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Page 1B • The Leader • August 3, 2013 • www.theleadernews.com

Senior Living: Aging in place is just around the corner by Cynthia Lescalleet For The Leader The ﬂoor plans available at The Village of the Heights don’t have footprints –– they have names. “The White Oak” is a studio space, for example. “The Courtlandt” is has a one-bedroom layout. By naming the options after landmarks and streets in the market area, the facility by Bridgewood Property Co. is sending a strong neighborly message to older residents here: When it’s time to move toward a more assisted lifestyle, it’ll be more possible to stay

in the area they’ve called home for decades, said Lynn Wallace, Bridgewood’s marketing manager of new development. Think of it an as extended version of “aging in place,” she said. Senior residents can maintain their friendships, ties to the community, healthcare connections and interests while “having the peace of mind that support is there.” “Senior housing is driven by people wanting something in their neighborhood,” Wallace said. Bridgewood Property, a privately held Houstonbased company, has been tending that market, devel-

oping communities that deliver various levels of assisted living and memory care as well as independent living. Its latest project, The Village of the Heights, broke ground earlier this spring on Studewood at Algregg. The two-acre site was formerly home to a Fiesta Mart. Construction of the estimated $10 million project will wrap up a year from now, Wallace said; however, state licensing inspections thereafter will determine occupancy, perhaps by September 2014.

A care-full exchange

Unlike its recently completed Village at Tangle-

Discover Gymnastics expands programs to host ﬁtness event in September

wood, the 109-unit Heights project will not have any independent living housing, something early accounts about the project included. Wallace said the market for the Heights area project appears to be more skewed to demand for some level of assisted living. That mirrors another national trend for the senior care industry, she said, as people delay moving from their homes until they must. Contributing factors cited by Senior Housing

see Aging • Page 3B

Oak Forest’s Kat Creech A ﬂair for making events truly special by Betsy Denson betsy@theleadernews.com

Discover Gymnastics coach Costela Mihaiuc works with Sophia Butler, 9, on the balance beam. (Photo by Michael Sudhalter). by Michael Sudhalter michael@theleadernews.com Discover Gymnastics, the largest gymnastics facility in Greater Houston, has expanded to include children’s fitness program and programs for children with special needs, said Discover Executive Director Carly Markesich. The 22,000 square foot gym located at 747 North Shepherd, Suite 400, hosts several competitive gymnastics teams. Markesich started the gym 14 years ago at I-10 and Silber, and it moved to its current location 11 years ago. “This is a much better site and facility,” said Markesich, a University of St. Thomas graduate. “We have 2,000 families per week at the gym,” The gym is open to children, from six months old through 18 years. Markesich said not all kids want to compete on teams, but fitness is important. And there aren’t many workout facilities for kids. She said the program will have “high energy games,” and of course, a trampoline. “Every kid likes the trampoline,” she said. A few years ago, Discover started a charity called the Discover Fitness Foundation that provides scholarships for local gymnasts. On Sept. 14-15, they’ll host a Fitness Fair with Olympic Gold Medalist Mary Lou Retton at the George R. Brown Convention Center. The Texas Classic gymnastics competition will go on at the convention center at the same time as the fitness fair. Retton will be at a pre-event breakfast and will attend the opening ceremonies at 10 a.m. on Sept. 14. She’ll be at the event, which is open to the public, to meet attendees for autograph and photo opportunities Joining Retton will be three-time Olympic gymnast Svetlana Boguinskaia and Houston Dynamo players Bobby Boswell and Brian Ching. There will be several fitness activities, as well as nutritional information and a health screening. Saturday’s hours will be 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday’s, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. For more information, log on to www.discoverfitnessfoundation. org.

Discovery Gymnastics coach Costela Mihaiuc works with Taylor Nunes, 9. (Photo by Michael Sudhalter)

Even as a child in charge of family dinner, local event planner Kat Creech didn’t cut corners on presentation. “While the menu only consisted of hot dogs, peanut butter sandwiches, and hamburgers with cookies for dessert, the table was set, the napkin was folded with a menu card placed on top, the candles were lit, and the lights were dimmed,” she said. “I remember making my little brother be the maitre d’ as I anxiously waited for [my parents] to come home from work.” In her adult life, Creech’s ongoing commitment to getting every detail right has paid off. Head of Kat Creech Events in Oak Forest since 2010, she was recently named the National Event Planner of the Year by the 4,000 member National Association of Catering and Events during its annual conference in Chicago. “To be selected [for] top honors among your peers is always exciting, but to be the National Event Planner of the Year is beyond words, and I am so thrilled with this prestigious honor,” said Creech. “Philanthropy is a component of receiving the award which also means a lot to me.” Creech grew up in Wharton, about an hour from Houston. “When I was old enough to drive, my girlfriends and I were always shopping Kat Creech shows oﬀ her award as at the thrift stores in the Heights and Montrose National Event Planner of the Year. (Photo by D. Jones Photography) area,” she said. A graduate of the University of Houston Conrad N. Hilton College, Creech’s career aspirations were always focused on the hospitality industry. She worked her way into restaurant management after taking an entry-level service position with the Landry’s corporation and later moved to the Hard Rock Café. At Hard Rock Houston, she was a service manager, but more importantly got her ﬁrst taste of planning events after the special events manager resigned. By 2004, she was working full time doing events. “I joined association boards and put a lot of effort into participating in the industry community,” said Creech. During her four-year tenure in special events management, Creech grew the department from $150,000 in annual revenue to more than $1.2 million. She received the Meeting Professional International Rising Star Award in 2007, while the Houston chapter of the National Association of Catering and Events elected her to a director of marketing position from 2005-2007 as well as Member of the Year in 2007. As vice president of education for Houston NACE, Creech helped create the very popular wedding Trends event.

see Creech • Page 3B

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