Podcasts about Fort Bend

Send us a textEpisode 111 of the Texas HS Football Podcast host Taylor Arenz gets to know the man leading the charge for the Fort Bend Hurricanes Head Coach and Campus Athletic Coordinator Cornelius Anthony.From his days as a standout player to finding his calling on the sidelines, Coach Anthony chats about his journey, the mentors who helped shape his path, and the values he brings into every practice and team meeting. We talk offseason culture, spring ball energy, and what has him excited heading into the fall. And of course, we wrap it up with some fun rapid fire questions. Whether you're a Fort Bend fan, a fellow coach, or just love hearing the heart behind the helmet, this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

As if the winter weather wasn't enough to worry about, we now have to be on the lookout for a flesh-eating parasite. Yep, welcome to Texas! Host Raheel Ramzanali and Faith Bugenhagen, trending news reporter at Chron.com, are breaking down the biggest stories so far this week. They kick it off with former Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg's new gig and then discuss why local universities are asking international students to return to campus early from winter break. (Hint, Inauguration Day is around the corner). Plus, can you guess what was the most stolen vehicle in Houston in 2024? Join us for that, and much more! Stories we discussed on today's show:  Former Harris County DA Kim Ogg hired as senior policy advisor in commissioner's office Texas universities ask international students to return from holiday travel before Trump inauguration Elon Musk's brief Stanford affiliation raises questions about previous immigration status These 5 home developments will bring thousands of homes to Fort Bend's suburbs in 2025 Is your car one of Houston's most frequently stolen? What the data says. New Galveston County sheriff reportedly wants to end ‘Jeep Weekend,' but state law may prevent that Two women arrested after police officer received serious head injury Officials ask Texans to watch for screwworms after flesh-eating parasite's detection in Mexico Learn more about the sponsors of this January 7th episode here: Holocaust Museum Houston Museum of Fine Arts Looking for more Houston news? Then sign up for our morning newsletter Hey Houston  Follow us on Instagram  @CityCastHouston Don't have social media? Then leave us a voicemail or text us at +1 713-489-6972 with your thoughts! Have feedback or a show idea? Let us know!  Interested in advertising with City Cast? Let's Talk! Photo: Brandon Bell/Getty Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The news of Texas covered today includes:Our Lone Star story of the day: A review of the key races across Texas to watch as election returns come in. Will the GOP make gains in South Texas and the RGV? Will a young Leftist beauty queen upset a longtime state representative in Richardson? Will Amarillo be the first Texas city to fail to pass a sanctuary city for the unborn ordinance in a citywide vote? Will the GOP make gains in either the Texas House or Senate?I review the races to watch. [SD27, HD52, HD70, HD74, HD80, HD108, HD112, Amarillo's Pro-Life Sanctuary City for the Unborn ordinance, and race turnouts in places like Williamson and Fort Bend counties.Get your election results here: https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/historical/index.shtmlFeds agree to follow the law and stay out of Texas polling places and ballot count rooms.Our Lone Star story of the day is sponsored by Allied Compliance Services providing the best service in DOT, business and personal drug and alcohol testing since 1995.As expected, Comptroller Hegar reports that Texas' cash position has declined since last year.Listen on the radio, or station stream, at 5pm Central. Click for our radio and streaming affiliates. www.PrattonTexas.com

