................................28Bransom Floor Service ........................................................................28

Well-Managed WinnerSouthwest Office Systems Inc./Puente-Brancato Enterprises Inc. ..........................................................29

Well-Managed FinalistsCentral Dynamic Manufacturing Inc. ....................................................29Aero Components Inc.............................................................................30Marine Quest ...........................................................................................31

Sponsors

Large Business of the YearLonghorn Dodge Inc.

Page 5

Medium Business of the YearBrants Realtors Inc.

Page 7

Small Business of the YearCooper Supply Inc.

Page 8September 27, 2007

PublisherRichard L. Connor

President/Executive Director of SalesDeborah Connor

EditorBill Thompson

Associate EditorMichael H. Price

Managing EditorAnna Caplan

ReportersElizabeth Bassett

Betty DillardCrystal ForesterRobert Francis

Mary Lou JacobsJohn-Laurent Tronche

CorrespondentsKaitlin Guthrow

Laurie Barker JamesAmy Keen

Ken Parish PerkinsMary Rusnak

Jeff Seaver

ListsMary Kennan

ProductionBrent Latimer

Clayton Gardner

Advertising ExecutivesAndrea BenfordDaniel Collins

Elizabeth NorthernMary Schlegel

National SalesMaureen Hathaway/248-496-7490

Sales Manager/Accounting OfficeAnjanette Hamilton

Vice President of Operations/Human ResourcesShevoyd Hamilton

Director of FinanceMolly Smithee

ReceptionistMaggie Franklin

Marketing/EventsMary Lou Jacobs

PhotographersGlen E. Ellman, David S. Irvin

Glenn Killman, Jon P. Uzzel

3509 South Hulen Street, Suite No. 201Fort Worth, Texas 76107 • 817-336-8300

www.fwbusinesspress.comPackage Copr. © and ™ 2007,

the Fort Worth Business Press. Corporate announcements found herein

reflect the views and policies of the individual companies thus portrayed.

Reproduction or any use, without permission, of editorial or graphic

content in any manner is prohibited.

TEXAS PRESSASSOCIATION

MEMBER 2006

AWARD WINNER

A special supplement of the

Our cover painting for the Fort Worth Business Press andPlainsCapital Bank Family Business Awards Program hailsthis sector as the “bedrock of the economy.” The imagemight even resemble one’s personalized perception of whatsymbolizes a family-owned business; it suggests the made-by-hand, built-to-last nature of the companies showcasedhere.

I can relate to this spirit: As a youngster in Maine, Iwatched my father work seven days a week, dawn-to-dusk, inour family’s construction company. The demands didn’t endwith long hours at the office or at a work site. Virtually everydinner conversation turned to “the business,” especiallywhen my brothers and I became old enough to work for ourfather — and to begin telling him how we would run things.

But our father must have been doing something right. He

sent two of us to private high schools, and all three to privatecolleges.

I felt certain, back then, that I did not want to own a busi-ness. But after 20 years of corporate life, I realized that I real-ly did want to own a business. Now, 10 years into the fami-ly-business experience, I sometimes wonder how I couldhave veered so far from the original plan. But the truth is thatI love owning businesses, even though I do so with the helpof investors.

I find it most fascinating to watch any number of familybusinesses pass successfully from generation to generation.The Connor family business of my youth did not survive intoa second generation.

And so as the Business Press and PlainsCapital Bank pres-ent the 2007 Family Business Awards, we pay special heed to

companies that have prevailed as only the “bedrock of theeconomy” can.

Our selections bespeak the involvement of multiple gen-erations. All, from the largest extended-family enterprises tothe smallest mom-and-pop operations, have set standards ofexcellence and endurance.

While many big public and private corporations serve ourcommunities well, the family-owned business has alwaysbeen the backbone of American commerce. Our winners cantreasure the accolades not only for themselves, but also onbehalf of countless others who have launched businesses,built them and preserved them as a monument to thestrength and resourcefulness of the American family unit.

—Richard L. ConnorPublisher

And here’s to the economic foundations



In the automobile business, a dealer’s reputation isdriven by the satisfaction of its customers.That’s why Longhorn Dodge Inc., the oldest Dodge

dealership in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, has been sat-isfying its customers since Richard L. Adams openedthe lot in 1971.

The dealership’s board chairman has passed alonghis knowledge of how to sell and service cars andtrucks to his daughter, Vickie Gibson, who is presidentof the dealership; her husband, Gary Gibson, vicepresident of operations; their son, Brian Gibson, chieffinancial officer and controller; and Robert Adams,Richard Adams’ nephew and vice president of sales.

Vickie Gibson credits the entire family — as well asthe dealership’s hardworking sales, service and sup-port staff — with the success of Longhorn Dodge.

“It’s about the teamwork,” she says. “My father hasbeen in this business for so many years, so I’ve learneda lot from him. My husband joined us after he retiredfrom the Air Force in 1991. He came home and wentback to work, and then worked for my father a littlebit. My cousin, Richard, started a few months before Idid, and my son joined in 1992.”

Gibson says the delegation of responsibilities is assimple as recognizing strengths and talents.

“My cousin being the sales-oriented, Type-A kind ofperson he is, he runs the sales side,” she explains. “Myhusband is very customer-friendly, and his talents arevery good in the repair and parts area, so he’s vicepresident of that. And I’m more the librarian with anaccounting background, so I have to know a little bitabout everything going on. My son joined us as a

graduate of Trinity University in San Antonio and aCPA, so he’s advanced us in our technology and real-ly getting our books in line, and that helps us reduceour expenses. So, really, it just takes all of us.”

Longhorn Dodge, 4500 South Freeway, hasremained family-owned and -operated since its start.Gibson cites the family basis as a reason for loyaltyamong employees and customers.

“In corporate stores, you see a lot of employeescome and go,” she says. “With a family business, itjust changes the face and the atmosphere of the waythe employees feel.”

Customers, as well, have continued to boostLonghorn Dodge’s growth during its 36-year history,choosing from a wide variety of new and used cars,trucks and sport utility vehicles. Among the dealer-ship’s more popular cars and SUVs are the Neon,Caravan, Grand Caravan, SRT-4, SRT-8, DaytonaCharger, Stratus and Viper.

But Texas is truck country, and, for many buyers, theDodge Ram series is hard to beat, Gibson adds: “The’95 model was the big changeover year for our trucks.That’s when they really started selling, and that hasbeen our strongest seller.”

And despite rising costs at the gas pumps and anindustry-wide slowdown following the Sept. 11, 2001,terrorist attacks, Longhorn Dodge has continued tofind new ways to compete, Gibson said.

“With 9/11, the manufacturers put the high incen-tives in place to create customers, because of the eco-nomic downturn that followed. Plus, we’ve alwayshad rebates of some sort,” she says. Longhorn Dodge

also must go head-to-head with its competitors andimport brands on pricing and service to keep salesand satisfaction high, she says.

Gibson adds that the autos coming off the factorylines have helped Longhorn Dodge compete withother Dodge dealerships and with import dealers.And that has made the economy’s ups and downsthrough the years easier to bear.

“Our manufacturer keeps making better and bettercars and trucks,” she says. “And we’ve picked up serv-icing where the warranties leave off. Plus, we have alarge, high-quality pre-owned inventory.”

Longhorn Dodge is a DaimlerChrysler Five-Stardealership; the distinction means the dealershipmeets Dodge’s criteria in minimum vehicle sales andcustomer satisfaction, as based on customer surveys,Gibson says. The dealership also is a member of theTarrant County Dealer Association, and RichardAdams is a past president of the Texas AutomobileDealer Association. Gibson said the dealership isproud of its Web site, longhorndodge.com, whereshoppers can view photos and take virtual test-drives.The site also has information about the dealership’sparts and service departments, as well as collision-repair services.

As for the future, Richard Adams has been approvedto open a Dodge Jeep dealership in Burleson, givingthe Longhorn Dodge management team plenty moreto talk about at family gatherings, Gibson says.

“Working with your family gives us the time to dothat,” she says.

–Amy Keen

Large Business of the YearLonghorn Dodge Inc.

Longhorn Dodge Inc.Richard Adams

4500 South Freeway

Fort Worth, TX 76115

longhorndodge.net

817-926-2681

Brian Gibson, Richard Adams, Vickie Gibson, Robert Adams and Gary Gibson

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Congratulations

to all the 2007

Family Business Awards

Finalists

from your friends

at Coors



When Harry E. Brants founded his insurancemortgage and real estate partnership inFort Worth in 1926, he could hardly have

foreseen the diverse dealings of his company — fromthe sale of one of the first homes in Westover Hills, tothe development of Ridglea Hills, to work in some ofthe historic Stockyards’ livestock pens.

As Brants’ ancestors have carried on, the name hascontinued to make a mark, from sales and develop-ment to involvement with such institutions as theAmon Carter Foundation and Christie’s Great Estates.

More recently, Brants Realtors has worked with suchfamiliar names as Holt Hickman, Anne Marion andBill Davis and the Tarantula Railroad, as well asTarrant County College District, the Harris MethodistHospitals and Mutual of New York.

