Keller Business Connections is a business service/community organization, here in the City of Keller, committed to uniting commerce and the community driving (1) better business results for our members, and (2) positive mutually beneficial experiences for Keller. The CONNECTED monthly luncheon is an opportunity to network with over 150 fellow KBC Members and guest and for hearing discussion on topics of interest to the business community.
April CONNECTED Sponsors:
Galloway and Gilliland, PLLC. This firm provides customized legal strategies for each and every client. “Our attorneys take great care to learn about the individuals and businesses they represent. By choosing Galloway and Gilliland, PLLC, you can rest assured that your legal issues will be handled with the utmost care, respect, and professionalism.”
Freedom Title “Freedom Title prides itself in giving the best service you expect and deserve from a title company. We strive to offer our clients the highest level of knowledge and expertise on each transaction.”
Texas Best Properties: “With diverse backgrounds agents bring professional expertise from industries such as High Tech, Commercial Real Estate, Corporate and Securities, Interior Design and Residential Property Management.”
Meal Provided By: Baja Grill
This month get CONNECTED with the candidates in the upcoming Keller Mayoral and City Council election. Be informed when you go to the polls on May 10th! This debate, presented by The League of Women Voters, will introduce you to the candidates and their platforms.
Mayoral Candidates
PAT MCGRAIL: Pat is now in his third term, As a community leader in Keller, McGrail has worked to shape the agenda since he moved to the city more than 20 years ago. He is dedicated to helping the city reach its full growth and potential.
As a former airline executive who managed thousands of employees, McGrail is confident in a leadership role. He served on the Keller City Council before winning the post of mayor. McGrail lives in Keller with his wife, Pauline. They are the parents of three grown children.
MARK MATHEWS: Mark Mathews has been a proud resident of Keller for many years and began his service to Keller in 1987. He was first appointed to the Keller Zoning Board of Adjustments and later served on the Keller City Council from 1988-1990. Mathews was instrumental in developing the first comprehensive 20-year Master Plan for the City of Keller including zoning, land use, density, streets, parks, public land uses, water, sewer, drainage, and impact fees. He is currently President of the Homeowners’ Advisory Board for Marshall Ridge Community.Mathews is passionate about giving back to the community. He is an active member of Keystone Church and served on the launch team to open the North Fort Worth satellite campus. He was project manager for “Love Others,” mobilizing 300 volunteers for the church’s outreach programs serving 20 non-profits in Keller and surrounding cities. Since 2009, Mathews has been an advisor on the National Development Committee for Camp Kesem, a non-profit serving the often-overlooked population of children affected by a parent’s cancer. He also volunteered on Camp Kesem’s Texas A&M Advisory Board from 2009-2013.
Having conducted business in more than 30 countries, Mathews is an accomplished global logistics executive skilled in international business. He has owned and operated several entrepreneurial ventures including Freight Crafters, a crating and packing business serving local manufacturers. As a small business owner, Mathews has created customer service and finance models that fuel the bottom line. He knows what it takes to run a profitable business from the inside out and he has an eye for finding strategic partners for growth. Mathews has significant experience in forecasting and new business development, and in mentoring fellow small business owners.
Mathews grew up in Hurst and graduated from LD Bell High School. He earned his degree in logistics/commercial transportation from Tarrant County College and continued his studies at University of Texas Arlington. He and his wife, Angela, and teenage step-daughter, Hannah Dykes, live in Keller. Mathews has two adult children, Jessica Daniel of Wichita Falls and Patrick Mathews, also of Keller.
City Council Candidates
Place 5
JOHN HOFFMAN: Elected to City Council in 2011. Prior to being elected to the Keller City Council, John spent three years on the Keller Planning & Zoning Commission. He was elected Vice Chairman by his fellow Commissioners in May 2011,
He has lived in Keller since 2001 with his wife of 27 years, Donna. She is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University and works as a substitute teacher for Keller ISD. They have two children — John, a graduate of the University of Dallas, and Haley, a student at the University of Missouri. Both are graduates of Keller High School.
Professionally, John is the Senior Vice President of Corporate Communication for Nationstar Mortgage in Lewisville. He has worked in journalism, corporate communication and public relations for more than 30 years. During his career, he has held leadership positions for 25 of those years – most of them senior leadership positions within large, publicly-held companies.
