Aroma of freshly baked pizza is spreading on the east side of Woodstock.

Your Sisters Tomato, operator of two successful food trucks in the Woodstock area for the past four years, has set the opening for next week at a sit-down restaurant on Irving Avenue.

And Antioch Pizza, a 42-year-old company with four restaurants, plans to open two more in 2020, one of them in Woodstock.

The two restaurants will be less than a block apart.

Linda Foss, 51, who owns the two food trucks with Tammie Hinchee, said the new restaurant at 110 Irving Ave. would officially open Tuesday, Dec. 10. She describes the venture as a dream and a passion of mine.

The specialty of Your Sisters Tomato is wood-fired pizza, something Foss discovered in the early 1990s when she was playing professional basketball in Europe.

In the block to the east in the former Bohns Ace Hardware building Antioch Pizza has had a sign in the window recruiting employees for the pizzeria at 150 S. Eastwood Drive. It will be the third business to move into the building along Route 47 as it is being remodeling.

Teammates again

Theyre not really sisters, but Your Sisters Tomato owners Foss and Hinchee did play basketball together at Northern Illinois University.

This past weekend they completed the fourth year of their food truck business with an appearance at the Lighting of the Square in downtown Woodstock. Its a seasonal business, Foss said, dictated by winter road conditions.

The restaurant, which will seat about 60 people, is the first phase of their expanded business. The building has room to the north to double the size of the operation with a large bar, but Foss said she wants to have the restaurant up and running first.

Well see how this works, she said of the opening. I want to get my legs underneath me.

The menu of the sit-down eatery will expand to include salads, desserts, and childrens specialties, among other offerings. She plans to start pretty basic with the food, including freshly made dough.

Its all homemade, Foss said last week amid the still-unfinished interior. Everything pretty much is made from scratch.

The sit-down restaurant is part of the evolution of Your Sisters Tomato, which has developed without a timeline.

I wanted to do it right, Foss said. Its hard to do it that way, but its the right way to do it.

She said about 15 people who work part-time in the trucks will transition to the restaurant. That includes lots of kids Ive trained in basketball camps.

Im so excited, Foss said. The journey of it to see everyone who has supported it, believed in it, to watch it happen.

Part of a chain

In addition to its wide variety of pizzas, Antioch Pizza offers appetizers, salads, and sandwiches. Various pasta dishes also are available in house or through the catering service.

Antioch Pizza started in 1977 as the first of three Lake County restaurants. In addition to its site along Route 59, the business has opened in Lindenhurst and Fox Lake as well as Paddock Lake, Wis. The company website promotes new locations for 2020 in Woodstock and Barrington.

As a family restaurant, it does not serve alcohol.

The pizza parlor would be the third business to operate in the building that once housed the hardware store, with room on the south end for one or two more businesses.

Holzlager Brewing Co., a brewery and tasting room, occupies the space on the far north end, and Sophies Whiskey & Wine lounge is next door.

Holzlager does not serve food but frequently hosts food trucks in the parking lot out front. Sophies has a sandwich menu and serves artisanal pizza.

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Pie on the (East) Side - Woodstock Independent

Koichi IwasakiCONTRIBUTOR

The University of Nebraska at Omaha announced on Nov. 23, 2019 a second round of renovations for the Strauss Performing Arts Center will begin in the summer of 2020.

The announcement revealed the recent completion of a project was to add more than 25,000 square feet to the facility and renovat the Concert Hall, recording space, teaching studios and others. Construction fees of the first phase are covered by a blend of private and state, according to the announcement.

The announcement also said the second phase will realize planners vision for new facilities. Thanks to generous community support, the School of Music will be able to complete its visionary work. Private funds will cover the entire cost for the second phase of the construction, according to the announcement.

The project includes the following: Construction of an entrance on the west side of the building, which will provide a clear and inviting point of entry for performances and other large community events. Remodeling of all 27 practice rooms to improve soundproofing, which will allow students to practice without any disturbances. Adding at least one additional classroom and expanding the existing computer lab from 13 to roughly 30 stations for educational demand. Flattening the floor of a rehearsal room to increase the flexibility of the space. In addition, improving acoustics for enhancing A/V and lighting. Installing a smooth floor on the first floor to make it easy to transport delicate musical instruments.

Director of the School of Music Washington Garca said the private supports indicate UNOs strong relationship with the community.

