
Jimmy Carter, a one-term president who became a globe-trotting elder statesman, dies at 100
With nearly all of the votes counted, left-leaning Mr Milanovic won 49% while his main challenger Dragan Primorac, a candidate of the ruling conservative HDZ party, trailed far behind with 19%. Pre-election polls had predicted that the two would face off in the second round on January 12, as none of the eight presidential election contenders were projected to get more than 50% of the vote. Mr Milanovic thanked his supporters but warned that “this was just a first run”. “Let’s not be triumphant, let’s be realistic, firmly on the ground,” he said. “We must fight all over again. It’s not over till it’s over.” Mr Milanovic, the most popular politician in Croatia, has served as prime minister in the past. Populist in style, the 58-year-old has been a fierce critic of current Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and continuous sparring between the two has been a recent hallmark of Croatia’s political scene. Mr Plenkovic has sought to portray the vote as one about Croatia’s future in the EU and Nato. He has labelled Mr Milanovic “pro-Russian” and a threat to Croatia’s international standing. “The difference between him (Mr Primorac) and Milanovic is quite simple: Milanovic is leading us East, Primorac is leading us West,” he said. Though the presidency is largely ceremonial in Croatia, an elected president holds political authority and acts as the supreme commander of the military. Mr Milanovic has criticised the Nato and European Union support for Ukraine and has often insisted that Croatia should not take sides. He has said Croatia should stay away from global disputes, thought it is a member of both Nato and the EU. Mr Milanovic has also blocked Croatia’s participation in a Nato-led training mission for Ukraine, declaring that “no Croatian soldier will take part in somebody else’s war”. His main rival in the election, Mr Primorac, has stated that “Croatia’s place is in the West, not the East”. However, his bid for the presidency has been marred by a high-level corruption case that landed Croatia’s health minister in jail last month and which featured prominently in pre-election debates. Trailing a distant third in the pre-election polls is Marija Selak Raspudic, a conservative independent candidate. She has focused her election campaign on the economic troubles of ordinary citizens, corruption and issues such as population decline in the country of some 3.8 million. Sunday’s presidential election is Croatia’s third vote this year, following a snap parliamentary election in April and the European Parliament balloting in June.
Field Hockey: All-Hunterdon/Warren County Teams, 2024Croatia’s incumbent president wins most votes at polls but still faces runoff
How co-writing a book threatened the Carters’ marriageLISBON, Portugal (AP) — The goals are flying in again for Arsenal — and it just happens to coincide with the return from injury of Martin Odegaard. Make that eight goals in two games since the international break for Arsenal after its 5-1 hammering of Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League on Tuesday, tying the English team’s heaviest ever away win in the competition. Odegaard is back in Arsenal’s team after missing two months with an ankle injury . In that time, Mikel Arteta’s attack stuttered, with a 2-0 loss to Bournemouth and a 1-0 defeat at Newcastle dropping the Gunners well off the pace in the Premier League. There was also a 0-0 draw at Atalanta in the Champions League as well as a 1-0 loss to Inter Milan last month, when Odegaard made his comeback from injury as an 89th-minute substitute. Since then, Arsenal hasn’t lost and the goals have returned. After a 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Saturday came the cruise in Lisbon — and Odegaard was at the heart of everything as Sporting’s unbeaten start to the season came to an end. “He’s an unbelievable player,” Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka said of Odegaard. “The day he returned, there was a big smile on my face. You can see the chemistry we have. I hope he stays fit for the rest of the season.” Odegaard was involved in the build-up to Arsenal’s first two goals against Sporting — scored by Gabriel Martinelli and Kai Havertz — and was fouled to win the penalty converted by Saka in the 65th to restore Arsenal’s three-goal lead at 4-1. Odegaard was seen flexing his leg after that but continued untroubled and was substituted in the 78th minute. The last thing Arteta would want now is another injury to Odegaard as Arsenal attempts to reel in first-place Liverpool in the Premier League. Liverpool is already nine points ahead of fourth-place Arsenal after 12 games. AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Paychex Inc. stock underperforms Tuesday when compared to competitors despite daily gains