In this episode of the Building Texas Business Podcast, I interview Kelly Young, CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless in Houston. We explore how Houston has become a national model for reducing homelessness through data-driven strategies and collaborative efforts. Kelly shares insights on effective nonprofit leadership, emphasizing the importance of building solid and accountable teams and fostering diverse thinking. We discuss the critical need for sustainable funding in homeless response systems, moving away from reliance on sporadic disaster funding. Throughout our conversation, we delve into Houston's successes and the ongoing challenges in addressing homelessness. -- SHOW HIGHLIGHTS Chris introduces Kelly Young, CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless in Houston, discussing the organization's role in coordinating the Way Home system. Kelly describes her journey from providing direct services to adopting a systems-thinking approach, emphasizing the importance of data-driven strategies and compliance in managing federal funds. We discuss the structure of the Coalition, including key departments like finance, compliance, outreach, landlord engagement, and housing, as well as its unique position working between city and county governments. Kelly shares insights on building strong, accountable teams in nonprofit leadership, balancing visionary goals with improvisational strategies, and fostering an environment where diverse thinking thrives. We explore the significance of clear communication, especially for introverted thinkers, and the importance of acknowledging mistakes openly to build trust and strengthen teams. Kelly highlights the critical need for sustainable homeless response system funding, discussing the inadequacies of relying on sporadic disaster funding and the necessity of evolving data to better serve those still on the streets. We delve into the business rationale for investing in homeless response systems, emphasizing that it's a financially sound decision that ultimately reduces costs on public health and other services. Kelly explains the success of Houston's model for reducing homelessness, including the collaborative efforts among for-profit, non-profit, and public entities, and the innovative use of disaster funds from Hurricane Harvey and COVID. We address the importance of community engagement and understanding how systems work, as well as addressing severe mental illness and substance abuse issues more effectively. Kelly shares leadership lessons learned through experience, including the importance of passion, data integrity, personal and professional integrity in communication, and fostering a culture of risk-taking and growth. LINKSShow Notes Previous Episodes About BoyarMiller About CFTHhouston GUESTS Kelly YoungAbout Kelly TRANSCRIPT (AI transcript provided as supporting material and may contain errors) Chris: In this episode, you will meet Kelly Young, CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless in Houston. Kelly shares several great tips for leaders, including the value of direct communication. She also sheds light on the homeless response system and why Houston is leading the country in reducing homelessness in our community. Kelly, I want to thank you for taking the time to come on Building Texas Business. It's great to see you. Kelly: Lovely to see you and thank you for inviting me. Chris: So you are the CEO of the Coalition for the Homeless in Houston, and so a little bit different guest than normal, but not outside the box for us. Tell us what the Coalition for the Homeless is and what it does. So. Kelly: I like to think of the Coalition for the Homeless is and what it does. So I like to think of the Coalition for the Homeless as a coordinating body over what we call the Way Home, which is a collective of for-profit or non-profit and public entities that come together to resolve the issue of homelessness. Chris: Very good. So how did you get involved in the homeless response system, how long have you been involved and what really inspired you to do this? Kelly: I've actually been interested in helping people figure out better lives for themselves since I was like 12. I mean, I was what was called a people tutor when I was in a middle school, where I actually helped individuals with physical disabilities learn sports. And then I did some tutoring in high school and then I started working in a shelter for abused kids and I worked with kids who were coming out of psychiatric units. Then I worked in domestic and sexual violence. So I think I was always on a path to be a part of something that helped make other people's lives easier for them to be successful. When you do a lot of that direct work, you see the individual impact and the individual failures. When you get to do it on a systems level, you get to decide whether a system will be helpful in helping someone or whether it's setting up people for failure. So I've been in the Way Home system for about 12 years as an individual agency that helped provide direct services. But I'm actually a systems thinker by nature and so I kept going well, why doesn't this work and why doesn't this work? And the whole system here works. My job was to help it work better. So you know, like with any system or any business, you're constantly thinking about the future and what needs to change and what's going to be different coming up, and so I got the perfect opportunity to come in at a time when there is a major shift in many of the pillars of how the work is done, and I get to help design what that's going to look like, and that, to me, is the purpose of work. Chris: Love it. That's great. So, just to give our listeners maybe some context, let's just talk about the size of the organization, the coalition itself and maybe then, and maybe then, the system, participants and members, so they get an idea of what it is, that the organization is that you're running, as well as a system that you're trying to help manage and, as you said, get better and be more successful. Kelly: Well, I think, like any business, we are well-structured in terms of having enough staff to do the things that are core to our business model, and a couple of those things is we have a heavy compliance and finance department. We are nonprofits, are tax status not our business model, and we think of finance and compliance as sort of the heart of the organization. It pumps the blood through because we manage and help support almost 23 million to $40 million with a federal funding which requires us to follow lots of rules and regulation and make sure it's done correctly, not just for us, but also for our partners. We will provide certain types of services if we think that from a systems perspective, it makes sense to have an overlay. So we have an outreach team, we have a landlord engagement team and I can go more into depth about that when I talk about the system and then we have a housing team and those are really to bolster the system, not to replace the system in those jobs. And then we have this second largest department, which is really our data. We're a data-driven organization. 12 years ago, the coalition made a major shift, which was to use data to drive the construct of how the community actually resolves homelessness or deals with homelessness in the community and in that data. What we did was build out our 100 partners who have to agree to be a part of the database and include all that information but also follow some of our guidelines around standards, so that we can bring more and more money in from the federal government but also provide much better services and a quicker response to somebody who falls into homelessness. Chris: Okay, so, and at the coalition, what is it? Roughly 80-ish, I think, employees. Kelly: Yes, we're at 80. And I think we're also unique because we sit between the county and the city. We are trying to manage both of their expectations around homelessness. So sometimes people think of us as quasi-government. We are not. We are a nonprofit. But we sit there so that we can meter both sides what the county and the city wants and they don't have to be trying to work that through. So we always find the best solution for both Harris County, montgomery County and Fort Bend, and then the city of Houston Very good. Chris: So yeah, let's talk a little bit about the system. You know some people may be aware I think you know a lot aren't but just the success of Houston and how Houston has become the model for the country on addressing homelessness, reducing homelessness in our community. You know a lot's been written, most recently about the Houston Chronicle a little over a year ago, new York Times. You know you've been involved and interviewed in those things. Share a little bit for people to kind of understand how successful Houston's been to date. And of course, we can talk more later about the challenges we still face. Kelly: Yeah, I mean, I think one of the things and again, any good business person or anybody who's looking to innovate understands that you first have to know the problem you have and then understand how you want to solve that problem, and for what I think the system did really well over the last 12 years is to build out the right system mechanisms and then the right interventions to use our money to the fullest extent. So what most people don't understand is that for the homeless response system which we oversee, that is mainly funded by federal dollars and so we are under federal guidelines on how we do that, which means we actually cannot interact or help somebody until they are currently on the street and in that then we have to be able to place them in other places, including permanent supportive housing, which is for somebody with a documented disability who's been on the street for a long time. They still will pay part of their rent out of their disability dollars, but we give them a subsidized apartment and appointments to kind of get off the street and going again. I think the other piece that people don't understand is that we only have two systems. We only have rapid rehousing or permanent supportive housing. So our options are very limited, which means you have to be incredibly smart and innovative about how you engage not only the community, the people who need the service, but then the service delivery when we have taken advantage of, which I think is true in Houston. Why I love this city so much is we take disasters and turn them into determination, and so we took both the Hurricane Harvey and COVID and use those additional dollars to build out enough of a safety net, but then also a permanent place for people to live, that we were able to move over the last 11 years, 30,000 people off the street. We reduced homelessness by 60% and I know people are like, well, but I see people on the street, Absolutely, but you don't see the ones we placed in the housing and who moved on with their lives because they're gone. They're doing their lives. Chris: The thing people I think should know is and you can share some details but you know and we know from the research and the data that A lot of what's at the streetlight, those aren't homeless people. Kelly: Right. We also have an issue with people living below the poverty line. So United Way points out and rightfully so, that 40% of the individuals in Houston are $400 away from catastrophe and that means we have a lot of people living on the edge. So if you're unable to get a job or you're unable to work full time, you might see people who are out panhandling to get a job, or you're unable to work full-time, you might see people who are out panhandling. There's also people who take advantage of people who are in those situations and use that as their own mechanism to make money, because they actually place people there and then collect some of their money so that they could go stay in their shelter. So it's an interesting world when you actually find out what's going on in your street corners. Chris: Right, right. Well, I love that Obviously very close to this issue and the system, and so I think it's great to be able to tout the success we're having, as well as you know the challenges we face. You know people talk about the goal of ending homelessness and I love the kind of the phrase that's been adopted is making it rare, brief and non-reoccurring, because, as you said, so many people are living right on the edge. People are going to something's going to happen, people are going to end up homeless, but the question is is there a system there that can rapidly get them into housing and the supportive services they need to recorrect? Kelly: Yeah, absolutely, and I think the important piece of this is looking at equilibrium. So what you want, I don't need to have a lot of additional dollars that are sitting there waiting to do something. I need just-in-time dollars. I need to know that if a downturn has happened in the economy, if there's something happening on the street, return you know, in terms of people falling more readily into homelessness, rents have gone up something else has happened. I want to be able to bolster that very quickly so I can move those individuals off the street within 30 to 45 days. That reduces not only the trauma on that individual but it reduces the trauma on the community and as a community member myself I mean, I live in Midtown, so I often see a lot of individuals I've known for a long time to be on the street and you know what I don't want people to do is to get to the point where they don't care about those individuals anymore because it's disrupting their community. So equilibrium not only benefits the individual, who is facing a really difficult time, and moving them on quickly so it's a blip in their life, not an extension of their life and then also for the community to be able to stay in that caring and compassionate place so that they'll get involved and stay involved in the work of our unhoused neighbors and friends and, quite honestly, brothers and sisters. Chris: So let's turn the page a little bit and talk about you know you came into this organization at the beginning of 2024. Let's talk about what it's like to, you know, step in as a CEO, a new CEO into an organization and some of the how you approach that from a mindset, because I would think you know some of our listeners may find themselves there, may be experiencing it as well. So what was the mindset you kind of took in to make it a smooth transition and so that one you could honor what's been, what was being done by the you know, maybe previous CEO, but you know, make a smooth transition and find a way to put your own mark on the organization moving forward. Kelly: I think one of the best things people can do is first lie to themselves and then tell their truth. The lie you tell yourself is that you know everything's going to change and you list it out and you ready yourself for that. Intellectually, I do think where you probably need to tell your truth is that change is complicated and hard. I think sometimes, when you're in a leadership role, you want to reframe things for other people so that it's easy for them to understand and maybe to jump on board, but you yourself know it's difficult. I mean when you know the financial picture is going to change, the model is going to change, the people are going to change, and those were all true for us. That list sounds great and easy, but it is a constant attention to each small move that you're making and what the long-term impact is. I always describe strategy as visionary and improvisational and I think that's a good balance and that's how I've been able to translate what I think needs to happen in an organization. I mean, obviously you're listening, you know the pillars have sort of changed. You're listening to other people, you're absorbing other people, but I also come in and I'm really clear about how I work and what my accomplishment looks like and how success looks to me, and I drive that home in every single meeting. So people learn to trust that what I'm saying is true. When I make a mistake, I tell everybody straight up. I'm you know it's not falling on my sword. I just think it's important to model that. I think one thing is, for some of us who are more introverted thinkers, one of the hardest things to learn to do is how to over-commun messaging to people. Chris: Because I do so much of it in my head, I have to remember to actually put words to it well, and I mean yeah, go ahead obviously not the right, but I mean I can relate to that because you not only that, there's so many things going on in your brain, right, and you're you like. I just completed this, I got to get to the next thing and it's finding that time to either stop and slow down and communicate before you move on or, you know, remember at some point you need to stop and let people know what's going on through those ears. Advert Hello friends, this is Chris Hanslick, your Building Texas business host. Did you know that Boyer Miller, the producer of this podcast, is a business law firm that works with entrepreneurs, corporations and business leaders? Our team of attorneys serve as strategic partners to businesses by providing legal guidance to organizations of all sizes. Get to know the firm at boyermillercom and thanks for listening to the show. Kelly: Yeah, I always call it the Kelly Young madness or the Kelly Young magic, because it's like some people are good at waiting to see what's going to happen. Other people are like I have no idea what she's doing and we're just going to hope this all works out. And it's my responsibility as a leader to alleviate both of those misunderstandings. Right, because I need people engaged in the process. I'm a big believer that right buck stops with me. I'm going to make the final decision, but very rarely is the final decision my decision. It's everybody else's input. I'll take the accountability, I'll be the one who pushes it through. But if I don't have the buy-in from the group and they can't be settled in some agreement, especially when you're changing from something that has run successfully for a very long time and all the conditions changed and change and you have to let people know it's not, we're not changing because you did something wrong. We're changing because it's time to move forward. That kind of reframing I think is extremely helpful and that stuff. You should know what you're going to say and how you're going to lay that out to your team before you start day one. Chris: Very good. So, speaking of team obviously you just said this in one of your responses that is, while the buck stops with you, you make the final decision. It's rarely your decision. That's because you have a team around you, right, and you're relying on them and you're pushing them, all those things. So let's talk about building a solid team around you. What are some of the things that you look for? Again, this isn't your first time to be CEO of an organization, so I know you've built teams more than once. Let's talk a little bit about that. What are some of the things you look for in the hiring process, in the evaluation of the people that you have when you take over? I think there's a lot that could be learned from that. Kelly: I'm one of those people. I'm a little super nerdy this way and I learned a decision-making model a long time ago called the seven hats, and the idea behind it is that each person at the table wears a different hat, and so you have somebody who's the white hat, which is the emotional and red hat, and they're the naysayer. And as much as I'd rather have everybody just do what I want and like me and do all that. I also know that's a terrible way to run anything, so I work really hard at actually having very different ways of thinking at a leadership level. Sometimes that causes more conflict or contrast in the way we resolve an issue, but I expect people to come and learn professional communication skills, and if you can't, you should go back to school or learn a YouTube. I don't care, because the purpose should be. I need you to be here for what we're here for. I don't like a lot of internal nonsense. I don't like us spending a bunch of time on stuff that doesn't matter, because the kind of work I've always done meant somebody did not get out of a domestic violence situation because we were spending time arguing about who left the coffee pot on. You know I walk past somebody who's on the street who needs to get housed. I don't want to sitting around arguing because somebody thought somebody was rude one day. Like that just can't be in the workplace. I get why it is, but I want people who come ready to do work and actually can define what work means to them. The second thing is always happens in this field. I just want to help people and that to me, is the death nail answer, because my answer, my question back to you is going to be what does that mean and how does that look? Because you wanting to help people doesn't have very much to do with actually serving people. Those are two very different concepts. So I also am very clear about the environment that I want at work and you have a choice Don't sign up and then come in and want to change it, add to it, make it better. But I'm not going to adjust what I think has to happen in an organization to go to the next level, because I typically have taken jobs where I'm right in the middle of a major change and I do know what needs to be functionally happening on a regular basis to make that shift. Chris: So you know that's very insightful and you know the core of what I think you're saying. If you boil it down, is it comes back to very clear, direct communication, setting expectations, et cetera, and then holding people accountable. All of that then leads to culture when you're building these teams. If you think about what you've done in the last nine months at the coalition, how would you describe the culture that you're striving for, that you feel like you have? You know, growing there. Kelly: I have a speech I used to call the mean speech I never thought it was mean, but somebody had called it where I lay out what I learned over the time of my working, in the time that I made some really serious mistakes, and what I learned from those and how they need to interpret that into their new work environment. And so with that, I think what happens in the culture is they actually see me living the story I told and I bring it up over and over again in different pieces. I think storytelling is important for that reason, but I show them what I did that didn't work, so that they have a clear understanding of what I learned from what I didn't do or what I did wrong. So