The Big Deal With Glen Farris

Christopher Lee is the Director of Government Affairs at the Frisco Chamber of Commerce. Christopher and I go way way way back. He was but a student at UNT when we met while working on an ill-fated city council campaign. Excellent times. In this conversation, we talk about all things politics and government affairs. We talk a ton about redistricting, working in the Texas statehouse, we talk about working with a city's chamber of commerce, and all the challenges that come with that. If you enjoy politics at the local county and state level, you will love this episode. I'm really excited to share this one. https://www.linkedin.com/in/ctlee12/ https://www.friscochamber.com/

Gary Henderson is the CEO and President of United Way Denton County and began his term as the Denton Chamber of Commerce board chair on October 1, 2021. Erin Carter is the Denton Chamber of Commerce President. Both guests are repeat guests for this extraordinary 100th episode of The Big Deal with Glen Farris.

Jeff Reecer, FACHE, serves as president of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Denton, a position he assumed in January 2016 after leaving the facility in 2012 to become president of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital Allen. Before that, he spent 11 years as vice president of operations at Texas Health Denton. While at Texas Health Allen, Reecer worked to strategically reposition the hospital, adding crucial physicians, expanding the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and creating a women's behavioral health unit. The result was growth for several key service lines and increased volumes. Among his most proud accomplishments, physician and employee engagement scores rose dramatically during his tenure, with both reaching the 99th percentile. A native of Lockney, Texas, Reecer holds a bachelor of science and a master of business administration from Texas Tech University. He lives in Denton with his wife, Dena, and enjoys spending time with his two adult children, Aaron and daughter Chloe. The Reecer family is actively involved in their church and community and enjoys traveling. An avid runner and cyclist, you can also find him leading Texas Health's Be Healthy exercise teams. https://www.texashealth.org/locations/texas-health-denton

Lillia Whittington is the creator of The D. Diaries, Denton's number one influencer space. Lillia has lived in Denton her whole life and has been creating content in and around Denton for 4 years. https://www.facebook.com/thed.diariesblog https://www.pinterest.com/theddiaries https://www.instagram.com/thed.diaries

The City of Denton's Comprehensive Plan is an official planning policy document designed to guide the city's future growth. Denton Plan 2040 is an update to Denton Plan 2030. Community input is critical to the decision making process for future development and growth of the City of Denton so make sure you show up to the open house Thursday, September 16th from 6 pm - 8 pm to the Development Services building at 401 N Elm St. Tina Firgens and Sean Jacobson chat with me about what the Denton Plan 2040 is and why it's important that the whole community gives input on it. http://www.cityofdenton.com/denton2040

Erin Carter is a chamber veteran who has served as the Metrocrest Chamber President since 2016. Prior to leading the Metrocrest Chamber, she served the Lewisville Chamber of Commerce as both its Events & Communications Director and its Vice President of Program Development. Carter currently serves as Chair of the Winter Institute Board of Regents for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Trustee of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation, Board Member of the North Texas Commission, Secretary of the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Rotary Club, Board Member of the Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD Educational Foundation and Board Member of the Lewisville ISD Education Foundation. https://denton-chamber.org/ https://www.facebook.com/DentonChamber/ https://www.instagram.com/dentonchamber/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/denton-chamber-of-commerce-tx-/

In 1968, having graduated from high school, Mr. Shoffit received his introduction into the martial arts. It was during this nostalgic period of the late 60s and early 70s that he developed his intense personal interest in the cultural, historical, and philosophical aspects of martial arts. Since receiving his black belt in 1972, Mr. Shoffit has gone on to expand his study in both eclectic and traditional martial arts. In 1974, Mr. Shoffit graduated from North Texas State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology which was offered through the Education Department. While attending graduate school in 1976, he decided to make a professional career in martial arts by opening a studio on a full-time basis. In 1986, Mr. Shoffit completed construction on his spacious, custom-built facility that is now the base of his operation. Over the years, Mr. Shoffit has had the opportunity to train extensively with numerous masters and grandmasters. Collectively, this wide range of study has helped him develop the philosophy that a balanced system should be complete but not finished. http://dentonmartialarts.com/ Tel: (940) 387-7442 Email: shintoshi2@charter.net Mon 4:00 - 7:00pm, Tues - Thurs 4:00 - 8:30pm https://twitter.com/sensei_shoffit https://www.facebook.com/dentonmartialarts https://www.instagram.com/dentonmartialarts/ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpCHKotz5b8eyNHpV5rlwMA

