ICYMI: What’s New and Next in Dallas-Fort Worth Innovation » Dallas Innovates

Dallas Innovates’ daily mix of business, culture, and technology in North Texas  

News travels fast, and we’re here to help you keep up. Each weekday, Dallas Innovates brings you up to date on what you may have missed in the region’s top innovation news, from startup to enterprise, education to invention, and creative to social. 

If all goes as planned there will be food-fulfilling robots roaming a massive facility in Southern Dallas after Dallas City Council got on board this week with an incentive package aimed at bringing a 350,000-square-foot, robot-equipped Kroger online fulfillment center to Southeast Oak Cliff—perhaps opening as soon as 2023.

To get the incentives, Kroger must create at least 410 jobs that include Dallas residents, with a minimum wage of $15 an hour.

“This is a game-changer. People in my part of the community, you got Wilmer Hutchins High School, J Irving. You got UNT, Paul Quinn and no grocery store,” Councilman Tennell Atkins, who represents the area, said of the proposal on Fox4news.com.

And, The Dallas Morning News said the facility will fulfill fresh food orders placed online for delivery, and will help mitigate what is considered a food desert in the southern part of the city.

Mirror, mirror, on the wall, where’s the second-friendliest U.S. city for small businesses? Thumbtack says it’s Fort Worth, the mirror replied.

The San Francisco-based Thumbtack, which pairs professionals with jobs, graded Fort Worth with an “A+” ranking in its Small Business Friendliness Survey, the Dallas Business Journal reports. That put Fort Worth in the runner-up spot behind Austin on its list of 44 U.S. cities.

Fort Worth received a “B-” grade or better in six of the eight categories asked in the survey of 5,000 small business owners. Fort Worth lagged in two areas, the DBJ says—for “ease of hiring,” where the it got a “C-,” and “training and networking programs,” where a “D+” was issued. Dallas ranked 27th with a B-.

And, because it’s Labor Day weekend

Labor Day weekend is here and some us may be headed to the beach. Paper City offers up some great sandcastle suggestions from the American Institute of Architects Houston based on the recent Sandcastle Competition at Galveston’s East Beach. 

The sandcastles were inspired by everything from Game of Thrones to AstroWorld. Hit the beach, have some fun. You can see the elaborate creations here.

Dallas-Fort Worth has some of the best craft beer breweries around, and as of Sunday, Sept. 1, they’ll be able to offer you to-go beers. Our buddies at D Magazine have put together a list of where you can celebrate this change in state law.

Whether you like an ale, an IPA, a Pilsner, or some other type of beer, the list has something for you. Let’s raise a cold one to the Legislature.

The Top 10
Dallas Innovates most-read stories this week  |  Aug. 23-30, 2019

Quincy Preston, Alex Edwards, and Lance Murray contributed to this report.

R E A D   N E X T

From educational conferences (Harvesting Partnerships) to informational talks (Real Estate Trend Talk, archeological lecture), browse our curated selection of events to plan your next week—and beyond.

DHD Films is giving viewers a 360-degree tour of Digital Fight Club 2019 with DHD GIGA, a 4-billion-pixel capture that lets viewers get up close and personal with attendees.

These high-performing North Texas companies are being recognized on the Inc. 5000 and the Fortune 100 lists for business growth.