they understand that this is a learning environment, that part of your responsibility is to be curious and to want to understand how to do things better or differently. If you come in and you say to me well, you know, I just need the training and I need this, you will not last well in my organizations, because I expect that you're more interested than that. You have to want to care about data. Data is most important, particularly in nonprofits, because you are telling the future of how most federal dollars are going to be spent in your case notes or in your reports. I talk a lot about gossip and that you can't stop it, but you have a personal and professional integrity line in how you communicate account. You know, for me I run it this way, which is every single dollar that comes in here is somebody else's dollar and somebody else's money, and so there's very little room to make major mistakes or to waste, because that's your money that you're wasting. And if we cannot do it the best, if we cannot show up in ways that people expect, then we should give that money to somebody else. And I tell people don't be miserable. If you don't like working here, you don't like the here, you don't like the work, you don't like the commute, you don't like any of that stuff, oh my gosh, why are you spending your life doing something you don't like Like? Go be happy. Chris: That's so true, right? I mean I think we talk about it. I know in our organization is, if you don't connect with our mission and our passion, it's okay. You know it doesn't make you a bad person, it just means there's a different organization for you where you're going to be happier. And then you should go find that, because we want the people that if they connect with that mission and passion of our organization, then they're going to be living their best self, which opens them up to serve our clients and each other to their fullest potential. Right. Kelly: And I also think we try to be very or I've always tried to be. I'm not interested in telling you how to do your job because you don't want kelly young's opinion of how to do your job. You want your own opinion. I hired somebody who's smart and talented and knows how to do that and you don't want my limited vision of that. But when people also say, well, I don't like to be micromanaged, I'm like, well, I'd be interested in why people feel like they have to micromanage you. So if you are showing up to work and over-communicating and letting people know, I shouldn't have to do that, but I will if you're not able to do that, because I still need to know what's happening. So I often turn some of those things that people say back on them, just so a little self-awareness, and help them understand, because you will not like working for a CEO who will say, who will call you and be like, why does this number not match this number? And it's not because I don't trust you, it's that I need the number to make sense, because I'm about to go tell a bunch of people this number. So it's interesting. I actually really love building culture. I think I do a good job of creating enough openness that people feel like they can participate if they choose to. Chris: Well, you know, one of the things I think has been written a lot about and it's hard, it's a hard skill for some leaders to get to, but you learn so much by, rather than telling is asking questions. And you know, like you said, turn it around on them and ask the questions and then, a lot of times, as they are forced to answer those questions, they realize where to go. Kelly: Yeah, and it's funny because there's a new book out by the gentleman who wrote Sapiens and his new book is called Nexus and I heard him in an interview and I thought this was really interesting because I do think this is an issue with the workplace and maybe some generational conflict. He talks about information and not that. This is new. Talks about information and not. This is new. But information is not truth and part of the problem is that we tend to try to over inform and over educate to get to truth and neither one of those things will actually get you there, because truth is costly, it takes time, it takes energy and I do think we're in an overload of informing people as though that will change or grow somebody's understanding, when really all it did was add more information, not deeper truth. So, you know, I just find that a fascinating and I thought about it in terms of work we do, because I think one of the things the coalition has always done has been a truth teller and in that truth telling right now we're in huge inundation of information because we're going through a lot of change. How do we settle back into our truth? Chris: Interesting, yeah, okay, so you mentioned this and what I can't wait to hear more about. May not have time on this podcast, but your mean speech. You talked about the mistakes and sharing mistakes you made in the learning. And you know, I don't know if you listened to one of these before, but I love asking people you know, tell us about a setback, a mistake you made, but then how you learn from it. Right, and I think you know to your point, when you share those stories with the people in your organization, it humanizes you and allows for that culture of learning, take risk and it's okay to fail, because that's how we learn and get better. So let's you know, can you share an example that either comes out of the mean speech or something else? You know a Kelly Young mistake and how it made Kelly Young better? Kelly: Yeah, and this one was interesting and I think it sort of aligns in particular with people who work directly with people and I was a very benevolent leader at one point. So this is much more of a self-awareness mistake than an actual business mistake, but I think it's important and I was. It's all about, you know, serving, you know, women. Everybody had on their desk, on their computers what did I do today to end domestic or sexual violence? And I was all gung-ho and and I, you know, I was there for the work and, as I said, and we got a new CEO and I thought that I should have been tapped for the CEO position and nobody asked me. And so I was very self-righteous in my understanding of, first of all, well, if you don't let anybody know you're interested, they probably won't ask you. But second of all, just because you've done this job doesn't mean you're actually ready to do that job. And so I was awful. I mean I was awful for about six weeks and I made everybody hear my pain and how hard it was on me and all this kind of stuff. The hardest lesson to learn in all that was that for all my bravado and my great messaging and whatnot, I really wasn't there for the mission in that moment. I was really there for my ego. And if we are not self-aware enough to understand when you are using ego to sell people on a version of yourself that you think will make them like you better or follow you better, but it's not true because you haven't done enough self-work, I spent six weeks wasting time, I mean, and I find I left, I went and found a different job and that was the best thing for me to do. But in that one moment when you realize that you are a liar to yourself and to other people and you decide you're not going to do that anymore Best moment of my professional career, because I never made a decision ever again around benevolence or around pretending that rhetoric was more important than what I really could show up and do. So I didn't like that and I hate sharing that story because it sounds awful. I sound like a horrible human being, but I think most of us have that moment. Chris: What a powerful story. No, I mean I think to your point. I mean it doesn't make you powerful, think to your point. I mean it doesn't make you powerful, a horrible person. But that's a difficult thing for us as humans to face right, to really look in the mirror that deeply and call ourselves out and, more importantly then, actually do what it takes to change. Kelly: Yeah, and for me, what I learned is that if I really want to lead, lead it is not pretending you can't play at leading, it is a commitment. It's hard, it's lonely, it's complex and you have to build in ways where your mind just stops thinking, because I'm a little bit of an overthinker and you have to do that self-awareness all the time. You're in check, all the time when you're a leader. Chris: Yeah, everyone's watching, right. So that's, I mean, I think, to your point where basically you can't fake it. It's because so many people are watching every move, whether it's internal to your organization or external partners, you'll get exposed really fast. Kelly: Right, and then you lose their trust so they won't show up for you when you need them to and at the end of the day, whatever it is that you because I think about innovators and I have a gentleman I know who helped work on some incubation around medical devices. Well, some people are like, oh well, you work with homeless and it must be so rewarding. I'm like I actually think it'd be pretty cool to make medical devices that make people's lives better. I don't have that talent, but you know. So it doesn't really matter what is at the center of your passion and your mission. I worry when we tell people you know you fake it till you make it, because in leadership you really can't do that. You need to sit down and learn it. You need to know your truth. It goes back to that. You can inform me about all these things about being a leader, but until I know the truth about being a leader, I'm going to waste time and I'm a hyper efficiency person. So for me it's like if I can do it in two steps, I'd rather do that than 15. So I really don't faking. It would be way too easy for me to just practice all the time, so I have to not allow myself some of those, those things, cause I yeah, I'd rather be out riding my bike, only because it's only because it's been a long week. Chris: I get you, I get you. You need that release too. Finding a way to you know release as a leader is equally as important. Yes absolutely so. Let's turn the conversation back around to homelessness Talk a little bit. You know, maybe, where we are, but what the future looks like. You've mentioned a couple of times, you know, facing new challenges in this world of homeless response. Let's talk a little bit about that. I know we have, you know, world Homeless Day coming up. You know, share a little bit about that, but I just wanted you know our listeners to know a little bit about you know, maybe, how they can get involved and how they can help in this issue. Kelly: Yeah, I think you know. I think we have done such an incredible job of getting people into some type of permanent solution, so we're in decent shape there. But it was, as the Chronicle said, it's duct tape and determination. When you have to rely on funding that comes from disasters or pandemics, that is a terrible planning model and not very fiscally sound. So I think a couple of things for us. One is broadening our perspective in this phase we're kind of calling it phase four, and I think it's important to realize that systems should always have phases or pivot points, because systems die when they don't read themselves and make sure they're on the right track is kind of an overhaul of our data. What is our data telling us, but what is it, more importantly, not telling us? What do we need to know about who is still on the street? What do we need to know about our funding sources and what's available? We know that we're gonna run out of funding because of COVID by 2025. I'm going to make the argument over and over again that we are not. Homelessness used to be able to be resolved by people coming together and kind of helping a family or helping an individual. We've had so many other systems end up feeding people into homelessness, that we actually need a system response, and that includes system funding, which typically aligns with some type of consistent, regular money that's funding the system, so we never have to be out of balance again, and that's one of the things we're working on. The second is we've actually been going out and doing community mapping to help people understand community is not given, it's built. So if you want a different kind of community that you live in, you're going to have to get engaged and that's one of the ways that you can volunteer. So maybe you have a church, that you're in a neighborhood that people get fed, but the food containers and stuff get left all over the street or there's whatever. Well, you could complain about the trash, or you could complain the city doesn't pick up the trash, or you all could start a walking group. Everybody needs exercise, so you have choices in how you decide to engage in your community. I do think becoming much more aware and understanding how the system works and doesn't work resolves a lot of people's frustration about seeing somebody on the street. We also have to have much better interventions for individuals who are severely mentally ill and have substance use issues. We have housed a lot of people who apartments and appointments works really well, for we have some individuals who just cannot make good decisions to care for themselves, and we're going to have to address that and I think that's one of those things where people don't understand you said this earlier right now the way the homeless response system is set up. Chris: The federal dollars are all housing, coming from the housing side, and yet what we face and what you know, you and and your team know that we face is a very severe mental illness issue and kind of what's the hardest to serve, yet no dollars from the mental health side of the equation. Kelly: Right and certainly not at the level it needs to be in. Including residential care, additional beds and substance use is even far worse funded and I understand people are like, well, I don't want to. You know that's. People just need to figure out how to get their lives together, I agree. But you're making a choice then. You're either deciding we're not going to help somebody so they'll get where you want them to go, or you'll leave them on the street so they won't go where they're going to go. So you know again, these are choices that we are making. I am so happy to live in a city and a county that is as generous as it is. I mean, houston is one of the, I think, premier cities for the purpose of the fact that people actually care, kind, friendly, smart, innovative. I think the other piece for us is really having to get more upstream. That 40% scares me. That is devastating to a system you want to right-size or actually shrink Like. I don't want you to have me on a call 10 years from now and I've grown the homeless response system by three sizes Like somebody should fire me. That's not-. Chris: Work yourself out of a job. Kelly: Right, exactly, and so right-sizing ours, with the right amount of funding and then really pushing upstream to figure out how healthcare doesn't release people back onto the street with serious illnesses. Re-entry that's dealt with. Somebody who's hit a hard time can quickly get rehoused because we're helping for a few months. That's just being good neighbors, right. So I think that's pretty easy for people. We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I have the world's smartest team and the people who built this system and have watched over it the last 12 years. We're only gonna figure out the right and have watched over it the last 12 years. You know we're only going to figure out the right and the best path with the resources and the influence we have coming forward. Chris: Very good. Yeah, I think the future is very bright with the right people. So you know this is, you know, fundamentally, it's a business podcast and one of the things that you know, some of the data that I love to share is I always tell people, you know, when it comes to this homeless response and taking care of our neighbors who have fallen on this, you know, unfortunate time, there's a compassionate side, you know, which is, you know, obvious. But there's also a business side and some people you know connect on that and just share the numbers on the cost it takes to, you know, house someone on an annual basis versus if they're left on the street and use our public health system, et cetera. Because to me, if business owners are listening and thinking about this, the investment in the homeless response system is a no-brainer. Kelly: Right when we look at the numbers and I'm going to add for inflation, because we'll probably be in a recession next year is what I understand. Of course, they say that every year and I'm like, really at some point you know we're either or we're not, I don't know. No reason to even use the R word, right? Can we come up with something else, because this feels like a whole new thing. But I think you know you're talking about to house somebody and to make sure that they have access to the current systems that they need. Through their appointments and I always stress this they do not get to live for free, there is no free housing. They have to pay a percentage of their income or their benefits 30%, like the rest of us, and so for that it's $19,000 to $25,000 a year, not an overextensive amount of money you can go up to, depending on how often somebody uses other services up to $250,000 for them to stay on the street, and the reason for that is that every time you call the police on them, you have to count that money. Every time they go into an emergency room, you have to count all of that money. It's not to say they won't use those services, but they'll use them appropriately, which right sizes the dollars in the systems. So, right now, all this money. People are saying, well, we don't have the money. I'm like we do, we're systems. So right now, all this money. People are saying, well, we don't have the money. Chris: I'm like we do, we're just it's in the wrong bucket. Kelly: That's right. And if we moved it over and we agreed to just pay this for the next three years? I mean, if you're willing to pay a hundred dollars a month for charity, why are you not willing to pay one percent on your beer or your vaping? You don't even see that and get it to the point where you see the reduction in the rest of your costs and then you actually feel the relief on the tax end. You know, because you're not paying more and more on those parts of it. Wayne Young with the mental health services demonstrates that from a diversion point, for people with severe mental health to get into care is a one to $5 save. So it's $1 for him to do. It costs $5 for them to stay on the street, so economically it makes no sense. It's not cheaper. You're avoiding the problem instead of solving it and from any good business standpoint that's not what you do. You define the problem, you solve the problem. Chris: Right To summarize right I mean support the housing homeless response system. It's roughly $19,000 to $25,000 a year to do it and help us move people into housing and off the street. Leave them on the street. You're looking at annual cost of $100,000 to $250,000 to our system. Kelly: Right. And just the burnout rate of everybody trying to solve that and the trauma and the individual. I'm always going to add compassion to the dollars. But if you actually really care about that individual instead of just want them off the individual, I'm always going to add compassion to the dollars. But you know, if you actually really care about that individual instead of just want them off the street, I don't actually even care. You can have either of those opinions, doesn't matter to me. But it's going to be cheaper, more efficient, more effective if you buy into the response system and ensure that we have the right interventions for those people and don't have to wait till something terrible happens to be able to do this again. Chris: And ultimately all of that will make our community better and stronger. Kelly: Absolutely, absolutely. When you look at the best player on a team, you also have to look at the one who's struggling. And you bring up the one who's struggling. You spend less time on the one who's already figured it all out. But if you're in a team, you're in a community, you're looking at who's struggling and how do we get them to some level of consistency in their lives or whatever. Otherwise, we're always going to have to play down to that denominator. Chris: Kelly, this has been a fascinating conversation. Thank you Really appreciated your thoughts and sharing those with our listeners. I want to turn it to a little bit more of a fun, lighter side before we wrap up. Excellent, what was your? You may have said this earlier, cause you mentioned something when you were a teenager. What was your first job? Kelly: My first job was working at an ice cream store called Farrell's. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest and every time it was somebody's birthday you had to bang out the drum. You had to slide it over your head and bang out the drum, and they get this big thing called the zoo, which was like 150 scoops of ice cream and you had to wear this horrifying outfit with one of those straw hats that never sits on my head Cause I'm a little pointed, I think, and I you learn very quickly and this is why I love anybody who's ever done food service and was successful in it and why I have an affinity for them. You learn very quickly how difficult it is to run restaurants on margin, but also nobody wanted to do that and had to do it every single time. So that was my first real paying job that I got to check. Chris: Gotcha, yeah, and I knew you weren't from Texas and grew up in the Northwest, but you've been here long enough to be able to answer this question. Do you prefer Tex-Mex or barbecue? Kelly: Well, that's a good question. That's hard to decide, that's hard to define. I probably eat Tex-Mex more often, but I prefer barbecue, okay. Chris: Unique answer. Kelly: Yeah, I like it. That's an and yes answer. That's an improv technique. Very politically motivated or correct answer I just don't go to barbecue as much, but if I really sat down and thought about it, I prefer it. I just don't, for whatever reason, don't get there, which seems weird. Chris: Very good. Well, kelly. Thanks again for taking the time. This has been a great conversation. I'm looking forward to getting this out on all the social media. I hope people will listen and learn more about what is going on in our homeless response system. Kelly: Oh well, thank you so much for having me. I mean, I would do anything for you. I think you're amazing, so appreciate your time this morning. All right, talk with you later. Special Guest: Kelly Young.