As the year draws to a close, we look back at some of the brilliant Guest Blog contributions published on in the last 12 months. The following selection covers some of the most notable contributed pieces from outside authors, but all 20 that we published this year were brilliant deep-dives into their topic. The following articles cover topics as diverse as patents for gravity energy storage, procurement decisions, bankability of battery energy storage system (BESS) suppliers, BESS project optimisation, noise from BESS projects and more. We look forward to an equally diverse and rich selection next year. Patent lawyer Ben Lincoln from Potter Clarkson returns to the Energy-Storage.news Guest Blog, this time looking at gravity energy storage and what sort of IP is looking to be protected. Energy storage executives from global assurance and risk management provider DNV analyse the UK government’s proposal to kickstart investment into long-duration energy storage (LDES). The right optimisation strategies and technologies can enable the right balance between maintaining battery health and profitability, writes Laura Laringe, CEO of optimisation software provider reLi Energy. Rapid technology improvements and trade policy risk pose a dilemma for US battery storage procurement decision-makers, write George Touloupas and Jeff Zwijack of consultancy and market intelligence firm Clean Energy Associates (CEA). Projects are increasingly being deployed close to populations as available plots of land become more scarce, making BESS noise a bigger topic than ever before, writes noise and acoustics consultancy Acentech’s Ethan Brush. The UK and Ireland’s energy storage pipeline is rapidly growing, with co-located solar PV and storage comprising around 20% of planned capacity, writes Mollie McCorkindale of Solar Media Market Research. As the launches, providing insights and risk analysis on the leading global BESS suppliers, Solar Media market analyst Charlotte Gisbourne offers an exclusive preview in this Guest Blog. A community-owned BESS in Australia could earn up to AU$250,000 (US$162,610) per year, writes GridBeyond Australia’s solar, storage and EV regional director Stace Tzamtzidis.Croatia’s incumbent president wins most votes at polls but still faces runoffFedEx: Choose The Child Over The Parent Post Spinoff
A team of students and faculty at the International Institute of Information Technology – Bangalore (IIITB) has developed a remote compost monitoring solution that would not only aid sustainable agriculture but also help reduce the city’s garbage woes and bring down the manual labour involved in composting. The team led by Jyotsna Bapat has built a prototype for an intelligent IoT system that remotely monitors and manages compost, which can be used as fertilizer. Also Read: Daily battles of Bengaluru’s waste collectors “The garbage piles we see everywhere in Bengaluru have a lot of food waste in them. This can cause a lot of diseases. If composed correctly, the volume can come down by a factor of 10,” says Prof. Bapat. A stinking problem Using compost made from organic waste as fertilizer can help improve soil health, reduce reliance on chemical fertilizers, and contribute to environmental conservation. However, many urban dwellers refrain from using their kitchen waste for this process due to reasons such as a lack of space and the complexities involved. “The reason a lot of people don’t do it is that if certain parameters such as the temperature, the humidity or the water level inside go wrong, the composting doesn’t complete, and then it starts smelling. This attracts bugs,” explains Prof. Bapat, who herself composts wet waste on her balcony. Reducing manual labour On a larger scale, companies that compost resort to manual labour, which involves a person checking and stirring the compost from time to time to ensure that the process happens successfully. “We felt that somebody going in and checking a compost is not really the nicest job. We wondered if a machine could do this,” notes Bapat. The team’s solution includes a sensor hub associated with each bin to monitor the compost’s pH, temperature, humidity, and CO2 levels. The hub allows remote monitoring of these values and the generation of alerts using a mobile phone. While anybody can use the solution, Prof. Bapat notes that currently the team is looking for those who are doing composting at a large scale. About 14-15 bins have been installed within the campus, and data is currently being collected. “We already have a client. They are talking to different panchayats in the neighbourhood of Bengaluru. Before they deploy it there, we need to do a thorough testing at IIIT-B,” Bapat notes. Published - December 30, 2024 03:04 am IST Copy link Email Facebook Twitter Telegram LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit bengaluru / waste / waste management / urban solid waste
Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah ‘far away’ from contract extension with the clubDENVER — So you're the most valuable player of that annual Thanksgiving Day backyard flag football game. Or played tackle football on any level. Or ran track. Or dabbled in basketball. Or toyed with any sport, really. Well, this may be just for you: USA Football is holding talent identification camps all over the country to find that next flag football star. It's "America's Got Talent" meets "American Idol," with the stage being the field and the grand prize a chance to compete for a spot on a national team. Because it's never too early to start planning for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, where flag football will make its Summer Games debut. Know this, though — it's not an easy team to make. The men's and women's national team rosters are at "Dream Team" status given the men's side has captured six of the last seven world championships and the women three in a row. To remain on top, the sport's national governing body is scouring every football field, park, track, basketball court and gym to find hidden talent to cultivate. USA Football has organized camps and tryouts from coast to coast for anyone ages 11 to 23. There are more than a dozen sites set up so far, ranging from Dallas (Sunday) to Chicago (Dec. 14) to Tampa (March 29) to Los Angeles (TBD) and the Boston area (April 27), where it will be held at Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots. The organization has already partnered with the NFL on flag football initiatives and programs. The numbers have been through the roof, with engagement on social media platforms increasing by 86% since flag football was announced as an Olympic invitational sport in October 2023. The participation of boys and girls ages 6 to 17 in flag football last year peaked at more than 1.6 million, according to USA Football research. "We pride ourselves on elevating the gold standard across the sport," said Eric Mayes, the managing director of the high performance and national teams for USA Football. "We want to be the best in the world — and stay the best in the world." Flag football was one of five new sports added to the LA28 program. The already soaring profile of American football only figures to be enhanced by an Olympic appearance. Imagine, say, a few familiar faces take the field, too. Perhaps even NFL stars such as Tyreek Hill or Patrick Mahomes, maybe even past pro football greats donning a flag belt for a country to which they may have ties. Soon after flag football's inclusion, there was chatter of NFL players possibly joining in on the fun. Of course, there are logistical issues to tackle before their inclusion at the LA Olympics, which open July 14, 2028. Among them, training camp, because the Olympics will be right in the middle of it. The big question is this: Will owners permit high-priced players to duck out for a gold-medal pursuit? No decisions have yet been made on the status of NFL players for the Olympics. For now, it's simply about growing the game. There are currently 13 states that sanction girls flag football as a high school varsity sport. Just recently, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles helped pave the way to get it adopted in Pennsylvania. Around the world, it's catching on, too. The women's team from Japan took third at the recent word championships, while one of the best players on the planet is Mexico quarterback Diana Flores. "Could flag football globally become the new soccer? That's something to aspire to," said Stephanie Kwok, the NFL's vice president of flag football. This type of flag football though, isn't your Thanksgiving Day game with family and friends. There's a learning curve. And given the small roster sizes, versatility is essential. Most national team members need to be a version of Colorado's two-way standout and Heisman hopeful Travis Hunter. Forget bump-and-run coverage, too, because there's no contact. None. That took some adjusting for Mike Daniels, a defensive back out of West Virginia who earned a rookie minicamp invitation with the Cleveland Browns in 2017. "If a receiver is running around, I'm thinking, 'OK, I can kind of bump him here and there and nudge him,'" Daniels explained. "They're like, 'No, you can't.' I'm just like, 'So I'm supposed to let this guy just run?!' I really rebelled at the idea at first. But you learn." The competition for an Olympic roster spot is going to be fierce because only 10 players are expected to make a squad. The best 10 will earn it, too, as credentials such as college All-American or NFL All-Pro take a backseat. "I would actually love" seeing NFL players try out, said Daniels, who's also a personal trainer in Miami. "I'm not going to let you just waltz in here, thinking, 'I played NFL football for five years. I'm popular. I have a huge name.' I'm still better than you and I'm going to prove it — until you prove otherwise." Around the house, Bruce Mapp constantly swivels his hips when turning a hallway corner or if his daughter tries to reach for a hug. It's his way of working on avoiding a "defender" trying to snare the flag. That approach has earned the receiver out of Coastal Carolina four gold medals with USA Football. The 31-year-old fully plans on going for more gold in Los Angeles. "You grow up watching Usain Bolt (win gold) and the 'Redeem Team' led by Kobe Bryant win a gold medal, you're always thinking, 'That's insane.' Obviously, you couldn't do it in your sport, because I played football," said Mapp, who owns a food truck in the Dallas area. "With the Olympics approaching, that (gold medal) is what my mind is set on." It's a common thought, which is why everything — including talent camps — starts now. "Everybody thinks, 'Yeah, the U.S. just wins,'" Daniels said. "But we work hard all the time. We don't just walk in. We don't just get off the bus thinking, 'We're going to beat people.'"
