Local Brewery Readying for Move to Downtown Houston

After 15 years in operation, St. Arnold Brewing Co. will bid farewell to its original brewery at its annual Oktoberfest celebration on Oct. 3.
The company — which won a gold medal for its St. Arnold Summer Pils at the recent Great American Beer Festival in Denver — is relocating from its current 30,000-square-foot space at 2522 Fairway Park Drive in North Houston into a redeveloped 90,000-square-foot former HISD warehouse located at 2000 Lyons Ave. near downtown.
Construction crews are completing a $6 million, year-long renovation of the historic building.
St. Arnold’s offices are expected to move in early October and brewing operations will follow in November.
The new brewhouse, which will feature beer-making equipment imported from a defunct brewery in a Bavarian monastery, will increase the Houston-based company’s brewing capacity by 60 percent to 40,000 barrels a year. The facility also offers the ability to grow production to 100,000 barrels per year.
Saint Arnold’s brewery attracts about 50,000 visitors a year, but with a new location close to downtown, St. Arnold’s founder Brock Wagner expects to attract twice as many in future.

Houston Zoo Goes Hi-Tech with Comcast "On Demand" Channel

Houstonians who enjoy visiting Houston Zoo, now can view some of its attractions right in the comfort of their own home.
Comcast Corp., though a partnership with the zoo, has added Houston Zoo On Demand showing more than 20 video profiles of some of the zoo’s animals and the keepers who care for them.
Videos range from one to 30 minutes long and include an in-depth look at the animals with commentary from animal experts and zoo keepers.
Houston Zoo On Demand can be accessed for free by Comcast Digital Cable customers through the “Get Local” category of the On Demand menu and selecting “Houston Zoo On Demand.”

Ben Stein to Headline Salvation Army Shindig

This from the HBJ via a LinkedIn blurb:

Ben Stein will bring his particular brand of humor to Houston when he serves as keynote speaker at The Salvation Army Greater Houston Area Command’s annual luncheon fundraiser.
The event will take place Nov. 3 at the Hilton-Americas Hotel.
Stein, best know for his breakout role in the movie “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off,” has also earned acclaim as an economist, a former columnist for the New York Times, a bestselling author, and a comic.
The Salvation Army’s annual luncheon raises funds for the organization’s programs and services in Harris, Fort Bend and Montgomery counties.

Houston, TX Rock Concert Going Global

This from the HBJ:

Rock bands often say they want to conquer the world.  On Friday night, alternative rockers Creed and Staind will be in Houston to take a shot at being part of a record-breaking concert being seen live on the Internet around the globe.

The concert at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion will be broadcast at 8 p.m. on music Web site www.rockpit.com to U.S. troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan and United Service Organizations locations. Rock fans can also register online to get their all-access pass to the concert.
The concert production team will try to set two cinematic world records, with representatives from the Guinness Book of World Records on hand to witness the event.

The concert, including behind-the-scenes footage and band interviews, will be filmed using 227 high-tech still film cameras and high-definition digital movie cameras, the largest number of cameras ever used in a concert recording. The other record being sought is the largest number of still cameras used in a sequence.
The customized Nikon still cameras being used at the concert — patented by international production firm The Big Freeze — create the kind of freeze-motion effects first used in the Hollywood film “The Matrix.” With shutter speeds of up to 1/400,000th of a second, the string of images is used to create a slowing-time effect, in which an image can be frozen but the background around it can continue to move and rotate 360 degrees.
The software used to run The Big Freeze cameras was created by Stephen Wille-Pados, president of Thoth Systems.
The live Webcast is produced by DC3 Music Group LLC and directed by Daniel Catulo III, who has produced top-selling rock concert DVDs for bands such as Rush, Nickelback and Godsmack. The Creed/Staind concert will be sold on DVD at a later date, according to a rockpit.com spokesman.

Do You Want to Own a True Piece of Italian Historical Real Estate?

Check out this old Medici family hunting lodge for sale in Italy.  Anyone wanting to purchase this rare gem, feel free to give me a call or dash me off an email!

