Karina Ramírez

Two hotels opened in Denton on Oct. 29: a Best Western prototype and a Hilton Homewood Suites.

The Best Western Atrea Crown Chase Inn & Suites features many 24-hour services, including those for fitness and business and a media center, to attract business travelers.

“Atrea is our new brand in Texas and the fourth for the chain [in the country],” said Mike Green, general manager of the hotel located at 2540 Brinker Road in an area recently nicknamed “Hospitality Hill.”

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Best Western Atrea Crown Chase Inn & Suites opened Oct. 29 at 2540 Brinker Road in Denton.

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Green, who worked for the Denton Holiday Inn when it opened three years ago, has been in the hotel business for 14 years. He said he is glad to be in a location where nearby businesses are welcoming. That includes his longtime friend Gina Atkinson, sales manager at the nearby Courtyard by Marriott.

“Rather than being competitors, we have joined forces,” Green said.

Under construction for about a year, the European-design, 74-room, four-story Atrea hotel includes 1,800 square feet of meeting space that can accommodate up to 100 guests, according to Best Western.

The hotel’s owner, Charles Helm, is one of seven directors for Best Western International and owns and operates five other facilities in Texas with his wife, Sharon. For more information, call 940-387-1000.

According to its Web site, Best Western has a 63-year history with 2,078 properties in the United States. 

Homewood Suites by Hilton, located in the Unicorn Lake development, has four stories and 107 units, featuring one- and two-bedroom suites, according to a news release. Among its amenities are an executive business center, a 24-hour pantry and a swimming pool overlooking the development. Homewood Suites is owned by CHGM Denton Hotel Partners LLC and managed by Chartwell Hospitality.

Homewood Suites by Hilton is located at 2907 Shoreline Drive. For more information, call 940-382-0420.

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To access the Denton Chamber of Commerce membership and connect with former members, Leadership Denton announced its Commitment to Community 2010 class project.

“We are using the tagline ‘Think. Share. Innovate.’ for the project, because we need folks to reflect on their impressions of or involvement with the chamber, then let us know their thoughts,” said Caroline Lara, class member and chairwoman of the project presentation committee, in a news release. “That will then allow our class to share the information with the chamber, which we hope will lead to novel programming or benefits that can allow for increased membership and more community support.”

The first phase of the class project involves a short quantitative survey available in print from a member of the class or online at http://leadershipdenton.lightningbear.tv/Default.aspx through Friday. After analyzing the survey forms, interview questions will be developed and asked of chamber members and nonmembers for a qualitative portion of the research. That portion of the project will run through the end of November.

Celebrating 25 years in the community, Leadership Denton is an initiative sponsored by the Denton Chamber of Commerce that helps identify and develop emerging leaders through networking and collaboration.

For more information, call 940-382-5112, ext. 270, e-mail leadershipdenton2010@gmail.com or connect via Leadership Denton’s Facebook fan page.

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The Lake Dallas Economic Development Corp. is rewarding shoppers and diners who help participating businesses in its Shop Lake Dallas event.

“Each time a shopper makes a purchase, they receive an entry form, which they can fill out and enter to win big,” said Shannon Fields, Lake Dallas special events coordinator, in a news release. “This year, we’ll give away a $1,000 grand prize to one lucky Shop Lake Dallas participant.”

The Shop Lake Dallas campaign began Friday and will continue until Dec. 4.

For more information, contact Shannon Fields at 940-497-2226, ext.132, or sfields@lakedallas.com.

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First State Bank in Denton recently announced that three individuals were promoted to new positions.

Marty Rivers, previously the branch’s president, is now the executive vice president and chief lending officer. Lloyd Reiter became the executive vice president and chief credit officer. Tim Turbeville was named executive vice president and chief operations officer, bringing his 22 years of commercial banking and commercial real estate experience.

First State Bank is one of the oldest banks in Texas with eight locations in North Texas. For more information, visit www.F-S-B.com.

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First United Bank of Denton announced that three new officers have joined its team.

Denton resident Cathy Frazier was named vice president of business development. Frazier operated BizSource Marketing for 10 years before joining the bank, according to a news release.

Isabel Ramos, named vice president of commercial lending, has 25 years of banking experience. She is a Denton County resident and a board member of the Denton Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Aubrey resident Ralph Ramsey joined First United as vice president of commercial and real estate lending. Ramsey has 22 years of experience in commercial banking and commercial real estate.

First United Bank has three locations in Denton: 1517 Centre Place Drive, 321 W. Hickory St. and 416 W. University Drive.

For more information, visit www.firstunitedbank.com.

Coming up

Tax advocacy representative Ralph Sacarello of the Taxpayer Advocacy Panel, a group that helps the IRS identify ways to improve customer service and satisfaction, will be the featured speaker at the Small Business Development Center monthly breakfast on Tuesday at the Denton Chamber of Commerce, 414 W. Parkway St. Registration begins at 7:15 a.m. with the meeting following at 7:30. For more information, call 940-380-1849.  

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Denton Young Professionals will meet at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday for its monthly lunch at the Courtyard by Marriott, 2800 Colorado Blvd. in Denton. Cost is $15.

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Lanny Bassham, author of the books With Winning in Mind and Freedom Flight: The Origins of Mental Power, will be the guest speaker at the Lake Cities Chamber of Commerce luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at Oakmont Country Club in Corinth. Cost is $15 for those with reservations and $20 for walk-ins. For more information, call 940-497-3097 or visit www.lakecitieschamber.com.

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The Denton chapter of the NAACP will host a meeting about the 2010 census at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Martin Luther King Jr. Recreation Center, 1300 Wilson St. For more information, contact Catherine Bell, chapter president, at 940-382-9360.

KARINA RAMÍREZ can be reached at 940-566-6878. Her e-mail address is kramirez@dentonrc.com.