April 2012 - The Business Lifestyle Magazine Digital Edition

Volume 30 • No. 4

THE BUSINESS LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE

April 2012

DANNY NGUYEN, CCIM A Councilman and Entrepreneur: Faith, Destiny, Freedom and Opportunity

INSIDE FEATURES / STORIES

Emergency Rooms & Urgent Care Fort Bend Engineering & Construction Do I Own The Water Under My Property?

Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce Newsletter Data Beat Information 4.95

$

PRSRT STD U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 600 HOUSTON, TEXAS

FIND YOUR NEXT CAR Search new and used car inventories online - easy, simple, fast

Scan with your smart phone to launch website See some of the ads in print in the Star every week.

Editor’s Preview

by Sharon Wallingford

April is about clean sweeps and tall orders... its a time to be plugged in to what’s happening

The Editorial Advisory Board Kolbe Curtice CCIM, CLS Managing Director – Colliers International | Fort Bend

W

hat’s on most Fort Bend County minds this month: Taxes. What are candidates running for public office most concerned about: Getting the best locations for their signs and shaking enough hands. What’s the hottest state and national topics: Healthcare and the role of the US Supreme Court. Folks, have you kept your copy of The US Constitution on your coffee table?

Jacqueline Baly Chaumette President and CEO Baly Projects, LLC

Remember the day of the friendly meter reader? Another ghost of the past.

Within the past month the Smart Meters have been installed on most Fort Bend County homes and businesses. That’s left some residents calling the Texas Public Utility Commission about their privacy, potential health risks and lack of choice in the matter even though they are paying for the change.

Dee Koch Grant Officer The George Foundation

Becky Munnell President and CEO Blue Jungle Marketing

I am reading an interesting book: Toxic Charity by Robert D. Lupton. It’s about how churches, government and charities hurt those they help and how to reverse it. It summarizes how actually giving to those in need what they could be gaining from their own initiative may well be the kindest way to destroy people.

Most interesting 200-page read I’ve consumed in a long time.

Alan Sandersen Certified Public Accountant Sandersen Knox & Co. L.L.P.

Sharpen your shovel and plant a tree this month. It’s not too late. Earth Day falls on Sunday, April 22.

This month we’re introducing you to Community Activist Danny Nguyen.

Although to most Fort Bend County residents he needs no introduction, this will bring everyone up to date on what the non-stop businessman has been involved in lately.

Tim Stubenrouch President First Community Bank

You’ll learn how you can become more aware of how The University of Houston System is implementing measures to become the next Tier One research institution in Texas. Welcome Wilson paid a visit to Richmond to expand on this partnering process and how the power of public service led to the latest campaign.

Spring has sprung. Our special sections, features and collected business data have all been included with you - our readers - in mind.

2

John Whitmore Whitmore Company

Contact:

Keep the cash registers ringing.

Sharon K. Wallingford Sharon@FortBendStar.com

Sharon K. Wallingford

Mary Doetterl Mary@FortBendStar.com 281.690.4204

Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

FORT BEND

RE/MAX Southwest

Cathy Simeone

281.491.1776

Mike 281.340.4122

Realtor ABR, GRI, CSP, ASP

RE/MAX Fine Properties

Realtor, GRI, CDPE, PMN

281.250.7513

Realtor, ABR, GRI

Prudential Gary Greene

Emelia Appel

Realtor ABR, CBR, GRI RE/MAX Heritage

281.352.6950

713.444.0484

RE/MAX Fine Properties

appel@garygreene.com Prudential Gary Greene

713.254.0631

Barbara Montgomery

281.207.5060

Realtor, Hall of Fame GRI CBR

Sherry 281.340.4111 Keller Williams Realty

Paula and William Johnson

713.826.2373

Veronica Valentz

Hank Mann Mike Harness & Sherry Miles

Realtor-HALL of Fame

Keller Williams Realty

Rhonda Beavers

RE/MAX Fine Properties

Hank Mann Team RE/MAX Fine Properties

713.582.1654

832.595.1474

Cathy Stubbs

Realtor - 23+ yrs experience

Denise Hulse

Dorothy Yee

281.433.4462

Broker/Owner Wayne Stone Properties

Sonia Cousins

Realtor, GRI, ePro Heritage Texas Properties

Wayne Stone

Joan Berger

Real Estate All-Stars

Realtor, ePro

Durmoye Realty

281.804.8353

713.898.3938

CONTENTS

Fort Bend/Katy

Cover Story

Volume 30 • Number 4 • April 2012 For subscriptions send check for $25 to Fort Bend Business Journal

Danny Nguyen, CCIM A Councilman and Entrepreneur: Faith, Destiny, Freedom and Opportunity

pg.

32

Special Features

4655 Techniplex Dr., Suite 300 Stafford, Texas 77477 281-690-4200 TOLL FREE 1-888-430-7478 www.fortbendstar.com Single copy $4.95

PUBLISHER.................................... Beverly Carter

Fort Bend Emergency Rooms & Urgent Care................................... 3 Fort Bend Engineering & Construction......................................... 13

Inside Stories

GENERAL MANAGER............Michael Fredrickson EDITOR ...........................................Sharon Wallingford ADVERTISING DIRECTOR ..................Mary Doetterl MARKETING CONSULTANTS................ Jennifer Pappas-Blancas

Katy Residents Settle for a Sound Settlement.......................................................................20

Diane Strehl Ann Sturrock

Start Closing the Income Inequality Gap Yourself................................................................22 Welcome Wilson Wows the Community at OakBend Luncheon......................................36

RESIDENTIAL REAL ESTATE

Imperial/Tract 3 Recommendation Approved After Significant Concessions...............40

SPECIALIST.........................................Becky Hall

Myth vs. Fact...................................................................................................................................42

CONTRIBUTORS . ................................. T.C. Benn Betsy Dolan

Katy Gains a Convention Center...............................................................................................44 Big Shots - Mardi Gras Party • American Heart Association • BLU Restaurant..........54

Monthly Columns

ART DIRECTOR.................................Joey Belleza

Kolbe Curtice CCIM, CLS

Leland Irwin

Commercial Real Estate

Law and Business

Discusses Changes in Office Lease Operating Expenses...................... 17

Discusses Do I Own the Water Under My Property?................................. 31

Alan Sandersen

Elsa Maxey

Tax Smart

Digital Studios

Discusses Owner Compensation: What’s Reasonable?...................... 21

Discusses Businesss Communications Enhancement................................. 39

Monthly Departments Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce Newsletter...................................................23-30 Names in the News................................................................................................. 50 Newsworthy.......................................................................................................52-53 Data Beat...........................................................................................................56-59 Service Directory...............................................................................................60-62 Meet & Eat - Food, Drink & Entertainment Guide............................................62-63

4

Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

Elsa Maxey Wayne Chandler

GRAPHIC DESIGNER / WEB.............Carlo Arcillas

ON THE COVER Danny Nguyen, CCIM A Councilman and Entrepreneur: Faith, Destiny, Freedom, and Opportunity

©2012 Fort Bend Business Journal Magazine No material from this publication be copied or in any way reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

SOME OF THE BEST MEDICAL ADVICE YOU’LL EVER RECEIVE IS HOW TO GET HERE.

When it comes to hospitals in Sugar Land, you have lots of choices. But only one hospital carries the St. Luke’s name. At St. Luke’s Sugar Land Hospital, you’ll find a commitment to excellence plus many of the services you may need, delivered with our own special brand of caring called Faithful, Loving Care®. Discover what makes us different. We’re here for you.

StLukesSugarLand.com generated at BeQRious.com

Highway 59 one block north of Highway 6 at Lake Pointe Parkway 1317 Lake Pointe Parkway, Sugar Land, TX 77478 | 281-637-7000

Special Feature: Emergency Rooms & Urgent Care

Sugar Land Surgical Hospital re-opens its door to serve Sugar Land area

O

n September 4th, 2012, Sugar Land Surgical Hospital will be re-opening its doors in a brand new, shining facility and ready to serve the Sugar Land area with expanded offerings and a friendly, caring staff. The new Sugar Land Surgical Hospital will be very easy to access, located at the intersection of 59 South and Sweetwater Blvd. The Emergency Rooms are open 24/7/365 to handle major and all minor injuries and illnesses with no wasted time spent in the waiting room.

The new Sugar Land Surgical Hospital will offer a full service laboratory, as well as on-site radiology services that will include x-ray, diagnostic ultrasound, MRI, and CT scanning capabilities to handle your

individual emergency situation quickly and effectively. The Emergency Department at Sugar Land Surgical Hospital is staffed by qualified physicians and nurses who have many years of ER experience and specialize in fracture care, lacerations, abdominal pain, dehydration, and other ailments.

Sugar Land Surgical Hospital accepts all private insurances, as well as Medicare and Medicaid. It is also fully licensed by the State of Texas as an acute care hospital and is accredited by The Joint Commission.

This accreditation is a symbol of quality patient care, and reflects Sugar Land Surgical Hospital’s commitment to meeting established performance standards and best practices.

Sugar Land Surgical Hospital has been a part of Sugar Land’s medical service

community since 2002 and has earned an established reputation for providing firstclass surgical and emergency services in a safe, comfortable, and welcoming environment. Sugar Land Surgical Hospital is also proud to be partnered with some of the best physicians in the local area.

At Sugar Land Surgical Hospital, you are not just another patient. You are an individual who receives personalized attention, treatment, and care that you would expect from your choice of emergency services.

Sugar Land Surgical Hospital is located at 16906 SW Frwy, Sugar Land, or visit www.sugarlandsurgicalhospital.com.

For additional information contact JP Crawford, Operations Manager at 281-243-1000.

COMING MAY 2012 ISSUE

SPECIAL FEATURE

Deadline: April 10

Spotlight on Dentists & Cosmetic Dentistry

TO ADVERTISE CALL MARY DOETTERL 281-690-4204 • cell 713-397-6279 Mary@FortBendStar.com 6

Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

Fort Bend/Katy

Special Feature: Emergency Rooms & Urgent Care

April 2012 • Fort Bend Business Journal

7

Special Feature: Emergency Rooms & Urgent Care

Methodist Sugar Land Hospital seeks community blessings for Emergency Department

M

ethodist Sugar Land Hospital invites you to share your blessings, prayers, well-wishes and testimonials for our patients receiving care in the Emergency Department.

“We are requesting blessings and patient testimonials for our patients, visitors, staff, physicians and volunteers in our Emergency Department. After your blessings and testimonials are collected, many of them will be displayed in our Emergency Department waiting area to provide comfort, hope and peace to all,” said Bill Bross, director of Spiritual Care and Values Integration at Methodist Sugar Land Hospital. continued on page 10

Portion of the current Blessing Wall at Methodist Sugar Land Hospital.

METHODIST CARDIOLOGY ASSOCIATES

LEADING CARDIAC CARE

Dr. Kesavan Shan is a long-time Sugar Land cardiologist who is highly respected for his skilled approach to medicine. Dr. Shan uses state-of-the-art technology to identify heart disease at its earliest stages, such as coronary and peripheral angiography, echocardiography, nuclear stress testing, coronary CT angiography, cardiovascular MRI and cardiac catheterization.

• Board-certified in cardiovascular disease and internal medicine • Certified in nuclear cardiology and echocardiography • Located on the Methodist Sugar Land Hospital campus in Medical Office Building One, Suite 450

Call 281-275-0330 today for an appointment.

Specializing in treating and managing a wide range of heart problems: • Mitral Valve Prolapse • Chest Pain • Hypertension • Coronary Artery Disease • Cholesterol Management • Heart Failure • Preventative Cardiology • Irregular Heartbeat (arrhythmias) • Diabetes and Heart Disease • Heart Valve Disease

• Peripheral Vascular Disease • Carotid Artery Disease • Aortic Aneurysm • Structural Heart Disease

Medical Office Building One • 16651 Southwest Freeway, Suite 450 Sugar Land, Texas 77479 • 281-275-0330 • MethodistSugarLandDocs.com

8

Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

Special Feature: Emergency Rooms & Urgent Care

Memorial Hermann Boasts Specialized Emergency Care, First Accredited Chest Pain Centers along 59 Corridor

A

s certified Chest Pain Centers, Memorial Hermann Southwest and Sugar Land hospitals have earned high marks in cardiac care. Earning this distinction ensures that patients receive expedited care and the most advanced treatment during the critical early stages of a heart attack. Along with offering high quality cardiac care, each hospital has a specialized area of their Emergency Center dedicated to special patient populations.

The Children’s Emergency Center at Memorial Hermann Sugar Land is ready to care for children of all ages. It is staffed by dedicated pediatricians, nurses and other experts trained in emergency care for children. These skilled and compassionate professionals understand that children

experience healthcare differently.

That’s why medical equipment – like breathing machine masks and blood pressure cuffs – is sized for children. Colorful animal murals, fish tanks and televisions put children at ease. A full-time, certified Child Life Specialist helps children cope with medical procedures through age-appropriate play.

During the peak period for children’s emergency visits – 5 to 11 p.m. daily – a board-certified pediatrician, affiliated with the hospital, sees patients in the Children’s Emergency Center. At other hours, Memorial Hermann Sugar Land’s affiliated boardcertified emergency physicians care for young patients.

Memorial Hermann Southwest has created Texas’ first Emergency Center to accommodate seniors. Located on the 1st

floor, near the existing Emergency Center, the specialized center offers more privacy.

The affiliated physicians, nurses and clinical staff are passionate caregivers who strive to provide what our senior patients need, in an environment specially designed just for them.

Families of senior patients have access to a private waiting room. Patients benefit from larger triage rooms with amenities such as thicker mattresses, new furniture and enlarged wall clocks. Complimentary valet parking is available at the Senior Emergency drop-off from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Senior Emergency Center works closely with the hospital’s Senior Medicine Unit, Senior Treatment and Recovery Unit for Behavioral Care (S.T.A.R.) and Specialty Medicine Unit to accommodate patients who need to be admitted to the hospital.

Choosing accredited care can dramatically lessen the effects of a heart attack.

As certified Chest Pain Centers, Memorial Hermann Southwest and Sugar Land hospitals offer the very highest standard of cardiac care.

Earning this distinction ensures that patients receive the fastest, most advanced treatment during the critical early stages of a heart attack. And with immediate access to the Memorial Hermann Heart & Vascular Institute–Southwest, we’re prepared to handle the most serious heart conditions.

Go to memorialhermann.org to find out about our heart and vascular services at Memorial Hermann.

Southwest 7600 Beechnut Houston, TX 77074 713.456.5000

Sugar Land 17500 West Grand Pkwy S. Sugar Land, TX 77479 281.725.5000

April 2012 • Fort Bend Business Journal

9

Special Feature: Emergency Rooms & Urgent Care

New 24-hour emergency care facility comes to Katy

By Wayne Chandler

K

aty area residents have a new state of the art 24/7 boutique emergency center at 5510 West Grand Parkway South, accessed either from Bellaire Boulevard on the south or FM 1093 on the north, in front of Kohl’s department store, at the freeway.

It’s HealthOne, a 14,000 square foot, $4-million dollar west campus facility of West Houston Medical Center in Houston.

There’s always an experienced emergency care nursing and diagnostic team, with board certified physicians on staff.

“Whether it’s concussions, sprains, broken bones, middle of the night fevers or allergic reactions, we’re here to help,” said Donny P. Abraham, MBA, RN, campus administrator.

The average wait time to see an ER physician is four minutes, and the varying wait time always is posted online at HealthOneHouston.com. “Patients can learn more about us and even ‘save their place’ by checking in ahead to see our

current average wait times,” Abraham said. “Because we are a department of West Houston Medical Center, we are held to the same quality standards as a hospital, and certified by the Joint Commission,” Abraham said. “Affiliation with West Houston makes direct admissions to the hospital simple. “ This facility has been busy since it opened last September. There are nine emergency room beds. “We’ve had them all in use at one time,” Abraham said. This facility location is designed to serve the immediate five-mile area or approximately

Chad Chrisianson, associate administrator of West Houston Medical Center, and Donny P. Abraham, administrator of HealthOne in Katy.

There are a bunch of good interior shots of this facility at HealthOneHouston.com.

100,000 residents, Abraham said.

“At our outpatient diagnostic center, if a patient has a written physician order for labs, or imaging studies, we can do that on site 24/7,” Abraham said.

There’s a full onsite laboratory, and digital diagnostic imaging, including cat scan, ultrasound and x-ray.

This facility also houses-- next door- follow-up care with specialists in OB/ GYN, podiatry and orthopedics.

HealthOne accepts virtually every major and minor insurance including Medicare and Tricare.

Abraham stressed that HealthOne has the capacity to handle more serious illnesses, too, including pneumonia, abdominal and chest pains using the same quality clinical protocols as its main campus.

“WHMC is closer than you think,” Abraham said, “about 15 minutes down the West Park Tollway, and has recently completed an $85 million expansion and facelift.”

For further information, contact (281) 232-1600.

Methodist Sugar Land Hospital seeks community blessings for Emergency Department continued from page 8

To participate, please submit your blessings by April 15: • Website —MethodistSugarLand.com • Facebook —facebook. com/MethodistSugarLand • Mail — Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, Attn: Bill Bross, Director of Spiritual Care 16655 Southwest Freeway Sugar Land, Texas 77479 • In person — leave them with our hospital receptionist “We want our Emergency Department

10

waiting area to be surrounded by the blessings, well-wishes and prayers of our diverse community. The Methodist Hospital System honors religious diversity, and we look forward to receiving messages from community members of all walks of faith,” Bross said.

A similar blessings project was completed prior to the hospital expansion in 2008.

Now, many of the blessings, prayers and well wishes are displayed throughout the hospital, including hallways and the blessing wall located in the hallway connector between Sweetwater Pavilion and Main Pavilion.

“We often notice patients, families, visitors, physicians, volunteers and staff

Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

reading the blessings and well wishes. We are honored to display these blessings from the community, and it is our prayer that those reading the blessings will receive the comfort, peace and hope that we wish to provide at Methodist Sugar Land Hospital.

Since we received so many blessings in 2008, we thought we would once again open the blessings project up for community members and share the blessings in the Emergency Department,” explained Bross.

For more information about the blessings project please call 281-274-8085. For more information about Methodist Sugar Land Hospital, visit MethodistSugarLand.com, or call (281) 274-7500 for a physician referral.

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ADVERTISEMENT

LINDA KILGORE EARNS MIRM DESIGNATION GIVEN BY NAHB HOUSTON, Texas, March 05, 2012 Aliana Development Company (ADC) has announced that Linda Kilgore, Director of Marketing for ADC, has earned the Master in Residential Marketing (MIRM) designation. She is one of only a handful of marketing professionals in the Houston area to receive the designation.

The MIRM designation is the most prestigious title given by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), and is the toplevel achievement for professionals in new home marketing.

Kilgore was recognized for her achievement at the 2012 NAHB International Builders’ Show which took place in February in Orlando, Florida. The show is considered the largest light construction exposition in the world and played host to 50,000 home builders, remodelers, developers, architects and suppliers to the home building industry.

Kilgore, who is also a designated Certified Marketing Professional (CMP), is a member of the NAHB, Houston Association of Realtors (HAR), Women’s Council of Realtors for Greater West Houston, and the Greater Houston Builders Association (GHBA). Last year, due to her work on behalf of ADC, the company received an award for “Best Web Site” given by the Texas Association of Builders. And at the GHBA’s annual Houston’s Best Awards Show, in the “Developer” category, ADC took home prestigious awards for “Billboard of the Year,” “Marketing Campaign of the Year,” and for “Print Ad of the Year.”

The community of Aliana® is a 2000 acre master-planned community in Fort Bend County, Texas and a development of Aliana Development Company. The community is located west of Houston, on the Grand Parkway (State Highway 99) and nestled between U. S. Highway 59 and Interstate-10.

For more information, visit www.alianahouston.com.

© 2012 Aliana Development Company. All rights reserved. “ALIANA” and “Handcrafted for Living.” are trademarks of Aliana Development Company.

A mostly cloudy future for Information Technology?

C

loud computing has been the hottest term in information technology for the past few years. We’ve seen a multitude of advertisements encouraging businesses to move IT processing and services “to the cloud.” So what is all of the

hype about?

From a business standpoint, it boils down to the potential for significant savings in two key areas: time and money. In the not so distant past, organizations typically maintained a significant portion of their IT functions in-house and outsourced only a select few. As the cost of maintaining the IT infrastructure -as well as the staff to operate it - has risen, business managers have been seeking a way to curb these expenses. Outsourcing was one solution to the problem, but the degree of cost savings was frequently debatable, vendor lock-in became an issue, and often the organization still had a significant recurring expense in maintaining the remaining IT assets and personnel. What organizations really wanted was an IT model based on a utility-type structure – little to no ownership of, or expense for, the infrastructure and only paying for the resources used for as long as they were used.

