Nebraska Furniture Visits Middle School

By Heather M. Goodwin | hgoodwin@starlocalmedia.com | The Colony Courier-Leader

On Oct. 7, Nebraska Furniture Mart (NFM)’s director of human resources, Megan Berry Barlow, spoke to Griffin Middle School and Lakeview Middle School AVID (Advancement via Individual Determination) sixth, seventh and eighth grade students about the company and the strategies they implemented to make the company successful. In addition, The Colony City Councilman Kirk Mikulec joined Barlow to welcome the students and introduce the special guest.

In preparation for the visit from NFM, the AVID students researched the company and developed questions they wanted to ask Barlow following her presentation. They discussed their questions in class and, as a group, narrowed down the best questions to ask.

“We talked about the appropriate ways to listen and take notes during a presentation,” said Andrea Treaccar, GMS AVID teacher. “The students are excited to hear from NFM because representatives from the company have been visiting our school in the last year or so, and they are so excited to see the company when it’s finished and built [in The Colony.]”

Nebraska Furniture Mart’s Barlow spoke to the students about the history of the company, a brief overview about herself and her journey to NFM and shared facts about the successful company. During her presentation, she held mini-quizzes and asked students to participate.

AVID is a global, non-profit organization dedicated to closing the achievement gap by preparing all students for college and other post-secondary opportunities. LISD provides 11 secondary campuses in The Colony High School and Lewisville High School feeder patterns with AVID programming, and seven percent of the students (more than 1,000) are enrolled in the course. This fall, the Marcus High School feeder pattern will have the opportunity to participate in the AVID program.

Marriott At The Cascades

Candace Carlisle | ccarlisle@bizjournals.com | Dallas Business Journal

Dallas-based real estate development firm Jackson-Shaw plans to begin construction on its third Marriott hotel at Cascades at The Colony — a five-story, 125-room Marriott Courtyard.

This new hotel on the Sam Rayburn Tollway, about two miles west of the Dallas North Tollway, signals the final phase of the Cascades at The Colony, a 100-acre master-planned commercial and residential community in The Colony.

The Marriott Courtyard is a flag of success for the Cascades and the community in The Colony, said Michele Wheeler, president and COO of Dallas-based Jackson-Shaw.

Along with the hotel, Jackson-Shaw plans to develop three restaurants — which are scheduled to break ground in spring 2015 — for the final phase of construction. The Marriott Courtyard is scheduled for completion in fall 2015.

Key Construction Inc. is the general contractor for the project. Merriman Associates Architects Inc. is the project architect. Sovereign Bank is the construction lender on the hotel.

Jackson-Shaw is currently developing projects throughout the United States, including Texas, Florida, Maryland, Arizona and Colorado.

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