Fort Bend Hightower coach Cornelius Anthony, and the best small school teams in 2024

In the last episode in our Texas Counties series, Brian Walters meets with one of the firm's associate attorneys, JB Bobbitt, to discuss practicing family law in the different counties that make up the surrounding Houston area (such as Harris, Fort Bend, Montgomery, Brazoria, Galveston). Brian and JB discuss the local rules, key court locations, structure of the family court system and the filing requirements and deadlines within each county and the importance of hiring an attorney with experience in your specific county. Walters Gilbreath, PLLC handles family law matters throughout the state of Texas. If you are interested in speaking to our legal team on your Texas family law situation, please email us at podcast@waltersgilbreath.com or find us online at www.waltersgilbreath.com. 

Dena Scott, CMAA is the AD for the Fort Bend ISD and she has a tremendous background as an Athlete, Coach, AD, and Leader and she sits down with us to share BEST PRACTICES on The Educational AD Podcast! --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/educational-ad-podcast/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/educational-ad-podcast/support

On Friday's show: Fort Bend ISD trustees have responded to a complaint filed with the Texas Education Agency over the early retirement of then-superintendent Christie Whitbeck. News 88.7 reporter Natalie Weber explains what the complaint alleges and what the trustees have to say about it. And she discusses other developments in Fort Bend County, including Sugar Land banning new smoke shops, vape stores, and hookah bars.Also this hour: Our non-experts weigh in on The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week, including plans to demolish a house featured in the movie Reality Bites.And we learn about the Houston Symphony's performances of Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. While many people will recognize its opening and closing numbers, the entire piece has influenced composers for TV, film, and video games.

