Derek France
Based on his last mayoral term, it is hard to argue that Derek France doesn’t wear a lot of hats… and maybe even a dinosaur costume. But this doesn’t seem like anything new to Derek. Over the years he has worn the hat of student council member and Eagle Scout in his younger years and later as a police officer, private military contractor, Summit club member, churchgoer, upstanding citizen, rotary member, and owner of his own private consulting group. Despite the weight of these hats, one of his favorite things about the role of mayor is the heart of servant leadership that it requires. “You have to not be afraid to meet people and be asked difficult questions,” Derek explains. But the pressure as mayor is something that he doesn't seem to shy away from but has embraced over the years, “From a sincere servant’s heart, that's why [I] do this.” As a volunteer, non-paid job, the role of mayor includes being both chief ambassador and head cheerleader, and Derek is definitely a big fan of Flower Mound, “We're the gem of North Texas and definitely of Denton County. We have a unique thing in our community because, like gold being popular, everybody wants some of it!” Sharing his love for his town has meant everything from campaign slogans to countless meetings to time attending events, but also has possibly included reading the book “Dragons Love Tacos” in a dragon costume to kids. But he loves it, Derek confesses with a laugh, “The impact that you can have because of a mere title really allows me to be able to do things that could really be life-changing and memorable to people.”
Marty Bryan
“I was born, thank God, with the gift of hospitality. I recognized it at an early age and I knew he’d gifted me with this ability and he doesn't want me to bury it.” Marty’s gift has resulted in BBQ and Bible studies, ice cream and steak, coffee and kolaches. More importantly, however, it has created a beautiful culture and welcoming environment for his customers and his employees. Marty says, “I wanted to be able to provide a place for people to come, celebrate life, connect with their friends and family.” After working many years in the corporate world working for restaurants, Marty learned about what to do…and not to do, “I found that people are a product of their environment.” Which is why he is dedicated to fostering and cultivating an environment for both his customers and employees. “When people come to work for us, we see that as just a huge responsibility,” Marty explains. Especially for his teenage employees, Marty takes the roles seriously in making sure they are going to be safe, productive, told the truth, held accountable, and taught transferable life skills to prepare them for their next endeavor. It all goes into making a culture and environment that is “spirit-filled”, Marty explains, his resolute goal of investing in people shows in his every word. “He wants me to use my gifts to glorify his name and be able to provide a place that's kind of spirit-filled. What defines our heart is being able to be generous. God's been generous to us. We want to be generous to our community.” This community is really what makes it all happen Marty says, it is the real reason that his businesses have been such a success. “We love this area. It's really special. We really feel that in the quality of our customers and the quality of our employees.”
Dr. Myron Wilson
Founder and Executive Director of Direction 61:3, Dr. Myron Wilson takes no time to speak of himself but instead begins to share the story of who he calls, the “invisible population”– teenagers that age out of foster care. At the age of 57, Myron told himself, “‘All right, I've lived essentially two-thirds of my life. I want to finish strong with the last third of my life.’ I asked God to make my life count. I met an 18-year-old homeless aged-out foster girl named Regina. My wife and I took her into our home for several weeks. She opened our eyes to the need and was the catalyst to the creation of Direction61:3.” Today, the nonprofit has multiple locations in both Denton and McKinney with plans of expanding in the near future. From providing teens with homes, mentors, food, counseling, jobs, cars, and life skill classes, this project, although it began later in his life, is impacting lives in large ways and still growing wildly, but his passion for bringing awareness doesn't seem to have dwindled. There are 400,000 kids in foster care in the US and every year, 30,000 of those kids age out and become almost immediately homeless, Myron explains. “In the book of James,” Myron quotes, “it talks about how true faith is ministering to widows and orphans. Simply stated, aged-out youth from foster care are older orphans. And they're at risk without others helping them.” With the goal to raise awareness and save foster teens from the street, Myron’s passion is evident from his role as leader, visionary, executive director, leading sponsor parents, guiding his staff, spiritually guiding the kids, teaching life skills, working alongside his incredible team all in the name of a “simple” yet exceptional goal: “Please God in all that we do and all that we say.”
Bentley Ford
“I have benefited greatly from the generosity and support of others throughout my life. [And I know] that if I can make a difference in the life of people, that would then multiply, and they can make a difference in the lives of the people that they come in contact with.” Bentley Ford is the Managing Director, Dallas Market, with Prime Capital Investment Advisors in Flower Mound. But it all comes back to his goal of “leaving the world better than it was before.” It’s one of the most rewarding experiences, he explains, when your professional goals align so well with your personal ones: to have compassion and make a positive impact. “One of the things I love about what I do is that I get an opportunity to build relationships with people and serve them and help them to make the most and benefit the most from what they've been blessed with.” Bentley’s primary life goal isn’t a financial legacy, he explains, and it isn’t a secondary goal to heap on top of the rest of life’s tasks. It is the center of everything that he does as a financial advisor, husband, father, leader and beyond, from “sitting in a Bible study, talking to my kids in the truck on the way home from a baseball tournament where things didn't go well for them, or sitting with a client who's wrapping up their work life and looking at what they're going to do with their financial freedom…” It is also key to his involvement with the CACNTX with 2024 as his third year on the board and having recently moved to a role on the finance committee as well. Because of the stigma placed on the crime of child abuse, helping this mission requires community involvement, he explains, “The community is responsible for looking after the weak and the vulnerable, the community has always responded and this is no different.” With sincerity and dedication, Bentley tackles every aspect of his life, it’s about leaving it better than before, and “we can't get it wrong. We can't come up short as a community in our response and leave anybody behind.”