Originally Featured on the Fort Worth Star Telegram on Aug 30, 2019

When nearly 2 million people tune in to ESPN’s “College GameDay” on Saturday, Fort Worth will be front and center.

The game between Oregon and Auburn will be played at AT&T Stadium, but Rece Davis, Lee Corso and crew will be in Sundance Square. That’s good for DFW sports fans, but it’s great for Fort Worth as the city looks to boost tourism and national attention.

“You can’t pay for the kind of free advertising ‘GameDay’ gives us,” said Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price.

“College GameDay” averaged 1.9 million viewers last year and it’s safe to assume that number will be the same or better for broadcasts this year. That’s priceless exposure, said Mitch Whitten, executive vice president for marketing and strategy for Visit Fort Worth.

Studies have shown most outsiders imagine Fort Worth as a much smaller city, between 30th and 40th in size — think Albuquerque, New Mexico, or Fresno, California — instead of as a top 20 city, larger than Seattle, Denver or San Francisco, Whitten said.

“There’s no question that nationally people associate Dallas-Fort Worth as one big area,” he said. “This helps us elevate Fort Worth as a city of its own.”

Cowtown welcomed 9.4 million people last year, some through conventions and others through traditional tourism. The hope is when people tune in for “GameDay” at 8 a.m.

Saturday shots of scenic Sundance Square, the skyline and footage from around town will pique curiosity about Fort Worth. Last year when ESPN visited TCU, traffic to Visit Fort Worth’s website shot up 200%, Whitten said. Ideally some of those who search for Fort Worth will be enticed to visit.

Most of what people will see Saturday is Sundance Square.

That’s thanks to a delegation that included the mayor and business leaders who convinced ESPN to shoot in Fort Worth nearly a decade ago. ESPN has been here for the Super Bowl, the College Football Playoff National Championship and two other “College GameDay” broadcasts.

“The area is a great melting pot of football fans with all the local colleges and high schools in the vicinity,” coordinating producer Drew Gallagher wrote in a statement. “Those fans had always provided great energy for the show. Combine that with the backdrop and the surrounding area, it is a location we love coming back to.”

It’s not clear how many will come downtown for “GameDay,” but Johnny Campbell, president and CEO of Sundance Square, said he expects “a few thousand.”

Visitors will shop and dine downtown, which is great for local businesses, he said.

Folks should also have an easy time getting around. There are a few street closures between 5 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday: Main Street will closed from Second to Fifth streets and Third and Fourth streets will be closed from Houston to Commerce streets. Parking is free in the Sundance Square garages.

Designers consulted with ESPN to get a feel for the best way for TV broadcasters to shoot out of Sundance, Campbell said. Instead of trucks, wires and satellites cluttering up the plaza or adjacent streets, fiber optics run to a nearby parking garage. That keeps the plaza pedestrian friendly, he said.

“People often ask whether that view down Main Street is real or a backdrop, which I think says a lot about our downtown,” Campbell said.

This article was originally featured on Park Cities People on August 26, 2019

Park Place Dealerships has released the 2019 Luxury & Supercar Showcase app with current information about the third annual premier lifestyle event on Sept. 28 at the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas. 

The app will provide up-to-date information about what to wear, when to arrive, where to park, live music schedules, meet and greets, maps of the event and more. The Park Place Luxury & Supercar Showcase app is free and available for download from the App Store.

“We introduced the app in the second year of the event and guests really embraced it,” said

Kaylie Hitch, marketing coordinator for Park Place Dealerships. “We spent the past year enhancing the offerings such as the schedule tab where users can now create a personal agenda of events to attend such as music performances on the outdoor Lexus Live Stage as well as the fashion show, hat contest, and awards presentation.”

Within the activity feed, guests can post and share photos in real-time leading up to and during the event. App users also will find information about retailers and sponsors participating in the Luxury & Supercar Showcase.

The vehicle directory on the 2019 Luxury & Supercar Showcase app also delivers information about the vehicles to be showcased in three distinctive areas including the Park Place New Car Concours, the Collectors’ Concours, and the Car Club Expo.

