Out of 26 million Texans, you may have an idea to change the world. You may have had several ideas to change the world. But only a tiny minority of you pushed through the U.S. Patent office from application to successful patent. We've seen Texans change the world many times over. Jack Kilby did it with Texas Instruments in 1958 with the integrated circuit, causing the start of the digital revolution, which, in part, is why you can read these words over your electronic device.
Over the last few years, Texas Business has brought its feature: Texas Business Patent of the Day. This list is of the ones that were either extremely clever, odd or strange. One thing becomes apparent from these patents and the patent that runs daily in Texas Business—Texans have a unique mind set.
Though the history of the Corn Dog is disputed, the State Fair of Texas claims to have introduced the Corny Dog sometime between 1938 and 1942. As a paean to that invention that now sits in the freezer section of every grocery store in the southwest, here are the fried foods the State Fair of Texas has introduced, or tried to introduce, in the last seven years.
Dead Texas musicians live on every time you hear their songs. Their songs play everywhere, so the dead Texas musicians appear to be immortal. Here's the short list.
Don't get caught up with John Wayne religion. For one thing, he's not Texan. He's in some fine movies involving Texas, most notably The Searchers, but none of his movies can make the best cut of Texas movies. Here's the short list.
Unsung Texas Business Journalists Mention that one is a reporter, and there's a spark of interest. Mention that one is a business news reporter, and watch the eyes glaze over. Except to the players, business and economic journalists are unappreciated. While many wish to become sports reporters when they grow up, most do not realize that business journalists cover the Real Game. Mention that reporter covers business, and watch the eyes glaze over. A toast to these below on the short list and the numerous unnamed ones slogging away. Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
Best Texas Mexican Food: The Short List No, we're not going to debate the difference between Tex-Mex, Mex-Tex, Mexican and Texican food. Just know these establishments are the pinnacle of Texas Mexican fare. No brag, just fact. Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
Best Texas Burgers Texas Burgers. . While a hamburger is merely sustenance and gratification for a meal, the memory a good Texas burger can give rise to Homeric odes. The short list. Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
Texas Business reports: PFLUGERVILLE, Texas—The Pflugerville Community Development Corporation (PCDC) announced that TrackingPoint, Inc., an applied technology company that designs, develops and manufactures the world's first precision-guided firearms (PGFs), will relocate and expand its corporate headquarters, manufacturing, and research and development facilities to a 48,000-square-feet office space in the 130 Business Park at 130 Commerce Center in Pflugerville.
Texas Business reports: KINGSTON, Okla.—Quantum Materials Corporation chose the greater Austin area in Texas to relocate headquarters and to establish the company's research and development laboratories, officials announced.
Texas Business reports: HOUSTON—Laurus Corporation, a U.S.-based private real estate investment and development firm, completed the acquisition of the Gateway I & II Office Buildings in Houston.
Texas Business reports: SUNNYVALE, Calif. and AUSTIN, Texas—AMD closed its transaction with 7171 Southwest Parkway Holdings LP to sell and lease-back the company’s “Lone Star Campus” located at 7171 Southwest Parkway in Austin, Texas.
Texas Business reports: SAN ANTONIO—The Kalikow Group, on behalf of KEP Luckey Ranch Global Associates, closed the sale of an 208-acre residential land parcel to LGI Homes for the development of over 800 homes at the planned 2,400-home, 610-acre Luckey Ranch project in San Antonio.
Texas Business reports: SUNNYVALE, Calif. and AUSTIN, Texas—AMD entered into an agreement to sell and lease-back its “Lone Star Campus” located at 7171 Southwest Parkway in Austin, Texas to 7171 Southwest Parkway Holdings LP, an affiliate entity of real estate investment company Spear Street Capital.
Texas Business reports: DALLAS—Lockton Companies signed a 99,000-square-foot lease with Cousins Properties Incorporated at 2100 Ross in the Arts District.
Texas Business reports: FORT WORTH—Raising levee low spots and modifying the abandoned AT&SF Railroad Bridge were the two key recommendations for reducing flood risk made in Dallas today by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Fort Worth District, to the Trinity River Corridor Project Committee of the Dallas City Council.
Texas Business reports: HOUSTON—McCord Development Inc. made its first major land sale at Generation Park, the company's 4,000-acre master planned development on the northeast corner of Beltway 8 / Sam Houston Tollway.
Texas Business reports: DENVER—RE/MAX of Texas, with its 4,300 agents and 260 offices, becomes the 11th company-operated Region owned by RE/MAX LLC of Denver.
Texas Business reports: SAN ANTONIO—Laurus Corporation, a U.S.-based private real estate investment and development firm, completed the acquisition of the Hilton San Antonio Airport Hotel in San Antonio.
Texas Business reports: Ohio-based real estate investment firm The Connor Group, which entered the Austin market in August, has purchased its third apartment community there.
Texas Business reports: SAN ANTONIO—Sterling Organization, a privately owned retail real estate investment and services company headquartered in Palm Beach, acquired Grandview Shopping Center, a 105,328-square-foot grocery-anchored shopping center located in San Antonio.
Texas Business reports: Three months after entering the Austin market, Ohio-based real estate investment firm The Connor Group doubled its presence there.
Texas Business reports: FORT WORTH—Gladstone Commercial Corporation purchased the National Archives and Records Administration's (NARA) Southwest Region Records Center, a 208,234 square foot building located in Fort Worth, for $20.0 million.
Texas Business reports: Developers for a 138-acre Farmers Branch commercial development filed an application earlier this month to put dredged and fill material into the waters by the development, according to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality.
Texas Business reports: DALLAS—Crescent Resources LLC, in partnership with Taylor Duncan Interests, Inc., a Dallas-based land developer, has acquired 250 acres for a new single-family residential community in Oak Point, Texas, just north of Dallas.