Jesse Davis was elected to District 3 in May 2019 and is serving his first term. Prior to his election, Davis served as the inaugural chair of the City's Board of Ethics and as an officer of the Denton County Historical Commission. Davis is a lifelong Denton resident and a proud alum of Denton High School. He earned a B.A. in History and Political Science from the University of North Texas, where he served as Student Body President. After graduating from UNT, Davis served under U.S. Senator Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison in her Washington, D.C., office as a senior staff assistant and Assistant Press Secretary. Davis earned his J.D. from Baylor School of Law, and for the past eight years has been an Assistant District Attorney for Denton County. Davis, his wife Diana, and their three children are active volunteers in their church and engaged members of the Denton community. Davis is the outgoing President of the Denton Evening Rotary Club, chair of the North Texas Children's Choir board, and a Boy Scouts of America volunteer.

Brian Burrows is a sport shooter for Team USA and the owner of Ironwood Axe Throwing located in downtown Denton, Texas. https://ironwoodaxethrowing.com/ https://www.instagram.com/ironwoodaxethrowing/ https://www.facebook.com/ironwoodaxethrowing/ https://www.facebook.com/brian.burrows.9210 https://www.teamusa.org/usa-shooting/athletes/Brian-Burrows https://dentonrc.com/news/denton/ironwood-axe-throwing-owner-finally-going-for-tokyo-gold-with-usa-shooting-team/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Burrows

Erik began his Employee Benefits career in 2008 at a leading insurance carrier as a Group Sales Representative. Working directly with underwriters and insurance product specialists allowed him unique insight into the group benefits industry. Shortly after the passage of the Affordable Care Act (ACA), going against the grain, Erik decided to enter the Broker role of the industry. He recognized that small to mid-size employers were going to need expert guidance navigating the new legislation surrounding the Affordable Care Act.

Kevin Hodge is a commercial loan officer at PlainsCapital Bank and fellow Rotarian at Denton Evening Rotary. https://www.linkedin.com/in/kevin-hodge-8258a36a/ https://www.plainscapital.com/ https://portal.clubrunner.ca/13785/

Felicia Smith is a registered nurse with 15-years of experience in Critical Care, Emergency Nursing, and Flight Nursing. Felicia is a graduate of Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, where she earned her bachelor's degree in nursing. https://medicalcityhealthcare.com/locations/medical-city-denton/ https://stopthebleedtx.org/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fl5zDVlPiTw

Gary Henderson is the CEO and President of United Way Denton of County. In this conversation, we talk about all the ways United Way of Denton County has stepped up and served the vital needs of the community during a challenging year.

Kristen Pulido and Rhonda Tovar are the venue directors for Sunago Bell, Denton's newest wedding and event space located on the beautiful top floor of the Wells Fargo Building downtown. They were set to complete construction and open during the shutdown, so we get into that; we talk about the concept for the design, what it was like to start booking events during a pandemic. https://www.sunagobell.com/ https://www.discoverdenton.com/listing/sunago-bell/647/ https://www.instagram.com/sunagobell/?hl=en https://www.facebook.com/SunagoBell/  

Tony Puente is the City of Denton Executive Manager of Utilities. In this episode, we cover how and why ERCOT works the way it does, how DME put together the plan to shed load, how the DEC's natural gas supply was lost, how the water supply lost pressure causing a boil notice. We also talk about leadership and some of the books that have inspired Tony along the way.

