Lancaster – On May 31, 2012, In-N-Out Burger held their Grand Opening on I-35E, making it the 16th eatery along Lancaster's "Restaurant Row", which stretches along the I-35E access road from Belt Line Rd. to Pleasant Run Rd. ... This will be the first In-N-Out Burger in the Southern part of Dallas. ... It's a cinch that traffic will be increasing along there, as it does for every In-N-Out opening. ... Next door, Logan's Roadhouse manager Steven Herrera sees that as a good thing, and Chili's new managing partner Angel Puente agrees, saying "these are strong brand named eateries all in a row, and that will help us all". ... Meanwhile, just down the street, Vivian Chastain who is celebrating Bienvenidos' 25th anniversary, had three words to say – "bring 'em on"!
Sales Tax Receipts Up
Sales tax receipts are up for most BSW area cities for the first 6 months of the 2011-2012 fiscal year, with Lancaster topping them all at a plus 43% over last year. ... Cedar Hill is up 2.97%, Desoto up 8.23%, and Duncanville up 7.22% - showing that things in the BSW area are improving more than the Dallas County total of up only 2.07%.
Dallas Mayor Speaks
Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings will speak at the Best Southwest Quarterly Luncheon on June 28, 2012 at the MCM Grande Hotel. ... The BSW Luncheon runs from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and is a gathering of leaders in 11 cities and chambers in the BSW area of Dallas and Ellis Counties. ... Mayor Rawlings will speak on his theme of "Grow South", which coincides with BSW's priorities in Health Care – Education – Transportation – and Legislation. ... Our growing tax base is another interesting subject. ...
Mayor Knight Honored
On May 31, 2012 Mayor Marcus Knight of the City of Lancaster received the Distinguished Leadership Award from Leadership Southwest at Dallas Baptist University. The DLA Award is given annually to a graduate of LSW in recognition of his or her accomplishments and leadership traits. The Distinguished Leadership Award Luncheon at DBU is a reunion of sorts for many Leadership Southwest Classes and classmates, each proclaiming their class as "best".... This year Mayor Knight also serves as Chairman of the Board of the Best Southwest Partnership, in addition to his mayoral duties.
Chamber Committees
Sarah Zafarano chairs the Ambassadors FunGroup which meets at Bienvenidos on the 3rd Friday of each month, and May 18th was a great meeting. ... Each member reported on their calls to fellow chamber members checking on their needs from the chamber, and some reported getting renewals that day. ... Also on May 18th we hosted the BSW Partnership's monthly board meeting in our Visitors Center at 7:30 a.m., and later at 9:30 a.m. we took the BREP Team to call on SealMaster-Dallas, located on Lancaster-Hutchins Rd. in Lancaster. ... This is a relatively new business to Lancaster, selling sealants and equipment for asphalt parking lots and roadways. ... The BREP Team consists of the Mayor, City Manager, Economic Development Director and the Chamber President. On May 17th we participated in the area networking event called C-4 Networker in Uptown Village in Cedar Hill. ... C-4 Networkers include the Chambers of Cedar Hill, Desoto, Duncanville and Lancaster, who rotate hosting these events quarterly. Also on May 17th we facilitated the Lancaster Area Manufacturing & Logistics Roundtable hosted at BASF Chemical on W. Longhorn Dr with its area manager Gary Pierce. ... Danyelle Dikes and her crew from Holiday Inn Express of East Lancaster brought a delicious lunch to eat around the board room table while discussing mfg. & logistics issues.
Golf Tournaments
It's June and prime time for fundraising golf tournaments at Country View Golf Course. ... The Lancaster Education Foundation is holding its annual golf bash on Friday, June 8, 2012, at 8 a.m. ... Money raised from this tournament goes to fund the Innovative Teaching Grants awarded by the LEF to deserving teachers. ... And on Tuesday, June 12, 2012 at 1 p.m. the Lancaster Rotary Club tees off for its annual fundraiser benefiting Boy Scouts, the Lancaster Outreach Center and Scholarships for kids. ... Both of these events raise money for worthwhile causes, so if you have a chance and a desire to play a little golf – get involved! Contact me at 972-227-2579 for info on both tournaments.
Drive safely – be good to each other – and we'll see you ...
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