Texas Business reports: SAN ANTONIO—Marking its 16th acquisition during the past four years, Beverly Hills-based Aragon Holdings purchased Carmel at Deerfield, a 228-unit Class B multi-family property located in San Antonio, Texas.
Texas Business reports: AUSTIN—Yodle, a provider of local online marketing, announced that it has moved into a leased space of 100,000 square feet in Austin, located at 12234B North IH 35.
Texas Business reports: AUSTIN—Ohio-based real estate investment firm The Connor Group opened a new market when it purchased its first property in Austin, Texas.
Work was scarce for architect David Mullican and many Galveston Island builders after Hurricane Ike. As damages were assessed, insurance claims disputed and homes were repaired piecemeal, Mullican was out of work for more than a year.
Full Story » David Barer for Texas Climate News and Reporting Texas
Texas Business reports: CARROLLTON, Texas—RealPage Inc., a provider of on demand software and software-enabled services to the rental housing industry, acquired RentMineOnline Inc., a software-as-a-service provider of social network marketing solutions for the multifamily rental housing industry (www.rentmineonline.com).
The unique and inexpensive water filtration system utilized at Texas A&M and showcased this summer at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. exemplified one small, but profoundly impactful way that the university is fulfilling its land grant mission in the colonias — impoverished communities in the Texas borderland where more than half a million people live without running water.
Texas Business reports: American Realty Capital Properties Inc. closed on the acquisition of the fee-simple interest in a Mrs. Baird's distribution facility located in Dallas, Texas with 75,050 rentable square feet, at a purchase price of approximately $6.2 million, exclusive of closing costs.
Texas Business reports: COLLEGE STATION—More indicators support the conclusion that the Texas housing market has recovered. One of those is the annual dollar volume of home sales.
Texas Business reports: AUSTIN—San Francisco’s Digital Realty Trust Inc., a provider of data center solutions, completed the acquisition of 8025 North Interstate 35, a 62,000-square-foot data center facility located in Austin, Texas.
Texas Business reports: PFLUGERVILLE—Arista Data Centers plans to build a $210 million, 500,000 square foot data center campus with four to six buildings in Pflugerville.
Texas Business reports: AUSTIN—MIG Real Estate, a Newport Beach, CA-based real estate investment company, continues to expand into Texas through the acquisition of The Cottages, a 330-unit luxury apartment community in Austin.
Texas Business reports: HOUSTON—Prometheus Energy Group Inc., a supplier of liquefied natural gas (LNG) solutions to the industrial sector, has moved its headquarters into a new, expanded space at Granite Westchase in Houston from its previous location in Redmond, Washington.
Texas Business reports: HOUSTON—HFBE Capital LP, an affiliate of HFBE Inc., announced the $1 billion merger between Bailey Properties LLC and Summit Housing Partners LLC (Summit Housing) creating BSR Trust LLC.
Terrell Hills Estate In San Antonio To Sell At Auction Texas Business reports: SAN ANTONIO—A historic Texas estate set upon 1.47 acres in the heart of San Antonio's exclusive Terrell Hills neighborhood, ranked last month as one of the top 25 homes in the city by San Antonio Magazine, will be sold at auction on May 31st by Concierge Auctions. Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
Texas Business reports: ARLINGTON--A month after acquiring a new property in Texas, The Connor Group sold one of its other properties in the Lonestar State.
AUSTIN — For 30 years, community organizations in the city have fought rising land prices to maintain affordable housing in their neighborhoods, often by buying, rehabbing and renting out one house at a time.
Full Story » By Nick Swartsell for Reporting Texas
Texas Business reports: STEPHENVILLE, Texas—Tarleton facilities planning officials are gearing up for a $2.4 million construction project that will transform the western edge of the Stephenville campus—the Rome Street Redevelopment project.
Texas Business reports: COLLEGE STATION--Both sellers and buyers can find good news in the most recent outlook for the Texas housing market. For sellers, the good news is that 2011 Texas home prices increased for the second consecutive year and are likely to do so again this year. For buyers, the good news is that prices went up only modestly, and the 2012 home appreciation rate is expected to be less than the historical norm.
Texas Business reports: In the aftermath of the Great Recession, it is critical to reexamine the definition of what is affordable to a homebuyer and how the measures of housing affordability play out for average households in Texas and the United States, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
Texas Business reports: HOUSTON—Weingarten Realty Investors, an owner, manager and developer of shopping centers, agreed to sell its wholly-owned industrial portfolio to DRA Advisors LLC.
Texas Business reports: The Texas Parks & Wildlife Commission approved a real estate deal that calls for the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to sell 2,014 acres of the state-owned, 2,867-acre Fortress Cliff Ranch, while retaining roughly 850 acres to expand Palo Duro Canyon State Park.
Texas Business reports: The University of Texas at Arlington is adding a new Master of Science in Real Estate - Sustainability to its portfolio of sustainability-focused academic programs.
Texas Business reports: COLLEGE STATION—Existing home sales across the state surged in February, reflecting a stronger market, an improving economy and “better weather than February last year,” said Real Estate Center Research Economist Jim Gaines.
Texas Business reports: Five restaurants including a new concept, MAVS Sports Grill, will be among the first retail tenants in UT Arlington’s 20-acre College Park District development, scheduled for completion this summer.
Texas Business reports: DALLAS—the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced the Circle Court Ground Water site, in Willow Park, Texas, has been proposed to be added to the National Priorities List (NPL) of Superfund sites, a list of sites that pose risks to people’s health and the environment.
AUSTIN – They hide in plain sight, beneath vacant lots or neighborhood parks. Decades-old trash dumps dot the Austin area, holding everything from banana peels to microwaves and, in one case, medical test monkeys buried in plastic bags.
BEAUMONT — This industrial city is poised to lose one of its most significant cultural landmarks — and for once it has nothing to do with oil, gas or the Gulf.
