Wolff Companies

Booming Energy Sector Spurs Expansion for Houston-Based Seismic Exchange

noemail@wolffcompanies.com — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Even before Seismic Exchange Inc.’s initial building in Westway Park was completed, the company acquired the adjoining 2.4 acres as an expansion site. And now, after relocating their headquarters operation from Louisiana to Houston, the seismic data firm has commenced construction on a second expansion that more than doubles the size of its operation in Westway Park, Wolff Companies’ 150-acre planned business environment at the intersection of the Sam Houston Tollway and Clay Road. Located at 11050 Capital Park Drive, the 73,400 square-foot five-story Class A office building and its accompanying five-level parking garage is the result of the booming energy market. Completion of the new structure is slated for March 2009. Seismic Exchange will occupy the entire building. While Westway Park has been sold out for almost a year, it is exciting to see continued development and growth in the office complex, said David W. Hightower, executive vice president of Wolff Companies....

Wolff Companies Completes Multiple Land Transacations in Interwood Development

noemail@wolffcompanies.com — Tue, 27 May 2008 14:15:00 GMT

Wolff Companies, a long-time leader in Houston real estate investment and development, announces several land transactions in Interwood, a densely wooded 440-acre master-planned business park located at the intersection of Beltway 8 and John F. Kennedy Boulevard. Schultz USA Inc. recently purchased 16 acres of land located on Interwood North Parkway, just east of Heathrow Forest Parkway. The property will serve as the company’s new North American headquarters and distribution center. The new project will consist of a 56,880 square foot building. Construction will begin this fall. Bob Berry and Jeff Venghaus with Staubach represented the buyer. Schulz desired to locate a site in North Houston that allowed the company to construct its own facility, said Jeff Venghaus, Vice President for The Staubach Company. Interwood was truly a great solution. The park is conveniently located to restaurants, hotels and other amenities and the property acquired provides the opportunity for Schulz...

Texas Children's Hospital Breaks Ground on New West Campus

noemail@wolffcompanies.com — Thu, 15 May 2008 18:00:00 GMT

Texas Children’s Hospital broke ground today on its new West Campus, the first community children’s hospital to be built in the greater Houston area. When completed, the new facility will be among the nation’s largest suburban pediatric hospitals and will serve one of its fastest growing child populations. Located on 55 acres at the intersection of Interstate 10 and Barker Cypress, Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus is designed to incorporate the best practices in pediatric treatment environments and to provide the special accommodations that families need in a children’s medical facility. Staffed and equipped to treat patients from birth to 18 years of age, Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus will provide both outpatient and inpatient services, and offer the only dedicated pediatric emergency room in greater West Houston. The medical complex, totaling 490,000 square feet, will be built in phases at an estimated cost of $220 million. With the completion of the outpatient...

Wolff Companies Completes Land Transactions in Interwood

noemail@wolffcompanies.com — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 15:00:00 GMT

Wolff Companies, a long-time leader in Houston real estate investment and development, recently announced the closing of three land transactions in Interwood, a densely wooded 440-acre master-planned business park located at the intersection of Beltway 8 and John F. Kennedy Boulevard. Western International purchased an 8.6 acre tract located at John F. Kennedy Blvd. and Interwood North Parkway. The property will be home to two nationally-recognized hotels as well as a restaurant. Interwood is truly one of the most beautiful commercial real estate properties in Houston, with hundreds of towering pine and oak trees that give the area a lush, nestled feel, even though the property is located just off of the Beltway and a few minutes from the terminals at Bush Intercontinental Airport, said David W. Hightower, executive vice president and chief development officer for Wolff Companies. We are continuing to develop Interwood to ensure the optimal mix of office buildings,...

