10
Apr 2020
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Real estate transactions: Consolidated Asset Management Services inks downtown sublease

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Consolidated Asset Management Services will occupy a portion of Shell Oil Company’s former offices at 910 Louisiana downtown.
Chicago-based Harrison Street acquired the medical office building leased by MD Anderson Cancer Center in The Woodlands.

Consolidated Asset Management Services Texas, a provider of project and asset management, commercial and operations services to the power generation, exploration and production and midstream sectors of the energy industry, subleased 46,607 square feet at downtown’s One Shell Plaza, 910 Louisiana, from Shell Oil Co. Adam Grimm, Andy Iversen and Audrey Selber of Newmark Knight Frank represented the subtenant. Cushman & Wakefield represented Shell. The company is currently headquartered at 919 Milam.

Holland’s Road LLC purchased five acres at 6753 FM 2920, Spring, from DL Lincoln Distillery. Diana Gaines of The J. Beard Real Estate Co. represented the seller. The vacant land, which is off Lee Road, west of Kuykendahl, will be an expansion to the adjacent eight acres under construction for Geronimo Adventure Park. The park, slated to open this summer, will have 16 zip lines across three zip line courses.

Elumatec North America leased a 15,000-square-foot industrial building at 1511 Industrial Drive in Missouri City. Darren O’Conor and Jake Wilkinson of NAI Partners represented the landlord, Bison Warehouses. Stuart Rosen of Greater Houston Commercial Properties represented the tenant.

EcoLab leased 40,320 square feet of industrial space at 13270 N Promenade Blvd., Stafford. JR Tomlinson, Griffin Rich, Louis Pascuzzi, David Creiner and Frank Puskarich of Newmark Knight Frank represented the tenant. Stream Realty Partners represented the landlord, Ranger H-TX LP.

Harrison Street, a Chicago-based real asset investment firm focused on the education, health care and storage sectors, was disclosed as the buyer of the 208,000-square-foot medical office building at 100 Fellowship Drive in The Woodlands. The building was purchased from the Howard Hughes Corp., which developed it for long-term tenant MD Anderson, for $115 million or $553 per square foot.

Overhead Doors Unlimited leased 5,517 square feet at Gessner Business Park in Houston Texas. Jim Autenreith and Sam Rayburn of Moody Rambin represented the owner, Ivest.

Sealy Land Co. leased 1,008 square feet at 7660 Woodway, near Voss and San Felipe. Peggy Rougeou of Tarantino Properties represented the landlord, 7660 Woodway LLC. Melissa Gerber Brams of Gerber Realty represented the tenant.

Wine.com renewed its lease of 18,000 at Willowbrook Distribution Center, 9333 Millsview Road. Boone Smith and Garret Geaccone of Stream Realty Partners represented the landlord, KKR.

North Houston Birth Center leased 5,554 square feet at 3800-4000 N. Shepherd for 15 years. Kat Morrison represented the landlord, Hartman Income REIT, in-house.

Icryo Enterprises expanded at 14200 Gulf Freeway. Dani Allison of Resolut RE represented the landlord.

Amran Inc. renewed its lease of 24,380 square feet at Sugar land Southwest Business Center, 12320 Cardinal Meadow Drive. Steve King of CBRE represented the tenant. Jeff Pate and Jeremy Lumbreras of Stream Realty Partners represented the landlord, DRA Advisors.

Abasi Real Estate Group purchased an 11,300-square-foot industrial building at 15600 W. Hardy Road. John Hornbuckle of Cypressbrook Co. represented the seller, Fontana Investments. Enobong Abasi of Fairdale Realty represented the buyer.

QVAL Property Advisors renewed 10,420 square feet at 15995 N. Barkers Landing for six years. Richard Maloof represented the landlord, Hartman Income REIT. CBRE represented the tenant.

