Airport design, pharma in the news, and other top Business headlines

Your Tuesday afternoon Business news briefing [Your Tuesday afternoon Business news briefing] Tuesday, July 11, 2017 [Corgan's Shanghai Airport]( Corgan's design rendering for a new satellite concourse being built at Shanghai's Pudong International Airport. (Rendering courtesy of Corgan) The Big Story Here's how a Dallas design firm is working to take the stress out of airports [Global architecture and design firm Corgan]( employs about 200 people in its aviation practice, which is headquartered in Dallas. The firm’s aviation routes run deep, including the 1958 design of Love Field’s terminal and the 2014 renovation, as well as work at DFW International Airport and more than 150 other airports worldwide. The company recently helped design a new satellite concourse for Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport that’s currently under construction and is expected to have 100 boarding gates across 6.7 million square feet. It’s also been touting research conducted by the firm using an array of tools — including eye-tracking technology, virtual reality and aging suits meant to mimic the experience of elderly passengers — that are helping create a new, more passenger-centric vision for the airports of the future. The Dallas Morning News spoke with Jonathan Massey, a managing principal and head of Corgan’s aviation practice, about the firm’s research, how to improve U.S. airports and the Shanghai project. -[Conor Shine]( Plus: [Find more D-FW airlines news]( The Latest - Economy: Texas [dropped out]( of the top two spots for the first time since CNBC started its annual ranking of top states for business in 2007. - Real estate: [New office project](going up on Maple Avenue in Dallas' Oak Lawn neighborhood. - E-commerce: Not even a chip maker like Plano's Frito-Lay is immune to consumers wanting to buy online and [receive products]( at their door. - Education: [H-E-B's chairman]( ponies up $50 million more for Texas schools, this time aimed at teacher training - Health care: [One digital company]( wants to match nurses looking for work with Texas health care companies needing them. - Retail: [J.C. Penney's CFO]( of 3 years steps down during industrywide slump. Senderra executives Will Howard, left, and Win Purifoy are framed by some of the drugs they dispense at their Richardson business. (Ron Baselice/The Dallas Morning News) Featured Columnist: cheryl hall A healthcare model that puts patients first? Senderra shows it’s possible [Dallas-based Senderra Specialty Pharmacy]( is trying to ease the pain of getting some of today’s most expensive drugs into the hands of patients who really need them. There are about 300 specialty drugs that cost $1,000 to $60,000 a month. Another  1,500 to 2,000 new drugs are trying to make it to market with an aging population anxiously awaiting them. So it’s no wonder insurers want to make certain that treatment is needed and that less expensive drugs won’t be just as effective. Pharmacy benefits managers operate as gatekeepers, and each has requirements to grant coverage. A cure for Hep C is an $80,000 to $120,000 proposition, but it might prevent a $600,000 liver transplant. That’s where Senderra steps in, says Will Howard, president and co-founder of one of the nation’s largest independent specialty pharmacies. Plus: [Find more Cheryl Hall columns.]( Advertisement [Martin Shkreli]( Former Turing Pharmaceuticals CEO Martin []Shkreli arrives is on trial in federal court in New York. (The Associated Press) D-FW AROUND THE WEB Second Dallas investor testifies in 'pharma bro' Martin Shkreli's trial A Dallas investor who put $200,000 into Martin Shkreli's hedge fund said the young money manager reminded him of the autistic savant character in the movie "Rain Man." Schuyler B. Marshall, chairman of Rosewood Corp., a Dallas-based investment company established by Texas oilman H.L. Hunt, [told a Brooklyn jury]( that he was so impressed with Shkreli he put his own retirement money into the hedge fund in 2010. Plus: [Dallas investor Darren Blanton talked up Shkreli as 'creative' CEO]([.]( Elsewhere in Texas - West Texas: Oilfield services company Halliburton has been [hiring 100 people a month]( since January to keep up with fracking demand in West Texas. (Houston Chronicle) - Austin: As tech startups struggle to find money to expand, a California venture capital firm has [set up shop]( in the state's capital to mine for deals. (512Tech) - Houston: With federal funding in question, medical researchers are increasingly [turning to private donations]( to bring discoveries to market. (Houston Chronicle) [Buffett's Texas connection]( (Nathan Hunsinger/The Dallas Morning News) Company Snapshot Warren Buffett's new acquisition target would add to his extensive Texas holdings A bid by Warren Buffett's Berkshire Hathaway to buy Oncor, Texas' largest regulated utility, would add to the billionaire's already extensive connections to the Lone Star State. As energy writer [Jeff Mosier reported](, Berkshire has lined up support for its offer even though the deal still needs approval from a bankruptcy judge and the Texas Public Utility Commission. Here's [a snapshot]( of what the Oracle of Omaha likes about Texas. Plus: Mitchell Schnurman tells why [Buffett's plan is a winner for Texans](. 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. 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). STAY CONNECTED WITH US  [Facebook]( [Instagram]( [Twitter]( [LinkedIn]( [Tumblr]( [Google]( [Ello]( [Ello](  [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 2017 - [The Dallas Morning News]( | [508 Young St., Dallas, TX 75202](#)