Houston Lifestyles and Homes magazine Jul 2009: Houston Events, Info, News, Business

Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Awards Scholarships to Houston-area Students

Amid economic struggles and hard times, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo continued to invest in the youth of Texas at the 2009 Scholarship Banquet in Reliant Center. Students were honored for their academic and community achievements with scholarships totaling nearly $5 million.

A four-year, $15,000 scholarship from one of three Show scholarship programs—Metropolitan, Opportunity and School Art—was awarded to each of the 317 high school seniors who will attend 38 different Texas colleges and universities.

The Metropolitan, Opportunity and School Art scholarships are just part of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo ’s more than $10.9 million annual commitment to scholarships, research, endowments, the Rodeo Institute for Teacher Excellence, School Art participants and other educational and youth programs. Since its beginning in 1932, the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo has committed more than $235 million to the youth of Texas.

The Houston metropolitan area has long supported the show’s educational endeavors and these scholarship programs were designed specifically to provide opportunities for students in the show ’s home community.

The Metropolitan Scholarships, the largest of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo ’s scholarship programs, are awarded to 202 students from 58 school districts in Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller counties, and are based on academic achievement, leadership, community involvement and financial need.

The Opportunity Scholarships are awarded to 100 students from Brazoria, Chambers, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Montgomery and Waller counties based on academic achievement, leadership and community involvement, with an emphasis placed on financial need.

To be eligible for a School Art scholarship, applicants must have competed at the district level in the Show ’s School Art Program in 2009. These 15 scholarship recipients must demonstrate the same academic achievement and leadership as Metropolitan and Opportunity recipients.

Houston-area CFOs Honored at

Final Celebrate Enterprise Event

Eight of the Houston-area’s top corporate financial professionals were honored at the 2009 Best CFOs of the Year awards luncheon, the final event in the Houston Business Journal’s four-day CelebrateEnterprise program.

Now in its third year, the Best CFOs of the Year awards recognize the professionalism and expertise of area CFOs and the significant contributions they make to their companies.

This year’s winners, by category, are: Emerging Public Company – David Hollaway, Prosperity Bancshares Inc.; Large Public Company – Randy Meyer, Amegy Bank of Texas; Emerging Private Company – Jesse Perez, Geotrace Technologies Inc; Mid-Cap Private Company – Al Gallo, Redstone Hospitality; Large Private Company – Carl Lenz, Texas Pipe & Supply Co.; Large Nonprofit – Beth Tanner, Houston Food Bank Inc.; Best Growth Manager – Margaret Lassarat, Mustang Engineering Inc.; and Good Samaritan – Patricia Chandler, Seven Acres Jewish Senior Care Services Inc.

The keynote speaker for the Best CFOs of the Year awards was economist Dr. James K. Galbraith, the Lloyd M. Bentsen chair in government and business relations and professor of economics at the Lyndon B. Johnson School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin.

Houston Art Car Parade Winners

More than 250,000 spectators and 264 mobile works of art rolled through the streets of downtown Houston, making the 2009 Houston Art Car Parade a traffic-stopping success.

At the Art Car Awards Ceremony and Brunch, winners received handmade trophies and cash prizes of more than $10,000. Held at the Orange Show Center for Visionary Art, the party also featured live music by Robert Ellis and an Arts Market where one-of-a-kind creations were sold by artists from across the nation.

The Art Car winners are: Mayor’s Cup– California Fantasy Van by Ernie Stengold; People’s Choice – Jeffrey’s Oceanic Peace Extravaganza by Carolyn Marcantel and Hurst-Euless Bedford ISD students; Participants Choice – Psychedelic Surfer Dude - Revisited by Robynn Sanders (for David Duthu); Best Visionary Artist Award (in Memory of Annie Burkes) – Atomic Dog by Rebecca Bass and Waltrip HS students; Special Recognition Award for Best Effort – Sock It To Me by Tracy Ahrens and The Hampton Tanglewood seniors; and Best Sponsor Award – Freebirds World Burrito.