New Porsche Dealership's Grand-Opening Bash Shifts the Social Season into High Gear

Daniel Ortiz
New Porsche Dealership's Grand-Opening Bash Shifts the Social Season into High Gear

Cindy Baxter, Carmen Garcia, Vanessa Rodriguez

AUGUST IS HERE, and while the social season is still a ways away, some revelers kicked things into gear early at the grand opening of Porsche River Oaks.


Located on Greenbriar at 59, the two-story, 40,000-square-foot dealership — one of the country's largest — opened its doors for hundreds of Houstonians who were greeted with flutes of Veuve Clicquot topped with sugar cubes touting the Porsche logo. Many raised a glass for the 360 photo booth and posed for photos in front of the glittering step-and-repeat before heading into the main event.

On the first floor, partygoers encountered entertainment in the form of musicians, motion-tracking and interactive art installations, and a cocktail-chemistry station serving drinks in glasses that looked like tailpipes. There was also a pop-up nightclub carved out of the dealership's shop, boasting more bars and motion-activated elements — and bumping music, obviously. Country singer Clint Black also performed a surprise set.

Upstairs, the music, courtesy of a "rockestra" trio, lent a different feel. Bites included truffle-topped pastas, fresh salads and more from Monarch Hospitality. And Porsche's Fitting Lounge, where car-buyers customize their rides down to the shift knobs, was on this night a makeshift watch boutique showcasing Porsche timepieces. Throughout the space, vintage and collectible vehicles were parked, as were sculptures by Johans Lamic, who uses the iconic 930 turbo spoiler in his art.

The event, executed by Deborah Elias and her team, concluded with the distribution of pina-colada popsicles — a perfect way to keep guests cool on this August night. Spotted in the crowd: Roger Clemens, Brian Ching, newscasters Jennifer Reyna and Miya Shay, and Porsche execs Kjell Gruner and Jeff Dyke.

Jose Muñoz, Rambo Fiorotto, Ricardo Fojas, Jason Sarmiento, Jules Sarmiento

Jodi and Jeff Dyke with Clint Black and Roger Clemens

Anna and John Reger

Christine Tennant and Cesar Lopez

Deborah Elias

Art by Johans Lamic

Tamara Washington, Cheri Green

Susan Frania

Ramzi and Alex Reda

Lisa Gochman, Dominque McGhee

Maria Bassa, Beth Muecke

Clint Black performing

Parties
Leadership in Action: ‘Family, Community and Spiritual Connection’ Drives Success for Henry Richardson

How did you get to where you are today? The present moment is a combined history of my family, my time as an athlete, my passion for learning, and my desire to see the world be better. I grew up as a successful springboard and platform diver, however, an injury caused me to seek alternative treatments to heal my body. In that process, I discovered the power of yoga, exercise, meditation, mindset, and nutrition. This holistic approach eventually led me to open a Pilates and cycling studio called DEFINE body & mind. I opened studios around the nation, and after selling most of my business between 2017-2019, I was ready to explore how I could make an even greater impact on the wellbeing of our community. In 2023, I started actively working on a brand new multi-family/apartment concept called, Define Living. The idea focused on offering health and wellness services within a beautiful apartment setting to increase the wellbeing of our residents. Having a strong sense of community is the number one factor in living a happy life, so why not build a community where daily fitness, cooking classes, and social connection are the norm? We opened Define Living in March of 2024, and we couldn’t be happier with how things are being received. We are already looking at building more concepts like this in the Houston area and beyond.

Keep Reading Show less

Cyndy Garza Roberts, Stephanie Ramos, Michele Leal Farah, Vicky Dominguez and Leisa Holland Nelson Bowman

WITH A GOAL of ensuring access to quality healthcare for underserved families in Houston’s East End, El Centro de Corazón has been making a difference for 30 years. Its annual Making a Difference luncheon, this year chaired by Vicky Dominguez with honorary chairs Leisa Holland Nelson Bowman and Leila Perrin, raised more than $150,000.

Keep Reading Show less
Parties

ONE CANNOT ACCUSE Houston’s Axiom Quartet of playing it safe. When it comes to exploring the outer limits of string quartet repertoire, engaging audiences who don’t normally attend classical music concerts, and putting in the collective time necessary to nail the gnarly idiosyncrasies of 20th- and 21st-century composers, Axiom continues to walk the walk as they talk the talk.

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment