Franchise Opportunities in Arlington, TX

Founders and inventors require more than a golden idea to build and maintain successful new businesses. They need knowledge and resources to attract investors, meet customer demand and generate profits.

For students at The University of Texas at Arlington, the Blackstone LaunchPad at the Center for Entrepreneurship and Economic Innovation (CEEI) facilitates access to a global network of mentors and advisers, delivering proven startup resources and unique training opportunities.

Rise and grind

Most people don’t spend a lot of time thinking about how to train their finger muscles. But for Lucia Dominguez and her family of rock climbers, grip strength is the difference between a successful ascent and an accidental fall.

When Dominguez’s brother-in-law developed an adjustable 3D-printed hand grip, the UT Arlington business administration student recognized its potential to assist amateur climbers.

“Rock climbing is an intimidating sport, and it can be expensive to get started,” Dominguez said. “If we could commercialize this device, it would offer an affordable grip-training alternative for new climbers who don’t have easy access to the gym.”

Dubbing the invention the Pinch Master, she looked for opportunities to transfer the product to the marketplace. Dominguez entered UTA’s MavPitch business pitch competition, hoping her business plan would receive generous startup funding from the Maverick Entrepreneur Program and Award Fund. Her idea won third place and a prize of $12,600. A few days later, she received an unexpected invitation.

Kimberly Mayer, executive director of the CEEI, asked Dominguez to apply to attend Startup Grind, a global conference for entrepreneurs made available to UTA students through the University’s Blackstone LaunchPad.

Hands-on experiences like those offered by Startup Grind teach young entrepreneurs practical lessons about how to transform their ideas from paper to product. Blackstone LaunchPad sent Dominguez and peer Carissa Knitowski, founder and creator of Carissa’s Custom Costumes, to the San Francisco meeting with all expenses paid.

“At Startup Grind, I learned from professional entrepreneurs and innovators about the day-to-day operations of a startup company,” Dominguez said. “Now I have a better understanding of how to put our idea out into the world.”

Mayer said resources offered through Blackstone LaunchPad give UTA students the opportunity to share their ideas with peers from around the country.

“UTA’s student entrepreneurs demonstrate that their ideas are competitive at a national level as they participate in Blackstone LaunchPad programs,” Mayer said. “The caliber of their work is inspiring. I am always impressed.”

Venture capital crash course

UT Arlington construction management student Hussein Matar dreams of returning to his native Lebanon to build infrastructure that will improve the lives of its citizens.

“One day, I would like to own a construction company that helps communities live better lives,” he said. “While I am in school, it is my goal to take advantage of every opportunity to learn how to be a good business owner.”

When Matar learned about Blackstone LaunchPad’s Bridge Venture Fellowship, he applied right away. The fellowship is a three-week crash course in venture capital that culminates in an in-person recruitment event with Texas-based firms.

During the course, Matar collaborated with peers from 10 schools within the University of Texas System and exchanged ideas with industry professionals.

“The fellowship opened my eyes to investment and fundraising practices that will help me in the future,” Matar said. “The tools I received from Blackstone LaunchPad have laid a strong foundation where I can start to build a company.”

Big ideas

In fall 2021, in collaboration with Blackstone LaunchPad, the CEEI hosted its inaugural Ideas Competition, where students with no prior entrepreneurial experience practiced their skills of distilling and presenting ideas.

Among this year’s winners is Kashish Dhal, a doctoral candidate in UTA’s Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. Dhal is the founder of Apex Robotics, a developer of drone autopilot software.

Drones equipped with Apex Robotics’ software increase inspection safety and efficiency by keeping humans away from dangerous environments. First responders are expected to be a key market for the product, which can be used to search for suspects in barricaded locations or identify victims trapped in fires.

At the competition, the best ideas received $1,000 to foster research and development.

“The money will help us discover potential customers by visiting conferences and other places of interest to validate our business hypothesis,” Dhal said. “We will invest any remaining funds into the professional development of the company’s team.”

Other winners from this year’s competition include:

Xoriunstance Brown, CEEI operations director and Blackstone LaunchPad campus director, said the skills students gain through entrepreneurial activities will support a variety of career paths.

“UTA’s emerging entrepreneurs are learning skills that are beneficial to careers in any industry,” Brown said. “They develop compelling, concise communications, collaborate with individuals from varied backgrounds, and plan complex business operations, including financial and product management. Their experiences in Blackstone LaunchPad programs will take them far.”

Day two began a lot smoother since the first day problems were sorted out, such as where to go in and out, and parking. The temperature was way hotter than the previous day but with a nice breeze so it felt cooler. Because of this, it certainly helped out those who had been struggling with the Texan heat.

The Hot Topic Stage was where it really started to get going. Gym Class Heroes’ frontman Travie McCoy performed a solo set, which had some of his originals plus Gym Class Heroes songs sprinkled in there as well. Travie started off with “Stereo Hearts” which was basically a massive crowd singalong and moved into “Billionaire.”