With hundreds of vehicles committed to participate, the app allows users to search through the different categories of vehicles.

Park Place New Car Concours will feature the latest models from every brand the dealership group represents including Rolls-Royce, Maserati, McLaren, Bentley, Karma, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Volvo, Jaguar, and Land Rover.

Collectors’ Concours is a juried showcase of rare classic, luxury, and supercars cars from private collectors on the 1st Fairway of the TPC.  A sampling of the 100+ cars includes: 

• 1916 Stutz Bearcat
• 1936 Pierce Arrow
• 1956 Mercedes-Benz 190 SL
• 1965 Corvette Stingray 
• 1966 Shelby GT350H Hertz Rent-a-Racer
• 1983 Ferrari 308 GTS

Club Car Expo will be displayed on the 18th fairway and represents some of the best car clubs in North Texas, including:

• Mercedes-Benz Club of America
• Lamborghini Club of Dallas
• Porsche Club of America – Maverick Region
• Corvette Legends of TX
• McLaren Club
• Jaguar Owners Association
• Texas Shelby North Texas
• Ferrari Club Dallas

Tickets for the event are available online and range from $25 to $50 for show field and general admission and $100 for a VIP all-access pass, which includes food and beverage tastings and access to the Celebrity Cruises Captain’s Lounge. VIP tickets have sold out the previous two years.

For more information, visit luxurysupercarshowcase.com.

Originally featured on CarProUSA on August 7, 2019

Park Place Premier Collection, part of the Park Place Dealerships group, is welcoming Karma Dallas to its selection of luxury brands on Lemmon Avenue. Karma is a luxury electric carmaker based in Southern California. (Check out this Pininfarina-designed Karma GT coupe that will make its debut at Monterey Car Week.)

In Dallas, Park Place Dealerships, with 32 years of luxury automotive experience, joins one of a select group of Karma dealerships nationwide.

“Karma is an electric brand with their sights set on growing the luxury mobility experience,” said Ken Schnitzer, Chairman of Park Place Dealerships. “The release of the 2020 Revero GT luxury electric vehicle this year and then the all-new fully-electrified global platform in 2021 will appeal to our client base who enjoy impressive engineering and design. Dallas is one of only 18 Karma dealers across the United States and is poised to electrify high-performance drivers across Dallas/Fort Worth.”

By establishing Karma in the U.S., the world’s most demanding luxury market, Karma CEO Dr. Lance Zhou says he believes the company can succeed anywhere.

“To win in our luxury electric vehicle niche, it’s not enough to simply offer a great product and owner experience, we must also be sure we establish distribution points in the right places,” said Zhou. “By gradually expanding our presence this way I am confident our company – and our products – will be well prepared for the world’s discerning luxury buyer of the future.”

2019 Karma Revero

Karma Automotive currently offers the 2019 Revero, the ultimate plug-in hybrid sedan, at a starting price of $130,000. The Revero contains a 403-horsepower electric motor and a 235-horsepower generator to charge the mid-mounted lithium-ion battery. The solar roof of the Revero isn’t just for show. It was developed to charge the 12v battery as well as the high-voltage battery, adding to the electric range. Mother Nature will provide enough power for 500-1000 miles per year.

2020 Karma Revero GT

Later this year, Karma will start delivering the updated 2020 Revero GT. The GT offers similar capabilities as its predecessor, while boosting its electric driving range to 80 miles and extending to 380 miles with the highly efficient three-cylinder onboard generator.

Park Place Luxury & Supercar Showcase

If you want to see Karma for yourself, you can check it out at the 3rd Annual Park Place Luxury & Supercar Showcase on September 28, 2019. It will take place from 10 am – 4 pm at the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas in Las Colinas. Tickets start at $25 each and are available at LuxurySupercarShowcase.com. Children under two are free. The event benefits Baylor Scott & White Irving Foundation.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=394275784780018

The 8th annual Splash Out Childhood Cancer at Hawaiian Falls in The Colony Tx benefiting TeamConnor Cancer Foundation was a great success. You can still purchase discount waterpark tickets to any of the 5 Hawaiian Falls Waterparks the rest of the summer (good thru Labor Day) at http://splashoutcancer.org

Originally Featured on The Flash List on June 20, 2019

Elegant ladies and dapper gents in stylish hats will be strolling around the lush grounds of the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas Saturday, September 28 during the 3rd annual Park Place Luxury & Supercar Showcase. Dallas’ Mad Hatter Shane Walker will judge the Haute Hat contest again this year. Men and women will compete on the Million Air Stage inside the Porsche Pavilion to be selected for the most creative, stylish and outrageous hats.