It is TEA time! Talk at The Kitchen Island is all about CHARITY. Our special guest's life of giving has made a significant impact on the community of Fort Bend, Houston. Her passion for dance and offering traditional dance classes led to arts education programs and fostering community outreach through partnerships, schools, and other organizations. Meet Charity Edison Carter, Founder of the Edison Arts Foundation. Hard work and giving to others have led to the development of a 12.5-acre mixed use Edison Center. Hear how Charity's passion – (wife, mother community worker) has led to the development of a 400-seat performing arts center, affordable housing, public arts programs and more. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/venita-r-mitchell/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/venita-r-mitchell/support

It's only Tuesday and we already have a bunch of stories that are impacting our city. From a major dispute being resolved to an offensive presentation shown at a local middle school, host Raheel Ramzanali and Hey Houston newsletter editor Brooke Lewis are talking about it all on today's episode.  Featured stories: Worst drivers list The latest on SB4  Almost half of Texas 4th graders scored a zero on the STAAR writing composition  Mayor Whitmire gets deal done with firefighters union  Fort Bend teacher shows offensive slide during presentation  Art Car museum announces closing  Turkey Leg Hut drama continues with pop-up  Looking for more Houston news? Then sign up for our morning newsletter Hey Houston  Follow us on Instagram  @CityCastHouston Don't have social media? Then leave us a voicemail or text us at +1 713-489-6972 with your thoughts! Have feedback or a show idea? Let us know!  Interested in advertising with City Cast? Let's Talk! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On the run up to 100 episodes we have another very special guest that impacted Coach Kovo's life as his 1st ever coach at Fort Bend Austin where he was the Head Freshmen Football Coach. He went on to become the long-time Head Baseball Coach for the Austin Bulldogs, and in retirement after a move to Big Sky Country he is still at is coaching linebackers, receivers, and JV Baseball for the Whitefish, MT Bulldogs - welcome Randy Ursery to the show! - Growing up in Gurdon, Arkansas, a small town in the Southwest corner of the state where he was a proud member of the Go Devil football and baseball teams! - After graduating from Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, AR, Randy had a few stops in Oklahoma and Louisiana before finally finding his way to the Lone Star State; a place he would make home for 30 years beginning at Quail Valley Middle School! - A hot topic in youth sports today revolves around year-round baseball culture, overuse injuries, and the benefits of being a multi-sport athletes. Coach Ursery was blessed to see multiple different examples of big 6A programs where the baseball and football programs worked together in unison although that is not always the case. Coach shares his thoughts on the development of baseball/football athletes. - Any longtime Fort Bend ISD people listening won't want to miss Randy reminiscing of the Fort Bend of the late 80s and early 90s - a time when there weren't so many campuses and every Friday night at Edward Mercer Stadium was a true spectacle to behold, along with his battles against Fort Bend ISD baseball legends like Rick Carpenter, Herb Espinosa, Israel De Los Santos, Clint Welch, Jody Albright, and Rodney Hernandez!! - Finally as the longest tenured Head Coach in Austin Bulldog history, heck the Field is even named after him, we get Coach Ursery's all-time Austin Bulldog Baseball Mt. Rushmore!! Join the Team Player Revolution! The biggest help is to leave a 5-star rating. This is what moves us up the rankings so more people can hear the stories of coaches changing lives Follow on Twitter @coach_kovo Hit us up at teamplayerpodcast@gmail.com - we lift up our own inside Team Player Nation, all guest suggestions/feedback is welcome! Art for the Team Player Podcast was created by Kaiser St. Cyr Music for the Team Player Podcast is from the single One More/Good Enough by Avrion - available on all platforms

In the 13th episode of Houston Law Nerd Podcast, I sit down with Judge Christian Becerra, the Judge of the 434th District Court, Fort Bend County, Texas, a life-long resident of Fort Bend, Texas, who is running for reelection in 2024. His campaign website is located here: www.judgebecerra.com.Listen in and learn while we discuss a number of topics including his long-time family roots in Fort Bend County, his road to UT Austin for undergrad and then to law school, with his eyes initially set on politics not law practice, his becoming a successful prosecutor in the Fort Bend District Attorney's Office, his decision to leave that office along side the current Fort Bend District Attorney, his long career in private practice in both criminal and civil litigation in twenty different jurisdictions across Texas, his learning how different jury pools are in across Texas, how  Fort Bend's broad diversity requires intense focus on learning about each juror in voir dire, his strong if not controversial opinions that lead to his decision to run for office and for Judge of the 434th District Court, the drastic changes he has made in his court to significantly reduce the severe case backlog for the benefit of civil litigants, defendants, victims, and the public including through the COVID-19 Pandemic, the 434th District Court's unique and important role as the Felony Mental Health Court in Fort Bend County, and his preference for British crime dramas, including the Sherlock series with Benedict Cumberbatch, among other topics.Email me with questions, comments, or suggestions for guests at HoustonLawNerd@gmail.com. 

On Tuesday's show: Fort Bend ISD's board of trustees met last night amid ongoing questions over why it's sent the district's superintendent into early retirement. We review what we have – and haven't learned – since this all became public at last week's board meeting.  Also this hour: We're doomed – but we can be okay with it, says author David Gessner. He shares why in his book, A Traveler's Guide to the End of the World. Then, we revisit our 2021 conversation with actor and Houston native Brent Spiner, who's best known for playing Data on Star Trek: The Next Generation. And, ahead of the Houston Symphony's annual performance of Handel's Messiah, we learn how the piece has become a holiday staple even though only one section of this very large work is actually centered on Christmas and the nativity. And the most famous part, the Hallelujah chorus, isn't even part of that section.

A new season of Born in the Bend kicks off this week with a summer wrap-up and a calendar of exciting upcoming events. Emily recaps a summer of European travel and talks about her work with the Fort Bend Museum. Aimee discusses new happenings at Blockhouse Coffee and dives into some upcoming Richmond get-togethers you won't want to miss. Additional talking points include: updates from past guests, holiday fun in Fort Bend, and the launch of the new and improved Born in the Bend website.  

Pete Luna's career in law enforcement spans over a quarter-century, characterized by a commitment to public service and unwavering dedication. From 1995 to 1996, he began his journey at the Fort Bend County Adult Probation Department, laying the foundation for his impressive trajectory. In 1997, he embarked on a lengthy tenure with the Texas Department […]

George Couros begins this episode with a reflection on using new spaces with outdated expectations. This opening leads into the full episode with Keith Fickel who is the principal of a new school in Fort Bend, Texas. Be sure to listen or watch to learn what inspired the name of this new school! Quotes: “Perfection is what we strive for, but it is really about making progress.” - Keith Fickel “Direction first, speed later.” - Keith Fickel Links: Keith Fickel LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/keith-fickel-91454522 Keith Fickel X (formerly known as Twitter) - https://twitter.com/keithfickel?lang=en __________________________________________ Please share your thoughts with us on Twitter or Instagram at #InnovatorsMindset. More at georgecouros.ca George Couros on Twitter: https://twitter.com/gcouros George Couros on Instagram: https://instagram.com/gcouros George Couros on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/georgecourosauthor/ George Couros on LinkedIn: https://ca.linkedin.com/in/george-couros-a5146519 For the full audio podcast: https://linktr.ee/gcouros Because of a Teacher - https://www.amazon.com/dp/194833433X?ref=exp_gcouros_dp_vv_d Because of a Teacher 2 - https://www.amazon.com/dp/194833450X?tag=onamzgeorge0f-20&linkCode=ssc&creativeASIN=194833450X&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.2SBTFVTBT0S6X The Innovator's Mindset: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0986155497?ref=exp_gcouros_dp_vv_d Innovate Inside the Box: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1948334127?ref=exp_gcouros_dp_vv_d Music from Bensound - http://bensound.com/

We have a great episode today with a guy that I had met in passing over the years but never really got to visit with, and boy was it worth the wait as Coach had so many great stories and lessons to share with us. He is now the Head Football Coach and Campus Athletic Coordinator at my alma mater, Fort Bend Austin High School - welcome Trey Herrmann to the show! - Growing up in the Bear Creek area and wearing the iconic Kelly Green of the Mayde Creek Rams! Coach was in Katy during a time when he could still go hunt ducks before school in the area that is now Cinco Ranch! - Playing for Mayde Creek means you get to play for legendary long-time Head Coach Joe Sheffy - Trey shares some great Joe Sheffy stories and talks about the contempt he felt at the time for his fellow Katy ISD brethren at Katy and Taylor high! - Coach talks about getting his first head coaching job at Bellaire HS and shares a laugh out loud story of the "flip this fieldhouse" moments he had with Fort Bend Travis Head Coach Trey Sissom, as well as some Mission Impossible moments he had scaling walls to break into his own office! - After getting his feet wet at Bellaire, Trey talks about being a part of a dramatic turnaround at Katy Taylor as well as some interesting insights into how kids in small towns play for different reasons many a time, and how perhaps the mindset of his kids at Danbury were more like the kids in Fort Bend and Katy in 1997 than in 2023. - Finally as a man who is now approaching his 5th Head Coaching stop Coach Hermann shares with us his definitive personal Mount Rushmore with one player from each of his four previous stops! Join the Team Player Revolution! The biggest help is to leave a 5-star rating. This is what moves us up the rankings so more people can hear the stories of coaches changing lives Follow on Twitter @coach_kovo Hit us up at teamplayerpodcast@gmail.com - we lift up our own inside Team Player Nation, all guest suggestions/feedback is welcome! Art for the Team Player Podcast was created by Kaiser St. Cyr Music for the Team Player Podcast is from the single One More/Good Enough by Avrion - available on all platforms

Honorable Judge Juli A. Mathew is the Presiding judge of Fort Bend, TX County Court at Law 3 overseeing cases involving civil, criminal, guardianship, juvenile, mental health, and probate matters. She is the Chair of US DoJ Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant, and serves on the boards of several community service organizations. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theindustryshow/support

With 47% of children in foster care falling into the 0 to 5 age range, it's critical that we're up to date on best practices in advocating for young children and strategies for effectively supporting their families. Powerhouse duo Krystal Vann and Carollyn Thesing from Child Advocates of Fort Bend return for part two of this conversation with a focus on advocating for the educational and developmental needs of four- and five-year-olds, as well as trauma-informed approaches to supporting families with young children as they navigate the CPS system. Texas CASA's Anna McDonnell joins us to share valuable resources on 0-5 advocacy for programs and advocates.To learn more about Trust-Based Relational Intervention, visit the Texas CASA Learning Center. For CASA staff interested in learning more about Child Advocates of Fort Bend's whole-program approach to 0-5 advocacy, check out their webinar series here.Support the show

Changes are coming to a property on Harlem Road in Richmond, TX. Founding Partners of Meristem Communities, a Houston-based real estate development firm that emphasizes creating places for people, Scott Snodgrass and Clayton Garrett sit down with Em and Aim this week to talk about Indigo, their community project that combines housing and business development in Fort Bend county. Coming to a neighborhood near you in 2024, Scott and Clayton give listeners a heads up on what to expect and why to choose Indigo! --- Get in touch with Scott Snodgrass on LinkedIn Get in touch with Clayton Garrett on LinkedIn  Learn more about Meristem Communities Check out Indigo and Indigo Commons  Subscribe and leave us a review on Itunes, and visit our Born in the Bend website and Instagram. Born in the Bend is sponsored by Indigo, and is produced and mixed by the team at Speakerbox Media. Keep up with all things Blockhouse Coffee on their website, Facebook, and Instagram, and don't forget to stop by the shop to pick up their signature Blockhouse Blend. Learn more about the Guild on their website, Facebook, and Instagram.