Returning guest and Shark Tank deal closer, Aaron Powell of Bunch Bikes is on the pod today. He is a life-long bike enthusiast and started his company after falling in love with Scandinavian bicycle culture on a family trip to Malmö, Sweden, in 2016. In this episode, Aaron chats about his experience getting into the tank and closing a deal with a Shark. Bunch Bikes Bunch Bikes Facebook Bunch Bikes Twitter Bunch Bikes Instagram

Daniel Markham is a Texas songwriter and musician with a new full-length solo album, Night Light, recorded in Turkey, Texas, with Charlie Stout over the two coldest days of the pandemic summer. In this episode, we discuss being an artist during the shutdown, Texas History, and Daniel sings a couple of tunes off the new record. Daniel Markham Music Daniel Markham Bandcamp Twitter Facebook Instagram

Randi Skinner is the owner of RS Consulting and the founder of the Denton Grassroots Water Crew. In this episode, we get caught up on parent life, the historic polar vortex, moderating the Downtowners during a disaster, putting together the volunteers and donations for the Denton Grassroots Water Crew, life during a pandemic, and much more.

Bill Patterson is the publisher of the Denton Record-Chronicle and owner and CEO of Denton Media Company. At the end of 2017, he repurchased the local newspaper from A.H Belo Corporation who had owned it since 1999. Before that, the Patterson family had owned the Denton Record-Chronicle since 1945, serving the Denton area since 1903. Dentonrc.com @dentonrc bpatterson@dentonrc.com 940-566-6808  

Dave Coorts is the Technical Director for BPS Agriculture, which is the holding company for operating entities Verano365®, Farm Shield™, and PureAcre™.  He has 35 years of experience in the agriculture industry. He resides in Argyle, Texas with his wife and has six children and five grandkids. You can reach him at david.coorts@bpsagriculture.com.    LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-coorts-87145397/ Articles from Dave: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-coorts-87145397/detail/recent-activity/posts/

Gerard Hudspeth was born and raised in Denton, where he attended Denton High School and earned his bachelor's degree from UNT. After volunteering for many years on the Denton Planning and Zoning board, Gerard was elected to serve two terms on the City Council representing District 1. In 2019, his fellow Council Members selected him as Mayor Pro Tem and Gerard was elected Mayor in 2020. Gerard and his family have always had a passion for giving back to the community and that drive led Gerard to become a volunteer with both CASA and Mentor Denton to help serve at-risk kids and ensure they are provided every possible opportunity for success. Gerard is also active with the Independent Order of Odd Fellows, the Denton Breakfast Kiwanis, the Denton Chamber of Commerce, and the Denton Black Chamber of Commerce. Professionally, Gerard is the General Manager for a local business development company dedicated to helping grow small businesses. Committee Assignments: Agenda Committee, Economic Development Partnership Board, Tax Increment Reinvestment Zone No. 2 Board, Lake Ray Roberts P&Z Commission, North Texas Commission, Denton County Behavioral Health Leadership Team, Denton County Homelessness Leadership Team, Regional Transportation Council. Regular City council meetings and work sessions are open to the public. The Council Chamber and the Council Work Session Room are located at City Hall, 215 E. McKinney Street, Denton.  (940) 349-7717 Gerard.Hudspeth@cityofdenton.com http://dentonbff.com/ View agendas or watch live. Write Gerard a Letter: City Hall c/o Mayor Hudspeth215 E. McKinney StreetDenton, TX. 76201

Hank Dickenson is the Director of Membership at the Denton Chamber of Commerce and has been involved with the Denton Chamber for more than 10 years. Previously, he served as a Board Member and was elected Board Chair in 2010. He also served as the Chair of Discover Denton and assisted with the hiring of Mike Pistana, current Vice President of Discover Denton. Dickenson is a past recipient of the Chamber Volunteer of the Year Award as well as the prestigious Otis L. Fowler Award. Prior to accepting his position at the Denton Chamber, Dickenson spent over 25 years at the University of North Texas Athletic Department as an athletic administrator, holding titles such as Deputy Athletic Director from 2006-2015 and Executive Senior Associate Athletic Director/Community Engagement from 2016-2020. 