Chancellor Jeffrey P. Gold, M.D, called the gift an investment among local performing arts.

Music adds beauty and richness to our lives; in our School of Music, we are hosting some of the regions most dynamic events and, just as importantly, educating and mentoring musicians to thrive in the ever-changing world of music. Without question, this renovation will enhance the experiences of our students, performers and countless community guests, Gold said.

The announcement said organizers expect work to run from late spring 2020 through mid-year in 2021.

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More renovations coming to Strauss Performing Arts - The Gateway

When City Council voted 5-1 in August to impose a series of new regulations on strip clubs and other sexually oriented businesses, supporters predicted the ordinance could withstand any court challenge because it was modeled on bills that had already passed legal muster elsewhere.

That confidence may still prove justified, but it hasnt prevented a lawsuit that, at least for now, seems to have created a stalemate that safeguards the right to pursue happiness even in the form of a lap dance.

Filed in September by Showgirl 1, Showgirl III and Brandys Lounge, the lawsuit does indeed offer the now-familiar argument that stripping is a form of expression and is, as a result, constitutionally protected by the same First Amendment intended to safeguard free speech, religious liberty and an independent press. But the clubs attorneys offer several other objections Allen Superior Judge Jennifer DeGroote is likely to consider during a Jan. 14 hearing on dueling requests for injunctions that would allow or prohibit the ordinances enforcement.

One of the clubs tactics, in fact, is to remind DeGroote of the legal principle behind her June decision upholding a challenge of the citys pay to play law. The city, DeGroote ruled, had no authority under state law to regulate political contributions. The lawsuit makes a similar argument when it comes to city regulation of establishments that serve alcoholic beverages.

The suit also contends the local ordinance defines nudity more broadly than state law does and contends the clubs would be forced to undertake extensive and costly remodeling . . . and during that forced remodeling the plaintiffs business will be affected, either by limitations where patrons may be seated, where entertainment can be performed, by inconveniencing patrons and by the presence of dust, dirt and construction equipment and debris.

Among other things, the ordinance would establish minimum lighting standards and, according to the lawsuit, require dancing to take place on a stage that is at least 18 inches tall, that every performance be distanced from the audience by at least six feet and take place in a room that is at least 600 square feet and in the presence of the operator. Nobodys going to pay good money for a lap dancer six feet away, which is probably the intent.

Police would enforce the ordinance something the lawsuit contends would result in unconstitutional warrantless searches.

As I reported in August, council voted to regulate sexually oriented businesses after the city sent a private investigator into adult clubs and discovered several violations of the states public nudity statute. Still, despite my personal misgivings about the negative aspects of adult entertainment, the approach taken by council and the administration of Mayor Tom Henry seems a bit inconsistent.

Just for starters: On the very night council voted to regulate strip clubs it defeated a bill that would have banned so-called swingers clubs. In other words, businesses profiting from partially clothed dancers are regulated far more heavily than those profiting from actual sexual intercourse. And the Champagne Club at 2710 Nuttman Ave., which is deemed by the city to be out of compliance with zoning laws, had been given until Sept. 10 to close by Plan Commission attorney Robert Eherenman but, so far as I know, is still operating.

Then theres this: After a different proposal to regulate problems allegedly caused by sexually oriented businesses failed two years ago, council instead passed an ordinance targeting chronic problem properties of all sorts. But, according to the lawsuit, none of the plaintiffs have been notified that their businesses are commercial chronic properties. Whats more, in the event the (chronic property ordinance) is invoked, the city will work with the property owner to remediate the problem. By way of contrast, the challenged ordinance subjects plaintiffs to substantial monetary penalties, as well as the suspension and revocation of a license to engage in constitutionally protected activity.

One might wish the Supreme Court had not made Patrick Henrys out of pole dancers, and whether this issue is worth the thousands of taxpayer dollars it will cost to litigate will be a matter of legitimate debate. The city, for its part, has told the clubs it does not plan to enforce the ordinance before Jan. 28. But if the citys only swingers club and some strip joints are violating laws already on the books, why cant we start there no matter what DeGroote and any appeals court(s) ultimately decide?

This column is the commentary of the writer and does not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of The News-Sentinel. Email Kevin Leininger at kleininger@news-sentinel.com or call him at 461-8355.