Satterfield & Pontikes Achieves First Gold Level Certification In Houston

noemail@wolffcompanies.com — Wed, 14 Nov 2007 16:00:00 GMT

Satterfield & Pontikes Construction, Inc. recently earned a LEED Gold level certification for Core and Shell Pilot for its corporate headquarters, located at 11000 Equity Drive in Westway Park. The certification is the first of its kind in the Greater Houston area. Satterfield & Pontikes’ is one of eight buildings located within Westway Park that are LEED certified and/or registered. We are extremely pleased to have achieved this distinction, said George A. Pontikes, Jr., President and CEO of Satterfield & Pontikes. Satterfield & Pontikes has long been a leader in innovation, striving to build better and more safely. Now the company is also committed to employing new and better ways to serve our clients by providing the most environmentally-friendly, energy efficient and cost-effective structures. Satterfield & Pontikes’ new 65,000 square foot headquarters, a three-story, cast-in-place concrete green building, utilized a Virtual Design and Construction (VDC) approach....

Wolff Companies Completes Westway Park Development With Largest Transaction to Date

noemail@wolffcompanies.com — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 15:00:00 GMT

Wolff Companies, a long-time leader in Houston real estate investment and development, announced the completion of its final and largest land transaction in Westway Park, the 150-acre business complex located at the intersection of the Sam Houston Tollway and Clay Road. The purchase of the 13.5-acre property by Dienna Nelson Augustine Company marks the closure of the business park, an endeavor of strategic planning, innovation and development by Wolff Companies since purchasing the original property in 1972. Our goal for Westway Park was to develop the optimal environment for corporate office buildings by planting hundreds of trees, providing extensive landscaping and establishing protective covenants that enhance the substantial investments made by the ultimate owners of buildings in the park, stated David S. Wolff, Chairman and President of Wolff Companies. We are extremely proud of the buildings that have been developed there. Many of these structures have been designed by...

WOLFF COMPANIES CLOSES LAND DEAL IN WESTWAY PARK

noemail@wolffcompanies.com — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 13:45:00 GMT

Wolff Companies, a leader in Houston commercial real estate, has sold a 2-acre tract of land in Westway Park, the 150-acre master-planned business complex located at the intersection of the Sam Houston Tollway and Clay Road, to Clinton Investments. Clinton Investments plans to build a 5- to 6-story, new concept next-generation Holiday Inn Hotel on the site. Holiday Inn’s new concept brings the iconic heritage of the Holiday Inn brand to life in a modern, innovative design that will set new standards for business travelers and families alike. The 122-room hotel will feature a full-service restaurant, business center, workout center, extensive meeting facilities on the first floor, swimming pool, guest laundry and will reflect Holiday Inn’s new look and feel. The hotel is only the second next-generation Holiday Inn in the state—the first was launched in November 2005 at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites College Station-Aggieland. We are delighted that Clinton Investments and Holiday...

Travelers Insurance Leases Intellicenter at Westway Park

noemail@wolffcompanies.com — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 16:00:00 GMT

The second largest writer of auto and homeowners insurance through independent agents, Travelers Insurance has leased Intellicenter-Houston in Westway Park, a master-planned development by Wolff Companies. St. Paul Travelers Companies will take possession of the LEED certified building in July, consolidating four offices in the metro region into one convenient location. Koll Development Company (KDC), a leading nationwide commercial real estate firm, and Prudential Real Estate Services are developing Intellicenter-Houston, a 158,000 square foot, three-story office building currently being constructed at 4650 Westway Park Boulevard. This project is part of the Intellicenter national building program that has an estimated total price tag of $200 million. Fortune 500 companies and leading tenant reps gave KDC input to come up with the design, branded the Intellicenter. Gensler is the architect, along with St. Louis-based Forum Studio Inc. Travelers Insurance’s new offices...

