Fresh Ink... April 2009

Dallas CEO

Having recruited Glenn Hunter as editor last year, Dallas CEO stepped up the competition this month by covering areas traditionally in the purview of the American City Business Journal weeklies, i.e., Dallas Business Journal, Austin Business Journal, San Antonio Business Journal and Houston Business Journal.

D CEO placed Phillip Jones, the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau chief, on its cover, with the headline "Selling Texas." The mag discussed commercial real estate investments and offered readers the best commercial real estate brokers. Not surprisingly, the magazine contained a special ad supplement called "50 Years of Downtown Dallas."

Austin Fit Magazine

Featuring a surprising amount of business coverage, this month's cover story featured Joe Vitale, but the real star is Austin-area Ronn Motors and its Scorpion supercar, which purportedly offers 450 horsepower, 40 miles to the gallon, and nearly zero emissions. The magazine also features an interview with the Scorpion inventor and creator Ronn Maxwell.

A concisely written feature story on alga biofuel. Article mentions PetroSun, an Arizona-based energy company with developing an algae-to-biofuel facility in Rio Hondo, Texas, near Brownsville. (Sidenote: According to the article, Cotinental Airlines was the first U.S. commercial airline to conduct a demonstration flight partly powered by alternative fuels.) .:.

Texas' Top Social Media Minds

Newspaper names 25 winners

The Austin American-Statesman did its bit to promote Texas' technology community today, naming the 2009 Texas Social Media Award Winners.

Not surprisingly, the winners were weighted towards the capital city, but the winners represented a broad cross section. From Texas Railroad Commissioner Michael Williams to J.R. Cohen, owner of The Coffee Groundz in Houston.

In between there's a wide range of interesting social media entrepreneurs that are worth checking out. The overall winner will be announced at an awards banquet on March 15. The newspaper also makes available a list of the nominees for the award. .:.

Updates for Week of 01/12-01/17

Happenings in the Texas Triangle, the megapolitan region consisting of Houston, DFW, Austin and San Antonio.

1. Dealipedia Entry> Dallas-based Investor Buys Trucking Company <http://tinyurl.com/9tz5xb>
2. VC> Sterling Foods [San Antonio] acquired by TGF Management & Austin Ventures [$ND] <http://twitter.com/texastriangle/status/1119369433>
3. Energy: Anadarko Petroleum [The Woodlands] wins big [$10B] on fossil-fuel royalties <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123180979081275855.html>
4. The Plan from La Mancha: Giants opposing T. Boone's wind 'n gas plan not imagined... <http://twitter.com/texastriangle/status/1116502985>
5. Video... So Long $147.27: Energy guru Daniel Yergin discusses outlook for oil-rich countries... <http://preview.tinyurl.com/6uupsh>
6. Trend... Caveat Austin: Cleantech valutations headed for reality check? ... <http://tinyurl.com/ayadkz>
7. Madoffs DITHOT (Deep In The Heart of Texas): Austin-based Pantera Petroleum funded by Bernie Madoff's sons and niece <http://preview.tinyurl.com/8telfh>.:.

Glory Days

A gift for the person who has everything

Want to impress friends and colleagues in the energy industry? Look no further than design firm Lucky Seven, which was recently highlighted in business idea newsletter at Springwise.com.

Based in London, Lucky Seven (www.luckyseven.tv) was founded by Jay Jay Burridge. Inspired by 1970s sci-fi films like Alien, 2001, and Outland, Burridge designs caps based on brands that exist only on celluloid or, in this case, over radiowaves. Just imagine showing up for the next company picnic with a genuine Ewing Oil ballcap.

Just be prepared to plunk down some cash. These custom made hats don't come cheap. .:.