WHEW! We've almost made it! 

If there is anything we’ve learned in 2020 is that things can change on a dime. Including your business. Which is why evaluating and adjusting your marketing strategy every quarter is a good idea. Here are five action items that can impact your bottom line this year and beyond.

5 MUST DO MARKETING ACTION ITEMS:

1. Website Audit

More than ever, your website is a very important marketing tool. Ignore it at your peril. What new information needs to be added? Do you have customer testimonials to share? Are there new features you can add to engage visitors, increase sales or improve customer service.

2. Email Marketing

Your email database is your most valuable OWNED marketing asset (NOT your Facebook page). There is no easier, or cost efficient, way to reach your customers directly – especially right now. If you’re not consistently sending content to your database, you’re missing a big opportunity to generate sales.

3. Budget Review
Nothing can have more impact on your bottom line than your budget, right? There is no better time to see how much you’ve spent this year…who knows, perhaps you have extra funds available that can be used in Q4.

4. Gather Intel
2020 has been a strange year, to say the least. The world is different than it was six months ago. And most likely, things have changed for your customers, competitors and communities. Take some time to look around, make some calls, send a survey, check out social media pages for other businesses. This will help you determine priorities, needs and opportunities that you can act on quickly.

5. Customer and Employee Appreciation
I think it’s safe to say most businesses have not survived 2020 without their loyal employees and customers. Do not let the year end without showing them your appreciation. A thank you note, Starbucks gift card, end-of-year bonus or special discount will go a LONG ways in customer retention and employee productivity.

Don’t let 2020 be a complete bust. Finish the year with a win!

Grapevine’s historic district is a popular destination for both locals and visitors. There is not a business on Main Street that has had more people come through its doors than Willhoite’s Restaurant, which opened January 17, 1981, as Grapevine’s first full-service restaurant and is one of the oldest restaurants still operating in the city.

Owners of the 37-year-old dining and entertainment venue recently restored the front entrance to its original appearance (based on photographs from the 1920s). The renovation included replacing all the brick on front façade; reconstructing the columns; removing the partial brick wall around patio area; installing new windows and signage; and repainting the south and west exterior walls.

According to co-owner Eric Parker, the project was an opportunity to further solidify Willhoite’s in Grapevine history. Built in 1913, the building first served as a department store and was used for a time as a theater. In 1919, it was transformed into Willhoite Garage, the first full-service automotive station in Grapevine. Co-owner Phil Parker, a Grapevine native, purchased the building in 1980 and renovated it into Willhoite's Restaurant, restoring it as authentically as possible and keeping many aspects of the automotive shop.

“Willhoite’s already pays tribute to its long-standing roots in the city with original brick walls and ceiling, a gas pump outside the front entrance, and buffet station that is topped with a 1927 Model T Ford – which is a tourist attraction on its own,” Eric Parker explained. “Renovating the front entrance is the last piece of our historical preservation efforts and just in time for our 37^th anniversary. We are proud to be one of the oldest businesses on Main Street and offer a glimpse into Grapevine’s history. We want to be the first place people visit when they come to Grapevine.”

Encompassing nearly 9,000 square feet, Willhoite’s is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, Sunday brunch, and live music six nights a week. For more information, visit www.willhoites.com.

2017 is proving to be another award-winning year for Texas Health Southlake, which has received seven national and local awards recognizing its excellence in patient experience, patient safety, orthopedics, nursing staff and physicians.  

Texas Health Southlake was named one of America’s best hospitals in three categories by the Women’s Choice Award^®, a trusted referral source for the best in healthcare:

• Patient Safety: This award signifies that Texas Health Southlake is in the top 15 percent of 3,005 U.S. hospitals for patient safety, which is the only award recognizing excellence in patient safety based on robust criteria that considers patient satisfaction and clinical excellence.  Texas Health Southlake is one of 451 award recipients representing hospitals that have met the highest standards for patient safety in the U.S. 
• Patient Experience: This award signifies that Texas Health Southlake has been ranked within the top 100 hospitals of similar size based on number of beds. The methodology used evaluates specific Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems(HCAHPS) survey results along with primary research about women’s healthcare preferences. Texas Health Southlake is one of 400 award recipients representing the hospitals that have met the highest standards for patient experience in the U.S.  
• Orthopedics: A hospital must have arthroscopy, joint replacement and spine surgery orthopedic services available to patients, onsite physical therapy, and an MRI in order to qualify for this award.  Texas Health Southlake is one of 374 award recipients representing the hospitals that have met the highest standards for orthopedics care in the U.S. 

“These prestigious awards speak directly to our aggressive efforts to ensure our patient’s receive a 5-star experience at our hospital – I consider the awards a huge feather in our cap,” commented Traci Bernard, president of Texas Health Southlake, noting the hospital ranks in the 99 percentile nationally for all quality standards set forth by the HCAHPS, making it one of the top healthcare institutions in the U.S. 

Texas Health Southlake also received national recognition in the 8^th Annual Case in Point Platinum Awards, presented by Decision Health, which honors programs that educate and empower patients, improve adherence and wellness, manage quality care, and contain healthcare costs. Texas Health Southlake won the award in the Patient Safety – Hospital Acquired Infections category, which recognized the hospital’s Patient Safety and Infection Prevention Program. Texas Health Southlake also received honorable mention recognition in the Patient Safety – Communications category and Community Programs category.

Recognizing the importance of its nursing staff, Texas Health Southlake was awarded The Hurst Gold Standard of Nursing Award for achieving excellence in quality nursing, which significantly contributes to the hospital’s overall patient satisfaction rating. The Hurst Gold Standard of Nursing Award is given to hospital nursing staffs that achieve top tier weighted scores, significantly above the national average on these performance measures.