KTBU-TV Channel 55 The Tube to Broadcast Out of Westway Park

noemail@wolffcompanies.com — Thu, 21 Dec 2006 19:00:00 GMT

HOUSTON (Dec. 21, 2006) – Following its recent purchase of KTBU-TV Channel 55 “The Tube” and Channel 55 Production Company Inc., USFR Media Group is moving its headquarters to Westway Park, a 150-acre, mixed-use office park developed by Wolff Companies at the intersection of the Sam Houston Tollway and Clay Road, between Interstate 10 and U.S. 290. The 30,000-square foot building at 11150 Equity Drive will serve as broadcast headquarters for both KTBU and America One Television Network, another USFR Media Group Holding. Earlier this year, USFR Media Group purchased this Westway Park property, which served as the home of News 24 Houston until Time Warner’s 24-hour news channel ceased operations in 2004. The open facility offered a high-tech headquarters suitable for broadcasting in leading-edge digital media. KTBU-TV Channel 55 is available over the air, on cable and satellite networks, while America One Television Network has 167 affiliates nationwide. ...

Firefighters Federal Credit Union Building Open in Interwood

noemail@wolffcompanies.com — Wed, 22 Nov 2006 19:00:00 GMT

Houston (Nov. 22, 2006) - The newest branch of the Houston Firefighters Federal Credit Union is now open in Interwood, a mixed-use business park developed by Wolff Companies on over 440 acres at the entrance to George Bush Intercontinental Airport. This new facility is located at 15100 Heathrow Forest Parkway, standing adjacent to the Houston Firefighters’ Relief and Retirement Fund headquarters. Interwood proved an ideal setting for the Houston Firefighters Relief and Retirement Fund’s offices and its deeply moving heroes’ memorial to fallen firefighters. Clinton C. Hartmann, CEO of the Houston Texas Fire Fighters Federal Credit Union, said the expansion to include the Credit Union was a logical choice. Designed to echo the traditional, red brick firehouse, the full-service financial institution serves Houston firefighters, retirees and their immediate families. Joe Jacobs of Jacobs-Keller Architecture, served as the project designer. The Credit...

Carolyn Wolff Dorros and Elizabeth Wolff Rogers Join Wolff Companies

noemail@wolffcompanies.com — Mon, 20 Nov 2006 20:00:00 GMT

HOUSTON (September 20, 2006) – Wolff Companies, Inc. today announced that Carolyn Wolff Dorros has joined the firm as Assistant Chief Financial Officer. This appointment follows last month’s hiring of Elizabeth Wolff Rogers as the firm’s new Development Associate. “I am delighted to have Carolyn and Elizabeth working with us,” said Chairman and President David S. Wolff, who founded Wolff Companies, Inc. in 1970. “They are intelligent, hard-working young women who have grown up in the business. I am confident that they will bring new perspectives and energy to the firm.” Prior to joining Wolff Companies, Ms. Dorros worked as Administrative Director of Neurosciences at Stanford Hospital and Clinics. She began her career with positions at Medsite.com and APM/CSC Healthcare. Ms. Dorroa graduated Cum Laude from Dartmouth College prior to receiving an MBA from Harvard Business School. Ms. Rogers came to Wolff Companies after working in real...

Wolff Companies Sells Westway Park Property to Dienna Nelson Augustine

noemail@wolffcompanies.com — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 19:00:00 GMT

HOUSTON (Nov. 8, 2006) - Wolff Companies and Dienna Nelson Augustine Company have completed the acquisition by DNA of a nine-acre property in Westway Park, a 150-acre, mixed-use office park at the intersection of the Sam Houston Tollway and Clay Road, between Interstate 10 and U.S. 290. Dienna Nelson Augustine will break ground on a 144,000 square foot, three-story multi-tenant office building on this property, located at the northeast corner of the Sam Houston Tollway and Equity Drive near the Sam Houston Tollway/Clay Road interchange in mid-November. Dienna Nelson Augustine Company showcases an impressive list of recent development projects in Houston, and the Westway Park structure will mark its third in a Wolff Companies business park. The other two projects, build-to-suit facilities for Federal Express and First Health, reside in Interwood, a densely wooded, 440-acre master-planned business park developed by Wolff Companies at the doorstep of George Bush Intercontinental...