The most recent incarnation of the utility model for IT is cloud computing. Cloud computing is not new, but the term has been embraced as a way to describe IT service offerings that are untethered from the need to own and maintain the infrastructure that supports them. That description may sound a lot like outsourcing, but a key difference in the cloud computing environment is that providers may change based on loading factors and demand to the point that the consumer may not know who the actual provider of those services is at a specific point in time. The idea of cloud computing has evolved from the computer time-sharing visions of the 1960s, through distributed computing and the rise of networks, to the Internet and the online services found today. While some online services that are part of the cloud have been around for a while - such as email, information hosting, and data storage - the concept of the cloud as a platform for applications is still evolving.

Cloud computing is new enough that there is no singularly agreed upon definition of exactly what it is, and this void has been filled by hype from vendors trying to capitalize on the opportunity to market their products and services. The definition first proposed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in 2008 has gained broad acceptance over the past few years. The NIST definition states, in part, that cloud computing is “a model for enabling convenient, on-demand network access to a shared pool of configurable computing resources that can be rapidly provisioned and released with minimal management effort or service provider interaction”. In other words, the consumer has access to a flexible amount of computing power that can range from a PC to a supercomputer – or several of them - and back in a flash, yet only pays for the duration that each resource is used.

Now that we have an idea as to what cloud computing is all about, let’s examine why an organization would consider using cloud services.

Not surprisingly, the potential for cost savings is a huge factor in the equation. In the 2010 Global Information Security Survey, Ernst and Young found organizations searching for ways to reduce IT expenditures without sacrificing technological advantages, stating: continued on page 37

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Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

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Rice & Gardner Consultants Engineer Building’s that Lower Energy Costs!

T

JIM RICE

&

KEVIN GARDNER

Rice & Gardner Consultants provided engineering services for the Fort Bend County North Annex.

Rice & Gardner Consultants continues to provide engineering services for various projects at Fluor’s Lake Pointe Plaza Campus.

oday most people spend the majority of their day indoors at home, at school or at the office. It is important then that our homes, our schools, our office buildings, and the many other buildings we frequent provide a good indoor environment for the people who live and work in them. A good indoor environment is one that addresses the quality of the air we breathe, appropriate temperature and humidity levels, appropriate lighting levels, and in general promotes good indoor occupant comfort, health and well-being.

Because building operations account for over half of all U.S. electricity consumption and contributes a significant portion of greenhouse gas emissions, it is important that they be engineered and designed correctly to minimize electrical consumption, reduce their carbon footprint and still provide a good indoor environment for building occupants. Designing, installing and utilizing efficient lighting and HVAC systems with properly designed building automation control systems is the first step in reducing building energy consumption, lowering utility costs and providing a good indoor environment.

In today’s economy, property owners and managers must demonstrate the value of their property to their tenants, both existing and future, while finding ways to reduce costs without negatively impacting occupant comfort or owner services. It is a delicate balancing act.

Proper engineering design and installation can provide owners with a ten to fifteen percent decrease in their energy bills and a corresponding improvement in tenant satisfaction.

Rice & Gardner Consultants has a highly trained staff of Engineers, Project Managers and Commissioning Agents to assist you. To find out how you can lower your building’s electric bills and provide improved occupant comfort contact Rice & Gardner Consultants today.

To learn more call us at 713-482-2300 or visit our website at www.ricegardner.com.

MEP Engineering – Commissioning - Program Management

6161 Savoy • Suite 1212 • Houston, Texas 77036 • 713.482.2300 • 713.482.2314 fax • www.ricegardner.com 16

Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

R E A L

E S T A T E

Commercial Real Estate

By Kolbe Curtice, CCIM, CLS

Managing Director Colliers International - Fort Bend

Changes in office lease operating expenses Probably the biggest change that I have seen in the commercial real estate office market over recent years has been the way that operating expenses are handled in lease agreements.

That change evolved primarily because of the volatility in the cost of real estate taxes and electricity. Several years ago, a number of commercial properties in Fort Bend saw their real estate ad valorem taxes more than double.

Property owners are now also beginning to see dramatic swings in the pricing for fire and hazard insurance premiums.

Last week our company had one of the country’s leading commercial property risk underwriters come to Houston to talk about the upcoming dramatic changes in the commercial property insurance market. Aimee Neschi, with Peachtree Special Risk Brokers out of Atlanta, said that we are headed into a “hard” market where insurance premiums will increase anywhere between 20% and 800%, depending on the carrier, the type of property,

and location. These changes are driven by the catastrophic losses throughout the world in 2011. Those include two of the most devastating earthquakes in recent times in Japan and New Zealand. In the US, Hurricane Irene made three separate landfalls causing insured losses of over $4.3 billion dollars. The US also had one of the worst tornado seasons on record.

If considered a single event, the tornado losses in the second quarter last year would have ranked as the fourth most expensive disaster in US history. Insurance carriers can no longer rely on investment income or reserve releases to compensate for underwriting weaknesses.

As a result, Probable Maximum Loss (PML) ratios used by insurance carriers to determine insurance premium rates have increased significantly. Property in the Houston and Fort Bend area will see substantial premium increases due to our geographic location on the Gulf Coast and our susceptibility to hurricanes.

When I started my real estate career in

Fort Bend, almost all office building owners utilized “gross” lease agreements. Under a gross lease, the operating expenses in the initial lease year (base year) are paid for by the landlord. Tenants would negotiate a gross annual rental rate which would include sufficient revenue for the landlord to be able to pay the annual building operating expenses, and still be left with enough to meet his required annual return on investment for the property.

The leases would call for tenants to pay any increases in the expenses after the initial base year. This worked well until there began to be dramatic increases in operating expenses within a single year. The significant swings in operating expense have now led much of the office market to follow suit with the retail or shopping center industry and convert to “triple net” leases. Under a “triple net” lease,

KOLBE CURTICE... continued on page 41

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www.colliers.com/markets/sugarland April 2012 • Fort Bend Business Journal

17

Special Feature: Fort Bend Engineering & Construction

Telios Corporation provides creative and sustainable engineering solutions

T

ELIOS Corporation is a mechanical, electrical and plumbing consulting and engineering firm with offices in Sugar Land and Dallas. Founded ten years ago, the firm has experienced continual growth as we provide creative and sustainable design solutions. Our wide-ranging portfolio demonstrates our ability to design, commission, manage and operate systems that work in complex and challenging environments.

By definition, TELIOS means a “perfect design for its intent”. We were founded on the principle of every team member’s full participation in our success and future direction, and the culture of collaboration endures today, both within our company and with our clients and project team members.

More than 80% of our work comes from repeat clients and client referrals.

Working directly for owners, architects and the construction communities, we focus on delivering a Brian Peterson project that is true to the client’s vision, whether master planning, troubleshooting system components, engineering new and complex facilities, maintaining existing facilities, performing sustainability assessments or assisting with compliances. We examine every project from our client’s perspective, so that a holistic and hands-on approach is applied to the building system services, and each solution balances the owner’s unique technical and regulatory requirements with their business goals, cost of operating needs and hold/exit strategies.

TELIOS has even helped non-profit clients identify potential funding sources for expansions and MEP upgrades.

The markets we focus on include Healthcare, Commercial, Municipal, Education, Hospitality, Aviation, Assisted Living, Worship, and Data Centers.

Here’s what two of our clients have to say about working with us: “Telios is a very proactive and resourceful MEP firm. They provide quality solutions to complex healthcare issues.” And, “Our facility has benefitted from our relationship with Telios.

Since 2002, they have been an integral partner”.

Brian Peterson, P.E., LEED AP, leads the Sugar Land office, and is active in the community, including participation in the Rice Design Alliance, Urban Land Institute and Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce.

Celebrating

10 years of excellence

12946 Dairy Ashford Suite 130, Sugar Land, Texas 77478 281.265.1636 18

Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

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Katy residents settle for a sound settlement

By Wayne Chandler

T

he volume of vehicular traffic continues to increase all along SH 99 (The Grand Parkway).

And so does the volume of

noise.

There are a dozen neighborhoods which, at various points, back up to this major mobility route, and many of the residents have expressed concern about the heightened decibels of noise.. Some have complained to the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) and others to Fort Bend County commissioners.

But only one homeowner group, Grand Lakes Community Association (GLCA), has been able get a special half-million dollar sound wall erected in order to dampen the noise from whizzing motorists.

Gary Collins, vice president of GLCA, will be the first concerned citizen to tell you that it hasn’t been easy to achieve the wall, make the tradeoffs, handle the misunderstandings and negotiate the settlements between the developer (Trendmaker Homes), Fort Bend County, its engineers and contractors, and, specifically, with their FB County Precinct 3 Commissioner Andy Meyers, who bore the brunt of the give and take.

It has taken almost five years for everyone involved to agree and accept the results. In fact, the final check was written and delivered late last year, and Collins and Meyers agreed to sit down and review the entire project.

“This story could serve as a model for long-term perseverance,” Collins said.

“It took cooperation between the parties where these strong-willed individuals were able to overcome obstacles. In spite of sometimes conflicting and confrontational views, these parties were able to reach compromise and see this project through to a successful conclusion.”

Commissioner Meyers, who was ill for many months when he was in

20

Commissioner Andy Meyers & GLCA Vice President Gary Collins, shaking hands upon completion of the project.

the center of negotiations, agrees.

Grand Lakes, with some 2,800 homes, was started in 2001 by Trendmaker, turned over entirely to the residents in 2007, has had this noise factor as a major subject at every annual homeowners meeting since 2001. But in 2003, “By complaining the loudest, “ Collins said, “I was elected to try to get us some relief.”

To start with, Collins went back to the developer, who agreed to plant some 140 trees along the west side of two lakes, which helped with visual effects but didn’t solve the problem.

Meyers announced at the 2006 GLCA annual meeting that it was unlikely that TXDOT would help, but that the county needed a frontage road off the east side of the Grand Parkway to Fry Road in order to provide access to a huge Precinct 3 service center planned just north of FM 1093. This construction would involve a new study of the noise in the area.

Since Trendmaker had contributed valuable land for the right of way and a site for the new county annex, taxpayers benefited by the county spending less money on the frontage road and sound wall.

At a May 2007 TXDOT public hearing the 26 Grand Lakes homeowners (including Collins), who would be directly affected, were asked to vote in favor of the wall. It passed 25 to 1. No public meeting would have been held if the noise walls had not

Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

been deemed “feasible and reasonable” in the environmental process. TXDOT determines the walls feasible if the noise reduction is above a certain threshold.

Construction started in 2008. Exact location of the new walls had been agreed, but one April 2008 morning Mrs. Collins noticed that an alignment crew was marking trees for destruction. The alignment appeared much closer to the lake than had been proposed by the neighborhood. The next day, Commissioner Meyers, and GLCA President Collins Pier and Vice President Collins met in the county engineer’s office and the alignment was moved back, closer to SH 99 , saving the trees.

Later, there was a misunderstanding as to connection of the walls. It had been determined that the walls would allow room for mowers, but the plan left 35-foot gaps at either end of the wall. In May 2008 change order was requested ( estimated at a cost of $16,000 for each side) to eliminate these gaps while the expensive drilling equipment still was on site. The change order request never was answered prior to demobilization of construction in September 2008. The wall was completed in 2009 with the 35-foot gaps.

In December 2009 the GLCA directors, headed by President Pier awarded a private contract of $78,193.84, from the association’s reserve funds, while continuing to pursue reimbursement from the county.

With further conversations in 2010 between the association and Meyers, who had met often with the county contractor, the county commissioners asked for a demand letter from GLCA to facilitate the process of getting Commissioners Court to approve reimbursement.

Commissioner Meyers was successful in getting their engineering contractor to fund a portion of the project, a key to getting approval, and the county presented a refund check of $78,193.

Commissioner Meyers commended all parties involved for resolving the project.

It sounds like a sound settlement.

Y O U

A N D

Y O U R

T A X E S

Tax Smart

By Alan Sandersen

Sandersen Knox & Co. L.L.P.

Owner Compensation: What’s Reasonable?

While controlling owners of closely held companies are generally free to set their own salary, the “reasonableness” of owner compensation can become an issue.

The IRS Feels Strongly Both Ways On one hand, if a company is a C corporation, the IRS might challenge unreasonably excessive owner salaries as an attempt to disguise nondeductible dividends as deductible wages.

On the other hand, since S corporation earnings and wages are treated essentially the same for income tax purposes, the IRS might claim that an S corporation set unreasonably low salaries to avoid paying payroll taxes on distributions. Other “pass-through” entities can face payroll tax scrutiny.

It’s Not All About Taxes In valuations, owner compensation is often “normalized” to avoid distorting a company’s true earning power. This may be an issue in divorce or other family law matters involving the value of a spouse’s business interest. Reasonable compensation is also considered in other stock valuation situations such as a merger or acquisition, equity or debt financing, shareholder dispute, or bankruptcy.

The 5 Factor Test Five factors were considered in MultiPak Corp. v. Commissioner to determine if more than $2 million in compensation paid to the corporation’s sole shareholder and CEO was reasonable: 1. The employee’s role in the company, including position, duties, hours and gen-

eral importance to the company’s success, 2. Comparison of employee’s compensation to compensation paid by comparable companies for comparable work, 3. The company’s character and condition, including sales, net income or value, business complexity, and relative success in its industry, 4. Potential conflicts of interest — that is, does the employee’s relationship with the company enable the business to disguise nondeductible dividends as deductible compensation, and 5. Internal consistency of compensation policies and practices.

Additionally, the court reasoned that if the company’s earnings on equity after

ALAN SANDERSEN... continued on page 22

April 2012 • Fort Bend Business Journal

21

Tips for taking charge of your life

Start closing the income inequality gap yourself

T

he memes for the current economic recession have been “income inequality” and “the 99 percent versus the 1 percent” as the 106 million Americans earning $45,000 or less each year feel the most pain from job loss, foreclosure, underwater mortgages and inflation.

Some say the solution is for the government to redistribute the wealth, perhaps by taxing the top money-makers at a higher rate. Real estate businessman Trevor Bolin, author of Take Charge and Change Your Life Today (www. bolininternational.com), says there’s a better way and it’s one that will make more people happier – and wealthier.

“I went from the bottom 10 percent at age 17 to the top 2 percent at 28 by making some changes in my life,” says Bolin, who owns three realty companies in British Columbia.

“The system is very simple, but not all of the steps are easy. It requires selfdiscipline and changing bad habits, but it’s all possible if you follow the steps. And I promise, following through on just one will dramatically affect your life.”

Some of Bolin’s strategies: • Commit. Vow right now that you will follow through 100 percent on every step you take toward changing your life, whether it’s making more money, losing weight or becoming a better parent.

Commit to succeeding, not just surviving.

Know that luck has nothing to do with it – it’s hard work, attitude and giving back.

Committing 100 percent means that, if you decide to read a book on investing, you won’t quit after three chapters. If your goal is to drop 20 pounds, don’t stop after 10.

• Change your attitude. Just as negative thoughts have the power to negatively affect outcomes, so do positive thoughts.

Start each day with positive thoughts, and change negative thoughts to positive ones throughout the day. This may be hard at first, but the more you work at it, the easier it gets. Rather than wake up cursing the rainy day, be grateful for it. Water is one of our most valuable natural resources, and rain is cleansing. Remind yourself each morning of all the good things in your life – your health, your home, your spouse.

Tell yourself that your meeting today is going to be engaging and productive, or your job interview is going to go well.

• Figure out your “Y.” Your Y is your reason for everything. It’s shaped by the past, formatted for the present and goalformatted for the future. It’s reflected in every decision you make. If you don’t know your Y, your decisions will be made on the basis of habit, what you learned growing up, and what your immediate needs are. But if you’ve decided your Y is that you want the peace and security of financial success, you’ll be guided by that

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RIVERFRONT DUPLEX Each duplex can accommodate four adults and four children or rent both for groups.

More pictures at

RioRatonDuplex.com book at

22

Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

832-788-2294

every time you make a choice.

• Set goals. On a piece of paper write down all of your goals, short-term and long-term. Next, number them 1, 3, 5, 10 or 20 based on how many years it should take to achieve them. Losing 20 pounds?

That might be a 1. Buying a new car? That could be a 3. Now, take your top five 1 goals and write down why you want them and how you plan to achieve them. Do the same thing for each set of goals. Having goals is vital and keeping them in front of you will help keep you on track toward achieving them. Most important – be sure to cross each one off as you achieve it. Take it from me, there’s no better feeling.

Paying yourself first – saving a portion of every check – and giving back to society, whether through service or philanthropy, are also key to Bolin’s roadmap for changing your life.

“It’s all about having a plan,” he says.

“You can create success as long as you’re putting a plan into motion.”

Trevor Bolin owns three realty companies in British Columbia. He has served three terms on the Fort St. John City Council.

ALAN SANDERSEN... continued from page 21

payment of the compensation at issue remained at a level that would satisfy a hypothetical independent investor, this was a strong indication that the employee was providing compensable services and that profits weren’t being siphoned off disguised as salary.

Do Your Research Now Anticipate potential issues when structuring owner compensation. Evaluate the five factors, research compensation surveys for your industry, and estimate the impact of owner salaries on ROE to get a feel for what’s reasonable and what’s not.

Alan Sandersen is a columnist for the Fort Bend Business Journal and is a Partner with Sandersen Knox & Co, L.L.P., Certified Public Accountants. He can be reached at 281-2423232. www.sktx.com. H

Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce Newsletter

Sugar Land Wine & Food Affair Formerly The Grand Wine & Food Affair

April 18 - 22, 2012

SugarLandWineAndFoodAffair.com www.facebook.com/sugarlandwineandfoodaffair Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management Producing Partner and Beneficiary

www.FortBendChamber.com

April 2012 • Fort Bend Business Journal

23

Membership The following firms have realized the importance of economic growth and development for the Fort Bend County area. They have pledged their support to the cause by investing their time and efforts in the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce. Please support your community by calling on these organizations when you have a need for products and services.

Welcome New Members Allstate Insurance Raza Insurance Agency

Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce Newsletter

Syed Raza, Owner 1403 Highway 6, Suite 600 Sugar Land, TX 77478 281-494-7292 Financial Services

Fort Bend County Associate Judge Brenda Mullinix

Honorable Associate Judge 301 Jackson St Richmond, TX 77469 281-238-3290 Elected Official

Cameo Caregivers

Lani Lambert, Account Executive 7026 Old Katy Rd., Suite 305 Houston, TX 77024 713-682-7272 Home Health Care

Coastal Bend Foundation Repair North Division Chad Cheshire, Owner 2200 North FM 3083 W. Conroe, TX 77304 866-577-1664 Foundation Repair & Service

For membership information, contact: Jan-Michael Jenkins 281-491-0218

24

Continental Credit

Christina Ramos, Manager 12240 Murphy Road, Suite M Stafford, TX 77477 281-568-5626 Financial Services

Crisis Intervention of Houston, Inc Lereca Monik, Manager of Development 3701 Kirby Drive, Suite 540 Houston, TX 77098 713-533-4513 Association

McClure Consulting Mark McClure, CEO 11826 Caprock Canyons Ln Sugar Land, TX 77498 713-851-7925 Consultants, Management

Gerald Holtzman, Principal 14090 SW Freeway, Suite 450 Sugar Land, TX 77478 281-980-3140 Computer Business Solutions

Premier Pediatric Therapy

Fort Bend Lawyers Care

Pro Pharmacy Health, Inc

Bill Broyles, Operations 1306 FM 1092 Suite 208 Missouri City, TX 77459 281-933-8645 x101 Petroleom Refining Will Colgin, President, Board of Directors 310 Morton Street, Suite 566 Richmond, TX 77469 281-239-0015 Associations

Luby’s Cafeterias

Tiffanie Gupton, Field Marketing Specialist 10575 West Airport Blvd.

Stafford, TX 77477 281-568-0931 Restaurants

Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

Tony Talamas, Director - Sales & Marketing 5535 Memorial Dr., Suite F-308 Houston, TX 77007 713-679-1890 Real Estate Investments

Personalized Media Communications

ECP Industries

Yvonne Ruben, Owner/Administrator 2440 Texas Parkway, Suite 351 Missouri City, TX 77489 832-539-1632 Health Care

Allison Okolie, Owner 14021 SW Freeway, Suite 409B Sugar Land, TX 77478 281-491-0767 Pharmacy

Retriever Communications

Riverstone Office Condos

SEO411

Dominik Hussl, President 4705 Highway 36, Suite 5 Rosenberg, TX 77471 281-460-2483 Computer Business Solutions

Smashburger

Shauna Schroeder, LSM Coordinator 2623 Town Center Blvd.