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KEVIN LEININGER: Lawsuit has new strip-club bill in limbo, but why not enforce laws already on the books? - News Sentinel

In 1959, the Ferraro family had recently moved into the Vine neighborhood and just sat down to dinner when nextdoor neighbor Fred Appledoorn, previous co-owner of V & A Bootery, walked in without knocking.

To everyones surprise, Fred strolled around the dinner table, pausing to touch each of the Ferraro children on the head. Before leaving, he said one thing to parents Lance and Charlotte: Nice family.

With that unusual blessing, the Ferraros, six children and two parents, were welcomed into the neighborhood. Vine then was a natural paradise for the active Ferraro children who roamed the streets, sandlots and woods, and as they grew older, the many local businesses, especially on South Westnedge and Vine. Over the years, the Ferraros, one of the oldest remaining families in the neighborhood, have witnessed the many changes, from childhood paradise to blight and drug houses, then back to a vibrant renewal and entry of new families.

Recently, On the Ground sat down with father Lance (Lancelotto Angelo, as he was christened), 98, a well-known local photographer and former city commissioner, son Marc, former Vine Neighborhood Association board member, and daughter Sharon, Kalamazoos official City Historic Preservationist, all of whom still live in Vine, just blocks apart. Four other Ferraro children, Lance Jr. Laura, Kate, and Gina Chimner, have moved out of the neighborhood. The Ferraros shared memories of people, places and events in Lances living room, drawing on family and neighborhood lore.

Of Fred Appledoorn, the Ferraros remember a quiet, upright man with a big heart.

He was a soldier in the Spanish American war, says Lance. Best guy in the neighborhood. He always visited people who were just moving in.

He kept an eye on the neighborhood, agrees Marc, who now lives around the corner from the Oak Street home where he was raised and in which his father still lives. He wasnt social all the time. Hed come out on the porch when we were playing in the front yard. I remember this figure of a pleasant person.

The Ferraros, who had moved to their Oak Street house from the Stuart neighborhood, werent strangers to Vine. Lances mother lived close by on Axtell. They were and are a creative clan, valuing art, community and authenticity. Charlotte, wife and mother, who passed away in 2015, was the first in her Battle Creek family to earn a college degree. She was an elementary art teacher in Battle Creek and Portage, but also a gifted seamstress and supporter of the performing arts. Four of the Ferraro children were heavily involved in Kalamazoo Community Youth Theater and Junior Civic.

Charlotte was also skilled with tools as she had grown up with a carpenter, tool and die maker father who had no sons and so taught his daughters his skills. Charlotte built her husbands dark room. She could make anything, says Sharon.

Lance was one of the founders of the Barn Theater, the man behind the camera, but not in the picture, he says. From the late 1940s to the early 1960s, he was the official photographer of the Kalamazoo Civic Theatre. He developed photos in an old backstage dressing room. I like the theater stuff.

Members of the Ferraro family have lived in Vine since 1959. Here the Vine Ferraros sit on Lance's front porch.

He also served as the President of Professional Photographers of Michigan for a couple of terms, and was a longtime freelance photographer for the Detroit Free Press and Kalamazoo Gazette.

Taking care of the community runs in the family. Lance served terms on the City Commission, and also was on the first Vine Neighborhood Association Board in 1980?. Son Marc followed in his footsteps.

The name Ferraro itself means blacksmith in Italian, fitting because the Ferraros are skilled makers of things, but maybe even more importantly skilled caretakers.

If you live in Vine and own an old home, you know Sharon and the passion with which she approaches preservation. Sharon considers the family stewards of the neighborhood. Weve got houses that date back as far as 1850. By and large, the housing stock is more sturdy than what you can buy today thats new.New Vine residents choose the neighborhood for its quirks and its character.

Theyre not the first owner and theyre not going to be the last owner, says Sharon, but if they chose a historical district, they are going to pass their home on to someone who is like-minded.

Random memories, some Vine, some not

Blanched Celery: A Kalamazoo delicacy

Many know that Kalamazoo was once known as Celery City, surrounded by wet flats, including what is now South Westnedge Park, the old Dairy Queen on South Westnedge that is now a drive-thru Taco Bobs, and the site of Maple Street Magnet School. But some may not know that blanched celery was an area specialty.

People used to stop at the train station on their way to Chicago or Detroit and buy blanched celery, says Marc. They put boxes around to grow it and it was creamy white, a delicacy.

