A-list achievers

4 Dallas entrepreneurs rank among Forbes' richest self-made women for 2020

Addison-based Poo-Pourri founder Suzy Batiz is one of the richest self-made women in the U.S.

Photo courtesy of Poo-Pourri

She may not be a household name, but Texas billionaire tech entrepreneur Thai Lee is wealthier than Oprah Winfrey, earning her a spot among the 10 wealthiest women in the U.S.

Forbes places Lee at No. 8 on its new list of America's Richest Self-Made Women, with a net worth estimated at $3.2 billion. Forbes estimates Winfrey's net worth at $2.6 billion, which puts her in ninth place.

Lee, a native of Taiwan and holds an MBA from Harvard University. She is founder, president, and CEO of SHI International Corp., a provider of IT products and services with a projected revenue of $11 billion in 2020. SHI is based in Somerset, New Jersey, but Austin is home to SHI’s corporate call center.

In all, eight female entrepreneurs from Texas appear in the elite club of America’s richest self-made women, and four are from Dallas-Fort Worth:

Robyn Jones, No. 16. Her net worth is estimated at $1.1 billion. Jones is founder of Westlake-based Goosehead Insurance Agency LLC, which has more than 1,100 franchised offices.
April Anthony, No. 29. Forbes puts her net worth at $700 million. She is CEO of the Dallas-based home health and hospice division of Encompass Health Corp.
Kathleen Hildreth, No. 59. Her net worth is estimated at $370 million. Hildreth is co-founder of M1 Support Services LP, an aviation logistics company based in Denton.
Suzy Batiz, No. 84. Forbes estimates her net worth at $215 million. Batiz is founder of the Addison-based maker of the Poo-Pourri bathroom spray.

Hildreth and Batiz were the only two DFW entrepreneurs to repeat from last year's list.

In addition to Lee, the three other Texans who appear on the list are from Austin.

Whitney Wolfe Herd, founder and CEO of social media company Bumble, is worth an estimated $575 million, earning her the No. 39 spot. If recent reports are true, Herd could hit billionaire status if Bumble goes public.

Lisa Su ranksNo. 44. The native of Taiwan is president and CEO of Santa Clara, California-based semiconductor company AMD. Forbes pegs Su’s net worth at $530 million. She lives in Austin, where AMD employs about 2,300 people.

Entrepreneur and new Shark Tank judge Kendra Scott comes in a No. 47. Forbes says she has amassed a net worth of $510 million as founder, chairwoman, and CEO of Kendra Scott LLC, which designs and sells jewelry.

Topping the Forbes list, released October 13, is Diane Hendricks. She is co-founder and chairwoman of Beloit, Wisconsin-based roofing, siding, and window distributor ABC Supply Co Inc. Her estimated net worth: $8 billion.

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Coworking News

New coworking space to open in Dallas' Oak Lawn neighborhood

Office Evolution

A coworking space is opening in Dallas in a central location: Office Evolution, a Louisville-based coworking chain, will open what a release says is a "state-of-the-art coworking space" at 3500 Oak Lawn Ave. #360 in Dallas at the southeast corner of Lemmon Avenue.

No details on what makes it state-of-the-art, but construction is ongoing and an opening is anticipated in mid-October.

Office Evolution was founded in 2003 as a shared workspace-coworking environment, cultivated on the principles of "Ohana," the Hawaiian tradition that references family working toward a common goal. (The founder was from Hawaii.)

The company started out in Boulder, Colorado, then relocated its headquarters to Louisville. It's an affiliated brand of United Franchise Group, and is part of The Vast Coworking Group, which specializes in franchising within the coworking industry. All of their locations are franchised.

The Dallas location is owned by franchisee Michael Pickering, a Dallas native who runs a family-owned indoor soccer facility in Dallas. (There are two other Office Evolution locations in the DFW area in McKinney and Southlake, owned by different franchisees.)

They're describing the Dallas location at 3500 Oak Lawn Ave. as "Turtle Creek," although its location at Oak Lawn and Lemmon really puts it at the epicenter of Oak Lawn. (To further complicate matters, the building previously and incorrectly described its address as "Uptown.")

It's a seven-story building in which the majority of tenants are doctor and medical offices.

Office Evolution rates include a coworking day pass for $25, plus "flex" office options starting at $200 a month for 20 hours, up to $550 a month for 80 hours.

Amenities of the building that are also accessible to Office Evolution customers include a front desk; a 1,000-square-foot fitness center; covered parking; and on-site security six days a week.

According to a spokesperson, Pickering and his team put $1.2 million into the renovation to transform the space, which occupies most of the fourth floor where it will span 9,240 square feet of space with 41 total offices — one of which is earmarked as an "on-demand office" for the professional on the go.

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Coworking News

New coworking space to open in Dallas' Oak Lawn neighborhood