Newsmakers: Litchfield Cavo law firm opens 2nd Texas office in Fort Worth

Matthew T. McLain

The law firm of Litchfield Cavo LLP has opened a Fort Worth office, the second in Texas and the 21st nationwide for the firm, which is based in Chicago.

Partners S. Jan Hueber, Matthew T. McLain and Brenda F. Hasenzahl, – all formerly of Cotten Schmidt & Abbott, will anchor the office, located at 420 Throckmorton st., Suite 200, in downtown Fort Worth.

Hueber concentrates her practice on litigation including commercial, toxic tort, medical negligence, premises and products liability. She is state counsel for companies with national mass tort litigations involving allegations of property damage and personal injury. She graduated from Texas Tech Law School in 1988.

McLain maintains an active civil litigation defense practice in both Texas and Louisiana. He continues his practice representing companies in all aspects of civil litigation, through jury verdict and post-judgment motions. He graduated from Southern Methodist University Law School in 2004. Hasenzahl is involved in the active defense of commercial, toxic tort, and premises and products liability cases. She graduated from Baylor Law School in 1999.

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Litchfield Cavo LLP began as a small firm of lawyers experienced in insurance and business law defense and now has offices around the country.

ADVERTISING & PUBLIC RELATIONS

Jordan Hough has joined Balcom Agency as art director. Previously he worked at the Dallas marketing firms Inspire and Moroch, where his clients included McDonald’s, Sprint, Avocados from Mexico and Tecate.

BOARDS & COMMISSIONS

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Doug Renfro, president of specialty food manufacturer Renfro Foods, has been named chairman of the board of Casa Manana, the not-for-profit theatrical organization. He will serve for two years.

Renfro is a longtime supporter of Casa Manana, where his daughter has appeared in its theater productions. He joined the board in August 2006 and served on the Audit and Fiscal Affairs, Development, Gala, Nominating and Executive committees. Renfro and his wife, Julie, co-chaired the 2015 gala.

Gov. Greg Abbott has appointed Manuel Cavazos IV, James Ingram IV, Lisa A. Friel, Jamie D. Grant and Debra Sharp to the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy for terms set to expire on Jan. 31, 2023. Cavazos was named presiding officer of the board. The board ensures that persons issued certificates as certified public accountants (CPAs) possess the necessary education, skills and capabilities and that they perform competently in the profession of public accountancy.

Grant of Arlington is the president of JDG Wealth Management Group LLC and has over 17 years of experience as a financial planner. He is a former chairman of the Fort Worth Metropolitan Black Chamber of Commerce, board member of the Arlington Chamber of Commerce, former board member of the North Texas Commission and a member of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. Grant received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Grambling State University.

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Jim Minge, president and CEO of Texas Trust Credit Union, has been appointed to the Arlington Chamber of Commerce board of directors. Minge joined the board at the annual chamber meeting and awards dinner on Sept. 21. He will serve a one-year term with an annual renewal up to six years.

LAW

The National Diversity Council has named Cheryl Leb of Kelly Hart & Hallman as one of the Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Law in the Dallas region. All 50 women, who are prominent leaders in the community and effective leaders in their organizations, will be recognized at a breakfast on Nov. 7 in Dallas.

David F. Johnson has been elected to the board of directors for the Texas Association of Bank Counsel (TABC) for a three-year term. Johnson is managing shareholder of the Fort Worth office of Winstead PC. The TABC is a Texas nonprofit corporation formed in 1976 to inform and educate Texas lawyers who devote a substantial part of their professional time to representing banks and other financial institutions.

MEDIA

Amanda Guerra joins Mike Rogers and Scott Sams as co-anchor of the KRLD Morning News weekdays from 5 a.m. to 10 a.m. on KRLD News Radio 1080. Guerra has been a midday news anchor and reporter for KRLD since October 2016. Prior to that, she was an Emmy Award-winning anchor and reporter for KXAS-TV. Guerra began her career as a reporter for KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City after graduating from the University of Oklahoma.

NONPROFIT

Nancy J. Ward is the new president of the board of directors at the Hope Center for Autism.

RETAIL

Pier 1 Imports Inc. named Darla D. Ramirez as interim chief financial officer effective Oct. 4, the Fort Worth retailer announced.

Ramirez, 55, has been the company’s vice president, controller and principal accounting officer since 2011. Her promotion comes in conjunction with the previously announced departure of Jeffrey N. Boyer, executive vice president and CFO.

Ramirez joined Pier 1 Imports in 2005 and has held positions of increasing responsibility within the finance organization, including director of finance and director of accounting operations. Earlier in her career, she held financial positions in the media industry, most recently as corporate controller for Lionheart Newspapers LLC. Ramirez earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting from the University of Texas at Arlington.

SPORTS

Dallas Wings all-star guard Skylar Diggins-Smith has been named to the 2017 All-WNBA First Team.

The World Affairs Council of Dallas/Fort Worth presented its prestigious H. Neil Mallon Award to the Dallas Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitzki at a gala dinner for 1,000 at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas on Sept. 22. Nowitzki, the 34th recipient of the award, was honored for his work as a humanitarian and international ambassador for Dallas/Fort Worth and the nation.

TECHNOLOGY

ECi Software Solutions has named Brian Dufour as vice president of Advantage migrations. Dufour will help users of the legacy and NextGen versions of Advantage® software prepare migration strategies to ECi’s cloud-based Spruce™ or RockSolid MAX™ business management software for the lumber and building materials industry.

Send newsmakers to Robert Francis at rfrancis@bizpress.net.