Texas Dow Employees Credit Union is already Houston’s largest credit union, but the organization has bigger goals in mind.<\p> TDECU — soon to be Space City Financial following its merger with Space City Credit Union — wants to become a top-20 credit union in the U.S. by 2034, President and CEO Isaac Johnson said. After the upcoming merger and previously announced acquisition of Louisiana-based Sabine Bank & Trust, the organization will have nearly $6.2 billion in assets. Iowa-based GreenState Credit Union is currently the 20th-largest credit union with $11.1 billion in assets, according to U.S. News & World Report.<\p>

A local pharmaceutical executive is departing after the company announced layoffs earlier this year.<\p> The Woodlands-based Lexicon Pharmaceuticals Inc. (Nasdaq: LXRX) said this week that Jeffrey Wade, president and COO, will step down from his post effective Sept. 30. Wade has held various roles at the company since 1999 but only took the role of COO in July, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.<\p>

London-based BP PLC (NYSE: BP) plans to sell its U.S. onshore wind business to focus more on solar energy, progressing BP’s gradual retreat from both onshore and offshore wind in the region. <\p> The sale process should be soon, BP said. Several media outlets estimate the business, called BP Wind Energy, could be worth least $2 billion.<\p>

Uptown District, the management district that includes the Galleria area, has invested $2.3 million in replacing its six stainless steel sign rings to maintain the district's iconic look.<\p> The last of the new rings, costing about $400,000 each, went up Sept. 15 above the intersection of Westheimer and Sage roads. The original rings were first installed in 1995, and the project to replace them started last year.<\p>

Andretti Indoor Karting and Games is planning a second Houston-area location, and it’s joining a growing number of popular new food and entertainment concepts nearby.<\p> Orlando, Florida-based Andretti told the Houston Business Journal it purchased a 10-acre tract just south of Costco, at Jasmine Avenue and Genesis Boulevard, from a local landowner in May. The address is 1307 Jasmine Ave.<\p>

A Memorial Park-area home that was once owned by four-time Indianapolis 500 winner AJ Foyt has hit the market with an initial asking price of $6.35 million. <\p> The 7,346-square-foot home at 9314 Sandringham Drive has five bedrooms, five bathrooms and two bathrooms and was designed by renowned architect Clovis Heimsath. <\p>

Wells Fargo & Co. (NYSE: WFC) found itself once again in the regulatory crosshairs last week when the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said Sept. 12 it reached a formal agreement with the bank over "deficiencies" in its practices to fight money laundering.<\p> Specifically, the OCC took aim at the bank’s anti-money laundering and sanctions risk management practices.<\p>

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has a well-deserved reputation for speaking his mind, so it wasn’t surprising to hear him vigorously defend his company’s MileagePlus loyalty program last week.<\p> “This summer, over 3 million people flew on a free flight on United Airlines using the MileagePlus program," Kirby told those attending the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Global Aerospace Summit. “That, just for context, is about 1% of the entire U.S. population, on just one airline, in just one season.<\p>

A month after announcing the terminations of nearly 1,000 employees, Texas Children's Hospital confirmed that an undisclosed number of workers got their jobs back.<\p> The Houston Chronicle first reported outgoing CEO Mark A. Wallace sent an internal letter to employees last month. According to the Chronicle, employees have been hired back at least three Houston-area locations: The Woodlands, Katy and Kingwood.<\p>

Houston Community College has advanced its partnership with Baltimore-based nonprofit Dwyer Workforce Development to bring more students into the nursing field.<\p> Last week, HCC and Dwyer launched one of the first Texas Workforce Commission-funded pre-apprenticeship programs to meet Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) and Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) needs. The goal of the program — called the Gulf Coast Region Apprenticeship Hub Pre-Apprenticeship Training Program — is to create a model for a workforce pipeline to meet growing demands. If the nursing pre-apprenticeship program is successful, HCC hopes to create similar programs for other roles in logistics, information technology, automotive and health care, said Christina Robinson, executive director of HCC's Office of Work-Based Learning & Industry Partnerships.<\p>

Update: At 2:22 p.m., Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo provided an update on the fire, which reads in part:<\p> "Currently, the fire is still burning, but the good news is that the pressure within the pipeline is continuously dropping, which means we are getting closer to the fire going out. <\p>

An acreage home community in Montgomery County is adding even bigger homesites.<\p> Republic Grand Ranch, a more than 5,000-acre community northeast of Willis, opened in early 2021 and has since sold about 1,200 of the 2,000 total homesites, with more than 200 homes built so far.<\p>

Another Houston health care leader is stepping down this week after a long tenure.<\p> Giuseppe Colasurdo, president and Alkek-Williams distinguished chair at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, announced his plans Sept. 16. Colasurdo will remain in the role until a successor is found, and the UT System Board of Regents is conducting a national search for the next president.<\p>

Houston-based private equity firm Ara Partners has received a $725 million commitment from HF Capital for a new partnership to decarbonize conventional energy around the country. <\p> The firm launched a new strategy, Ara Energy Decarbonization, in partnership with Knoxville, Tennessee-based HF Capital LLC, which is the family office of the Haslam family. <\p>

Just months after acquiring the iconic Jones on Main office complex, a Florida-based investment firm has landed a tenant to take over a seven-floor space previously occupied by WeWork. <\p> Switzerland-based coworking company International Workplace Group announced Sept. 16 that it signed a 65,000-square-foot least at 708 Main St. <\p>

Big Lots is closing more stores than it initially announced — and Houston locations are now included.<\p> The Columbus, Ohio-based retailer, which is in the midst of a Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization, now is closing at least 344 stores nationwide.<\p>

Hawkers Asian Street Food, an Orlando-based restaurant chain that appears to be entering the Houston area, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Sept. 16. <\p> Shortly after receiving a default notice from its lender — ABC Funding LLC, an administrative agent for Boston-based Summit Partners Subordinated Debt Fund IV-A LP — Hawkers leadership retained business bankruptcy attorney Scott Shuker of Orlando firm Shuker & Dorris PA. <\p>

Comments made by United Airlines CFO Mike Leskinen at an investor conference last week became even more timely as 33,000 Boeing workers went on strike the next day.<\p> The strike began Sept. 13 and halted production of 737s at Boeing, which is operating under new CEO Kelly Ortberg.<\p>

Houston is the 10th-best metro at attracting and retaining recent college graduates for the local labor market, topping the ranks among Texas' major cities, according to research from commercial real estate firm JLL.<\p> While major energy companies play a factor in retaining these graduates, the area's growing diversity of job opportunities has made it attractive to people starting their careers across industries, said Rachel Alexander, JLL Texas' research director.<\p>

Update: After this story published, Hawkers Asian Street Food filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Sept. 16 to prevent its lender from seizing control of the company, the Orlando Business Journal reported.<\p> Hawkers Asian Street Food, a popular Orlando-based restaurant chain, is preparing to open its first Houston location in the Heights. <\p>