Inside the actual stadium on the Revolver stage, Jynx put on a heavy set to show Texas what some New York metalcore looked like, and it is very aggressive in all the right ways. Lead Singer Tommy Roulette started moving and didn’t stop. It was a constant amount of bouncing with the blast beats and bass drops, all while screaming the lyrics at the top of his lungs.

As soon as Jynx finished their set everyone moved over to the right-hand stage to see progressive metal band Born Of Osiris play on the Stay Lit Main Stage. The band came out and was missing a member, Joe Buras, who provides the clean vocals and keyboard player in the band. His presence was really missed as he is the more active one in the band. The band played a five-song set featuring the songs “Bow Down,” “Divergency,” and “Machine.”

After some bad news the night before that put their whole tour in jeopardy, Dropout Kings made the best of it and continued on the best way they know how to and that is to deliver an amazing performance. The band began the set by announcing that the tour that started that day with Lil Xan had changed and they are now headlining because he had told them the night before he needed to drop out. The band is kind of at the front of this modern nu-metal rap resurgence that is currently happening. The band launched into “Going Rogue” with rap member Eddie Wellz swinging his dreads back and forth and whipping them hard while singer Adam Ramey did his parts of the song. Midway through, Adam jumped into the crowd and did almost all of “Virus” on the rail and in the crowd. The band had amazing chemistry and had the back and forth down perfectly. The band had possibly one of the wildest sets and most impressive stage presences of the day.

Over on the Stay Lit Stage, Scary Kids Scaring Kids went on with Cove Reber on vocal duties. The band’s first song “Knock it All Down” is from their most recent album. It features Lil Lotus on vocals and he showed up to do his part of the song. The band is very keyboard-heavy and creates some of the most interesting arpeggiated sounds that give that nostalgic Hot Topic high school feel. They still pull it off to this day. Keyboardist Poyan was using a keytar on this tour since he is incredibly active and moves all over the place more so than most frontmen of bands.

Philadelphia-based hardcore band Jesus Piece absolutely destroyed the Monster Energy Stage. The band is fronted by Aaron Heard who is a ball of energy, even in the Texas heat. Aaron’s shirt didn’t stand a chance and was gone by the time “sinking” started which was the second song they played. The crowd was full of mostly hardcore kids at this point, with tons of two-stepping in time to the beat and gang vocals when Aaron held the mic out to prompt the crowd. The Kentucky hardcore punk band who had quite the excitement around their set that day, Knocked Loose, blazed through a 10-song set. The band played such fan favorites as “Where Light Divides the Holler,” “Trapped in the Grasp of a Memory,” and “Counting Worms.”

Hatebreed is one of those bands that has been around forever it seems, and if you have never seen them then you are in for a treat. The band, even though being so aggressive, has a very positive outlook on life that is mentioned quite frequently. Lead singer Jamey Jasta talked about the untimely death of Trevor Strnad, and how he had been excited that he was meant to see his friend and play with them tonight. That was then followed up by him explaining, “This set is dedicated to Trevor. Get help if you need help. You’re not less of a person if you do.”

The biggest crowd by far for the Stay Lit Stage was The Ghost Inside, who closed out Saturday night the right way with a set that will not be forgotten any time soon. The band’s banner covered the stage and the band members were lit by the stage lights. As the music slowly built, the covering was dropped. The band started with the heavy song “Avalanche” and then flew into their most recent song, “Still Alive,” which is about the horrible bus crash they had back in 2015. They also played “The Great Unknown,” “Faith or Forgiveness,” “Pressure Point,” “Engine 45,” “Between The Lines,” and closed out with “Aftermath.”

You can check out our coverage from day one here.

Sherece Shavel says the driving force behind her new course at The University of Texas at Arlington is the need to make students understand the intimate connection between the law and social work.

“Often times, social work students don’t recognize that connection—that intimate relationship that our profession has with the law,” said Shavel, assistant professor of practice in the School of Social Work. “The presence of the authority of law is woven all throughout what we do as practitioners.”

Created in collaboration with the UTA Pre-Law Center, “Social Work and Law” highlights the importance of understanding the legal environment on multiple fronts as it pertains to the social work profession. There are breakdowns of the legal landscape on the federal and local levels, procedural lessons including how to read laws and cite legal sources and explanations of how social workers should act in certain legal settings, such as during testimony or when served with a subpoena.

Not knowing how to navigate legal waters could have consequences for both the social worker and whomever they are representing or serving, Shavel said.

“If you lack the necessary legal knowledge, you likely may cause harm to an individual you’re trying to help,” she said. “It might mean imprisonment, parental rights termination or that a child remains in an abusive situation. It could be extreme.”

The course’s roots date back to Shavel’s first appearance in a courtroom as a social worker. She said she stumbled, made mistakes and had “no clue” about the courtroom process, remembering the experience as a “hot mess.” That’s when she made it part of her mission to ensure that social workers who came after her entered a courtroom prepared.

“From that point forward, I did what I needed to do to develop my knowledge and skills,” she said. “My passion is to give students the opportunity to gain those skills before they find themselves in the position I was in.”