Here's the description and the link:
 
Hunting house of the seventeenth century once belonging to the Medici family, whose coat of arms can still be found on the main walls.
In 2006 it was completely restored using both original and new high-quality, hand-made materials.
Doors and window frames are made of chestnut ingot, as well as beams and rafters. Greywacke stairs with hand-forged, gold-lightened iron railings and balustrades. Roof are made of makeshift cotto (low ground) and high-quality parquet (first storey). Windows are made of safety glass and grant thermical insulation. Alarms, RC gates. Single GPL heating sources, ancient fireplaces made of wood and stone in each unit.
The ancient stone walls have been entirely preserved. 12 large bathrooms with jacuzzi or shower, 12 rooms with dressing rooms
- Provided with antique, valuable furniture, decorations and engravings.
- Light plants and bathroom furniture in forged iron by Emporio S.Firenze.
- All-round stone and iron banister fence, the front side is 200 metres long.
- 10x5 metres pool.
- The park is 10000 square metres wide.
- Helipad.
- Parking (8 covered car places).
- Artesian well.
- Automatic irrigation plant with reserve tanks.

The area is 550 metres high.
The property is exposed to the sun all day long, and is surrounded by olive grooves, chestnut woods, oak-trees and cypresses.
The pool is on the South West.
Wide, charming view, completely free from factories, towns, pylons and so on.
Absolute privacy and unmatchable quiet.

Distances:
5 km from Scarperia
7 km from Borgo San Lorenzo (20000 dwellers) with railroad connections with Florence and Faenza
20 km from the A1 motorway knot of Barberino
35 km from downtown Florence (35 minutes by car)
35 km from Peretola intl. airport (35 minutes by car)
90 km from downtown Bologna (90 minutes by car)
http://www.reportal.it/en/immobili_scheda.cfm?IDcategoria=2&IDriferimento=262&categoria=Villas&riferimento=Medician%27s%20Family%20Ex-Hunting%20%20House&IDnazioneSel=1&nazioneSel=Italy

Whataburger Clothing? It's the Gift for the Person "Who Has It All"!

This blurb from the HBJ:

Whataburger Restaurants LP is launching a new apparel line that will allow customers to custom-design and order Whataburger-branded T-shirts.
The hamburger chain, which has more than 60 locations in the Houston area, has created a place on the company’s Web site (www.whataburger.com) where shoppers can order men’s and women’s shirts.
Customers will be able to order shirts featuring Whataburger’s logo and images of the dots cooks use to denote special-order sandwiches. Whataburger will sell the shirts for $18 through its Web site.
Harmon Dobson founded Whataburger in Corpus Christi in 1950. Today, the company is based in San Antonio and has nearly 700 locations in 10 states with annual sales of more than $1 billion.

Famed Playwright Edward Albee to Guest Lecture at UH

Assimilated from several sources but piece used by Houston Chronicle writer Everett Evans:

Internationally renowned playwright Edward Albee will return to the University of Houston School of Theatre and Dance as a UH distinguished professor of playwriting for the spring 2010 semester.

Albee, famed for such plays as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Three Tall Women, taught at UH each spring semester from 1989 to 2003, heading a new play workshop. During those years, he directed several productions of his works at the Alley Theatre, as well as a program of Samuel Beckett one-acts.

Albee will teach an advanced playwriting course for graduate theater and creative writing students, to be selected by the playwright.

“I enjoy the learning experience of teaching, as well as the enthusiasm and intuition of the students,” Albee said.

Steve Wallace, director of the UH school, noted that Abee's “interest in Houston and UH speaks to the emotional connection that he has with our program.” Wallace said Albee has expressed interest in teaching the advanced playwriting course for at least two consecutive spring semesters.

Albee visited UH last year to attend the school's production of At Home at the Zoo, a double-bill pairing his one-act The Zoo Story with a newly written prequel.

Albee first won fame in the early 1960s for such ground-breaking plays as The Zoo Story and Who's Afraid ofVirginia Woolf. He has won three Pulitzers, for A Delicate Balance, Seascape and Three Tall Women, and two Tony Awards, for Virginia Woolf and The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia?

Blog Wordle 9/23/09 for Houston, TX Real Estate & Tourist Information Blog

I tried a wordle from www.wordle.net to see how my new blog showed up in wordle form. 