Ian Schieffelin came within two assists of a triple-double and Clemson handed Penn State its first loss with a 75-67 decision for the championship of the Sunshine Slam tournament Tuesday in Daytona Beach, Fla. Schieffelin finished with 18 points, 13 rebounds and eight assists for the Tigers (6-1), leading four players in double figures. Chase Hunter added 17 points, while Chauncey Wiggins scored 14 and reserve Del Jones chipped in 10 points. Clemson sank 9 of 19 3-pointers, converted 16 of 20 free throws and was able to limit the impact of the Nittany Lions' full-court pressure. The Tigers committed just 13 turnovers, helping them hold Penn State (6-1) to less than 85 points for the first time this year. Ace Baldwin starred in defeat with game highs of 20 points and 11 assists, while center Yanic Konan Niederhauser added 14 points. Nick Kern came off the bench to score 11 but Penn State was outscored 15-2 on the fast break and made just 4 of 18 attempts from 3-point range. Schieffelin came up big down the stretch, assisting on a 3-pointer by Jaeden Zackery with 6:04 left that made it 65-61. Then he made two foul shots and tossed in a jump hook from the lane to up the margin to 71-66 with 1:03 left. The big storyline going into this game was which team would be able to control the pace. Penn State came in averaging 96 ppg, while Clemson demonstrated its ability to enforce a slower tempo in March, advancing to a regional final in the NCAA Tournament. In the first 10 minutes of the game, the Tigers made the Nittany Lions play at a crawl, opening up a 17-10 advantage when Schieffelin converted a short hook in the lane. But Penn State answered with an 18-4 run over nearly six minutes, establishing a 28-21 lead when Kern shook free for a layup. Clemson rallied with nine straight points but the Nittany Lions had the last say as Baldwin converted a layup with 24 seconds left, cutting the Tigers' edge to 38-36 at halftime. --Field Level Media
The changes announced by the world's biggest retailer followed a string of legal victories by conservative groups that have filed an onslaught of lawsuits challenging corporate and federal programs aimed at elevating minority and women-owned businesses and employees. The risk associated with some of programs crystalized with the election of former President Donald Trump, whose administration is certain to make dismantling diversity, equity and inclusion programs a priority. Trump's incoming deputy chief of policy will be his former adviser Stephen Miller , who leads a group called America First Legal that has aggressively challenged corporate DEI policies. “There has been a lot of reassessment of risk looking at programs that could be deemed to constitute reverse discrimination,” said Allan Schweyer, principal researcher the Human Capital Center at the Conference Board. “This is another domino to fall and it is a rather large domino,” he added. Among other changes, Walmart said it will no longer give priority treatment to suppliers owned by women or minorities. The company also will not renew a five-year commitment for a racial equity center set up in 2020 after the police killing of George Floyd. And it pulled out of a prominent gay rights index . Schweyer said the biggest trigger for companies making such changes is simply a reassessment of their legal risk exposure, which began after U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in June 2023 that ended affirmative action in college admissions. Since then, conservative groups using similar arguments have secured court victories against various diversity programs, especially those that steer contracts to minority or women-owned businesses. Most recently, the conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty won a victory in a case against the U.S. Department of Transportation over its use of a program that gives priority to minority-owned businesses when it awards contracts. Companies are seeing a big legal risk in continuing with DEI efforts, said Dan Lennington, a deputy counsel at the institute. His organization says it has identified more than 60 programs in the federal government that it considers discriminatory, he said. “We have a legal landscape within the entire federal government, all three branches -- the U.S. Supreme Court, the Congress and the President -- are all now firmly pointed in the direction towards equality of individuals and individualized treatment of all Americans, instead of diversity, equity and inclusion treating people as members of racial groups,” Lennington said. The Trump administration is also likely to take direct aim at DEI initiatives through