The hallmark of the course is a courtroom simulation conducted with the help of UTA’s mock trial class. Social work students must write a witness statement based on an assigned case and then testify as expert witnesses with mock trial students questioning them as the defense and prosecution. It is a partnership born out of a conversation between Shavel and Amber White, director of UTA’s Pre-Law Center and mock trial coach.

“My students, who are going to go off and be lawyers, get the practice of working with individuals who are going to be treated as expert witnesses,” White said. “And social work students get the benefit of becoming witnesses and getting that firsthand experience of the lights and pressure of an actual hearing. We loved the idea.”

During the simulation, the social work “witnesses” do not know the questions the mock trial students will ask. At the same time, the mock trial “defense” and “prosecution” no longer have the safety net of a structured mock trial competition setting, forcing them to react instantly.

“Speaking from personal experience, you have no idea what these witnesses are going to say. Sometimes, your own client may turn the tables on you and say something in court that they have never said to you before,” White said. “That collaboration is beneficial for all students involved.”

Sophia Gyles, a junior pursuing her bachelor’s degree in social work, said she considers the course a blessing because she now knows how to be a better advocate for her clients.

“I think that anyone who is going to be a social worker needs to take this class to have a sense of what it will be like in court, to speak on behalf of my clients and to be a representative for them,” she said.

The Texas Rangers and The Cordish Companies are excited to announce details today for One Rangers Way, a 300-unit upscale residential community in the heart of the Arlington Entertainment District. One Rangers Way continues the incredible momentum of new development in the Entertainment District amid Globe Life Field, Choctaw Stadium and AT&T Stadium that began with the opening of Texas Live! in 2018. The project adds to the nearly $1 billion of new development currently under construction in the Entertainment District that includes the forthcoming Loews Arlington Hotel & Convention Center and National Medal of Honor Museum, which recently broke ground on March 25.

Located at Nolan Ryan Expressway adjacent to Choctaw Stadium and the National Medal of Honor Museum, One Rangers Way will celebrate the rich history of the state of Texas and showcase a unique design and curated art collection inspired by the Texas Rangers and America’s favorite pastime. Its integration with the Entertainment District and proximity to Globe Life Field, Choctaw Stadium, AT&T Stadium, Texas Live!, Live! by Loews, Loews Arlington Hotel & Convention Center and the National Medal of Honor Museum will offer a completely unique residential experience. The 300-unit apartment community, designed by Hord Coplan Macht (HCM), will meet National Green Building Standard® (NGBS) certification and will feature high-end materials and appliances, expansive ceiling heights and floor-to-ceiling windows. The building will offer a mix of 1-bedroom, 2-bedroom and penthouse apartment homes, as well as a parking garage with 423 spaces.

“The construction of One Rangers Way will bring a new dimension to the ongoing development in the Arlington Entertainment District,” said Texas Rangers Managing Partner and Majority Owner Ray Davis. “This area is becoming a nationally renowned sports and entertainment destination with world-class facilities that have already been completed and several other projects that are well underway. The Texas Rangers are proud to join the City of Arlington and The Cordish Companies in building this unique residential community in the heart of the Entertainment District.”

One Rangers Way will offer one of the most luxurious, resort-style apartment communities in the country with over 43,000 square feet of interior and exterior amenity space. The project will offer an upscale resident experience and lifestyle with one-of-a-kind amenities and services on par with the finest residential and condo buildings in the country. The building will feature an expansive exterior amenity deck and green spaces, an outdoor infinity edge pool, indoor and outdoor entertainment spaces, state-of-the-art fitness facilities, office workspaces, exclusive resident events, concierge services, and more. Residents will also enjoy direct access to the Richard Greene & Dr. Robert Cluck Linear Parks that offer wide-open areas for strolling, fascinating art sculptures and close to 3 miles of paved paths throughout the Entertainment District for walking, running, and biking.

“It is an honor for The Cordish Companies to continue our partnership with the Texas Rangers and the City of Arlington to deliver a transformative project for Arlington,” said Blake Cordish, Principal of The Cordish Companies. “One Rangers Way will become one of the most special residential communities in the country with its proximity to three iconic stadiums and forthcoming National Medal of Honor Museum. We remain committed to delivering a best-in-class, mixed-use development in the Entertainment District that will benefit the Arlington community and be a national draw for tourism for decades to come.”

Today’s announcement represents an exciting step forward toward a greater $4 billion vision by the City of Arlington, Texas Rangers, The Cordish Companies and Loews Hotels & Co to transform the Entertainment District into the premier sports, entertainment, hospitality, cultural and lifestyle destination in the country. Together, the total investment of new development by the partnership totals over $2.4 billion.

“One Rangers Way, another jewel for our great city, will bring unmatched lifestyle options to our community and create even more vibrancy for our growing Entertainment District,” Arlington Mayor Jim Ross said. “We are grateful for this transformative development, made possible by our partnerships with the Texas Rangers and The Cordish Companies.”

One Rangers Way will commence construction this fall and is slated to open in 2024. For more information and to stay up-to-date on news, please visit www.OneRangersWay.com.