Javed Meghani was 19 years old when he moved to this country. “I’ve been an entrepreneur for 35 years,” says Javed.

It’s been 10 years since Teri Gilberg (better known as the Re-Modelista) made a life-changing business decision.

“I met the late Johnny Jackson of Jackson Air and Heat when we bought this lot back in 1994,

The world has changed a lot over the past 18 months. Telehealth is now common, and the ability to work from home...

Teri Gilberg (better known as the Re-Modelista) has remodeled many, many Fort Bend homes over the years.

“My son is a big guy at 6 foot 4,” says Mike. “So we wanted to take the tub out of the hall bathroom next to his room, put in a shower for him, and connect the bathroom to his room with a pocket door...."

It’s been one year since most of us really started to feel the effects of the global pandemic. Last month, we endured one of the harshest arctic events ever to hit Fort Bend County.

If you’re reading this, chances are you either experienced a frozen pipe that burst last month, or you know someone who did. Alan Burkhalter, Master Plumber and owner of local Alan’s Plumbing, says, “We received thousands of calls in the days after Fort Bend’s historic arctic event about burst pipes."

Adrian and Lisa Davilá O’Toole wanted a full update for their 1980s kitchen. “We needed to take down a wall,” says Lisa, “opening the kitchen to the living area. Plus we wanted to rearrange the appliances, all new cabinets, granite, a gas stovetop with an updated hood, and new trim and baseboards.”

It’s been more than 20 years since Alan Burkalter, Master Plumber and owner of local Alan’s Plumbing, first started allowing his three sons to ride the truck with him. “They weren’t even ten years old yet,” says Alan. “But I wanted Beau, Luke and Jake to understand and see for themselves core values like hard work, honesty, and the skills of a trade.”

Bee Unique has been a Rosenberg establishment for nearly 40 years. Two years ago, business partners Sean Foley and Karen Obmaces bought the business, revamped it, and moved it across the street. One unexpected find: the original building was infested with mice.

When you think of tanks, usually the first image that pops into your head is a heavily armored fighting vehicle or maybe a sleeveless T-shirt.

Ruth Antonius has always been a supporter of local businesses. “I trust local businesses more, and the closer to us the better,” says Ruth. So when her granddaughter Chelsea started dating master plumber Luke Burkhalter more than six years ago, Ruth’s plumbing loyalty went to Alan’s Plumbing.

Now that we’ve lost our collective mind celebrating a MUCH-NEEDED spot of good news (Go Astros!), it’s time to turn our attention to making our homes deliciously comfortable for the holidays. That might include baking homemade chocolate chip cookies, filling the house with the sharp piney scent of a Christmas tree, enjoying the wonderful waxy smell of candles melting and—for us Gulf Coast folks—making sure our air conditioners and furnaces are working properly. Because you know we’re going to use them both!

When Janice first heard that Hurricane Harvey was barreling toward the Texas coast, she assumed it would be a high-wind, high-water event. But nothing prepared her for the sheer devastation that followed. Within a matter of hours, most of her neighbors only two blocks away were stranded on their roofs, frightened, heartbroken, waiting to be rescued.

When it comes to singing R&B, nobody warbled tunes like The Jackson 5. Their song stylings and dance maneuvers are rivaled by no one. But when it comes to air conditioning, nobody can beat Sugar Land’s own “Jackson 4” at Jackson Air & Heat: patriarch Johnny Jackson, company owner Brian Jackson and Brian’s two sons, Brian and Blake. They may not be able to moonwalk, but they can fix anything air conditioning related...and in a Southeast Texas summer, who would you rather have knocking at your door?

Staying cool is no joke! You NEED a Better Air Conditioner. The Fort Bend area sweated through one of the top five hottest Februaries ever. By all indicators, it’s going to be a scorcher of a summer.

Did you know Katy, TX was originally named Cane Island? The name was officially changed to Katy when it formally incorporated in 1945. Today, almost 75 years later, Rise Communities brings Cane Island back to Katy. Expect the unexpected!

When J.D. Sellers—owner of Optimal Sports Performance (OSP)—built his home nine years ago, there were bugs here and there for the first five years. J.D. says, “I had two different companies come out and both told me I needed to be on their monthly plan to get rid of the bugs. But it didn’t make sense to me. If they were doing their job...the bugs would be gone!”

Do you hear that? It’s the chorus of your family complaining about how hot it is inside the house. Oh, sure...one or two rooms are bearable. But the bedrooms upstairs are always sweat boxes. Then come the covert ops: various people-who-shall-not-be-named tiptoeing through the house to turn down the thermostat. Before you know it, the usually bearable rooms are freezing cold and your energy meter is spinning out of control - the Thermostat Wars have begun.

You know Spring is Sprung in the Sugar Land area when:

Our January temperatures were concrete evidence of the crazy fluctuations we are subject to here in the Fort Bend County area. One minute you’re dialing the thermostat up...the next minute, you’re dialing it down. Way down. And that can happen over the course of one afternoon!

Say there’s a spider in your yard. Is it the good kind that will keep other insects off your tomato plants...while not bothering anything else? Or the bad kind that might send you to the ER? Let BUGCO Pest Control handle all of your insect and rodent concerns, while you keep your peace of mind.

Since 2007, John Onofrey, Chris Millward, and their team of “bugbusters” of BugCo have been combating pests in area neighborhoods. Know what’s creepy? Pests might be living in your home and you’re NOT seeing them!

When it comes to your family, your home and your business, you want professionals that have the equipment, knowledge and experience to handle any problem you throw at them with integrity. That’s why decorated Marine John Onofrey built not one, but two, outstanding service-oriented businesses to protect the things that matter most: Top 2 Bottom Inspections (www.texasinspectors.net) and BUGCO Pest Control (www.bugco.org.)

There’s a lot to love about summer—longer days, warmer weather—but there’s a lot to loathe too. You’re showing more skin and spending more time outside, but those pesky mosquitoes and weird tan lines are just some of the woes that can ruin even the most perfect summer day.

Food establishments in and around our fabulous community must adhere to strict building codes and inspections. One requirement of all establishments is regular pest control/extermination.

When Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Gary Greene Top Producer Debbie Marcell heard Renee McKelvey was joining her office, she couldn’t believe it. “Her previous company redid my floors...twice. And if I had known she was going into real estate, I would have gone after her with a vengeance.”

Rescheduled due to weather! New date is Saturday, May 14, same time and same venue!

Stephane Leveque moved to the United States from Haiti in 1999. “I took a job with a moving company in Los Angeles,” says Stephane. “It was a flexible position that allowed me to pursue my degree at the University of Southern California.”