Sugar Land, TX 77479 281-491-0380 Restaurants

Stadia Sports Grill

Daniel Ruiz, Managing Partner 2105 Lone Star Dr Sugar Land, TX 77479 281-265-4889 Restaurants

Witt’s Catering

Robert Gunn, Business Development Director, North Ama 2245 Texas Drive Sugar Land, TX 77479 281-566-2528 Computer Business Solutions

Shaunna Witt, Co-Owner 1304 Brooks Road Rosenberg, TX 77471 281-344-8338 Caterers

www.FortBendChamber.com

INVESTMENT IN YOUTH LUNCHEON

Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce Newsletter

15TH ANNUAL LUNCHEON

Wednesday, May 9, 2012 11:30am -1:15 pm Safari Texas Ranch - Texas Ballroom 11627 F M 1464, Richmond

Austin Bush Calvary Clements Dulles Elkins Foster George Ranch Hightower Kempner

YOUTH IN PHILANTHROPY Lamar Marshall Needville Ridge Point Stafford Terry Travis Willowridge

Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce • 445 Commerce Green Boulevard • Sugar Land, Texas 77478 www.FortBendChamber.com • david@fortbendcc.org • 281.491.2497 • Fax 281.491.0112

Now Accepting Applications Class of 2013

Please contact David at 281-491-2497, David@FortBendcc.org or visit www.FortBendChamber.com www.FortBendChamber.com

April 2012 • Fort Bend Business Journal

25

We Believe in you.

Thanks for Believing in US! 1 Year

The Solana at Cinco Ranch Christen Madigan, 281-395-9600 Barton House MKT Steve Andriko, 281-313-2500 Business Spirit Promotional Products/ Wearables Susan Hargarther, 281-208-1100

2 Years

HDK Enterprises, Inc. Harish Katharani, 713-660-8888 Emb88dy Fitness Center Caitlin Turner, 281-208-9080

Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce Newsletter

Spartan Wealth Management Keith Borgfeldt, 281-494-1600 Excel Urgent Care Sandra Ortega, 281-403-3660

Milestone Member 5 Years Orkin Pest Control April Shane-Wilton, 713-784-2706

6 Years

State Farm Insurance Tracy Walker, ChFC, CLU, 281-265-0711

7 Years

13 Years

Texas Spine & Neurosurgery Center, P.A. Rajesh K. Bindal, 281-313-0031 TRS Staffing Solutions Jeff Southworth, 281-263-3560

8 Years

Greenscapes Unlimited Marian Kozlovsky, 281-989-1887

3 Years

Japaneiro’s Sushi Bistro & Latin Grill Victor Litwinenko, 281-242-1121

9 Years

RC Hobby Shop Matt Keller, 281-265-4844

P.F. Chang’s China Bistro Jimi D. Cagle, 281-313-8650

HEB Food & Drugs David Solis, 281-778-1300

Fugro Consultants, Inc. Donald Anderson, 713-369-5405

Translite LLC Nizar Mullani, 281-240-3111

Milestone Member 10 Years

Texas Oncology, PA Nancy Wells, 281-277-5200 Groth Corporation Jeremy Glasgow, 281-295-6800

26

South Texas Medical Clinics, PA Charla Kulcak, 281-342-6006

Apollonia Dental, P.A. Isabel Vahedi, DDS, 281-565-4321

Katy Christian Ministries Sandy Faucett, 281-391-5261

Texan Bank Keith Miller, 281-276-1800

12 Years

Wal-Mart Desiree Melchor, 281-403-5000

The Bale Law Firm, PLLC Denise M. Bale, 281-295-6000

4 years

Houston Community Bank - Fort Bend Claude Leatherwood, 281-343-7700

UNETEK Inc. Frederick Doty, 281-395-6300

Sugar Land Medical Associates Alan J. Reichman, 281-565-2140

InterLinc Mortgage Services Dixie Sanders, 281-494-5626

11 Years

Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

Nationwide Insurance Jim Murray, 281-499-0377 Granite Properties Inc. Sandy Benak, 713-781-8000

14 Years

First Colony Church of Christ Nancy Burnett, 281-980-7070

Milestone Member 15 Years Amegy Bank of Texas Mary Gayle Brindley, 281-494-9712 20/20 Eye Clinic & Optical Edward Chan, 281-277-6100 Quality Dialysis One, LP Cynthia Barclay, 281-491-4009

16 Years

Chick-fil-A at First Colony Mall Brent Kubala, 281-494-2500 Chick-fil-A at Sugar Land Brent Kubala, 281-494-3800 Carlton Staffing Beth Hammond, 281-265-8900

www.FortBendChamber.com

Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce Newsletter

UPCOMING EVENTS 17 Years

SAVE THE DATE

Creative Consumer Research Patricia Pratt, 281-240-9646

APRIL 18 Years

First Tire & Automotive Craig Popp, 281-980-2666

19 Years

Hilliard & Associates, PC Mike Hilliard, 281-242-2997 Stephen De Young, MD Vianne De Young, 281-494-1314

Milestone Member 20 Years

Sandersen, Knox & Belt, LLP Alan Sandersen, 281-242-3232

21 Years

George Observatory/Houston Museum of Natural Science Barbara Wilson, 281-242-3055

26 Years

KW Industries, Inc. James White, 281-240-0909 KenWood & Associates, PC Kenneth J. Wood, 281-243-2300

For membership information, contact: Jan-Michael Jenkins 281-491-0218 jan@fortbendcc.org

www.FortBendChamber.com

Governmental Relations Congressman Pete Olson April 2, 2012, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm Sugar Land Marriott Town Square 16090 City Walk, Sugar Land Business & Professional Using LinkedIn to Grow Your Business with Glen Smith April 4, 2012, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce 445 Commerce Green Blvd. Sugar Land Network Nites April 12th 5:00 pm - 7:00 pm Sterling Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation 1449 Highway 6, Suite 260, Sugar Land Infrastructure Division Infrastructure Breakfast April 13, 2012, 7:30 am – 9:00 am Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce 445 Commerce Green Blvd. Sugar Land

Education Division School Finance with David Thompson (FBISD) April 13, 2012, 11:30 am – 1:00 pm Fort Bend ISD Administrative Annex (Main Auditorium) 3119 Sweetwater Blvd., Sugar Land Sugar Land Wine & Food Affair 2012 April 18-22, 2012 Governmental Relations Missouri City State of the City April 25, 2012, 11:30 am- 1:00 pm Star Cinema Grill 4811 South Highway 6, Missouri City Governmental Relations City of Sugar Land Candidates Forum April 30, 2012, 11:30 am- 1:00 pm Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce 445 Commerce Green Blvd., Sugar Land

MAY Education Division Community Outreach- Why the Need?

With Pamela Shaw May 4, 2012 7:30 am – 9:00 am Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce 445 Commerce Green Blvd., Sugar Land Business & Professional Leveraging Social Media 2012 May 8, 2012 11:30 am – 1:00 pm Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce 445 Commerce Green Blvd., Sugar Land

Education Division Principal Appreciation May 8, 2012 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce 445 Commerce Green Blvd., Sugar Land Governmental Relations Governmental Luncheon (TBD) May 14, 2012 11:30 am – 1:00 pm Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce 445 Commerce Green Blvd., Sugar Land

Infrastructure Division City Manager Allen Bogard With City of Sugar Land May 24, 2012 7:30 am – 9:00 am • Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce 445 Commerce Green Blvd., Sugar Land

April 2012 • Fort Bend Business Journal

27

Ribbon Cuttings

Advanced Nutrition 16126 Southwest Freeway, Suite 140 Sugar Land, TX 77479 281-242-7322

www.advancednutritiontx.com

A Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce Newsletter

dvanced Nutrition is a discount sports nutrition and general health supplement retail store. We provide the highest quality products at very competitive prices that will benefit every person, at any fitness level. We carry a variety of Vitamins, Herbs, Detoxifiers/Cleansers, Testosterone/Pro-Hormones, Fat Burners, Nitric Oxide, Creatine, Amino Acids and Protein. Our purpose is to help you reach your personal goals towards health and fitness while striving for the best customer service in the industry. Advanced Nutrition was established in 2007 and has grown to four locations in

Southern Texas. Our customers have been an integral part in the expansion process. We understand that customers today want the most, and the best, for the least amount of money. . jason@advancednutritiontx.com. Sugar Land Hours Mon-Fri 11am-7pm • Sat-Sun 12noon-6pm • Lake Jackson: 979-292-0515 Bay City: 979-245-2419 Katy: 832437-8477.

CRU Home 6726 Highway 6 Missouri City, TX 77459 281-969-7605 www.cruhome.com

C

RU Home is a new home décor store that also offers in-house interior designing. CRU refers to the term vintage and our store items reflect this style. The lack of unique home décor retail stores in the area that we live in spurred this Mother/Daughter duo to open this new venture. The setting for CRU Home is unique since it is located in a 100 year old house fronting

28

Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

Highway 6 in Missouri City. We have plans to utilize the area surrounding the house for special events. Our hours of operation are Monday thru Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and visit us on Facebook.

www.FortBendChamber.com

Evolution Kids Emporium 16525 Lexington Blvd., Suite 130 Sugar Land, TX 77479 1-888-765-5515 www.evolutionkidsemporium.com

E

volution Kids Emporium is a family owned and operated business. Our desire to open the store was born soon after our first child, as we endured repeated, frustrating searches for unique, trendy styles to build our child’s wardrobe. We offer an exclusive collection of clothing from Europe by both wellestablished and independent designers. You will also find a few non-European continental designers, just because we (and our children) loved their clothes so much! At Evolution Kids Emporium every member of our dynamic

team loves fashion, children and the European art-de-vivre.

Evolution Kids Emporium our product range is not only of the highest quality but also offers colorful and unique designs. Despite these high standards, we have done our utmost to keep our prices reasonable. We are open Tuesday - Saturday, 10am-7pm; stop by and see us!

Hogan Chiropractic 16525 Lexington Blvd., Suite 220 Sugar Land, TX 77479 281-240-2225 www.hoganchiropractic.com

D

r. Hogan has been a resident of Sugar land for over 2 decades and practicing for over 11 years. Hogan Chiropractic was established over 7 years ago on Lexington Blvd. With steady growth from listening to his patients, he outgrew his office. In order to better serve his patients and offer a wider range it was time to move upstairs in the same building. Dr. Hogan and his friendly staff make each visit a pleasant

www.FortBendChamber.com

and fun. Their goal is to get you feeling and performing your best in what matters to you. Visit out website at www.

HoganChiropractic.com.

April 2012 • Fort Bend Business Journal

29

Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce Newsletter

www.FortBendChamber.com

FORT

BEND

LEADERSHIP F

O

R

U

M

State Government Sponsors

Minute Maid

Kindred Healthcare McGrath & Co Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce Newsletter

Asera Care Hospice Harvey Home Health Costello, Inc. Capital Infectious Disease Associates Ritesh A. Mathur, MD. (Nephrologist) Sweetwater Pulmonary & Sleep Disorder Center Traffic Engineers, Inc. Silverado Senior Living Sugar Land Geriatrics & Medical Associates 30

Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

www.FortBendChamber.com

A T T O R N E Y - A T - L A W

Law and Business

By Leland Irwin

Attorney-At-Law Ellis and Irwin, L.L.P.

Do I own the water under my property?

Last month, the Texas Supreme Court ruled that landowners have a constitutionally compensable interest in their groundwater, in a decision that could have a serious and far reaching impact on the state’s efforts to manage and regulate one of our most precious resources.

For more than 100 years Texas has recognized what is called the rule of capture. Simply put, this rule means that a landowner may enjoy non-liability and ownership for use of natural resources such as oil, gas, minerals and groundwater captured below the surface of her land. However, in 1993, state lawmakers enacted the Edwards Aquifer Authority Act (EAAA) for the purpose of managing and regulating groundwater contained in the Edwards Aquifer. Simply put, the EAAA prohibits withdrawals of groundwater from the aquifer without a permit, contradicting the century

old rule of capture.

When Atascosa County landowners were denied a permit requesting withdrawal of their groundwater from the Edwards Aquifer, they brought suit challenging the EAAA’s authority to deny landowner’s use of their own groundwater, taking their challenge all the way to the Texas Supreme Court. On February 24, 2012, the Texas Supreme Court in Edwards Aquifer Authority v. Day ruled for the first time that landowners in Texas have a constitutionally compensable interest in groundwater and remanded the case back to the lower courts for determining whether the denial of the landowner’s permit violated the takings clause of the Texas Constitution.

The Texas Supreme Court’s decision is sure to have an impact on the ninety-six groundwater districts that are currently covering all or

part of 173 counties across the state. Very likely, these districts will have to revise their rules for allocation of pumping rights to manage the groundwater available in their districts. In the event that a landowner has previously been denied all or a portion of a permit, groundwater districts may now face constitutional takings claims by those landowners.

While the Texas Supreme Court’s decision makes clear for landowners that they have a protected interest in their groundwater, for the groundwater districts charged with the responsibility of regulating and managing that groundwater, the Court’s decision only muddies the water.

Leland Irwin is a contributor to the Fort Bend Business Journal and a partner at Ellis & Irwin, L.L.P. He can be reached at (832) 595-1242 or at leland@ei-law.com.

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31

COVER STORY

Danny Nguyen A Councilman and Entrepreneur: Faith, Destiny, Freedom and Opportunity

Danny, Darrell, Jordan and Marie Nguyen.

A

kindred Texas spirit ushers in another spring and infuses even more passion and energy into Danny Nguyen’s business and civic life as a commercial real estate developer and elected official in Fort Bend County. “This is the place and the time has never been better,” claims Nguyen. Grateful for his blessings of faith, family, business, and community, he is reverent and adds, “The future looks bright ahead.”

32

When Nguyen was recently invited

by Fort Bend County Judge Bob Hebert to join him and the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council team on a trade mission trip to China to bring business to our county, he was exhilarated and accepted. Although it meant he had to rearrange appointments as a business owner and as a city council member in Missouri City, the excitement imploded like when he was invited by GFBEDC Executive Director Jeff Wiley to participate in the Fort Bend TV promotion campaign ads to attract businesses to our county. His most favorite line: “You can’t hold the Fort down….(referring to Fort Bend.)” Again, it meant he had the opportunity to participate in the economic development and prosperity growth for Fort Bend and eventually his city.

This was not his first outbound trade mission. In past years Nguyen participated in several mission trips to different countries with various government and business leaders from locations like Panama, China, The Netherlands, Russia, and Viet Nam. His love and connection with this country has continued for nearly three decades beginning when he first came to Fort

Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

Bend with his father as a political refugee in search for freedom and opportunity from Viet Nam. His story is truly inspirational to share as a person who values freedom and free enterprise and has paid a price for it.

A price that nearly cost his and his family’s life after 25 days on the Pacific Ocean on a small fishing boat with 72 people, and after tolerating three refugee concentration camps in Thailand and The Philippines. He was separated from his mother and five siblings for 10 years as a teenager. When asked about his three year journey to freedom and the price paid to become an American citizen, he adds, “I’d do it all over again and am so grateful for these experiences…these experiences have helped me treasure even more deeply the freedoms and opportunities that are available here. It is my motivation, the driving force to make the best that allows me to realize my dreams, to be the best that I can be and make a positive impact on my country and community.”

Someone once told me, “To be living in America is like winning the lottery. I would not trade it for the world. This is the place. I have found it. Thank you America, thank you Fort Bend!”

(From left to right): Former Houston Panama Ambassador Juan Sosa, Houston Comptroller Ron Green, Port of Panama Authority Chair, Port of Houston Authority Chair Jim Edmonds, Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan, Greater Houston Partnership CEO Jeff Mosley, Councilmember Danny Nguyen.

This is the place where he had planted the seed of greatness. He holds a deep fondness in his heart for his teachers at Clements High School and those who made an extra effort to help him overcome the challenges of language barrier while trying to catch up with regular curriculum during his early years.

“I enjoy sharing with the students today how this early foundation in education was the key to transforming my destiny.”

After graduating from Texas A&M University with a BA degree in Business Administration that allowed him to concentrate in International Business and Marketing, Nguyen chose Commercial Real Estate as his career. He had worked so hard and diligently to advance his career from an agent to broker when he purchased a ReMax Commercial franchise, and his first building, while continuing to earn his MBA and his CCIM to become an investor and a developer investing in commercial property. When asked why he had chosen this career and how he continues to work passionately, “It’s developed into a never stop learning and improving mentality. I am eager to discover and learn new value and I take great joy and pleasure in education – striving for excellence.”

Career And Business Contribute To The Growth Today, he, with his team, specializes in income-producing properties, shopping centers, commercial structures and land throughout the Greater Houston area and Texas.

“It’s very satisfying to drive around different cities, seeing businesses and buildings standing and flourishing knowing that it’s the results of your efforts and team work,” says Nguyen, referring to the guidance provided to clients that enabled them to reach decisions for the best location. And as his reach grows internationally, he is pulling them towards his home county. So his many trips abroad to promote international trade with South Texas has served their purpose.

For nearly three decades, Nguyen has witnessed the physical transformation and economic growth of Fort Bend County. “Thirty years ago pastures on both sides of State Highway 6 from Mission Bend to Clements High School were displays of tall grass and herds of cattle.” Today, the highly traveled expressway is heavily lined with the ultimate in income-producing properties.

Over the years he and his team have leased, managed, brokered and developed hundreds of thousands of square feet of retail space - in addition to conducting multimillion-dollar transactions with large and small tenants, sellers, buyers, investors and landlords.

A problem solver, Nguyen is resourceful and uses his knowledge and experience in assisting his clients to pinpoint the most advantageous and costeffective locations such as the retail developments completed in the past few years when his company served as the buyer’s broker for he purchase of approximately 192,000-square-feet of retail space formerly known as JC Penney at Sharpstown Mall.

Having the vision with a genuine desire to improve the quality of life in his city, is only one more step for Nguyen. In 2010, Danny was elected official at large and served as Chair on the International Relations and Economic Development committees. Just recently he was reelected unopposed in comparison to the first time when four candidates filed for the seat.

CONTINUES...

continued on page 34

April 2012 • Fort Bend Business Journal

33

The Honorable David L. Carden U.S. Ambassador to ASEAN. The Honorable Scot Marciel, U.S. Ambassador to Indonesia. The Honorable Daniel Shields, Councilmember Danny Nguyen, U.S. Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam. The Honorable David I. Adelman, U.S. Ambassador to Singapore. Honorary Consul General of Thailand Charles Foster.

“I am grateful to the citizens of Missouri City for this honor and privilege and for this assignment,” he says. “I love meeting everyone, yet for everyone I feel it’s much more productive and enjoyable to spent this time on actual community work than knocking on the doors of several thousand houses in the spring heat with a campaign staff,” he adds. Nguyen recently joined other county leaders and the Fort Bend Meals On Wheels leadership to serve hot meals to our senior citizens .

“I was born and grew up in one of the poorest places on earth, during the most dangerous time at the peak of the Viet Nam War. So to aspire from a political refugee to an elected official is the highest honor one can earn in America.”

Appreciative For All The Awards And Accomplishments He is appreciative for all the awards and accomplishments he has received in recent years. Some include the Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) Rising Star 2007, Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM) Designation - A CCIM is a recognized expert in the disciplines of commercial and investment real estate; the CCIM designation is considered by many to be the Ph.D of commercial real

34

estate, HAR Realtor/Hero of the Month, June 2010; Houston Community College, Honorary Degree Recipient 2008; YMCA Outstanding Achievement 2010; Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2009 / Houston West Chamber of Commerce; Houston Association of Realtors® (HAR) - Member / Board of Directors Viet Namese American Chamber of Commerce Cofounder and current Board Chair; Houston Association of Realtors International - Honorary Advisory Member; Houston Mayor’s International Affairs and Development Council Asia/Australia Division – Member; City of Houston Mayor’s International Affairs and Development Council Chair / Chairman 2010-2011; and the Houston Community College / Adjunct Professor for Viet Namese.

He’s also strongly believes difficult times and crisis always breed new opportunities.

“You are forced to be resourceful and creative; and your thinking takes on a long term perspective.”

For everyone the past few years can be proof of how much you truly love and believe in yourself and the industry. It was not as fruitful as it used to be, but he has been so proud to be able hold on …keep payroll, investing, leasing, and paying several hundred thousand dollars of property taxes. As investors want immediate returns, lenders

Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

called off loans without mercy. “The proud moment is to overcome adversity. My genuine respect for the industry, my strong faith in God, and my team, have allowed me to match the economical challenges that hit the Real Estate industry so hard in recent years.