“I was astonished by the creativity and participation of last year’s Haute Hat contestants, said Shane Walker. I anticipate even more Dappers and Divas strutting their stuff this year.”

Suggested attire for the day is Concours Casual, where guests are encouraged to pair a hat with their favorite resort-inspired ensemble while sporting comfortable shoes. Shane Walker Designs will have a Pop-Up store in the Porsche Pavilion where ladies and gents can purchase some of his uniquely designed hats.

Iconic luxury shopping and dining destination Highland Park Village will present a runway fashion show featuring looks from prestigious brands Alice + Olivia, St. John, Trina Turk, Theory, and MARKE in the climate-controlled Porsche Pavilion.

The Park Place Luxury & Supercar Showcase is more than incredible cars, it is a lifestyle event, said Liz Shafton, Experiential Marketing Director for Park Place Dealerships. In addition to fashion, guests will enjoy live music, pop up shops, and amazing food from premier restaurants and popular food trucks.

Restaurants featured in the VIP Lounge include The French Room, LAW, III Forks, Cool River, Chop House Burger, Dallas Fish Market, Wild Salsa, Oven and Cellar, Outlaw Tap Room, Kai, Toulouse, Whiskey Cake, Texas de Brazil, Princi Italia, CRU Wine and Food Bar, Pacific Table, Cork & Pig Tavern, Make Your Life Sweeter, and Carlton Provisions.

Within the event will be a juried Collectors’ Concours, featuring a diverse selection of rare supercars, luxury, sports, vintage and classic cars from private collectors. The event also will include a Car Club Expo powered by Park Up Front as well as a Kid’s Zone complete with drivable cars for the littlest enthusiast.

Returning partners include the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas, VIP Lounge Sponsors Allie Beth Allman & Associates – A Berkshire Hathaway Affiliate|URBAN, Captain’s Lounge Sponsor Celebrity Cruises, The City of Irving, Hill & Wilkinson, Hagerty, Event Architecture, AT&T Business, AVSD Productions, Digital 3 Printing, Fauxcades Décor, Brad Oldham Sculpture, D Magazine, NBC 5 and CultureMap.

Additional sponsors include Lilium Florals, Perks & Provisions, Promo Resources, Sunnyland Furniture, RideCentric, iDesignMeetings, Marquee Event Rentals, Bachendorf’s, Jack Black, Renegade Cigars, Tito’s Vodka, Peroni Beer, Waste Management, GL Seamen, Ratcliff Financial Services, Garages of Texas, ExxonMobil, Thermal Printing and MarineMax Yachts.

The luxury lifestyle event benefits the Baylor Scott & White Irving Foundation. Park Place Dealerships has donated a 2020 Lexus UX to be raffled at the Park Place Luxury Supercar Showcase. Tickets for the raffle may be purchased online at irvingfoundation.bswhealth.com or by visiting Baylor Scott & White Irving Foundation at 1901 N. MacArthur Blvd. in Irving. Tickets are $100 each and participants need not be present to win. Proceeds will benefit Baylor Scott & White Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center – Irving.

Event tickets range from $25 – $50 for general admission and $100 for VIP All Access, which includes the VIP Lounge with complimentary food and beverages from dozens of the area’s finest restaurants, tickets are on sale at LuxurySupercarShowcase.com. VIP Tickets are limited and have sold out the previous two years.

About Park Place Dealerships:

Ken Schnitzer founded Park Place Dealerships in 1987 with a single Mercedes-Benz dealership on Oak Lawn. Today, Park Place Dealerships employs more than 2,000 people and operates 16 full-service dealerships representing luxury brands including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, McLaren, and Maserati.

