(August 27, 2009 – HOUSTON) – Transwestern Investment Company and Transwestern today announced that 919 Milam has received LEED Silver certification by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) in the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) for Existing Buildings: Operations & Maintenance Green Building Rating System™. LEED is the USGBC's leading rating system for designing and constructing the world's greenest, most energy efficient and high performing buildings. The historic landmark property is owned by Transwestern Investment Company, a private equity real estate investment firm that pursues domestic, value-added investment strategies through a series of institutional equity fund vehicles. 919 Milam was originally constructed in 1956 and is a 24 story, 543,000 square foot multi-tenant office building. The property is managed and leased by Transwestern.

According to Scott Tausk, managing director for Transwestern Investment Company, "While nodding to its elegant history, 919 Milam has been renovated to incorporate the most modern of building systems. This achievement is a stamp of approval on those upgrades."

To earn the certification, 919 Milam implemented a number of green design and operational features which include installation of new restroom fixtures and CO2 sensors, implementation of green cleaning and building recycling programs, as well as improvements to reduce energy consumption and improve water efficiency.

"Taking an older building through the LEED process can be quite challenging, but the benefits are substantial. We made significant improvements to the building’s operational performance while reducing its impact on the environment. That is what makes this award so exciting to us and we are proud that 919 Milam is the third Transwestern managed property in Texas to achieve LEED-EB: O&M," said Vicki Hollon, vice president of management services.

Transwestern continues to chart the course industry-wide in the LEED EB: O&M program with nearly 100 buildings seeking certification across the Transwestern managed portfolio. The Transwestern standard of operational excellence is only furthered by these initiatives to incorporate sustainable practices including water savings, energy efficiency and indoor environmental quality within the Transwestern managed portfolio. With the addition of 919 Milam, Transwestern has 15 LEED Existing Buildings: O&M certified properties within its managed portfolio, with many more currently going through the certification process.

(July 25, 2008 – HOUSTON) – Transwestern’s Houston headquarters today announced that a subsidiary of Genesis Energy, L.P. has leased 22,666 square feet at 919 Milam in Houston. Brad Sinclair, Jennifer Leroy and Michelle Wogan of Transwestern represented the landlord, Transwestern 919 Milam, L.P. The tenant was represented by Kyle Kelley, Lance McCarthy and Lesa Nickelson of CB Richard Ellis (CBRE).

Genesis Energy, L.P. is a growth-oriented limited partnership focused on the midstream segment of the oil and gas industry in the Gulf Coast region of the United States. Genesis Energy, L.P. has a diverse portfolio of customers, operations and assets, including refinery-related plants, pipelines, storage tanks and terminals, trucks and truck terminals.

Constructed in 1956, 919 Milam has been a center for commercial activity in downtown Houston for over fifty years. The 540,000 square foot property is situated on an entire city block, includes efficient floor plates, excellent views and a newly constructed parking garage on the first four floors of the building. The building is located at the epicenter of the central business district tunnel loop system which provides tenants with access to restaurants, retail, hotels and shopping alternatives. Common area building renovations are underway and include the building lobby, with a focus on enhancing the amenity package for tenants.

Commenting on the deal, Sinclair said, "We are very pleased that Genesis Energy, L.P. chose to lease space at 919 Milam. Flexibility regarding future expansion was a key issue for Genesis and with 919 Milam having very few encumbrances, we were able to meet their expansion needs."