Vine orphanage for girls

On the east side of South Westnedge, the Ferraros recall, sat an orphanage for girls, where Ye Olde Laundromat now stands. The orphanage was demolished in 1971.

They had a huge, well-built swing set that Sharon envied when she was 7. I didnt understand what it meant to be an orphan, says Sharon. But I loved swings. I didnt think it was fair.

Paper routes

Marc and his sister, Kate, had paper routes for the Kalamazoo Gazette. With two other neighborhood friends, the four would join forces and deliver 625 papers to doorsteps a day. It was almost a Leave it to Beaver neighborhood, Marc says.

Central Bakery, now home to Satellite Records

A popular meeting place in the neighborhood was Central Bakery on South Westnedge. In the back, there was a horseshoe counter, remembers Marc. In the morning, gentlemen would be in there smoking their cigarettes and drinking their coffee. Then high school students would flood the place. The men would come back at night for social club, which was open until 7.

Sharon remembers coming in for lunch. I remember feeling so grown up sitting there with a cup of coffee and a roll, she says. Back then, with the metabolism of a hummingbird, I would order a Pershing doughnut, cheese Danish, a cookie and a carton of chocolate milk. That was lunch.

Laura, Sharon and Lance Jr. Ferraro pose near the family's popular Oak Street porch.

Mushroom steaks

Once when exploring in the gully, the wooded area behind Long and Short streets and the old Dalton house, (which they called the Gilmore Woods), the Ferraros and friends found a mushroom as big as a large pizza. They came home to fetch the wagon. When they returned with their prize, Lance called WKZO At Your Service, an old radio show you could phone in an ask other listeners for advice. After describing the mushroom, a woman called back and said is was safe to eat.

We had mushroom steaks for a while, he says.

Grim years: neighborhood watches and drug activity

In the late 1960s, Oak Street became the hippy neighborhood, Sharon says. Near where ODuffys is now, was a head shop with its bongs, tie dyes and incense, and a waterbed store, a leather store, a used bookstore, and then Souk Sampler, a vintage clothing store.

As the '60s passed into the '70s and then the '80s, more and more drugs began to infiltrate Vine. Once a rich childhood paradise, that environment waned during the late 1970s and early 1980s, when a recession and the rise of the crack epidemic began to take its toll on urban neighborhoods. Sharon remembers McCourtie and Burr Oak as a hub of drug activity.

Lance helped organize a march against drugs.

Society changed, says Lance, who also helped start a Neighborhood Watch. Out of those watch meetings grew the idea for a neighborhood association, which Lance helped form and then became the first VNA director in the 1908s..

In the late 1970s, the city was debating the future of Vine, considering whether to let it fall into decay and then replace the housing stock, says Lance.

Then people said, We have to get together and preserve it. We dont want it to fall apart, says Sharon. A historical house lover since she was young, Sharon had returned to Western Michigan University for a degree in history. Her father was then serving on the city commission and he was approached. We are creating a new historic district and we want your daughter to run it.

Heart of the Vine

Vines Central Corners, the main commercial area on Vine and South Westnedge that the VNA owns and rents out to local businesses, was recently renamed in a voting contest as Heart of the Vine. Not many may have known it as Central Corners and how many beyond the neighborhood will know its new name is yet hard to tell. But the choice by residents says a lot about their beloved center.

Thats what it is, says Marc. Heart of the Vine.

I loved that we were close to downtown, Lance says. The kids could walk down to the library and the museum. It was a good neighborhood for kids.

None of the most recent Ferarro generation has yet to move their own families into Vine, but it could still happen.Marcs twin 9-year-olds are growing up during a Vine resurgencemore families moving in, rehabilitation of Davis Park, new businesses, and El Sol, an elementary school. Their neighborhood is more akin to the Vine the Ferraros were raised in, though the circumference the twins can roam is smaller. Still, theyre growing up in a neighborhood with traditionsthe annual VNA meeting at ODuffys, Fourth of July Parade, National Night Out at Davis Street Parkand a safe space to play.

What Im seeing now when I drive around in the summer and evening is kids on bikes and roller skates and playing games in their yard, says Marc. I havent seen that since I was growing up in the '70s.

