Megan Lichenstein has been named event specialist for The Woodlands Township and The Woodlands Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Lichenstein will produce The Woodlands CVB events as well as select events for The Woodlands Township. A resident of The Woodlands, she is a graduate of Texas A&M University where she received her Bachelor of Science in Recreation, Park & Tourism Sciences. Most recently she served as facility/program supervisor for the city of College Station Parks & Recreation Department.

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Eric R. Thiergood Sr. has been promoted to senior associate attorney at The Strong Firm, P.C. Thiergood joined the business law firm in 2005 as a law clerk, and became an associate attorney in 2007. He received his Juris Doctorate from the South Texas College of Law and is licensed to practice law in the state of Texas and in the United States Federal District and Bankruptcy Courts for the Southern District of Texas.

Having lived in Spain, Thiergood is fluent in Spanish and uses this skill in his work with some of the firm’s international Spanish-speaking clients.

His areas of practice include business mergers, acquisitions, and sales; commercial real estate; contract law; commercial lending and borrowing; the formation operation and termination of corporations, limited liability companies and partnerships; and oil, gas and energy law.

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Jennifer Lane Hart, M.D.,a family medicine physician, has joined Memorial Hermann Medical Group in The Woodlands. A former member of Sadler Clinic, native Texan Dr. Hart is a graduate of The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) Medical School and completed her training in family medicine at Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University in Greenville, N.C.

A member of the American Academy of Family Physicians and the American Medical Association, Hart has special interests in wellness and preventive medicine. Dr. Hart sees patients 5 years and older. She encourages her patients to openly discuss their concerns and makes patient and family education a priority.

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The South Montgomery County Woodlands Chamber of Commerce announced that seven individuals have been elected to its Board of Directors for three-year terms beginning Sept. 1, which is the beginning of The Chamber’s fiscal year.

The Nominating Team was composed of nine members — four are appointed from The Chamber membership-at-large and five are from the current Board of Directors. This year, Immediate Past Chairman Nina Marino headed the team.

The newest board members are Michael Barnhill, Dawn Candy, Jeffrey Garrett, Debbie Kaschik, Jill Liccioni, Linda Manhardt Nelson and Dr. Don Stockton.

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The Howard Hughes Corporation has announced that The Woodlands Development Company, a wholly-owned subsidiary, will begin construction of a 66-acre mixed-use development called Hughes Landing at Lake Woodlands. Hughes Landing is envisioned to be a dynamic destination, with up to eight office buildings, a boutique hotel, numerous retail and entertainment venues offering high-end specialty stores and multi-family residential housing.

“Hughes Landing is well-situated at the upper east end of Lake Woodlands, just north of the well-established East Shore residential community,” said Paul Layne, executive vice president of master-planned communities for The Howard Hughes Corporation.“Panoramic lake views and a planned boardwalk and pier will create a cosmopolitan, pedestrian-friendly setting where people will enjoy the opportunity to live, work, shop, dine and be entertained.”

Construction of the first office building, One Hughes Landing, is scheduled to begin this fall, with completion planned for the fourth quarter of 2013. Planned to be LEED Silver certified, the eight-story, 195,227-square-foot Class A building is being designed by Gensler of Houston.                  “There is clearly a strong demand for office space in The Woodlands, with our newest building, 3 Waterway Square, already 90% leased prior to opening next June,” Layne said.

3 Waterway Square Place is a 232,000-square-foot Class A building situated in The Waterway Square District in Town Center.

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CDC Houston, a subsidiary of Coventry Development Corporation, New York and developer of 1,800-acre, master-planned community Springwoods Village announced the three builders selected for the first phase of sustainable residences located 30 miles north of downtown Houston, adjacent to the ExxonMobil campus under construction.

The Springwoods Village development team named Taylor Morrison for large, single-family luxury homes; Sullivan Brothers Builders for its new-urbanist, mixed-lot residential community; and Martin Fein Interests  for luxury multi-family properties.