Clay Brants and his wife, Laurie, are thebroker/owners of Brants Realtors, which they incorpo-rated in 1978. They speak proudly of the heritage ofaccomplishments.

“When the company started in 1926, there was nosuch thing as [a real estate company],” Laurie Brantsexplains. “Insurance companies offered services tofind houses for their clients to buy, so that remainedan offshoot of the insurance company until the late1960s, when it became a wholly owned subsidiary ofBrants Insurance.”

During the post-World War II housing boom,Burdette Brants, one of five brothers, arranged thedevelopment and mortgaging of A.C. Luther’s Ridgleaand Ridglea Hills subdivisions, according to the com-pany’s Web site, brantsrealtors.com. Shortly thereafter,Clay Brants’ father, Clayton Brants Jr., had developedsubdivisions including Highland Park, the BryceAvenue Town Homes and Mony Street Business Park.

By 1950, Doug McKenzie had joined the companyto broker commercial and residential properties, withthe company’s first independent brokerage officeopening in 1962. Within 10 years, Brants Realtors splitfrom the parent company, and its incorporation fol-lowed six years later.

Clay and Laurie Brants oversee 43 agents. The com-pany focuses on residential sales, although ClayBrants also works on developments.

“Clay is doing a development right now in MistletoeHeights that’s going to look historical and has to beapproved by the Historical Commission and thePlanning Commission,” Laurie says.

Brants Realtors traditionally sells older, high-qualityhomes, she adds: “We focus on the west and south-west sides of Fort Worth, but we also have a big pres-ence in Aledo and Parker County and JohnsonCounty.”

Living in a home that was built in 1893 has giventhe couple even more of an appreciation for qualitycraftsmanship, Laurie Brants says: “I surprise myself,because as much as I like bungalows and arts-and-crafts style houses, I like the Frank Lloyd Wright-stylehouses, too. Sometimes I think we’ve gotten overdonewith the Tuscan kind of look, so I tend to like theolder-looking homes.”

Throughout its history, Brants Realtors has seenhome sales ebb and flow along with changes in theeconomy. When asked about the problems manyRealtors are having with slowed sales brought aboutby higher interest rates and higher foreclosure rates,Laurie Brants says her company hasn’t seen mucheffect.

“We work with … well-qualified buyers, and theones most affected seem to be outside Loop 820,”Brants says, explaining that that area skews towardnewer homes.

“It can be tough to sell a 10- to 15-year old house,”she adds, “and the volume builder is still giving them

away …” She cites “good-quality homes and good-quality buyers” as an advantage: “If a person has agood credit score, they can still get a six-and-a-quarterinterest rate.”

Brants Realtors continues to add polish to its namewith a mission statement emphasizing knowledge,integrity and professionalism. The company offersrelocation assistance to homebuyers leaving FortWorth through its 17-year membership in the RELOLeading Real Estate Companies of the World. Thecompany is listed among Who’s Who in Luxury RealEstate. Through its affiliation with Christie’s GreatEstates, Brants Realtors adds its principal listings withthose of other Realtors in a magazine produced by the

renowned auction house.And through the years, Brants Realtors has contin-

ued to support Fort Worth by supporting many civicand charitable organizations.

Is there a secret to running a successful 81-year-oldbusiness?

“You just don’t ever quit,” says Laurie Brants. “Thework continues all the time.”

For a company that has kept some agents on boardfor 25 years, Harry Brants would likely approve ofhow his namesake business has turned out in shapingthe lay of the land in Fort Worth.

–Amy Keen

Medium Business of the YearBrants Realtors Inc.

Brants Realtors Inc.Clay Brants

4541 Bellaire Drive South, #101

Fort Worth, TX 76109

817-731-8466

brantsrealtors.com

Clay Brants and Laurie Brants

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“People Helping People”

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When Bill and Sharron Paul opened theirfirst polyethylene pipe store in Coleman,Texas, in 1983, they likely couldn’t have

foreseen that, just a few hours’ drive northeast, theirfamily business would hit another boom: the BarnettShale natural-gas play.

Only nine years later, the couple would open a sec-ond location for Cooper Supply Inc., at 2524 MinnisDrive in Haltom City. There, the Pauls and their twochildren sell polyvinyl chloride pipes and fittings forwater and sewer systems and polyethylene pipes andfittings for gas gathering and distribution.

The company also has recently opened a third loca-tion, in Corpus Christi, says Stephanie Paul, who,works as co-general manager with her brother, BillPaul Jr.

The founders, Bill Paul Sr. and Sharron Paul, arepresident and secretary-treasurer, respectively.

“My dad was national sales manager for PhillipsDrisco Pipe in the 1960s,” says Stephanie Paul, “andwhen he retired from there, he took his knowledge ofpolyethylene pipe and products with him. His No. 1customer, when he was a sales executive there, keptasking him every year to leave and join him in hisbusiness, and my dad kept saying, ‘No.’ But finally,that customer wore him down, and after my dadretired, he and Clomer Cooper started the business.They named the business after Clomer Cooper, andafter he died, we’ve kept that as the name of the com-pany as a way to honor his memory.”

Cooper would have been proud to see that the com-

pany has remained in his partner’s hands and expand-ed to three locations statewide, Stephanie Paul says.

“We really consider ourselves a family team,” sheadds. “We’ve only got 22 employees in all three loca-tions, so we all wear a lot of hats. Bill and Sharron aregreat mentors for that. They’ve passed along a lot ofknowledge to all our employees in the business.”

Cooper Supply has grown as an emphatic presencein the industry, with memberships in both theSouthern Gas Association and the American GasAssociation. The company also participates in suchevents as the Texas Petroleum Expo and AnnualMeeting.

“Our specialization is selling polyethylene pipes fornatural gas distribution, drilling and shelling,” saysStephanie. “We also supply PVC pipes for water sys-tems for cities and for farms and ranches.”

She said that, with the natural gas industry’s increas-ing activity within the Barnett Shale geological forma-tion, Cooper Supply likely will continue to grow insales volume.

“We have grown significantly in the past threeyears,” she says. “We’re pretty aggressive in the market-place and hope to have our three branches up andrunning strong and continuing to serve all of Texas inthe future.” She attributes much of the company’s suc-cess to her parents, and to their having foreseen theprospects for oil and gas drilling before many othersin the industry.

“We started supplying polyethylene lines for the oilpatch in the ‘80s,” Stephanie says. “My mom and dad

are both very astute businesspeople, and they diversi-fied to get into oil before the crash, so now they doboth oil and gas pipe supplies.”

Cooper Supply provides polyethylene pipes, fittingsand clamps for gas gathering and distribution. It alsosells PVC conduit and fittings for civil electric needs,and pipes, fittings and storage tanks for water andsewer systems. The company also offers pipe-fusionequipment and repair services, including rental equip-ment, plus a unique service: fusion training. CooperSupply has an in-house training facility for no morethan eight students at a time to learn how to safely usepipe fusion equipment. Customers also can sign upfor the classes and place service orders throughCooper Supply’s Web site.

“We have some really great young people workingfor us,” says Stephanie. “We feel really blessed in thatarea. And our customers are really loyal. We’re very,very big on customer service, because that’s what getsus our business: doing a consistently really good jobwith on-time deliveries. If we don’t have the product,we research and dig and find that. ‘People HelpingPeople’ is our motto, and we really believe in it.”

The family-business basis, she explains, “has reallygiven us some advantages over larger corporate-owned businesses. We consider everyone in our com-pany our family, and Bill and Sharron are always con-cerned about not only them, but also their families.My brother and I are the stewards of this company,and I love being able to carry that on.”

–Amy Keen

Small Business of the YearCooper Supply Inc.

Cooper Supply Inc.Bill Paul Sr.

2524 Minnis Drive

Haltom City, TX 76117

817-222-9055

coopersupply.com

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Trucking entrepreneur, real estatedeveloper and all-around familyman Don Siratt credits good for-

tune for his success, despite son Colby’sinsistence that his father’s outstandingpeople skills took him to the top. Donconcedes.

“I think the only reason I’ve beensuccessful is my ability to just getalong with people,” Don says.

Symbolic of such success is thewest-side neighborhood ofMontserrat, which the Siratts aredeveloping on about 210 acres.

“When it’s finished,” Don says, “wethink it will be the nicest develop-ment in Fort Worth.”

The project required almost fouryears of negotiations. The Sirattsdecided to develop it as a gated com-munity, complete with parks, paths, atennis court and security.

Only about 50 of the 210 lotsremain unsold, and most of the pur-chased lots are being built ordesigned. Son Donnie notes that suchsuccess has come about naturally.

“We built it for our needs, and it

just turns out a lot of people werelooking for the same thing,” Donniesays.

Don Siratt opened his first businessin 1966, delivering Xerox machines.As Xerox grew, so did Siratt’s company– from a truckbed operation to officesin four states – until he sold it in1997. In 2000, the family re-acquiredthe Texas locations under a newname, WDS Logistics. The Siratts alsohave another development – CoveredBridge Canyon, in Parker County –and have partnered with landownerMike Rader on a venture calledInnovative Intermodal.

Don cites a family tradition inentrepreneurship.