Texas Business reports: FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.—Ryan, a tax services firm with the largest indirect tax practice in North America, opened a new office location in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Texas Business reports: AUSTIN—HomeAway Inc., a provider of online vacation rentals, opened its third Austin office, which brings 235 employees from the customer service and sales teams to the Penn Field campus, located at 3601 South Congress.
Texas Business reports: Downtown Houston's historic post office property has been selected as the site for the tenth annual Urban Land Institute (ULI) Gerald D. Hines Student Urban Design Competition.
Texas Business reports: SAN ANTONIO—Trammell Crow Company and USAA Real Estate Company are building a 700,000 square foot Class A speculative distribution facility at Mountain Creek Distribution Center in Carlisle, PA.
Texas Business reports: DALLAS—Nathan Grace Real Estate, an independent real estate company based in Dallas, added the Dallas real estate group, Christy/Norcross/ Thomas (CNT).
Texas Business reports: LOS ANGELES—Thomas Properties Group’s affiliate, TPG/CalSTRS LLC, has completed the sale of the 806,004 square foot, three-building property known as Brookhollow Central in Houston.
Texas Business reports: Baylor University's Hankamer School of Business has published its quarterly Keller Center Research Report, an online compendium of academic articles focused on residential real estate research and summaries of scholarly journal articles and books relevant to real estate sales agents.
Texas Business reports: MILFORD, Mass.—Manhattan Software, a provider of enterprise real estate software, opened an office in Texas as part of the company's on-going expansion.
Texas Business reports: COLLEGE STATION--Sales of existing single-family Texas homes in November were up 9 percent from a year ago, according to the most recent Multiple Listing Services (MLS) data compiled by the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University.
Mark Sheffield's Tahitian Village house, outside of Bastrop, burned to the ground on Labor Day weekend this year. Fires burned through 1,500 homes and killed two people in the Bastrop area. Photo by Eva Hershaw.
BASTROP — A month and a half after wildfires started their destructive sweep through Central Texas, Bastrop resident Mark Sheffield has finally cleaned up the debris and gotten rid of the slab on which his house once stood.
Texas Business reports: HOUSTON—“Sold” is what sellers hope to hear 174 times on November 12th at the Marriott Westchase Hotel in Houston as the City's Housing Authority auctions off its portfolio of scattered site properties.
Texas Business reports: HOUSTON—Whitestone REIT, a real estate investment trust that acquires, owns and operates Community Centered Properties, announced that Skechers USA leased 10,000 square feet of space for a new outlet store at its Windsor Park Centre location in the City of Windcrest, near San Antonio, and plans to open for business in the spring of 2012.
Texas Business reports: FORT WORTH—Global Income Trust Inc., a non-traded real estate investment trust (REIT) focused on acquiring global real estate assets, has acquired Heritage Commons IV, a three-story Class A office building, in Fort Worth, Texas for $31 million.
Full Story » Global Income Trust Acquires $31 Million, Fully Leased Property in Texas
Texas Business reports: A New Jersey firm bought a Corpus Christi international airport property.
Monmouth Real Estate Investment Corporation acquired a 46,253-square-foot industrial building located at Pinson Drive and Business Center Drive, Neuces County, Corpus Christi, Texas, at a purchase price of $4.9 million.
Texas Business reports: LTC Properties Inc. acquired, in a sale-lease back transaction, a skilled nursing property built in 2005 with 196 licensed beds in Pasadena, Texas, for a purchase price of $15,500,000. Additionally, the company bought a vacant parcel of land in Amarillo, for a purchase price of $844,000 and entered into a commitment, in an amount not to exceed $8,250,000, to fund the construction of a 120-bed licensed skilled nursing property.
Texas Business reports: HOUSTON—The Houston Housing Authority has directed the sale of 171 homes and 3 development lots located throughout the Houston metropolitan area.
Regency Centers Purchases Tech Ridge Center in Austin, Texas Texas Business reports: AUSTIN—Regency Centers, a national owner, operator and developer of grocery-anchored and community shopping centers, closed this week on the acquisition of Tech Ridge Center, a 187,529-square-foot neighborhood shopping center anchored by H-E-B.Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
Texas Business reports: National Commercial Auctioneers (www.bid-reo.com) announces a five-day auction event to liquidate over 100 bank-owned properties in Texas, September 26-29, and October 3, 2011.
Texas Business reports: The General Services Administration awarded an $11 million lease was awarded to Frost National Bank, Trustee, for a San Antonio property, according to an award notice released through Federal Business Opportunities.
July Texas Existing Home Sales Up 18 Percent Texas Business reports: COLLEGE STATION--Sales of existing single-family homes in Texas in July were up 18 percent from a year earlier, according to the most recent Multiple Listing Services (MLS) data compiled by the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University.Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
Texas Business reports: COLLEGE STATION—When it comes to responsibility for warning guests about dangerous indigenous animals and insects, Texas statutory law generally protects landowners from claims resulting from injuries received from naturally occurring hazards.
Texas Business reports: An Illinois firm , Inland Western Retail Real Estate Trust Inc. bought the Houston shopping center Sawyer Heights Village in a joint venture with RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust.
Texas Business reports: ViaWest, one of the largest privately held data center and managed service providers in North America, opened its twenty-second data center facility, Synergy Park, located in Richardson.
Texas Business reports: AUSTIN—Somerset Association Management, an Associa company, won the management contract for the Towers of Town Lake and the Plaza Lofts in Austin.
Texas Business reports: SAN ANTONIO—USAA Real Estate Company sold the 5th Street Crossing, a mixed-use, transit-oriented development located on 3 acres at 351 North 5th Street in Garland's Old Town Station.
Texas Business reports: The 772nd Enterprise Sourcing Squadron at Lackland Air Force Base near San Antonio hired four northeastern real estate firms to create real estate developments at various Air Force installations, the U.S. Department of Defense announced.
Texas Business reports: Austin—BuildFax, creator of the largest commercial and residential permitting database in the United States, joined forces with Equifax Inc. to give property & casualty insurance carriers a more complete view of underwriting risks while uncovering any key changes to their portfolio since policy inception.
Texas Business reports: Corpus Christi—The Texas Attorney General’s office resolved a portion of its ongoing investigation into the disposition of the late Robert C. East’s estate.
Texas Business reports:Houston—Adrian Levale Cole and Albert Terrance Watkins, both of Houston, have been sentenced to prison for their roles in a multi-million-dollar mortgage fraud scheme, United States Attorney José Angel Moreno announced.
Dallas Businessman Erick Rulack Farrington Sentenced For Orchestrating Mortgage Fraud Texas Business reports: Dallas—Eric Rulack Farrington, 58, of Irving, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Sam A. Lindsay to 132 months in federal prison for largely orchestrating a multi-million dollar mortgage fraud scheme in the Dallas area, announced U.S. Attorney James T. Jacks of the Northern District of Texas.Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
Rusty Hardin Trial Win Named Texas’ Top Business Law Verdict of 2010 Texas Business reports: Houston—A $2.8 million breach of contract verdict won by attorneys from Houston’s Rusty Hardin & Associates P.C., against Stewart Title Guaranty Co. has been named as Texas’ top business law verdict of 2010.Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
Houston Real Estate Developer Charged With Disaster Fraud Texas Business reports: Houston—Jon August Holverson, the owner of Bayou City Properties, and his brother, Jeffrey Holverson, have been indicted for conspiring to obtain approximately $1 million in disaster relief funds by fraudulent means and for making false statements in connection with a benefit authorized pursuant to a presidentially declared disaster declaration, United States Attorney José Angel Moreno, announced today along with Small Business Administration Office of the Inspector General (SBA-OIG) Special Agent in Charge Scott Dennis and Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General (DHS-OIG) Houston Special Agent in Charge Ronald Moore.Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
Texas Business reports: Asset Revitalization Solutions LLC bought $18 million in commercial real estate loans secured by Jacksonville Area properties from an undisclosed seller.
Texas Business reports: National Commercial Auctioneers [www.natcomauctions.com] announces additional properties to the catalog of the two-day real estate auction event to sell bank owned properties in South Texas on May 16 and 17, 2011, according to chief executive Stephen Karbelk.
Texas Monthly Returns to Downtown Austin with Move to 816 Congress Texas Business reports:Texas Monthly, the national magazine of Texas, is moving its offices back to downtown Austin to 816 Congress, a recently renovated class-A office building that features views of the Texas State Capitol.
Texas Business reports: The Connor Group completed the third largest sale in the company’s 20-year history, closing on a deal that will pay it $33.25 million for The Domaine, a 270-unit luxury apartment complex in Plano.
Texas Business reports: College Station—Real estate brokers from Conroe and Port Lavaca have received six-year appointments to the advisory committee for their profession’s largest publicly funded research entity.
Texas Business reports: Austin—According to the Texas Quarterly Housing Report released today by the Texas Association of Realtors, Texas homes are continuing to maintain their value in the first quarter of 2011 despite a decrease in sales volume, indicating that the economic recovery continues in Texas.
Texas Business reports: Site Selection Group, a full-service location advisory firm, agreed to merge with Business Economic Incentives, an economic incentives firm.
Texas Business reports: Siemens Financial Services Inc. (SFS Inc.), the U.S. unit of Siemens' Financial Services division, recently completed a $10.9 million real estate financing to support the development of a new San Antonio healthcare property by Mohr Health LLC.
Abilene Housing Market Texas Business reports: Here is the latest information on the Abilene housing market from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University. Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
Texas Home Sales Texas Business reports: Here is the latest information on the Texas housing market from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University.Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
Texas Business reports: Dallas—Behringer Harvard announced invested in The Domain at Eldridge, a 320-unit multifamily community slated for development in Houston's Energy Corridor, one of the metro's largest employment districts.
Texas Business reports: Bond Properties acquired the remaining assets of the developers of Escondido, a luxury, private golf and lakeside residential community located west of Austin.
Texas Business reports:National Commercial Auctioneers announces a two-day real estate auction event to sell bank owned properties in South Texas on May 16 and 17.
Texas Business reports: BBVA Compass announced plans for the construction of a new eco-efficient corporate office building in Houston located at 2200 Post Oak Blvd.
Texas Business reports:Austin—T. Stacy & Associates and Walton Street Capital closed on a new loan on its Bank of America Tower at 6th and Congress that frees up all development parcels of any debt.
Victoria Housing Sales Texas Business reports: Here is the current information on the Victoria housing market from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University.Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
Texas Business reports: Hilco Real Estate and Counsel RB announced a tentative new date of April 20, 2011, at 12:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) in Wilmington, Delaware, for the auction of the former Emivest headquarters in San Antonio.
Texas Business reports: Houston and Kemah—American International Industries Inc. announced that it received an offer of $15 million to purchase the 287 acres owned by the company located in Galveston County.
South Padre Island Home Sales Texas Business Reports: Here is the current information on the South Padre Island housing market from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University. Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
Sherman-Denison Home Sales
Sherman-Denison Housing Market Texas Business Reports: Here is the current information on the Sherman-Denison housing market from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University.Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
San Antonio Home Sales
San Antonio Home Sales Texas Business Reports: Here is the current information on the San Antonio housing market from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University. Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
San Marcos Home Sales
San Marcos Home Sales Texas Business Reports: Here is the current information on the San Marcos housing market from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University. Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
Texas Business reports: The Connor Group, a real estate investment firm based in Ohio, last week expanded its Dallas-Fort Worth portfolio by more than 300 units with the addition of Knightsbridge Apartments.
San Angelo Housing Texas Business Reports: Here is the current information on the San Angelo housing market from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University. Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
Port Arthur housing.