executive orders and other policies that affect private companies, especially federal contractors. “The impact of the election on DEI policies is huge. It can’t be overstated,” said Jason Schwartz, co-chair of the Labor & Employment Practice Group at law firm Gibson Dunn. With Miller returning to the White House, rolling back DEI initiatives is likely to be a priority, Schwartz said. “Companies are trying to strike the right balance to make clear they’ve got an inclusive workplace where everyone is welcome, and they want to get the best talent, while at the same time trying not to alienate various parts of their employees and customer base who might feel one way or the other. It’s a virtually impossible dilemma,” Schwartz said. A recent survey by Pew Research Center showed that workers are divided on the merits of DEI policies. While still broadly popular, the share of workers who said focusing on workplace diversity was mostly a good thing fell to 52% in the November survey, compared to 56% in a similar survey in February 2023. Rachel Minkin, a research associated at Pew called it a small but significant shift in short amount of time. There will be more companies pulling back from their DEI policies, but it likely won’t be a retreat across the board, said David Glasgow, executive director of the Meltzer Center for Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging at New York University. “There are vastly more companies that are sticking with DEI," Glasgow said. "The only reason you don’t hear about it is most of them are doing it by stealth. They’re putting their heads down and doing DEI work and hoping not to attract attention.” Glasgow advises organizations to stick to their own core values, because attitudes toward the topic can change quickly in the span of four years. “It’s going to leave them looking a little bit weak if there’s a kind of flip-flopping, depending on whichever direction the political winds are blowing,” he said. One reason DEI programs exist is because without those programs, companies may be vulnerable to lawsuits for traditional discrimination. “Really think carefully about the risks in all directions on this topic,” Glasgow said. Walmart confirmed will no longer consider race and gender as a litmus test to improve diversity when it offers supplier contracts. Last fiscal year, Walmart said it spent more than $13 billion on minority, women or veteran-owned good and service suppliers. It was unclear how its relationships with such business would change going forward. Organizations that that have partnered with Walmart on its diversity initiatives offered a cautious response. The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council, a non-profit that last year named Walmart one of America's top corporation for women-owned enterprises, said it was still evaluating the impact of Walmart's announcement. Pamela Prince-Eason, the president and CEO of the organization, said she hoped Walmart's need to cater to its diverse customer base will continue to drive contracts to women-owned suppliers even if the company no longer has explicit dollar goals. “I suspect Walmart will continue to have one of the most inclusive supply chains in the World,” Prince-Eason wrote. “Any retailer's ability to serve the communities they operate in will continue to value understanding their customers, (many of which are women), in order to better provide products and services desired and no one understands customers better than Walmart." Walmart's announcement came after the company spoke directly with conservative political commentator and activist Robby Starbuck, who has been going after corporate DEI policies, calling out individual companies on the social media platform X. Several of those companies have subsequently announced that they are pulling back their initiatives, including Ford , Harley-Davidson, Lowe’s and Tractor Supply . Walmart confirmed to The Associated Press that it will better monitor its third-party marketplace items to make sure they don’t feature sexual and transgender products aimed at minors. The company also will stop participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual benchmark index that measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees. A Walmart spokesperson added that some of the changes were already in progress and not as a result of conversations that it had with Starbuck. RaShawn “Shawnie” Hawkins, senior director of the HRC Foundation’s Workplace Equality Program, said companies that “abandon” their commitments workplace inclusion policies “are shirking their responsibility to their employees, consumers, and shareholders.” She said the buying power of LGBTQ customers is powerful and noted that the index will have record participation of more than 1,400 companies in 2025.None
