Glam Squads

One of the city’s largest galas, hosted by the Altus Foundation and the mayor’s office, once again raised more than $1 million. Emceed by Tyra Banks and featuring a performance by pop star Taylor Thi, the event was attended by 1,300 guests, who bid on items like trips to the Super Bowl, the Grammys — and to Bali! Meanwhile, another 1,000 people packed the ballroom of the Post Oak Hotel for the inaugural Karya Kares Foundation gala, which benefited youth programs in the United States and India.

Ashwin Shetty at ‘Karya’
Ashwin Shetty at ‘Karya’



Nick Florescu and Dominique Sachse, Tyra Banks and Taseer Badar at ‘Altus’
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Leadership in Action: John Kuykendall Traded Newcaster Dream for Success in Luxury Retail

John Kuykendall, Showroom Manager, Sub-Zero, Wolf and Cove

How did you get to where you are today? Growing up I had envisioned myself as a news anchor, living in NY and enthusiastically saying into the camera “Good Morning America!”. To this day, I am still a news/political junkie. My mother owned fur salons so specialty retail, luxury retail was in my blood through the family business. Eventually, mom shuttered the stores and I was recruited to a large specialty retailer. Over the next 30 years, I was in commissioned sales on the sales floor, became a department manager, worked my way up to buyer and store manager. Although I never became a newscaster, I did live in NYC for a few years. But Texas is home and with aging grandparents, I felt the pull to come back to my roots. A headhunter approached me. I never envisioned myself in the high-end appliance market, but there are so many similarities. Clients want a memorable experience; whether shopping for diamonds and fur or remodeling their kitchen.

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THE CORINTHIAN WAS the scene for a haunted happening benefiting Children’s Museum Houston. The decidedly adult bash was filled with dark allure, gothic glamour, and generosity to the tune of $1.14 million, the second-highest total in the event’s history.

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Morris Smith, Tilman Fertitta and Toni Smith

THE HOUSTON CHILDREN'S Charity gala is always anticipated, thanks to the big-deal musical acts brought in to entertain; this year it was Chicago. But the headliners this year were the generous donors, who seemed to surprise even event organizer with their largesse, with a total till of $6.2 million, a record.

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