Tanglewood Property Press
Newsletter
2nd Quarter. April-Jun 2015
The Sacrifices Made For America’s Independence
By: Henry Hagendorf (sourced online)
July 4th of each year is a federal holiday in the United States that is celebrated in various ways.
Everyone gets a day off work and many communities celebrate with parades or gatherings of
friends and family. During this time it is easy for us to fail to recognize the historic nature of this
holiday and the brave actions taken by the representatives of the then thirteen colonies who
drafted and signed the Declaration of Independence. Here is a little history: Less than 250 years
ago the Declaration of Independence was approved and eventually signed by 56 members of the
Second Continental Congress representing the Thirteen Colonies. The date was July 4, 1776. The
purpose of this document was to declare independence and legal separation from the rule of Great
Britain. By signing this document these signers were committing an act of treason against Great
Britain. The penalty for treason was death by hanging. After the voting and signing of the
declaration for independence there were no trumpets blown, there were no parades, no
celebration. This was serious business conducted by serious men. They knew the risks and many
suffered greatly thereafter. Thomas Jefferson was the principal author of the Declaration but it is
reported that they debated the document for three days making many changes throughout the
process. Many of the signers are recognizable names like Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, John
Hancock and Thomas Jefferson, but most were not. These were brave Americans that risked
everything for this historical event that allows us the freedom we have today. Soon after the
Declaration of Independence was signed, the British began to hunt for each signer. All who had
property or families near British strongholds suffered.
Of the 56 who signed the Declaration of Independence, all were victims of manhunts and driven
from their homes. Of the many atrocities against these men and their families, here is a short list:
Nine died of wounds or hardships, five were captured and imprisoned and subjected to brutal
treatment, several lost wives, sons or entire families, one lost his 13 children.
The Declaration of Independence ends with the following statement, “And for the support of this
Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to
each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor”.
There was much pain and suffering by those brave men who drafted, approved and signed the
Declaration of Independence. Because of their leadership and willingness to risk everything they
had, including their families, we live in this great country, the United States of America. The next
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time we think of the July 4th holiday, I hope we will remember these events that were necessary to
give us the freedom and independence to celebrate.
Employee Achievements
Veronica Honstein has been certified as a Level 2
Reiki practitioner. Reiki is a Japanese technique that
promotes healing of the body, mind, and spirit. It
helps in reducing stress and aiding spiritual growth,
and also works in conjunction with all other medical
and therapeutic techniques to relieve side effects
and promote faster recovery. It is administered by
"laying on hands" and is based on the idea that an
unseen "life force energy" flows through us and is
what causes us to be alive.
Fox Hall was recently inspected by the City of
Houston. This inspection takes place every five to
ten years. Because of the age of the property, the
city inspectors allocated two days for the inspection
but they found everything at the property in such
excellent condition that they were only there for
two hours. In addition, Fox Hall has maintained a
98% occupancy for the past two years. AMAZING! Congratulations to Sue, Kathleen, Don, Katie,
Eudelia, Gilbert, Pablo and Luis. HELP! Need Ideas, Innovation and Recommendations for Improvement
It is important to always be thinking about innovations, positive changes, and opportunities to
make things work better. Everyone is encouraged to speak up and contribute. No great idea is
too small to make a huge contribution or just to make things work better. Here are a couple ideas
from Diane and Brandy.
Diane Garett, 5444 Westheimer: Idea and Procedure Change: Instead of posting credits to the
rent statements for expense reimbursements to the tenants, she had checks cut. Benefit: This will help keep the monthly rent payments the same instead of an interruption with
a credit. Since many tenants pay rent electronically and automatically each month, this will keep
them from making a change for one month only. Brandy Vargas, 2000 Bering: Idea and Procedure Change: Brandy moved the smoking section
from the plaza area by the deli (and close to the building) to the garage. Benefit: She received many compliments from the building tenants. Random Thoughts
Some July 4th Fun Facts
• In a bizarre, though perhaps apt, twist of fate, both Thomas Jefferson and
John Adams died on July 4, 1826.
• July Fourth is the biggest hot dog holiday of the year, with Americans
reportedly consuming about 155 million of them on Independence Day alone.
• In a letter to his daughter Sarah Bache in 1784, Benjamin Franklin wrote that
he was displeased that the bald eagle had been chosen as the symbol for the
nation. He said: "He is a bird of bad moral character. He does not get his living
honestly."
• Due to concerns about cracking the iconic instrument, the Liberty Bell has not
been rung since 1846. Instead, every year, to mark the Fourth of July, the
2,000-pound bell is tapped 13 times to signal for bells across the country to2
start ringing.
Employee Activities
In April of this year, TPG had a Chili Cook-Off to showcase employees’ chili culinary expertise. First, there
was a secret voting where everybody received a small taste of all the entries; then the feast began.
Among the entries was one containing M&M’s, one made with spaghetti, and Robert Lazzari’s winner, which
he marinated for hours. Kael Cleveland received 2nd place, and Gilbert Ruiz received 3rd place. On June 3rd, 5444 Westheimer also
had their ice cream social which drew many tenants down to the lobby to savor Dreyer’s many delicious
flavors and toppings. 3
Employee Spotlight
Diane Garrett is a 3rd generation native Houstonian
and grew up just north of the Heights area. Diane and her
husband Greg live in the suburbs, but take their dog Sadie with
them to a beautiful place in the country on many weekends. She
has worked as a property manager at various buildings and
companies in Houston for 30 years, and has obtained the CPM and
CCIM designations. On Sundays, she is the church organist and
choir accompanist at Bear Creek Methodist Church. She studied
organ from age 8 through college (her degree is in music). She
has had a second career as a church musician since she was 14
years old. Diane has a daughter who is an audiologist and lives
with her husband in Hutto (suburb of Austin). She enjoys the
performing arts, remodeling, antiquing, traveling (especially
around Texas), and going to garage sales.
Don Hendrix is the maintenance supervisor for Fox Hall and
has been there for 24 years. June 16, 2015 was his 25th wedding
anniversary. Don enjoys working out in the yard while his wife
takes care of the plants and flowers. He also loves to watch
movies and does so every chance he gets. Occasionally he target
practices at the gun range. Don and his wife have one son
that just graduated from Texas A&M with a bachelors degree in
chemistry and they are very proud of him. He will be moving
to Long Island this July to continue his education. Investment Market
In 2014 TPG was very busy with new acquisitions when TPG purchased three office buildings. The economy in
Houston was booming at that time. Since the beginning of 2015, the price of crude oil has significantly
declined. Although Houston is a diversified city, our economy is greatly affected by the energy business. When crude prices drop significantly, it affects all energy companies and their requirements for new
employees. As we have noticed in the news, many also start laying off employees. When energy companies
both large and small run into serious financial problems, they downsize or stop hiring, and do not need as
much office space. All of this turmoil has affected the commercial real estate market as well. Companies do not need as much
office space, and in many cases when they vacate space it affects the overall market. Because of these and
other related issues, there have been very few properties for sale. The ones that are for sale are not as
appealing because some of the tenants in these buildings are affected by the downturn. The combination of
limited properties for sale and rent rolls that are not as attractive have curtailed our acquisitions. Fortunately, our portfolio has not been negatively affected and our overall occupancy is 94%. Currently our
focus is on improving existing business practices, evaluating any risk that could result from depressed crude
oil prices, and improving systems and procedures. There are always cycles in the market however, and the
energy and real estate market will both continue to improve. - Henry Hagendorf
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Editor: Veronica Honstein Contributors: Diane Garrett, Mia Giannini, Henry Hagendorf, Don Hendrix, Rebecca Williams.
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