The Jenkins Organization, a Houston-based company that has traditionally focused on self-storage, acquired Austin Oaks RV Resort as part of its expansion into the campground industry. The property, at 753 Union Chapel Road in Cedar Creek near Bastrop, will be rebranded as Great Escapes Austin Oaks. Planned improvements include the addition of 74 RV sites, a new pool, clubhouse, dog park and enhanced common areas.

Bayou City Hemp Co. leased 13,562 square feet in Park Row Tech Center, at 16700 Park Row Drive. Daniel Hollek of Centric Commercial represented the tenant. Jason Gibbons of Finial Group represented the landlord.

A private investor purchased the 3rd Street Village Apartments, a 48-unit complex at 310 Waco Avenue in League City and plans extensive renovations. Jeffrey Fript and Christian Mazzini of Marcus & Millichap brokered the sale.

A limited liability company purchased two apartment complexes totaling 227 units at 2120 Strawberry Road and 3201 Red Bluff Road in Pasadena. Jeffrey Fript and Christian Mazzini of Marcus & Millichap brokered the sale. The buyer plans extensive renovations.

 

07
Apr 2020
0

SoftBank pulls out of $3bn WeWork share buyout

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Eric Platt in New York, Miles Kruppa in San Francisco and Kana Inagaki in Tokyo  –  Financial Times
SoftBank has pulled out of a planned $3bn purchase of WeWork stock, a move that is expected to spark litigation by the lossmaking property group’s co-founder and one of Silicon Valley’s most prestigious venture capital groups, according to people briefed on the matter.

The $3bn share tender was agreed last year as part of a multibillion-dollar rescue package that SoftBank put in place as WeWork was on the brink of insolvency. The tender offer was set to provide a lucrative payout to early backers of the company including Benchmark Capital and Adam Neumann, WeWork’s former chief executive.

Benchmark, Mr. Neumann and other investors were expected to sue over the collapse of the deal, according to people briefed on the matter.

SoftBank said in a statement on Thursday that it had decided to pull out after WeWork failed to meet a set of conditions behind the deal.

“Given our fiduciary duty to our shareholders, it would be irresponsible of SoftBank to ignore the fact that the conditions were not satisfied and to nevertheless consummate the tender offer,” said Rob Townsend, SoftBank’s chief legal officer.

SoftBank added that it remained “fully committed” to the US group’s success and that its decision would not have any impact on WeWork’s operations.

Lawyers for Mr. Neumann, who had the option to sell nearly $1bn of stock in the deal, were informed of the decision on Wednesday, one of the people said. SoftBank is expected to notify other investors who had planned on selling their shares that it has withdrawn from the deal after the tender offer lapsed at about midnight.

SoftBank’s withdrawal marks the latest reversal for WeWork, which at one point was the most highly valued privately held group in the US. WeWork burnt through billions of dollars of cash as it expanded around the world under Mr. Neumann, opening locations in more than 100 cities. Its attempt to go public last year failed, as investors balked at its huge losses and a series of deals that benefited Mr. Neumann personally.

The decision to walk away from the $3bn share purchases will also take away a much needed source of cash from WeWork. SoftBank had agreed to provide $1.1bn of debt to the company as part of the transaction, but only if it completed the tender offer.

01
Apr 2020
0

James Beard-nominated restaurateur hopes to encourage growing own food with new grocery store

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James Beard Award-semifinalist Jonny Rhodes may be best known for his smash hit restaurant Indigo, but it’s his new grocery store, Broham Fine Soul Food & Groceries, that he wanted to open first.

The 2,000-square-foot store opens April 1 at 2019 Bennington St., near the Hardy Toll Road and the 610 Loop. It will sell food targeted for individuals of African descent, almost all handmade by Rhodes and his team — and they’ll teach customers how to use the more unfamiliar goods, he said. The intent is eventually for the entire stock to be either handmade or grown by Rhodes. But because the store is opening early to help people amid the coronavirus pandemic, the garden Rhodes is creating for the store’s produce isn’t ready yet.

