- TBG Partners promotes Kent Mendenhall to principal at Dallas/Fort Worth office

TBG LogoDALLAS, December 22, 2009 – TBG Partners, one of Texas’ top landscape architecture and planning firms, has promoted Kent T. Mendenhall, RLA, Associate AIA, to principal at the firm’s Dallas/Fort Worth office. A vital member of the firm for nearly five years, Kent has 15 years of experience designing and planning all project types with a distinct focus on hospitality and resort destinations.

As principal, Kent will continue to manage the landscape design process for many complex projects within the Dallas/Fort Worth office, including two current projects: the Grand Solmar Lands End Resort & Spa in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, an exclusive oceanfront destination along the Baja Peninsula’s southernmost tip, and the 1,000-room Dallas Convention Center Hotel, which is considered the third anchor of the city’s plan to revitalize downtown.

Originally from Kansas, Kent draws from extensive international experience and a respect for historic forms to create a dynamic design context, which is then accented with contemporary details. Prior to joining TBG Partners, Kent lived on the West Coast and served as lead designer on complex resort projects in exotic destinations in the Far East, South America, Polynesia and Africa.

Kent received his Bachelor of Landscape Architecture from Kansas State University, is a licensed landscape architect in Texas and California, and is an Associate Member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA).

About TBG Partners

As Texas’ top landscape architecture and planning firm, TBG Partners designs mixed-use and residential communities, corporate campuses, civic buildings, resorts, healthcare and educational facilities, city parks and historic sites. With a strong commitment to the advancement of sustainable design principles, TBG encourages its employees to become LEED Accredited Professionals and its clients to utilize green building practices for their projects. Established in 1987, TBG has offices in Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. For more information, please visit www.tbg-inc.com.

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Media Contact: Claire Bloxom
claire@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191

December 22nd, 2009 | Tags: | No Comments »

- TBG Partners announces several promotions in Texas, including new principal at Dallas office

TBG LogoAUSTIN, December 22, 2009 – TBG Partners, one Texas’ top landscape architecture and planning firms, has promoted several employees at three of its four Texas offices. In Dallas/Fort Worth, Kent T. Mendenhall has been promoted to principal; in Houston, Yan Long and Kinoto Miyakoda have been promoted to associates; and in Austin, Jacob Walker, Jeff Raudabaugh and Justin Lindabury have been promoted to associates.

With more than 15 years of industry experience, Kent T. Mendenhall, RLA, Associate AIA, has extensive experience designing and planning all project types with a distinct focus on hospitality and resort destinations.  As a principal in the Dallas/Fort Worth office, Kent will manage the landscape design process for many complex projects, including the Grand Solmar Lands End Resort & Spa in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, an exclusive oceanfront destination along the Baja Peninsula’s southernmost tip, and the 1,000-room Dallas Convention Center Hotel, which is considered the third anchor of the city’s plan to revitalize downtown. Kent has been with TBG for nearly five years and holds a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture from Kansas State University.

An integral member of the firm’s Houston office for the past three years, Yan Long, LEED-AP, is responsible for the creation of schematic design studies, design development concepts, construction document drawings and graphic renderings for multiple projects types. Current projects include the Over Yonder Cay, a 74-acre private residential/golf island being developed in Exuma, Bahamas, and Elk Valley Casino Resort, located along northern California’s rugged coastline and nestled in the Redwoods in Crescent City, Calif.  Yan holds a bachelor’s degree in Architecture from South China University of Technology and a master’s degree in Landscape Architecture from Texas A&M University.

Kinoto Miyakoda’s, ASLA, responsibilities as an associate in Houston include the design and management of several civic, urban/mixed-use, park and hospitality projects, such as Eastern Regional Park  in League City, Texas; Wind Creek Resort & Casino in Atmore, Alabama; and Telfair, a 2,018-acre single-family, mixed-use community in Sugar Land, Texas.  Kinoto graduated from Louisiana State University with a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture.

As an associate in the firm’s Austin office, Justin Lindabury, LEED-AP, is responsible for design development, project coordination, construction documents and construction observation of various landscape architecture and planning projects, including Cinco Ranch Southwest, a 2,000-acre master planned community in Katy, Texas, and Eilers Park, a rectangular-shaped park in the “hip pocket” of Deep Eddy pool and Town Lake in Austin. Justin has been with TBG for nearly four years and holds a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture from Louisiana State University.

