Speaker Bios


Don Proctor
Area President ? Commercial Lending, First Bank Texas

With 30+ years in banking,  Don has worked for banks both large and small and has been with First Bank Texas for the past 9 years. First Bank Texas is a locally owned community bank serving the DFW market since 1880. The bank focuses on helping small businesses thrive with a variety of financial products and services custom tailored to fit their needs.
Don is married to his wife Andrea for 23 years and has 3 children. Don is currently serving on the board of the HEB Chamber of Commerce and the Arlington-Mansfield Area YMCA board of directors. Past organizations that Don has served have been with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Tarrant County board of directors, and the Downtown Arlington Rotary Club serving as the past president. 

Steve Farco
President, Mason-Dallas, Inc. & Farco Industries
City of Bedford Council Member 

Mason-Dallas, Inc. is a 45 year-old multi-million dollar family-owned company in the vibration and acoustical engineering field in the construction industry whose major projects include:

The Bass Hall - The Morton H. Myerson Symphony Center
The Winspear Opera House - Cowboy Stadium - Globe Life Field

For over 30 years, Steve has productively overseen the vital operations & growth of Mason-Dallas, Inc. & Farco Industries. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University with a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration, a Bedford City Councilman and an Executive Member of the HEB Chamber as well as the HEB Economic Development Foundation.




Kari Crowe Seher
Founder, MELT Ice Creams
?We believe treats can change your day and your day can change the world.?

Kari Crowe Seher made her splash in 2014 with her ice cream shop MELT ice creams, where the mission to give you the best five minutes of your day. Kari?s history includes crafting stories as a photojournalist, freelancing for local and national publications, and developing grassroots marketing strategies. Seeing a need for a local ice cream parlor, Kari set out to open the world?s
happiest ice cream shop using premium ingredients while making small batches of artisan ice cream.

MELT opened in April of 2014 and has since grown to four scoop shops, a production kitchen, a catering department of trucks and carts, national shipping, and grocery distribution. MELT makes all-natural inspiring ice cream flavors in small batches. MELT has a precise menu of flavors with classics and creative concoctions like lavender honey crunch, and dulce de leche strawberry pistachio, but there are always plant-based flavors with coconut milk!

Kari is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business program and was selected as one of twenty women entrepreneurs for the 2018 James Beard Women?s leadership program. Kari has served on the advisory committee for the Fort Worth Food and Wine Festival and actively serves with local non-profits The Birthday Party Project and Texas Refugee Services. When she isn?t running her business or serving in the community, she?s literally just running. An ultra runner who chooses to go after grueling mountain races, she puts her mind and body to the test by running races up to 100 miles or more in a single day. She lives in a 1920?s bungalow in the heart of Fort Worth, Texas, with her husband, Mark.