Since realizing his entrepreneurial dream, Nguyen wants to help as many people as he can to achieve the same dream. This is why he formed the Viet Namese American Houston Chamber of Commerce. As board chairman he is instrumental in promoting business development not only between local Viet Namese and mainstream communities, but at the international level as well. With his passion, principle, experience, contacts and affliations with a team of experienced professionals in the commercial real estate industry, he is committed to fulfilling his clients needs and exceeding their expectations.

Danny Nguyen, president and founder of Danny Nguyen International d/b/a Danny Nguyen Commercial, is ready for action.

He is a strong promoter of free enterprise. He especially appreciates this particular freedom amid the many other freedoms in Fort Bend, Texas and the United States.

Danny Nguyen could be reached at www.dncommercial.net, or call 713-2705400.

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Welcome Wilson wows the crowd at OakBend luncheon

By Wayne Chandler

S

o, Welcome Wilson Sr, what else have you done in only 84 years?

Stately, unassuming and self effacing about his age, this Greater Houston real estate developer and civic leader sprinkled wit and wisdom to a charmed group of county leaders at OakBend Medical Center in Richmond in March.

With a score of personal anecdotes about many of the business and political leaders of the last half of the 20th century, Wilson gave examples of their leadership which made for a better community. Today, as the chairman of the Board of Regents and a Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Houston, a cancer survivor, and an inductee of the Texas Business Hall of Fame, Wilson is still determined to turn the educational dropout rates being experienced in communities for stronger, more capable workforces that bring new businesses.

As he reminisced about the seven past presidents he has met, six for whom he served or encountered, Wilson, as a five-state director of Civil and Defense Mobilization under Presidents Dwight Eisenhower and John F. Kennedy, witnessed atom-bomb tests in Nevada in 1954 and hydrogen bomb tests at Bikini Atoll in the Pacific Ocean in 1956. Then, he remarked that he still is in good health.

Wilson was an assistant and then became a friend and business associate of Fort Bend landowner R.E. (Bob) Smith, who, as a key member of the Houston Sports Association, helped bring professional baseball and the Astrodome to Houston.

Wilson cited politician and entrepreneur Jesse H. Jones whom he called “Mr. Houston,” because he developed many of downtown Houston’s first hotels and office buildings, owned The Houston Chronicle and a major radio station, because he “brought people together.” He lauded Houston Mayor Lewis Cutrer who quietly got all major restaurateurs to open their service to black residents. The

36

Welcome Wilson, left, Rosenberg Mayor Vincent Morales and University Houston SL Director Dick Phillips, right, discuss the stewardship traits that make a great community.

move avoided racial unrest in Houston.

When serving under President Eisenhower, Wilson said that he marveled at watching the president practice his golf swings many afternoons on the White House lawn. “It gave me a sense of peace to know that the president was able to do so much for the country and take time out to relax.” Wilson called President Kennedy the “most charismatic president.” He was with the president and his party at a dinner at the Rice Hotel the night before Kennedy was shot in Dallas. Wilson said that Vice President Johnson told him a story about being on a business trip when one of his aides who was black, wasn’t allowed to use the restrooms reserved for whites only. “That’s just not right,” the vice president said. Six months after Kennedy was killed, President Johnson led passage of the historic civil rights legislation.

Welcome, along his brother Jack, grew up in Brownsville at a time when most young people thought about enrolling in classes at the University of Texas or Texas A & M, but their father wanted them to go to the UH because he saw the City of Houston becoming a thriving business community.

He drove them to the campus, paid for

Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

their first semester and rent in “Veterans Village,” gave them $50 each, and the boys were “on their own.” They teamed together and got paid for a standup comedy act, sold ads for the school newspaper, and worked their way through college. Today, Welcome says it began his 65-year love affair with the University of Houston.

He has high praise for Chancellor Renu Khator. Wilson said that she has “electrified everyone,” and noted that UH now has a total of 64,000 students on four campuses. He said UH has graduated more students who have become CEOs of Forbes 500 companies than the other top business schools combined.

At the luncheon were boards on easels prepared by his daughter, Cynthia Wilson Proler, and his adult sons listing nearly a hundred one-liners about his life. Among many tributes and awards were these lighter mentions: Still Riding the Salt Grass Trail, 44 years since 1967, trap drummer in a 17-piece dance band, 1945, and escorted actress Gina Lolobrigida to 1982 awards dinner.

Wilson requested some “softball questions” and then ended by recalling an entire speech given by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill to

A mostly cloudy future for Information Technology? continued from page 12

Fort Bend County Clerk Dianne Wilson meets Welcome Wilson, Sr. at OakBend’s community luncheon in March. A standing room only crowd enjoyed his talk on “The Power of Public Service” and how it can become the blueprint for building a better community.

cadets at West Point: “Never give up.

“Never give up. “Never give up.”

Then the prime minister paused, and then said, “Never give up.” And then he sat down. After that, Welcome Wilson sat down.

Wilson was the second speaker in a quarterly community series which Oakbend Medical Center is sponsoring in 2012.

“Their interest lies in computing services increasing costs of implementing, that require significantly less initial maintaining, and supporting an IT investment, fewer skilled internal IT resources infrastructure that is seldom utilized and lower operating costs. As a result, cloud anywhere near its capacity in the single-owner computing services are gaining greater environment. There is an opportunity to adoption”. Multiple cloud computing surveys increase efficiency and reduce costs in the IT over the last four years have shown portion of the business and decisionthat the potential for cost savings is makers are beginning to pay the major driver of cloud services attention. Vendors who can provide a adoption by organizations. secure, high-availability, scalable Additionally, organizations have infrastructure to the masses may be taken advantage of the nearly poised to succeed in getting instantaneous availability of cloud organizations to adopt their cloud Ken E. Stavinoha services to procure IT infrastructure or services. However, cloud computing platforms for projects without having to does involve some degree of risk to the endure the provisioning wait time – which consumer…and that topic will be examined was typically four weeks to a few months in the next article. when discrete physical hardware was involved.

Ken E. Stavinoha, PhD advises business Using currently available cloud services, the leaders and executives on information security equivalent of an entire IT data center can be governance, risk management, compliance, delivered within hours of placing the order – and privacy. He recently completed his even less time in some instances. doctoral dissertation on securing data in Cloud computing does appear to solve cloud computing environments and can be some long-standing issues with the ever reached at kstavino@mail.com.

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April 2012 • Fort Bend Business Journal

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Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

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Business Communications Enhancement Today, it is important for businesses to be enabled to deliver messages using video as an integral part of communications. A customer will get to see images that are clear, fluid motion, and crystal clear audio. When you’re seeing a video in high definition, it’s as if you may as well be in the same place as what is going on right before your eyes. This experience to be had from a message in video represents an advancement in communications akin to what used to be the importance of a telephone in a business as one of the ultimate features.

More than ever, the business and current economic climate demand the use of alternatives over some of the more traditional ways to help generate sales, customers, and activity for advancement. With travel becoming more costly, inconvenient, and with

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Where does that leave you? If you haven’t done it, you may be at a crossroad in need of making a decision to update at least this approach for giving people what they want. And they just may be getting more accustomed to getting it, so don’t want to do nothing and end up going by the wayside.

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Going with video to maximize marketing your business could make an enormous difference in how it progresses. Produced in high quality, a video communication stands a better chance of assuring that a message is conveyed and not lost due to composition, clarity or audio distractions.

High Definition video closely replicates an in-person experience. In fact, the experience may turn out to be so good for business

ELSA MAXEY... continued on page 41

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Imperial / Tract 3 recommendation approved after significant concessions

T

he Sugar Land Planning and Zoning Commission recently recommended approval for a General Plan Amendment and Planned Development Zoning for the Imperial/Tract 3 development -- an important milestone in the project.

The commission’s unanimous recommendation came after a year of deliberations that included an unprecedented public input process and significant concessions from the developer, including a drastic reduction in the number of proposed luxury apartments.

City Council held a workshop meeting with the commission on March 7 to better understand the recommendation. A meeting of both groups is rare but was considered necessary to ensure clear communication of the commission’s recommendation for one of the City’s most iconic and historical areas.

The development of the Imperial/Tract 3 property began years ago when Imperial Sugar sold its vacant industrial refinery site to Cherokee Investments. To make the environmental remediation feasible for the former industrial site, Cherokee partnered with the Texas General Land Office, owner of additional acreage to the northwest. Working with Cherokee, a Development Agreement and General Plan was approved in 2007. Southern Land Company was later added to the team.

The 2007 agreement granted development rights in exchange for

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Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

assurances of a quality project through the development process and preserved key historic structures including the Imperial char house and water tower, iconic structures identified for preservation by the City.

The deal also included a museum to showcase Sugar Land’s history.

An agreement to work through the City’s development process is important as the State of Texas may circumvent local zoning restrictions.

The original 2007 agreement allowed 459 luxury apartments near the Imperial char house and water tower, as well as an unlimited amount of stand-alone apartments west toward State Highway 6.

With Southern Land’s departure from the project in 2009 due to economic changes, Cherokee and the General Land Office brought in Johnson Development to reassess the project’s economic viability.

Consistent with requirements of the agreement, Johnson Development submitted an amended General Development Plan more than a year ago that included 1,950 luxury apartments as part of a mixed-use, lifestyle community modeled after the successful Sugar Land Town Square. The recommended project includes a mix of main-street retail, Class A office space, parkland, historic and cultural venues and upscale residential development. The recommended plan capped the total number of apartments at 625 and limited the number in the historical district to less than the 2007 plan.

The Planning and Zoning Commission’s unanimous approval of the amended plan on Feb. 23 came after an exhaustive review by the City and the Commission and included the following concessions: • The total number of multi-family units is capped at 625.

• The total number of multi-family units in the historical area near the char house is limited to 325 - a reduction from 459 - and no multi-family units are permitted in the historical area east of Main Street.

• The developer will follow a phased approach for multifamily units to ensure healthy occupancy rates. Any multi-family units developed must first occur in the area near the baseball park, located north of Oyster Creek and east of State Highway 6. Following 75 percent occupancy of Phase 1, a second phase may occur in the historic area near the char house.

• Structures identified for historic preservation greatly exceed the original requirements of the City, including additional buildings and numerous oak trees.

• Historic site corridors allowing scenic views from surrounding areas help preserve the historic elements of the project.

The commission worked diligently during the past year holding numerous workshops, reviewing revisions, visiting various sites and hearing extensive public comments. Approval of the recommendation was consistent with Vision 2025, a document approved by City Council in 2009 to shape the future of Sugar Land. Vision 2025 was the result of a citizen Visioning Task Force and a community summit that included more than 70 members of the public.

Citizen input will continue as City Council considers the commission’s recommendation.

Read more about the project and recommendations at www.sugarlandtx.gov/imperial.

KOLBE CURTICE... continued from page 17

all operating expenses (i.e. property taxes, fire and hazard insurance and common area maintenance expenses) are “passed through” and paid directly by the tenant.

Early in my career, office building operating expenses rarely exceeded more than 20-25% of the total annual base rent. It is not uncommon today, however, for these expenses to be as much as 50% of the annual base rent.

For that reason, it is critical for tenants to select buildings that are both energy efficient and professionally managed. A pro-active property manager will challenge annual tax assessed values, use insurance brokers with national, regional and local relationships to leverage premiums, utilize energy brokers to shop and leverage electricity costs, etc. With many properties now under triple net leases, whereby operating expenses are passed through directly to the tenants, landlords and property managers are often not motivated to attempt to drive down the operating expenses for their tenants. Savvy tenants who understand this can save significantly by leasing in professionally managed buildings where their landlords are sensitive to the tenants’ total occupancy cost.

An office space search today involves much more than a physical location search. Tenants should be equally as selective in regard to the property ownership and their approach to building management.

Kolbe M. Curtice CCIM, CLS is a licensed Texas Real Estate Broker and is the Managing Director of Colliers International – Fort Bend, 15999 City Walk, Suite 250, Sugar Land, Texas, 77479. He can be reached at 281-494-4769 or kolbe.curtice@colliers.com.

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Myth vs. Fact

Setting the record straight about historic mortgage servicing settlement

O

n February 9, the Department of Justice, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, other federal agencies, and 49 state attorneys general announced the largest federal and state settlement agreement in history with the five major mortgage servicers for their mortgage servicing practices. This $25 billion agreement is the most significant actions to hold the banks accountable since the housing crisis began and represents an important step in helping the housing market to recover and strengthening the overall economy.

The agreement has the potential to help nearly two million American homeowners through a variety of means, including loss mitigation tools such as principal reduction and refinancing of loans for borrowers who owe more on their house than it is worth (“underwater” homeowners), payments of billions of dollars to federal and state parties, and payments directly to individuals who lost their homes to foreclosure and meet certain other criteria. States are using their settlement funds for a variety of purposes, including housing counseling, consumer education, borrower hotlines, and other vital actions.

This large and complex settlement has generated misunderstandings, rumors and even some falsehoods. This post helps sets the record straight.

Myth: The American taxpayers will subsidize the settlement.

Fact: There is a mistaken notion that there is a taxpayer subsidy because modifications performed under the Treasury’s Home Affordable Modification Program (HAMP) are not excluded from the settlement. In reality there is no such subsidy. Servicers cannot use HAMP incentives (or any other government subsidies) to meet their obligations under the settlement, plain and simple. Here are the facts: HAMP pays incentives to encourage mortgage modifications. While those incentives occasionally include payments for reducing principal, most HAMP modifications do not include principal reduction.

The settlement does not give any

42

credit for these HAMP modifications— those that involve payment reduction through a decrease in interest rate or an extension of the term, but no principal reduction. Of the almost 1 million permanent HAMP modifications done to date, the vast majority—more than 95 percent—fall into this category. Again, servicers do not receive any credit under the settlement for these modifications.

For HAMP modifications that do include principal reduction, servicers only receive credit for the portion of the principal reduction that they themselves pay for, not for the portion covered by incentives in the program. In other words, if a servicer receives a HAMP investor incentive payment of 20 cents for every dollar of principal reduction, it can receive credit at the applicable rate on the remaining 80 cents. However, in no event can the servicer receive more under the settlement than it would have in the absence of HAMP incentives. Thus, there is no “double” credit.

Myth: Americans who lost their homes will only receive $2000 in compensation.

Fact: In the summer of 2010 when HUD initiated a large scale review of the Federal Housing Administration’s largest servicers we found that early in the process, homeowners, some of whom were only 30 days behind on their mortgage, never even received a call from their lender to provide options that may have been available to them.

In other cases, participating parties found that lenders did nothing when borrowers ran into trouble because they lost their job or had a medical crisis.

Many families suffered from such servicer misconduct. For instance, borrowers may have been charged fees they shouldn’t have been or had dropped calls, lost paperwork or otherwise were not provided the opportunity to avoid foreclosure when they sought help with their mortgages.

Bottom line, banks did not take actions that they were required to take under FHA regulations or other state and federal law.

Because of these violations, through the settlement, a $1.5 billion Borrower Payment Fund will be established to provide estimated cash payments of approximately $1,500 to $2,000 to borrowers whose homes were foreclosed upon between and including

Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

January 1, 2008 – December 31, 2011, and who meet other criteria. These payments do not prevent families who suffered much deeper harm or who wish to pursue additional avenues of relief from seeking or receiving additional compensation. Families who may have been improperly foreclosed on and lost their homes (if, for example, the proper party did not bring the foreclosure proceeding or the loan was not delinquent) could therefore be owed hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages. In fact, the settlement still preserves their ability to pursue additional actions through other processes such as the restitution program run by the federal banking regulators, or through private litigation. Additionally, it should be noted that the restitution program will compensate borrowers for the full harm and that will be paid by the banks separately from the settlement. We are committed to making sure that consumers are fully aware of these options and how to pursue them.

Myth: The settlement will be paid on the backs of teachers, firefighter and unions because of pension or other investments in private label securities.

Fact: Participating banks own the vast majority of the mortgage loans that this settlement is expected to affect. The settlement could affect some investor-owned loans, depending on existing agreements servicers have with those investors. When banks weigh which mortgage loans to modify as part of this settlement, they will do so based on first analyzing the costs and the benefits of minimizing their losses.

If a loan modification, including principal reduction, is projected to cost the creditor or investor less than foreclosure, the creditor will earn more on that loan.

In other words, this settlement will not force investors to incur losses. That’s because any loan modification tied to this settlement will result in more of a financial return for an investor than a foreclosure would.

Moreover, we anticipate that the servicers will first target eligible loans already held on balance sheet, also referred to as their held-for-investment (HFI) portfolio. While servicers may look to loans committed to securitization trusts, they will have to follow a set of protocol because they can begin writing down principal on loans underlying bonds:

§ First and foremost, the settlement in no way overrides any existing contractual agreements or requirements between the servicer and the investors.

If investors do not allow for principal reduction in a specific securitization, then the servicers will not be able to utilize on loans underlying the securities. § Second, principal write down modifications must be NPV positive. § Third, loans must be delinquent or imminent risk of default as of the date of the settlement. § Fourth, 2nd liens are written down according to HAMP 2MP. § Fifth, 2nd liens greater than 180 days delinquent are extinguished. § Lastly, the settlement creates an incentive to encourage servicers to work with investors to do economically rational principal write down modifications.

Myth: Banks will not be held responsible for their actions related to origination and securitization practices.

Fact: This historic settlement resolves certain alleged violations of civil law based on mortgage loan servicing activities and the servicers will be released only for that conduct. The settlement does not prevent state and federal authorities from pursuing criminal enforcement actions related to this or other conduct by the servicers- including civil rights, fair housing, fair lending and other violations. The settlement does not prevent the government from punishing wrongful securitization conduct that will be the focus of the new Residential MortgageBacked Securities Working Group, which President Obama announced during his State of the Union address. Additionally, the U.S. government retains full authority to recover losses and penalties caused to the federal government when a bank failed to satisfy underwriting standards on a government-insured or governmentguaranteed loan. The agreement does not prevent any action by individual borrowers who wish to bring their own lawsuits. State attorneys general also preserved, among other things, all claims against the Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems (MERS), and all claims brought by borrowers.

The formation of a joint investigation task force headed up by senior Department of Justice officials, New York Attorney General Schneiderman and other federal and state partners will investigate the origination and securitization practices of the banks.

It was the banks’ securitization and origination practices that were significant factors in the housing crisis. The servicing

practices did not cause the crisis, but they did worsen the crisis, and that’s why this settlement is so important.

Other actions taken by the Obama Administration have helped to stabilize the market and with the settlement we are helping the recovery of the market.

Make no mistake, investigations will continue, and the settlement is just one significant step in holding banks accountable for the actions that led to the largest housing crisis since the Great Depression.

Myth: This settlement is too meager to address the full impact of the housing crisis and the banks’ conduct.

Fact: This agreement does not - and is not intended to - solve or resolve all the issues and abuses related to the housing crisis. This agreement is very narrow as to what it releases banks from. This settlement is intended to address the servicing aspect of the crisis, which did not cause the housing crisis. The Residential Mortgage Backed Securities Working Group announced by the President in the State of the Union will investigate the securitization and origination abuses that did help cause the crisis it will also expand the investigations and will coordinate with state and federal officials to hold banks accountable.

Additionally, while the settlement was designed to provide immediate help to homeowners, banks are held to account and through this settlement will pay billions for their actions.

This agreement outlines a way not only to provide immediate relief to homeowners through a variety of ways, including principal reduction, refinancing and direct payments to those homeowners who lost their homes to foreclosure and meet certain other criteria. The settlement also provides us a model for how to improve the housing market moving forward including servicing standards and a model for principal reduction.

Additionally, we continue to work to make sure more homeowners benefit from this settlement and other programs. That is why we continue to pursue ways to help provide similar relief to the homeowners.

Myth: Had the plaintiffs litigated these claims instead of settling, homeowners would have received greater compensation and sooner.

Fact: Litigation takes a lot of time and resources and carries risks. While legal cases drag on, homeowners in desperate need of relief are left to watch and wait for an uncertain outcome.

Millions more homeowners could have lost their homes long before

the court battles would have ended.

The outcomes of litigation win or lose, are anything but certain.

Through the settlement, the parties were able to agree to steps that are more targeted at repairing the harms at issue than might have occurred had they proceeded to judgment.

As in any case, we took all of these factors into account and entered into a favorable settlement. Had we not come to the agreement, homeowners would not have gotten the same benefits.

