Laurie Sprouse
President, Ultimate Ventures, a DMC Network Company; Sales and Marketing Chair, DMC Network, Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas
What are three great ways for attendees to indulge their inner cowboy in Fort Worth?
- Grady’s Restaurant: Envision the culinary version of Matthew McConaughey and you get the picture of what native Texan chef Grady Spears brings to the table. He’s been winning praises both at home and across the country for his upscale cowboy cuisine. His talents in the kitchen are only eclipsed by his boyish Texas charm and easy-going nature, easily making him a crowd favorite! Discover your inner cowboy cook during an unforgettable team-building activity with Grady at Grady’s Restaurant. Guests are whisked off to the kitchen where they are divided into teams and cook a meal comprising dishes from Grady’s newest cookbook, Cooking the Cowboy Way. Then they proceed to the dining area to enjoy the meal they just prepared. A delectable experience in every way!
- Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s Western Currency Facility & Shopping: Groups unleash their inner "urban" cowboy/cowgirl by spending an afternoon touring the Bureau of Engraving and Printing’s Western Currency Facility (BEP) and then spending their cash at one of Fort Worth’s fabulous Western shops. First, guests learn all about printed money and how it’s made on a tour through the BEP. They actually see millions of dollars being printed as they walk along an enclosed walkway suspended over the production floor. Seeing all that green just whets their appetite to spend a little green at stylish shops such as the Maverick in the Stockyards for chic Western wear or in Sundance Square at Retro Cowboy (Dr Pepper cake mix anyone?) and Leddy’s Ranch for exquisite Western boots, attire and home accessories.
- Billy Bob’s Texas: Imagine performing at the same club where country greats Garth Brooks, LeAnn Rimes and Merle Haggard once played. Now imagine the dream coming true at Billy Bob’s Texas, the world’s largest honky-tonk. Indulge your inner Shania by joining a live karaoke band onstage and belting out your favorite traditional country Western standards or contemporary favorites. Sing with your friends or solo—Carrie Underwood’s got nothing on you! Of course, no visit to Billy Bob’s is complete without a plateful of Texas barbecue, line dancing lessons and a live bull-riding exhibition. For a big Texas finish, include a name act and watch the crowd go wild!