Check it out:

http://www.wordle.net/show/wrdl/1159638/My_Blog_9-23-09 

New Houston Restaurant Evokes Age of the Rat Pack

This update from the HBJ:

A new high-end restaurant designed to evoke memories of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin plans to open this fall.
Chef Michael Dei Maggi and business partner Robert Hall III of the California family-run Robert Hall Winery are opening The Rockwood Room at 5709 Woodway Drive.
The owners describe the feel of the new restaurant as “Rat Pack Meets Mad Men,” featuring old-school designs such as floor-to-ceiling windows, leather banquettes, wood veneers and opulent chandeliers.
The menu will feature American dishes from the post-World War II era, like roasted prime rib, broiled lobster tail and charbroiled steak.
The Rockwood Room will be largely dependent on locally sourced seasonal and organic products, while breads and pastas will be handmade in-house.
Fine wines will also play a big part, seeing that one business partner hails from a family of vintners.
“We’ll have access to some very cool wines that you just can’t get anywhere else,” says Hall.
The Rockwood Room will feature temperature-controlled wine storage, lockers and a dispensing system.
Private space within the restaurant’s wine cellar will provide a backdrop for wine dinners and tastings, as well as private events.
Dei Maggi says he really can’t compare The Rockwood Room to any other restaurant in the hypercompetitive Houston dining scene.
“For us, it’s all about fine food, wine and cocktails,” he says. “We’re going for the long play — classic, iconic and sustainable over time.”

Upscale Bridal Boutique Finds Home in Downtown Houston

This blurb from the HBJ today:

Rick’s Bridal Couture is planning to open its doors in downtown Houston on Oct. 1.
The new, full-service bridal shop will offer everything from couture dresses to wedding planning services provided by Elsa Molano.
The shop will also offer Pilates classes and lifestyle coaching for the bride and groom as well as assistance with booking their favorite chef, creating elaborate receptions and finding a moving company.

Houston designer Shawn Kingsley, designer of ONE Duey Kingsley, will serve as the store’s couturier. Kingsley’s designs will be on display at a fashion show at the bridal shop’s grand opening.
The new store is located at 401 Louisiana, Suite 103.

You can type in the address on the Google Maps Address Finder to the right of the screen!

One Corner, 3 Starbucks! (No waiting???? Well, that might be pushing it!)

In Houston, TX, you can go to one corner on West Gray and be within feet of three (yes, count them, 3) Starbucks!  Check out this video piece by Jason Witmer on the Houston Chronicle webiste (www.chron.com):

http://www.chron.com/common/tes/video/plainvideo.html?mcVideo=40751341001

Houston, TX "The Wash Allen Show" Going National

Neat update from the HBJ:

Television show host Wash Allen is expanding his Houston-based show to Los Angeles and Chicago as part of an agreement with ABC’s Live Well HD Network.
“The Wash Allen Show” is independently owned, produced and syndicated by Allen and Judy Foston of public relations firm Fosten International, also based in Houston.

Formatted as a reality show, Allen follows public service organizations as they stage their galas and special events.
“The Wash Allen Show” will debut on the ABC network on Oct. 3.
“The show has been well received and this expansion is what Judy and I have been discussing for a long time, and it is great to see this finally happen,” Allen said in a statement.
The show is already being broadcast in other Texas markets as well as in Louisiana and Mississippi.
Allen plans to roll out his show nationally in more markets.

Houston Arts Alliance Announces Freebies

The Houston Arts Alliance is joining with the Theatre Communications Group for the first-ever Free Night of Theater in Houston.
More than 2,000 free seats will be available to theatergoers at performances from Oct. 8 to 18.
Participating organizations include: Classical Theatre Company, DiverseWorks Artspace, Encore Players, Ensemble Theatre, Express Children’s Theatre, Frenetic Theatre, Horse Head Theatre, Houston Ballet, Houston Grand Opera, InterActive Theater, Main Street Theater, Mildred’s Umbrella, Miller Outdoor Theatre, Stages Repertory Theatre, Texas Repertory Theatre, Theatre Suburbia, Theatre Under The Stars, Upstage Theatre and Voices Breaking Boundaries.
Performance information is available on the Houston Arts Alliance’s Web site at www.HoustonArtsAlliance.com and reservations can be made online through a national ticketing Web site at www.freenightoftheater.net.
Tickets will be made available Oct. 5.
The program began in 2005 in Austin, Philadelphia and San Francisco. Now it is in more than 120 cities across the country.
With a goal of attracting new audiences, Theatre Communications Group expects to offer 100,000 free tickets to theater companies this year. More than 65,000 tickets were distributed in 2008.