During the proposal phase, community builders were asked to demonstrate a proven ability to design and build sustainable housing products that appeal to a growing number of eco-conscious homebuyers ranging from working parents with growing families and frequent-traveler executives in need of a near-office base, to empty-nesters ready to downsize and singles who want the inner-loop lifestyle closer to their north-of-town workplaces.

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‹The Woodlands Area Economic Development Partnership held its Quarterly Partner Luncheon at The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center. The luncheon topic was an update on the law enforcement efforts being made in Montgomery County, the state, and the nation.

Guest speakers were Sheriff Tommy Gage of Montgomery County, Lt. Kevin Pullen with the Texas Rangers, Capt. Terry Truett with the Texas Department of Public Safety, and Special Agent Bryan Finnegan with the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  Bruce Tough, chairman of the Board with The Woodlands Township moderated the program. The panel of officials updated attendees on each of the agencies responsibilities, their focus, as well as how they coordinate their efforts with each other to help keep the county safe.

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A groundbreaking ceremony was held for the new Lake Conroe Fire Department Station in Woodforest with area officials, firemen and residents on hand for the event.

Actual construction of the station, the fourth for the fire department, is expected to take about seven months to complete. The facility will have two garage bays, kitchen, workout facility and space to sleep up to eight firemen.

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Silver Rock Productions created a video for Children’s Safe Harbor that helps explain the services the child advocacy center provides. Entitled “I Have A Voice,” the video was produced by Mike Huffine, Brian Falcon and Scott Ellison along with the Children’s Safe Harbor board member Andrea Fry.

The video garnered an Award of Distinction in the film/video category of the 2012 Communicator Awards, which honors excellence in marketing and communications.

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The Woodlands Township’s Riva Row Boat House has been selected as one of the host sites for the Texas Nature Challenge.

The goal of Texas Nature Challenge is to get families and kids outdoors by visiting as many participating parks and nature areas in Texas as they can this summer. At each site, participants complete activities designed for family fun and nature exploration. Participation prizes will be awarded at the closing ceremonies for most sites visited, best scrapbook, best photo and more.

To enter, teams must complete an official Nature Challenge registration form online at texasnaturechallenge.org. Teams must consist of at least two family members, with one family member 18 or older, and one family member under the age of 18.

Teams will take a self-guided tour from Riva Row Boat House to Lake Woodlands and back on kayaks. Along the journey,
they will journal about the experience, take photographs, and speak with staff at the Boat House.

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The Beach Boys, one of the world’s most legendary bands, reunited for their 50th Anniversary Tour with a performance at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. The band is touring together for the first time in more than two decades.

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The Woodlands Township officially reopened Sawmill Park, a 1.6-acre park located in the Village of Grogan’s Mill, after it had been closed for several months for extensive renovations. The park carries the Sawmill theme throughout.

New amenities include: a sprayground; one new tennis court; tennis gazebo; expanded playground; expanded baby pool with spray features and beach entry; climbing wall to the large pool; expanded shade structure at baby pool; two new parking lots and additional pathways; and basketball and volleyball courts (relocated from original location). Improvements to the park include: renovated landscaping, as well as pavilion and park restrooms.

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Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate announced that Gary Greene, REALTORS has joined its growing franchise network. Owned by Mark Woodroof and Marilyn Eiland, the former Prudential Real Estate Services affiliate will now operate as Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gary Greene. Through the years, the brokerage has grown to encompass 20 offices and more than 850 agents, all serving the Houston market. In May 2012, REAL Trends magazine ranked the company among the top 60 residential real estate brokerages in the United States in both sales volume ($1.58 billion) and transaction sides (6,509) for 2011.

Founded in 1963, Gary Greene, REALTORS will celebrate its 50th anniversary next year. The company actively supports Sunshine Kids™, raising more than $3 million for the nonprofit organization dedicated to providing activities, trips and events for young cancer patients.

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Memorial Hermann The Woodlands celebrated and recognized its staff with the annual Excellence Awards in recognition of National Hospital Week. A total of 24 employees were nominated by their peers, hospital volunteers or physicians for exceeding expectations.

Honorees performed consistently in a manner that reflects the values of Memorial Hermann and demonstrate superior service every day to patients and their loved ones.