As an associate in the Austin office, Jeff Raudabaugh, SEGD, is responsible for the environmental graphic design and communication graphics of various landscape architecture and planning projects. Current projects include Austin Community College’s Round Rock Campus, West Chase Park in Houston and Hyatt Reunion Tower in Dallas.  Jeff has been employed with TBG for three years.

Lastly, associate Jacob Walker, LEED-AP, is responsible for construction drawings, construction observation and 3-D sketch work for a variety of healthcare, civic, park and commercial projects, including TBG’s design of Republic Square in Austin and the Williamson County roadway system. Jacob has been employed at TBG for almost five years and holds a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture from Purdue University.

About TBG Partners

As one of Texas’ top landscape architecture and planning firms, TBG Partners designs mixed-use and residential communities, corporate campuses, civic buildings, hotels, resorts, healthcare and educational facilities, city parks and historic sites. With 26 LEED Accredited Professionals on staff, TBG works to incorporate sustainable design principles into each project.  Established in 1987, TBG is staffed by nearly 100 professionals in Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio.  For more information, please visit www.tbg-inc.com.

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Media Contact: Claire Bloxom
claire@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191

December 22nd, 2009 | Tags: | No Comments »

- Uptown Players presents annual “Broadway Our Way” fundraiser

Uptown Players LogoDALLAS - December 21, 2009 – Uptown Players kicks off its ninth season with its annual fundraiser Broadway Our Way: Valley of the Divas, held January 15 – 24, 2010. This production marks the first of three productions that Uptown Players will present at the historic Kalita Humphreys Theater, former home of the Dallas Theater Center. This move will allow Uptown Players to continue its tradition of high quality, innovative and challenging theater while maximizing the facilities offered by the Kalita Humphreys.

“Broadway Our Way has been a complete sell-out for the past six years, so this year the show is moving to the larger Kalita Humphreys Theater,” said Jeff Rane, Uptown Players’ co-founder. “In many ways, the Kalita Humphreys is an ideal venue for Uptown Players. We will remain close to our community and hopefully attract new patrons. The increased space, both on stage and in the audience, allows us to expand our offerings and welcome more theater-goers to each performance.”

The Uptown divas return for another entertaining evening of Broadway music with plenty of twists, laughs and surprises. Broadway Our Way: Valley of the Divas will be hosted by the incredibly funny and talented B.J. Cleveland and Coy Covington and will feature nearly 30 songs from new Broadway hits such as Legally Blonde, Cry Baby, Hairspray, Little Women and Toxic Avenger, as well as classic favorites like Damn Yankees, Into The Woods, Fosse and Hair.

This year’s cast includes Beth Albright, Andi Allen, Patty Breckenridge, Kayla Carlyle, B. J. Cleveland, Coy Covington, John de los Santos, Stephanie Hall, Melissa Jobe, Natalie King, Jeff Kinman, Drew Kelly, Linda Leonard, Kelly McCain, Cedric Neal, Chad Peterson, David Plunkett, Stephanie Riggs, Darius Robinson, Thomas Renner, Sara Shelby-Martin, Cara Serber, Amy Stevenson, Rick Starkweather, Michael Tuck, Angel Velasco and Wendy Welch. Broadway Our Way is written and directed by Andi Allen with music direction by Kevin Gunter and Adam Wright and choreography by John de Los Santos.

The evening also features a gallery of more than 50 terrific auction prizes, including theatre tickets, restaurant gift certificates, hotel stays and much more! A reception follows each performance.

The production runs January 15 – 24, 2010, with shows at 8 p.m. Thursdays through Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Performances take place at the Kalita Humphreys Theater, 3636 Turtle Creek Blvd (entrance off Blackburn), Dallas, TX 75219.  Tickets are $40, including the post-performance reception, and can be purchased online at www.uptownplayers.org or by phone at (214) 219-2718.

About Uptown Players

Now entering its ninth season, Uptown Players has gathered a dedicated following with an annual audience base of more than 12,000 patrons, including nearly 1,000 season subscribers. The response from the community and critics has been remarkable, including more than 25 Leon Rabin Awards from the Dallas Theatre League, several hundred “The Column” Awards and 15 Theatre Critics Forum Awards in its first seven seasons. Uptown Players has also been named the best theatre company by the Dallas Voice Readers Awards for the past three years and by the Dallas Observer in 2004 and 2005. Uptown Players is a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization, presenting plays and musicals that challenge audiences artistically, build cultural bridges, and strive to create greater positive public awareness and acceptance through the performing arts. There is no other theater group with this unique mission in the Dallas area.

