Robert J. Heineman, vice president of planning for The Woodlands Development Company, was awarded the prestigious Mitchell Award at The Woodlands 2010 Celebration of Excellence at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center. The annual event is a benefit for Interfaith of The Woodlands.

The Mitchell Award was created to honor those who have made invaluable contributions to the development of The Woodlands community. The honor comes with the enthusiastic approval of George P. Mitchell, The Woodlands’ founder, and the Mitchell family.

Heineman is the second recipient of the award, which will be given from time to time as appropriate, rather than annually. The first recipient was Michael G. Page, who was honored in 2009.

The award was presented to Heineman by Alex Sutton and Tim Welbes, co-presidents of The Woodlands Development Company. The award is a smaller version of the deer sculptures that stand at the main entries to The Woodlands. It was crafted of bronze by Edd Hayes, the local sculptor who created the larger deer sculptures.

Heineman has been involved in the planning of The Woodlands from its inception, encompassing more than 38 years with The Woodlands Development Company. He has been vice president of planning for the past 26 years. Heineman has been recognized by his peers for “dramatically shaping The Woodlands into an international model for community development.” His now famous early drawing of The Woodlands Town Center laid the groundwork for the 1,000-acre Town Center and development of The Woodlands Waterway.

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SOHO is the newest hot spot for women’s clothing at Market Street where shoppers can experience the service of a locally owned business while shopping the brands and styles of Hollywood’s fashion forward.

The 3,388-square-foot store, which is located between J. Crew and Cos Bar, features a variety of tops, dresses and accessories as well as shirts, hats and bags for men. Shoppers can find an equally impressive selection of denim from brands like Seven for all Mankind, Joes Jeans, J Brand, Hudson and Citizens of Humanity.

This is SOHO’s third store in the greater Houston area. The Market Street location opened in November.

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The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion ranked second in a listing of the top 100 amphitheaters in the world based on the number of tickets sold through the third quarter of the year, according to Pollstar magazine, the concert industry’s leading trade publication. The Pavilion’s ticket sales totaled 307,489 for shows played between Jan. 1, 2010, and Sept. 30, 2010.

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The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center received Smart Meetings magazine’s 2010 Platinum Choice award. This prestigious award recognizes the top 100 hotels in the U.S., Canada and Mexico that went above and beyond in service, amenities and facilities.

Out of thousands of properties vying for the award, The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center was chosen by meeting planners for its excellence in guest services, meeting venues, recreational activities, food and beverage offerings and overall facility quality.

Smart Meetings magazine, a monthly trade magazine for meeting professionals, will feature the Platinum Choice winners in its December issue.

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The Economic Development Partnership held its Quarterly Partner Luncheon at The Woodlands Resort & Conference Center. The luncheon topic was an update on the banking industry today in South Montgomery County. Guest speakers were Bart Griffith, executive vice president  First Community Bank; Ed Jones, executive vice president Woodforest National Bank; Dale Rahlfs, senior vice president and regional credit officer First Victoria National Bank; Brad Thompson, vice president, loan team manager North Houston RBCO with Wells Fargo; and Jill Vaughan, senior vice president, regional executive with Amegy Bank of Texas. Mike Karlins, partner with Karlins and Ramey LLC, was the moderator.

The panel of executives updated attendees on the current status of the economy, liquidity, real estate, capital requirements, and the credit market in relation to banking.

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Live Smart, Retire Rich: In today’s volatile economy, many Americans are unequipped to navigate through the country’s financial ups and downs, much less put anything aside for retirement. They rely too heavily on intangibles such as future Social Security income, a speedy and lasting economic recovery or continuing to work past retirement age.

Daniel Goodwin, a resident of The Woodlands and president and owner of Goodwin Financial Group, has written Live Smart Retire Rich: Learn The Secrets That The Wealthy Use To Secure Your Own Financial Future Now! — a financial “how-to” guide for “non-money experts.” It offers a candid approach to implementing comprehensive financial and retirement planning strategies.

Live Smart Retire Rich exposes the strategies the wealthy use to stay wealthy, no matter the economic environment, including how to leverage assets and create additional wealth, preserve accounts from unnecessary risks and taxes, utilize the expertise of an “all-star” professional team to optimize investments, structure a life savings to provide an income that lasts the entirety of retirement and much more.

“I initially wrote the book for my son and daughter,” said Goodwin. “I wanted to write down life lessons about personal finance, money and investing for them in the event I was not here to teach them myself.” But after recent declines in the economy and 20 years of experience reviewing the personal finances of his clients, Goodwin realized this collection of life lessons could improve the financial livelihood of countless people nationwide.

“According to statistics, only two in five people are on track for a financially sound retirement. That means that approximately 180 million Americans are not, and will not be, prepared. Far too many great people in this great land of ours are not ready for the future ahead of them. Too many of our country’s heroes — men and women who served our military, teachers and law enforcement officials — will face dire financial circumstances in their golden years as living costs rise, investments falter and incomes diminish. Too many parents are not empowered to teach their children money principles, as we cannot give something away that we do not possess,” Goodwin said. “I know what kind of shape we are in as a nation with personal finance. I know many of our families have negative savings rates and are in no way on track for the financial demands the future will hold.”

Live Smart Retire Rich is available at Barnes & Noble and through Amazon.com.