“My family, back from my Dad —they were all farmers, truckers, serv-ice-stations operators,” Don says,“They all worked for themselves, andI think I got that from them.”

The Siratts remain dedicated tophilanthropy — supporting HarrisMethodist Hospital, creating theSiratt Women’s Center at Harris HEBand donating $1 million to a new

hospital for women at Baylor AllSaints.

“We’ve always believed in givingand sharing,” says Don, “and all thekids have followed me in that.”

Colby says the family is similarlydedicated to its 89 employees.

Don added: “It’s very unusual[that] people get to work with theirchildren for so long, and, hopefully,I’ll continue for as long as I’m stillworking and living.”

– John-Laurent Tronche

Siratt Partners

Category:Community Oriented

Top Executive:Don Siratt

Address:6000 Western Place, Ste. 465Fort Worth, TX 76107

Phone: 817-377-8827

Web: spiritofmontserrat.com

Community Family BusinessWinner

Cleat Cockrell established Cockrell PrintingCo., in 1964 with a discerning eye fordetail and a philosophy that printing

should be viewed not simply as a trade, but as aform of art.

Today, Cockrell’s son John carries on the tra-dition, employing state-of-the-art technologyand the same keen eye for detail in producingan array of projects forFortune 500 companies,advertising agencies,designers, publishers andeducational, health-careand cultural institutions.

When John Cockrelltook over day-to-day opera-tions as president in thelate 1980s, the businesswas recording about $2.5million in sales. Today, thatnumber is $20 million.

The company, with 85employees, continues to

operate out of its sole Fort Worth location at218 W. Broadway St.

“My father and I had a very good relation-ship,” John Cockrell says. “I guess it’s kind of anunusual deal where fathers and sons don’t justblow up and disagree with each other. Becauseof it, I was able to come in and grow with thebusiness.”

John, who was 16when his father openedthe business, has workedthere practically eversince. John’s wife, Lynn,is the secretary-treasurer.Son John Jr. is the ownerof something of a spin-off business, a digitalprinting company in FortWorth called InnovationGroup, which has astrategic alliance with theoriginal Cockrell firm.

– Jeff Seaver

Cockrell PrintingCompany


Top Executive:John K. Cockrell

Address:218 W. Broadway St.Fort Worth, TX 76104

Phone: 817-336-0571

Web: cockrellprinting.com

Community Family Business Finalist

John Cockrell

Siratt family members

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John J. Hernandez still makes his home on the northside of Fort Worth. Even now, in his mid-70s, he can befound working in his yard when the temperature surges

beyond the mid-90s.That work ethic is the foundation for the longevity

and success of John Sons Press, the Fort Worth printingcompany founded by Hernandez and operated underthe direction of his four sons: Philip, Edward, Adrianand Marc.

Hernandez spent much of his life working two jobs,toiling at a print shop at night and selling printing serv-ices during the day. In 1988, he purchased a small printing company, setting up shop off Old GranburyRoad and Interstate 20 and setting the stage for one of the hardest-working businesses around.

“If you know my dad, there’s nobody that works harder in anything as far as going from the yard toworking at the company,” says Adrian, 38. “There’s always something to do, and he was always working.”

In 2003, John Sons Press celebrated a move into a 28,000-square-foot plant, tripling the size of the oldbuilding.

“The neat thing is [that] you’ve seen my dad go from running a press all his life, always working a sec-ond job,” Adrian says. “To him, starting a printing company meant taking it to the next level.”

– Jeff Seaver

Community FamilyBusiness Finalist

John Hernandez, center, and sons.

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John Sons Press

Category: Community Oriented

Top Executive:John Hernandez

Address:3300 South FreewayFort Worth, TX 76110

Phone: 817-927-1819

Web: johnsonspress.com

Brothers Phillip and Allan Meyer have proudly con-tinued a 60-year tradition at May Advertising, a FortWorth original started in 1946 by their grandfather,

Richard R. May.Back then, the business specialized in advertising and

signage for gas stations, the price-per-gallon signs stillseen today. Now, May is a leader in screen printing andcustom-sign manufacturing, servicing thousands ofclients worldwide.

The late Mr. May produced the changeable gas-pricesign, marketed it nationwide and paved the way for MayAdvertising to become the world’s largest manufacturerof aluminum gasoline-price signs.

The company has 117 employees and employs themost cutting-edge technology available to produce vibrant signage in little time.

“Mr. May treated everyone like family,” Allan Meyer says of his grandfather. “He started in his garage and workedhis way up to creating a business that offered employment to lots of people as the business grew.

“He always instilled a sense of family business. He was always up-front and honest with employees. The peoplewere always the No. 1 asset. We’ve tried to keep that legacy going in how we run the business.”

Allan, 35, is the company’s vice president. Phillip, 31, is vice president of operations. Their mother, DeborahHorn, founder May’s daughter, is president.

“We’re very proud of our Grandpa and his accomplishments,” Allan May says. “We take a lot of pride in his lega-cy.”

– Jeff Seaver


Phillip Meyer, Deborah Horn and Allan Meyer

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May AdvertisingInternational Ltd.

Category: Community Oriented

Top Executive:Deborah Horn

Address:1200 Forum Way SouthFort Worth, TX 76140

Phone: 817-336-5671

Web: mayadvertising.com



Mearl McBee has overseen the building of 4,000homes in Tarrant County and has received numer-ous honors for McBee Homes, but his most cher-

ished achievement is having done much of it with his fam-ily members as business partners.

McBee, semi-retired at age 59, founded McBee Homesin 1978 and is co-owner with son Chris, 34, and son-in-law Brooks White, 35. White, McBee Homes’ president,has been with the company since 1992. Chris, who runsthe land development side of the business, signed on in2000 after leaving a career with Paine Webber.

“It is special, very special,” Mearl McBee says. “In the beginning, there are challenges with family work-ing together. But, as you progress through it, you learn how to cope with it. Hopefully, all ends up in apleasant environment, which is where ours is.”

Located at 1450 N. Jim Wright Freeway, McBee Homes constructs custom houses primarily in Tarrantand Parker counties, stretching south into Hood County and north into Denton County.

Housing troubles in much of the nation have not been in felt in Fort Worth, says Mearl McBee, Builderof the Year honoree for 1983. He notes that the company is off only about 10 percent from last year, whenit built 185 homes.

“That’s not bad,” he says. “It’s a lot better than most.” – Jeff Seaver


Brooks White, Mearl McBee and Chris McBee

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McBee Homes


Top Executive:Mearl McBee

Address:1450 N. Jim Wright FreewayFort Worth, TX 79108

Phone: 817-626-2600

Web: mcbeehomes.com

The Wallach and Yanez familiesare connected through morethan a shared interest in the fam-

ily business, Concussion Advertising,Marketing & Design. The full-serviceagency offers creative and strategic mar-keting solutions — and has found thatcreative and collaborative staffing meas-ures have advanced its purpose.

Allen Wallach and Andrew Yanez,principals, began their collaborativeefforts from home-based operations.As their families grew, so did the needfor an outside office space. Wallachand Yanez recruited their wives,Kristin and Amy, shortly after thefounding of Concussion.

The resulting combination of mar-keting and business talent has result-ed in a balance of well-honed skills inadvertising, public relations, art direc-tion and media planning, among oth-ers.

“Each person brings a specific dis-cipline that is beneficial to the com-pany,” Wallach says.

Such a work-to-life balance is anuncommon objective within such a

competitive industry as advertisingand its related fields. Concussionemphasizes flexibility within produc-tion schedules so that families canenjoy school events, Little Leaguegames, festive occasions or deal with unexpected developments.Concussion boasts a single-digitturnover rate, with most of the found-ing team still in place.

Since its inception in 2001,Concussion has experienced tremen-dous success in Fort Worth — thanks,in no small part, to creative recruitingtechniques that are employed by theownership and the employees alike.

Such techniques have helped toensure that the best talent availablefinds its way through the doors atConcussion. From Australia to LosAngeles to New York City, saysWallach, “we are as diverse a group asyou can imagine — we are not just adusty little Fort Worth shop.”

Wallach said that the unique teamof professionals at Concussion hadresulted from such recruiting tech-niques as word-of-mouth among

employees; this practice alone has ledto several family members joining theConcussion team.

There are, for example, two sets ofsisters, a father-in-law/daughter-in-law combo and several sons anddaughters who have come along asinterns within the agency.

“We do recruit through the normalchannels,” explains Wallach, “butfamily connections and referrals canbe very helpful in finding the best tal-ent out there.”

– Mary Lou Jacobs

Concussion Advertising,Marketing & Design

Category:Emerging, Under 15 Years

Top Executive:Allen Wallach, Andrew Yanez

Address:707 W. Vickery Blvd., Ste. 103Fort Worth, TX 76104

Phone: 817-336-OUCH (6824)

Web: concussion.net

Emerging Family BusinessWinner

Kristin Wallach, Allen Wallach, Andrew Yanez and Amy Yanez



When Trent Cole worked his way through college bymanaging restaurants, he learned something thatwould later serve him well when he opened his Lone

Star Bavarian Inc. sales-and-service shop in 2001.“With restaurants, if people don’t like the service they

received, they can just go across the street to another restau-rant,” Cole says. “I didn’t want it to be like that with my shop.