Throughout his life, John has volunteered continuously for the communities in which heI has lived. He has served 12 organizations at different times, including a volunteer fire department in Michigan, a youth baseball league in Illinois, and the American Red Cross here in Texas. His Red Cross work has included leadership and public affairs positions both locally and nationally, including serving as Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Chisholm Trail Chapter in Fort Worth from 2006-2008.
BILL HODNETT: Bill is a retired business executive working with both ABF and Brink’s for 42 years. He has been married to his wife, Jane, for almost 47 years. Both are active in their church, Alliance Community Fellowship (ACF), where he serves as an Elder and has other areas of responsibility and service. He has been a Keller resident since 2001.
A graduate from the University of Arkansas, Bill joined ABF Systems as a management trainee and over the next 20 years advanced to Regional VP while moving nine times to cities in five states including Texas. In 1987, Bill was recruited by Brink’s Armored, and moved his family from Ohio to Georgia.
At Brink’s, Bill held VP, Corporate VP, and Senior VP positions over his 23 year career there. He was responsible for the “Eastern Region,” eastern half of the US, national development of three different products, the national fleet, procurement and the development of the US Business Continuity Plan/Disaster Recovery. He moved to the Brink’s U.S. Headquarters in Coppell, TX in August of 2001 and moved his family to Keller at that time. In May of 2010, Bill retired from Brink’s.
Place 6
KEN LEWIS: Ken Lewis is a 17 year resident of Keller and is running on a platform of Honesty, Integrity, and Conservative values. His goals and commitment to our community are; to maintain fiscal responsible budgets; maintain quality city services; provide for responsible development; and increase parks, trails and recreation activities, without raising taxes.
Ken has a diverse 27 year background working in several engineering roles for a major Defense contractor on extremely complicated and state-of-the-art technologies. Each of these positions requires problem solving skills to achieve resolutions to technical, cost and schedule challenges. These skills will help ensure that Keller provides the utmost in services with no increase in taxes. As an Engineer, Ken has experience in producing a plan of action… and then actively working the plan to achieve successful results.
During his professional career, Ken has held many different leadership positions. He has managed 100′s of millions of dollars in budgets and led dozens of direct employees, suppliers and organizations. In addition, for the past 10 years he has served on his neighborhood’s Homeowners Association (HOA) Board, with the last 8 years serving as HOA President. In this position, he has taken the HOA from a deficit budget position, to a sizable capital reserve fund without raising dues or removing amenities.
Currently serving on the Keller Planning & Zoning Commission from Dec 2012 to present.HeI also served as a citizen representative on the Transportation Bond Advisory Board in 2012 which provided a recommendation to the Keller City Council on road projects that would increase safety and relieve traffic congestion.
Ken graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from Texas A&M University and a Master of Science degree in Engineering Management from Southern Methodist University.
Throughout his life,Ken has volunteered for many organizations and causes. From coaching children’s soccer to organizing donations to local charities, to providing time and manpower for charitable fund raising events. Giving back to the community is a trait he strongly believes in.
RICK BARNES: A native Texan, Rick Barnes was born in Fort Worth. Raised in West Texas, Rick received his Bachelor’s degree from Texas Tech University and a Master’s from Texas Christian University. Upon graduation from TCU, he worked at Clemson University in South Carolina before returning home to TCU for a total of seventeen years as an administrator in the Division of Student Affairs at each University.
Rick is a recognized leader in the field of higher education, serving in numerous leadership capacities within four higher education non-profit associations and one for-profit association management group specializing in services to the field. Rick has been a professional speaker/consultant for the past 14 years. He established Rick Barnes Presents, Inc. in 2006 and continues to serve as an entrepreneur in the speaking and consulting business. He is an established speaker, author, business coach and leadership trainer.
Rick and Sheila Barnes have been married for twenty-five years and built their home in Keller in 2003. Rick served as the President of the Cherry Grove Homeowners Association Board of Directors.
The League of Women Voters, a nonpartisan political organization, encourages informed and active participation in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy.
We are anticipating this will be a sold out event. Register early to guarantee a spot!
Cost: Members register and pay in advance $15/Non-members register and pay in advance $20/2013 Gold and Platinum Members No Charge/Members and Non-Members pay at door $25
Please register at this link: http://events.constantcontact.com/register/event?llr=z7qp5jmab&oeidk=a07e944ufsscbed14ff