Products at the store will include sodas, sauces, condiments, pastries, jellies and butter, ice creams and popsicles, deli meat, sausages and dried items like jerky, all handmade. Typical items like dill pickles and hot sauce are sold alongside more unusual fare, like okra seed coffee ice cream and fermented strawberry and grapefruit soda.

Rhodes has never been interested in selling others’ goods. Over time, the store will be 100 percent self-sustainable.

“That way, we’re not buying produce from local farmers; we are the local farmers for our own grocery store,” Rhodes said.

Rhodes and his wife, Chana, are making the grocery store’s savory goods, while pastry chef Meredith Larke is handling all sweets and baked goods.

Meanwhile, Indigo is currently closed until September, which is not unusual for the acclaimed restaurant. Rhodes actually closed the restaurant at 517 Berry Road even before Harris County ordered restaurants to close their dining rooms. He brought over his entire staff — five people — from Indigo to Broham.

“I couldn’t take care of them,” he said.

Rhodes isn’t concerned with expansive growth, at least not right away. With the “grow its own supply” model, Rhodes says Broham is unlike any other grocery store in the country. It’ll take time to get its systems in place.

“We’re not a finished product, and I don’t think we’re looking to be a finished product any time soon,” Rhodes said. “One of the favorite things about Indigo that I’ve loved, and I think that people loved, was that we were open about not being a finished product, but the evolution.”

Rhodes hopes his store, located in the Trinity Groves neighborhood along with Indigo, sets an example for others to grow their own food. He also hopes that it cuts into the force of “food apartheid” — a term he uses instead of the food desert. He learned it from celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson, according to a recent Texas Monthly article. It means a food shortage created by design, harking back to neighborhoods designed to disenfranchise African Americans. Growing your own food, Rhodes said, would be especially impactful now.

01
Apr 2020
0

Houston-based national retailer closing stores, furloughing most workers, cutting execs’ pay

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Houston-based Stage Stores Inc. (NYSE: SSI) had its own set of struggles even before the coronavirus pandemic brought much of the retail sector to a halt.

Now, the department store owner is taking steps to significantly scale back operations to reduce costs and preserve liquidity, according to a press release.

The stage has temporarily closed all of its 738 stores as of Friday, March 27. Previously, about 393 stores were closed in compliance with state and local regulations, while the others primarily were located in smaller markets and were operating under reduced hours.

The company operates specialty department stores under the Bealls, Goody’s, Palais Royal, Peebles, and Stage brands as well as the Gordmans off-price brand.

Virtually all employees in stores, field support roles, and distribution centers have been furloughed until further notice. Effective March 29, 87 percent of employees at Stage’s Houston Support Center also will be furloughed. There are 80 key employees who are not subject to the furlough because they perform essential functions, though the release did not specify what or where those roles are. Furloughed employees will not be paid, but they will keep their health and welfare benefits.

Members of the executive leadership team will temporarily have their pay reduced by at least 25 percent effective March 29, and the board of directors members will not be compensated during this period. The end of the pay-cut period has yet to be determined.

In 2018, President and CEO Michael Glazer’s base salary was more than $1.04 million, and his total compensation including stock awards was over $3 million, according to the most recent proxy statement Stage filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The only other named officers in the proxy were Thorsten Weber, executive vice president and chief merchandising officer, and Steven Hunter, formerly executive vice president and COO of Gordmans, who left the company in July 2019, according to a separate filing. Webster received a 2018 base salary of $522,692 and total compensation of more than $1.25 million, and Hunter received a 2018 base salary of $478,461 and total compensation of $872,867. The stage has not yet filed its proxy statement with 2019 compensation.

“With the health and safety of our associates and guests as our top priority, we are taking difficult but necessary actions in a challenging market and in the face of the unprecedented COVID-19 situation,” Glazer said in the March 27 press release. “We are grateful to all of our associates for their dedication and commitment to serving our guests.”

01
Apr 2020
0

Houston Association of Realtors takes steps to adapt amid coronavirus pandemic

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The Houston Association of Realtors has been making changes to help keep the residential real estate market going amid the coronavirus outbreak while also keeping people safe.