Fort Bend Hightower's Cornelius Anthony, SMU lands a huge transfer, and more

Welcome to the SLT “You Got Next” series. This series is dedicated to the athlete/actor/entrepreneur who doesn't ask for any recognition but continues to push themselves to limits that many didn't think they had. We see you and we want to let the world know who you are... we present to you the SLT next series and Bennett Warren has "Got Next" Make sure you subscribe, like and follow us on IG, Twitter and Facebook @sportlifetalk. You can watch the live streamed show on our Sportslifetalk Facebook page and on our YouTube channel. On this episode, B Jones and KT are joined by one of the top offensive linemen in the state of Texas, Bennett Warren. He joined the show to share his basketball journey and why he has Got Next!!! Want

In part one of this two-part conversation, we're thrilled to be joined by the seasoned team of Krystal Vann and Carollyn Thesing from Child Advocates of Fort Bend to draw on their experience leading a trailblazing advocacy program for children five and younger and their families. We'll be talking about best practices in advocating for the developmentally-specific needs of children in this age group and how CASA advocates can work to support and partner with their parents and families. Support the show

Judge David Newell is currently serving his second elected term on the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals. He was born in Bethesda, Maryland and studied to be a writer, earning a degree in English with Honors from the University of Houston. After a friend was attacked, he began volunteering at the Houston Area Women's Center, which led to his decision to pivot careers and go to law school. He served with the Fort Bend and Harris County District Attorney's Offices before running to be a judge on the Court of Criminal Appeals. David and his wife live in Houston, Texas with their two sons.

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Chad Hughes welcomes Brent Leftwich, President of Leftwich Management Inc., to the show. They discuss Brent's 32+ years experience leading Contract Land Staff (CLS), which he transformed into one of North America's largest independent right of way and land management companies. Brent shares how he grew the business, introduced key technological advancements, and his insights into the right of way industry.Brent Leftwich earned a BA in Geography with a concentration in Urban Planning and Public Administration from Southwest Texas State University and began his career in the public sector holding various positions with the City of Lockhart, Texas. Brent realized, as he began to get requests to do right of way work in the 80s, that right of way opportunities were more available than the oil and gas work he started in. He founded Contract Land Staff on that realization.Brent responded to growth and changes in the industry by being a key innovator in introducing new technology into his company. With a focus on always being of good service to his clients, he leaned into developing regional database advancements and looking at new, at that time, virtual technologies. Brent speaks to the value of introducing tools to companies to both lead your industry, accurately track financials, and care for employees. He also stresses how strategic planning led his company through inevitable economic lean times and shares advice for anyone walking a similar business path to his.“For most projects, we would have two or three days of training orientation before anybody ever went to the field to get survey permission, or the title, or any of that. We made sure that everybody was on the same page to make sure that everybody was telling the landowners the same thing as much as possible. So project wise, I think that training is what really led to us having quality product. But the other part of that is, as I mentioned earlier, we began to develop a project tracking database in the 90s. And we continued to use that all through the rest of the time that I was at CLS, we just continued to develop it and move it to the platform. Our managers could see on a daily basis exactly what each agent was accomplishing.” - Brent LeftwichAbout Brent LeftwichBrent Leftwich, President of Leftwich Management Inc., has an extensive business background. As Founder of Contract Land Staff (CLS), Brent led the company in its growth and advancement in the Right of Way industry from 1985 until 2017, having sold the company twice to equity firms. Brent's Land Management and Right of Way experience includes 40 years of service to the oil and gas, real estate, pipeline, utility, transportation and telecommunication industries. Over the 32 years leading CLS, he transformed his one-man operation into one of North America's largest independent Right of Way and Land Management companies.Brent propelled the growth of CLS, acquiring a reputation of bringing innovation, technology, and new ideas into the Right of Way industry such as the development of CLS's Virtual Right of Way Department® (VROW) and, beginning in 1995, the Right of Way project management database PowerTrak and its second iteration as the state-of-the-art CLSLiNK database integrated with the CLS GISViewer®, which were developed and deployed to numerous clients in the U.S. and Canada.Currently, Mr. Leftwich serves as the Chair of the IRWA International Oil & Gas Pipeline Committee and Vice Chair of the Right of Way Consultants Council (ROWCC). Mr. Leftwich has long been active in civic and church activities, both in Fort Bend and Colorado Counties, TX. Currently he serves on the Board of Trustees for the Sugar Land Legacy Foundation and the Columbus Community Hospital. ---Chad Hughes | CEO, Entrepreneurial Leader, Author: website |linkedinBrent Leftwich | President of Leftwich Management Inc.: website

Thanks for joining me in Paris France today at Paris Centre Chrétien This message is a thought provoking message word on discipleship. I believe the Western Church has cultivated fan based experience without anyone even noticing. How can we break out of clapping for what God has done, and instead be a part of what God is doing in our world.MY STUFF✩ WEBSITE - http://HoustonRevivalChurch.com/✩ PODCAST: Living Proof with Bishop Castillo - https://anif.buzzsprout.com/✩ BLOG - http://HoustonRevivalChurch.com//BlogSOCIALS✩ Instagram - http://instagram.com/BishopJosephCast...✩ Twitter - http://twitter.com/JoeyCastillo✩ Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/BishopJoseph...GIVING✩ Cash App - $AllNationsTulsa✩ Paypal - http://paypal.me/TheRiverChurchTulsa✩ Venmo - @The-River-Tulsa✩ Zelle- AnifContact@gmail.com Office: 1-773-599-7197-------------------Core Values:We believe God has made of one blood every nation of the world. So we are a multicultural fellowship who worships God with all our heart mind and soul when we gather. We aim to be a fellowship where people can experience a Living God. With an understanding that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, we expect to see healing, salvation, deliverance as Jesus the Christ is proclaimed. Our DNA is world missions, and at the heart of everything we do is our core mission to go to non Christian nations, mainly where the population is 90% or more heathen religion or communist and present the good news of Jesus Christ. It can be summed up as simple as this "you're either a missionary or a mission field". Our first goal its to lead our neighbors to Christ, disciple them till their family is reached, and then empower them to win others. Objective:Now based in Tulsa Oklahoma for the next couple years our objective here is to add value in 4 ways. 1. Inspire local churches in regards to world missions , soul winning and discipleship. 2.  Establish a world headquarters in a gospel friendly geo political climate.3. Add value to local pastors through using the same power and principles that we're successful in China's underground Church. 4. To flame the fire with the pentecostal message in each community through outreach campaigns with local churches.  We welcome the Christian community of the Fort Bend greater area to join us, and we respect all branches of biblical Christianity and strive to have the leading of the Holy Spirit and person of our Lord Jesus Christ as the center of all our meetings.Revival Meetings will run through out the year, contact us to join our event mailing list.#ChinaProtests #CovidZero #BambooCurtain #HumanRights #Taiwan #HongKong  #China #protestsSupport the show

Texas Democratic Candidate for Governor Beto O'Rourke didn't mince words. He continues to point out the failures of Gov. Greg Abbott and the changes he intends to make to support his fellow Texans. Today, I caught up with the Texas Democratic Candidate for Governor, Beto O'Rourke. The former Congressman has been all over this large state non-stop. He would likely give James Brown, the hardest-working man in show business, a run for the title but for politics. Beto was leaving Missouri City in Fort Bend County, heading to Corpus Christi, a rather long drive. He is shoring up his base in counties like Fort Bend, Harris, Dallas, Travis, Bexar, El Paso, and Nueces while still getting his message to rural Texas. After all, it is the policies he supports that will reopen those closed rural hospitals, saving the lives of thousands who lack care or cannot get to emergency rooms in the timely manner necessary to save their lives when critical care from accidents and other medical emergencies occur. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/politicsdoneright/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/politicsdoneright/support

This week we have a special episode sponsored by the Fort Bend History Association. Join us as we sip and chat about delicious upcoming events. Mark your calendars for good brews, fresh food, music, and community! Experience the holiday season through the lens of quaint downtown Richmond.   - - - - For up-to-the-minute updates on all these events and more, follow @jaxand7th, @theguildtx, and @fortbendmuseum on instagram. To purchase tickets to Bites & Brews on November 10 at the Fort Bend Museum, click here. To find the route map for the Community Christmas Walk happening December 2 in Downtown Richmond, click here. For all other events mentioned in this episode, visit the Fort Bend Museum's website events page, here.  - - - - Thank you to our beverage sponsor, Imperial Wines, now open in Sugar Land, TX. 

