The Bridge Travel Essential Store to open at DFW Airport
On behalf of The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center, I am excited to announce that the proposed social entrepreneurship project, The Bridge Travel Essential Store at DFW Airport, was affirmed for implementation by the DFW Airport Board of Directors on Thursday, October 13, 2022.
Yesterday’s vote was a result of over 18 months of work alongside Dr. Alvin Brown of Gideon Toal Management Services and Mr. Ronnie Harris of R.S. Harris, LLC to craft this social entrepreneurship project.
The Bridge Travel Essential Store in Terminal A at DFW Airport will provide a medium for communicating The Bridge brand and marvelous social impact model of homeless recovery to literally the world, while also establishing a revenue stream to help offset operating expenses through the partnership with Gideon Toal Management and R.S. Harris LLC.
The Bridge Travel Essentials store is projected to open in April 2023. It will feature an expansive 800 sq. ft. storefront with warm earth tones and meandering pathways. The market will showcase the region by highlighting partnerships with local markets and up-and-coming businesses. Guests can one-stop-shop for all their travel and souvenir needs, whether a grab and go snack from refrigerated cases, a personal care item, or locally sourced memorabilia.
Crossing this finish line was the result of establishing strategic conversations with more than 50 major players in both the City of Fort Worth and the City of Dallas about this unique project.
Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson stated, “Dallas is at its best when we work together to solve our most significant challenges."
We could not agree more with Mayor Johnson. The Bridge Travel Essential Store is estimated to generate $200,000 annually in revenue for The Bridge, while also providing jobs through Fort Worth-based Presbyterian Night Shelter's Upspire workforce program.
Mayor Johnson continued on to say, “Through this creative partnership, one of our city’s most important homelessness services centers will receive a major boost that will help get people off our streets and back on their feet. I hope this concept serves as a model for how we can help move Dallas forward while helping us serve the most vulnerable people in our city, and I look forward to shopping there before my flights out of the second-busiest airport in the world, DFW International Airport.”
We are committed to pursuing opportunities to grow this unique business, social entrepreneurship, and revenue building model, while continuing work with The Bridge Guests, and facilitating their recovery from homelessness.
I want to thank you for your commitment to our work at The Bridge and invite you to celebrate this incredible news with us. We cannot wait to meet you in the aisles of The Bridge Travel Essentials Store at DFW Airport.
Dr. David Woody, III President and CEO The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center