Originally Featured in the Houston Chronicle on June 8, 2019

This newest king of the road comes to us from legendary Italian coachbuilder Pininfarina.

The 2019 Pininfarina Battista GT, named for the design house’s late founder, tops out at 217 mph and nails 0-62 mph in under 2 seconds.

The motivation — all 1,900 horsepower and 1,696 lb.-ft. of torque — comes from batteries, which give the $2.5 million supercar a range of up to 280 miles.

150 are slated to be made but Houstonians can take in this early example today at Toulouse Café, 4444 Westheimer Road between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m Nearly all of the 50 Battista GTs planned for North America are spoken for. This car’s being shipped back to Europe after its Houston appearance.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2252905288111657

“British carmaker McLaren Automotive revealed its new GT in Dallas earlier this month.

This GT, which is the company’s latest grand-touring supercar, will lead a new series of cars for McLaren, joining its Sports, Super and Ultimate Series.

The comfort-focused, $210,000 V8 was designed with more cabin and luggage space — though speed was not sacrificed as the car tops out at 203 miles per hour. The new McLaren GT is set to hit the market later this year.”

Originally Featured on Dallas Business Journal.

Video Produced by Aardvark Communications

Left to Right: Jeny Bania, Vice President, PR & Brand Marketing Headington Companies; Michael Tregoning, President Headington Companies; Laree Hulshoff, Co-Founder Aging Mind Foundation

Originally Featured in D Magazine’s Healthcare on June 3rd, 2019

With a huge boost from Headington Companies, the Aging Mind Foundation has raised over $2.5 million in the last five years for Alzheimer’s research. While the physical and emotional costs are invaluable, the financial burden of the disease is also growing. This year, 16 million Americans will provide 18.5 billion hours of unpaid care for those with Alzheimers and other dementias, valued at $234 billion. Over the next 40 years, the overall financial impact of the disease is expected to top $20 trillion.

Six million Americans currently battling Alzheimer’s disease, almost two-thirds of whom are women. While deaths from heart disease has decreased in recent years, Alheimer’s deats have increased 145 percent between 2000 and 2017. This year’s AMF gala was presented by The Joule Hotel and raised more than $720,000 for research for Yale University’s Cellular Neuroscience, Neurodegeneration and Repair program. The evening also features a patron party, an auction, and an after party.

AMF co-founder Laree Hulshoff saw the disease first hand when one of her closest friend’s husband began to deteriorate. “My girl friend married a man who was an incredible wrestler, in the army,  flew planes under radar in World War II. We watched a man with more muscles than you could count just melt,” she says. “It ruined her life and she died early.”

When the organization was looking for a place to host their fundraiser, connections led them to Headington Companies, whose hospitality, restaurants, and retail made a good match for the fundraiser.  “Aging Mind Foundation is a very active, philanthropic organization with a thoughtful audience,” said Jeny Bania, Vice President of PR & Brand Marketing for Headington Companies via release. “Aligning our brands with AMF has been a successful partnership for both entities that ultimately benefits the people impacted by Alzheimer’s.”

Park Place Dealerships recently held a Collectors Kickoff Party at the MarineMax Dallas Yacht Center on Lake Lewisville to launch the 3rd Annual Park Place Luxury & Supercar Showcase.

Dallas Fort Worth’s premier luxury lifestyle and automotive event will return to the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Saturday, September 28.

Guests were treated to a powerful lineup of luxury SUVs at the kickoff party that included the Rolls-Royce Culinan; the Bentley Bentayga; and the Maserati Levante. They also had the opportunity to board several luxury yachts at MarineMax, including the $1.5 million Galeon 500 Fly.

“The collectors were excited to hear this year’s Luxury and Supercar Showcase will be held entirely on the magnificent grounds of the Four Seasons TPC Championship golf course,” said Dave Evans, Chief Marketing Officer at Park Place Dealerships. “Our event is quickly growing into one of the foremost automotive celebrations in the Southwest. We are expecting a really distinctive selection of luxury, sports, vintage, classic and supercars from private collectors.”