Fort Bend Kia's Simon Edmundson and Gabriel Odreman discuss their Fort Hood races, results, and training. They also provide info on how others can join or ride with Fort Bend Kia Cycling. Then, we have a look around Texas for upcoming cycling events on the calendar. Music: Back to the Woods by Jason Shaw Links: Fort Bend Kia Cycling (FB), Fort Bend Kia Racing (IG), Kerrville Mountain Bike Festival, CX Under the Lights, Webberville Cyclocross Weekend, and Drop Bar Texas store. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/dropbartexas/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/dropbartexas/support

Episode 129: In this episode, Cody and Brian share a conversation about what they've been seeing in the market. It's a completely different landscape and people are fearful but it's not as bad as it seems. They also share why it's important to stay active and why being a hyper selective investor in this market cycle can be beneficial. Tune in to find out how to take advantage of the current market trend! Cody LaughlinCody Laughlin is a co-founder and Managing Partner of Blue Oak Capital. He is the director of Acquisitions and Chief Investment Officer and oversees the company's acquisitions and business development. Cody has eleven years of experience in alternative investments. Prior to Blue Oak Capital, Cody was the founder and President of Laughlin Investment Group, LLC, a privately held real estate investment group where he managed the company's acquisition portfolio of residential real estate. In addition to his entrepreneurial ventures, Cody worked as a Registered Nurse in the Texas Medical Center. Brian AlfaroBrian Alfaro is a real estate entrepreneur and local Houston business owner. After spending over 14 years focused on Operations in a Franchise business, Brian facilitated the opening & growth of a multi-location café business in Fort Bend county serving thousands an upscale coffee experience. Brian's primary role at Blue Oak Capital is focused on Investor Relations, Marketing & Brand Development. Brian believes in leveraging a brand & scale to add value to both our residents & investing partners.Brian currently holds ownership interest as a General Partner in 787 multifamily units.  For today's episode we will cover: [ 00:00 - 09:28  ] A conversation about what we've been seeing in the marketThe real estate market is a completely different landscapeA lot of people are driven by fearThere's a lot of fearful people in the market, it's a great time to build your business [  09:28 - 22:10 ] Real estate have always been a patience type gameThe greatest recessions come from circumstances we can't predictWhat are you hearing from brokers?Why you have to stay active [ 22:10 - 28:54  ] You really need to be in tune in your investor networkInvestors are being hyper selective about what they're investing in Tweetable Quotes: Connect With Guest:Website: LinkedIn: SUBSCRIBE & LEAVE A 5-STAR REVIEW as we create a lifetime of wealth and financial freedom through multifamily investing!    Invest with us! Check out Blue Oak Investments: https://blueoakinvests.com/ Cody LaughlinLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cody-laughlin-35067660/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cody.laughlin.543 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/codyblueoakcapital/?hl=enJohn BateyLinkedIn: https://www.linkedi&

Report for America fellow Rachel Carlton discusses her role covering Harris County for Community Impact. Plus, reporter Asia Armour brings the latest on Fort Bend County's huge multiuse stadium currently under construction, the EpiCenter.   The Houston Breakdown is a production of Community Impact Newspaper. This episode was produced by Olivia Aldridge with assistance from Sierra Rozen and editing by Marie Leonard. Weather and allergy reports are sourced from www.weather.com and AccuWeather.

On Tuesday's show: One of the largest export plants producing liquified natural gas has been shut down following an explosion at its export facility last week. We take a look at how this closure could impact the global liquified gas market. Also this hour: Fort Bend County Judge KP George joins us to answer your questions about issues facing the county. Then, columnist Dwight Silverman discusses several recent developments in consumer technology. And we meet the Houston filmmakers and one cast member behind the new western Murder at Yellowstone City.

Danielle Jackson is a high school principal at Fort Bend, Texas.   After meeting Dr. Jackson for the first time, I  knew she was the real deal. I was lucky to spend time with her hearing about her personal journey that led her to education and how she is improving cultural responsiveness specifically for her Hispanic students.I can't wait for you to hear how her leadership is making things happen.Support the show

This Week in 'Crootin & Fort Bend Hightower 2024 RB Jeremy Payne

Episode 118: Brian's primary role at Blue Oak Capital is focused on Investor Relations, Marketing & Brand Development. Brian believes in leveraging a brand & scale to add value to both our residents & investing partners.  After spending over 14 years focused on Operations in a Franchise business, Brian facilitated the opening & growth of a multi-location café business in Fort Bend county serving thousands an upscale coffee experience.He currently holds ownership interest as a General Partner in 787 multifamily units and in today's episode, Brian shares with us this interview where he is a featured guest of Ruben from the Capital Raisers show. He talks about the importance of marketing, building your brand, multifamily syndication,  and his process of using marketing tools to his advantage. For today's episode we will cover:  [ 00:00 - 12:00 ] Guest Intro : Brian AlfaroBrian's background and how he got into multifamily syndicationBuilding your brand, marketing, communication and education, nurturing investors and building a database of potential people to help Bringing active investors and capital raisers into his deals [  12:00 - 30:04 ] How and what it looks like to partner with BrianSpecialty within the multifamily asset class that Brian decided to dig his heels intoPeople in the Blue Oak team and what they doPeople and things that needed to be incorporated into their team as they go from co GP to GPManaging people to do the work or forming a team by themselves [ 30:04 - 38:32 ] Lightning RoundBest vacation Brian has ever takenFavorite bookHow long Brian wants to liveFavorite aspect of being a multifamily investorBrian's spiritual philosophy and its role in his successHacks for changing limiting beliefMiracle or near death experience?Something that Brian is afraid ofBrian's favorite childhood memoryWhat Brian loves about the coffee businessKind of impact Brian would like to leave in the worldBrian's thoughts about podcastingLast words of wisdom for the aspiring multifamily investor Tweetable Quotes: Connect With Guest:Website: https://blueoakinvests.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mfbalfaroYoutube: https://www.youtube.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/blueoakcapital/?hl=en/channel/UC3-13HguhVYtvZTHXoeS-ng/featuredLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/balfaro89/ Podcast: "Prosperity Through Multifamily Real Estate Investing Podcast"SUBSCRIBE & LEAVE A 5-START REVIEW as we create a lifetime of wealth and financial freedom through multifamily investing!    Invest with us! Check out Blue Oak Investments  Cody on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram John on LinkedIn and Facebook

On May 4, 1847, Pope Pius IX established the Catholic Diocese of Galveston. From 1847 until 1874 the diocese covered all of Texas and parts of modern day Oklahoma, New Mexico, Kansas, Colorado, and Wyoming. The Diocese of San Antonio and the Vicariate Apostolic of Brownsville were carved out of it 1874. Jean Marie Odin was named the Diocese of Galveston's first bishop and with twelve priests he served 20,000 Catholics that were spread out over about 360,000 square miles. The Diocese included ten already established churches and an Ursuline Sisters convent. The diocese's first cathedral church is the beautiful St. Mary Cathedral Basilica in Galveston that Odin had overseen construction of. Odin served as bishop until 1861, when he became the second archbishop of New Orleans. In the mid-1900s the Diocese of Galveston became the Diocese of Galveston-Houston and in 2004 it became the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston. Today it includes 8,880 square miles of ten counties in the southeastern area of Texas: Galveston, Harris, Austin, Brazoria, Fort Bend, Grimes, Montgomery, San Jacinto, Walker and Waller. The Texas History Lessons Theme song, Walking Through History, was written and recorded by Derrick McClendon. Listen to his new album, Interstate Daydreamer! Available everywhere you find good music. Thank you Derrick! Twitter: @dmclendonmusic If you are enjoying Texas History Lessons, consider buying me a cup of coffee by clicking here! Help make Texas History Lessons by supporting it on Patreon. And a special thanks to everyone that already does. Website: texashistorylessons.com email: texashistorylessons@gmail.com Twitter: @TexasHistoryL Texas History Lessons Spotlight Artists Seth Jones Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this 197th Discovering Multifamily Podcast, we discuss the impact of rising interest rates on multifamily commercial real estate with Cody Laughlin & Brian Alfaro; two of the three managing partners of Blue Oak Capital.Cody Laughlin is a real estate entrepreneur, podcaster, and meetup host with 10 years of real estate investing experience. His focus is acquisition of cash flow producing real estate with a special focus on value-add, multifamily assets. Cody is the founder of the “Prosperity Through Multifamily Real Estate Investing” podcast and the Space City Multifamily Meetup. Brian Alfaro is a real estate entrepreneur and local Houston business owner. Starting in food service operations, Brian quickly expanded his span of control in a customer focused Franchise business. Leveraging his expertise, Brian now controls a multi-location business in Fort Bend county that serves 1000's offering an upscale coffee experience. In addition to his Commercial Real Estate experience from his Retail business, Brian is also a residential real estate investor and current licensed agent.Blue Oaks's Website: https://blueoakinvests.com/ | Blue Oak's Podcast: Prosperity Through Multifamily Real Estate InvestingYouTube: https://youtu.be/4VudzFBvYiEWebsite: www.redknightproperties.com/media   iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/discovering-multifamily/id1506820688   #financialfreedom #passiveinvesting #activeinvesting #investsmart #investwisely #buildingwealth #multifamily #podcast #Red Knight Properties #Anthony Scandariato #Brian Leonard #investing in real estate #investing in multifamily #investing in syndication

