Texas Business reports: At a time when large corporations have swallowed personal service, a small, family-run business in Waco is committed to building relationships and catering to the mom and pop restaurants we all love. 

Texas Business reports: AUSTIN—Chaotic Moon Studios acquired Symbiot, a risk metrics and security provider.

Texas Business reports:  A Louisiana firm won a $9.4 million contract to perform pipeline services in Houston, the U.S. Department of Defense announced.

Texas Business reports: BOCA RATON, Fla.—- InterpWorks Corporation, a Florida-based company, completed the acquisition of The Black Book Depot, based in Waco.

 Texas Business reports:  A California firm won a $7.4 million contract to recondition the site of an East Texas ammo plant, the U.S. Department of Defense announced.

Texas Business reports: Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport reached an agreement with AT&T to provide free Wi-Fi to all visitors at the airport. 

Texas Business reports: THE WOODLANDS—TETRA Technologies Inc.’s subsidiary, TETRA Investments Company U.K. Limited, acquired Optima Solutions Holdings Limited ( Optima ) for GBP 40 million (approximately $62.7 million equivalent) plus contingent consideration to be paid in the future depending on profitability.

Texas Business reports:  FRISCO—Global Holdings, Inc., reached a consulting agreement with Rich Keys Consultants and Aerius International Inc.

Texas Business reports:  Pennsylvania-based Mace Security International  Inc sold a car wash facility located in Arlington, Texas. 

Texas Business reports:  PLANO—PFSweb Inc. entered into a lease for 78,000 square feet of space in the Renaissance Tower building in the downtown corridor of Dallas which will be the new location of the company's North Texas customer care center.

Texas Business reports:  IRVING—Heartland Automotive Services Inc., America's largest Jiffy Lube franchisee, expanded in New England with the acquisition of 10 Massachusetts sites.

Texas Business reports:  RICHARDSON—Vertex Business Services signed a five-year contract with Think Energy, the GDF SUEZ Energy Resources business established to serve small commercial electricity customers, to provide a fully hosted retail CIS solution, including call center management and back office operations.

Texas Business reports:  HOUSTON—Global NuTech Inc. dba Texas Gulf Energy Inc. acquired 100% of the equity interests of Texas based Fishbone Solutions Ltd.

Texas Business reports:  STAMFORD, Conn.— Cenveo  Inc. plans to sell its Forms and Business Documents Group ("Documents Group") to Ennis  Inc., manufacturer of printed business products & apparel headquartered in Midlothian, Texas.

Texas Business reports:  DALLAS—7-Eleven Inc. completed the transaction with ExxonMobil to acquire retail interests in 51 North Texas sites.

Texas Business reports:  HOUSTON—Oilfield Instrumentation, which provides real-time drilling instrumentation and engineering laboratories to the oil and gas community, is expanding its Bakersfield rental fleet to accommodate increasing activity by local clientele.

Texas Business reports:  DALLAS—Lumenate acquired the Texas-based network security solutions firm, ANI Direct.

Texas Business reports: LUFKIN—Lufkin Industries Inc. completed the acquisition of Datac Instrumentation Limited and RealFlex Technologies Limited.

Texas Business reports:  GEORGETOWN, Texas—AirBorn Inc., a Texas-based manufacturer of electronic components and provider of solutions for multiple industries, acquired AESCO Electronics, a full-service electronics manufacturer and distributor with divisions in Ohio and Massachusetts.

Texas Business reports: HOUSTON—DePelchin Children's Center will combine with Caring Family Network (CFN), an Austin-based foster care and adoption agency with locations throughout Central Texas including Austin, Brownwood, Kerrville, Lubbock and San Antonio. 

Texas Business reports:  CINCINNATI—The O'Gara Group Inc., a provider of diverse security and defense products and services, bought Protection Devices Inc. (PDI) based in San Antonio. 

Texas Business reports:  HOUSTON—Oilfield Instrumentation (OI), which provides real-time drilling instrumentation and engineering laboratories, and sister company Advanced Building Services (ABS), a provider of custom well-site accommodations, will open its second service center in the Eagle Ford shale fields January 15. 

 Texas Business reports:  HOUSTON—Heartland Automotive Services Inc., America's largest Jiffy Lube Franchisee, expanded into a new market with an acquisition of 18 locations in the Spokane, Washington area and nearby communities in Idaho and Oregon.

Texas Business reports:  HOUSTON— DXP Enterprises Inc. plans to acquire substantially all the assets of C.W. Rod Tool Company , a distributor of cuttings tools, abrasives, coolants and machine shop supplies.

Texas Business reports: AUSTIN—A Texas firm that allows sports fans to order their hotdogs from their seats and not miss the game is continuing its rapid growth. 

Texas Business reports:  GRAPEVINE—GreenHunter Water, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of GreenHunter Energy Inc. completed the purchase of new equipment assets to be used to service a new long term contract to haul and dispose produced water for several major oil companies that control significant mineral leasehold acreage positions in the Marcellus and Utica Shale plays located in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio.

 Texas Business reports:  LUFKIN—Industries Inc. completed the acquisition of substantially all of the assets of Quinn's Oilfield Supply Ltd., including certain affiliates for $311 million in cash after closing adjustments.