“Because my background is different from other independ-ent shop owners, I keep my shop very clean and comfortablefor my customers, because we want their loyalty.”

Cole graduated from college and left the restaurant businesswith an older-model BMW, which steered him toward the ideaof opening Lone Star Bavarian. He runs the shop with nine employees, including his father, Larry, and his wife,Patricia, who is also an attorney.

The Lovell Avenue shop has grown busy enough that it will be relocated in April closer to downtown, nextto Perry’s Motorcycles at 816 S. Sylvania Ave. Cole says he anticipates continued growth.

“We think we offer a level of service that’s unequaled by any, or many, independents in the area, becauseit’s my passion and my hobby,” Cole says. “I was challenged many years ago by a mentor who said [that] ifyou could find something you wanted to do the rest of your life, even if you weren’t getting paid for it, you’dstill enjoy that job many years later. And that’s what I’m doing.”

– Amy Keen

Lone Star Bavarian Inc.


Top Executive:Trent E. Cole

Address:3525 Lovell Ave.Fort Worth, TX 76107

Phone: 817-732-4888

Web: lonestarbavarian.com

Emerging FamilyBusiness Finalist

Larry Cole, Trent Cole, Patrick Cole, Patricia ColeDogs: Jessie and Beemer

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Innovative and energetic, Don Valden has long been asuccess in the right-of-way business. With the recentrise in natural-gas production from the Barnett Shale

geological formation, he continues to be on the cuttingedge — reaping the rewards with a family business thatspans three generations.

Valden, who changed his surname from Valdez earlyin his career during the 1970s, established Texas Right ofWay Associates Inc., with his younger brother, TedValdez.

Their mother, Peggy, handles human resources. Theirfather, Joe, recently retired from a 43-year career withGeneral Motors Corp. to join his sons’ business.

Cody Ragsdale, Don’s son-in-law, is a team leaderand in training to become a right-of-way agent. CousinRebecca Castro is executive administrative assistant.

“There are great things about having family in the business,” Don says. “The No. 1 thing is [that] you have trust.Some families say they wouldn’t trust a brother or a sister — but not this family.”

Don, a former boxing promoter, and his wife, Marie, are sharing their business success with the community. Theywill stage the first Barnett Shale Charity Gala on Dec. 13 at the Petroleum Club to benefit the Fort Worth Police andFirefighters Memorial and the Salvation Army.

– Jeff Seaver

Texas Right of Way Inc.


Top Executive:Don Valden

Address:200 W. Exchange Ave., Ste. 3Fort Worth, TX 76102

Phone: 817-361-8839

Web: texasrwa.com


Back Row - Joe Valdez, Peggy Valdez, Rebecca Castro and CodyRagsdale. Front Row - Marie Valden, Don Valden, Ted Valdez andAnya Valdez

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Before a tornado struck downtown Fort Worth in2000, George Fassett Jr. ran his information technol-ogy company, GFIT, in the traditional manner of

answering service calls and billing customers by the hour.But after getting many of his BankOne Tower clients

up and running on their computers within days and col-lecting large billable hours for his work, Fassett hadanother idea that became Thumbtechs Corp.

“When you’re just waiting for service and dealing inbillable hours, you’re not getting paid when the phone’snot ringing,” he says. “So, now, we charge customersbased on how much equipment they’ve got and whatservice plan they choose.

“A small business with about 20 computers and two to three servers is charged $1,850, while a company with moreequipment gets charged $3,000 at the Platinum Preferred Service Level, which can give top executives someone to workon their home computers. The benefit is we have several well-trained IT staff to work for our customers, and the clientsdon’t have to hire their own full-time IT staff and pay them wages and benefits.”

Fassett said he hopes to see Thumbtechs expand nationwide from its Web site, thumbtechs.com, or its Camp BowieWest office, where Fassett’s mom and office manager, Linda Fassett, watches his 6-month-old daughter, Paige. Passettsometimes wonders if his daughter will run the company after he and his wife, Erin, retire.

“By then, I hope to have exited the business and finally be on a beach somewhere,” he says.

– Amy Keen

Thumbtechs Corporation


Top Executive:George C. Fassett, Jr.

Address:8205 Camp Bowie Blvd. W, #110Fort Worth, TX 76116

Phone: 817-923-2419

Web: thumbtechs.com


George C. Fassett, Jr.; Linda B. Fassett

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Not many furniture stores would go so far as to furnish aranch owner’s houses — and then to stock the places, aswell, with toiletries, towels and other housekeeping neces-

sities.But Ron and Tammy McBee would take that extra step. They

did so for a Virginia-based customer whose Slate River Ranchesin Texas needed turn-key furnishing.

As owners of Western Heritage Furniture & Accessories, at1525 Fort Worth Highway in Weatherford, the McBees call it amatter of pride to provide such finishing touches. Adjoining thedecade-old furniture store is a new building that will be calledthe Design Center Furniture & Decor. The team includes manag-er Deanna Bookout and about 12 family members and friends.

“We offer interior designing for free,” Ron McBee says. One reason is because, when the store firstopened, there were few such Western-style furniture stores in the area. Since then, Tammy McBee andBookout began providing free-of-charge design services.

Having noted a recent decline in all-Western décor, Ron McBee has a furniture designer in-house to cus-tomize pieces by adding or taking away trims or fabrics, to make Western-style furniture fit in withMediterranean or Tuscan decor.

“Arlington, Fort Worth and Dallas — that’s who we want to attract next,” he says. “We have the samefurniture lines as other stores, but we can make pieces unique by adding cowhide or zebra skin. I’d ratherkeep the business more local so we can keep a hands-on touch that way.”

– Amy Keen

Western Heritage Furniture & Accessories


Top Executive:Ron McBee

Address:1525 Fort Worth HighwayWeatherford, TX 76086

Phone: 817-528-1581

Web: westernheritageweatherford.com


Ron and Tammy McBee

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The term “family-oriented” is ahuge understatement for theStacy family. Of the more than

200 employees of the Grapevine-basedhome furnishings retailer, almost 40 ofthem are members of the extendedclan. Four generations of the familywork for the company, from adminis-trative positions to sales, buying andaccounting.

Rick Stacy, owner and chairman,founded the company in 1988 as afurniture wholesaler. Through carefulstudy of what other furniture storesoffer locally and throughout thecountry and by listening to what cus-tomers actually need and want, Stacyhas transformed a former warehousebusiness into the largest selection ofhome furnishings in the metropolitanarea.

“After much deliberation, we haveput together a retail unit that providesa near-total home furnishings pack-age,” says Rick Stacy.

With show-rooms inGrapevine, Allenand FlowerMound plusDorian’s InteriorDesigns in Fort Worth, the centerincludes a carpet and floor coveringsstore, a store devoted to children’sfurniture, a flower shop with customoptions, a rustic furniture store, a full-service appliance store and a com-plete home media store.

“Our main focus is to provide themost personalized shopping bang forthe buck,” Stacy says. “We have a sin-cere desire to help people make theirhomes truly reflect their personaltastes.”

The store takes its family-friendlyservices to the extreme, offering a low-cost, drop-in child-care center and arestaurant on site that enables cus-tomers to grab a bite of lunch or din-ner and discuss their purchases with-

out having to leave the facility.“We believe in and practice the

Golden Rule,” says Dorian Stacy Sims,president. “We treat customers like wewould want to be treated; really, wetreat them as family. It’s not just abusiness – it’s our name and our fam-ily. We have fun doing what we’redoing, and we pull together as a fam-ily to do it. I can’t imagine doing any-thing else.”

The retailer gives back to the com-munity, particularly through itsCommunity Room, which is availableto nonprofit organizations and clubsthat need a place to meet.

“It’s not often possible in this dayand age to deal with the real ownersof the business,” says Rick Stacy. “It is

not only possible but easy to get aStacy on the phone or in person tomake sure your needs are met. Theentire family has deep roots in thearea and is committed to communityinvolvement and customer service.”

– Betty Dillard

Stacy Family Enterprises

Category: Family Oriented

Top Executive: Rick Stacy

Address: 1900 S. Main St.Grapevine, TX 76051

Phone: 817-424-8800

Web site: stacyfurniture.com

Family OrientedFamily Business Winner

SSSStttt aaaacccc yyyyFURNITURE & ACCESSORIES

In 1964, Arlington was wide open fororthodontists. That’s why Dr. WickAlexander chose the city to set up shop

where, today, he has turned over much of thepractice to his son, Dr. Moody Alexander.

Drs. Alexander Orthodontics is now serv-ing many of the children of patients that Dr.Wick Alexander worked on, his son said.

He joined the practice in 1995, after grad-uating from Texas TechUniversity with a pre-dental degree, thenworking with CampusCrusade for Christ forthree years.

“After growing uparound dentistry andseeing how much mydad loved his job andhow he could alwaysbe home with us atnight, I decided it wasthe right job for me,too,” he said.

Alexander, who also

is a clinical professor of orthodontics atBaylor College of Dentistry in Dallas, saidthat working with his father has been “adream, in a nutshell. By the time I got there,he was ready to turn over the day-to-daymanagement and control, that’s the key, ifthe son is teachable and willing and the dadis willing to let go. I was very willing to waituntil it was my time to do what I had to do.