OOH Campaign Highlights the Power of Donating During the Thanksgiving Season NEW YORK , Nov. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- OUTFRONT Media OUT , one of the largest out-of-home (OOH) media companies in the U.S., has unveiled a new campaign with The Farmlink Project, the fastest-growing solution in the charitable food space, to drive home an important food insecurity fact on Thanksgiving. The campaign, running now through Friday, Dec. 6 , features the line " $1 = 17 lbs of food saved" to jolt audiences into action. OUTFRONT Studios and Farmlink's creative team produced the campaign, which also marks the debut of Farmlink's rebrand. The creative can be seen on digital billboards across the country, securing additional impressions with holiday traffic at an all time high. The campaign's message encourages audiences to make a big impact toward battling food insecurity through a small action during Thanksgiving, the largest event for food consumption in the U.S., and Giving Tuesday, an annual global generosity movement. For the month of December, every dollar donated to Farmlink will be matched to provide 32 pounds of food to families in need. "In collaboration with OUTFRONT, we are able to expand our mission of supporting farmers and feeding families by inspiring people to take simple actions," said Aidan Reilly , Head of Partnerships at Farmlink. "Collectively, those efforts can add up to help us reach our goal of raising $100K in December." As a partner of OUTFRONT since 2021, Farmlink has helped further OUTFRONT's purpose of helping people, places and businesses grow stronger. "Fighting food insecurity continues to be one of OUTFRONT's most important causes, driven by our employees," said Liz Rave , Vice President, Marketing at OUTFRONT. "This timely Thanksgiving campaign is our latest effort to support and amplify Farmlink's mission at a critical time for food insecurity solutions. We are also proud to be making a monetary donation of our own this holiday season." The Farmlink Project was born as a student movement at the onset of the pandemic in an effort to support a local food bank in Los Angeles . Having delivered nearly 300 million pounds of food which otherwise would have gone to waste to families across North America , Farmlink is driven by the belief that hunger can be solved in the U.S. using already grown food. About OUTFRONT Media Inc. OUTFRONT leverages the power of technology, location and creativity to connect brands with consumers outside of their homes through one of the largest and most diverse sets of billboard, transit, and mobile assets in the United States . Through its technology platform, OUTFRONT will fundamentally change the ways advertisers engage audiences on-the-go. OUTFRONT Media Contacts: Matt Biscuiti Courtney Richards The Lippin Group OUTFRONT Media 212-986-7080 646-876-9404 outfront@lippingroup.com courtney.richards@OUTFRONT.com Stephan Bisson OUTFRONT Media 212-297-6573 stephan.bisson@outfront.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/outfront-media-and-the-farmlink-project-unveil-new-campaign-to-fight-food-insecurity-302317001.html SOURCE OUTFRONT Media Inc. © 2024 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
Stock market today: Stocks drift higher as US markets reopen after a holiday pauseGet essential daily news for Fort Worth area Sign up to receive insightful, in-depth local stories today. 📩 The news that Dickies is packing up their work clothes and leaving Fort Worth for California is a case of man-bites-dog — which is to say, big news. And Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker believes the company, now owned by VF Corp., is making a big mistake. According to Build Remote , 171 companies moved to Texas from 2020 to early 2024, with 54% of those companies coming from California. “It’s unfortunate that when the Willliamson family sold Dickies to a corporate holding company, those things happen,” Parker told a meeting of the Society of Commercial Realtors on Dec. 4. VF Corp. purchased Dickies in 2017 and the parent company has since hit on hard times. It is moving the headquarters to the campus of another company it owns, Vans, in Costa Mesa, California. “Corporate relocations happen all the time and it won’t surprise you to learn that, as mayor, I think they’re making a huge mistake,” she said. “I think they’re going to lick their wounds and return eventually.” Parker said she told VF Corp.’s CEO that they were