4.5 - Getting Smash'd

In this season finale, the Economic Development Team takes a moment to appreciate the City's most notable point of commercial convergence: the Five-Star Accredited Grapevine Chamber of Commerce. You'll hear how the Chamber team functions, why it matters for businesses of every size and shape to have a place to come together, and how a few honest conversations launched a potentially revolutionary health insurance system here in our community.

Earlier this year, listener Sherri Olsen requested a special episode about Grapevine Animal Services, a division of Grapevine PD. We thought that was a great idea.This month, you'll meet the women who oversee care of countless animals in our community, and experience their world through the eyes of an imaginary pet with a classic law enforcement moniker... Fi Doe.

What if we told you that one of the most innovative, data-driven companies in Grapevine sells luxury flooring? Would you believe they're an omnichannel retailer with an emphasis on customer service... even though their primary strategy is online?Today, we're asking the team at Flooret to explain how they plan to revolutionize a 100-year-old industry that most of us walk right over.

When Alex Carroll shopped at Grapevine Mills as a teenager, he didn't even notice the triangular plot of land next door. Decades of entrepreneurship and venture capital collaborations later, he's elevating that vacant area - and the entire Grapevine market - by bringing Dig World to town.

Every year, a small team of public servants and local stakeholders makes the long trip from Grapevine, Texas, to Las Vegas, Nevada, for the World's Largest Commercial Real Estate Meeting. Their goal? To recruit more developers, brands, and partners who can further elevate our economy. This year, we're taking you along for the ride (and a special Awards Ceremony).

In anticipation of a summer filled with international soccer, Grapevine Economic Development asked the City's new resident experts to explain the Beautiful Game and its cousin, futsal. Esteban and Manuel Mariel are bringing their community-centric mini pitches to Grapevine just in time for the World Cup... so they have plenty of thoughts on soccer culture, getting active, and how City Futsal can transform the world.

You've probably never heard of Mi Sher Auto Parts, the company that owns Grapevine's one and only NAPA store. But even if you've never bought from them, they've probably made an impact on your life. The Mi Sher portfolio includes Integrated Business Solutions in multiple industries, including ground support at DFW International Airport. This week, we're asking them to help us untangle the mysterious web of the Supply Chain... and discovering the essential (and problematically overlooked) "middlemen" at the heart of it all.

Conner Gildenblatt doesn't do anything the easy way. He got a 30-day crash course in pizzeria operations before launching Sauce'd in downtown Grapevine, then had to run his business on a lean staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. A few years later, he did something even more wild: introduced a smashburger to his streamlined pizza menu.Now, it's their best-selling item.

A self-taught artist with a sense of calling, Michele Wilson believes she isn't on Main Street by accident... even though a car wreck redirected her toward ownership of Giddens Art Gallery.

The 'Growing Grapevine' team takes you inside Kilwin's on Main Street to see how manager Elizabeth Bartlett gets ready for the day. While there are no fizzy lifting drinks or dangerous rivers of chocolate on this tour, you'll come to see Elizabeth's journey as its own kind of magic elevator ride.