Disney & Universal Give Orlando Visitors New & More Options

This from Carl Cronin for Globe Street:

ORLANDO-Planned expansions at Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando theme parks should benefit area hotels for years to come, a local industry executive says. The anticipated result of longer stays by millions of tourists equate to additional room nights, occupancy and revenue. "There is no doubt they will be helpful," Harris Rosen, president of locally based Rosen Hotels, tells GlobeSt.com. "It becomes very difficult for folks to see everything they want to see in one, two or three days, so they may add an additional day to their schedule."
Added attractions to Orlando theme parks announced over the past week include an expansion of Fantasyland at Disney's Magic Kingdom and an upgrade to the "Star Wars" exhibit at its nearby Hollywood Studios theme park, as well as a $200-million addition to Universal's Islands of Adventure based on J.K. Rowling's "Harry Potter" book series, including a full-scale Hogwarts Castle and related attractions, shops and restaurants. Both park operators compete for vacation dollars internationally, along with enticing Florida residents with unique discounts.
Earlier additions to local theme parks included a new roller coaster in May at SeaWorld Orlando called "Manta" that combines a thrill ride with an aquatic exhibit. Also, Universal Studios Florida opened its "Rip, Ride, Rockit" roller coaster ahead of its planned debut this fall.
Orlando has 450 hotels with a combined count of 112,000 guest rooms, making it the second-largest US hotel market behind Las Vegas. The city attracts more than 48 million visitors annually for business or pleasure, according to the Orlando/Orange County Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Rosen, whose company owns seven local hotels with more than 6,300 rooms, says a few extra days of vacation will bring a dramatic boost to local occupancy levels, which fell below 70% this past summer, based on Smith Travel Research estimates. He points out that the theme park expansions could not have come at a better time, when hoteliers are looking for any signs of economic recovery in the next few years.
"We are grateful that these expansions are happening at this time," Rosen says. "They may not bring more people to the area, but they will keep them here a little bit longer and that's a huge benefit for us."

Houston, Texas Getting 6th Whole Foods Market

by Allison Wollam

Whole Foods Market Inc. has signed a lease with The Finger Cos. and will build a new store in Houston on the corner of Waugh Drive and West Dallas Street.
The developer said Tuesday that it has signed a long-term lease with Whole Foods, which will build a 40,000-square-foot grocery store in conjunction with a proposed new luxury apartment project being developed by The Finger Cos. at the Montrose location.

The project has yet to be named and an opening date for the new grocery store has yet to be determined.
Marvy Finger, founder and CEO of The Finger Cos., said the completion of the agreement is a definite, positive signal in the current marketplace.
The newest store will mark the Austin-based grocer’s sixth location in the local market.

Houston, TX Home Buyers Have Their Say... And the Winner is..

This from today's HBJ:

Survey: Houston homebuyers most satisfied with Village Builders, Ashton Woods

Houston Business Journal

Village Builders and Ashton Woods Homes share the top spot for customer satisfaction among builders of new homes in Houston, according to a J.D. Power and Associates study released Tuesday.
Both Houston-based Village Builders and Georgia-based Ashton Woods received a score of 845 out of 1,000 on the 2009 New-Home Builder Customer Satisfaction Study.
The study includes satisfaction rankings for builders in 24 markets.
Nine factors drive overall customer satisfaction with home builders: Builder’s sales staff; builder’s warranty/customer service staff; workmanship/materials; price/value; home readiness; construction manager; recreational facilities provided by the builder; builder’s design center; and location.
Dallas-based Highland Homes followed Village and Ashton with a score of 842.
Overall in Houston the average customer satisfaction index score is 797 — 14 points below the 24-market average of 811. However, satisfaction has improved substantially in the Houston market in 2009 — increasing 31 points from 2008, according to the study.
Meanwhile, Houston-based builder J. Patrick Homes ranked highest in the New-Home Quality Study, also released Tuesday by J.D. Power. The builder was followed by Ashton Woods and Conroe-based LGI Homes.