Cory Lacy is the Vice President of Economic Development for the Denton Economic Development Partnership. He is an economic development guru with a strong background in sales and commercial real estate. Cory came to Denton from serving as the President of the Best Southwest Partnership, a cooperative effort between the founding partners of Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville, Lancaster, and various other community and business partners in southern Dallas and northern Ellis counties. For more information about the Denton Economic Development Partnership, visit https://dentonedp.com Cory can be reached by email at cory@dentonedp.com or by phone at 940-382-7151

Bryce Cottrell is the founder and owner of Denton's first distillery, Noble Wolf Vodka. His special recipe produced from grapefruit has won several awards such as Texas Vodka of the Year and Double Gold in the New York Spirits Competition. He's a former football player at the University of Texas, Austin, and developed the idea for the company while deciding whether to head towards a career in the NFL or as a businessman.

Jill Jester is an attorney who primarily practices real estate, probate, general civil litigation, and business law. Jill was appointed by Governor Abbot to the Texas Woman's Board of Regents and was elected chair of the Board in 2019. She just finished a term as the Denton Chamber of Commerce's Board Chair of the Chamber. Jill is no slouch. In this conversation, we talk about her new puppy, her fascinating background in improv comedy, the business of being a regent, the Denton Chamber of Commerce, and more.

Taylor Higginbotham is a freelance graphic designer and comedian. He was deeply involved in the local stand-up scene and helped create and host a wildly popular, live-podcast called The Brave Boys. In this episode, we talk about the Denton house scene, what it's like to work through a shutdown, the past and possible future of our local comedy scene, and more.

Bruce moved to Denton in December of 1993 and earned a B.S. degree in Emergency Administration and Planning in 1997. Thereafter, Bruce embarked on what culminated into a 22 year career with a local railroad contractor. After marrying in 2005, Bruce and his wife had their first and only child. After years of early childhood complications, she was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis in March of 2009. Later that year, Bruce (also known as "Colonel Burns") aired his inaugural “Colonel Burns Honky Tonk Hour” on KUZU's AM predecessor. Bruce's love for Denton music and arts, as well as his personal experiences with healthcare, led him to get involved with DMAC in the Spring of 2018. As an avid supporter of the Denton music and arts scene, he now serves as DMAC's Vice President and directs his efforts on community engagement, fundraising, membership recruiting, and event coordination.

Jacob is currently the Executive Director for the Denton Affordable Housing Corporation, a longstanding nonprofit that promotes and encourages quality affordable housing. In this episode, we discuss the magic of Denton, the Honda Ruckus, 2020 in retrospect, the College View neighborhood, the Denton Corner-store game, the awesomeness of Blue Bag Grocery, the suburban life, urban & suburban design, Denton zoning, and much more. Jacob Moses Linkedin Jacob Moses Facebook Jacob Moses Twitter Denton Affordable Housing Corporation    

Birdia Johnson is our newest addition to the city council and has lived in Denton for over 40 years. She is a wife and mother of six children, who were all raised in Denton. In addition, she has been blessed with five beautiful grandchildren. For 23 years, she was an employee of her alma mater, the University of North Texas, where she worked her way from a food service worker to food service manager. While working full time, Birdia earned a Bachelor's of Applied Arts and Science Degree from the University of North Texas in Criminal Justice. Following her time at UNT, she worked as a correction officer for the Texas Juvenile Justice Department. Currently, as a retiree, Birdia is an avid volunteer. She has served a chairperson of the Martin L. King, Jr. Advisory Board, Vice-President of the Juneteenth Celebration Committee, Chair of the Juneteenth Celebration Parade, and chairperson of the Freedom Fund Scholarship Banquet for Denton County Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. birdiajohnson.com/ facebook.com/Birdia-Johnson-for-Denton-City-Council https://www.cityofdenton.com/en-us/government/city-officials/city-council  

In this episode of the podcast, the tables have turned. Glen Farris is interviewed by his wife, Alyssa Stevenson. They discuss Glen's insatiable curiosity, moving from downtown, and the birth of their first child during a pandemic.

