Graystone Hills residents and spectators are invited to join in an interactive conversation with the community through commenting.
Posted on Apr 29, 2011 | Tagged in: Montgomery County , events , Conroe , business
A unique antique show is coming to Conroe in April and May!
On April 30 and May 1, the 12th Annual Antiques Show and Sale will take place in downtown Montgomery, located about 15 miles west of Conroe.
The Montgomery Business Association, who is hosting the event, will give a portion of the proceeds to local charities and a Montgomery Independent School District Scholarship.
The antique show will exhibit fine antiques from throughout Texas, Folk Art Vendors, music, entertainment, antiques and classic cars from the His & Her Car Club.
Posted on Apr 19, 2011 | Tagged in: Willis , events , charity
In honor of the upcoming Royal Wedding, a “Tea on the Lawn” event will be held at New Danville. The event is to benefit New Danville and will be held on Friday, April 29th from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Prince William's and Kate Middleton’s Royal Wedding is scheduled for the same day as the “Tea on the Lawn” event, which will include a variety of events including a southern-style picnic with team sandwiches, homemade shortbread cookies, sangria and sweet tea as well as a royal ring raffle of a replica inspired by Kate Middleton’s famous Princess Diana engagement ring.
Attendees are encouraged to wear big hats, a sundress, gloves and parasols in celebration of the wedding.
New Danville is an organization that strives to provide an integrated community for adults that have intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Posted on Apr 18, 2011 | Tagged in: sports , people , Conroe
The Sports Authority Move It Challenge has named Conroe resident, Fabian Fernandez, age 13, as one of their 15 semifinalists.
Fabian had not one, but two of his inventions make it to the semifinals in the competition!
One of his inventions is the “Art Soccer”, which captures the dynamic movements of the players and the soccer ball through Radio Frequency Identification Tags that are then transferred to a software program which turns the player’s soccer game into a piece of artwork. His other invention, the “Griffen Exercise and Diet Tracker”, tracks an individual’s exercise and diet through a smart phone application.
On May 14, 2011 the Grand Prize Winner in the competition will be announced at a live press conference during a Colorado Rockies game and the winner will get to throw out the first pitch of the game.
Posted on Apr 13, 2011 | Tagged in: Specials & Promotions
Village Builders is offering home buyers a special incentive on select homes sold between April 11 and April 30, 2011. Home buyers can get up to $25,000 in design studio options when they purchase a Village Builders home during the incentive period. For more information, please contact the Village Builders sales office in Graystone Hills.
*Offer valid on contracts written on select Village Builders homes that sell 4/11/11 – 4/30/11 and close by date specified on contract. Design studio option amounts will vary by series. Offers, incentives and seller contributions are subject to certain terms, conditions and restrictions, which may include use of designated lenders and closing agents. Offer may affect loan amount. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer or on homes already under contract. See a New Home Consultant for details. Copyright © 2011 Lennar Corporation. Village Builders and the Village Builders logo are registered service marks of Lennar Corporation and/or its subsidiaries. 4/11
Posted on Apr 12, 2011 | Tagged in: events , Conroe
Several local artists, including Lynn Peverill and Joe Kolb, were featured at the Chalk Up Conroe art event. The event was held at the Conroe Founders Plaza on April 9th, 2011.
The Chalk Up Conroe art event was open to the public and everyone in attendance witnessed the amazing artwork as it was created from beginning to end. The event benefited Breast Cancer Research and was sponsored by Conroe Live Inc., The Linda Watson Gallery and the Gallery off the Square.
Chalk art is thought to have been introduced in 16th Century Renaissance Italy and has become increasingly popular over the years. The first artists to create chalk art began by transforming asphalt into their canvases.
To get more information on future family events like ChalkUp Conroe, visit CityOfConroe.org.
Posted on Apr 5, 2011 | Tagged in: Montgomery County
Major non-retail employers, or companies with at least 100 employees, in South County added more than 400 jobs in 2010, according to the South Montgomery County Woodlands Economic Development Partnership.
The EDP released its annual employee count of local non-retail employees early in 2011, as major employers are surveyed about area job growth trends.
Gil Staley, CEO of the EDP, said the number of major employers grew from 48 to 50 companies. Those companies employ 23,000 people combined, representing 31.8 percent of the total workforce in The Woodlands (72,240). The two employers added were Praxair, a supplier of specialty gases, which relocated a regional office and 150 employees, and Merchant’s Choice Payment Solutions, which moved from a midsize employer to a major employer and has 105 employees.
“We truly are encouraged by the economy in South Montgomery County,” Staley said. “We’re seeing positive job growth.”
While energy and health care are still the two largest sectors for non-retail employment in South County, Staley said the two sectors that experienced the most growth were energy and professional, specialty services.
The largest energy employer, Anadarko Petroleum, employs 2,566 and is the second-largest employer in South County behind the Conroe Independent School District, according to the EDP.
John Christiansen, director of external communications for Anadarko, said the company added about 100 employees in 2010.
He said Anadarko did not lose employees in The Woodlands office as a result of the offshore drilling moratorium, and Anadarko shifted much of its focus to shale plates in 2010, mainly the Eagle Ford shale plate in Texas and the Marcellus shale plate in the Northeast United States.
Anadarko expects to grow 7-9 percent annually in sales volumes and expects to continue to see job growth, Christiansen said. He believes the need for energy will continue the trend of job growth in the energy industry.
“Given the indication of where the industry seems to be heading, everybody needs energy,” he said. “You need energy for every part of your life.”
There were nine major employers in the energy sector, the third most behind professional, specialty services (13) and health care (10). However, the major energy employers accounted for 6,427 employees compared with 4,433 for major health care employers and 4,148 for major employers in professional, specialty services. More than 23,000 people are employed by major, non-retail employers.
Staley said midsize employers, or those that employ 50-99 people, also experienced growth, growing from 47 to 50 employers in 2010.
DemographicsNow estimated that the unemployment rate in South County is about 4.7 percent early in 2011. Although Staley said it is not as accurate as the Texas Workforce Commission numbers, the number is significantly lower than the most recent countywide unemployment rate of 7.6 percent in February, according to the TWC.
“We believe we are so fortunate to have such a diverse group of companies, and that diversity helps you during down times,” Staley said.
Staley expects 2011 will continue to improve on the job growth in 2010.
“We’re getting a lot of requests in terms of relocation to the area both outside of the state and within the state,” he said. “We think 2011 will be a great year for job growth for South Montgomery County.”
Posted on Apr 2, 2011 | Tagged in: finance , Conroe , community
The Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) will be providing tax preparation assistance at the Montgomery County United Way Conroe Family Service Center on Friday April 15 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The VITA volunteers helping with taxes have attended training by IRS representatives.
Individuals needing tax preparation need to bring photo proof of identification, social security cards for themselves, their spouses and dependents, wage and earning statements, interest and dividend statements from banks, copies of last year’s federal returns, bank routing and account numbers for direct deposit of their funds, amounts paid for daycare and any other relevant information about income and expenses.
VITA tax preparers can save families money on tax preparation fees as well as help boost the family’s income by up to 35 percent.
Conroe Family Service Center is located at 731 W. Davis. South County YMCA, additionally, a VITA site located at 6145 Shadowbend Place in the Woodlands will also offer tax help on April 2nd.
