Jenny Carattini – Wright, Executive Director, The Woodlands Art Council and Paul Pettie, Board Director, The Woodlands Art Council visits with JJ Hollie about Updates From The Woodlands Art Council.
Paul Bond, Mayor of The City of Oak Ridge North visits with JJ Hollie about updates from The City of Oak Ridge North.
Jessica Munselle, Director of Community Development at 5Point Credit Union | Team Lead for The Chamber’s C.A.R.E.S. Committee visits with JJ Hollie about updates on the 2022 Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon
Sandija Bayot, Chief Development Officer of The World Affairs Council of Greater Houston visits with JJ Hollie about updates from The World Affairs Council of Greater Houston.
Baruch Williams, PhD, Pediatric Neuropsychologist at the Neuropsychological Assessment Center of Houston, Inc. | Team Lead for the 2022 Health, Wellness & Fitness Expo visits with JJ Hollie about updates on the 2022 Health, Wellness & Fitness Expo.
Brian Hayes, Executive Director of Montgomery County Fair Association visits with JJ Hollie about updates from the Montgomery County Fair Association.
Brandon Creighton, Texas Senator - District 4 visits with JJ Hollie about updates from the Texas Senate.
Eli Viamontes, President & CEO Entergy Texas, Inc. visits with JJ Hollie about updates from Entergy Texas, Inc.
Eric Thiergood, Partner, Kean Miller LLP visits with JJ Hollie about the upcoming Economic Outlook Conference.
Join JJ Hollie as it talks with Ms. Nicole Preston, Vice President of Signature Events for The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce about Taste of The Town - Restaurant Month.
Dr. Alisa White, President of Sam Houston State University visits with JJ Hollie about Updates from The New President of Sam Houston State University.
James Noack, Commissioner Montgomery County Precinct 3 visits with JJ Hollie about updates from Precinct 3.
Rand Henderson, Montgomery County Sheriff visits with JJ Hollie about updates From The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department.
Brandon Creighton, Texas Senator for District 4 visits with JJ Hollie about updates from Texas Senate District 4.
Danny Signorelli, President & CEO of The Signorelli Company visits with JJ Hollie about the possible impacts of incorporation on the business community.
Bruce Tough, Past Chairman of The Woodlands Township Board and Tough Law Firm, PLLC., visits with JJ Hollie about History of The Woodlands.
Dr. Curtis Null, Conroe ISD Superintendent, visits with JJ Hollie about updates from CISD.
Melanie Bush, Montgomery County Treasurer, visits with JJ Hollie about updates from Montgomery County Treasury.
Justin Kendrick, SVP & CEO at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center and Northeast Hospital, visits with JJ Hollie about the urgent health crisis impacting the North Houston suburbs.
Monica Bomkamp Enia joins JJ Hollie with updates from Education For Tomorrow Alliance.
Ted Harris, General Manager of The Woodlands Mall joins JJ Hollie with updates from The Woodlands Mall.
VP of Customer Service, Entergy Texas, Inc., Stuart Barrett joins JJ Hollie to talk about “Entergy, Managing Through Major Weather Events”
Chief Palmer Buck joins JJ Hollie with Updates from
The Woodlands Fire Department.
Tim Jeffcoat joins JJ Hollie with updates from the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Join JJ Hollie and Eric Thiergood, partner at Kean Miller talk about the upcoming, 04/14/21, Economic Outlook Conference. Kean and Miller are Co-Presenting Sponsor.
Join JJ Hollie and James Noack, Montgomery County Commissioner Precinct 3, to talk about updates from Precinct 3
Come meet Cameron Klepac, the Director of Marketing and Education for The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion and get updates from the Pavilion with JJ Hollie.
Meet Lisa Gonzalez, President and CEO of HARC and find out, with JJ Holly, What HARC does?
Get an update on The Woodlands Township and Visiting the Woodlands from Nick Wolda,
Join JJ Hollie and Ted Harris, General Manger of The Woodlands Mall, to talk about the Holiday season and updated from The Woodlands Mall
Jenny Carattini-Wright, Executive Director of the Woodlands Arts Council, joins JJ Hollie to talk about the virtual Woodlands Waterway Arts Festival, Oct 17-18
Jeff Jones, President and General Manager of The Woodlands Township, will be joining JJ Hollie in the studio to talk about updated to The Woodlands Township
JJ Hollie finds out about San Jacinto River Authority's role in Flood Management from Jace Houston.
Ritch Wheeler the Mayor of The City of Shenandoah joins JJ Hollie get updates from the City of Shenandoah.
JJ meets with Constable Ryan Gable of the Montgomery County Constable Precinct 3, to find out What does the Constable’s Office Does?