Episode 114: Brian Alfaro is a real estate entrepreneur and local Houston business owner. After spending over 14 years focused on Operations in a Franchise business, Brian facilitated the opening & growth of a multi-location café business in Fort Bend county serving thousands an upscale coffee experience.Brian's primary role at Blue Oak Capital is focused on Investor Relations, Marketing & Brand Development. Brian believes in leveraging a brand & scale to add value to both our residents & investing partners.Brian currently holds ownership interest as a General Partner in 787 multifamily units.For today's episode we will cover: [ 00:00 - 05:25 ]  Meet Brian AlfaroShould passive investors be concerned with the rising interest rate environment?What happens when rates riseWhat we do as borrowers to hedge the risk [ 05:25  - 20:32 ] Rate CapBasic options for rate cap costThe Fed and Political PressureHow rising interest rates impacts passive investors [ 20:32 - 26:44 ] Things that are still working in our favorWe are in an inflationary periodTenured treasuryRecession [ 26:44 - 37:12] Length of time between the first rate hike and the first rate cutSupply and demandHow people are able to afford rent bumpsRent escalation through history [  37:12 - 42:39 ] Is it a scary time?One of the biggest advantages of a variable rate debtIt's still a great time to investTweetable Quotes: Connect With Guest:Website: https://blueoakinvests.com/Twitter:Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mfbalfaroInstagram: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/balfaro89 SUBSCRIBE & LEAVE A 5-START REVIEW as we create a lifetime of wealth and financial freedom through multifamily investing!    Invest with us! Check out Blue Oak Investments  Cody on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram John on LinkedIn and Facebook Brian on LinkedIn and Facebook #passive#interestrates#Investment

We're joined by Joey Lenderman, owner of Enchanted Gardens, to talk about the plants, animals, gifts, and expert advice that can be found throughout the 13 acres of his incredible nursery. With over 2 decades of experience and a strong following in the Fort Bend community, Joey is proud to offer a wide variety of Texas-grown plants to local gardeners of all skill levels and still finds time in his busy schedule to give back to local nonprofits with causes near and dear to his heart.  In this episode, Joey, Aimee, and Emily discuss: Getting started as a family business in Joey's childhood Defining the amazing Enchanted Gardens Showcasing the variety of offerings within the nursery and gift shop Giving some expert advice on everything from soil to pest control Finding opportunities to give back to the community 

We're joined by Shannan Stavinoha, the Executive Director of Parks Youth Ranch, to discuss her extensive volunteer and development experience in the Fort Bend community. After beginning her career in finance, Shannan soon realized her calling really was to serve, and her areas of focus over the years have been on helping children and developmentally disabled adults receive the essential services and support they need to survive and thrive.  In this episode, Shannan, Aimee, and Emily discuss: Transitioning from the financial services industry to development and volunteer work Hearing the call to return to Fort Bend and help her community time and time again Advocating for children and disabled adults through her personal and professional life Embracing her role in Parks Youth Ranch  Understanding and identifying needs in our community

We're joined by Steve Onstad, owner of Swinging Door, to talk about the almost 50 years his BBQ restaurant has been in business in Fort Bend. As a prominent member of our community, Steve has made a name for himself not only for the incredible food he makes, but for the amazing generosity he has provided for his community. In this episode, Aimee, Emily, and Steve cover:  When Steve started cooking  Where the idea for the Swinging Door came from Who made notable appearances in the restaurant and dance hall  Why Steve feels drawn to his employees, patrons, and community How Steve lends a hand in Fort Bend every month

Join Rent Roll Radio's host, Sterling Chapman, with his guests Cody Laughlin and Brian Alfaro, as they chat initially about how they got into the business of real estate investing. Cody was a landlord and got to read the purple bible Rich Dad Poor Dad which started the change in his mindset and has been in real estate investing since 2010. Brian on the other hand, started investing in 2018, when he just got married and got to read Bigger Pockets and by 2020, pivoted to investing in multi-family and has around 800 units under their care. Cody and Brian share more about how to grow assets and finances in this episode so be sure to stay tuned!   In this episode, you'll learn: Tips in transitioning from single-family to multi-family Importance ofnumber of investors aand private equity funds How significant relationships come with education and resources Allowing reputation to precede the company Dealing with sponsors and their role in the development And many more! ~   About Cody Laughlin & Brian Alfaro Cody Laughlin is a real estate entrepreneur and thought leader with over 10 years of real estate investing experience. Cody's primary role at Blue Oak Capital is focused on deal acquisition, underwriting, and broker and vendor relations.   Brian Alfaro is a real estate entrepreneur and local Houston business owner. After spending over 14 years focused on Operations in a Franchise business, Brian facilitated the opening & growth of a multi-location café business in Fort Bend county serving thousands an upscale coffee experience. ~   Connect with Cody and Brian! Website           https://blueoakinvests.com Linkedin:         https://www.linkedin.com/in/cody-laughlin-35067660/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/balfaro89/           Facebook:       https://www.facebook.com/blueoakcapital Instagram:       https://www.instagram.com/blueoakcapital/ Youtube:         https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3-13HguhVYtvZTHXoeS-ng  

This week, we're joined by John Kennedy, Field Development Officer at TSTC and Deacon at St. Theresa Catholic Church, to talk about what the Texas State Technical College does, who it serves, and how different programs and opportunities continue to be created as they expand further into Fort Bend county.  In this episode, Aimee, Emily, and John cover: John's decision to become a Deacon after years in the Catholic faith  Transitioning out of a hospitality role into his role with TSTC Scholarship fundraising and the Helping Hands fund Programs and opportunities offered to students at TSTC Fulfilling community needs and placing students in solid careers

This week, we're joined by Jess Stuart, Community Development Executive at YMCA and descendant of the “Old Three Hundred”, to discuss his extensive family history in texas, passion for historical preservation, and the goals the YMCA has for our community moving forward.   In this episode, Aimee, Emily, and Jess cover: Almost 200 years of family history in Texas History of the Old Three Hundred How Jess developed his own interest in family history and Texas history  Work Jess has done with numerous groups, nonprofits, and organizations YMCA's journey in Fort Bend and what to look forward to at the TW Davis location

Punam Kaji talks to Dr. Suleman Lalani, a candidate for Texas State House in Fort Bend area (suburbs of Houston). This is an Asian Opportunity district, meaning census data showed a substantial Asian population in this area! Dr. Lalani talks about much needed reforms to healthcare and education, and the importance of voting for the Asian community. Learn more about Dr. Lalani on his website. Learn more about WiseUp TX, volunteer, or donate on our website. The WiseUp TX podcast is available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Play and the WiseUp TX website. Also tune in on Radio Azad – download the app or 104.9 FM in Dallas. WiseUp TX is non-partisan and does not support any candidates or political party. But, we love to hear from South Asian candidates, and other candidates who want to talk to our South Asian followers! WiseUp TX interviews candidates who (1) reach out to us (2) are running in regions with Asian population density and/or (3) are of South Asian descent. For the general election, WiseUp TX makes an effort to reach out to key opponent

“I started from nothing and didn't have any liquidity network experience, but I knew I had to go find it”-Cody Laughlin“If you show up enough, and you're present enough, and you build your brand, and you build strong relationships, you start to overcome that hurdle”-Brian AlfaroCody Laughlin is a real estate entrepreneur, podcaster, and meetup host with 10 years of real estate investing experience. His focus is acquisition of cash flow producing real estate with a special focus on value-add, multifamily assets. Cody is the founder of the “Prosperity Through Multifamily Real Estate Investing'' podcast and the Space City Multifamily Meetup. He works alongside other investors through syndication to acquire multifamily assets and is currently invested in 128 units as a Limited Partner and 240 Units as a General Partner.Brian Alfaro is a real estate entrepreneur and local Houston business owner. Starting in food service operations, Brian quickly expanded his span of control in a customer focused Franchise business. Leveraging his expertise, Brian now controls a multi-location business in Fort Bend county that serves 1000's offering an upscale coffee experience. In addition to his Commercial Real Estate experience from his Retail business, Brian is also a residential real estate investor, current licensed residential agent, and he is currently a General Partner in 240 Units in Houston, TX.In this episode, Trevor, Cody and Brian discuss:How Cody and Brian met each other and became successful partners.To find a great market, go to an area where opportunities are available and that you are very familiar with. An area where you really know the market well.The uphill battle that you will experience as a new investor - network, liquidity, track record.How Cody, Brian, and John put the company together, their biggest challenges and how they find deals.How to build your network and tell the world what it is you're doing.And a lot more informative topics!

Welcome to the Real Estate Ballers Show. Today Vee is joined by Chris Bounds. He's a young and super ambitious real estate investor who never gives up. Before COVID, Chris and his wife Jamie were running a very successful real estate meet up in Fort Bend county, TX. Now they are focusing on building their long-term passive income. This episode took a different path than anticipated but it's packed with information  Vee, the founder of REBallers, is a franchise owner and a Developmental Agent of HomeVestors “We Buy Ugly Houses”.  Today, Vee is actively buying and selling properties in Houston, Austin, San Antonio, and Corpus Christi, TX while growing her rental portfolio of long-term and short-term rentals.Follow us on Social Media:Instagram @reballersFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/REBallersLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/reballers/Join our community:https://www.facebook.com/groups/1764098016997548Wanna be on our show? Email info@reballers.comConnect with Chris BoundsWebsite: http://investedagents.comPlease visit our sponsor, which made this episode possible: Buzz Vacation Rentals, a premier short-term and vacation rental manager in Houston and Galveston, helps investors to maximize earnings on their investment properties.  https://buzzvacationrentals.com/If you enjoy the show, would you please leave us a short review on Apple Podcast? It takes less than a minute, and it really makes a difference in helping to spread the words. I also love to read them and share them with our guests!Disclaimer: All information, content, and materials available in these episodes are designed for educational and inspirational purposes only. We are not financial advisers. We only express my opinion based on our experience. Your experience may be different. Investing of any kind involves risk. While it is possible to minimize risk, your investments are solely your responsibility. It is imperative that you conduct your own research. There is no guarantee of gains or losses on investments#therealestateballersshow #reballers