“I’ll continue the privilege of what myfather was able to do,which was to take thebusiness to a certainlevel,” said Alexander,a father of four. “It’snot necessary for me toreinvent the wheel butto take to the businessto the next level, withmy dad filling in forme when I’m gone.And that’s great,because I know I cantrust his work.”

– Amy Keen

Drs. AlexanderOrthodontics

Category:Family Oriented

Top Executive:R.G. “Wick” Alexander, DDS, MS

Address:840 W. Mitchell St.Arlington, TX 76013

Phone: 817-275-3233

Web: drsalexander.com

Family OrientedFamily Business Finalist

Dr. Moody Alexander and Dr. Wick Alexander

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Few people can say they learned their craft as a teen from theirdivorced parents, then grew up to work with their mother, onlyto be fired by her and return to the company after the mother’s

retirement to continue making the business grow.It sounds like a movie script, but it’s Juan Antonio Castro’s story.

His parents, Juan and Deyla Castro, started an upholstery business,J&D Inc., in the Stockyards in 1976, with Juan Antonio quicklylearning the trade and delivering furniture.

“We started with just the upholstery, but the business hasevolved,” Castro said from his 45,000-square-foot fabrics and furni-ture warehouse at 2015 N. Main St. “Right now, we’re selling morefurniture, fabrics and drapes than doing upholstery, but that’s kind of the way I like it.”

Castro, an allied member of the American Society of Interior Designers, said he credited his mother withteaching him fabrics, but their strong personalities clashed until, four years ago, she fired him. Castro said heactually didn’t mind, because the time off gave him a chance to learn more about the business.

“Then, two years ago, the stress got to my mother and she wanted me to come back, so she retired and soldme the business,” he said.

Besides selling fabrics, furniture and upholstery to homeowners and designers, J&D also has worked on com-mercial design projects for clients including the John Peter Smith Health Network and many area colleges.

Castro said he would like his wife, Beth, to join him in managing the bustling business. “I want to be the only place people go to for upscale furniture, because, now that Gabbert’s has closed, there’s

no outlet for that nearby,” he said.

– Amy Keen

J&D Inc.


Top Executive:Juan Antonio Castro

Address:2015 N. Main St.Fort Worth, TX 76106

Phone: 817-626-2365


Juan Antonio Castro

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After earning degrees in computer science and costaccounting, David Lasiter realized he wasn’t cut out fora desk job. That’s when he returned to the first job he

really loved.“I became a plumber when I was 13,” he said. “I lived

across the street from a plumber and I went to work withhim to learn the trade. I got my master plumber’s license in‘74 or ‘75, when I was going to North Texas State [now theUniversity of North Texas] from 7 a.m. until noon everyday, then I’d go to work plumbing, and at night I wouldstudy. It was hard work, but it was worth it.”

He founded Lasiter & Lasiter Plumbing with his wife, Cindy, about 25 years ago. Cindy Lasiter consults for thecompany and markets for new business, while David Lasiter works on job sites with home-building contractorsto ensure their satisfaction. Brad Roney runs the daily operations of the business of around 130 employees, someof whom have worked for Lasiter & Lasiter for 20 years.

Lasiter thinks of his employees as family, providing annual company picnics, Christmas parties and otherevents for all employees and their families. Lasiter even has a chaplain visit his employees once a week for theirspiritual and counseling needs.

“This business belongs to God, and he’s blessed it in a great way,” he said. As for the future of the company,“I’ll do whatever God’s got planned. That’s the attitude I’ve taken and I think it’s what it’s got us where we aretoday.”

– Amy Keen

Lasiter & LasiterPlumbing Inc.


Top Executive:David Lasiter

Address:P.O. Box 14638Fort Worth, TX 76117

Phone: 817-831-4245

Web: lasiter.com


Cindy Lasiter and David Lasiter

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Herbert Pease Sr., who established Marketing Management Inc.,in 1966, died last year, but his legacy as a visionary business-man and an invigorating and compassionate employer are

carried on by his wife, son and daughter.“That’s the reason I’ve been here for 28 years,” said Patti Abbey,

who was once the company’s ninth employee, a secretary then anda senior vice president now. “It is a family. There’s a sense of own-ership even for the employees because the Pease family treats youthat way.

“The limitations that you would have here are just the limita-tions that you would have on yourself.”

Throughout its five-decade existence, Marketing ManagementInc., has continually diversified services available to clients and hasinvested in state-of-the-art technology as well its employees, of which there are now 253 in 18 offices across thecountry.

Herbert Pease Jr., who was already running the company on a day-to-day basis, flawlessly made the transitionas president and CEO after his father passed away.

Mary, Pease Sr.’s wife who was by his side throughout the company’s tremendous growth, is chairwoman of theboard. And daughter Kim is treasurer.

“The longer you worked with Herb (Sr.) the more you got wrapped up in his enthusiasm,” Abbey said. “He wasblessed with keen foresight of seeing things that could happen.”

– Jeff Seaver

MarketingManagement, Inc.


Top Executive:Herbert Pease Jr.

Address:4717 Fletcher Ave.Fort Worth, TX 76107

Phone: 817-731-4176

Web: mmi-home.com


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Lasiter & Lasiter

Plumbing Inc.


To say Kubes Jewelers Inc. is afamily business is an understate-ment: All the company’s 14

employees are family members in the62-year-old firm.

According to Richard Kubes, co-manager of the company with hisbrother Anthony, his late father,Joseph Kubes, had a philosophy thatensured the longevity of the business.

“My father had a very strongstrength of conviction and a highlevel of integrity,” said Kubes. “Hesaid, ‘If you do something right andkeep doing it, it will keep paying div-idends far longer than you can imag-ine.’ He was right. It’s still paying div-idends.”

Kubes Jewelry began in 1945 whenMinnesota-born Joseph Kubes wasdischarged from Eagle MountainMarine Base. With his new bride, Rita,he established a watch repair servicein downtown Fort Worth. Movinginto the jewelry business, Kubesbecame one of the first nine certifiedgemologists in Texas and the only onein Fort Worth in 1955. The business

moved several times before settlinginto its current location at 2700 W.Berry St. in 1963.

Besides selling jewelry and watch-es, Kubes offers appraisals, engraving,custom design jewelry and repair serv-ices. Carrying on their father’s tradi-tion, Richard and Anthony are certi-fied gemologists. In 2002, Anthony’sson Brent received his graduategemology degree in 2002, therebymaking Kubes Jewelers one of theextremely rare jewelry firms in theU.S. to have three generations of grad-uate gemologists, according toRichard Kubes.

Kubes Jewelry gets most of its busi-ness by word-of-mouth or returningcustomers and rarely advertises, saidKubes.

“My father was very big on havingour customers be the center of whatwe do,” he said. “And that’s paid offbecause we’re now servicing the chil-dren and now the grandchildren ofour original customers.”

That doesn’t mean the firm isn’tvisible in the public eye. The firmdonates and contributes to more than

227 organization and causes, includ-ing the American Cancer Society, theAmerican Heart Association, BigBrothers Big Sisters and the TarrantArea Food Bank, to name a few. Thebusiness has also been activelyinvolved in the Berry Street Initiative,which has helped revive a once-neg-lected area of town.

While Joseph Kubes passed awaytwo years ago, his wife, Rita, thoughretired, remains involved in the busi-ness.

Kubes believes the business modelhis father installed and instilled in thefamily will continue to give the firman advantage.

“My father believed that the meas-

ure of success was quality, not quanti-ty and I think in today’s world that’snot a value you find very often.”

– Robert Francis

Kubes Jewelers Inc.

Category:Heritage Family Business

Top Executive:Richard and Anthony Kubes

Address:2700 W. Berry St.Fort Worth, TX 76109

Phone: 817-926-2626

Web: kubesjewelersinc.com

Heritage Family Business Winner

It all started with his cows and horses.When Greg Foreman and a neighbor in Colleyville were

looking for a closer place to buy livestock feed in 1974, theydecided to start their own store, Mid-Cities Feed.

“I bought it out from him two years later, and that waswhen I was still working for IBM,” Foreman said. “I had a bigterritory with them, but every time you got a new territory, youhad to move, and I didn’t want to any more, so I retired in1986.”

Today, at Foreman’s General Store, 3800 Colleyville Blvd.,the inventory is as varied as the store’s name suggests: lawnand garden equipment; grain; bird seed; outdoor furnitureand grills; organic gardening including bugs for organic pestcontrol; even hot sauces and home brewing equipment for the beer aficionado.

Foreman runs the store with the help of his wife, Sue; their son, Scott, who is general manager; their daughter,Traci; and their 15 employees. He said he loves that his job not only gives him the opportunity to meet great people,but to spend time at home nearby, where he has llamas, miniature donkeys and a zebra he got years ago from the FortWorth Zoo after it arrived with a broken back. He gladly took the gentle animal in.

“I can’t imagine ever quitting,” he said. “We’ve added a warehouse behind the showroom, and we’re going toexpand our parking lot behind the building to provide more and better service. We’re having fun, basically, and that’sthe secret to the store’s success.”