Compass Bank Deposits New Branch at First Crossing

noemail@wolffcompanies.com — Wed, 30 Aug 2006 19:00:00 GMT

Sugar Land, TX (August 30, 2006) — Today Compass Bank opened its doors to customers in First Crossing, the 65-acre, master-planned business development by Wolff Companies, bringing a third major financial center to the park. Capitalizing upon First Crossing’s robust retail business and major intersection access, Compass Bank, Chase Bank and Texas State Bank anchor the intersection of University Blvd. and State Hwy 6 South within a block of U.S. 90 A. First Crossing followed the footsteps of all the successful Wolff Companies master-planned developments, going from inception to completion and selling out in six years. “We saw the potential for the Sugar Land/6 Commercial Corridor, and we have been pleased with how the market responded,” said David W. Hightower, Executive Vice President of Wolff Companies. “Proximity to three major transportation routes and the booming residential population of Ft. Bend County makes this the natural path for commercial...

Wolff Companies, Inc. Names Elizabeth B. Wolff Development Associate

noemail@wolffcompanies.com — Tue, 01 Aug 2006 19:00:00 GMT

HOUSTON (August 1, 2006) – Wolff Companies, Inc. today announced that Elizabeth B. Wolff has joined the firm as Development Associate.

Ms. Wolff joins Wolff Companies after working for Fremont Realty Capital, in real estate private equity placements. Previously, she worked in acquisition and development for Legacy Partners in California and Colorado. Ms. Wolff began her career with Catellus Development Corporation, assisting with the 303-acre Mission Bay development with a total budget of more than $4 billion.

Ms. Wolff earned Master’s Degrees in Real Estate Development and City Planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from Amherst College, where she graduated Magna Cum Laude with Distinction.

Park 10 Regional Business Center Capitalizes on Energy Industry Growth

noemail@wolffcompanies.com — Wed, 24 May 2006 14:00:00 GMT

Activity in the Park 10 Regional Business Center escalated at the end 2005 and continued to build momentum during the first quarter of 2006. More than one million square feet of new projects are underway or soon to be announced, including: Peyton Cottrell Interests is developing a major retail center, Bally Park 10 at the corner of I-10 and Barker Cypress Road. When complete the 150,000 square foot retail center is planned to include a new full-service Bally Health Club, restaurants, financial services, offices and general retail. Opus West is constructing Ten West Corporate Center II, a 250,000 square foot, five-story class A office building on Houston Chronicle Boulevard. Mustang Engineering, an international engineering services company, will occupy 200,000 square feet of the building. Mustang Engineering and its parent company, Wood Group, already have a very strong presence in the regional business center, including being the principal tenant in Ten West Corporate...

Master Plan Maps North Houston Growth

noemail@wolffcompanies.com — Mon, 03 Apr 2006 19:00:00 GMT

Despite Houstons reputation as a city of unplanned growth, some of the best-laid plans have resulted in high quality real estate developments in and around this city. These planned environments created livable communities, highly functional business parks and real estate markets whose values appreciate over time. The Woodlands is one of the oldest examples of a carefully controlled and planned development, but this exurb out beyond the suburbs is a satellite community whose recent growth has been largely independent of Houston. Southwest and West Houston are well known for large, established master-planned residential and business environments. Over the past two decades, the enduring popularity of the Energy Corridor and Ft. Bend County have demonstrated the appeal of well-planned commercial, residential and retail developments. In the next decade, North Houston will join the ranks of the citys best-planned areas. The building blocks are in place, offering fundamentals required to...

BJ Services Company Moves Global Headquarters to Westway Park

noemail@wolffcompanies.com — Fri, 17 Mar 2006 20:00:00 GMT

A convoy of moving vans rolled today to Westway Park, a

Wolff Companies development, as BJ Services Company (NYSE: BJS), relocated its global headquarters to the West Sam Houston Tollway at Clay Road. The move puts BJ Services in company with numerous other corporate and regional headquarters of both US and international companies.

BJ Services Company employs more than 13,000 people who provide oilfield services through domestic and international locations to customers in most of the major oil and natural gas producing regions of the United States, Canada, Latin America, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Middle East. With annual revenue exceeding $3 billion, the company is a leading provider of pressure pumping and other oilfield services to the petroleum industry.

