The Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce has announced it will recognize Barclay Berdan, CEO of Texas Health Resources, with the annual Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce Susan Halsey Executive Leadership Award at the Chamber’s 139th Annual Meeting on June 24 at Dickies Arena (in person or virtual).
The award, named after the late Susan Halsey who served as chairman of the Chamber in 2013, honors leadership excellence in business in the Fort Worth metropolitan area. It recognizes presidents, principals or chief executive officers for devoting time and energy to strengthen and transform the organization they lead, the chamber said in the announcement.
The award was created to honor Susan Halsey, a formidable Fort Worth attorney and businesswoman, who passed away in December 2014. She was the managing partner of Jackson Walker LLP, the chamber said.
The chamber also will recognize Wabtec Corporation with its Chairman’s Spirit of Enterprise Award. The award, initiated in 1975, recognizes local enterprises for outstanding contributions to the development of the Fort Worth community.
Wabtec (NYSE: WAB) is a leading global provider of equipment, systems and digital solutions for the rail, transit, mining, and marine industries. The company has more than 1,200 employees across multiple sites in Texas.
Berdan was named CEO of Texas Health in September of 2014, after serving as senior executive vice president and chief operating officer the previous two years. He is one of the longest serving CEOs of a major health care system in North Texas and is a nationally recognized and respected professional in the industry.
The chamber’s announcement said that in a year filled with many challenges brought on by the pandemic Berdan has been steadfast in leading the organization’s 24,000 employees. Under his leadership, Texas Health has engaged in collaborative partnerships to address emerging healthcare issues.
He has been a champion of change, leading the transformation of Texas Health from a system focused on sick care to a health system focused on its mission of improving the health of the people in the communities it serves.
“During an exceptionally challenging year, Barclay’s leadership positively impacted not only Texas Health employees and patients, but also families throughout our community,” said Marianne Auld, chairman of the Chamber. “Leading a health system of this size, especially during a pandemic, is a monumental achievement, and we are proud to present this award to Barclay.”
“It is an honor to be recognized with an award named for someone who contributed as much to Fort Worth as Susan did in her years with us,” Berdan said in the announcement. “While our Texas Health family stretches across North Texas, Fort Worth is my home. I am truly blessed to work here, live here and serve here.”
Wabtec established a significant presence in Fort Worth in 2012 when it opened a one-million-square-foot locomotive plant and a 250,000-square-foot mining plant near the Texas Motor Speedway.
More recently, the chamber said, the corporation was recognized for its charitable contributions to support local relief efforts in Texas following a historic winter storm and power outages this year.
“We are pleased to receive the 2020 Spirit of Enterprise Award,” said Mike Bratt, plant manager at Wabtec’s Fort Worth locomotive plant. “It is an honor to be recognized among the industry leaders, who have won this award in the past. The success of our Fort Worth site is a tribute to our dedicated employees and the support of from the community. The breadth of opportunities, talent pool, connectivity, and resources in this region provided the competitive advantage needed to succeed in the industries we serve.”
Selected by the four most recent chairs of the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, the Spirit of Enterprise recipient is selected for its contributions to the advancement and prosperity of the city, as well as its commitment to the preservation of the American private enterprise system.
“We are grateful for Wabtec’s continued economic and charitable investments in our city,” said Brandom Gengelbach, president and CEO, Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. “As a global leader in transportation and one of the region’s major employers, their history of growth, capital investment and commitment to our community has been extraordinary.”
The Susan Halsey Executive Leadership Award is sponsored by Jackson Walker LLP. The Spirit of Enterprise Award is sponsored by BNSF Railway.
The annual meeting is presented by Frost Bank. Featured speaker at the meeting will be Ozan Varol, author of Think Like a Rocket Scientist: Simple Strategies You Can Use to Make Giant Leaps in Work and Life. His speech is sponsored by American Airlines.
Virtual tickets are available at no cost at www.fortworthchamber.com. Networking access tickets are available for $20. The annual meeting, presented by Frost, is one of the Chamber’s largest events of the year, typically attracting more than 800 attendees.
http://www.fortworthchamber.com