HAR President and CEO Bob Hale spoke at a Tuesday, March 24, Harris County Commissioners Court meeting about the need to include residential and commercial real estate among the list of “essential” services exempt from Harris County’s new “stay home, work smart” order. Currently, $2.4 billion of residential real estate is pending sale, with $800 million scheduled to close in the next 10 days, HAR said in a statement.

When Harris County’s written order was released Tuesday afternoon, it classified real estate services among professional services that are essential “when necessary to assist in compliance with legally mandated activities or to further essential businesses, essential government functions, or critical infrastructure.” Even before the order was released, HAR already was developing a platform for virtual open houses and virtual showings, per the statement. The platform would allow customers to watch the tours and open houses on HAR.com at scheduled times, and HAR members would then be able to share the recordings on their agencies’ websites and social media.

“The safety of our members, their clients and families is the most important thing to us during this difficult time,” HAR said.

Even before Harris County’s March 24 order, HAR has been taking steps to adapt amid the pandemic. On March 20, HAR announced that information about open houses would not be displayed on HAR.com for most Texas markets, including Houston and Austin, effective immediately.

“Most of the national real estate franchises and many large brokers have either canceled all in-person open houses or are strongly encouraging their agents not to hold them,” HAR said in a March 20 press release. “Realtors are urged to utilize virtual open houses and video tours to help slow the spread of the coronavirus.”

Many Realtors told the Houston Business Journal last week that they were canceling open houses and opting to show their listings via apps like FaceTime and Skype. Others have begun to post video tours of properties online.

12
Mar 2020
0

New Listing 906 Witter St. 77506 Pasadena, TX

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Houston Realty Advisors Inc. has a new listing available FOR LEASE in Pasadena, TX. This property is located at 906 Witter St. it’s a Flex/ Warehouse/ Office Building. containing 13,450 Square Feet of Building.

For more information please contact us.

Commercial, Real Estate, HRA, Alex Ayres Photography, Pasadena

Photo of exterior and by Alex Ayres Photography

Alex Ayres Photography, Commercial listing, Pasadena, interior, offices

1 of the 7 offices on this Listing. Photo credit: Alex Ayres Photography

Alex Ayres Photography Privacy Gate

Privacy gate

Break room Alex Ayres Photography

Break room Photo credit: Alex Ayres Photography

10
Mar 2020
0

Business Plan Competition Cancelled in Houston due to Coronavirus

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Landscape view of city of Houston

 

The annual Rice Business Plan Competition was canceled for 2020 due to concerns surrounding the coronavirus.

The Rice Business Plan Competition was scheduled to take place at Rice University between March 26 through 28. RBPC is one of the largest student startup competitions in the world.

“We received word Sunday evening that Rice University, with guidance from the Rice Crisis Management Committee, is prohibiting all on-campus public events and gatherings with more than 100 people to minimize close contact among large groups of people,” according to a statement on the RBPC website.

Rice has canceled all classes at the university for a week citing fears of spreading the coronavirus as the cause. Conversations were had about holding the event in an alternative way, but it was found to not be possible.

“We have successfully run the competition for 19 years, and we were very excited to host and celebrate the 20th edition later this month,” per the statement.

For more Houston Real Estate News, visit our blog. 

24
Feb 2020
0

Global real estate firm buys Houston commercial real estate company

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The boutique small real estate firms of Houston are now even smaller. Chicago-based Cushman & Wakefield purchased Colvill Office Properties and now more Houston local brokerage offices are being absorbed by the largest brokerage firms in the world. Chip Colvill, the founder and former president/CEO of Colvill Office Properties, joins Cushman & Wakefield as Executive Vice Chairman.