Myth: Banks have ignored or fallen through on their obligations under previous settlements and will do so again under this settlement.

Fact: From the very beginning the Obama Administration made clear that it would hold those responsible for this crisis to account and this agreement does that.

Banks will pay at least $25 billion that will directly help homeowners, and if the remaining 6-14 institutions sign on it would grow to about $30 billion with more than $45 billion in benefit to homeowners. Unlike prior settlements banks cannot meet their obligations simply by offering help to homeowners. They will only get credit by actually delivering principal reduction and other help and if they don’t the requirements will convert to cash payment and will result in penalties of an additional 25-40%. Moreover, the settlement forces servicers to fix the problems that led to the broad violations uncovered during this investigation.

Finally, to ensure that banks are doing what they have agreed to do, Joseph A. Smith will serve as Monitor in enforcing the settlement.

As North Carolina’s banking commissioner since 2002, Smith oversaw implementation of a leading foreclosureprevention program; he has also served as Chairman of the Conference of State Banks Supervisors and was President Obama’s nominee to serve as Director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency. The Monitor will oversee implementation of the extensive servicing standards required by the settlement; impose penalties of up to $1 million per violation (or up to $5 million for certain repeat violations); and publish regular public reports that identify any quarter in which the Servicer fell short of the standards imposed in the settlement.

The settlement will be filed as a Consent Judgment in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia and remain in effect for three-and-a-half years.

April 2012 • Fort Bend Business Journal

43

Katy gains a convention center

By Wayne Chandler

E

conomic history is in the making in Katy. Before the end of 2012, the city will have a convention center which will accommodate 850 persons. It will be named Palacio Maria.

The $3 million, 20,000-square foot structure will stand adjacent to the west of El Jarrito Mexican Restaurant on Highland Knolls. The center is the dream and brainchild of El Jarrito owner Gildardo Leon, and the culmination of a 30-year authentic rags-to-riches business success story in America.

Ground was broken for this new venture in March. And while detailed plans are in place there hasn’t even been an artists’ rendering of the new building. What Gildardo does know, is that it will be named in honor of Maria, his wife and partner of 25 years, who has been at his side every day since they were waiters in a small Mexican restaurant along the Energy Corridor.

Katy area leaders have been hungry for this type of convention facility which will accommodate banquets, graduations, weddings and other special events, ever since the Equestrian Center off Mason Road was sold several years ago.

Lance LaCour, president and CEO of the Katy Area Economic Development Council said, “Facilities of this size and scope are extremely important to the hospitality industry of the Katy area. Congratulations to all involved in helping make this facility and dream a reality in Katy.”

There will be a 14,000-sqaure foot ballroom, which can be divided into three rooms for 200 persons each. In addition, there’ll be a covered patio for 150 persons, a separate private room for 150-200 persons and a separate brides dressing area. There will be a 3,000-square foot state of the arts kitchen to provide a wide variety of entrees.

Outside catering will be permitted. There will be four sets of restrooms. Surrounding the center will be extensive landscaping, a gazebo,

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El Jarrito on Highland Knolls, Katy

fountains , trees and flowers. There will be 200 parking spaces with access from two entrances on Highland Knolls and one from Park Knolls on the north. The location is about two miles from I-10 via Mason Road.

This center will be another giant career leap for the Leons, who first began to make waves in Katy when Texas Governor Rick Perry was on hand for the ribboncutting of El Jarrito on August 11, 2005.

From that day forward a new gentry of Katy businessmen and politicians have shared the sprawling 8,000-square foot, 399-persons capacity eatery with hundreds of Mexican food lovers. And, Gildardo and Governor Perry, who met through a mutual acquaintance, have become personal friends.

Gildardo and Maria are hands on operators of El Jarrito and now have some 50 employees. Both Gildardo and Maria are good cooks, and Gildardo’s employees have hand-made all of the cedar furniture, including the booths and scores of tables and chairs inside and on the various patios.

Two of Gildardo’s confidentes, real estate agent Randal Rockett, and Gildardo’s “best friend,” John W. Warner, have marveled at

Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

their friend’s unbelievable determination and work ethic. Gildardo left family and friends 32 years in his native Ceylaya, (Seh-ly-uh) Guanajuato, Mexico, and found a job in Katy as a busboy in a small Mexican restaurant which was near Amoco Oil Company (now BP) offices. Gildardo soon became a waiter. Warner, who was an Amoco executive, said that he and his wife soon began to request Gildardo as their waiter, and they became fast friends.

One day some years later, Warner recalled that Gildardo said to him, “Juanito, I would like to have my own restaurant.”

Warner helped Gildardo get a health certificate and the two of them looked at five to 10 locations for a likely spot. They finally settled on a restaurant on Cimmaron Parkway at Mason Road. Warner said that it soon was apparent that Gildardo was a good waiter, but didn’t know how to run a restaurant. They had a lot of training sessions and taste testing evenings. Warner, a photographer, graphic artist and marketer, designed the menus and got them printed.

The restaurant had about 15 tables, but the customers were slow in filling them.

Warner said that service was poor. Gildardo didn’t own a credit card, didn’t have a banking contact, and needed financial help.

Warner gave him a loan, and Gildardo’s food service improved, and after three or four months, the customers started coming.

Warner recalls that about eight months later, Gildardo called him one day, inviting him for a beer. When they met, Gildardo made full payment in cash, on the loan.

Warner watched as proudly as if Gildardo were a son when Gildardo and Maria gained U.S. citizenship.

As customers continued to come, Gildardo began talking with Rockett, a veteran real estate agent and Katy community leader who had been active in the Boys Scouts, the YMCA, Grace Fellowship United Methodist Church, and had dealt with a host of commercial projects in the mid-90s, and taught real estate classes at Houston Community College. Gildardo wanted to find a bigger location than the 3,500 squarefoot restaurant on Cimmaron Parkway.

“As Gil’s business adviser and sometimes personal adviser,” Randal said,

Consultant Randal Rockett and Gildardo

“we have become very good personal friends. Gil is a visionary. We sometimes play ‘what if’ games and let them soak, and later abandon or pursue them.

“After some false starts we locked in to a site that, at first, seemed too much. We were thinking, maybe two acres, but this six-acre tract was available and reasonable. So an investment was made with an eye beyond the initial investment…over time the Palacio Maria Convention Center project was born.

I’ve had the pleasure to help Gil select team members including the architect, engineers, contractors and subcontractors. I’ve also

been involved in the financial negotiations.”

There was a separate purchase when an additional 1.75 acres became available.

El Jarrito is on 2.3 acres and Palacio Maria will be on 4.5 acres, with another .7 acres being held for future development. El Jarrito currently has about 8,000 square feet under roof, plus a canopied area and a children’s play area. There are 15 booths and 70 tables in the interior. The covered patio room will seat about 50, the outside Palapas area 100 plus. There is a separate private room adjacent to the main dining area which accommodates about 100.

“As frugal a businessman as Gil has become, he is generous to a fault,” Randal said. He is a big supporter of his church in Mexico, and organizations in Katy, especially youth groups. The Leons have two children: Son Julio, 19, a Cinco Ranch High School graduate, is a freshman at University of Houston, studying to be a chemical engineer, and daughter Maria, 18, a senior at Cinco Ranch High School, has been accepted at Baylor and Texas A & M, and plans to major in management at Texas A & M.

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281.494.9131 x134 • www.sugarcreekcctexas.com 420 Sugar Creek Boulevard April 2012 • Fort Bend Business Journal

45

Fort Bend County libraries to celebrate National Library Week

F

rom children’s story times to seniors’ retirement planning, and from pleasure reading to professional development, Fort Bend County Libraries is committed to completing the “circle of knowledge” for the information-based needs of Fort Bend County. In recognition of this commitment, Fort Bend County Libraries invites the residents of the county to join in celebration of National Library Week, April 8-14.

Libraries are part of the American dream – places for opportunity, education, lifelong learning, and free access to a world of resources and information.

Thousands of people of all ages, income levels, and backgrounds visit the library every year in search of knowledge and the chance to improve their lives and their ability to contribute productively to their communities. In 2011 alone, more than 1.9-million people visited

Fort Bend County Libraries.

For every $1.00 invested in Fort Bend County Libraries, the public receives approximately $19 in return. The money invested in libraries is returned to the community in many ways. Literacy services, job-skill improvement assistance, and business resources help to build the economic basis of a community, while education, culture, and higher-learning opportunities attract new residents who value an informed and enlightened community in which to raise their families.

The economic struggles of recent years have found more and more people using the library in a variety of ways, including filling out job applications online, improving job skills by attending the library’s computer classes, searching multiple newspapers for job openings, and researching careers and businesses. Basic computer classes have been presented in English, Spanish, Chinese and Hindi. In addition, more

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Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

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than 3,100 people participated in the library’s free English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) and Basic Literacy classes in 2011.

The children of Fort Bend County borrowed 1,982,041 books from the public library last year. Assuming an average children’s book price of $36.16, the library saved local families $71,611,141 in 2011!

Area teens also saved their families an astronomical amount of money when they borrowed more than 222,000 books from the library – a savings of $9,814,620, based on an average Young Adult book price of $44.21. The libraries’ free Online Homework-Help tutoring service was used more than 137,800 times by students seeking help on their studies in 2011. Based on an average cost of $35/hour for a personal tutor, these families saved $4,823,000!

“Every day, libraries in big cities and small towns help transform their communities,” says Library Director Clara Russell. “At our libraries, people of all backgrounds can come together for community meetings, lectures and programs, to do research with the assistance of a trained professional, to improve job skills, or to find homework help.”

The “virtual” portal of the libraries’ website is just as popular as the front doors of the bricks-and-mortar buildings.

The past year has seen an increase in the popularity of the library’s digital audio books and eBooks that can be downloaded from home. The online homework help and databases continue to be well used by students of all ages. The databases include authoritative research information that Internet search engines such as Google or Yahoo cannot access.

Libraries provide information-delivery 24/7, using multi-faceted, multicultural, and multilingual resources, providing a bridge to the best conceivable future for many Americans. By striving to improve economic prospects and enhance the quality of life of area residents, Fort Bend County Libraries shows democracy in action. With free admission and access, the price cannot be beaten.

For more information about the Fort Bend County library system and its services, call the libraries’ Public Information Office at 281-341-2677, or visit the library’s website at www.fortbend.lib.tx.us.

COMING MAY 2012 ISSUE!

Fort Bend’s Top 40

NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN!

Fort Bend’s

Top 40

We’re celebrating the Top 40 Entrepreneurs and Executives in Fort Bend County!

But we need your help in determining just who they are!

Take a few moments to fill out the form below and email it to Mary@FortBendStar.com Deadline for nominations is Friday, April 13th.

Top Enterpreneurs & Executives

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47

Cheryl Schubert the artist

By T.C. Benn

I

t’s a long way from the northern United States to the Gulf Coast, but longer still is the journey Wisconsin native Cheryl Schubert has traveled to find the artist within.

Cheryl and her husband Larry moved nine times in 15 years, as required by his job, and finally settled in Sugar Land 14 years ago.

“I am 99 percent sure we will never leave.

We just love it here,” she said. “Everyone’s so welcoming. I could walk to any of my neighbors’ and get that proverbial cup of sugar.”

Ironically, it was a shutdown at her place of employment, Albis Plastics in Rosenberg, that lead to Cheryl’s decision to pursue a college degree and resulted in a blessing she never imagined.

She enrolled in Wharton County Junior College in 2007 and two years later, earned an associate’s degree in general studies.

“I was starting from scratch and did mighty fine,” she said. “When I left Albis, I hit my first-ever roadblock: no college degree.

So I said, ‘Corporate America, I have always loved you; but if you’re going to make me go back to school, I’m going to reinvent myself.’”

And she did.

Now 53, Cheryl is about to graduate from Houston Baptist University (HBU) with a bachelor of fine arts, studio arts degree.

“I’m in my last semester and I want to produce the most profound body of work that I can,” she said. “I really feel that the talent at HBU and the professors are great.”

They must be doing something right. At the recommendation of HBU Advisor Michael Collins, Cheryl applied for - and was granted - an unpaid internship at Houston’s prestigious Wade Wilson Art Gallery.

Before long, she was awarded a scholarship to study art in Hilmsen, Germany. In the summer of 2010, she traveled there to soak up every bit of

48

knowledge she could, and was featured in several newspaper and magazine articles, including a group exhibition in Salzwedel, Germany, displaying some of the work she created while studying there.

“When I went back to school in the fall,“ Cheryl recalled, “my professor pulled me aside and said, ‘We just want you to know that you’ve won a scholarship to return next summer to study in Germany.’”

So back she went the following summer.

Through such experiences, she said, “the world just becomes wonderfully small and wonderfully exciting.”

If all goes well, Cheryl plans to travel to New York City soon to meet up with an equity actress she befriended in Germany.

They’re looking forward to soaking up all sorts of art and culture.

Her classes at HBU require Cheryl to tackle just about every art form imaginable and she’s hard-pressed to choose a favorite, although for the moment it’s Japanese water color on duralar, a plastic-type surface.

“It’s amazing that they make you do such a variety,” said her proud husband. “For me, it’s amazing that they make her, as part of the curriculum, do it all. The fact that she was in corporate America and she dabbled in art, and then to be in her late 40s and go back to school and totally apply herself is just incredible. It’s been an amazing journey.”

Cheryl works on up to a dozen pieces at a time, in a variety of mediums - oil and acrylic paints, wood carvings, photo transfers, ceramics, sketches, collages, sculptures - and has even carved images into a piece of linoleum and used it as a printing press of sorts to make prints of her work.

Her home-studio walls are covered in various examples of her work, and she enjoys creating new pieces under the watchful eyes of her most faithful fans: her Rhodesian Ridgebacks, Plato and Newton, and Utopia, the American Bobtail cat.

“This spare bedroom is my hub,” Cheryl said of her studio, “but basically any flat surface in the house will do.”

Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

Rhodesian Ridgebacks Plato and Newton are artist Cheryl Schubert’s most loyal fans, critiquing her work with barks and tail wags of approval.

While Cheryl said it would impossible for her to choose a favorite artist, she does admit to having a special affinity for the works of impressionists and surrealists.

“The avant garde - I love that so many of them were before their time. It’s almost as is it gives me permission to explore,” she said.

Cheryl likes to look at things through a magnifying glass of sorts, and is fascinated with the sheer artistry of circles. She’s a regular at the George Observatory at Brazos Bend State Park, where she thrills to studying the likes of Saturn through the 36-inch Gueymard research telescope.

Her observation of the most minute details may be one of the things that sets Cheryl apart from other artists, but there’s no denying that the bottom line is her sheer talent. She won a print-making award at an HBU juried student exhibition last May. “I was beyond words because the judge was Karl Umlauf, artist-in-residence at Baylor University,” Cheryl said, still grinning from ear to ear as if dreaming. But her accolades don’t stop there.

When Wilson announced the emerging artists he’d be featuring in a show last year, Cheryl was ecstatic when her name was on the list.

“He looked me straight in the face and said, ‘Your work is very strong,’ and he said if I wasn’t ready, he wouldn’t have me,” she said, still as excited as ever at the memory.

“He said, ‘I want you in this gallery,’ and the night of the opening, he offered to represent me as well. So I am represented by a top gallery!”

Of the 10 works she showed that night, Cheryl sold three.

“These are just major blessings,” she said.

“I’m just over the moon.”

The up-and-coming artist described herself as resourceful, outgoing and “pretty much happy all the time.” She always sees the glass half-full; and if it’s not, she’ll make it that way.

“Practice, practice, practice,” she said when asked the secret to improving as an artist.

“I sketch every day; I have all different sizes of sketch books. If I go two days without some form of art, I start to lose it,” she laughs.

“I’m definitely ‘Curious Georgette’ because I’m always asking questions.”

She’s also constantly on the lookout for juried shows in which to enter her art and get her name out there.

“It’s a lot of hard work,” she conceded.

She’s already put 23 hours into one of her current works-in-progress, a Japanese watercolor-on-duralar titled “Approaching the Seventh Plane”; but she’s been working on another piece all semester.

“I just kind of let it take me on a journey,” she explained of her lack of rush to finish any given project.

Right now, another type of undertaking is requiring some of Cheryl’s time, energy and talent: She’s helping an HBU professor establish an art program for students in grades four through eight at Yellowstone Academy in Houston’s Third Ward, where she volunteers.

“I plan to coordinate more volunteer students from HBU, who are pursuing their bachelor of fine arts degrees, to come and work with these kids, too,” said Cheryl. “I hope to be there for many years, helping with that.”

Their goal is to provide children an outlet to express the art and beauty within them - an opportunity they would not otherwise have.

Cheryl understands the gift of opportunity, having been one of only two students in the Houston area to be chosen for the unpaid internship at Wade Wilson Art Gallery.

“It allowed me to get into the market place and experience it,” Cheryl said. “It was wonderful because I found out that I’d

missed that interaction a little bit; it felt really good to be in that environment. There was a lot to learn about the artists, and at the end of my internship in 2010, Wade offered me a part-time paid position. When I graduate,

Artist Cheryl Schubert does most of her work in the upstairs studio of her Sugar Land home, but said any flat surface - such as the kitchen table - will do.

we’ll talk about full-time.”

Ken General, director of Wade Wilson Art Gallery, said Cheryl was signed as an artist in December.

“I’m very impressed with her work,” he said. “Her work is very colorful and it allows the viewer to sit back and take a look and let their imagination go wild. Different people see different things in her work because of the bright colors she uses in such a fantastic way.

They appreciate different things about it.

That’s one of the strong points of her work.

We’re very happy to include her work.”

On March 13, Wilson informed Cheryl that he’s planning to open a gallery in Santa Fe, N.M. this summer, and will include her work there as well.

“So I’ll be represented as an emerging artist in both Houston and Santa Fe!” she exclaimed.

“It is my hope that my art will give the viewer pause long enough to engage with the image and forget, for a moment, this sometimes crazy-paced world. I guess it’s my way of writing the fairytale. My maiden name is Grimm, so maybe I am the painter Grimm instead of the fairytale Grimm.”

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April 2012 • Fort Bend Business Journal

49

NAMES IN THE NEWS Rockwood joins LCISD as community relations director Mike Rockwood is the Lamar CISD Executive Director of Community Relations. He began work February 27.

Rockwood replaces Christy Willman, who retired at the end of January.

Prior to coming to Lamar CISD, Rockwood was Communication Specialist at Sheldon ISD, which is just to the east of Houston.

Prior to working in school communications, he worked in television,

including positions at KIAH in Houston and television stations in Alabama, Alaska, Waco and Bryan.

He is a 2004 graduate of Texas A&M University, Mike Rockwood with a degree in Speech Communications. He is currently working on his master’s in Strategic Public Relations from George Washington University.

2012 Heritage Award presented to Bettye Anhaiser by the Fort Bend County Historical Commission

Photo by Russell Autrey

The Fort Bend County Historical Commission presented its 2012 Heritage Award to Bettye J. Anhaiser for exceptional contributions in historical preservation. Anhaiser has continuously served the commission for four decades. Presenting the award were FBCHC President Bert Bleil, left, and Fort Bend County Judge Bob Hebert, right. Supporting Anhaiser for her local and state contributions and for receiving the award was Leon Anhaiser, her husband.

Lewis wins teaching excellence award Foster High School’s Jill Lewis is the winner of the Texas Section American Association of Physics Teachers’ PreCollege Teaching Excellence Award. The award is given annually to outstanding high school physics teachers.

Lewis, who teaches Principles of Technology, which is a Physics course in the Career and Technology Education program in Lamar Consolidated ISD, will accept the award at the American Association of

50

Physics Teachers meeting, March 22-24, at Angelo State University in San Angelo.

Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

Fort Bend Chamber’s Farrah Gandhi attends excellence conference Farrah Gandhi, director of marketing for the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce recently participated in the13th annual Farrah Gandhi Center for Chamber of Commerce Excellence Conference, held March 4 – 7, in Addison, Texas.

Gandhi participated in Fundamentals of Chamber Management I that dealt with topics ranging from chamber management, legal issues and business operations to membership development, revenue retention strategies, government relations and social media. The Center is a three year/three day training session which provides a broad spectrum of advanced education for the chamber professional.

The training sessions provided participants with an opportunity to update management and/or staff skills by studying with professional peers as they reviewed the latest techniques and trends in the industry. Participants were able to build relationships with other chamber professionals from Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana.

For the past 40 years, the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce has diligently fulfilled its mission to create, enhance, and promote a thriving economic environment. Driven to expanding employment opportunities and being an advocate and partner to our members, the FBCC creates solutions for business and community issues. The unique diversity of our community and ability to merge cultures, ideas, and values represents our strength.For more information visit www.FortBendChamber.com.

