From the City of Sugar Land:
The city of Sugar Land, in partnership with the Sugar Land Legacy Foundation, hosted its fourth annual business appreciation event, the Leadership and Legacy Luncheon, on Dec. 10 at the Hyatt Sugar Land. The luncheon celebrates the outstanding performance, leadership, and contributions of Sugar Land’s diverse business community.
At the event, the Sugar Land Legacy Foundation presented the Sugar Land Legacy Awards to recognize individuals and organizations that have made significant, lasting impacts on economic development and overall prosperity in Sugar Land. This year, the individual award was presented to restaurant partners Robert White and Victor Litwinenko. The duo have created several unique and successful restaurants during the last 15 years that are original to Sugar Land Town Square – Japaneiro’s Sushi Bistro & Latin Grill, Jupiter Pizza & Waffles Co., Original Poketo and Guru Burgers & Crepes. Their restaurants have contributed significantly to the development of Town Square as a vibrant destination for employees, visitors and residents.
“Robert and Victor have introduced an exciting and innovative flair to the restaurant scene in Sugar Land,” said Legacy Foundation President Sunny Sharma. “They bring a diverse array of food to our community and exemplify what it means to be a strong leader in our business community.”
The duo also place importance on being local and supporting community philanthropic causes such as the local schools, Gigi’s Playhouse, and other local non-profits. Robert White emphasized their desire to give locally saying, “We feel a deep sense of belonging here and we don’t plan on going anywhere else.”
For the organization award, the Sugar Land Legacy Foundation recognized Accredo Packaging, Inc., a family-owned manufacturer and supplier of high-quality flexible packaging for consumer products. The Nguyen Family, owners of Accredo Packaging, have an inspiring story. As described by Tom Nguyen, Chief Operating Officer, the Nguyen family moved to America with nothing after the fall of Saigon in 1975. They worked hard and at first built a company that manufactured and supplied grocery bags to supermarkets. Then in 2009, “another opportunity came to us to diversify into flexible packaging,” shared Nguyen, and Accredo Packaging, Inc. was born.
The company chose Sugar Land to build their operations and is now celebrating its third expansion with a new 200,000 sqft building in early 2020. The expansion will result in a $200 million investment and 150 new jobs, making Accredo one of Sugar Land’s top 10 employers with more than 500 jobs and one of the largest production facilities in the area.
“Accredo has continued to grow and expand as a thriving global company,” said Sharma. “Their products cross international borders, and we are fortunate that they choose Sugar Land to connect the world.”
The Sugar Land Legacy Foundation Board of Directors selected recipients from nominations based on their commitment, business experience, tenure, service and leadership in Sugar Land. Director of Economic Development Elizabeth Huff said during the event, “Every day, you make our community a better place to live, work and play – and it is truly a privilege for us to get to work alongside you to help your businesses thrive in Sugar Land.”
The award announcements were followed by a keynote speech by City Manager Allen Bogard. Bogard is retiring early next year after nearly 20 years as the city’s chief executive. In his remarks, Bogard reflected on the immense growth of Sugar Land during its first 60 years as a city and how the city and business community must come together to work in new ways to achieve success for Sugar Land’s next 60 years.
For more information about the Sugar Land Legacy Foundation visit www.sugarlandlegacy.org.
