Hotel bathtubs, Luminant, H-E-B, McLane, Houston: Wednesday's D-FW business news

October 31,  2018 🔎 Prefer the online view? It's [here](. Follow us on Twitter [@DMNBiz](. Chris Pilavakis, general manager of Renaissance Dallas hotel, stands in a newly renovated room at the hotel. The hotel removed most bathtubs and opted for showers in part to attract younger patrons. The hotel plans to have all of their rooms completed by 2019. (Shaban Athuman / Staff Photographer) the big story Why Renaissance Dallas Hotel is spending millions to rip out bathtubs Some North Texas hotels undergoing multimillion-dollar renovations are updating the smallest portion of the hotel room based on a new reality: Millennials don't take baths. At least not in hotel rooms. That revelation has given way to sleek, glass-enclosed showers in many renovated rooms and in upscale new hotels, according to industry experts. [While major brands retain a portion of rooms with bathtubs to accommodate parents with small children and honeymooners, the trend is to scrub the tub.]( "With a lot of the younger generations, not everyone takes a bath," said Chris Pilavakis, general manager of the Renaissance Dallas Hotel on Stemmons Freeway, as the sound of drills and hammers provided the soundtrack for that hotel's $17 million renovation project. Advertisement The Latest Why Texas is paying Luminant $1 million Texas environmental regulators awarded [Irving-based Luminant]( a $1 million grant to build the state's largest electricity storage facility of its kind, the company said. McLane to add Fort Worth distribution center [McLane Co. is building a new grocery warehouse]( in Fort Worth's Carter Industrial Park that will create at least 550 new jobs by 2020. No place builds more new houses than D-FW [Houston was second nationally]( with 29,370 home starts in the 12-month period ending in September. H-E-B boss donates to fiery Tarrant County race [Charles Butt]( often donates to candidates who are perceived as being pro-public education. Honeywell spinoff chooses Austin for new HQ [The new headquarters]( will staff about 100 people, with some being new hires and others coming to Austin as transferred employees. EXECUTIVE CHANGES - RESERVE CAPITAL PARTNERS named Jacqueline Byrd managing director of property management. - RLG CONSULTING ENGINEERS promoted Stuart Markussen to president and chief executive officer and Jared Bratz to chief operating officer. David Goodson will become the company's chairman. - RYAN named David Oldani senior vice president and chief financial officer and Maher Maso a principal in its credits and incentives practice. - SOLEO HEALTH promoted Ron Lindahl to chief operating officer. - TELLA FIRMA FOUNDATIONS named Avi Kahn an independent outside director to its board of directors. Plus: [Find more executive changes.]( (Elizabeth Conley / Houston Chronicle) featured columnist: mitchell schnurman Amazon gave Houston a Texas-sized wake-up call, and it's changing its image When it came to bidding for Amazon’s next-generation headquarters, Houston wasn’t competitive. It didn’t crack the list of 20 HQ2 finalists, a group that includes five metros that are a third of Houston’s size or smaller. [Call it a Texas-sized wake-up call, a blow to the collective ego — and one that was taken seriously.]( After Houston was eliminated early this year, city leaders used it as motivation for change. They unveiled initiatives to appeal to tech workers and startups, including the creation of an Innovation Corridor and a venture capital fund for startups. They also accelerated other plans, such as building deck parks, already in the works. “This was a great opportunity to look at each other and say, ‘Don’t kid yourself, there’s a lot to do if we don’t want this to happen again,’” said Peter Rodriguez, dean of the graduate school of business at Rice University. Follow DFW stocks: [See how top North Texas stocks performed](, as well as the oil and gas markets and major stock exchanges. DFW Top 100 Places to Work 2017: The Dallas Morning News and Workplace Dynamics partner each year to feature the [Top 100 workplaces](, based on ratings by the people who work at them.  Do you have feedback on this newsletter? Send your thoughts, questions, praise and corrections to our Business Editor Paul O'Donnell at [podonnell@dallasnews.com](mailto:podonnell@dallasnews.com?subject=Newsletter%20Feedback). STAY CONNECTED WITH US  [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( [LinkedIn]( [Reddit](  [OTHER NEWSLETTERS]( [SUBSCRIPTION OPTIONS]( [Unsubscribe](  |  [Manage Preferences](  |  [Privacy Policy](  |  [Contact](  |  [Advertise]( You received this message because you signed up for this Dallas Morning News newsletter or it was forwarded to you. Copyright 2018 - [The Dallas Morning News]( | [1954 Commerce St., Dallas, TX 75201](#)