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Media Contact: Nina Koch
nina@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191

December 21st, 2009 | Tags: | No Comments »

- Ben E. Keith joins forces with Tarrant Area Food Bank to host holiday food drive

Ben E. Keith employees are collecting food items for the charity; More than 100 volunteers will be working shifts at the food bank during the drive

Ben E. Keith LogoFORT WORTH, Texas, December 11, 2009 – Fort Worth-based Ben E. Keith Beverages (Ben E. Keith), one of Tarrant County’s largest private companies, has signed on with the Tarrant Area Food Bank (TAFB) to host a holiday food drive. Ben E. Keith employees are collecting and donating food items to help Tarrant County residents in need of nourishment during the holiday season. Additionally, more than 100 employees have volunteered to work alongside the TAFB as part of an all Ben E. Keith employee work crew on December 14 and 15. Volunteers will inspect, sort and box donated food to feed thousands of North Texas families in need.

“We have been doing business in Fort Worth for more than 100 years and the community has always shown us tremendous support. We feel very blessed that we are able to give back by supporting to the Tarrant Area Food Bank,” said John Pritchett, general manager of Ben E. Keith Beverages Fort Worth division. “It’s very important to us to help out whenever we can, especially during these hard economic times where more and more families need these charities to keep food on the table.”

The TAFB strives to eliminate hunger in Fort Worth and 13 surrounding counties by providing food, education and other resources to a network of partner charities and their communities. As a central clearinghouse for donated food and groceries, the TAFB receives fresh, frozen and nonperishable food donated by the food industry and the community. All donations serve abuse victims, children, the elderly, the chronically ill, the unemployed, the working poor, the homeless and other North Texans in need.

“It is so important for local companies, like Ben E. Keith, to get involved and do what they can to help. The reputation and influence they have within our community really encourages others to follow their example,” said Bo Soderbergh, executive director of the Tarrant Area Food Bank. “Ben E. Keith employees are not only donating food items, but their time as well. Charitable actions like this allow us to continue to provide Tarrant County residents in need with food.”

About Ben E. Keith Beverage Distributors

Ben E. Keith Company, established in 1906, began selling Anheuser-Busch products in 1933. Today, Ben E. Keith Company – Beverage Distributors is one of the largest independent Anheuser-Busch wholesalers in the country. The company also distributes import beers, craft beers, wine products and nonalcoholic beverages. With 11 regional branches in Texas including Abilene, Austin, Commerce, Dallas, Denton, Fort Worth, Houston, Llano, Palestine, El Paso and Waco, the company operates throughout the state of Texas. For more information, please visit http://www.benekeith.com/beverage.

About Tarrant Area Food Bank

Founded in 1982 as a nonprofit clearinghouse for donated food, Tarrant Area Food Bank is the primary source of food for 300 major hunger-relief programs in Fort Worth and13 surrounding counties. Each month, this network of charities provides emergency groceries to more than 40,000 households and serves 625,000 meals and snacks on their own sites.  During the past year (2009), the number of families served by pantries increased 25 percent. For more information, please visit www.tafb.org, or call 817-332-9177.

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Media Contact: Diana DuBois
diana@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191

December 11th, 2009 | Tags: | No Comments »

- Construction underway for new trailhead entrance at five-acre Twelve Hills Nature Center in Dallas

Designed by TBG Partners, the in-town urban preserve will provide open-air gathering and learning spaces for students from nearby schools, scout troops, early childhood and community programs

TBG LogoDALLAS, December 9, 2009 – Construction is underway for a new trailhead entrance and other improvements at Twelve Hills Nature Center, a five-acre urban preserve located in the north Oak Cliff area of Dallas. Once complete in early 2010, it will serve as an outdoor classroom and passive recreational area open to the public, educating adults and children about environmental stewardship and community building through the grassroots creation and maintenance of a native Texas Blackland Prairie and small wetland. It will also provide open-air gathering and learning space for students from nearby schools, scout troops, early childhood and community programs.

Twelve Hills’ master plan was designed through a partnership between the north Oak Cliff community, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Halff Associates, and TBG Partners’ Dallas office, a landscape architectural and land planning firm that designed the trailhead entrance and also provided pro-bono services for the design and construction documentation of Twelve Hills.

The seeds for Twelve Hills were planted eight years ago when neighbors from north Oak Cliff met to discuss the fate of a 20-acre vacant tract of land located behind Rosemont Elementary School. After years of negotiations between community leaders and government officials, the area now represents one of the finest examples of urban planning in Dallas. Dallas Independent School District (DISD) purchased 10 acres to build a much-needed primary school, a neighborhood developer purchased five acres on which to build new homes, and the Twelve Hills organization purchased five additional acres to create an urban oasis to serve as a rich wildlife habitat and environmental education area for local school children. Twelve Hills currently has educational and walking trails, as well as newly planted trees and a newly installed birdhouse built by neighborhood scout troops.

After four years of fundraising efforts and design work, construction has begun on its $250,000 trailhead entrance, which will be the only major permanent structure located at Twelve Hills. The new gateway entrance/trailhead was designed to create a prominent sense of arrival and to draw people from all directions into the urban prairie. It will have an emphasis on sustainable building techniques and will be used for outdoor programming, interpretive graphics, founder and donor recognition, local art display and other recreational uses. The area’s rolling terrain inspired the form of its overlapping stone walls, which are comprised of mossy boulders and create quiet, protected spaces for people to gather and rest, directing views toward nature instead of the street. The walls also serve as places for signage while windows or openings in the walls offer glimpses into the site from the street. Immediately inside the park, a dedication wall will identify current neighborhood and civic leaders and many foundations that have donated time, energy and money into the creation of Twelve Hills.

In addition, native plants will be used exclusively and include low-maintenance grasses, wildflowers and perennials with little water needs, providing another educational opportunity. All paving will be porous including the native flagstone, which will be set on a decomposed granite sub-base, and the parking lot will be constructed of Gravelpave, a unique product manufactured by Invisible Structures (www.invisiblestructures.com). The concrete sidewalk leading into the site from the street will have leaf and animal track imprints while embossing skins and color, resembling cracked mud while also creating a genuinely unique arrival experience.

Because of its location, Twelve Hills has tremendous value as an educational tool. It is next door to Rosemont Elementary, a school of 1,000 students, and is also within walking distance of more than 1,500 inner-city students ages 4 to 14 and more than 2,000 area high school students. The property is also easily accessible by the public, bordered by residential neighborhoods, and includes a small creek — Coombs Creek — in its southwest corner, allowing for habitat enhancement and bird-watching.

“The fact that Twelve Hills is so accessible enables it to educate a larger number of urban residents than most prairie projects and other nature preserves that tend to be located further away and attract only people seeking out nature,” said Carolyn Perna,  landscape designer at TBG Partners’ Dallas office and also a neighborhood resident. “Students and neighbors will be able to learn about land stewardship and the natural world at Twelve Hills on a regular basis, rather than only on the occasional field trip to somewhere outdoors. It is a manageable size for the typical urban resident and a perfect entry into the natural world and into the ethics of conservation and land preservation.”

ABOUT TBG PARTNERS

As one of the top landscape architecture and planning firms in the Southwest, TBG Partners designs mixed-use and residential communities, corporate campuses, civic buildings, resorts, healthcare and educational facilities, city parks and historic sites. With a strong commitment to the advancement of sustainable design principles, TBG encourages its employees to become LEED Accredited Professionals and its clients to utilize green building practices for their projects. Established in 1987, TBG has offices in Austin, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston and San Antonio. For more information, please visit www.tbg-inc.com

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Media Contact: Claire Bloxom
claire@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191

December 9th, 2009 | Tags: | No Comments »

- New 245-acre Northeast Lakeview College complete near San Antonio

The $125 million Northeast Lakeview College consists of nine buildings of academic and learning space with the capacity to serve 15,000 students; was built in just four years

Overland LogoSAN ANTONIO, December 9, 2009 - Northeast Lakeview College, the newest addition to Alamo Colleges (formerly Alamo Community College District), is complete. Built in two phases in just four years, the new nine-building college campus is located off Loop 1604 & Kitty Hawk Road in Universal City, Texas, about 15 miles northeast of San Antonio. The 245-acre campus has the capacity to serve 15,000 students and is the result of a $125 million bond that voters approved in 2005.  Northeast Lakeview College was designed by San Antonio-based Overland Partners Architects in collaboration with Ford Powell & Carson.

Phase I opened in fall 2008 and consisted of five of the new campus’ nine buildings, including the Library and Learning Resource Center, the Academic Building, the Career Technology Building, the Science Building and the Physical Plant/Operations Building. Phase II opened in fall 2009 and consisted of the campus’ final four buildings, including the Fine Arts Building, the Performing Arts Center, the Wellness Building and the Student Commons/Student Services Building.