In 2018, the top Collectors’ Concours award winners were presented with the “Spirit of Park Place” hand-crafted sculpture by Dallas artist Brad Oldham:

• Best of Show – 1966 Ferrari 275 GTB 6C
• Chairman’s Choice Award – 1933 Rolls-Royce Phantom II
• Salesmanship Club Award – 1980 BMW M1

In addition to the juried Collectors’ Concours, Park Place is inviting area Car Clubs to submit the best of their members’ cars for consideration in the Car Club Expo, powered by Park Up Front. Submissions for both the Collectors Concours and the Car Club Expo can be made online at LuxurySupercarShowcase.com

Representing some of the most coveted automobile brands in the world, Park Place will also feature some of the latest Rolls-Royce, Maserati, McLaren, Bentley, Porsche, Mercedes-Benz, Lexus, Volvo, Land Rover, and Jaguar models at the event.

The Luxury Lifestyle event will also offer fashion, food and retail offerings within the Porsche Pavilion. There will be live music performances all day on the Lexus Live Stage and refreshing beverages in The Mercedes-Benz Beer Garden, all spread across the 1st and 18th fairways on the beautiful Four Seasons TPC Championship golf course. Offering something for everyone in the family, the popular Kid’s Zone will return this year, complete with drivable cars and games for the younger enthusiasts.

For the second consecutive year, Highland Park Village will present a runway fashion show and Dallas’ Mad Hatter Shane Walker will return to judge the 2019 Haute Hat Contest on The Million Air Stage.

Ranging from $25 – $50 for general admission and $100 for VIP All Access, (which includes the VIP Lounge with complimentary food and beverages from dozens of the area’s finest restaurants,) admission tickets are already on sale at LuxurySupercarShowcase.com. VIP All Access tickets are limited and have sold out each of the previous two years.

Returning partners include the Four Seasons Resort and Club Dallas at Las Colinas; VIP Lounge Sponsors Allie Beth Allman & Associates – A Berkshire Hathaway Affiliate|URBAN; Captain’s Lounge Sponsor Celebrity Cruises; The City of Irving; Hill & Wilkinson; Hagerty; Event Architecture; AT&T Business; AVSD Productions; Digital 3 Printing; Fauxcades Décor; Brad Oldham Sculpture; D Magazine and NBC 5.

Restaurants featured in the VIP Lounge include The French Room; LAW; III Forks; Cool River; Chop House Burger; Dallas Fish Market; Wild Salsa; Oven and Cellar; Outlaw Tap Room; Kai; Toulouse; Whiskey Cake; Texas de Brazil; Princi Italia; CRU Wine and Food Bar; Pacific Table; Cork & Pig Tavern; Make Your Life Sweeter; and Carlton Provisions.

Additional sponsors include Lilium Florals, Perks & Provisions, Promo Resources, Sunnyland Furniture, RideCentric, iDesignMeetings, Marquee Event Rentals, Bachendorf’s, Jack Black, Maui Jim, Renegade Cigars, Tito’s Vodka, Peroni Beer, Waste Management, GL Seamen, Ratcliff Financial Services, Garages of Texas, Thermal Printing and MarineMax Yachts.

Ken Schnitzer founded Park Place Dealerships in 1987 with a single Mercedes-Benz dealership on Oak Lawn. Today, Park Place Dealerships employs more than 2,000 people and operates 16 full-service dealerships representing luxury brands including Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, Volvo, Jaguar, Land Rover, Rolls-Royce, Bentley, McLaren, and Maserati. For more info, visit parkplace.com

Originally Featured on Park Cities People on May 19, 2019

Two incredibly fast cars and the hybrid of all hybrids recently made a stop in Dallas on their world tours.

So exclusive, so popular, so rare are these vehicles, that they are only being shown in a few locations throughout the globe – with recent stops including a car collector’s home in Northwest Dallas and the Dallas Arboretum.

While in town, we got a chance to experience the Koenigsegg Agera RS, Jesko, and catch the reveal of a groundbreaking new take on the grand tourer by McLaren.