Join JJ as he sits down with Lindy Johnson, the Director of Development of the Montgomery County Food Bank, to talk about how The Montgomery County Food Bank is An Essential Resource In Our Community.
Summer Day, president and CEO of Meals On Wheels Montgomery County, joins JJ Hollie to talk about the COVID-19 impact of Meals On Wheels in the Montgomery County Community.
Missy Herndon, president and CEO of Interfaith of The Woodlands and Interfaith Community Clinic, joins JJ Hollie in our studio to talk about what Interfaith does for the Community.
Meet Jennifer Landers the Executive Director of the Community Assistance Center and find out How local Charities are affected by the COVID-19 Crisis.
JJ Hollie is joined by the CEO of the Montgomery County Hospital District, MCHD, Randy Johnson and Chief of EMS, James Campbell to talk about Montgomery County’s response to COVID-19.
Between the Trees Business Talk: Helping Community During the Coronavirus
Whether it’s giving children books to read, helping individuals fill out their taxes or educating the community about health initiatives, Rita Wiltz, executive director of the local nonprofit Children’s Books on Wheels, has dedicated her life’s work to helping others.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Rita partnered with Meals on Wheels of Montgomery County to provide 150 hot lunches every weekday to residents of the Tamina community; organized community leaders to bring a free mobile testing site to Tamina (testing more than 700 individuals in three days); and issued books at every food distribution site throughout the county.
Montgomery County Update
Precinct 2 Montgomery County Commissioner Charlie Riley
Tune in to this week’s episode of Between the Trees, where Precinct 2 Montgomery County Commissioner Charlie Riley will discuss the state of Montgomery County. What does the county government do for the area? What are some transportation updates? How has COVID-19 impacted the community? What does Precinct 2 and the County have in the works? Those issues and much, much, more.
Join JJ Hollie of the Woodlands area Chamber of Commerce as he sits down with CISD's Superintendent Dr Null to get an update on CISD.
Lone Star College is open for business! Hear the latest news from the chancellor.
Stephen C. Head, Ph.D. was appointed as the fourth chancellor of Lone Star College in 2014 after a thirty-year history of high-level positions at LSC including President of Lone Star College-North Harris, Executive Vice Chancellor, acting Chief Executive Officer, interim President at Montgomery College and President of Kingwood College.
In celebration of National Travel & Tourism Week, Nick Wolda, president of Visit The Woodlands, will share virtual experiences and unique ways for locals to support the hospitality industry.
Beginning Friday, May 1, Texas retailers and restaurants will be able to open for business at 25 percent capacity, per Governor Greg Abbott's announcement earlier this week. Ted Harris, senior general manager of The Woodlands Mall, and Jenny Taylor, general manager of Market Street - The Woodlands, discuss the impact in The Woodlands area on the latest episode of Between the Trees Business Talk.
Join The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce President J.J. Hollie and three attorneys from The Woodlands Bar Association for a discussion about employment law considerations for businesses and employers during COVID-19.
MCLE and State Bar College Credit: 1 hour; Course ID: 174084112
Lee Winkelman
Managing Member
Hopkins Centrich Winkelman & Drucker PLLC
Topic: Employer’s rights and obligations under the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA)
Learning Objectives:
Identify employers covered by the FFCRA and discuss Emergency Paid Sick Leave and Emergency Family Medical Leave requirements under the FFCRA
Discuss employers' rights to tax credits under the FFCRA and other miscellaneous FFCRA requirements, such as visible signage concerning employee rights under the FFCRA.
Consider best practices for employers to implement the new leave requirements.
About Lee Winkelman: Lee Winkelman represents employers in employment-related legal matters. He works to finds unique business solutions to his clients' legal problems through risk-mitigating employment policies, procedures, and agreements. Winkelman also regularly represents employers in Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) and Department of Labor (DOL) investigations as well as in disputes before judges, juries, and arbitrators. He has substantial experience drafting covenants not to compete and litigating departing-employee cases involving trade-secret misappropriation and other unfair competition claims. Mr. Winkelman has also served as outside general counsel for several companies, advising them on day-to-day legal matters. Mr. Winkelman is a managing member at Hopkins Centrich Winkelman & Drucker PLLC in The Woodlands, Texas.
Leigh Freeman
Principal
Leigh K. Freeman, Attorney at Law PLLC
Topic: Considerations for Employers Implementing Layoffs, Furloughs and Pay Reductions During the COVID-19 Crisis
Learning Objectives:
Discuss general considerations and notice requirements of the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) during COVID-19
Examine best practices for severance agreements including requirements for older workers under the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA) / Older Workers Benefit Protection Act (OWBPA)
Consider implications of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES”) provisions to layoffs, furloughs and pay reductions
About Leigh Freeman: Leigh Freeman is the principal of Leigh K. Freeman, attorney at law PLLC located in The Woodlands TX. She has represented businesses and individuals in a wide variety of fields including real estate, franchises, oilfield services, medical, IT, financial services, and energy, to name a few. The firm’s primary area of practice is corporate and transactional law, including employment-related matters. The firm acts as outside general counsel for privately held businesses and nonprofit organizations in The Woodlands, the greater Houston area, and throughout the State of Texas.
