EFWBA Friends and Members,
The Ides of March, Mardi Gras, and St. Patrick's Day have all whizzed past. We are now officially into spring and tax deadlines. Seems like only yesterday we were celebrating Christmas and the new year.
During the past months East Fort Worth Business Association Board members have been breaking into various committees to determine how changes can be made to make our organization more efficient and more helpful for our members. After 50 years a lot has changed, and we need to change as well.
A communications and Marketing committee headed by President Elect Amanda Hollins is working on enhancing how the Business Association processes information. Committee members are Michael Shedd, Ialeen Cole, and Dan Shelley. They will be coming with recommendations soon.
Paul Kerpoe is also charring a finance committee Their charge is to look at budgeting, and membership dues and/or other aspects of keeping our organization viable and financially stable. Members of that committee include, Don Boren, Amanda Hollins, Charles Ivory, Ialeen Cole, and Dan Shelley.
Bill Schwennsen and Gary Cumbie are moving forward with the Candidate Forum set for our April meeting. With a crowded slate in District 5 this should be an informative meeting. They plan to invite all the candidates from Districts 5, 11, and 8. Bill has had a proceedure to deaden a nerve in his neck which was causing him a lot of pain, He will be wearing the dog collar /neck brace for 4 weeks.
Our paid members are the reason we exist. It's still just $75 for membership and $40 for an additional member.
Please RSVP for the April 3rd meeting and I'll see you there.
The Prez
We received heart-breaking news on February 26, 2025, that Board Member Charles Hodges passed away.
Charles Hodges, serving as an EFWBA Director, was employed by Fort Worth ISD Family Action Center. After a 30-year career in public relations and corporate communications working for several Fortune 1000 companies, the Fort Worth native began working for Fort Worth ISD in a community relations and family support role. His favorite thing was helping facilitate behavioral, mental, physical and community resource support for east side students, families and residents. He was instrumental on the Wanda Conlin Scholarship Committee, helping to select the best students for scholarship awards, the Breakfast Optimist Club and several other organizations on the East Side of his beloved home town.
Will is the owner of Crescendo Development, which he founded in 2023 to pursue his goals of historic preservation and adaptive reuse in projects across his hometown of Fort Worth. He has established, owned, and operated realty and property management companies for nearly 15 years. Will received his broker's license in 2010 and his real estate license in 2008.
Being civically minded, Will spends much of his time giving back to his beloved community. Most notably, he served for eight years on the Fort Worth Zoning Commission. Appointed to the District 1 seat by former mayor Betsy Price, Will served for eight years, three of which he held the position of chair. In many ways, Will has been a "sparkplug" in redevelopment activities, especially in South Fort Worth. These include the Development Committee of Near Southside, Inc.; Public Affairs Committee for the Real Estate Council of Greater Fort Worth; Leadership Fort Worth; Historic Fort Worth, Inc.; and Mistletoe Heights Neighborhood Association.
Will was recognized as one of Fort Worth's 400 Most Influential People in 2024 by Fort Worth Magazine. He is a 2019 recipient of the Charles Tandy award presented by the Texas Association of REALTORS® for outstanding transaction of the year; 2018 recipient of the Charles Tandy award given by his peers at the Society of Commercial Realtors of the Fort Worth Association of Realtors; and 2015 recipient of the Fort Worth Business Press 40 Under 40 award. He has been named a Five Star Professional by Texas Monthly, featured in Money Magazine, and was voted as a top Fort Worth REALTOR® by Fort Worth Magazine.
A Fort Worth native, Will holds a B.B.A. from Texas Christian University's Neeley School of Business. Will lives in a historic house in Fort Worth with his wife and three children.
Order your EFWBA Polo Shirt for $30! Click the button below to select a size & complete the sale.
Order your embroidered logo button polo shirt for $30. Wear this shirt to represent our organization at your community or civic events.
Selecting a size will take you to the SwipeSimple checkout page.
Meadowbrook-Poly United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall
3900 Meadowbrook Drive, Fort Worth, 76103.
Usually in the building on North side of church complex, closest to Meadowbrook. Overflow Parking on West side of street.
Doors Open 11:30 Lunch 11:45 – 1:00 pm
Meals $15.00 Members • $20.00 Non-Members
Josh Eadie is vice president, development for NexMetro Communities, the national leading developer of luxury leased home neighborhoods with more than 40 projects in multiple markets either built, under construction or in development and a robust pipeline of projects in new and existing markets. Josh is responsible for all land acquisition, entitlements and due diligence, and construction execution in the Dallas Fort Worth metro area.
Gary Cumbie has invited the local candidates for office to particiapate in our Candidate Forum and introduce themselves to our group.
Last year's Forum was extremely informative, this interaction allows us to meet people personally before casting our votes.
May meeting: Will Northern