Port Arthur Housing Activity Texas Business Reports: Here is the current information on the Port Arthur housing market from the Real Estate Center at Texas A&M University. Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
Photo by Reporting Texas
Colonias Not Restricted to Border Towns Guadalupe County, Texas – Luz Almendarez lines the inside walls of her faded pink mobile home with old family photographs and images honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe. Visitors to her Rancho Vista trailer home are greeted with a flourishing herb garden, and her love of cooking is obvious, with dozens of pots piled in her kitchen and utensils hanging above the sink.Full Story » By Alexa Garcia-Ditta of Reporting Texas
Texas Business reports: AccentCare, a home healthcare company, is relocating its corporate headquarters from Irvine, California, to Dallas, a move that will create more than 100 new jobs in the Dallas area.
Texas Business reports Kelsey-Seybold Clinic, a downtown health resource for more than 35 years, opened a larger facility at The Shops at Houston Center.
Texas Business reports: McGregor—Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) and the City of McGregor signed a lease agreement allowing SpaceX to expand the size of its rocket development facility in McGregor.
Texas Business reports: The Dallas-based Allie Beth Allman & Associates will represent the Christie’s brand in the counties of Dallas, Collin, and Denton.
Texas Business reports: Crescent Resources LLC plans to begin construction this month on the Circle West Campus development at Austin’s intersection of West 25th and Longview Streets by the University of Texas.
Texas Business reports: The Texas Attorney General’s office recently resolved the state’s enforcement action against a Cameron County couple that unlawfully subdivided, sold, and leased several residential lots in the El Jardin and Magic Valley subdivisions.
Texas Business reports: Plano—A 68-year-old Dallas man has been indicted in a commercial real estate investment scheme in the Eastern District of Texas, recently announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales.
Texas Business reports: Reserve at Summit Rock LP, based in Horseshoe Bay near Marble Falls, closed recently on a 21-acre parcel overlooking holes 17 and 18 of the Summit Rock Golf Course, a Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course.
Texas Business reports: Caringo Inc., a provider of scalable object storage software for full spectrum of secure, self-managing, compliant and high performance hybrid cloud storage, today announced its move to new corporate headquarters in Austin on North Capital of Texas Highway.
Texas Business reports: Acacia Research Corporation’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Acacia Research Group LLC, has relocated its corporate headquarters to Frisco.
Texas Business reports USAA, a financial services provider,selected Addison as the location for its new Financial Advice Contact Center, which is expected to employ up to 200 people by the end of next year.
Apartment Boom In El Paso Continues Texas Business notes this story by Vic Kolenc of the El Paso Times: El Paso's apartment building boom continues strong as developers try to meet a growing demand for apartments fueled by the growing influx of soldiers to Fort Bliss.Full Story »
Verde Realty still plans an IPO Texas Business notes this story by Vic Kolenc of the El Paso Times: Verde Realty, a 7-year-old real estate investment trust started in El Paso, that owns almost 24,000 acres of land in Santa Teresa, reports it still plans for an initial public offering, or IPO.Full Story »
Las Palmas Marketplace sold to Dallas company Texas Business notes this story by Vic Kolenc of the El Paso Times: Las Palmas Marketplace, one of El Paso's major shopping centers, has been sold to a Dallas shopping center operator.Full Story »
Las Colinas project developers miss funding deadline Texas Business notes this story by Brett Shipp of WFAA: IRVING — The Las Colinas Group, private developers of the proposed Las Colinas Entertainment Center, have missed a critical deadline for raising $50 million in private equity to help fund the $250 million music, restaurant and night club venue.Full Story »
Tom Green County to consider floodplain protest options Texas Business notes this story by Matthew Waller of the San Angelo Standard-Times: SAN ANGELO, Texas — Tom Green County and the Federal Emergency Management Agency disagree about what parts of the county are in floodplains and floodways, a disagreement which may be costing people in certain areas of the county more than $1,000 in home insurance premiums.Full Story »
Centerpiece: Renovation of Mills Building finally nears completion Texas Business notes this story by Vic Kolenc of the El Paso Times: It took almost three years, untold millions of dollars and sometimes excruciating devotion to preserving even the tiniest of architectural details to bring the historical luster back to the 100-year-old Anson Mills Building Downtown.Full Story »
Texas Business reports: The federal financial regulatory agencies issued final supervisory guidance today on sound practices by financial institutions for real estate appraisals and evaluations, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas announced.
Several area cities acting to annex land Texas Business notes this story by Ray Leszcynski of the Dallas Morning News: Some cities in North Texas are going into expansion mode, with recent moves to annex land that could be important to their long-term growth.Full Story »
Texas Supreme Court Rules On Beachfront Property Texas Business reports: The Texas Supreme Court issued an opinion this morning which decides whether Texas recognize a “rolling” public beachfront access easement, i.e., an easement in favor of the public that allows access to and use of the beaches on the Gulf of Mexico and if a landowner would be entitled to compensation under Texas’ laws or constitution other than the amount already offered for removal of houses.