Jake grew up about twenty minutes outside of Denton in the small town of Ponder. Once graduated from high school, he attended the University of North Texas in Denton and never left. During his college years, Jake was introduced to the Denton music scene and was amazed by the level of talent concentrated in one area. With help from local musicians, Jake launched an online radio station, DentonRadio.com, in an effort to promote the music scene that he had fallen in love with. Jake joined the staff and currently serves as Media Production and Welcome Center Manager, responsible for producing and generating content for our organization, including running the day-to-day operations of DentonRadio.com and the Discover Denton Welcome Center.

Mike Christian is the CEO & Founder of a virtual reality company specializing in learning and training software called From the Future. In this episode, we discuss the current election result situation, how VR will revolutionize training and education, where VR will be in 20 years, and the current state of the hardware and software. I ask him how a plebeian like me gets into VR, and we answer the question: are we all currently living in a situation, and the answer will cause you to trip on your flip-flops over the balcony edge.

Katie Montgomery is a local artist, designer, and woman about town. She is a big part of an upcoming virtual beer fest, the North Texas Beermuda Triangle Fest, and we chat all about what that looks like in this episode. We also discuss the upcoming election, what it's like to work as a free-lancer through a pandemic, her latest beer can design, she tells a spooky story about the Bermuda Triangle and she tells an even SPOOKIER story about the haunted unit next door.  

Marty Rivers is the Denton Market President for American National Bank and Trust. He has been incredibly involved in the economic development of the downtown area for years. Many of Denton's qualities that we love came about because of Marty's work on the many boards and commissions he's volunteered his time for over the years. He's one of the best we've got.

Marcus Watson is an owner and founder of Little Guys moving company and Dan's Silverleaf. He's a fixture in the core of our city's cultural scene, and in this episode, we talk about local business, culture, and some tall tales that are told about some fantastic Denton moments in history.

Nic was born and raised in Wichita Falls, but his family has deep roots in Denton. Music has been one of his lifelong passions, the viola being his first musical instrument. He then picked up the guitar in his early teens like almost every other dude in the country. He moved to Denton in 2004 on his 25th birthday, and part of what inspired him to move to Denton was the music scene and the fact that some of his favorite bands are from Denton. Nic co-founded DMAC with Andy Knapik and a handful of their friends and 35 Denton colleagues in 2017; the first meetings were potlucks at Nic's house. He lives in north Denton with his wife and their three dogs Radha (aka “Baby Girl”), Annie (aka “Annie Banannie”), and Digby (aka “Doofus”). He is very well known for his ability to smoke a brisket.

Byrd Williams IV is a photographer and downtown Denton fixture. In this episode we get to chat about his deep photography roots tracing back 4 generations, the philosophy behind being a documentarian vs an artist, the Williams family collection at UNT, future projects, and much much more.

Aaron Powell is the CEO and founder of Bunch Bikes. In this conversation, we discuss how he developed the idea for the business, all the challenges he's had to overcome, where he's headed in the future, and much more. This episode is a great chat with one of Denton's most unique entrepreneurs.

Kristen Kendrick Bigley is the Director for The UNT CoLab space right here in downtown Denton just off the square at 207 N Elm. In this episode, we discuss the history of the building, the origins of the UNT CoLab idea, how they're going to open, and what led her to the position. This conversation uncovers her deep, Denton roots and passion for promoting local vendors and artists.

Wren Baker is the Vice President & Director of Athletics at the University of North Texas. As one can imagine, he has been busy this Spring and Summer navigating and mitigating the current pandemic risks. In this conversation, we discuss how the Conference USA has decided to move ahead with a full football schedule this Fall, what the program means to the athletes, university, fans, and city of Denton.

Kimberly Thaggard is a fixture in the fabric of my social life. She's in Aerial Club with my wife; she's an assistant principal at Denton High School, she's a Ph.D. Candidate at Texas Woman's University and a great conversationalist. In this episode, we talk about how she got into public education, what the new Denton High School will look like, and the challenges of leading a team into the unknown of a pandemic.