Per officials, the $2.8 million Koenigsegg Jesko has a 5.0 litre twin-turbo V8 engine that gets 1280 horsepower on standard gasoline and an expected top speed at 300 mph.

The Jesko travels from zero to 60 miles per hour in 2.5 seconds, making it one of the fastest cars in the world.

“There is a level of simplicity and humility to the design of these cars,” said Joachim Nordwall, Design Director of Koenigsegg. “That’s something that reflects the character of both Koenigsegg as a company and of our founder, Christian von Koenigsegg. Those same design ethos are also present in Jesko. It’s humble and assertive, but not angry.”

Only 125 Jeskos will be produced and have already sold out.

A predecessor to the Jesko, the $2.6 million Koenigsegg Agera RS broke the world record for land speed last year at 277.9 mph. The Agera RS moves from zero to 60 miles per hour in just 2.8 seconds.

After leaving Texas, the cars will travel to California and Canada before leaving North America.

At the Dallas Arboretum, McLaren Automotive and McLaren Dallas for the North American highlighted their newest vehicle; a hybrid that combined competition level performance with continent-crossing capability, all wrapped in a beautiful lightweight body – a new level of comfort and space paired with an agility never before seen in this segment.

The new McLaren GT (from $210,000) delivers classic Grand Tourer attributes of competition levels of performance and continent-crossing capability, yet is lighter, faster, more engaging and more usable.

Positioned alongside the established Sports, Super and Ultimate Series families, this is a new McLaren for a new audience and provides an alternative to existing products in an expanding market segment. In re-imagining, the spirit of traditional Grand Touring – long distance driving in comfort, at higher speeds and with room for luggage – McLaren has also redefined the modern GT ownership experience with a car that is lighter, faster and more engaging than existing products in the segment, with greater space, comfort, and usability.

At over 15 feet, the new McLaren is longer than any of the cars in the McLaren Sports or Super Series – total stowage capacity of 20.1 cubic feet with rear luggage bay accessed via front-hinged, full-length glazed rear tailgate, available electrically powered; room for bags as well as golf clubs or skis.

“The new McLaren GT combines competition levels of performance with continent-crossing capability, wrapped in a beautiful body and true to McLaren’s ethos of designing superlight cars with a clear weight advantage over rivals,” said Mike Flewitt, chief executive officer, McLaren Automotive. “Designed for distance, it provides the comfort and space expected of a Grand Tourer, but with a level of agility never experienced before in this segment. In short, this is a car that redefines the notion of a Grand Tourer in a way that only a McLaren could.”

Creating a new type of McLaren – and the first true Grand Tourer from the brand – saw the McLaren design team embracing the visual history of Grand Touring cars while remaining true to the philosophies that underpin all McLaren design.

The long, elegant exterior lines that are widely recognized as Grand Tourer design cues are executed in the new McLaren GT according to the aerodynamic principles that define every McLaren. The muscular rear fenders – another design trait commonplace in Grand Touring history – are an example of the form of every McLaren being true to its function, incorporating here the air intakes for the high-temperature radiators that cool the engine.

The performance statistics* speak for themselves: with a launch control function optimizing acceleration from a standing start, 0-60mph in 3.1 seconds, 0-124mph is dispatched in 9.0 seconds. The maximum speed of the McLaren GT is 203 mph.

Another defining element of the new McLaren GT – and arguably what will cement its position as the new segment leader – is its dynamic prowess. The suspension, steering, and brakes are all bespoke to the car and optimized to provide an outstanding Grand Touring driving experience, with inherent balance, responsiveness, and precision, yet better ride comfort, than any other McLaren.

The infotainment system developed for the new McLaren GT is the company’s most sophisticated to date. Among the fastest-operating in any car, it also features industry-standard HERE® navigation mapping and real-time traffic information.  The driver interface operates in a similar way to a smartphone and the seven-inch central touchscreen is used to select from vehicle functions such as satellite navigation, Bluetooth telephony, media streaming, and voice activation.

There will be 18 new Hybrid cars built between 2018 and 2025, and by the middle of the next decade, McLaren has promised to go hybrid across its entire range of cars.