Relocation to Austin area has scooter maker thinking green Texas Business notes this story by Laylan Copelin of the Austin American-Statesman: Austin's greenness has rubbed off on National Scooter Co., which recently moved its corporate headquarters to Pflugerville and expects to have its first electric vehicles available locally by Christmas.Full Story »
Desert Springs: Ground broken at West Side development Texas Business notes this story by Vic Kolenc of the El Paso Times:Desert View Homes marked the start of a 600-home development near Franklin Mountains State Park on the West Side with a groundbreaking ceremony.Full Story »
Failure To Reserve Mineral Rights Texas Business reports: In Cornerstone Land Ltd v. Leticia Sanchez Pierce and Pantaleona Castaneda, the Texas Tenth Court of Appeals discusses the failure to reserve mineral rights in a property transaction. Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
Sagging Real Estate Values Widen State Deficit Texas Business notes this story by Robert T. Garrett of the Dallas Morning News: Decreased commercial and industrial property values, an anemic economy and other factors have pushed forecasts of the Texas' real estate values into slightly bearish territory. Full Story »
Ailing Texas economy triggers drop in property values Texas Business notes this story by Jason Embry of the Austin American-Statesman:The worsening Texas economy will reduce property values by 5.4 percent over two years, Comptroller Susan Combs said in a letter to lawmakers Friday.Full Story »
Proper method of appraising the value of residence homesteads damaged by Hurricane Ike Texas Business notes this opinion by the Texas Attorney General: Calculation of the 2010 appraised value of a residence homestead damaged by Hurricane Ike in 2008 and renovated to its pre storm status is determined by section 23.23(f) of the Tax Code so long as the structure was "rendered uninhabitable or unusable." If the structure was not rendered uninhabitable or unusable, calculation of the 2010 appraised value is dependent upon whether the renovations may reasonably be said to constitute a mere "repair" or a "new improvement" under section 23.23(e). If the structure was rendered uninhabitable or unusable, calculation of the 2010 appraised value is dependent upon the appraised value the property would have had in 2009 but for the storm damage, together with the market value of all new improvements to the property as described by subdivision (f)(2).Full Story » TexasBusiness.com
Austin developer plans 1,800 home east of Texas 130 Texas Business notes this story by Shonda Novak of the Austin American-Statesman:A local developer is moving ahead with plans for about 1,800 houses, apartments and townhomes on 417 acres near Texas 130 and Texas 71, in an area poised for growth.Full Story »
Sinking 98th Street to cost city of Lubbock 24 homes Texas Business notes this story by Elliott Blackburn of the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: A giant trench in Southwest Lubbock will swallow more than 20 homes and millions of city dollars to fix a sinking roadway.Full Story »
Tenants flock to redone building Texas Business notes this story by Justin Zamudio of the San Angelo Standard-Times: The building in central San Angelo has always held a special meaning in Suzi Marshall’s heart.Full Story »
PageSoutherlandPage to move into Mercantile's former bank lobby Texas Business notes this story by Steve Brown of the Dallas Morning News: A longtime Dallas architectural firm is moving from Oak Lawn to downtown – a big win for the historic Mercantile National Bank building and the largest move by a firm to downtown so far in 2010.Full Story »
Walls Of Waco Landmark Building Come Down Texas Business notes this story by Paul J. Gately of KWTX: Demolition work began this week to clear property on the city block between South 6th and South 7th Streets and Franklin and Mary Avenues in downtown Waco.Full Story »
The Future of Net Lease Texas Business notes this story by Texas Real Estate Business: As the economy begins to regain its footing, experts are continuing to analyze the ins and outs of the commercial real estate market for signs of improvement and growth.Full Story »
Texas Business notes this story by Steve Brown of the Dallas Morning News: During the 1980s real estate crash, a string of condominium communities built near Lake Ray Hubbard became an international symbol for failed property deals.
Economist: Now is time to buy a home Texas Business notes this story by the Wichita Falls Times Record News: Mark Dotzour, chief economist at Texas A&M’s Real Estate Center in College Station, told the September gathering of the Wichita Falls Association of Realtors that jobs growth, mortgage interest rates and a positive home price appreciation all were variables affecting home sales in the near future.Full Story »
County rejects Bonham School offer Texas Business notes this story by Lynn Walker of the Wichita Falls Times Record News: A possible deal to sell the Bonham School property to Wichita Falls businessman Harry Patterson fell through Monday.Full Story »
Shores Golf Course Buyer Backs Out Texas Business notes this story by Richard Abshire of the Dallas Morning News:The City of Rockwall sent out a press release announcing that Landscapes Unlimited will no longer be purchasing The Shores Golf Course.Full Story »
Granite Shoals bans short-term rentals Texas Business notes this story by Jaqueline Ingles of KXAN: Granite Shoals city council members voted 6-1 earlier this month in favor of banning short-term property rentals and allowing existing rentals to continue as long as property owners register for permits and comply with city regulations.Full Story »
Dallas-Fort Worth home resales fell 17% in August Texas Business notes this story by Steve Brown of the Dallas Morning News: North Texas home sales dropped 17 percent last month from a year ago, the third straight month of year-over-year declines in the pre-owned home market.Full Story »
Smaller now is an option for more homebuyers Texas Business notes this story by Nancy Sarnoff of the Houston Chronicle: Downsizing took on a new meaning for Jennifer Mathews and Eric Hancock when they moved into their new home earlier this year.Full Story »
Growth spurt seen in China Spring Texas Business notes this story by Bill Teeter of the Waco Tribune-Herald: Land development in China Spring has reached a turning point. The number of residences has reached a level that now has commercial developers interested in building properties to supply goods and services needed by people living in the area.Full Story »
Texas Business notes this story by Steve Brown of the Dallas Morning News:A McKinney apartment community seized by lenders has been sold to a Tennessee investor.
Texas Business reports:AmREIT Inc. announced the redevelopment of the Woodlake Square Shopping Center, a grocery-anchored, urban in-fill shopping center located at the intersection of Westheimer and Gessner in Houston.
Home sales down, Tech parents renting more Texas Business notes this story by Britanny Hoover of the Daily Toreador: This year Lubbock home sales sunk to one of the lowest rates in history, caused in part by a drop in purchases by Texas Tech parents.Full Story »
Deal in works over Heights-area Walmart development Texas Business recommends this story by Nancy Sarnoff of the Houston Chronicle: The city is negotiating a deal with the developer of Washington Heights — a proposed Walmart-anchored shopping center near Interstate 10 and Yale - that would reimburse the local builder for as much as $6 million in public infrastructure improvements.Full Story »
Texas Business notes this story by Carrie Alexander for the Austin American-Statesman: Las Casas Verdes, near the junction of Longview Road and Cameron Loop not far from Brodie Lane, will feature 20 semi-custom single-family homes that conserve water and use the sun to generate electricity and heat water.