Healthcare Real Estate as an Investment Class

Below from Paul Bubny back in April.  This discussion of stabilized assets rings true in every sector but particularly is of interest in the real estate investment industry.

We will occasionally discuss investment ideas on here and most certainly will look at Healthcare-related assets as an investment class unto itself.  While typically a more expensive monetary investment, medical buildings (MOBs, POBs, ect...) are solid investments with long-term leases by credit-worthy tenants.  Due diligence is critical when evaluating an asset for investment but that's why I'm here.  At Transwestern, we have an elite team of Healthcare Advisory agents who are here to serve you in whatever capacity necessary.  We have landlord reps, tenant reps, asset managers, and long term strategy advisers.  Next time you are thinking about a real estate investment, don't simply look past healthcare investments because the price tag scares you!  Call me and we'll talk about your needs and see if healthcare is a proper investment for your portfolio. 

04.14.09 

 Medical RE Seen as 'Perfect Recession Play'

By Paul Bubny NEW YORK CITY-Cash flow is king in healthcare-related properties but the asset class requires astute management, Noyack Medical Partners’ C.J. Follini told a Real Estate Lenders Association gathering Tuesday morning.
"Doctors need a lot of attention" as tenants, said Follini, managing principal of Noyack, a locally-based healthcare real estate investment and operating company. "It’s when they don’t receive that attention that you start to have trouble." With that said, Follini extolled health care real estate as a largely recession-proof oasis of stability and steady growth in a challenging climate.
The growth in the healthcare sector, expected to continue for the foreseeable future as the global population ages, is certainly a major factor in the strength of this asset class. Employment in physicians’ offices has grown 4.8% annually since 1972, compared to 1.8% annual growth in overall private employment, while the US population--ages 65 and over--is expected to more than double to 87 million by 2050.
However, Follini said much of the viability of medical-related real estate--which includes ambulatory surgery centers, specialty care facilities, medical malls, senior housing and parking facilities as well as medical office buildings--stems from the tenants themselves. They tend to renew leases at a higher rate than commercial tenants, he said, and as a result average estimated occupancy is expected to actually increase this year over 2007 and 2008 levels.
For investors looking to acquire medical-related properties, healthcare systems may be willing sellers for a variety of reasons, said Follini. For one thing, the systems are under pressure to monetize both their core and non-core businesses, and look to shed properties as a way to do so, often through sale-leasebacks. "Get rid of the real estate and bring on the cash," Follini said. Another reason for selling may be regulatory: healthcare providers are prohibited from self-referral by the Stark Laws in many states, and selling a multi-tenant medical office property removes the risk of running afoul of these laws.
To lenders who may be financing the purchase of healthcare properties, Follini advised ticking off a series of metrics. These include the property’s proximity to a hospital, the financial strength of the hospital, the quality of the tenants, the market rent delta, the quantity of available parking for physicians and their staff, the borrower’s equity and the borrower’s management experience.
As a case study in why "this asset class is a perfect recession play," as Follini put it, he cited his company’s purchase of a 28,000-square-foot medical office condo at One Hanson Pl., the former Williamsburgh Savings Bank building in Brooklyn. When Noyack made the $10.1-million buy last May, it was 75% occupied. Today, thanks to recent leases that stemmed from tenant referrals, occupancy has reached 100%.

Tomorrow is Houston Free Museum Day

Check out this link... I think we'll be hitting the Children's Museum for the kids to have a great time.  Here's the link:

http://www.houstonmuseumdistrict.org/default.asp?id=1

Welcome To My Blog

I'm new to Houston, TX so I'll be learning along with all of you.  I'm a commercial real estate agent from Memphis, TN who specializing in Healthcare Tenant Representation.  I'll use this blog as a resource for talking about real estate in Houston, gabbing a bit about goings on around town, and point out things of interest to visitors to the Bayou City.

I hope you'll enjoy the blog as it develops over time and please feel free to comment at any time!