the only company in America moving from Texas to California. Get essential daily news for the Fort Worth area. Sign up for insightful, in-depth stories — completely free. About 120 employees will be impacted by the move, which will see Dickies’ manufacturing and warehouse operations remain in the area. Parker said the city is planning to show its support for Dickies employees who are handed pink slips. “We’re working with our economic development group on really creative ways to make sure they feel supported,” she said. “I want them to know that Fort Worth acknowledges them and that we’re proud of them, right? They’ve been a part of our community, literally, the fabric of Fort Worth, for quite some time and we want to make sure that they feel supported.” Despite the Dickies news, Parker noted there was a big economic development agreement coming before the City Council on Dec. 10 and that Fort Worth was winning many of the economic deals out there. “I’m proud to tell you that we’re winning in really big ways,” she said. “We’re being really proactive, not reactive, and we’re intentional about the type of companies we want to be in the city of Fort Worth.” Entrepreneur, car collector, wild shirt fan and real estate investor Ron Sturgeon has found a new headquarters in north Fort Worth. Sturgeon, who had headquartered in Haltom City for four decades, couldn’t come to a deal with city officials there, he said. Instead, he’s landed at McMillan Center, a three-building, 137,083-square-foot complex with 16,073 square feet of covered dock space on 9.9 acres at 2550 McMillan Parkway in Fort Worth, which became available when the seller agreed to flip the project after a few months of ownership. The rail-served site is best known as the former Coors distribution center, which has frontage on North Freeway and unobstructed visibility from Interstate 35. Bradford Commercial Real Estate represented Sturgeon in the off-market acquisition. Start to finish, the deal went full circle within three months. The sellers were Gyant Coors LLC, Gyant Josh Road LLC, and Gyant V LLC, which were represented by Todd Hawpe of Transwestern. Other parts of the property are up for lease. EECU, the second-largest credit union in Dallas-Fort Worth, has opened its newest financial center. Located at The Shops at Chisholm Trail Ranch in Fort Worth, this location is EECU’s 19th financial center in the area. The 1,200-square-foot space includes personal teller machines in both the drive-thru and lobby. The machines can provide typical transactions, such as deposits and withdrawals, and also offer the option to video chat with an EECU financial adviser for live assistance. Mountain Mike’s Pizza, a family-style pizza chain for 45 years, has opened in Keller. The new restaurant marks the brand’s ninth location in Texas, with nearly 40 more in the pipeline for the Lone Star State. The restaurant is owned and operated by Southlake resident and experienced franchisee Paul Sandhu, who has plans for two additional Mountain Mike’s restaurants in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The new Keller Mountain Mike’s is located at 1521 Keller Parkway. Looking for a top city for young entrepreneurs? You don’t have to look far. SEO experts Search Logistics investigated the 50 most populated U.S. cities to identify the best locations for young entrepreneurs. This was determined by analyzing co-working affordability, wage data, internet infrastructure, tax data, cost of living and personal income. The city that was revealed as the best for young entrepreneurs was Jacksonville, Florida, with an overall index score of 70.91 out of 100. Jacksonville was followed by Tampa, Indianapolis, then Baltimore. And fifth? Fort Worth. According to the company, Fort Worth was among several cities that offered the lowest minimum wage of $7.25. The other Texas cities on the list were Houston at No. 6 and San Antonio at No. 8. Do you have something for the Bob on Business column? Email Bob Francis at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org. Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at bob.francis@fortworthreport.org. At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here . 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You can’t sell or syndicate our stories. You can only publish select stories individually — not as a collection. Any web site our stories appear on must include a contact for your organization. If you share our stories on social media, please tag us in your posts using @FortWorthReport on Facebook and @FortWorthReport on Twitter. by Bob Francis, Fort Worth Report December 8, 2024