Texas Business notes this story by Allan Turner of the Houston Chronicle:A group of Texas history buffs has purchased a vacant, partially submerged 19-acre tract near the San Jacinto Monument from the estate of the late Houston lawyer John O'Quinn with plans to restore it to its 1836 appearance and open it to the public as an extension of the battleground complex.
Texas Business notes this story by Kiah Collier of the San Angelo Standard-Times: Another piece of San Angelo’s river-downtown development puzzle came together at Tuesday’s City Council meeting — with some convincing.
Texas Business reports. Furniture Brands, Inc. has leased 109,386 square feet within the Airtex Industrial Center in Houston, Texas,PannattoniDevelopment Co. announced in a press release.
TexasBusiness recommends this column byCheryl Hall of the Dallas Morning News:Worth Ross can't remember a dull day on the job, but some are more challenging than others.
An Industrial Strength Renewal Texas Business notes this article in Texas Real Estate Business: Brokers throughout the state comment on the rising tide of the industrial marketFull Story »
Texas Business notes this story by Shonda Novak of the Austin American-Statesman:Tim Green thought he got a great deal last month when he bought a condominium in a South Austin project at an auction.
TexasBusiness.com notes this story by Steve Brown of the Dallas Morning News: Shoppers will have to hurry to get a deal on new sofa or dining table at the RoomStore on North Central Expressway in Plano.
TexasBusiness.com notes this story by Harvey Rice of the Houston Chronicle: An ordinance intended to keep houses from being built on rapidly eroding Galveston beaches was derailed by the City Council on Thursday just as it was about to become law.
Major retail-office development planned for South Side TexasBusiness.com notes this story by John W. Gonzalez of the San Antonio Express-News: When developer Mark Granados tried to lure major retailers to the South Side several years ago, he didn't get much encouragement.Full Story »
TexasBusiness.com notes this story by Steve Brown of the Dallas Morning News:Electronics recycler Cexchange LLC is moving its operations from Addison to Carrollton.
Costs for new East El Paso Spaghetti Bowl may exceed $8.2M budget TexasBusiness.com notes the following story by Gustavo Reveles Acosta of the El Paso Times: A legal but controversial real estate maneuver could cost taxpayers millions of dollars more to buy land for the new East Side Spaghetti Bowl.Full Story »
TexasBusiness.com points to this story by Steve Brown of the Dallas Morning News:Houston-based investor Hartman Income REIT Inc. has purchased an office building on one of Dallas’ busiest intersections.Hartman acquired the 15-story Gateway Tower at the northwest corner North Central Expressway and LBJ Freeway from KBS Realty Advisors.
TexasBusiness.com recommends: The Sugar Film Production building at 3203 McKinneyAve. was built in 2005 to house the company's operations and two residences for the owners, reports Steve Brown of the Dallas Morning News.
TexasBusiness.com notes:One of Dallas' oldest regional shopping centers has been handed over to lenders. The owners of Valley View Center mall have quietly transferred title to the 37-year-old mall at LBJ Freeway and Preston Road to a lender group headed by Bank of America, reports Steve Brown and Maria Halkias of the Dallas Morning News.
Denied Wetlands Permit Raises Property Rights Issues TexasBusiness.com recommends: In 2004, two brothers thought they had found the perfect ecologically friendly business venture: create a wetlands preserve on 4,000 acres of barren farmland along the Sulphur River in Northeast Texas and make a pile of money selling mitigation credits to developers who build over environmentally sensitive lands elsewhere. Seven years later, the only thing stopping them from realizing that dream is the state of Texas, which has plans to submerge their property under 80 feet of water — unless theTexas Supreme Court steps in, reports Morgan Smith for the Texas Tribune. Full Story »
TexasBusiness.com notes: Media giant Tribune Co. is looking at the Dallas area as a location for a central business office that would handle accounting and other services for its nationwide operations. Tribune owns some of the country's largest newspapers – including theChicagoTribune and theLos AngelesTimes – and operates 23 television stations, reports Steve Brown of the Dallas Morning News.
TexasBusiness.comnotes: Frontier Equity, an Addison-based real estate investment firm, has purchased the three-building Overton Centre in southwest Fort Worth, marking the largest office deal in Tarrant County this year.Frontier Equity, a subsidiary of Holt Lunsford Commercial, bought the 447,917-square-foot property July 9, according to deed records, reports Sandra Baker of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
Company to develop Valley Mills Drive site of vacant Guaranty Bank building An Austin development company has bought the stately Guaranty Bank building at Valley Mills and Lake Air drives and plans to demolish it to build retail space, a partner in the venture confirmed Tuesday.The bank with the eye-catching columns has been vacant since February. BBVA Compass bought out Guaranty and relocated that bank’s operations to a Compass location nearby at 1227 N. Valley Mills Drive, reports the Waco Tribune-Herald.