Texas Business reports:  MESQUITE, Texas—Carrington College opened a medical and dental technician campus in Mesquite, located at 3733 West Emporium.

Texas Business reports:  SEGUIN—Alamo Group Inc. it acquired substantially all of the assets and business of Tenco Group Inc. and its subsidiaries. ("Tenco"), a Canadian based manufacturer and distributor of snow and ice removal equipment, for approximately CDN $6 million in cash, plus the assumption of certain specified liabilities and subject to post closing adjustments.

Texas Business reports:  Office Ally is relocating its corporate office to San Antonio, where it will also open a customer call center and training facility to accommodate the company's growth.

Texas Business reports:  MIDLAND—STW Resources Holding Corp., a water reclamation services company,   executed a joint venture agreement with CK Investments Energy Company, a Texas corporation to commission a proprietary brackish/produced water processing facility in the Permian and Delaware Basins of West Texas.

An oversized homecoming mum, worn by Claire Adkison.

AUSTIN — What has two cowbells, 12 jingle bells, two miniature Barbie dolls, lights up and sings “Jesus Loves Me?” That would be the homecoming mum that Stephanie Tamburello made for her son’s date this year.

Texas Business reports: An Austin firm won a $10.5 million contract for military maintenance, the U.S. Department of Defense announced.

Texas Business reports:  GRAPEVINE—Greenhunter Energy Inc., a diversified renewable energy company focused on water resource management in the unconventional oil and shale resource plays, announced its wholly owned subsidiary, GreenHunter Water, has executed a definitive agreement to acquire approximately 99 mineral acres and 84 surface acres located in West Virginia where it will develop a commercial water service facility.

Texas Business reports:  IRVING—Heartland Automotive Services Inc., America's largest Jiffy Lube Franchisee, announced the recent acquisitions of multiple entities in the Midwest and West. 

Texas Business reports:  CONROE—As world unrest increases, the security business for wealthy individuals, companies and other organizations increases. 

Lion column from a Neptune memorial reef

Texas Business reports:  Houston—Service Corporation International, the largest provider of deathcare products and services in North America bought 70 percent of the outstanding shares of The Neptune Society Inc.

 Texas Business reports:  El Paso—The El Paso Hispanic Chamber of Commerce announced that Facilities Connection, ran by Patty Holland-Branch, has been ranked number 20 on The Initiative for a Competitive Inner City(ICIC) 100 list for the fastest growing companies located in America inner cities.

Texas Business reports:  Houston’s Consolidated Graphics Inc. announced that EGT Printing Solutions, a Consolidated Graphics company, has acquired certain assets of The EGT Group, headquartered in Detroit, Michigan. 

Texas Business reports:  Dallas—Safeguard Security Holdings Inc., a provider of corporate, industrial and residential security solutions, announced that its Acquient business unit has signed on TXDOT (Texas Department of Transportation).

Texas Business reports:  Carriage Services Inc. acquired the Schooler Funeral Group located in Amarillo.

Total Safety expands its operations.

Texas Business reports:  Houston’s Total Safety, a provider of integrated safety services and compliance solutions, acquired substantially all of the assets and ongoing business of Webb, Murray & Associates Inc., a Houston-based fire protection and safety services company.

Texas Business reports:  An Austin firm entered an agreement to buy a controlling interest in Australia’s Cash Converters.

Texas Business reports:  Pennsylvania’s Mace Security International Inc. sold another non-security asset, a full-service car wash facility and convenience store located in Lubbock.

Texas Business reports:  The Woodlands—Mounted officers from area police departments will join Troopers from the Alpha & Omega (A&O) Mounted Security Patrol for specialized training for horseback patrols. 

Texas Business reports:  The Corpus Christi Army Depot awarded a $65,000 pest control contract to a Hockley firm. 

Texas Business reports:  An Arlington pet supply firm was sold to a Chicago equity firm.

Texas Business reports:  The Dwyer Group Inc. of Waco,  one of the world’s largest franchising companies of trades service brands,  will be acquired by an investor group led by New York’s TZP Capital Partners I, LP private equity fund. 

Texas Business reports:  A Laguna Vista company won a $21 million contract to provide solid waste management at Fort Hood. 

Texas Business reports:  Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc. bought the assets of Waco U-Pull-It. 

Texas Business reports:  A Richardson company won a contract extensions with the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority.

Texas Business notes this story by Bud Chamber of the Brenham Banner-Press: On Oct. 15, 1960, Fred Louis Westerfeld II was just nine when his father Fred opened the Westerfeld Garage, located on the same property with the family home on today’s Westerfeld Road.

 Texas Business reports:  The sixth Best Western Atrea hotel, an upper midscale prototype designed to attract business travelers, has recently opened its doors in the Woodway suburb of Waco. 

TexasBusiness.com notes this story by Cheryl Hall of the Dallas Morning News:  This is playing out to be an extraordinary second year for Plano-based L.B. Hunt Equipment Co. – in more ways than one. The tiny emergency response company had $1.5 million in sales in 2009 and now expects to bring in at least $1.5 million per month for the rest of the year. 

Waco-based Curves International, once a fast-growing fitness business, finds itself shrinking Records show that the number of U.S. franchises has dropped by a third, from 7,748 to 5,208  during the past three years, reports the Waco Tribune-Herald.