Convenience Big Store: Woodlands restauranteurs behind Amrina expanding with fried chicken in Houston's Midtown

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10 new office leases in The Woodlands include biotech, renewable energy company

Biotechnology labs keep coming to The Woodlands.

Two biotech companies are among the 9 office leases recently signed in the area, including Cellipont's new headquarters and Bionova Scientific, which announced today that it will expand into plasmid DNA production at a brand-new office in The Woodlands. More on that to come.

Other May office acquisitions include coworking space Spaces, a Sterling Infrastructure expansion, Rockefeller Capital Management and global renewable energy services provider Blue Power Partners. Read about those here.

Since I wrote that story, I've also learned that Samsung has recently opened a new sales office at 9950 Woodloch Forest Drive. All of these are good to hear after some oil and gas shakeups and a plateauing of sales and property taxes in the township.

What company relocations do you hope to see one day in The Woodlands? Let me know at claire.partain@houstonchronicle.com.

Claire Partain, Suburban reporter producer

Claire.Partain@houstonchronicle.com

Growing Woodlands

Chef Jassi Bindra plates tuna tartare in the kitchen at Amrina on Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2023 in The Woodlands. Bindra was featured in a recent episode of Chopped, in which he won.

Photo by: Brett Coomer, Staff Photographer

Woodlands Amrina restaurateurs expand with fried chicken in Houston's Midtown

Pok Pok Po is slated to open this summer from fine dining Indian restaurant Amrina in The Woodlands.

Need to Know

ConocoPhillips headquarters in the Energy Corridor, Tuesday, May 31, 2022, in Houston.

Photo by: Mark Mulligan, Staff Photographer

Are Houston-area layoffs looming with Conoco-Marathon merger?

The West Houston-based oil companies are expected to trim workforce, office requirements may be affected.

The Conroe firefighter Cody Leroy carries a resident evacuated in a boat by the CFD Rapid Intervention Team from her flooded home in the aftermath of a severe storm on Thursday, May 2, 2024 in Conroe. The rising water from the West Fork of the San Jacinto River, downstream from Lake Conroe, flooded homes and roads along FM2854.

Photo by: Brett Coomer, Staff Photographer

Post-Harvey flood control system scrapped before May overflow

"Flashy storms" coming by surprise are likely the new normal, though local officials put their trust in forecasts for Lake Conroe and Lake Houston flood mitigation.

Openings and Closings

Diamonds Direct opened its first showroom near The Woodlands at 27520 I-45 N in Oak Ridge North June 1.

The 6,000-square-foot space marks its seventh store in Texas.

Shout out

It's been a big baseball week for the North Houston area after defending state champs Magnolia West took down Lake Creek to head to the state championship once again Thursday.

Meanwhile, Kingwood star-turned Cardinals rookie Masyn Winn made his debut against the Houston Astros Monday as the series continues.

One last thing …

In a continuation of a long-standing trend, pickleball courts are coming to a shuttered Randalls location in Clear Lake.

Could the same happen to abandoned Randalls in The Woodlands? While one will soon turn into a community center and library, the fate of the Randalls in Panther Creek is yet to be announced.