Right now, Marc allows his twins to play on Axtell where they live and sometimes to go down the street to Davis or Pioneer Street Park. But he can envision a time when he will send them for an errand at Midtown Fresh Market like his parents sent him over to the old A & P on Michigan Avenue.

Im seeing a slow rise in owner occupancy, says Sharon. Weve always had around 80 percent rental, but I think that number (of homeowners) is going to go up in the next census.

Creating the Historical District in Vine has been positive, despite the expense of remodeling to conform to the requirements that some people complain about. Its preserved housing and it hasnt gentrified the neighborhood, says Sharon. Its made a difference in the character.

As Lance, Mark and Sharon posed for a photo on the porch where Lance spends so much of his time that he was featured in a former Google maps satellite photograph, Lance reminisced about the many portraits he has taken over the years of people, some famous, some not, including John F. Kennedy on the steps of City Hall.

While On the Ground Photographer Taylor Scamehorn focused her camera, Lance was inspired to repeat what he used to say to loosen up his own subjects.

Smile, dammit, smile, he sang.

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Neighborhood legacy: The Ferraro family has been growing in the Vine for over 60 years - south west michigan

Here at Zacks, our focus is on the proven Zacks Rank system, which emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find great stocks. Nevertheless, we are always paying attention to the latest value, growth, and momentum trends to underscore strong picks.

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One stock to keep an eye on is Thor Industries (THO). THO is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as an A grade for Value. The stock has a Forward P/E ratio of 11.10. This compares to its industry's average Forward P/E of 14.61. Over the last 12 months, THO's Forward P/E has been as high as 11.68 and as low as 6.69, with a median of 9.28.

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Finally, investors will want to recognize that THO has a P/CF ratio of 12.45. This data point considers a firm's operating cash flow and is frequently used to find companies that are undervalued when considering their solid cash outlook. THO's P/CF compares to its industry's average P/CF of 16.73. Within the past 12 months, THO's P/CF has been as high as 14.34 and as low as 6.30, with a median of 10.67.

These figures are just a handful of the metrics value investors tend to look at, but they help show that Thor Industries is likely being undervalued right now. Considering this, as well as the strength of its earnings outlook, THO feels like a great value stock at the moment.

Thor Industries, Inc. (THO): Free Stock Analysis Report

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The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

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Should Value Investors Buy Thor Industries (THO) Stock? - Nasdaq

Global Carpet Back Coatings Market: Summary

Carpet back coatings is primarily a backing process and is an important production step which is done to improve and enhance the stability of various textile floor coatings including rugs and carpets. Backing of floor coatings has advantages such as soundproofing, stepping elasticity and heat insulation. There are various types of coatings used for textile floor covering which include pre-coatings, foam coatings, textile back coatings, heavy coatings, reinforcement and back finish among others. Various methods used for backing carpets include secondary backing, embossed gel foam backing and felt backing.

Gel foam backings are the most accepted carpet back coatings as they possess excellent mechanical quality, good water resistance and have a non-slippery effect. A gelling agent along with a vulcanization agent coupled with ammonium acetate gel foam is used as secondary backing. Tufted carpets are pre coated after tufting, primarily to anchor the needled piled loops in the carrier layer of the carpet permanently. The pre coating material consists of a variety of components, which include x-SBR latex (dispersion that contains a copolymer, which is obtained from styrene, butadiene and carbonic acid), fillers, water, and additives, which include thickeners, anti foam, foam stabilizers etc. The pre coatings can be applied to carpets and other textile floor coatings by two processes, one which include slop padding and the doctor blade technique.

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Global Carpet Back Coatings Market: Drivers and Restraints

The primary driver for the carpet back coating market is the need for carpets in households and workspaces. This is owing to the high disposable income of the people, changing lifestyle of the consumers especially in the Asia Pacific region. Carpets are increasingly used for decorating and enhancing the feel of a room whether in houses or in offices. The growing construction industry coupled with growing remodeling activities is anticipated to boost the market for carpet back coatings. Competition from hard floor coatings and the harmful effects observed during the manufacturing of carpet back coatings may restrict the carpet back coating market. Manufacturers of carpet back coatings are investing in a number of research and development projects to improve the quality of the various carpet back coatings as well as improving the quality of carpets. Research is also being carried out in order to find eco friendly alternatives especially for modern customer needs.