– Amy Keen

Foreman’s Inc.

Category:Heritage

Top Executive:Greg Foreman

Address:3801 Colleyville Blvd.Colleyville, TX 76034

Phone: 817-281-7252

Web: foremansinc.com

Heritage FamilyBusiness Finalist

David Lashua, Greg Foreman, Sue Foreman andScott Foreman

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Not much has changed over the years at the ParisCoffee Shop, and that’s a real good thing.

The old place on West Magnolia Avenue is stillserving heaping helpings of Southern hospitality. Thefare ranges from omelets, pancakes and biscuits andgravy for breakfast, to chicken-fried steak, hot sand-wiches and beef tips for lunch. Not to overlook theselection of homemade pies.

Owner Mike Smith, 64, took over the operationwhen his father fell ill back in 1965. The responsibil-ity sidelined a plan to complete a master’s degree incomputer technology; Smith’s destiny seems to havebeen that of guiding a family enterprise beyond its80th anniversary.

Gregory K. Smith had purchased the coffee shop in 1926 from Vic Paris, who had opened it just a year earlier. Insidethe chatty diner, time seems to stand still.

“We’re pretty unique about being in business like we have been,” Mike Smith says. “We just wanted to keep it likeit was back when: good food, good service and at reasonable price.

“People who have been eating with me for 20 or 30 years are still coming in.”If they’re to keep coming in for another 80 years, it just might depend on Smith’s son Troy, 32, to keep the Paris

Coffee Shop’s famous red-eye gravy flowing.

– Jeff Seaver

Paris Coffee Shop

Category:Heritage

Top Executive:Michael Smith

Address:704 W. MagnoliaFort Worth, TX 76107

Phone: 817-335-2041


Mike Smith, Ginger Smith and Troy Smith

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Phil and Mary Ann Rapp are industry leaders in thetop equine performance horse organization in thenation, the National Cutting Horse Association,

based in Fort Worth. The Rapps are cutting industry super-stars as individuals in their own right, both all-time lead-ing riders in earnings, but it’s what they have created andaccomplished as a team that is most notable.

Their Weatherford ranch, Rapp Ranch, is home to thesecond-highest producing mare in the cutting horsebusiness, Playboys Ruby, as well as producing maresyielding 20-25 foals yearly, many of which go on to bechampions.

Rapp Ranch is an instructing and training facility fornon-professional and amateur rider cutting horseenthusiasts. Phil Rapp went pro in the cutting industryafter an illustrious non-professional career including several championships, and has moved on to become a cham-pion professional rider in the National Cutting Horse Association. Mary Ann Rapp is a leading non-professional riderin the National Cutting Horse Association and was inducted to the Non-Professional Hall of Fame in 1998 with earn-ings exceeding $2 million.

Phil and May Ann Rapp were married in 1994 and divide their time between shows and their Weatherford ranch.They have two children, Ryan and Emma Grace.

– Mary Lou Jacobs

Rapp Ranch

Category:Heritage

Top Executive:Phil Rapp, Mary Ann Rapp

Address:400 Smith TrailWeatherford, TX 76088

Phone: 940-682-7471


Mary Ann Rapp, Ryan Rapp, Emma Rapp and Phil Rapp

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RappRanch


Long before Teresa Nelson startedher customized themed-gift bas-ket business, she became a pro-

tégé and friend of the late Sam Walton.Nelson – then Teresa Walley - was

working at a Wal-Mart during highschool in Everman when she decidedto meet the master marketer. She saysWalton’s advice is the basis of how sheapproached her family-oriented com-pany, Teresa’s Treasures, in 2000.

“He told me, ‘If you treat your clientsas your best friends and if you treatyour employees and colleagues as yourbest friends, then they will always beyour best friends,’” she says.

That sage advice plus innovativeproducts and marketing ideas, as wellas Nelson’s infectious personality, haveturned around the gift-basket industry.Named the 2006 National Designer ofthe Year, Nelson has numerous awardsin recognition of her business acumen.

A 1993 graduate of Texas WesleyanUniversity with a degree in finance andeconomics, she attributes her success tocommitment to detail, quality of prod-ucts, loyal customers that now number7,000 and teamwork. Employeesinclude husband Dennis Nelson, par-ents Howard and Betty Walley andcousin Angela Brown.

The company offers almost 2,000products, many of them exclusive, frommore than 700 vendors nationwide.Among Nelson’s original marketingconcepts are digital imaging of prod-ucts that can be instantly e-mailed tocustomers so they may see what they’veordered, immediate follow-up phonecalls to clients and recipients and spe-cial gifts for such unusual occasions asNational Puzzle Day.

When Nelson saw that there were noavailable gift products from local busi-nesses that could be given to VIPs andvisitors to Fort Worth, she created a

program of city-inspired gift baskets,complete with the city’s logo. It’s theonly organized gift program for a cityin the nation. The $1- to $100-pricedspecialty food and gift items, distinc-tively wrapped in Nelson’s “Westernchic” designs, showcase many of thearea’s favorite historical and culturalattractions. She hopes the ever-chang-ing range of products will help pro-mote local economic development.

“We give back in many ways, providejobs in a nurturing environment andconstantly look for ways to better ourproduct, community and those around

us,” Nelson says. “We live what webelieve, and we have been awarded forour commitment to quality, excellenceand character. Our family goes beyondblood and encompasses our employeesand clients. We never take that forgranted.”

– Betty Dillard

Teresa’s Treasures

Category:Innovative

Top Executive: Teresa NelsonAddress:616C Shelby RoadFort Worth, TX 76140

Phone: 817-293-6404

Web: treasuresbyteresa.com

InnovativeFamily Business Winner

Howard Walley, Angela Brown, TeresaNelson, Betty Walley and Dennis Nelson

Since starting their commercial and industrial roofing business out oftheir home in 1982 with only eight employees, Ronnie and SandraMcGlothlin are proud to say seven of those eight have remained —

plus another 143, contributing to Empire Roofing Ltd.’s $20 million inannual sales.

After roofing since he was 13, Ronnie McGlothlin had learned what todo, and what not to do, to run a business. Still, when he and his wifewere young and starting Empire Roofing, they had to assure their parentsthey wouldn’t go broke.

“We were only 21 and 22 when we started, and I think we were tooyoung to know better,” Sandra McGlothlin said. “In our minds, there wasnothing we couldn’t do.”

That self-assurance combined with a strong work ethic and Ronnie McGlothlin’s knowledge of roofing since hewas 13 has made the company a success today, with not only the Fort Worth office, at 5301 Sun Valley Drive, butoffices in Houston, El Paso, Austin and San Antonio, as well as Memphis, Tenn.

The company specializes in flat roofs, and offers an innovation through its Web site, empireroofing.com, call “e-leak.” Using that link, customers can report leaks 24 hours a day.

Since raising their children in the office, the oldest, Mark, now works in customer service for Empire, while hissister, Cheryl, works in the sales department. Future plans include the likely opening of an office in Mexico, SandraMcGlothlin said.

“We always knew we were going to be successful,” she said. “I guess we just didn’t know the business was goingto be this big.”

– Amy Keen

Empire Roofing Ltd.

Category:Innovative

Top Executive:Sandra McGlothlin

Address:5301 Sun Valley DriveFort Worth, TX 76119

Phone: 817-483-2269

Web: empireroofing.com

InnovativeFamily Business Finalist

Cheryl McGlothlin, Sandra McGlothlin, MarkMcGlothlin and Ronnie McGlothlin

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The original M&M Manufacturing Co. shop on WhiteSettlement Road measured all of 2,500 square feet.

Nearly 50 years later, with two plants in Fort Worth andoutposts in Houston, Garland and Wichita Falls, the companyconducts operations in a combined 600,000 square feet.

The three-generation business is run by brothers Rod Stepp,70, and Mike “Butch” Stepp, 67; Rod’s son Randall; and RobFelton, Rod’s son-in-law.

Started in 1958 by M.M. Stepp and L.M. Watkins — theynamed the company after their shared middle initial — M&M is a national leader in the manufacturing of sheet-metal products.

“We’ve been so engrossed in taking care of the business and building the business that we never did stop andtake a lot of thought in how satisfying that is,” Rod Stepp says of growing the small family business. “But, in hind-sight, it’s very meaningful. Our father’s been deceased since 1982, but … he’d been able to see we made essen-tial progress from a company he started.”

Substantial change, however, is taking shape.“There’s an end to the story that has just happened,” Rod adds. “We’re still running it and have equity in it,

but we recapitalized with a private investment firm on June 13.”

– Jeff Seaver

M&M Manufacturing Co.

Category:Innovative

Top Executive:

Rod Stepp

Address:4001 Mark IV ParkwayFort Worth, TX 76106

Phone: 817-336-2311

Web: mmmfg.com


Mike Stepp and Rod Stepp

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817-336-8300 • Fax 817-332-3038e-mail [email protected] • Order online: www.fwbusinesspress.com

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Philip Combs Design, Inc.The New Standard in Floral Composition

Located in the Cultural District1114 Norwood Street • Fort Worth

817.332.7234w w w . p h i l i p c o m b s d e s i g n . c o m


When Sue and Bob Johnson bought out the Wahoo Inc. printshop in 1995, they weren’t just looking to start a new print-ing press business, but to start a better one.