20
Feb 2020
0

Elite 25, Exclusive Austin-Based Membership Group for Luxury Real Estate Agents, Expanding to Houston and Dallas

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​​​​​Elite 25sm, the premier membership organization for luxury real estate agents, has announced its expansion in Spring 2020 with the launch of chapters in Houston and Dallas, Texas. Established in 1994 and based in Austin, Texas, Elite 25sm  represents a city’s top luxury residential agents, providing ample opportunities to increase exposure, bolster reputations, network with fellow top luxury agents and stay educated on real estate trends and happenings. Beyond the value for members, Elite 25sm also presents an incomparable asset for buyers and sellers, taking out the guesswork of finding an agent.

“We’re excited to bring this exclusive opportunity to luxury realtors in the largest real estate markets in Texas,” said Tony Trungale, Managing Director of Elite 25sm and a Senior Loan Officer with PNC Bank. “This organization has proven to be an invaluable resource for our members, allowing unmatched time and space for networking and dealmaking.”

Founding Elite 25​ Austin member Cindy Goldrick of Wilson & Goldrick Realtors said of the group: “I’ve been a member of Elite 25sm in Austin since its inception 25 years ago and it has been an essential part of my real estate career and success. Elite 25sm membership provides individual agents recognition as verified leading producers of high-end homes and, equally important, it offers camaraderie with other top agents and the opportunity to network. I’ve been excited and motivated to work to meet the criteria each and every year.”

Members apply on an annual basis and are chosen based solely on production numbers, ensuring a true representation of the city’s top professionals. Criteria for membership varies year to year, but eligibility begins with a minimum of four homes sold each over $1 million. In 2019, each of Austin’s 34 members sold at least eight homes over $1 million – a major marker of Austin’s booming housing market – for a staggering collective sales total exceeding $1 billion.

“In today’s fiercely competitive market, Elite 25sm is the perfect platform to provide a competitive edge for my clients,” said Dara Allen, Broker Associate and Sales Manager for Compass Austin. “All members of Elite 25sm are experts in the luxury market and our monthly luncheons – always in a member’s fabulous new listing – give us the opportunity to share coming soon and pocket listings.”

Elite 25​ Houston and Elite 25​ Dallas will continue under the leadership of Tony Trungale, with Advisory Board members to be announced. Marketing efforts will continue to be managed by Commission.Co, a boutique Austin-based agency specializing in social media, video, and design for luxury and commercial real estate.

20
Feb 2020
0

Deal Sikes 2020 Valuation Forecast: Houston Real Estate Values on Upward Trends as Economic Expansion Continues

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Houston’s commercial property values will continue to trend upward in 2020 as demand for development opportunities expands amid the region’s positive job growth, according to Deal Sikes, a leading Houston-based valuation firm.

“Although there are a few exceptions, the real estate market in Houston is headed for another good year,” said Mark Sikes, a principal with Deal Sikes. “The region’s economy is healthy and although the energy industry is in a lackluster period, the overall economic outlook is outstanding.”

Houston’s industrial market is attracting interest from around the nation and research indicates that more than 15 million square feet of warehouse space are under construction in the Greater Houston area.

“Prices for land or urban infill development property has risen significantly in recent years,” Sikes said. “Rising land prices have pushed the wave of industrial development farther away from the center of the city and outer suburban land prices have increased accordingly.”

Property values in the urban core of the city remain strong as developers and builders locate buildings for redevelopment or seek sites that are appropriate for new construction, Sikes said.

“Multifamily construction is strong in Houston and researchers report more than 25,000 units are now under construction, although the pace is expected to be slightly more moderate in 2020 as the new inventory is absorbed,” Sikes said. “Investor demand is good and multifamily valuations have not yet peaked in most submarkets.”

Newer office buildings and Class A towers under construction are leasing briskly, although Houston’s office market is the most sluggish sector.

The Texas Medical Center, where more than 100,000 people are employed, is a source of growth for Houston and several hospitals and research facilities are expanding.

“Houston’s commercial real estate values will be on a solid upswing in 2019,” said Matthew Deal, a principal with Deal Sikes. “With Houston expected to gain population significantly in the next decade, the long-term forecast must include rising property prices that will be very impressive over the long haul.”

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