Katy Texas Info, News, Katy Business

West Memorial Junior High initiated a new program to get students to read called the Million Word Challenge. Students and faculty read books, magazines and anything else they can get their hands on. Then, the words are counted and once they get to a million words, students earn a T-shirt and certificate. They continue to earn shirts and certificates for each million words they read. This idea has been a huge success and has managed to get non-readers excited about reading.

Lanstar has won the honor of the title “Small Family-Owned Business of the Year” for the SBA’s South Texas Region. Lanstar began 15 years ago as a small, woman-owned business, owned by Jean and Earl Stout. Lanstar has serviced companies throughout the U.S. and the world with the distribution of various products and services. Lanstar has been able to build a two story office/warehouse/technology center to expand their facilities and service capabilities.

The SBA nomination was submitted by Joe Decker, director of the University of Houston ’s Fort Bend County Small Business Development Center. With the help of an SBA 504 loan, Decker and his team assisted Lanstar with business plan development, expansion financing and creation of the Katy Commerce Center. The SBA Loan has resulted in the establishment of a facility called The Katy Commerce Center that provides new service capabilities for the growth of small businesses and jobs in the Katy/West Houston Area.

The KCC concept transforms Lanstar’s experience as a small entrepreneurial business of sourcing, logistics and support to a service organization for companies that wish to grow their business with the help of “Other Peoples Resources.” Services include: executive offices, administrative support, logistics and fulfillment, warehouse space along with training and conference room rental. KCC is also home to Technology Center West Houston, the Katy Area Business Incubator and Accelerator.

“Katy Area EDC is certainly proud of Lanstar’s accomplishment and is pleased they have expanded and developed this facility in the Katy area, ” said Lance LaCour, EDC president.

Amber Gustafson, owner of Amber’s Designs, recently returned from a 12-day Gem Safari to Brazil, South America. Gustafson had the unique opportunity to visit a variety of different colored stone mines and to buy direct from the source and pass those savings directly on to her customers in the Katy area. Mines visited and stones purchased by Gustafson included emeralds, aquamarine, tourmaline, morganite and kunzite. While there Gustafson also had the opportunity to visit one of the oldest gold mines in all of Brazil in the mineral rich state of Mineas Gerais. “It was an absolutely amazing experience,” noted Gustafson.

Amber’s Designs has direct access to the Brazilian colored stone market and their prominent colored stone suppliers as the result of being the area ’s exclusive Master IJO Jeweler.

“It is generally out of reach for a single jewelry store to be able to travel to Brazil on their own and buy direct from the companies we do at the prices we are able to negotiate as a group. One of the many benefits of Amber ’s Designs having an IJO membership is that we are able to leverage the group as a whole to get the very best prices. In essence, we become a direct importer of colored stones on our trip to Brazil to hand select our colored gemstones and save our customers money. We are excited about being able to take advantage of this unique opportunity and to be able to share it with our customers, ” Gustafson added.

Stop by Amber’s Designs and see some of the beautiful colored gemstones that they uncovered while on their remarkable Gemstone Safari in Brazil. 722 Pin Oak Road (Enterprise Bank Building);
281-391-6333; www.katyjeweler.com.

Calvin Klein and U.S. Polo Assn. are the newest additions to the retail mix at Katy Mills. Slated to open this summer near Marshall ’s in Neighborhood Four, Calvin Klein will offer 8,102 square feet of women’s and men’s designer collections.

Additionally, U.S. Polo Assn. will open itsnew location in late July in Neighborhood Seven near Finish Line. The 3,097-square-foot store will feature casual denim American Sportswear for men, young men, junior and missy customers.