“My husband, Bob, is a graphic designer, and when we boughtWahoo, he was doing designs for Inkwell Graphics, and I was bro-kering designs through the Printing Plus company. We needed apress company, so we purchased Wahoo,” Sue Johnson said.“Because it’s a corporation, we run Inkwell Graphics under a d.b.a.[doing business as moniker]. You can find us on the Web at print-ingplusinkwell.com.”

The Web site is key to the company’s success, she said. “We havepassword-protected gateways for our customers, so when they logon, the site lists all the documents we print for them. They can click on a PDF picture of that document so theycan order it or typeset it. The Web site will tell them how many of that document we have, and we can e-mailthem if they get below 1,000 of a particular document here.”

The company is certified by CPrint, which meets with each of the company’s eight employees annually abouttheir concerns or suggestions and compares the company with its competitors to test its viability in the indus-try.

As for the future, Printing Plus, at 2818 Morton St., will continue to provide more digitally based services tocustomers, as walk-in business has become rare. Still, the building will be well used by Johnson and her hus-band.

“We’re in the middle of a big renovation of the building so can live on the top floor,” she said. – Amy Keen

Printing Plus

Category:Innovative

Top Executive:Sue Johnson

Address:2818 Morton St.Fort Worth, TX 76107

Phone: 817-332-2310

Web: printingplusinkwell.com


Bob Johnson and Sue Johnson

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As twins, Rick and Robert Garza are accustomed to being togeth-er, so it was an easy decision to enroll together at the Universityof Texas at Arlington.

There, they met Javier Lucio, who would become the other keymember of their team in what is now the successful and growingRPGA Design Group Inc., founded in 1989. The three worked sonaturally together that, after Lucio completed a graduate degree atHarvard, the Garza brothers lured him back by offering him a jobas a principal in their firm in 1995.

“We like to joke that the three of us are twins,” Lucio says.Each principal has an area of specialization within the company, Robert Garza says.“All of us are architects,” he explained, “and I’m also an interior designer. And each of us focuses on a particu-

lar market sector: Rick’s is the high-end residential and large multifamily end; mine is the office, mixed-use andretail end; and Javier’s is the municipal end, such as schools and the city of Fort Worth’s fire stations.”

Projects include homes in Mira Vista, the Southlake Town Square Development and the Fort Worth Mercado.Rick Garza says the firm’s growth has prompted a need to expand from the current base at 101 S. Jennings Ave., sothey are looking for a building to buy. They look forward to continuing to work together.

“My wife still can’t figure out why we work together and want to take vacations together, too,” Robert Garza say.All three principals laughed when Lucio added, “I draw the line at vacations.”

– Amy Keen

RPGA Design Group Inc.

Category: Innovative

Top Executive:Robert P. Garza

Address: 101 S. Jennings Ave., Ste. 100Fort Worth, TX 76104

Phone: 817-332-9477

Web: rpgaarchitects.com


Javier Lucio, Robert Garza and Rick Garza

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Just in Time!

Gift and Party Concierge ServiceSpecializing in Corporate Accounts

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Improve your productivity and stop wasting time, let us wrap up your to-do list.

Contact us at 817.296.6412

Surprise Party/ Meeting Set-UpUniquely Designed Gift Baskets

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Weekly Flower Delivery ServiceGift Buying/ Consulting

Corporate Event Planning/ Hosting

Our Services Include:Our Services Include:


Building a quality product hasbeen a family tradition for threegenerations at Pulliam Pools.

Starting the family tradition wasTheodore Cresswell Pulliam, with hisbrother Frank L. “Pop” Pulliam, withbusiness cards that read “My Motto –Good Work at Reasonable Prices.”Theodore’s son Doren Bates Pulliamtook over the business and eventuallyhanded it over to his son, and currentpresident, Barry Pulliam.

Barry Pulliam continues the tradi-tion of good ethics, communityinvolvement, programs for employeeretention and great customer servicesby mandating the Golden Rule and to“build pools as if we were buildingthem for ourselves.”

The company designs custom in-ground gunite swimming pools andspas, which may include outdoorkitchens, retaining walls, fire and watereffects, fountains, volleyball and/orbasketball equipment and a vanishingedge feature. Instead of contracting outservice technicians, Pulliam trains its

technicians on every piece of equip-ment.

Building quality pools begins withhappy employees. Pulliam Pools isnever open on Sunday in order foremployees to spend time with theirfamily, which is different from manypool companies that work seven days aweek during the busy months of theyear. The company is also closed onLabor Day weekend, Memorial Dayweekend, July 4th weekend, four daysduring Thanksgiving and two weeks atChristmas and the New Year.Employees still have other paid timeoff, vacation and sick days.

“Although we could make consider-able sales by being open on these holi-days, we understand our employees’family time and time off to de-stress aremore important than the sales,” VicePresident and General Manager DebraSmith said in the Family BusinessAward nomination form. “Employeesare the most valuable asset a companyhas, and ours are the best all around.”

The company also hosts a pool party

each May for employees and family,sends various employees on trips eachyear and sponsors employees’ childrenin sports, beauty pageants, dance andother school functions.

In addition to helping employees,Pulliam Pools provides scholarshipsfor graduating high school seniors, rais-es funds and donates a pool for theShriners annual auction gala benefitingShriners’ Childrens’ Hospitals of Texasand supports local food banks by host-ing food drives at all the open housefunctions.

The company also implementedTarrant County’s first drowning preven-tion program in 1996. The programwas taken on by Cook Children’sMedical Center under its Safe Kids pro-gram. Pulliam continues to contributefinancially and host functions.

For the customer, Pulliam does notset unrealistic expectations. From the

beginning and throughout the poolbuilding process employees ensure cus-tomers fully understand the details.Customers must sign a ContractChecklist before work will begin.According to the company, Pulliamhad the first gunite rig in TarrantCounty and, most recently, introducedthe rolled beam for spa coping, whichallows a more comfortable neck posi-tion in the spa.

– Crystal Forester

Pulliam Pools

Category:Longevity

Top Executive: Barry Pulliam

Address: 2725 Alta Mesa Blvd.Fort Worth, TX 76133

Phone: 817-346-4778

LongevityFamily Business Winner

Marissa Pulliam Greathouse and Barry Pulliam

Posing a striking contrast with a big-box world of mass-merchandising conformity, Marvin Electronics hasproved a standout with its unique personal touch of sales,

service and custom installation.Celebrating its 60th year, Marvin Electronics remains a

one-store, family-operated business offering cutting-edgevideo and audio products, including everything in the realmof high-definition.

A visit to the company’s 10-year-old facility at 2750 S.Hulen St. typically finds a member — or three — of theSchuster family on duty.

Marvin Schuster founded the business in 1947 and stillfrequents the store. His son Stuart is president, and grandsonScott is vice president for sales.

The team also includes Stuart’s wife, Ricki, as systems manager, Scott’s sister, Melinda Schuster Hahn, as book-keeper; and her husband, Chris Hahn, as sales manager.

“It’s the hardest, most rewarding thing you can do,” Scott says. “We’re a true family business. If you come inhere, at any given time, you’ll find me, my sister, my mom, my brother-in-law — we all work in the store.”

To commemorate the 60th anniversary, Marvin Electronics will stage a festive showing of new products on theevening of Oct. 11. Dealers from throughout the country will be on hand to demonstrate the latest products andequipment.

“We do it every year,” Scott says of the new-merchandise event. “But this is going to be the biggest one ever.”

– Jeff Seaver

Marvin Electronics Co.

Category:Longevity

Top Executive:Marvin Schuster

Address:2750 S. Hulen St.Fort Worth, TX 76109

Phone: 817-927-5311

Web: marvinelectronics.com

LongevityFamily Business Finalist

Ricki Schuster, Chris Hahn, Melinda Hahn, Scott Schusterand Stuart Schuster

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Four generations and 71 years afterWoodard Builders Supply startedwhere the Fort Worth Convention

Center stands now, the commercial hardwaresupplier has shown no signs of slowingdown.

And that pleases its owner, EddieWoodard, who, in his school days, workedwith his father at the shop when it was at1204 Main St. downtown.

“We were there until about 1963 or ‘64,when we moved out here,” Woodard saidof the company’s current location, 6405Airport Freeway.

There, Woodard, his sons Ed WoodardJr. and Gene Woodard, and his grandsonsprovide both weekendwarriors doing homerenovations and con-tract builders withhardware for residen-tial or commercial jobsites.

“We sell all kinds ofhardware, from woodand metal doors to floors,” EddieWoodard said. “We

provide hardware for all kinds of projects.We’ve sold to schools and hospitals, toSonics and Taco Bells, and to some resi-dential projects.”

Most of Woodard Builders Supply’sbusiness comes from within a 100-mileradius, the hardware has been sent to jobsin Colorado and Canada. He credits thecompany’s success with its 30 employeestaking customer service seriously, and withthe company providing high-quality mer-chandise.

“We’re just better at what we do,” hesaid.