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April 2012 • Fort Bend Business Journal

51

NEWSWORTHY Learn job-search survival tips at Sienna Branch Library

Fluor awarded contract by FEMA for emergency management

Fluor Corporation has been awarded a contract by the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide technical assessment and project management services in support of the agency’s recovery efforts after national disasters. The Public Assistance Technical Assistance Contract has a potential value of up to $500 million over five years.

Fluor will book work into backlog as it is awarded by FEMA. Fluor’s contract is one of four multiple-award contracts announced by FEMA for these services. The period of performance consists of one base year, with four, one-year renewal options. The Public Assistance Technical Assistance Contract carries out the statutory authorities of

the Robert T. Safford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act. “For the last 15 years, Fluor has consistently and successfully provided technical support services to the FEMA Public Assistance Program,” said Bruce Stanski, president of Fluor Government Group. “We are very proud of our long legacy helping FEMA assist individuals and communities recover from the devastation of floods, tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes, and other national disasters. Winning this award affirms our ability to perform in the most challenging and difficult circumstances while making life better for those who have been affected.”

Since 1997, Fluor has worked closely with FEMA to provide technical assistance in disaster-stricken locations.

From tornadoes in Wyoming, river floods in North Dakota, earthquakes in California and hurricanes all along the Gulf Coast, Fluor’s expertise in recovery operations allows the company to deliver innovative solutions that meet the needs of disaster victims in a timely manner.

During the 2005 hurricane season, Fluor played a vital role in supporting FEMA’s delivery of aid to victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

Over an 18-month period, Fluor helped more than 160,000 disaster victims in Louisiana start to get their lives back to normal.

Fort Bend County Fairgrounds Park & Ride opens The Fort Bend County Public Transportation Department’s Fairgrounds Park & Ride located at State Highway 36 and Fairgrounds Road will have its Grand Opening and Ribbon Cutting on Tuesday, April 3 at 10:30 a.m.

The park and ride has been long awaited by commuters in Fort Bend County. Although commuters have had a temporary park and ride location on the

52

Fairgrounds for some time, the final designed and constructed park and ride is ready for use. It was built with a combination of federal funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and local funds. The public is invited to attend.

For more information contact the Fort Bend County Director of Public Transportation, Paulette Shelton at 281-633-7433.

Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

Have you been searching for a job and not having any luck? Maybe it’s time for a change in your game plan. Fort Bend County Libraries’ Sienna Branch Library, 8411 Sienna Springs Blvd in Missouri City, will present a free, three-part series of “Job-Search Survival Tips,” beginning on Monday, April 16, from 5:30 to 8:30 pm, in the Meeting Room of the library. The series will continue on April 17 and 19, at the same place and time.

Different topics are discussed each night.

The three-part series is designed to help all job-hunters, from those applicants applying for a position at a fast-food restaurant to executives looking for a position in a large company. The tips that are presented can help any applicant plan a more efficient job hunt and make a more favorable impression.

Learn tips on writing a better resumé, researching prospective employers, interviewing and non-verbal skills, making a great first impression, networking, and much more. By developing an organized plan of action, the applicant is able to experience a more efficient job hunt with an increased chance of success.

In the series, a team of 10 professionals, with decades of experience in corporate America between them, will share their insight and the experiences they themselves have had in the business world – from the perspective of the employer doing the hiring as well as the employee looking for a job. Led by head business coach, Mickey Mixon, the job-search survival team includes business owners, financial and mortgage advisors, computer consultants, sales and marketing professionals, and advertising and communications executives – all of whom volunteer their time for this workshop.

The sessions are free and open to the public. Registration is not required, and late arrivals are welcome. For more information, call the branch library at 281-238-2900 or the library’s Public Information Office at (281) 341-2677.

Submit Newsworthy items to sharon@fortbendstar.com

Texas Conference for Women set for Austin Wednesday, October 24 The 13th Annual Texas Conference for Women will be held at the Austin Convention Center on October 24. The conference was held in Austin from 2000 to 2007, and has been held in Houston for the last four years.

“The Texas Conference for Women is truly a powerful experience, uniting thousands of women from all walks of life and giving them the opportunity to realize their dreams,” says First Lady Anita Perry. “I look forward to the conference returning to Austin, and am excited to hear the inspirational stories from our guests and see so many Texas women given the power to positively impact lives, businesses, their communities and the world.”

Since the conference’s inception in 2000, thousands of women have come together for

networking, professional development and personal growth. Each year, nationally recognized speakers and leaders from Texas and across the nation share their wisdom and expertise on a wide range of topics including career advancement, money management, health and wellness, small business and entrepreneurship, and social media and branding.

Some of the world’s top women leaders have been featured as keynote speakers, including celebrated poet, author, educator and historian Dr. Maya Angelou; former U.S. Secretary of State Dr. Condoleezza Rice; Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation cofounder Melinda French Gates; neonatologist and medical director for Texas Children’s Hospital’s Pediatric Simulation Center Dr. Jen Arnold; personal finance expert Suze

Central Chamber: Storage Place

The Storage Place (5820 Avenue I, Rosenberg): From left: Tony L. Francis, CJ’s Insurance; Ritu Verma, First Victoria National Bank; Shanta Kuhl, Chamber President/CEO; Jennifer Luna, CRG Texas; Deway Birch, First Victoria National Bank; Nubia Casler, CRG Texas; Shirley Jackson, La Casona Mexican Restaurant; Stephen Jerkins, The Storage Place; Shelley Custer, The Storage Place; Jean Machann, Reading Road Professional Office Park; Matt Ontiveros, Springhill Suites

by Marriott; Gilbert Limones, First Victoria National Bank; Tony Field, Reading Road Self Storage; Tom Wilson, Reading Road Self Storage; Lisa Matthews, Servpro of West Fort Bend County; Robert Quarles, Enhanced Energy Services; Carlos A. Garcia, CJ’s Insurance.

Orman; Chilean-American novelist Isabel Allende, and many more.

The conference also offers mentoring with career coaches, resume reviews by human resource experts and an exhibit hall with hundreds of companies that offer services and products for women.

Registration for the conference opens in April. Find out more about the 13th Annual Texas Conference for Women.

Autism conference set for April 21 in Sugar Land According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Autism Spectrum Disorder has been diagnosed in 1 in 110 American children – a 600 percent increase in prevalence over the past two decades. Texana Center in Rosenberg does not know what causes autism but they do know how to treat the disorder using Applied Behavior Analysis and have a proven record of success in helping children with autism.

The Fort Bend Focus magazine is partnering with the Texana Children’s Center for Autism to put on a conference set for the Hilton Garden Inn in Sugar Land on Saturday, April 21. This conference is open to everyone; parents, educators and other interested parties. Cost $20 including breakfast and conference materials.

Conference Participants will learn to Increase Language and Communication in Children with Autism, Teach Social Skills, and Decrease Problem Behaviors with Proactive & Function-based interventions to learn in the natural environment. All programs will be presented by Board Certified Behavior Analysts from Texana Center, the leader in Behavior Analysis in Texas.

Contact Tracey J. Shaw, Director of Development & Community Relations, Texana Center, 4910 Airport Avenue, Bldg.

B, Rosenberg by calling (281) 239 1311 or www.texanacenter.com

April 2012 • Fort Bend Business Journal

53

FORT BEND

O

n February 21, the Central Fort Bend Chamber Alliance held its Fifth Annual Mardi Gras Party. The party, which saw about 250 Chamber friends stop by, was hosted by the new Lifechek Drug located on Jackson Street Richmond. Jabo, the Texas Prince of Zydeco, performed live Cajun music. The event was catered by 36 Bar & Grill, Fish Place, Pier 36 Seafood and Oyster Bar, Ragin Cajun, Fred Fogarty of Fogarty Financial, Kevin Patton of Kevin Patton State Farm and Witt’s Catering. Beverages were provided

by Silver Eagle Distributors and Coca Cola. HEB provided the King cake. Republic Services, Inc. made a special contribution.

Central Fort Bend Chamber Alliance Fifth Annual Mardi Gras Party February 21, 2012 • Lifechek Drug • Richmond

Doris Gurecky, Janice Knight and Shaunna Witt.

Jamie Green and Kevin Patton.

Chamber President Shanta Kuhl and Lifecheck Drug owner, Bruce Gingrich.

Miguel Rodriquez and Kevin Kohl.

Liz Moreno and Priscilla Salas.

Lonnie Meadows, Carla Claude Leatherwood.

Steve Onstad & Andres Novoa.

Freeman

and

American Heart Association February 24, 2012 • Safari Texas Ranch • Richmond

F

ort Bend County’s Division of the American Heart Association’s annual Wine and Cheese Event was held Friday, February 24 at Safari Texas Ranch. Host Sponsor was Safari Texas Ranch.

Underwriting and selecting the wines featured that evening are the 2012 Wine Sponsors Jan and Lee Leaman, Alice and Martin Weir and Karen and Richard McCarter. For more information, contact Karen McCarter at klmccarter@aol.com

Doris Gurecky and Allison Wen.

Glenn Grimes, Teri Grimes, Rosenberger, Kent Rosenberger.

Hazel

Sandy Campos, Elyce Kahn, Karen McCarter, Marion Wright, Ann Council.

May Tape DDS, Donna Kay Tucker, Becky Covell.

BLU Restaurant & Lounge Event March 6, 2012 • Sugar Land Town Center

Marian Hecker & Owner Amy Kamani.

Alicia Casias, May Tape, Namita Asthana, Liz Moreno & Angie Wierzbicki.

Chef Jett & Chef Jiraporn

BIG SHOTS

DBA (Assumed Names)

Data Beat (+) = More Names

This is a sample of the Assumed Names (DBAs) filed at the Fort Bend County Clerk’s office for February 2012. More Assumed Names may be viewed online at http://ccweb.co.fort-bend.TX.us/RealEstate/SearchEntry.aspx. There were 393 Assumed Names with Notary Fee for month of February. There were also 53 Assumed Names without a notary fee.

Smith Ruby Cakes By Ruby 19002 Mission Park Dr 77407

Morales Vanessa Sosa (+) V & J Images 2527 Llano Spring Dr 77494

Burgess Stephen D Sdb Exploration 5319 Harris Woods TRC 77441

Ngnamy Fernand Djamna Ema Technologies LLC 4602 Tulip Garden Ct 77469

Miller Niyah Destiny’s Creations 16014 Bunteridge 77053

Foster Dedric Foster Family 4911 Porter Ridge 77053

Hardy Twanna Hardy Consulting Services 11703 Cantiano Ct 77406

Paul Tomeka (+) Ooh La La! Exquisite Events 1451 Acorn Ct 77489

Bruzzese James Law Office Of Jim Bruzzese P O Box 341 77413

Harris Sandra Guardian Angel Services 1110 Clay St 77469

Johnson Erica Sweet Dreams Personal Services 710 Shiremeadow Dr 77489

Johnson Sandra (+) V&SSCSERVICES V&SSCLEANINGSERVICES 6911 Earthside Dr 77479

Amaram Anthony C Trans Atlantic Enterprises 2119 Whirlaway Dr 77477

Williams Hamilton (+) Endless Shine Mobile Detailing 16718 Lone Equail Ct 77489

Barnhart Nicole Nicole Barnhart-Elliott 11720 Highland Knolls 7750

Dacosta Recorda R & R Enterprise 1711 Stone Lake Dr 77489

Wheeler Betty Jo Beautiful/Healthy Skin For Less 13127 Newbrook Dr 77072

SSS Development & Design LLC Oak Lane Apartments 809 Morton Street 77469

Johnson Krista Heather Rainpuk Hodges J W III 4426 Whistling Duck Ln 77441 Dj Mello 4818 Montclair Hill Ln 77545 Ishaq Gul Ahmed Furniture Resource Woods Kayla of Houston Lakay, LLC 11322 Bucks Bridge Ln 77498 14906 Sugarhollow Dr 77498 Auman Patrick A Auman Patrick A 2314 Lilac Breeze Ln 77584 Lopez Cynthia Hvac Mareting Solution (+) 13706 Florence Road 77498 Johnson Frederick Arcola Fresno Baseball 127 Virginia Dr 77545 Lin Lin-Ling Eileen Lin Realty 4306 Lakeside Meadow Dr 77459 Anzaldua Christopher (+) C&L Towing And Recovery 1116 Edgewood Dr 77406 Mitchell Leslie LNM Consulting 4910 Shapiro Court 77459 Orellana Nubia E Pupuseria Kelly 5446 W Ridgecreek #C 77053 Busch Lida Master Electric 3515 Mallard Pass Ln 77494 Kibler Adam Dossmann Management Group LLC 450 Corridor Way 77477 Pathpoints Inc Pathpoints To Wellness Ehaling Arts & Retreat Center 8539 Bois D’acc 77406

56

Kong Xiaolin Forestay International 3006 Quiet Creek Ct 77479 Pollard Michael (+) Allure Construction and Concrete 14629 Dove Lane 77461 Texana Pecan Investors LLC Texana Pecan 212 Morton Street 77469 Moeckel Amanda H (+) Amanda’s Beauty Products 3318 Long Hollow Ct 77479

Ramos Eduardo Multipro Remodeling Services 10007 Western Pine Trl 77494

Hatcher Nathan Hatcher Armory 6140 Fm 723 Rd 77406

Buller Douglas E (+) Bull Investments 67 Ambleside Crescent Dr 77479

Bui Cindy T Amy Tailor 3213 Hwy 6 S 77478

Obilana Mary New Spring Autos Nsa 1234 Birchstone Dr 77459

Moore Chelsea (+) Gulf Coast Rehab & Healthcare Services 1922 Caldbeck Ln 77545

Hill Daiquiri Investment Phase I 7703 Tierra Verde 77083

Akhtar Shazia Azam (+) Acord Insurance & Multi Services 15046 Beechnut S B 77083

Rosenberg Waterchase LLC 3101 Place Apartments 3101 Vista Drive 77471 White Michelle Mckee N-Finity Business Solutions 5680 Highway 6 #155 77459 Uwajeh Augustine (+) Eagle Place Market African Import/Wholesale 9651 Bissonnet St 77036 Johnson Alicia Dr Foot Prints 15311 Trinity Meadow Dr 77489 Ngyuen Kim Loan Beauty Envy II Nails & Spa 6210 Sienna Parkway Suite 340 77459

Gaddy Darlene Design Concepts Of Texas 3219 Southford Manor Ln 77494 Billy Melinda Unique Hands Property Preservation & Business Svcs 11850 Bissonnet #271 77099 Hajdik Merry Sue (+) Hajdik’s Enterprises 9603 Magnolia 77464 Billingsley Amy (+) Gems Girl’s Club 1403 Fallwood Drive 77479 Mott Joel Jomo Music 20111 Black Canyon Dr 77450

Kowalski Tiffany Tiffany Kowalski Photography 15700 Lexington #418 77478

Garcia Anabel Nailheadz 10522 Farmingham Dr 77099

Kowalski Tiffany Kowalski & Jefferson Arts Group 15700 Lexington #418 77478

James Laurie (+) Waxafexx 27315 Wooded Canyon Dr 77494

Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

Hampton Tyshaun (+) E3 Hair 14326 Blue Falls Dr 77498 Costancio Jason Daniel E Squared Contractors 13611 Greenbriar Dr 77498 Gonzales Chris A Fort Bend Cutlery 2015 Hamilton Street 77471 Brewer Dwayne (+) Truth Trucking 1205 Yorktown St 77469 Martinez-Luna Miguel La Casa Lawn Service 106 Riverdege A 3 Dr 77469 Obaseki Vanessa Tender Hearts Care 20639 Garden Ridge Cyn 77407 Clegg Shannon (+) SCC Free Energy 9527 East Nightingale Hill 77494

Top Rank Roofing & Construction Ace Roofing & Construction 6615 Kearney Dr 77469 Baley Eric Erock Holdings 1255 Spinnaker Way 77498 Alexander Edwina Kids Zone Learning Center 2231 Fall Meadow Dr 77459 Chavez Jesus B (+) Beasley Machine Services 9806 Cardinal Rd 77417 Guarro Sergio (+) Oasis Home Services 7438 Maczali Dr 77489 Mcgregor Katrina T And Ke Catering 1927 Vermillion View 77545 Watson Patrick Shawn 3P Designs 28119 Rusty Hawthorne 77494 Smith Larry (+) Houston Health Transportation 3950 Ashburnham Apt #189 77082 Scott Christopher A Lw Delivery 24002 Venetian Dr 77406 Tran Thanh D Beta One Ltd 6102 Vadini Shores Ln 77494 Indian Express INC Indian Express 11750 Highway 6 Ste B 77498

DBA (Assumed Names) Kuku Omotomike Devine Services 12808 W Airport Blvd Suite 325L 77478 Piatek Stanley J El Wedo Loco Service Co. 22400 Westheimer #307 77450 Powers Lanson Steele Bluewave Plumbing 13103 Oakwood Dr 77461 Lim Shelly Ann American Beginnings Inc 35362 Hunt Road 77423 Bingley Sebastian D Bingley Investment 3306 Farrel Hill 77545 Vasquez Bertha Gallegos Landscaping 15807 Kenbriar 77489 Capocyan Lorelei Md Lorelei Capocyan, M.D., P.A. 714 Moss Hammock Way 77479 Buffalo Jason L (+) Levi’s Dsd Service 1311 Richmond Ct 77406 Zak Karl D A. C. Johnsons 2338 Trail Wood Ln 77406 Wilson Shelley W (+) S & R Services 21919 Castle Hawk Trl 77407 Keller Kimberly Fauxbulous!