The “jewel” of the campus, designed by Overland Partners, is the 82,000-square-foot Library and Learning Resource Center, which contains a 35,000-square-foot state-of-the-art library, learning labs, a cyber café, an auditorium, student art center, and 40,000 square feet of teaching and administrative office space.  It is also home to a campus plaza with westward views of an expansive field dotted with plants leading to the adjacent Live Oak Lake.  In addition, a 105-foot clock tower was built in the heart of the Center to symbolize a sense of community for all students, faculty and visitors. Multiple sustainable features were implemented in its design, including daylighting, operable sunscreens, roof monitors for skylights, and capturing condensate from the AC units on campus to use for landscape features.

“The careful consideration of material selection and construction details created a campus of consistent aesthetics with overall integrity that will stand the test of time,” said Cliff Whittingstall, project manager at Overland Partners.

Additional buildings at Northeast Lakeview College include:

  • The 62,000-square-foot Academic Building, with academic classrooms, laboratories and faculty office space;
  • The 21,000-square-foot Career Technology Building, with classrooms, laboratories and office space;
  • The 26,000-square-foot Science Building with biology, chemistry, physics, and astronomy laboratories, classrooms, preparation areas and office space;
  • The 21,000-square-foot Physical Plant/Operations Building with facility operations space for maintenance, grounds and house-keeping, the department of public safety, building trades, HVAC equipment and office space;
  • The 23,500-square-foot Fine Arts Building with classrooms, practice rooms, a rehearsal hall, drawing studio and office space;
  • The 25,000-square-foot Performing Arts Center with an auditorium, stage, gallery, green room, costume storage and dressing room space;
  • The 40,000-square-foot Wellness Building with two dance studios, a basketball court, a weight room, classrooms, a nutrition laboratory and offices; and
  • The 65,000-square-foot Student Commons/Student Services Building that provides space in support of a comprehensive student services program which includes a dining hall, enrollment services, student activities center and lounge, opportunity mall, lecture theater, print shop, bookstore, business offices and classrooms.

“Northeast Lakeview College is truly unique in that it was master planned and then completely built all throughout a short four-year timeframe.  Most college campuses compose a master plan and then it takes decades to get all the buildings built,” said Tim Blonkvist, principal in charge at Overland Partners.  “The fact that the project team was able to work with such quick turnaround and create this beautiful college campus in just four years is fascinating and a testament to the dedication of everyone involved.”

In addition to Overland Partners and Ford Powell & Carson as the architects, other project team members include Austin Commercial as the general contractor; Broaddus & Associates as the construction/program manager; Datum Engineers as the structural engineer; Pape-Dawson Engineers as the civil engineer; Goetting & Associates and San Antonio-based CNG Engineering as the MEP engineers; and San Antonio-based CFZ Group as the landscape architect.

Northeast Lakeview College is one of several higher education institutions that Overland Partners has within their portfolio, with others including the new Business School Building at Baylor University in Waco, Texas; the new Academic Building at the University of North Texas at Dallas, the new Student Activity Center and School of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas at Austin; and Pennsylvania State University’s (Penn State) School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture and the recently-completed Arboretum at Penn State, both in University Park, PA.

ABOUT OVERLAND PARTNERS

Overland Partners Architects, founded in 1985 in San Antonio, Texas, is a realization of a vision to bring together a wide range of talents in architecture and planning, in order to provide comprehensive and multi-disciplinary design service.  Sensitive to the environmental and aesthetic context in which we are asked to design, the firm strives for a thoughtful integration of technology, art, and craft through highly sustainable solutions.  Overland Partners Architects offers its clients the ultimate goal of creating a beautiful, functional and enduring design through a process that inspires long-term relationships and is rewarding to the entire project team.  For more information, visit www.overlandpartners.com.

ABOUT NORTHEAST LAKEVIEW COLLEGE

Northeast Lakeview College, the newest of the Alamo Community Colleges, sits on 245 acres and provides more than 365,000 square feet of academic space. For more information, visit Northeast Lakeview College on the web at www.alamo.edu/nlc.

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Interviews and high-resolution images available upon request.

Media Contact: Claire Bloxom
claire@coopersmithagency.com, (214) 329-9191

December 9th, 2009 | Tags: | No Comments »