Heather Gregory is a return guest on The Big Deal because she is a literal big deal. As the Director of Stoke, she has crafted a vibrant and buzzing community of professionals right here in Denton's heart. In this conversation, we chat about how they're adapting to the new pandemic work environments, the exciting changes happening to downtown, and a great partnership with Texas Woman's University, the AccelerateHER incubator program. This program is a first of it's kind and really reflects the culture of our up and coming Denton workforce.

Annette Becker is a master of her craft. She has undertaken a massive project in digitizing UNT's nearly 20,000-piece Texas Fashion collection. In this episode, we chat about how a farm girl from Kansas becomes the curator of a collection. We also cover the weirdest and oldest pieces in the, and we walk through a brief history of men's fashion answering the question: how did we get from wigs and frilly stuff to shorts and polos? As usual, this is an excellent conversation, and Annette is such an asset to the community.

Anytime I sit down with Tim for a chat, you know it's going to be a good one. This week's episode is no different as we discuss the downtown economy during a pandemic, diets, running, and most of all, we rehash our debate over The Joker. We share several different whiskeys in this episode, so things reach that elevated level that alcohol can bring to a good friendly conversation.

Anytime I sit down with Tim for a chat, you know it's going to be a good one. This week's episode is no different as we discuss the downtown economy during a pandemic, diets, running, and most of all, we rehash our debate over The Joker. We share several different whiskeys in this episode, so things reach that elevated level that alcohol can bring to a good friendly conversation.

Today's episode is a great chat with one of my favorite downtown entrepreneurs, Eric Pulido. You may know him from one of the many bands, bars, restaurants, retail, or screen printing projects he's involved in downtown Denton. Everything he's involved in really is too much to list here, and that's why this episode is a good one because we had a lot to talk about. Eric epitomizes what it is to be a go-getter here in Denton, and in this episode, we get to talk all about how he got here, what it was like to be in a local band that was huge in Europe and much, much more.

Daniel Rodrigue is a professor of journalism, photojournalism and photography, including 35mm film/darkroom, digital and studio photography. No matter the class, his students all learn a little about photography, Edwin Land and Polaroid. He teaches at Brookhaven College in the same darkroom where he first learned to develop film and print photographs back in 2001. In this episode, we chat about the current state of journalism, instafilm, business in Denton during the pandemic among other things.

Dr. Jamie Wilson has served as the superintendent of schools for the Denton Independent School District since July 1, 2012. During his 28-year career, he has built a reputation through public education advocacy, growth management, and instructional innovation. This episode centers around the plan for reopening the schools during an increase in Covid-19 cases.

In this week's episode, we've got Bobby Mullins of Armadillo Ale Works. Bobby and I went way back to the days when I was just a Denton musician back from New York with a massive appetite for hard to find craft brews. We got to know each other when he was behind the counter at Metzler's, which was pretty much the only shop when you could find a Belgium Trappist ale. It's been incredible to watch Bobby grow his business into what it is today: a full-service tasting room in the heart of downtown Denton.

Ian Harber is the Communications Director over at Serve Denton. He's been involved in non-profit digital marketing for the past six years and hosts the brand new Serve Denton podcast. He loves Denton and has a real heart for serving the community, and his position at Serve Denton gives him that opportunity to make an impact. Go head over to Serve Denton's website for more information on the great work they are doing in our area. Also, go check out the Serve Denton weekly podcast of interviews with local leaders who are on the front lines of helping those in need in our community.

Dr. Matthew Richardson is in the pandemic hot seat right now as the Health Director for Denton County Public Health. Imagine Luke and Owen Wilson have a nerdy older brother and that pretty much hits the nail on the head. In this episode, we get into all the gritty details, facts, figures, and data surrounding everything you've ever wanted to know about Covid-19. Positive tests are on the rise in a big way in our county, and you'll want to listen to this episode and gauge your preparedness accordingly. I'll give away the end: stay home, stay 6-feet apart, wear your mask, and avoid crowds. We are in this one for the long haul.