4431 Ruttand Park Ln 77450 Blosser Taisha (+) Bloss Odom Signature Salons Po Box 1503 77406

Data Beat

Receivables To Cash LLC (+) Berenger Capital 15 Berenger Place 77474

Adeniran Patricia O (+) Bash Tax Services 619 Tramwood Dr 77489

Campbell Jeffrey (+) Car Pro Auto Sales 3018 Barron Lane 77489

Dixon Carrie Mae Success Unlimited 2810 Cumberland Dr 77459

Chatham Kenneth (+) Chuck Wagon Cleaning 5304 Rockwood Drive 7747120

Bona Industries Inc B.O.N.A. Fitness and Wellness 5007 E 3Rd Street 77493

Hurd Sharde’ Chic Jewelz 2611 Facet Creek 77545

Teeple Steven E Dust And Dirt Services 1530 Rogers Lake Lane 77407

Inclan Rodolfo Rudy’s Automotive 1028 Fm 1092 77459

Guillory Billy (+) Guillory’s 714 Derby Lane 77489

Municipal Administrative Services Inc Mvp Publishing Group Po Box 16336 77496

Rodriguez Randi Hobbs (+) Top Notch 2910 Commercial Suite Ctr Blvd 103-158 77494

White Michael Jr (+) Executive Expeditors 530 Silver Creek Cir 77406

Jaimes Ciro Ciro’s Collision Center 9322 Floral Crest Dr 77083

Smith Shakarmen Exchange Of Hearts Foundation Po Box 302 77545

SRPM Inc Here Is Hope 610 Fm 1092 #109 77477

Thibodeaux Gail G.T. Trucking Co. 9831 Ironwood Lane 77469

Hefner T A Commercial Casework 10506 Quail Ridge Ln 77498

Taylor Vanessa Polished Kitchen Services 10938 Brighton Gardens Drive 77406

Samuel Kelley R Pri Med Therapy Clinic 12221 S Kirkwood Rd Suite 100 77477

Grisso Clayton (+) Unsavoury Enterprises Inc 2114 Sixth Street 77477

Gomes Jason Cyber Mechanic 1954 Wood Shadows Dr 77489

Wilkins Dekevrick (+) Texs Solar Works 16143 Barbarossa Dr 77083

Carreno Jonas (+) Carreno Mechanic Shop 15141 Adelfina St 77498

Li Huicui Simuar 1907 Wellsley Ct 77498

Texas Realty & Management LLC TXRAM 3502 Point Clear Dr 77459

Page William T (+) Paramount, Maintenance and Repair (+) 24634 Lakecrest Village Dr 77493

Texas Realty & Management LLC TXRAM Tan 3502 Point Clear Dr 77459

Amoruso Thomas P Jr Minor (+) Igwilo Chris I (+) Dixie Overhead Shelving Mayday Petro-Tech 944 Fisher St 77018 9930 Sageglow Dr 77089 Alford Brenda Dawn Ba Desertrose Company 24107 Laureumont Ct 77494

Riebschlager Suzanne M (+) Word in Pictures 4923 Canterbury Lane 77479

Branch Felicia George Atl Rx 1926 Lakefront Dr 77459

3Rd Eye Financial Solutions LLC Third Eye Industries 5914 Raven Mill Ct 77479

Greenfield David Jr Greenfield Services 2226 Ravenswood 77459

Abbasi Alia (+) I Organize Houston 16903 Enchanted Cir E 77498

Greenfield David Jr Greenfield Properties 7226 Ravenswood 77459

Poole Carmela May Amaya Services Company 3014 Shady Ridge Trail 77498

Greenfield David Jr Greenfield Group 7226 Ravenswood 77459

119 2012014070 02/09/2012 Alvarez Marco Antonio (+) Hopperdish Satellites 1239 Georgina St 77471

Ruiz Nickolas (+) Hustle To Success 13402 Goldenmere Ct 77498

Garza Brittany Ooh La La Massage 15315 Sw Freeway 77478

Syed Asifali The Electro-Artel Enterprises LLC 11331 Siamese Lane 77478

John Grzywa Jfmg Inc (+) Fairway Golf Carts 6610 Hwy 90A 77478

Harris Phyllis J Quilted Wall Hangings

By Phyllis J. Harris Po Box 480203 77098

Woodcox Adam B Aj’s Construction 2302 Arapahoe 77471 Agbebaku Beatrice O (+) Eagle Halal Meat Market African Import and Wholesale 9651 Bissonet St 77036

(+) = More Names

Busby Walter O Houston All Stars 3011 Gilford Ln 77494

Wiseman Brenda Oil & Gas Management Solutions 1723 Mustang Crossing 77459 Kampf Michael G Gulf Coast Savings Advisors 101 Southwestern Blvd #101 77478 Chaudhary Mazhar (+) Muzzle To Hoof 5506 Keltwood Ct 77479 Bradford Jerome Jerome Janitor Service 7281 Chasewood 77489

Smith Cynthia Rivera (+) Jtr Enterprise 14018 Kathi Lynn Lane 77498

Texas Realty & Management LLC Tenant Access Network.Com 3502 Point Clear Dr 77459

Sims Patrick Sims Seafood 8223 Soledad Dr 77083

Diaz De Leon Omar C (+) Katy Uv Dissenfection Services 23214 Sawleaf Cir 77494

Johnson Micheal J II Big Mike’s Car Audio & Custom Rims & Tires 4023 Ashview Ln 77545

Resolute Wellness Group LLC Resolute Strategies Po Box 17931 77496

Najjar Rami (+) Super Immunity Foods 4918 Canterbury Ln 77479

153 2012014915 02/13/2012 Resolute Wellness Group LLC Resolute Travel Services Po Box 17931 77496

Ahuja Ashwani Shelly’s Fashion 6865 Harwin Dr Ste E 77036

Dadwani Aliraza A Smokenplanet.Com 12303 Jones Rd #400 77070

Dade Tiffani C Dade Publishing 12329 Fondren Road PMB 179 77035

Raoof Nasir SW59.COM 15214 Hidden Hollow Ln 77498

Dodson Timothy Shane Volckers-Gaines Elite Disaster & Recovery Sandra Ivelisse (+) 5303 S Mason Rd #725 77450 The Natural Healing Group (+) Washington Candis 1850 Fall Meadow Drive 77459 Get Ready! Tutorial 1800 Fm 1092 #606 77459

Raoof Nasir Southwest59 15214 Hidden Hollow Ln 77498

April 2012 • Fort Bend Business Journal

57

Data Beat

March 2012 Sales Tax Allocation Comparison Summary Reports

Sales Tax Allocation Comparison Summary reports present data about monthly local sales and use tax allocation payments to local sales taxing jurisdictions.

These net payments represent monies identified for the local jurisdictions since the previous month’s distribution. These reports will allow you to compare current year sales and use tax payments with the previous year. When used with other local economic indicators, they may help indicate present and future trends.

County/City Fort Bend

Net Payment This Period

Comp Payment Prior Year

% Change To Date

2012 Payments To Date

2011 Payments Change

Percent

Arcola Beasley Fulshear Kendleton Meadows Place Missouri City Needville Orchard Pleak Richmond Rosenberg Simonton Stafford Sugar Land Thompsons

24,777.09 6,700.11 46,521.96 768.64 72,593.46 439,835.63 29,587.30 2,140.37 4,262.62 270,170.21 879,791.74 7,269.34 1,025,306.62 3,189,798.89 1,749.29

21,794.94 5,517.70 26,202.50 1,522.11 55,645.59 398,301.01 24,460.33 3,617.33 5,017.24 271,376.58 781,894.15 11,350.00 971,278.30 2,458,167.80 2,105.45

13.68% 21.42% 77.54% -49.50% 30.45% 10.42% 20.96% -40.83% -15.04% -0.44% 12.52% -35.95% 5.56% 29.76% -16.91%

76,484.66 21,315.37 146,817.14 2,643.73 264,081.90 1,585,344.44 93,289.04 9,060.72 13,937.51 1,004,738.40 3,148,394.81 35,113.78 3,551,271.49 11,931,725.36 8,865.09

69,597.28 17,000.96 103,678.29 4,871.67 228,269.47 1,493,093.43 86,300.37 10,377.56 15,444.45 996,069.10 2,885,900.20 24,337.69 3,295,950.74 10,233,640.38 3,278.66

9.89% 25.37% 41.60% -45.73% 15.68% 6.17% 8.09% -12.68% -9.75% 0.87% 9.09% 44.27% 7.74% 16.59% 170.38%

COUNTY TOTAL 6,001,273.27

5,038,251.03

19.11%

21,893,083.44

19,467,810.25

12.45%

Top 20 City Sales and Use Tax Comparison Summary - March 2012 Please note that Sugar Land is 17th in sales tax revenues in the state.

City

Houston San Antonio Dallas Austin Fort Worth Arlington El Paso Corpus Christi Plano Round Rock Amarillo McAllen Lubbock Midland Frisco Irving Sugar Land Abilene Laredo Grand Prairie

58

Net Payment This Period

Comp Payment Prior Year

% Change To Date

2012 Payments To Date

41,112,067.30 16,666,695.29 16,491,071.56 11,184,925.94 8,098,226.87 6,398,245.31 5,205,494.90 5,219,956.34 4,604,583.53 5,145,767.44 4,585,594.17 3,895,691.20 3,867,941.84 3,893,235.99 3,427,401.54 3,360,519.90 3,189,798.89 2,910,787.33 2,658,560.26 2,851,457.89

36,851,119.93 15,217,289.07 15,275,881.85 10,587,180.31 7,673,379.74 5,769,167.70 5,098,318.40 3,891,775.41 4,784,305.99 5,542,656.43 4,318,309.76 3,930,362.95 3,697,271.54 3,081,011.42 2,878,995.34 3,435,815.14 2,458,167.80 2,567,537.81 2,250,939.91 2,749,112.84

11.56% 9.52% 7.95% 5.64% 5.53% 10.90% 2.10% 34.12% -3.75% -7.16% 6.18% -0.88% 4.61% 26.36% 19.04% -2.19% 29.76% 13.36% 18.10% 3.72%

141,349,100.32 60,598,668.99 57,746,625.04 39,325,494.17 28,499,757.82 22,270,856.24 19,148,376.70 18,073,751.31 17,765,250.84 17,305,113.40 16,433,116.97 15,610,664.18 13,900,218.69 12,984,613.85 12,617,467.25 12,578,475.26 11,931,725.36 11,341,973.02 9,825,921.66 9,727,229.01

Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

2011 Payments Change

127,076,493.83 55,488,596.59 53,631,440.65 37,230,659.54 27,306,866.31 21,050,623.15 18,540,556.64 15,007,480.63 16,826,893.89 17,008,895.38 15,594,542.29 15,276,806.09 13,397,227.80 11,031,511.55 11,254,534.97 12,386,017.39 10,233,640.38 9,219,825.17 8,571,104.75 8,274,069.43

Percent

11.23% 9.20% 7.67% 5.62% 4.36% 5.79% 3.27% 20.43% 5.57% 1.74% 5.37% 2.18% 3.75% 17.70% 12.11% 1.55% 16.59% 23.01% 14.64% 17.56%

Data Beat

Commercial Building Permits

Some significant building permits in cities in Fort Bend during the month of February ADDRESS

TYPE OF PERMIT

VALUE

MEADOWS PLACE 12220 South West Freeway

Commercial Buildout

$334,993

Grand Total Valuation (Commercial & Residential)

02/01/12-02/29/12

$334,993

MISSOURI CITY 2755 Texas Pkwy 105 5819 Hwy 6 160 5750 Hwy 6

Commercial Lease New $35,000 Commercial Lease Alteration $22,000 Commercial Alteration/Remodel $4,200

Grand Total Valuation (Commercial & Residential)

02/01/12-02/29/12

$61,200

ROSENBERG 26529 Southwest Fwy Rosenberg TX

Commercial Building

$1,700,000

Grand Total Valuation (Commercial & Residential)

02/01/12-02/29/12

$1,700,000

SUGAR LAND 214 Kingfisher Dr 1818 Sugar Crossing Dr 947 Brunswich Dr 13639 Fernhill Dr 3803 Palmer Ct 1 Burkham Cir 4 Ellicott Way 1800 Chatham Ave 16450 Southwest Fwy 101 Gillingham Ln 15903 City Walk 16929 Southwest Fwy Ste 100 1403 State Hwy 6 Ste 100 510 State Hwy 6 Ste 140 16926 Southwest Fwy 16535 Southwest Fwy Ste 570 16535 Southwest Fwy Ste 060 3425 State Hwy 6 Ste 110 One Sugar Creek Center Blvd Ste 965 One Sugar Creek Center Blvd Ste 880 2121 Williams Trace Blvd Ste A 20333 Southwest Fwy Ste 105 77 Sugar Creek Center Blvd Ste 450 2268 Texas Dr

Commercial Remodel Commercial Remodel Commercial Remodel Commercial Remodel Commercial Remodel Commercial Remodel Commercial Remodel Commercial Addition Commercial Addition Commercial Addition Commercial Buildout Commercial Buildout Commercial Buildout Commercial Building Commercial New Commercial Remodel Commercial Remodel Commercial Remodel Commercial Remodel Commercial Remodel Commercial Remodel Commercial Remodel Commercial Remodel Commercial Remodel

$17,507 $10,786 $14,000 $10,988 $11,858 $14,985 $13,738 $45,000 $25,000 $35,230 $850,000 $720,186 $415,000 $48,436 $1,195,000 $88,985 $46,000 $40,285 $11,742 $19,098 $1,250,000 $150,000 $84,070 $41,000

Grand Total Valuation (Commercial & Residential)

02/01/12-02/29/12

$5,272,435

OWNER/CONTRACTOR Helfman Ford / Teal Construction

Centra Properties LLC Rotunda LTD/Reliance Property Resources Inland American Missouri City/Fine Line Commercial LLC

Finnegan Auto Group/Teal Construction Co.

Rangala Nalinakshis/Brinkmann Roofing Company Martindale Richard A/First Colony Roofing & Siding Codd Jeffrey & Gloria D/Tradion Roofing LLC Hadley Frinee/Holden Roofing Gardner Michael & Sheryl Watkins Zane J/Fair and Square Repair Constr Beyer Susan/Specialty Contracting FBISD Elementary/Sportscapers WW Payton Corporation Schlumberger Tech Corp/Sugar Land Electric (GC) Town Center Lakeside, LTD/United Constructors of TX, Inc Sugar Land Properties, Inc/C.A. Walker, Inc. Silverlake Ventures, LLC/C.T. Haught Construction Co Hwy 6 & 90, LTD/IBC Builders & Constr, LLC Sugar Land Properties Inc/Super Tech Construction First Colony Mall, LLC/Mantra Construction Inc. First Colony Mall LLC, Horizon Retail Construction HT/Adreac - First Colony, LTD/Terramark Construction Company Parkway Portfolio I, LLC/Luna Brothers Inc Parkway Portfolio I, LLC/Commercial Tenant Construction SNA Medical Center, LLC/Steel Crete LLC Grand 59 Partners, LP/Pacific Construction NNN Sugar Creek Center LLC ETA/Cannon Enterprises, Inc Town Center Lakeside, LTD/JTK Construction Inc.

April 2012 • Fort Bend Business Journal

59

Advertising

Economic Development

SERVICE DIRECTORY

Fort Bend Business Journal 281-690-4200 www.fortbendstar.com Fort Bend’s ONLY business publication.

Fort Bend Focus - 281-690-4242 www.fortbendfocus.com Fort Bend’s ONLY feature magazine Direct mailed to almost 40,000 homes every month in Fort Bend’s most affluent subdivisions.

Fort Bend Star - 281-690-4200 www.fortbendstar.com We have been delivering a free community newspaper to homes throughout Fort Bend County longer than ANY OTHER Newspaper.

Auto Repair / Maintenance Auto Central-Automotive Service & Sales 281-499-9684 www.autocentral.biz david@autocentral.biz. David Fauvelle, 2526 Fifth Street, Stafford, Texas 77477, Fax: 281-499-0183, Fast, friendly and professional automotive repair.

Charlton’s Auto Body Repair and Vehicle Detailing - 281-499-1126 www.charltonsbodyrepair.com Chuck Charlton, 1131 Staffordshire @ 5th Street, Stafford, Texas 77477, Charbody@aol.com, Fax: 281-499-1694, Complete collision repair. Frame & Unibody straightened.

Expert computer color matching. Custom painting & pin stripping. Honest service. 79 Years Strong and 3 Generations Proud!

Colony One Auto Center - 281-980-4440 www.colonyoneauto.com Rod Tate, 1131 Dulles Avenue, Stafford, TX 77477, Fax: 281-261-0048, Complete state of the art automotive repair & maintenance facility.

First Tire & Automotive - 281-313-2886 www.firsttireandauto.com Craig Popp, owner,3 Sugar Land Locations. 960 Eldridge, 281-313-2886 & 2303 Williams Trace Blvd. 281-9802666 (First Colony), 20015 Southwest Freeway.

281-343-5666 (Greatwood), Diagnostic testing and evaluation, Manufacturer’s routine recommended maintenance, domestic and foreign vehicle repairs, AAA approved, ASE certified. Ask about our Fleet Service!

The Katy Area Economic Development Council (Katy Area EDC) www.KatyEDC.org - 281-396-2200 The Katy Area Economic Development Council (Katy Area EDC) , a 501 (c) 6 non-profit corporation, is a full service economic development corporation representing the Katy ISD area (Katy Area). Katy Area EDC : recruits new businesses, helps retain and expand existing businesses, helps create new businesses, facilitates the construction of business infrastructure and helps improve the quality of place and quality of life of the Katy Area.

Country Clubs & Golf Courses Quail Valley Golf Club 281-403-8518 (Direct) 281-403-5910 (Golf Shop) www.golfquailvalley.com Quail Valley Golf Course offers 36 holes of championship golf, a full practice facility, lessons and a fully stocked golf shop. The Missouri City Community Center at Quail Valley Golf Course hosts the Bluebonnet Grille at the 37th Hole, multiple event rooms as well as the 300 seat Magnolia Ballroom. Quail Valley Golf Course and the Missouri City Community Center are the perfect sites for your next meeting or big event. For more information visit www.golfquailvalley.com Quail Valley Golf Course 2880 La Quinta Dr. is located at Missouri City, TX 77459.

Riverbend Country Club 281-269-2526 www.riverbendcountryclub.org triciarbcc@gmail.com. Tricia Hawks, 1214 Dulles Avenue, Sugar Land, TX 77478. Conveniently located in the heart of Sugar Land, Riverbend Country Club is just 25 minutes south of downtown Houston, Texas.

Established in 1957, Riverbend continues its tradition as Fort Bend County’s only member owned club.

Whether you’re looking for championship golf, fine dining, pools, tennis, fitness facilities or a wide variety of social and golf activities Riverbend is definitely the place to belong.

The Houstonian Golf & Country Club 281-494-4245 www.houstoniangolf.com A private golf and country club providing the area’s finest golf course and golf practice facilities along with fitness, pool, tennis, spa and dining amenities. Golf and Club (non-golf) Memberships are currently available.

Banks

Fire Extinguisher Service

Vista Bank - 281-325-5000 www.vistabank.com Fax: 281-325-5050. 4690 Sweetwater Blvd., Sugar Land 77479 The State Bank of Texas - 281-494-6686 www.tsbot.com nbb@tsbot.com. Nicki Black, 13010 Murphy Road, Stafford, TX 77477, Fax: 281-494-6747. Locally and independently owned - our prime interest is you!

Gillen Fire Extinguisher Service Commercial/Residential 281-342-6969 www.GillenServices.com Gillen Fire Extinguisher Service provides a full line of fire extinguisher inspections, sales and services, as well as lighted exit sign inspections and service.

Our highly trained staff can even provide fire extinguisher training for your employees. For all of your safety needs, call Gillen Fire Extinguisher.

Financial Products & Services Sugar Creek Financial Group - 281-565-2266 www.sugarcreekgroup.com robroy@windstream.net. Robert H. Roy, ChFC, Fax: 281-565-2277, 12946 Dairy Ashford #430, Sugar Land, TX 77478. Life, Health, Pensions, Investments for businesses and individuals.

Floral Flowers By Tiffany LLC - 281-208-8681 www.FlowersByTiffanyStafford.com 508 F.M. 1092, Suite D, Stafford, TX 77477. 2011 CMUS Power Award Winner – Internet Customer Service Award. Beautiful Flowers for all occasions, Weddings, Events, Funerals, Plants, Fruit & Gourmet Baskets. Member of the Better Business Bureau and Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce. Mention the Fort Bend Business Journal for a special discount.

Golf Carts / Mobility Scooters

CBC Golf Cart Services, Inc. - 281-494-1164 Scooters by CBC - 281-494-3454 www.cbcgolfcarts.com chris1001@windstream.net, 203 Ulrich Street, Sugar Land, TX 77498 (Behind Imperial Sugar).

CBC offers Sales, Service, New & Used, Rentals and Parts for two lines of products, GOLF CARTS and MOBILITY SCOOTERS. Authorized Dealer for Fairplay and Pride Mobility products. fax 281-494-1189

Home Health Care Texas State Healthcare 281-208-4344 www.txstatehealthcare.com What we do: Skilled Nursing - Home Health Aide Physical/Speech/Occupational Therapies - Medical Social Worker assisting with durable medical equipment needs and helping to provide Resources & Services in the Community - Wound Care - Catheter Care - Diabetic Care Lab Services - IV Therapy and more... “Hometown Nurses Helping Hometown People”

Insurance Agencies Insurance Solutions of Texas 281-565-2222 • 281-341-5060 www.insurancesolutionsoftexas.com Jay Harris, Auto, Home, Business, Flood Insurance.

14140 Southwest Freeway, Suite 150, Sugar Land, Texas 77478. 281-565-2222, Fax 281-565-3333.

2515 Ave. H, Rosenberg, Texas 77471. 281-341-5060, Fax 281-341-5558.

Jewelers The Gold Connection Jewelers 281-344-9900 • We Buy Gold www.goldconnection.net Full service jewelry store. Diamonds, Gold & Silver Jewelry and Watches. Repairs done on the premises.

Custom design are our specialty. Front door parking.

206 Hwy 90A, Richmond, Texas 77406.

12 MONTHS LISTING FOR ONLY $300 60

Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

JDT Lawn Care • 281-435-5408 Commercial property maintenance and landscaping service, fully insured professionals offering superior customer service and accountability, owner/operator and all employees were born and raised in Fort Bend County. High quality service from the ground up!

Magazine Fort Bend Business Journal • 281-690-4200 www.fortbendstar.com Fort Bend’s ONLY business publication. Reaching over 10,000 businesses monthly. The place to advertise to reach the vital Fort Bend County business community.

Fort Bend Focus - 281-690-4242 Pearland Focus - 281-690-4242 Focus on Women - 281-690-4242 www.fortbendfocus.com Fort Bend’s ONLY feature magazine Direct mailed to almost 40,000 homes every month in Fort Bend’s most affluent subdivisions.

Medical Billing

Complete Business Solutions - 1-888-445-8609 cbsolutions@callmykate.com www.cbsbillingservices.com Complete Business Solutions, the medical billing professionals, is dedicated to improving your cash flow results. Our goals include: lower billing costs, savings of up to 50% by outsourcing with us, reduced rejection rates, faster payment of claims, average of 14 days response. To find out more about this and other services, visit our website for a FREE practice analysis and 50% off the initial set-up fee.

