“With our roaming agreements, we cover basically 92 out of the top 100 markets.”
Roger D. Linquist, chairman, president, and CEO, MetroPCS Communications Inc., on the company’s growing footprint.
“With people that are struggling in California, New York, and Arizona, there’s an awful lot of people looking at what Dallas and downtown
Dallas have to offer in terms of helping them get through some tough times.”
John F. Crawford, president and CEO, DowntownDallas, on company-recruitment and relocation prospects for Dallas over the next several years.
“The next big market for us will be Miami, Fla. We have a 12-store development agreement [there] in place.”
Antonio Swad, founder and CEO, Pizza Patron Inc., on how the company is “mashing the gas pedal” on growth in a recessionary environment.
“If I could call up Obama tomorrow, I would tell him, ‘Invest in restaurants.’ … Restaurants need so many people, from the dishwashers to the busboys to all the chefs and waiters. We employ here, at our restaurant, already 80 people.”
Wolfgang Puck, co-founder, Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining Group, on Dallas restaurant Five Sixty and his own ideas for an economic stimulus.
“There were well over 500 people waiting in line to get into Nordstrom Rack as early as 5 a.m. on Thursday morning.”
Tod A. Ruble, co-founder and partner, Harvest Partners, on a leading retail attraction at Harvest’s new Park Lane mixed-use development in Dallas.
“We are getting more donations from more individuals than ever before; they are, however, coming in at lower levels.”
Mary Anne Alhadeff, president and CEO, North Texas Public Broadcasting Inc., on the challenges facing nonprofits like KERA TV/FM in the slumping economy.
“We have a much greater runway now to continue to grow our business.”
Trevor Fetter, president and CEO, Tenet Healthcare Corp., on Tenet’s successful recent “note exchange.” It took the company’s earliest-maturing debt (2011 and 2012) and pushed it out to 2015 and 2018, bolstering the company’s ability to withstand the credit crunch.
“The high-end people have no problem with their loans. Many of them are cash.”
Ebby Halliday, founder and chairman, Ebby Halliday Realtors, on the one part of the local residential-realty market that’s doing relatively well.