Haley Paul
Associate Attorney
Stibbs & Co., P.C., Attorneys
Topics: Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Considerations when Responding to COVID-19, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Guidelines for Maintaining a Safe Work Environment
Learning Objectives:
Discuss employer responsibilities under the ADA and how to respond to requests for accommodation due to COVID-19 concerns.
Examine OSHA and CDC guidance for protecting workers from occupational exposure to COVID-19
Identify legally permissible methods for screening for COVID-19 in the workplace
About Haley Paul: Haley Paul represents clients in a variety of labor and employment matters. Haley has successfully represented a number of employers during investigations by the Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the National Labor Review Board, and state agencies, such as the Texas Workforce Commission. She has successfully defended employers in a number of state and federal cases, including discrimination and harassment on the basis of race, sex, age, and disability; wage and hour collective actions, under the Fair Labor Standards Act (“FLSA”) and similar state wage and hour laws; and failure to accommodate and disability discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act. Haley has both defended and enforced trade secrets claims and employee restrictive covenants. She has extensive experience drafting employee handbooks, employment agreements (including arbitration and severance agreements), and performing trainings and seminars for clients.”
The small business rescue fund set up by Congress exhausted its $350 billion funding capacity on Thursday morning, 04-16-20, with Congress deadlocked on how to allocate more money for the popular Paycheck Protection Program.
The SBA said Thursday, 04-16-20, it will be unable to accept new loan applications while funding is tapped out and that it will not enroll additional lenders into the program. The agency said it approved more than 1.6 millions loans so far.
Meet Ray Sanders, executive vice president of Woodforest National Bank, as he provides an update on federal programs and aid for small business coronavirus assistance.
Hear the latest information from the SBA to help small businesses with their economic recovery from the effects of the Coronavirus. Charles Abell, economic development specialist and public information officer with the U.S. Small Business Administration Houston District Office, will give information on how to apply and where you can get additional help with preparing for and applying for an SBA Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) and the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
U.S. Representative for Texas's 8th Congressional District Kevin Brady joins The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce President J.J. Hollie to help explain how the federal government is responding to the coronavirus pandemic. He will discuss what Congress has passed, what Congress is going to do next and what the Administration has done to help Americans fight this global pandemic.
The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce President J.J. Hollie visits with Montgomery County Judge Mark J. Keough to discuss COVID-19 and its effect on The Woodlands area residents and businesses.
On this episode of Between The Trees Business Talk JJ Hollie sits across from Gordy Bunch, Chairman of The Woodlands Township and then with Bruce Rieser, Vice Chairman of The Woodlands Township to talk about the state of The Woodlands during Coronavirus - COVID-19.
Executive Director Miguel Lopez shares how the Lone Star College Small Business Development Center provides business advising, access to training, tools and resources to help small businesses start, grow, expand and succeed at no cost to entrepreneurs and business owners.
It could be argued that water is our most precious resource. Without it, we would not be able to support the population and businesses in The Woodlands and surrounding areas. There is increasing discussion on how water is managed, both in terms of floods and droughts. On this episode of “Between the Trees: Business Talk,” San Jacinto River Authority General Manager Jace Houston and Director of Communications and Public Affairs Heather Ramsey Cook join Chamber President J.J. Hollie to talk about the planning and implementation of specific water resources and water related projects within the authority’s service area.
With early voting for the March 3 primary underway, our latest “Between the Trees” episode features Steve Leakey, co-founder and president of the Voter Awareness Council (VAC), a local nonprofit organization established by a number of Montgomery County residents designed to help encourage and equip citizens to vote. Totally nonpartisan and unbiased, VAC’s mission is to inform and educate citizens on our local elections, improve the overall voting experience and increase voter turnout.
Go behind the scenes (and between the trees) with business and community leaders shaping The Woodlands area.
On this episode JJ Hollie, President of The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce sits down with Melissa Bochat to talk about, Business, Upcoming Events and of Course the Economic Outlook Conference on Feb 21st.
Welcome to the pilot episode of the Between the Trees podcast from The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce. In this episode, hear from J.J. Hollie, president and CEO at The Woodlands Area Chamber, and Lauren Joerg, director of marketing and communications at The Chamber, as they introduce the podcast and discuss the upcoming Economic Outlook Conference and Whistle Stop Tour.
Go behind the scenes (and between the trees) with business and community leaders shaping The Woodlands area. Check out more at WoodlandsOnline.com