Medical Supplies Synicare Medical - 281-378-8040 www.synicaremedical.com synicaremedical@yahoo.com. 20333 State Highway 249, Suite 200, Houston, TX 77070, Fax 888-397-1240.

Synicare Medical is focused on providing high-quality service and customer satisfaction. Our entire team is committed to meeting those needs with professionalism and integrity. Synicare Medical specializes in durable medical equipment,medical supplies, and third party billing.We accept all private insurance and strive to meet the needs of every patient in a professional and caring way. Synicare Medical is owned and operated by Synicare Group LLC.

Nails P&L Nails – Sugar Land • 281-277-5072 PL Nails – Sienna Plantation • 281-778-8558 PL Nails - Katy • 281-347-1122 www.plnails.com Providing the most luxurious service available, PL Nails has Fort Bend county covered with locations in Sugar Land, Sienna Plantation, and Katy. Whether it be nails, body waxing, massage, or lots more, the expertly trained staff at PL Nails is committed to making your experience most pleasurable! Located at 4777 Sweetwater Blvd in the Kroger Shopping Center, Sugar Land, 281-277-5072. Located at 8880 Hwy 6 South, Suite 110 in the HEB Center, Missouri City, 281-7788558. Located at 25681 Nelson Way in the HEB Center near Katy Mills Mall, Katy, 281-347-1122.

Newspaper

Physicians

Fort Bend Star – 281-690-4200 www.fortbendstar.com We have been delivering a free community newspaper to homes throughout Fort Bend County longer than ANY OTHER Newspaper.

Open MRI Upright MRI of Sugar Land – 281-494-0505 www.mri911.com CLAUSTROPHOBIC? Upright MRI is the only True OPEN MRI in Sugar Land. We scan patients standing, sitting, or lying down. For the first time, patients can be scanned in weight-bearing postures and in their position of pain.

It is ideal for patients who have difficulty lying down due to respiratory or cardiac problems. Mention this ad and receive $25 off your first scan. 2655 Cordes Drive #150, Sugar Land, 77479. Open Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Optometrists Elissa R. Wedemeyer O.D., FCOVD, F.A.A.O 281-499-2600 www.drwedemeyer.com 6026 Hwy. 6 Missouri City, TX 77459. Therapeutic Optometrist; Visual Perceptual / Binocular Therapy; medical management of eye infections and diseases.

The office has a large selection of fashion frames.

Pediatric Therapy MedCare Pediatric Group, LP • 713-773-5100 www.medcarepediatrics.com Occupational, Physical, Speech Therapy at home or at Rehab Center located at 12371 S. Kirkwood, Stafford, TX 77477. We also provide in home nursing services.

All services available in Houston and surrounding counties.)

Pest Control - Commercial / Residential Gillen Pest Control 281-342-6969 - Fort Bend 979-532-5701 - Wharton www.GillenPestControl.com Family owned and operated in Fort Bend and Wharton Counties since 1963, Gillen Pest Control’s highly trained professionals know where bugs hide, what their eating and breeding habits are, and how to get rid of them. They try to avoid the use of chemicals inside by working with you to create a barrier on the outside of your home or business, thus keeping those unwanted pests at bay. From the first time we visit your home or business, you will recognize we are no ordinary pest control company!

Immunizations & Drug Testing IMU Southwest, The IMUnization Clinic 281-313-7468 www.IMUnizationclinic.org imusouthwest@windstream.net. 3727 Greenbriar Dr. Suite 403, Stafford, TX 77477- Vaccines for children and adults for school, fertility, work, immigration, or travel needs. Daytime, Evening, and Saturday hours and no wait appointments available. Vaccine titers and Drug Testing for individuals or corporations. Certified Drug Testing Center & CDC Designated Yellow Fever Provider. We perform oral HIV testing also. Mobile on-site clinics available for churches and corporations.

Printers / Graphics Star Printing - 281-690-4200 www.fortbendstar.com We professionally design and print flyers, postcards, brochures, magazines, newspapers and catalogs in high-quality digital graphics.

Real Estate / Residential Colliers International, formerly Curtice Commercial Real Estate 281-494-4769 kcurtice@curticecommercial.com. Kolbe M. Curtice, CCIM, CLS, 15999 City Walk Suite 250, Sugar Land Square located at U.S. Highway 59 and State Highway 6, Fax: 281-494-3227, Brokerage, Development, Investment & Tenant Representation, 25 yrs exp. in Fort Bend.

Riverstone Development Co. 281-499-8700 www.riverstone.com tom@riverstone.com. Tom Wilcox, 4855 Riverstone Blvd, Missouri City, Texas 77459, Fax: 281-4998704, Luxury waterside living in Fort Bend from $200s to the many millions.

Jeanne Gregory, CRS, GRI 281-344-8918 www.jeannegregory.com jeannegregory@earthlink.net.

14905 Southwest Freeway, Sugar Land, Texas 77478, Fax: 281-242-6754, Re/Max Southwest. Residential real estate sales & corporate relocation.

See more on page 62

Pharmacies Ed’s Pharmacy - 281-499-4555 Ed Sziy, 3740 Cartwright, Missouri City, TX 77459, Fax: 281-499-7088.

To be listed call at 281-690-4204

April 2012 • Fort Bend Business Journal

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SERVICE DIRECTORY

Landscaping / Lawn Care

Jennifer Weaver, ABR, CRS, GRI 281-207-5037 www.jenniferweaver.com RE/MAX Southwest, 14905 Southwest Freeway, Sugar Land, Texas 77478. Residential sales and corporate relocation since 1979.

FOOD, DRINK, ENTERTAINMENT GUIDE

SERVICE DIRECTORY

Remodeling / Outdoor Living Living Improvements 281-499-7000 www.living-improvements.com AWARD WINNING - 2010 & 2011 Houston’s BEST “Outdoor Living Space” Living Improvements’ commitment to excellence makes us the perfect fit for your building needs. We have over 200 years cumulative in-house experience in the remodeling and construction industry making us highly skilled, professional and detail oriented striving to exceed our customer’s expectations. We feature outdoor living spaces, custom homes, interior and exterior renovations. Our commitment to excellence is just one of the reasons we have over 5,000 satisfied customers.

SERVING FORT BEND & SURROUNDING COUNTIES FOR OVER 35 YEARS.

Staffing / Recruiting / Job Seeking Technical ProSource Meeting Your IT Staffing Needs 713-272-8800 www.TechnicalProSource.com Serving Fort Bend companies since 1989 by providing all levels of IT personnel, contract, contract to hire and direct-hire. We are the IT experts! To save our clients time we offer Video Resumes which allow you to move faster through the interview process. Recognized in Forbes magazine as a leading Staffing Firm Provider.

Recognized in Texas Monthly as Most Dependable Staffing Firm and voted Best of Staffing by CareerBuilder.

We look forward to helping with your staffing needs.

Video Services Star Digital Studios 281-690-4280 www.starvideoproductions.com A full service video production studio providing all phases of video production including professional writing, videography, editing, DVD duplication, distribution; also video deposition services to the legal community.

For video needed for a TV commercial, website posting, employee training, promotional DVDs, special presentations, coverage of live events/trade shows, or corporate videos, give us a call. If you are interested in something you do not see on our website, let us know and we’re ready to accommodate your needs!

Windows / Sidings Aaron Schneider 832-878-7444 www.savemoresidingandwindows.com Save-More@Hotmail.com Business overview: Save-More Siding & Window Company is a premiere James Hardi Siding and Simonton Window firm. Our professionalism and attention to detail has set us apart from the rest. Call 832-878-7444 and deal direct with Aaron Schneider owner.

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WHERE TO EAT NOW - The following is a list of exceptional restaurants throughout in Fort Bend County & Katy Area. Prices reflect the average cost of a three-course dinner for one person, excluding drinks, tax and tip. $$$$=Very Expensive ($60 & Up). $$$=Expensive ($40-$60). $$=Moderate ($20-$40). $=Inexpensive (Under $20) . FB=Full Bar. WB=Serves Wine & Beer.

Aling’s Hakka Chinese Cuisine Welcome to Sugar Land’s first Hakka Chinese Restaurant! Using family recipes, Chefs Lin Motiwala and Gary Yan present this unique “Chindian” cuisine, a delicious fusion of both Chinese and Indian cookery (without the curry undertones). From savory steamed or pan fried Dumplings to traditional Indian-style Hakka dishes, as prepared in Bombay/Pune, like Chicken Lollipop, as well as American Chop Suey, each dish is prepared using the freshest ingredients to bring you a dining experience like no other. Lunch specials start at $6.95 for a 4 course meal. Open Tuesday - Sunday. Lunch: 11am3pm (Tues-Fri). Dinner: 5:30pm-10pm (Tues-Thurs & Sun) and 11pm (Fri & Sat). Aling’s is located in the First Colony Commons shopping center at Hwy 59 and Williams Trace Blvd. between Home Depot and Office Depot. 15425 Southwest Freeway, Sugar Land. Call 281-242-0432. www.alingshakka. com. $$ AURA Restaurant Chef/Owner Frédéric Perrier brings over 30 years experience to his newest venture - AURA. In an upscale yet casually comfortable setting, Innovative American Cuisine reigns and is highlighted in the numerous Daily Specials. AURA features only the finest, freshest ingredients. A three course prix fixe lunch for $12.95 to Mussles Marinieres, Roasted Red Snapper or Filet Mignon with Cognac Peppercorn Sauce. No need to go to Houston or into Sugar Land for a truly high quality dining experience... you will easily find it at AURA (without ‘Big Restaurant’ prices!) at Township Square - Missouri City. Lunch Mon-Sat 11-2. Dinner MonThurs 5-9 and Fri-Sat 5-10. Please call for Reservations &/or Catering ~ 3400 FM 1092, 81-403-AURA (2872). $$ • WB Candelari’s Pizzeria Albert Candelari began making sausage over 50 years ago. As the years have passed the flavor remains the same, which is why Candelari’s is the “King of Sausages”! They take that delicious Italian sausage and put it in pizzas, pastas, and sandwiches. Enjoy appetizers, salads, pastas, sandwiches, pizzas and desserts in there dining room, large patio, or full bar with large screen TV’s. Happy hour is Monday - Thursday 3 to 7pm.

This casual dining experience is available at two locations in Fort Bend. Call either location for take-out or delivery. 7425 Hwy 6 S (Just North of Sienna) 832-947-0440 / 6825 S Fry Rd (Fry & 99) 281-395-6746. www.candelaris.com. $ • FB Fernando’s Latin Cuisine We are pleased to announce the arrival of Fernando’s Latin Cuisine-An exotic culinary adventure! Started by, Fernando Echeverria, the same owner of Los Andes by the Compact Center in Houston-Another wonderful Latin American restaurant. Fernando’s Latin Cuisine is located in the same building where Ruth’s Chris used to be. Featured dishes include Empanadas appetizer, Fileton, (Filet mignon) and Asada Y Camarones, Casually called the surf and turf. 14135 Southwest Freeway, in Sugar Land. 281-494-9087. wwww. fernandosrestaurants.com. $$ • FB

Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

Karl’s At The Riverbend Romantic Dining in the Country, across the creek from a horse farm. Swiss Chef Karl Camenzind’s menu features Angus steaks, Prime Rib, Wienerschnitzel, Trout Almondine and other fresh fish, Rack of Lamb, Steak and other wild game, Atkins specials, a budget weeknight menu offered along with the regular menu, plus a wonderful Sunday Brunch Buffet. Company Luncheons and Rehearsal Dinners invited. Open Tues-Sat for Dinner and Sunday Brunch 5011 FM 723 Richmond 281-238-9300 www.karlsrb.com Read our reviews at www.b4-u-eat.com. $$ • FB Las Alamedas Restaurant & Cantina Las Alamedas Restaurant and Bar Continues the long standing tradition of fine Mexican food and beverages that began in 1980, is now relocated in Katy at The La Centerra Center. Join us seven days a week for our warm hospitality and anything from brunch on the weekends to private corporate events and everything in between. We are a total scratch kitchen featuring an extensive selection of authentic dishes. We are family friendly with a great children’s menu. Our patios were voted one of the top two in the Houston area. Please visit our website and like us on Facebook! The only thing missing is you! We are open for lunch and dinner seven days a week and we serve brunch Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 2pm. Our bar and lounge offers full meal service from open to close. Hours of operation are, Monday thru Thursday from 11am to 10pm, Friday from 11am to 11pm, Saturday from 10am to 11pm, Sunday from 10am to 9pm. BAR 11am till closing. 23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd., Suite F-140, Katy, TX 77494. 281-347-3030. Reservations accepted by phone and on line by visiting our web site www.lasalamedas.com. $$ • FB

with a min. of $15.00 purchase. A lunch special is offered daily as well as the full regular menu offerings. 3563 Hwy 6 @ Williams Trace, 281-265-0303. $ • WB Post Oak Grill Restaurant & Bar The Rios Family invites you to come and experience the same quality, ambiance and service that you have at the original Post Oak Grill. Join us for a wonderful culinary adventure featuring fine prime beef, chops, fresh seafood, soups, sandwiches, salads, and outstanding wine selection. Open lunch & dinner - Monday-Thursday 11:00-10:00pm, Friday 11:00-11:00p.m., Saturday 4:00-11pm, Sunday 10:00-9:00pm, & Sunday Brunch 10:00-2:00pm. Happy Hour 3:006:00pm. 1550 Lake Pointe Parkway, Sugar Land • Call 281-491-2901. www.PostOakGrillSugarland.com $$ • FB Tradicao Brazilian Steakhouse Tradicao Brazilian Steakhouse is the best new steakhouse in Fort Bend. Tradicao, pronounced Tradee-son, was named after the Brazilian word for “tradition” and founded on the idea to continue this traditional way of grilling. They are a family owned and operated churracaria whose goal is to make sure your dining experience is one you will never forget. Their prixe fixe menu includes 14 cuts of perfectly grilled meats brought to your table side, a large salad bar and hot sides. Tradicao would like to invite you to come join them, sit back and relax. Lunch Mon-Fri 11am-2pm, Sat Closed, Sun 12-3pm. Dinner Mon-Thurs 5-9:30pm, Fri 5-10pm, Sat 4-10pm, Sun 5-9pm. Phone: 281-277-9292. 12000 Southest Freeway, Meadows Place, TX, 77477, www.

TradicaoSteakhouse.com.

Las Haciendas Mexican Bar & Grill Santos Escobar and his brother Ascension Escobar serve up dozens of heaping traditional gourmet Mexican plates. Lunch Specials run weekdays from 11am - 3pm. Great margaritas, fajitas and much more. Catering available as well as a party room for private parties. • 12821 Southwest Freeway. 281-240-3060. $ • FB Lupitas Mexican Restaurant Jaime and Lupe Garcia have lived in Fort Bend for 36 years. Twenty-three of those years have been spent in the restaurant business. If you want authentic Mexican food made from only the freshest ingredients and at a reasonable price, go to Lupitas Mexican Restaurant formerly Pico De Gallo Mexican Restaurant.

The Garcias continually concentrate on customer satisfaction. That includes the quality and freshness of their food as well as the family atmosphere of their restaurant. Dine-In, Take-out, and Catering available. 3121 Highway 6, Sugar Land • Call 281-265-6556. $ • WB Panda Garden Panda Garden Restaurant, the three times winner for Best Oriental Restaurant in Fort Bend County, located at 3563 Highway 6 in Kroger Center, provides a warm, casual environment to best service all diners. The goal of our restaurant is to offer 100% satisfactory to the customers with variety selection of popular Hunan Cuisine. “We offer fresh, made from scratch meals that is unforgettably delicious!” Manager Kenny adds. The restaurant offers accommodations for small group meetings and wonderful party tray for catering to the near by businesses and schools. Panda Garden is open 7 days a week on Mon. – Sat.: 11a.m. – 10 p.m. and Sun. 11a.m. – 9:30p.m. Delivery is available everyday

Guadalupe

RIVERFRONT DUPLEX Each duplex can accommodate four adults and four children or rent both for groups.

More pictures at

RioRatonDuplex.com book at

832-788-2294

April 2012 • Fort Bend Business Journal

63

Olive Garden names Melissa Saylor general manager of new Rosenberg restaurant

O

live Garden Italian Restaurant has appointed League City resident Melissa Saylor as general manager of the new restaurant located at 24221 S.W. Freeway in Rosenberg. The restaurant will open on Monday, March 26. As general manager, Saylor will be responsible for leading a team that maintains the highest quality of food, wine and service—consistently exceeding guests’ expectations.

“Melissa will ensure each and every guest enjoys their dining experience at our new Rosenberg restaurant,” said Dan Kiernan, executive vice president of operations for Olive Garden. “Her professionalism and dedication to providing 100 percent guest delight makes her a great leader for our team in Rosenberg.”

Saylor brings extensive restaurant industry experience to her new position. She has been with Olive Garden for 20 years, most recently as general manager of the Olive Garden located at 9750 Katy Freeway in Houston.

Saylor is one of more than 1,200 managers who have participated in Olive

Garden’s Culinary Institute of Tuscany program in the Tuscan village of Riserva di Fizzano, which serves as the source of inspiration for some dishes on Olive Garden’s menu. Each year, at least 100 managers spend a week in Tuscany getting immersed in

Melissa Saylor General Manager

Texas wide open for business

T

hose looking to do business in Texas have never had it easier.

With the launch of www.

TexasWideOpenForBusiness. com, any company looking to expand in or relocate to Texas will have all of the tools necessary for expansion or relocation at its fingertips.

The new web site features informative sections on the Texas Enterprise Fund and other state incentive programs, as well as financing options for companies looking to create jobs and drive innovation in Texas. Extensive economic and key industry resources, workforce data, and information for small businesses are

64

also highlighted on the new site.

Businesses can also explore userfriendly interactive maps, reports and research tools, as well as the latest news on business development in Texas.

The content available on the site appeals not only to corporate decision makers, but to members of the general public interested in the state of the Texas business climate. Texas continues to be a national example for job creation and a leader in the global marketplace, consistently attracting employers seeking a better place to start or expand their business, thanks to our low taxes, reasonable and predictable regulatory environment, fair legal system and skilled workforce.

Fort Bend Business Journal • April 2012

Italian culture, which includes learning the time-honored traditions of Italian cooking and working side-by-side with Italian master chefs, as part of the restaurant’s dedication to Italy and commitment to rewarding and recognizing its team members.

Saylor is a past recipient of a Diamond Club Award, the company’s top honor, which recognizes general managers who receive outstanding results in delighting guests with a genuine Italian dining experience and achieve top financial performance within the company.

“I’m very excited about the opportunity to lead the Rosenberg restaurant and a great team at Olive Garden,” said Saylor. “Our team members are focused on providing excellent service while treating all of our guests like family.”

Olive Garden is now accepting applications for employment. Those interested in applying for a position should apply online at www.OliveGarden.com/ Careers.

To receive the latest information on Olive Garden, guests can visit www.

Facebook.com/OliveGarden or sign up for the “Our Family Table” newsletter at www.

OliveGarden.com.

Olive Garden is the leading restaurant in the Italian dining segment with more than 750 restaurants, more than 88,000 employees and more than $3 billion in annual sales.

Olive Garden is a member of the Darden family of restaurants (NYSE:DRI), the world’s largest full-service restaurant operating company. In 2012, Darden was named to the FORTUNE “100 Best Companies to Work For” list for the second year in a row and is the only full-service restaurant company to ever appear on the list.

Olive Garden is committed to making a difference in the lives of others in the local community. As part of this commitment, the Rosenberg Olive Garden will participate in the Darden Harvest program, which has donated more than 50 million pounds of food to local community food banks across the country. For more information, visit www.olivegarden.com.

Being diagnosed with breast cancer is difficult. 

Oncology

Reconstructive Surgery 

 Radiation Therapy

 Support Groups

Breast Surgery 

 

Maria Socci, RN



Di ag no sis





 Chemotherapy

SURVIVAL!

The path to survival shouldn't be.

A breast cancer diagnosis can be overwhelming and make you feel lost. Our Breast Care Navigator, Maria Socci, RN, will guide you through the challenges of breast cancer so you can focus more on healing.

Maria will be there to explain your options, schedule expedited appointments, coordinate second opinions and provide emotional support and guidance throughout your journey to survivorship.

The path to survival can be difficult—but it does not have to be. Maria, your Breast Care Navigator, will be there for you every step of the way.  For more information, please call Maria at 281-276-8989 or email MSocci@tmhs.org.  To schedule a mammogram at Methodist Sugar Land Hospital call 281-242-PINK (7465).

Breast Center

16655 Southwest Freeway Sugar Land, Texas 77479 MethodistSugarLand.com