Latest news with #DanielLubetzky
Axios
6 days ago
- Politics
- Axios
Building bipartisan policies in Austin
A nonprofit that helped pass a gun safety education law in Tennessee is headed to Texas with the goal of bridging political divides. Why it matters: Republicans have a tight grip on the state House and Senate, and Texas is not known for bipartisan policymaking. How it works: Builders, the nonpartisan nonprofit, is bringing its Citizen Solutions initiative this fall. The nonprofit was co-founded by Daniel Lubetzky, who also founded KIND Snacks. It will assemble residents from across the state and political spectrum to discuss health care policy. The aim is to come up with practical policy proposals for the Texas Legislature. What they're saying:"A lot of the issues that our country is dealing with, Texas is dealing with," Lubetzky tells Axios. The latest: Builders last week released polling that highlighted areas in which Democratic, Republican and independent Texans agree, including allowing pharmacists to test and treat common illnesses and requiring employers to contribute to their employees' child care costs. Zoom in: The nonprofit also released polling of Travis County residents. 87% of Travis County residents polled support spending money on modernizing and maintaining the local electric grid to make it more weather-resilient, even if it slightly increases utility rates in the short term. 74% support the Austin Police Department prioritizing the creation and implementation of a recruiting plan to fill police officer vacancies. 61% support the use of automated license plate recognition cameras to allow police to detect stolen vehicles and other criminal activity. Reality check: Polling is one thing; politics is another. In June, the city of Austin shut down a license plate camera program over fears the surveillance technology could be used to track immigrants or Texans seeking abortions. The intrigue: Last year, Lubetzky contributed $160,000 to the campaign of Jeremy Sylestine, who framed himself as a moderate in his unsuccessful Democratic primary bid to unseat Travis County district attorney José Garza.
Axios
29-07-2025
- Politics
- Axios
Nonprofit looks to build bipartisan policies in Texas
A nonprofit that helped pass a gun safety education law in Tennessee is headed to Texas, with the goal of bridging political divides and creating bipartisan legislation. Why it matters: Republicans have a tight grip on the state House and Senate, and Texas is not known for bipartisan policymaking. How it works: Builders, the nonpartisan nonprofit, is bringing its Citizen Solutions initiative to Texas this fall. The nonprofit was cofounded by Daniel Lubetzky, the KIND Snacks CEO who attended school in San Antonio. It will assemble a group of residents from across the state and political spectrum to discuss health care policy. The aim is to come up with practical policy proposals for the Texas Legislature. They will seek feedback statewide to inform the proposals. What they're saying:"A lot of the issues that our country is dealing with, Texas is dealing with," Lubetzky tells Axios. Builders hopes Texas will help prove its Citizen Solutions model so it can expand nationally, Lubetzky says. He sees particular urgency in addressing the political divide while lawmakers across the country seek to redraw congressional district boundaries in their party's favor, spurred on by President Trump's push to do so in Texas. The latest: Builders this week released polling that highlighted areas in which Democratic, Republican and independent Texans agree. Baselice & Associates conducted two separate statewide polls, May 2-7 and June 25-29. Each included 1,001 Texas voters with a margin of error of +/- 3.1%. Zoom in: 77% of Texas voters polled supported allowing pharmacists to test and treat common illnesses like the flu. 82% supported employers contributing to employees' child care costs. And 84% supported paying homeowners for extra solar energy they produce, and sending it back to the power grid. Flashback: Builders formed a group called the Tennessee 11 that drafted five proposals around gun safety and education in 2023, following The Covenant School shooting.
Entrepreneur
29-07-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Mars Brands Made in US, Investing Billions in Factories
The candy-maker has created 9,000 jobs over the last five years with its investments, according to a new report. The maker of popular candies and gum, including M&M's and Milky Way, is investing $6 billion in U.S. factories. The Wall Street Journal reports that $2 billion of the six will be invested in the next 18 months with a focus on scaling new businesses, including building a new factory for Nature's Bakery. (Mars brand Kind, which was founded by "Shark Tank" investor Daniel Lubetzky, acquired Nature's Bakery in 2020.) Mars CEO Poul Weihrauch posted on LinkedIn Tuesday that 94% of Mars products sold in the U.S are "produced locally in the U.S." The company also said it has created 9,000 jobs over the last five years with its investments. Related: Daniel Lubetzky Took Kind Snacks From Idea to $5 Billion. Here's His Best Advice For Anyone Who Wants to Start a Business. Related: Meet the World's Secretive Billionaires Who Give Stealth Wealth a Whole New Meaning, from Ike Perlmutter to Philip Anschutz The investment will stretch across the company's many products and brands, which also include Pringles, Snickers, and Pedigree pet food. "We're convinced about the long-term strength of the American consumer," Claus Aagaard, Mars' chief financial officer, told the WSJ. Mars is a private, family-owned business headquartered in McLean, Virginia. The Mars family reportedly has a net worth of $117 billion. Forbes ranked them the No. 2 richest family in America in 2024 behind the Walton family (Walmart). Join top CEOs, founders and operators at the Level Up conference to unlock strategies for scaling your business, boosting revenue and building sustainable success.