Global Carpet Back Coatings Market: Regional Evaluation

The major markets for carpet back coatings include North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW). The North American region is the largest market for carpet back coatings owing to the increase in the demand for carpets. This is due to home renovations in the region coupled with improvements in the retail market segment. The demand for carpet back coatings is sluggish in Europe due to the economic crises that took place in the region. Most of the demand for carpet back coatings and carpets comes from various refurbishment projects in the European region. However, the market in Europe for carpet back coatings is expected to rise at a slow pace during the forecast period. The Asia Pacific region is expected to have maximum demand for carpet back coatings due to the high disposable income of consumers along with increasing investments for various commercial projects and high demand from major countries like Japan, India, China, Korea and Indonesia.

Global Carpet Back Coatings Market: Key Players

The key companies profiled for the company back coating market include ChinaFlooring Holding Company Limited, Duochem, Amtico International, Ceramica Cleopatra Group and Balta Industries among others.

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Carpet Back Coatings Market Globally Expected to Drive Growth In Upcoming Year - Techi Labs

HICKSVILLE, N.Y. With the 40th anniversary year of its USA business now coming to a close, Kalaty Rug Corp. is seizing the opportunity to send a new message in the new year. The company is unveiling two new catalogs one of which marks a first for the company and is re-launching its website.

One catalog is a 400-page tome spotlighting the companys current line of top-shelf heirloom-quality rug collections, spanning traditional to transitional to modern styles, as well as featuring Kalatys three high-end decorative accent pillow collections and its designer-friendly custom-color rug program.

The second catalog represents Kalatys inaugural dedicated catalog for its newer, K-Two program, which comprises mid-tier and mass retail-focused products at more affordable price points. The offering encompasses 15 collections available in a range of design genres, weaves and constructions.

Both catalogs will roll out to customers next month, and print copies will be available for distribution at: Atlanta International Gift, Home & Area Rug Market Jan. 14-21 in Kalatys showroom space, 4-G-14 in Building 1 of the AmericasMart; and Las Vegas Market from Jan. 26-30 in its showroom in B-455 of the World Market Center.

Earlier this year, Kalaty began to oversee a vast website remodeling project. The results are now in, and Kalatys online presence has been retooled to include several new tools and tech features aimed at enhanced user-friendliness. As part of that effort, the company has also updated and added tools to its popular Kalaty app.

Not only is our newly updated Kalaty.com faster but visitors to our website will now find it easier to navigate with such new tools as the ability to click on any rug in the line and be able to see it in a variety of room settings, said Ariel Kalaty, a company spokesperson. And, in addition to updating our website, we have make major updates to our Kalaty app, one of our customers most popular and most often-utilized marketing and business tools.

Available for both Apple and Android devices, the app allows Kalaty dealers to explore the companys rug collections, access and check orders, make payments, track and check shipments, and communicate with the company.

Kalaty celebrated its 40th anniversary in the U.S. with several key milestones:

Not only did our return to High Point help us commemorate this important anniversary year but it also helped us send a strong message to existing and potential customers confirming our commitment to serving them at this all-important market, said Ramin Kalaty, company president. And, at the fall High Point market, Kalaty chose to present more new product than it has ever shown previously at High Point in order to further showcase the depth and breadth of our product line.

Cecile B. Corral is a senior editor with Home Textiles Today and is editor of luxury textiles supplement POSH. She also covers the area rug category for Furniture Today and Home Accents Today.

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Kalaty caps 40th anniversary with two new catalogs - Home Accents Today

A new seating area for tenants overlooks an outdoor plaza at Sage Plaza. The building at 5151 San Felipe in the Galleria area is managed by CBRE, which worked with architecture firm PDR on the project.

A new seating area for tenants overlooks an outdoor plaza at Sage Plaza. The building at 5151 San Felipe in the Galleria area is managed by CBRE, which worked with architecture firm PDR on the project.

Photo: Katherine Feser / Houston Chronicle

A new seating area for tenants overlooks an outdoor plaza at Sage Plaza. The building at 5151 San Felipe in the Galleria area is managed by CBRE, which worked with architecture firm PDR on the project.

A new seating area for tenants overlooks an outdoor plaza at Sage Plaza. The building at 5151 San Felipe in the Galleria area is managed by CBRE, which worked with architecture firm PDR on the project.

Galleria-area building owner leverages the lobby in renovation

Sage Plaza is wrapping up a major renovation aimed at filling the 1980s-era office building with tenants who like the option of hanging out in the lobby, with or without the laptop.

