As the year and my two-year term as President of East Fort Worth Business Association end, I find myself both thinking back and looking forward.

I want to take a moment to reflect on the remarkable progress we have made together and to express my heartfelt gratitude to all our members, partners, and supporters. Your commitment and perseverance have been the foundation of our achievements, especially as we navigated uncertain times and adapted to new realities.

Over the past four years our organization has faced challenges. Economic development in our part of Fort Worth has always been problematic. We have been the strong advocates for keeping things from going completely off the rails. Our leaders have lobbied with city staff and government officials repeatedly to prevent issues which would harm our area. This is our mission. Our founders saw that as their main purpose and for more than five decades this is what we have done. We have been successful many times and many times we have failed. I have great pride in the successes.

As the baton passes to Amanda Hollins, there is real promise in our future. Amanda is idealistic and realistic. She knows both the challenges and the potential in doing business in East Fort Worth. Open to ideas and assertive by nature in moving forward, she is the ideal person to head this organization. She has worked with our other young leaders to bring the organization into the more technical age we live in. Amanda will be working with Dan Shelley as Vice President and Angela Baker as Treasurer. This is a powerhouse executive committee.

For two years I have enjoyed being able to work with some wonderful people. They have been dedicated to making East Fort Worth the premier place to live and work. They have been aware that our school system has not performed well and have adopted a motto that “Education is good business”. To that end there has been support for educational opportunities in East Fort Worth. Thousands of dollars have been given to deserving students to help with expenses related to staying in school. Some of our members have devoted time for volunteering in our schools where they are needed. This has not gone unappreciated by sponsors who partner with us from other areas when we gather for our awards event.

During 2026, in my role as Immediate Past-President, I will serve as a non-voting advisor to the newly appointed board. This will be a time to relax and enjoy the energy the new leaders bring. I’m looking forward to this new year. Don