The Crowne Plaza Invitational at Colonial was good to Robin Glaysher, real estate agent by day, fleet operator after sundown and on weekends.
Her year-old venture, Fairmount Bike Taxi Llc., was hired by chef Tim Love to schlep golf spectators from the golf course to the Woodshed, his culinary oasis a half-mile away. The arrangement allowed Glaysher to double the size of her fleet to six. "I was able to work out a deal where it covered my cost," she told us.The rides were free, but most passengers tipped, and tipped well, the drivers told us.Gratuities were in the $10 range, but the high temperatures persuaded some would-be pedicabbers to find less taxing employment, leaving Glaysher straining to keep the vehicles moving at times during the five-day event."The days were really long and hot. I think it got to be too much for some of the guys."And promised backups didn't always materialize.Glaysher couldn't just add drivers. They must be licensed by the city of Fort Worth, which requires a $35 background check, a drug test, which can run to $60, and a $25 defensive driving course and test."But you can make it all back in a night," she said.Fort Worth permits pedicabs downtown, in the Stockyards and on the near south side to Texas Christian University, where Glaysher took Frog fans from the parking lots to the stadium in football season. The service also provides a historic-home tour of Fairmount -- $20 per person for a 30-minute ride.Her vehicles carry ads promoting local businesses such as Chadra, the Berkeley Place area restaurant, and now the Woodshed. That's another modest revenue stream.Glaysher has carved out another niche, providing highly decorated getaway vehicles at weddings.For one, event planners for Indian-style nuptials in Dallas dressed Glaysher in a sari.Her wedding tariff is a minimum $160 for two hours, because families often want to use the pedicab in long photo shoots."But it turns out to be the cheapest thing for the whole wedding," the pedicab minimogul said. "By they time they get to me, they say, 'OK, that's nothing.'"PR group honors councilmanFort Worth Councilman Joel Burns has been honored as Communicator of the Year by the Greater Fort Worth Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America in its inaugural Worthy Awards program.Burns was selected for his willingness to tell his personal story and become a national spokesman for victims of bullying, the organization said. The award was established to honor a public figure who exemplifies the principles of honest, transparent communication and effective relationship-building for the common good.Sandra Brodnicki and Gigi Westerman were honored with the Best of Show award for a campaign they developed for Catholic Charities' financial education program.Twelve, 12 Worthy Awards, eight awards of excellence and 10 awards of achievement were presented. The awards honor excellence in the strategic communications field in the region.Also winning Worthy Awards were the Balcom Agency; Bill Lawrence, Lawrence and Associates; Chris Smith, Smith Communications; Concussion; the Fort Worth school district; the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History; J.O. Design; GCG Marketing; Margaret Ritsch; the Trinity River Authority; and TCU Vitals.TTI buys English companyTTI Inc., a Fort Worth-based subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway and specialty distributor of electromechanical and semiconductor components, has bought privately held Campbell Collins Ltd., based in Stevenage, England.Campbell Collins is a specialty distributor of power-related products from manufacturers of power supply and capacitor products. It will operate as a wholly owned subsidiary of TTI.TTI and its subsidiary Mouser Electronics of Mansfield employ more than 3,500 workers and have more than 100 locations in North America, Europe and Asia.Sandra Baker, 817-390-7727sabaker@star-telegram.comScott Nishimura, 817-390-7808snishimura@star-telegram.comBarry Shlachter, 817-390-7718barry@star-telegram.comHave more to add? News tip? Tell us