CBRE, which handles both property management and leasing on behalf of New York-based property owner BlackRock, launched the $5 million project in April. With the pending departure of some key tenants, the buildings ownership and property managers began touring renovated buildings a couple of years ago to develop a plan for the 25-story building at 5151 San Felipe.

BlackRock decided to make fundamental changes to the lobby so its no longer just a place to walk through, but a destination to run into coworkers, get a change of scene or take a coffee break.

The updated building brings in elements found in Class AA buildings that are known for attracting top tenants.

If you look at 609 Main and the Bank of America Tower, how the new buildings downtown have brought in a change of use of the lobby and activated the lobby, said Jason Presley, a senior vice president with CBRE who handles office leasing. Youre going to see more and more owners do that in suburban renovations.

Workplace architecture firm PDR handled the remodeling, which brought fresh finishes in warm, neutral colors that blend with the original Texas pink granite walls and reconfigured the layout of the lobby. Because most people enter the building from the back after parking, the lobby was designed with equally welcoming entries at the back with a new security desk and the front, where visitors are greeted with a coffee bar and various seating areas. Neutral limestone flooring sets the tone for the modern look.

We wanted to make both entrances feel like they are the main entrance, said Andrew Gorman, a senior associate at PDR.

The building, which is walking distance to restaurants at Sage Plaza retail center and BLVD Place, is the latest of a number of Galleria area office buildings to receive updates. Others include the Galleria Office Towers, Galleria Place I and II across from the Galleria, One and Three Riverway, Four Oaks Place, Post Oak Central and 1800 West Loop South.

Some office space that was previously occupied by a title company was incorporated into the first-floor amenities, which include a relocated conference and training room and a dining area overlooking a previously renovated exterior plaza, and a tenant lounge.

The revamped hotel-style lobby has multiple seating options, with surfaces for laptops and charging stations throughout. The conference room can accommodate 85 people and has a wet bar for events.

The building will soon open a full-service custom-designed coffee bar.

Annual asking rents will stay at $23.50 per square foot, plus operating expenses of $12.97 per square foot for 2020, said Nina Seyyedin, a leasing agent with CBRE.

The renovation comes as the West Loop/Galleria submarket posted an 18.2 percent vacancy rate in the third quarter. That is slightly below the overall Houston area vacancy rate of 19.3 percent, according to CBRE.

Tenants at Sage Plaza include Insgroup, OTC Global Holdings and LegalEase, among others. Goodman Global and PSC, which recently merged with Hydrochem to form HydroChemPSC, are both relocating to owned facilities elsewhere in the Houston region and will leave a combined seven floors behind. TC Energy is consolidating to downtowns TC Energy Center.

The building has 21,500-square-foot floor sizes, with an opening on the ground floor for 9,000 square feet with potential for a private outdoor plaza, according to CBRE. A fitness center with showers and an outdoor plaza were added in an earlier renovation.

katherine.feser@chron.com

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Galleria-area building owner leverages the lobby in renovation - Chron

We have had a real busy interim this summer and fall. Were putting the finishing touches on a few bills I will introduce on the first day. As always, my constituents gave me several great ideas for bills. The coming session starts January 8th. The constitution says the legislature will convene on the first Wednesday after the first Monday in January. This session will be a short one 60 legislative days. Right now, the end of the session is scheduled for the 23rd of April.

This session is going to be very interesting and definitely worth watching. It is Sen. Ernie Chambers last session after which he will reach his term limit (for a second time). He is one of the most prolific orators in the body, and I am certain he will have plenty to say this time.

LB 720 is a bill called the Nebraska Imagine Act which will provide business incentives. There will be a lot of debate on this measure. It replaces the Nebraska Advantage Act, which sunsets this year. I have serious concerns about this bill. It does not deliver anything for rural Nebraska. It provides incentive money for wind energy companies. Estimates show roughly $120,000 in tax incentives will be spent to create just one $40,000 a year job. The claim is that Nebraska needs bills like these to incentivize businesses to come to our high tax state. Our high income and property taxes scare away a lot of people and businesses. I am not confident that government picking winners and losers in our state economy will bring jobs or economic development into our state.

