Prime Amazon pitch, tax reform, Harvey losses: Friday's Business Briefing

September 22,  2017 Follow us on Twitter: [@DMNBiz]( A major Oak Cliff property owner is promoting its site on Zang and Colorado boulevards for Amazon's new headquarters. (Cienda Partners) The Big Story Amazon in Oak Cliff? Prime property owners pitch site for huge HQ2 project Investors who own a key development site on Oak Cliff's doorstep are pitching the property as a site for Amazon's huge new corporate headquarters. The site of the old Oak Farms Dairy and other land investor Cienda Partners owns has a front row seat on the downtown Dallas skyline. The properties are at the south end of the Houston Street Bridge and include the site of the former Burnett Field baseball stadium on Interstate 35E. [Cienda Partners cofounder Phil Wise said the company decided to throw its hat in the ring]( to attract the huge Amazon development after hearing about the competition. "We were highly encouraged by some of the city council folks. It really does seem like a center city location like Oak Cliff really fits with what Amazon has done in Seattle," Wise said. -[Steve Brown]( Related: [Everything else you should know about North Texas' chances of reeling in HQ2]( Plus: Find more news about [D-FW real estateÂ]( special offer For a limited time, newsletter readers can enjoy unlimited digital access to DallasNews.com for only $2.99 a week. [Sign up today]( and stay informed about the latest news that's important to you.  The Latest - Energy: U.S. International Trade Commission [decides imported solar cells and panels]( are threatening the domestic manufacturing industry. - Transportation: Dallas-based luxury bus service [Vonlane]( adds another Texas route. - Real estate: [Lincoln Property]( plans major development with Turtle Creek buy. - Technology: HP Enterprise is [planning to cut 5,000 jobs]( in a broad cost-cutting move. - Restaurants: Hurts Donut is offering [scary clown deliveries]( in Frisco for those friends you love to hate. Advertisement [AT&T downtown Dallas]( AT&T; has been outspoken in its support of tax reform. (David Woo / Staf Photographer) business & Government How badly do businesses want lower tax rate? They might pass on $2 trillion break to get it The $450,000 milling machine just bought by Manda Machine in Dallas isn’t only a key piece of equipment for the family-owned manufacturer. It’s also a giant tax headache. Owner Andy Ellard must consult complicated depreciation schedules to figure out how much he can write off — and when. And uncertainty from the federal government about that multi-year process means he and other businesses often put off big capital purchases longer than they’d like. Policymakers are considering a measure that would remove any doubt by allowing full and immediate expensing. But even though Ellard likes the idea, [he said Congress’ top priority should instead be lowering the tax rate for businesses](. The dynamic, echoed by other business leaders, nods at the daunting task lawmakers face in overhauling the nation’s byzantine tax code. -[Tom Benning]( Flooded cars are one of the major losses weighing on insurers' bottom lines. (David L. Phillip / The Associated Press) Harvey's toll Allstate's Hurricane Harvey losses hit $593 million Allstate, one of the largest home and auto insurers in Texas, says it expects its losses to total $593 million in August from the destruction wrought by Hurricane Harvey along the Gulf Coast. [The insurer said Thursday](that Harvey's toll represents more than three times the $181 million in losses it recorded in July. Allstate's August losses don't include the other half of the weather one-two punch — Hurricane Irma, the record-setting storm that blew across the Caribbean and Florida in September. More than half of the company's Harvey losses — 55 percent — resulted from vehicles flooded by the storm's torrential rains. -[Paul O'Donnell]( Plus: [Find more about Harvey's impact on Texas]( Elsewhere in Texas - Real estate: Lawsuit alleges ‘troubling pattern’ at [Austin Board of Realtors](. (Austin American-Statesman) - Energy: [CPS Energy rebates]( aim to curb consumer power usage. (San Antonio Express-News) - Philanthropy: [Genesys Works](receives grant to support national internships for high school seniors. (Houston Chronicle) - Technology: Tesla rumors send [AMD’s stock]( on roller coaster ride. (512Tech.com) - Airports: [Hobby, Bush Intercontinental]( show improvements in J.D. Power passenger satisfaction survey. (Houston Chronicle) [Darren Woodson]( Former Dallas Cowboys player Darren Woodson relaxes during the filming of a public service announcement. (Hari Chan) Featured Columnist | Cheryl hall '90s Cowboys and a Heisman Trophy winner pay homage to teachers who set their success in motion Irving-based College Football Playoff Foundation wants to spread the word about the crucial value of teachers and turn the tide that’s led to an ever-increasing shortage of them. It’s recruited four pro-football greats as messengers: Troy Aikman, Tim Brown, Russell Maryland and Darren Woodson. Beginning at the end of this month, [the dynamic foursome, each with D-FW ties, will be featured in public service announcements]( sharing their stories of teachers who changed their lives along with giving lessons on typing, English and discipline. -[Cheryl Hall]( [Executive changes]( Onboarding Who is getting hired and promoted - CALL BOX promoted Avi Meshulam to senior managing director. - GIACT SYSTEMS named Audrey Touma senior vice president of platform services. - LOCKE LORD named Neil Rajan a partner in the corporate practice group. - RYAN named Tony Bridwell chief people officer based in its Dallas headquarters. - SAMMONS CENTER FOR THE ARTS named Hannah B. Garcia director of development. Plus: [Find more executive changes]( 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 2016: 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. The 2017 ranking is in progress. Prefer the online view? It's [here](%%20webview_url%20%]). Advertisement 👋  That's all for today! For up-to-the-minute business news and analysis, check out [DallasNews.com/Business](. 💖 Share the love: If you like this newsletter, please forward this email to a friend and [check out our other newsletters here](. 📧 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). 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