ACC reaches contract to acquire land in San Marcos Austin Community College announced today that it has entered into a contract to acquire 72 acres for a possible future campus in San Marcos. The contract is contingent on voters in the San Marcos school district agreeing to join the ACC taxing district in November, reports Ralph K.M. Haurwitz of the Austin American-Statesman. Full Story »
RTKL Associates renews downtown Dallas lease Ten years ago when RTKL Associates moved its Dallas office downtown, the architect was considered something of a pioneer. Most of the big downtown revitalization projects were still on the drawing board, reports Steve Brown of the Dallas Morning News. Full Story »
See the Ridglea Theater - while you still can TexasBusiness.com notes: More than 70 people have signed up for Historic Fort Worth's tour of the Ridglea Theater on Camp Bowie Boulevard on Thursday to raise awareness about a possible demolition of part of the historic building, reports Barry Shlacter of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Full Story »
New development targets RVing lifestyle A new addition in the hospitality industry has been added to the Longview market, and it does not include new hotel construction. Fernbrook RV Park is the name of the development recently opened between Longview and Kilgore targeting travelers who may spend as much as $500,000 to $750,000 on their recreational vehicles, reports Mike Elswick of the Longview News-Journal. Full Story »
The Spa at Hancock and 41st? The Perry Estate – a nearly 10-acre tract in Central Austin, listed on the National Register of Historic Places – has had numerous incarnations over the years. Once a quarry and gravel pit, in 1928 it became the site of a Mediterranean-style mansion and estate built by cotton tycoon Edgar Perry, reports Katherine Gregor of the Austin Chronicle. Full Story »
Modern design meets subdivision living at Agave From a plane flying over Austin, it almost looks like a giant piece of modern art. But the collection of colorful geometric boxes isn't an artist's attempt to emulate Picasso or to impress curious air travelers, writes Carrie Alexander for the Austin American-Statesman. Full Story »
Auction nets $3.05 million for The Falls, Las Brisas building owned by Judah The Falls Athletic and Tennis Club and the Las Brisas Steakhouse real estate next door sold for $3.05 million at auction today. The Falls Athletic and Tennis Club was once the centerpiece of admitted swindler Benny Judah's country club subdivision, reports the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal.
Corpus Christi's Memorial Coliseum is down Crews leveled Memorial Coliseum’s final standing piece Friday morning, bringing the demolition work that has continued for nearly three months to a close. Debris from the remains of the bayfront landmark will be hauled away within a week, A&R Demolition project, reports Sarah Foley of the Corpus Christi Caller-Times. Full Story »
An investor has bought a vacant store near Southwest Center Mall and plans to convert it into a shopping center. SRS Real Estate Partners said Friday that it has sold the former Target store at 4343 Gannon Lane near Interstate 20 in Dallas to Lys Holdings LLC of Irving, reports Steve Brown of the Dallas Morning News.
Shuttered Hospital may have a buyer at auction After being shuttered for more than three years following the harsh blare of national headlines related to a patient’s death, the bank-owned West Texas Hospital building soon may be changing ownership after being put on the auction block. But the new owner and any plans for the building have yet to be announced, reports Jaime Adame of the Abilene Reporter-News. Full Story »
H-E-B may build new Houston store on stilts TexasBusiness.com: H-E-B officials hope to build their planned store at the corner of Alabama and Dunlavy streets on stilts, accommodating parking underneath and leaving room for a roughly two-acre park on the south end of the site. That approach is the only one that would include the parking required by city ordinance and still leave room for green space, writes Mike Morris for the Houston Chronicle. Full Story »
Mixed-use project is planned for land near Dallas' Arts District TexasBusiness.com notes another solid story by Dallas Morning News real estate reporter Steve Brown: The investors who own almost 12 acres in a triangle roughly bounded by Ross, North Central Expressway and Leonard Street see the mostly vacant area as downtown's next development district. Full Story »
San Antonio's Broadway development suffering Broadway's Midtown stretch is bookended by bustling real estate projects. At one end, the redeveloping mixed-use Pearl Brewery is drawing new diners, customers, students and residents from all over town. At the other, the new 20-story Broadway condominiums rise conspicuously over the intersection at Broadway Street and Hildebrand Avenue, reports Elizabeth Allen of the San Antonio Express-News. Full Story »
California trust takes over office tower on LBJ A California investor has taken ownership of an office tower on LBJ Freeway.The Executive Center One building at 8390 LBJ Freeway was built in 1982 and has more than 200,000 square feet of office space, reports Steve Brown of the Dallas Morning News.
Amarillo College could get new building in Hereford HEREFORD, TEXAS -- Amarillo College could soon be getting some new digs in Hereford. The Hereford Brand reports that a portion of city-owned property along Kingwood Avenue could be the future site of a new AC campus, reports ConnectAmarillo.com
The sale of Waco-based American Amicable Group is complete, the new owner announced Tuesday.The Canadian company Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc. paid $145.3 million to acquire American Amicable from the private equity firm Thoma Bravo, reports Bill Teeter of the Waco Tribune-Herald.
David Crowder's open skies paradise TexasBusiness.com recommends this story by Kat Nelson in Waco Today: Sleek, serene, and sophisticated. The garden, the pool, the cabana at David and Toni Crowder’s home evokes images of the estate grounds favored by industrial tycoons and Hollywood royalty during the 1920s and ’30s,
Beaumont's Austin Motor Hotel owner agrees to demolition The Austin Motor Hotel's eye-grabbing reign at the corner of 11th Street and McFaddin Avenue may come to an end in as few as three weeks. The hotel, considered an eyesore by many Beaumonters, will be part of a package of demolition projects the city will begin receiving bids for by week's end, reports Mike D. Smith of the Beaumont Enterprise. Full Story »
Mixed-use project is planned for land near Dallas' Arts District The 12-acre Spire development, shown in a computerized rendering, will be built on the northeast side of downtown. Investors hope the mostly vacant area will be downtown's next development district, reports Steve Brown of the Dallas Morning News.
The Texas News Scrawl is a handy reference to stories Texas Business recommends from other news sources. Some of the stories that Texas Business currently suggests include: America’s greatest threat: Unsafe work conditions; The West News proves the value of a great weekly newspaper in a community torn up with grief and chaos; Chinese investors checking out Texas, Austin; Texas makes bounce house operators carry liability coverage, but not plants like West Fertilizer; bSpaceX’s Grasshopper leaping to NM spaceport;American Airlines, US Airways to name post-merger leadership within weeks; Texas power cushion seen at lowest level in a decade; Media outlets reflect Houston's diversity; and more.
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