LB 289 is a bill to lower property taxes. I hope this will be one of the first bills discussed. Much has changed about this bill since last session. I believe we will all get to see whats in the new bill before Thanksgiving. I would imagine it is not as ambitious as it once was. Some oppose doing away with certain sales tax exemptions to fund it. Some oppose re-purposing the Property Tax Credit Relief Fund to fund it. Some interest groups will strongly oppose any limits placed on a schools ability to collect and spend property taxes. These circumstances make it really hard to pass a bill that delivers substantial and permanent property tax relief. I suspect the solution to this problem will ultimately lie with the people.

In a couple weeks we will move our office for the fourth time in three years to room 1101 as the Capitol remodeling and HVAC project continues. Please bear with us during this transition.

Please contact my office with any comments, questions, or concerns. Email me at tbrewer@leg.ne.gov, mail a letter to Sen. Tom Brewer, Room #1423, P.O. Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509, or call us at 402-471-2628.

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SEN. TOM BREWER: Putting finishing touches on bills before session starts in January - Scottsbluff Star Herald

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A project that began in 2008 for John Nagy and his wife, Carol, was finally completed this August, using products from Spancrete.

The Nagys wanted to remodel a home they had bought right off Lake Nagawicka on Mill Street. The home dated to 1842; wanting to preserve as much of it as possible, the Nagys soon realized it would require more work than they had originally anticipated.

"We started seeing how much was really needed from an engineering standpoint because of when this house was built and the number of additions that had been done to it over the last 100 plus years.It was in rough shape," said John Nagy, the CEO of Spancrete, a Waukesha-basedprecast provider. "Being in my business, there were a lot of things I couldn't consciously know are there and say, 'Here, sell it to someone else,' and feel good about it."

When the economy plummeted in 2008, the Nagys decided to let the home sit until 2012 when they re-evaluated their plans.

"We took a look at it and said, 'This house really needs a lot of work,'" Nagy said. "Over that period of time we also developed a few new products at Spancrete. So I told my wife, 'Instead of trying to do this on our own, why don't wepartner with Spancrete and make this kind of a model home of products that we have.'"

According to its website,Spancrete produces precast, prestressed concrete products that are used in commercial, industrial, institutional, residential and multifamily construction projects in theMidwestandSoutheast.The company also manufactures and sellshollow-coreextrusionmachines that are used to produce precast concrete internationally.

The Nagys gutted the house, tearingeverything down to the original stone structure.

"We built a new house using that structure," Nagy said.

A Delafield home built in 1842 was recently remodeled by John and Carol Nagy.(Photo: Submitted)

Using the original wood beams, John and Carol were set on making the home energy efficient, so they built the home using the precast concrete products. Spancrete's planks retain energy and are efficient at heating and cooling a home. The home also featuresprecast flooring with hydronic heating, which willdeliver more than 55% greater energy efficiency than traditional homes, Nagy said.

"I don't know of any houses anywhere that are similar to this sized home that are built with the level of construction," Nagy said. "There are a lot of houses with very good finishes ... but from the structural side of this, this house is extremely sophisticated on the construction means we used with the precast."

Nagy said using precast as a flooring systemand for wall panels throughout a new home build will adda level of strength, security and space to build a homethat counteracts the drawbacks of wood.

The precast products act as their own insulators. Nagy also noted the first and second floors were builtwith hydronic piping inthe precast floors to heat the home.Hydronic piping is a thin and flexible tubing that runs throughprecast panels and connects to a homes standard boiler.

The concrete, which is heated, acts like a heating pad and slowly releases it over time.

The remodeled home, which is 3,500 square feet, features an open-concept kitchen and dining room on the first floor. A wall in the sitting area and a wall in an office usedsalvaged stone from the original structure.

On the second floor, there is a master bedroom with a master bath. Also on the second floor is an additional bedroom, two bathrooms and a laundry room.

After remodeling the house, Nagy said, the experience could possibly open more doors.

"I see it as a real opportunity for Spancrete to go further into the residential market thatwe're already in and get into homes we typicallywould not have been involved in," Nagy said.

ContactEvan Frank at (262) 361-9138or evan.frank@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @Evanfrank_LCP.

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Read or Share this story: https://www.jsonline.com/story/communities/lake-country/news/delafield/2019/11/11/home-built-in-1842-remodeled-to-be-more-energy-efficient/4172015002/

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The CEO of Spancrete partnered with his business to transform his 1842 Delafield home - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel