Bob in Business: At 124 and Growing, Burns & McDonnell Takes Lease at 777 Main
Editor’s Note: Bob on Business is a new column featuring new business articles and interesting trivia from Fort Worth Report Business Editor Robert Francis.
Burns & McDonnell is moving into the 777 Main building in downtown Fort Worth and is preparing for more growth in the coming years.
The Kansas City, Missouri-based global engineering, architecture, construction, environment and consulting firm is occupying floors 24 through 26 in the 40-story, approximately 71,000-square-foot building. The company has about 200 employees locally but expects to double that by 2030, Clark said.
The 124-year-old company is vacating the former Pier 1 building which is being converted into the new Fort Worth City Hall.
The lease with 777 Main runs through 2030 and there is an option to expand if needed, Clark said. Burns & McDonnell used JLL as their real estate agent in their search for a new space.
The company plans to move by the fourth quarter, according to Scott Clark, vice president and general manager of the Dallas-Fort Worth regional office.
“We are very excited to expand here, to be closer to our customers and to be in the heart of downtown,” Clark said. “I think it’s going to be really good for our office.”
Clark said the company is working on several projects in the Southwest involving energy, environment, water, data centers and transportation.
“We are privileged to be working on some incredibly innovative infrastructure advances in Texas and across the country,” he said.
Clark said data centers are probably the busiest part of the market, and manufacturing projects are also going strong.
“Those parts of the market are where we’re seeing a lot of activity,” he said.
Clark said rapid growth in Texas is creating a need for more electric and water infrastructure projects.
“We’re starting to see a lot of needs for water infrastructure in Texas,” he said. “It looks to be a big area for us as well in the future.”
The company’s construction crew is also busy, Clark said.
“Whatever we design, we like to build,” he said. “So we also have a very strong construction group here locally.”
The company moved into the former Pier 1 Imports building in 2016 after opening its first regional office in North Texas in 2010.
But the company’s growth and the city’s purchase of that building prompted the company to look for new space, Clark said.
Clark said the Fort Worth regional office had its best year in 2022 and even grew during the pandemic. The Fort Worth office has approximately 200 employees and the Dallas office has approximately 120.
“We’ve grown 62% since the pandemic started in March 2020,” he said.
For Clark, going back to the building will be a full circle. The building was once the headquarters of Carter Burgess, the engineering, architecture and land use planning firm acquired by Jacobs in 2007.
“I’ve been a Carter Burgess guy for 19 years,” he said.
Burns & McDonnell is a 100% employee-owned company that has been recognized as one of the best places to work in Texas for several years and was recently named one of the Great Places to Work in Texas by the Great Place to Work organization. Work. The company was ranked No. 6 on Engineering News-Record’s Top 100 Design and Construction Firms list.
Star-shaped pizza coming to Grapevine
Mister 01 pizza opens in Grapevine (Courtesy: Mister 01)
Mister O1, the Miami-born artisan pizza concept that has a Texas location in Dallas, has opened its second Texas location in Grapevine at 129 S. Main Street.
Where does the name come from, you ask? The founder and master pizza maker Renato Viola grew up in southern Italy where he developed a passion for cooking. At the age of 11 he was apprenticed to some of the best Italian chefs. Eventually he arrived in the United States with the O1 Visa category, reserved for those with nationally or internationally recognized “extraordinary artistic ability”. Lui opened the first Mister O1 location in 2014 and has since grown to 13 locations.
The full-service neighborhood restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week with handcrafted pizzas. The pizza dough and sauce do not contain sugar or preservatives.
Dallas’ first store opened in the fall of 2022 in Turtle Creek Shopping Village off Oaklawn Avenue by local franchise partner, John LaBarge.
LaBarge was a former senior vice president of operations and franchise business at Corner Bakery Cafe.
Some of the traditional pizza options include bella margherita, pepperoni, sausage, and meat lovers. Alessandra Jalapeno – Italian tomato sauce, mozzarella, fresh mushrooms, avocado, jalapeño is among the specialties offered.
The nearly 4,000-square-foot space at Grapevine will seat 50 people inside as well as patio seating for eight.
Fuzzy is arriving south of Arlington
Fuzzy’s Taco Shop, the famous Baja-style taco restaurant born in Fort Worth near TCU, Iis opening its new headquarters in Arlington. The 3,800 square foot restaurant is located at 5904 Cooper St., Suite 100, Arlington. This will be the ninth shop owned and operated by Eddie White of E2 Restaurant Group, LLC.
“We chose this spot for its large patio that provides the perfect setting for our guests to relax outdoors and enjoy the weather with a Fuzzy’s Margarita in hand or a Baja taco or two,” says owner White, in a statement. a press release.
Fuzzy’s Taco Shop has 139 corporate-owned and franchised locations in 18 states.
Dog Haus brings more gourmet food to Texas, DFW
Dog Haus, which originated in Pasadena, California, is sensing potential growth in Texas.
The gourmet concept of hot dogs, sausages and burgers is joining the influx of West Coast companies setting up shop in Texas and plans to add several dozen new restaurants over the next few years, bringing the total to over 30 in some of the largest Texas markets.
Dog Haus is opening a location in the Arlington Highlands development ahead of Memorial Day and another soon after in Frisco. Two new restaurants are also slated to open in San Antonio along with other places in the Austin and Houston areas before the end of the fall.
“We’ve done great business and established strong roots in the community ever since we opened our first DFW location in Richardson,” said Eric Hartung, executive vice president of franchise development at Dog Haus.
Dog Haus operates 55 physical locations nationwide, with eight currently open in Texas.
Grapevine’s Post Malone behind a single Raising Cane
What does Raising Cane’s restaurant in Midvale, Utah have to do with North Texas? A lot when it comes to Grapevine-raised musical artist, Post Malone. Raising Cane’s has opened its doors in Midvale in a restaurant designed by the “Better Now” singer.
Malone is apparently a longtime fan of chicken restaurants and is friends with Raising Cane founder Todd Graves, who made an appearance in Post’s 2021 Motley Crew music video.
After moving to Utah, Malone made a personal request to Graves that there was a Cane location nearby and asked if he could design it.
“I have the best childhood memories of eating at Raising Cane’s in Dallas. Working with Todd at this restaurant near my home in Utah has been amazing and I can’t wait for everyone to order their meal the ‘Posty Way,'” Malone said, in a press release.
How is the restaurant unique? Well, it’s painted hot pink on the outside, for starters. The updated restaurant features a building exterior wrapped in solid pink with images of Post Malone’s tattoo along with memorabilia from the singer inside.
Do you have a thing for the Bob on Business column? Email Bob Francis as [email protected]
Bob Francis is business editor for the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at [email protected].
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