The corporate relocation of BJ Services Company to its 85,500-square-foot facility on 11 heavily wooded acres is the latest of several headquarters changes of address for Westway Park. Adjacent to the BJ Services building is the 215,000 square-foot, class A headquarters of the Cameron division of Cooper-Cameron. Westway Park also is Western Hemisphere headquarters for London-based Invensys, a technology, instrumentation and controls company with more than $ 9 billion in total assets.

"The master-planned environment of Westway Park is attractive to corporate heavyweights because it offers a campus-like setting and strict quality standards for architecture, signage, landscaping and green space," said the park’s developer, David S. Wolff.

The development also provides retail, luxury apartments and hotel accommodations, with fitness facilities and other services available in the immediate area. In addition, the Carolyn Wolff Park nature preserve located within Westway Park, won national honors from Keep America Beautiful for permanently protecting an arbor of more than 80 trees over 100 years old.

In the past year, Westway Park has added four new global and U.S. headquarters locations. More than 75% of Westway Park land has sold, and only a few prime locations on the Tollway and on Clay Road remaining.

Independence Celebrates its History with Baylor Park Dedication

noemail@wolffcompanies.com — Thu, 02 Mar 2006 20:00:00 GMT

Independence, TX (Mar. 2, 2006) — On Saturday, Mar. 25, Independence, Texas, will celebrate its pivotal role in early Texas history. “A Day in Historic Independence” will feature the dedication of the new Baylor Park on Windmill Hill and the opening of the Independence Village walking trail. Independence is located 12 miles northeast of Brenham at the intersection of FM 390 and FM 50 in Washington County. Independence’s Baylor Park on Windmill Hill stands at the site of the original Baylor University campus, which later became the male campus before its move to Waco. Three of Baylor’s presidents will attend the event, with newly appointed Dr. John M. Lilley joining William Underwood and Herbert Reynolds for the park dedication. “A Day in Historic Independence” will be filled with family activities and refreshments from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., with the dedication ceremonies for the “Baylor Park on Windmill Hill” taking place at 2 p.m....

Green Building Growth Continues in Westway Park

noemail@wolffcompanies.com — Tue, 10 Jan 2006 21:00:00 GMT

Wolff Companies announced today that Satterfield & Pontikes Construction, Inc. has acquired a four-acre site in Westway Park, a 150-acre master-planned development along the West Sam Houston Tollway. Satterfield & Pontikes plan to build a 60,000-square foot green building for its headquarters, which will mark the third project of this kind at Westway Park. Dan Boyles and Griff Bandy of NAI Houston represented the seller, Invensys, PLC, and Ron McWherter of CB Richard Ellis represented Satterfield & Pontikes in the transaction. Designed by Kirksey, the three-story building will be created using virtual design and meet standards set by the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) as a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified building. Green buildings adhere to strict construction and design standards determined by the USGBC, aimed at promoting buildings that are high-performing and sustainable, environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy for all. ...

Kelsey-Seybold Opens First Crossing Medical Center

noemail@wolffcompanies.com — Tue, 03 Jan 2006 20:00:00 GMT

First Crossing, the 65-acre, master-planned business development by Wolff Companies, has enhanced its service to the Sugar Land community with the opening of the Kelsey-Seybold Fort Bend Medical and Diagnostic Center. In other recent First Crossing developments, the new Compass Bank financial center has commenced construction. The 75,000-square-foot, three-story medical office building, built on 8.5 acres along University Boulevard near the major intersection of State Hwy 6 South and U.S. 90 A, will continue the Kelsey-Seybold tradition of bringing together primary care, specialty care and diagnostic services in one convenient location. We know that many of our patients are pressed for time, said Spencer Berthelsen, M.D., Chairman of the Kelsey-Seybold Board of Directors. Offering a broad selection of services is key to saving our patients time. With our new facilities in The Woodlands, Spring, and Fort Bend County, patients can visit their physicians, have labs drawn or diagnostic...