Although Woodard originally hadn’tplanned on making running the store his

life’s work, he’sglad he has stayed.And he hopes thebusiness contin-ues into thefuture.

“I’d like to seeit go into a fifthgeneration,” hesaid.

– Amy Keen

Woodard Builders Supply

Category: Longevity

Top Executive: Eddie Woodard

Address:6405 Airport FreewayFort Worth, TX 76117

Phone: 817-831-6423

Longevity Family Business Finalist

Trey Woodard, Ed Woodard, Eddie Woodard, Gene Woodard and Ben Woodard

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WOODARD BROTHERS

BUILDERS SUPPLY

If D.W. “Sonny” Bransom III and his brother, Charles Bransom, grew up withsawdust in their veins, it isn’t hard to imagine why. They learned as young-sters how to sand and install custom wood floors from their father, D.W.

“Dub” Bransom Jr., who had learned from his father, D.W. Bransom Sr., since1937.

After the war, the elder Bransom moved his Bransom Floor Service into hisgarage shop at 4013 E. Rosedale St., where it stayed until he died in 1978. Bythen, Dub Bransom, had learned how to install wood floors with custompatterns and exotic wood inlays, even while he kept his job as a Fort Worthpolice officer.

“My brother and I had grown up in the business, and we bought the busi-ness about 15 years ago,” Sonny Bransom said. Although his father, now aTarrant County constable, has retired, Bransom’s wife, Elisa, also works withthe company, in its office.

Bransom attributes the company’s success not only to the brothers learning wood flooring while they were young,but to Bransom learning customer service principles at Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. and his brother learning how to followorders as a Marine.

“We specialize in doing a lot of inlay work and making the picky customer happy,” he said. The company serveshigh-end homeowners, but also has done restoration flooring for such projects as the Kimbell Art Museum and theMineral Wells courthouse.

“We’ve also been asked to scrape the old blood off some of the wood floors in the Stockyards while keeping theirhistorical look and feel,” he said with a laugh.

And even though Bransom said it’s not always easy to work so closely with his brother, he wouldn’t trade jobs.“Sometimes we’re in here with the office door shut and have to let off steam, but then we’re fine,” he said. “We’rebrothers.”

– Amy Keen

Bransom Floor Service

Category:Longevity

Top Executive:Charlie Bransom

Address:917 Woodward St.Fort Worth, TX 76107

Phone: 817-334-0321

Web: bransomfloorservice.com

LongevityFamily Business Finalist

Charlie Bransom and Sonny Bransom

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BransomFloor Service


For more than four decades, thePuente family’s businesses havestemmed from one man’s entre-

preneurial vision. Now the family isinvolved in an array of businesses, fromoffice document solutions to airportconcessions to wine, thanks to eachfamily member bringing expertise to aspecific domain.

Victor Puente Sr., founder of SOS,was born in Breckenridge and left thecity at 16 to come to Fort Worth. Hejoined a national company repairingtypewriters and on the weekends andevenings ran a wholesale repair shopout of his home, said Vince Puente Sr.,one of Victor’s sons.

“When I was 7, 8 years old I was inthere cleaning typewriters for a quarter,a dime, something like that,” saidVince.

Victor started Southwest Office

Machines in 1964, leaving his corpo-rate job to work for himself. His sons,Vince and Buddy (Victor Puente Jr.),did lots of work for the growing com-pany, and when their sister, GinaPuente-Brancato, was born, she too wasreared in the business.

“So many families don’t engage theirfamilies in their work — you’re raisedin the business because its part of yourlife,” Vince said.

Vince said he didn’t intend to workfor SOS, but he was a young adult usinghis father’s office and phone to callaround looking for jobs when a com-pany employee asked if he could makea delivery. Vince asked if he would bepaid, and after he was told yes, hemade the delivery, he said. After abouta year of making deliveries and doingother work for the company he realizedhe was indeed working for the familybusiness.

Vince and Buddy took on moreresponsibilities in SOS, and in the late1980s Victor heard of an option to buya newsstand at Dallas/Fort WorthInternational Airport. The company gota contract for three newsstands, andVince and Buddy decided to let Victorhandle that side of the business whilethey focused on SOS.

Now, the Puente family has split themanagement of its companies in orderto be efficient. Victor, who will be 81 inNovember, is the chairman emeritus,while Vince and Buddy take care ofSOS and its affiliated companies aspresident of sales and marketing andpresident of finance and administra-tion, respectively. Gina is the presidentand CEO of La Bodega Winery, whichhas several locations at D/FW, as well asother airport concessions and La BuenaVida Vineyards in Grapevine and otherventures.

“We use each other as consultants,”

Vince said. “We’re not a big family but

what family we do have is involved.”

– Elizabeth Bassett

Southwest OfficeSystems Inc./Puente-BrancatoEnterprises Inc.

Category:Well-Managed

Top Executive:Victor Puente Sr.

Address:SOS Plaza, POB 612248DFW Airport, TX

Phone: 817-255-8602

Well-ManagedFamily Business Winner

Misty McCoy is 27 years old and always gets the samequestion: How long have you worked in the family busi-ness?

Her mother, Sheryl McCoy, said Misty answers the same wayevery time: “Her answer is, I’ve always worked here.”

Central Dynamic Manufacturing Inc., is indeed a familyaffair. The company originally started with Sheryl’s husbandLyle McCoy’s family in 1983.

The couple, married 30 years, bought the manufacturingbusiness from Lyle’s family in 1999.

Sheryl serves as president and primarily handles finances. Lyle is vice president and shores up customer service.They’ve worked together in the business since 1988.

Misty, one of the McCoy’s three children, is office manager. “Having Misty involved,” Sheryl said, “is very reward-ing.”

The company, which has about 40 employees and moved from Kennedale to Mansfield four years ago, special-izes in manufacturing various parts to meet the needs of their clients, which include oil field, valve and energy-relat-ed operations.

“We’ve been through hard times, but hard times make you appreciate the good and make it worthwhile,” Sherylsaid. “It makes you appreciate where we are today.”

– Jeff Seaver

Central DynamicManufacturing Inc.


Top Executive:Sheryl McCoy

Address:300 Industrial DriveP.O. Box 679Mansfield, TX 76063

Phone: 817-473-3899

Well-ManagedFamily Business Finalist

Lyle McCoy, Sheryl McCoy and Misty McCoy

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Fort Worth-based Aero Components Inc. has providedquality aircraft parts and a family-business approach tobig-name customers for more than 30 years.

CEO Jon Williams Sr. started the business in 1976 afterreturning home from working on an aircraft carrier aroundVietnam. That experience, along with years spent working forLockheed Martin, helped with the transition to businessownership.

“It seemed like the right thing to do at the time,” Williamssays. “I knew the business and how to go about gettingmyself into the business.”

Williams explains that Aero Components started small buthas grown to include 65 employees producing more than6,000 product lines for governments and companies world-wide. Aero Components boasts more than 400 contracts with the U.S. Department of Defense, as well as certi-fications with Lockheed Martin and Bell Helicopter.

Williams entrusts the day-to-day operations to his three children. Eldest daughter Vecki is vice president,younger daughter Becki is comptroller and his youngest, Jon Williams Jr., is president.

Williams ascribes his success to a foundation of great employees.“In any business, you have to have good employees and keep them,” Williams said. “You have to pay them

well, you have to treat them well … The employees are the business.”


Aero Components Inc.


Top Executive:Jon Williams Sr.

Address:5124 Kaltenbrun RoadFort Worth, TX 76119

Phone: 817-572-3003

Web: aero-components.com


Jon Williams Jr., Vecki Blake, Jon Williams Sr. andBecki Cate

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Since 1989, brothers Marcel and Dwight Bosworth have battledboth floods and droughts to keep their marina business afloat.The Bosworths’ Marine Quest has experienced significant growth

from modest beginnings.. “We started with a little marina over on Benbrook. We had about

35 boat slips. Now we have about 3,500,” younger brother Marcelsays. “We started small and just worked hard – every day creates anew challenge.”

The brothers now own nine marinas – and are about to open a10th – on waters around Texas, including Travis, Eagle Mountainand Texoma lakes. Each marina features such amenities as 24-hoursecurity, fuel, storage and service.

Marcel says he and Dwight began the business as a way to go skiing everyday, but quickly it became a job. Hardwork paid off and the company grew from its original two employees – Marcel and Dwight – to about 150 today.

“Our whole mentality is [that] friends and family are the reasons we’ve been successful,” Marcel says.And because of that, Marcel adds, Marine Quest gives back to its community by supporting the Carroll

Independent School District, sponsoring the Athletes of Texas varsity basketball team and educating people aboutwater safety through an outdoor learning center in Southlake.

The brothers also lend a helping hand outside the community – older brother Dwight coordinated with theAmerican Red Cross and U.S. Coast Guard to fly people by helicopter from roofs to hospitals during the aftermathof Hurricane Katrina.


Marine Quest


Top Executive:Marcel Bosworth, DwightBosworth

Address:305 S. Kimball Ave.Southlake, TX 76092

Phone: 817-410-7450

Web: marinequest.net


Marcel Bosworth and Dwight Bosworth

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Fort Worth Business Press - Family Business