“Nurses make up the majority of hospital staff and are the primary providers of patient care in our hospital,” said Debra Ennis, chief nursing officer and vice president of patient care services.  “Around the clock, they not only attend to patients’ clinical needs, they are there supporting patients and their families emotionally as well. It is wonderful that nurses are being celebrated and we are grateful to Hurst for honoring our staff with this special award.”

At the local level, Texas Health Southlake was named the Best Local Hospital/Emergency Room by readers of the Southlake Courier-Journal, and O. David Taunton, MD, was named a 2017 Healthcare Hero in Fort Worth Business Press. Dr. Taunton was chief of staff for 10 years at Texas Health Southlake.

“It has never been about the awards, it is about doing the right thing and as a result, the awards follow. If each quality, service, and financial decision has the best interest of the employees, physicians and patients, then we are aligned for success,” stated Bernard.

Since opening its doors in December 2009, Wildwood has been serving original recipes, a unique selection of craft beers and cocktails, and its signature wood-fired grill cuisine to patrons at its Southlake location. Taking this a step further, the restaurant has undergone a transformation from the inside out, which is reflected in the décor, menu, website and an updated logo that conveys its popular specialties of SMOKE, WHISKEY and CRAFT.

Just in time for its seventh anniversary, Wildwood unveiled a new look, feel and taste which is intended to delight its loyal patrons and entice new visitors. According to co-owner and operator Dave Garner, the re-design is described as post prohibition-era meets southern hospitality.

“We felt it was time for an upgrade across the board, but have made sure to keep the heart and soul of Wildwood intact – including our most popular menu items, Texas craft beers and friendly service,” stated Garner. “As one of the few family-owned restaurants in Southlake, Wildwood enjoys creative and culinary freedom – we do not have to conform to chain or franchise restrictions.”

The change is easy to spot upon arrival. Greeting patrons at its location on Southlake Boulevard is a repainted exterior and new landscaping, along with rows of whiskey barrels underneath the building signage – the first indication of what awaits inside. The double front doors feature etched glass with the updated Wildwood logo.

The floorplan was not altered, but the dining room now offers a contemporary, industrial-style aesthetic with an exposed ceiling, historical family art, and reclaimed wood and steel elements. As a nod to the wood-fired cuisine, representing SMOKE, the east end of the dining room showcases a wall of cedar end-cut logs. Warehouse-style windows, that open and close for privacy, were installed between the space and the adjoining private dining room which can accommodate up to 45 people. Cedar columns separate the dining room from the open kitchen below a wall of large chalkboards that promote daily specials.

Representing the WHISKEY and CRAFT components of the redesigned restaurant is the large bar area, which is subtly separated from the dining room with suspended steel warehouse windows. One of the most notable changes is the 30-foot chalkboard wall that displays artisan illustrations of crafted cocktails, a whiskey menu and 18 draft brews. Copper vintage pendant lamps softly illuminates the bar area and cozy nooks create intimate areas for groups to gather at any time of day. A garage-style glass door opens into the patio with new outdoor seating and whiskey barrel tables. 

According to Garner, the renovation intentionally incorporates flexible components and spaces to accommodate a variety of diners.

"Our goal is to have a restaurant that appeals to the businessman dining alone, a quiet spot for date night, large family dinners, and a fun place for locals to hang out after a Carroll Dragons football game," he said, noting there are two private dining rooms that may be reserved for group events.

Wildwood’s menu also got a makeover, with the addition of new southern-style favorites such as hickory smoked fried chicken, Gulf shrimp and grits, southern fried cobb salad and macaroni skillet. A variety of wood-fired chops, poultry and seafood entrees remain on the menu, along with Wildwood staples such as Dragon Dip, flatbreads and burgers.

Local residents Dave and Mary Garner opened Wildwood in December 2009 to offer a unique, family-owned restaurant to diners in Northeast Tarrant County. As part of its community relations program, Wildwood supports numerous local organizations including the Southlake Chamber of Commerce, Carroll Education Foundation, Call A Ride Southlake and Kids Matter International.

Wildwood is located at 2700 E. Southlake Boulevard. For more information or to make a reservation, call 817-748-2100 or visit www.wildwoodsouthlake.com.

Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Southlake (Texas Health Southlake) received the maximum grade of five stars in a rating of patients’ experience of care of more than 3,500 hospitals that is posted on a federal government website.

The scores on the Hospital Compare website of the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services rate patient perspectives on hospital care from one star (poor) to five stars (excellent). Five Texas Health Resources hospitals ranked among the 336 hospitals nationwide (9 percent of hospitals reviewed) that received five stars, including Texas Health Southlake

 “Texas Health Southlake has a strong commitment to the patient experience,” said Traci Bernard, president.  “Our hospital’s rating serves as tribute to the emphasis the physicians on our medical staff and our nurses and other employees place on the care provided to each patient.”

The patient experience ratings are based on data from the Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems Survey (HCAHPS) measures that are included in Hospital Compare. Go to www.medicare.gov/hospitalcompare to see hospitals’ ratings.

“Our goal is always to achieve excellence in safety, clinical outcomes and service,” said Daniel Varga, M.D., senior executive vice president and chief clinical officer of Texas Health. “This means exceeding the expectations of patients, who have told us what they want—to help them heal, keep them safe and be kind to them.”

A national advocate for transparency and accountability in health care safety and quality, Texas Health last year published its “Quality and Safety Report to the Community: A Transparent Report Card from Texas Health Resources.” Texas Health was the first health system in Texas, and one of only a few in the U.S., that is publicly posting quality, safety and patient satisfaction data, including HCAHPS scores. The Texas Health scorecards are based on independent, nationally recognized clinical indicators. Go to www.TexasHealth.org/Quality-Reports to view the report.