» Planned Environments, Inc,
Planned Environments, Inc. (PEI) is an Austin, Texas-based company specializing in land planning and landscape architecture. PEI (www.peibg.com) was founded in 1974 by its chairman and president Roy A. Bechtol and specializes in environmental development through conscientious and knowledgeable land planning.
Since PEI's inception, the team has been involved in more than 2.5 million acres of master planned communities, resort properties and golf course neighborhoods throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico and - in 2008 - the Far East and Asia.
Some of the Central Texas neighborhoods master planned by PEI include Barton Creek, River Place, The Hills of Lakeway, Steiner Ranch, Escondido, La Cantera, Comanche Trace, Lajitas, Vaquero and The Waterford Club, all in Texas. PEI has also crafted Somersett in Reno, Nevada; Laurelmor in Boone, North Carolina; Battle Mountain in Minturn, Colorado; Saddle Creek in Copperopolis, California; Gallardia in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and, The Poverty Point Reservoir and State Park in Delhi, Louisiana.
The longevity of PEI is attributed to its team's passion for excellence and the quality of its projects and clients. In more than 34 years, PEI has worked successfully with all government entities (city, state and federal) as well as environmental groups such as the Audubon Society, The Nature Conservancy, Fish and Wildlife Departments, Parks and Wildlife and The Corps of Engineers.
PEI and Bechtol have garnered numerous local and national awards for its planning excellence. Bechtol's appointment to assist the City Of Austin Regional Conservation Plan and receipt of numerous environmental awareness awards reflect PEI's development design philosophy of cohesive planning to compliment the surrounding environment.
There CAN exist an aesthetic interplay between man and nature, and PEI will help you attain such harmony - while keeping an unblinking eye to the bottom line.
Bechtol and the PEI team have designed in excess of 800 master-planned communities, including award-winning landscape designs and complete environmental analysis.
» Waters of America
Waters of America utilizes its team of biologists and environmental architects to design, build and manage wetland areas and trophy fishing lakes that serve as featured amenities for golf course, master planned and resort style communities.
Waters of America's principals ensure all water features are constructed with ecologically and structurally sound design, produce pristine wildlife and fishery habitat, provide an upscale source of outdoor recreation and add natural elegance and beauty to any landscape.
"We are trying to jumpstart Mother Nature, and what your pond or lake will produce is all natural," said Hub Bechtol, president and principal of the Austin, Texas-based Waters of America. "Water is easier to maintain than grass or landscaping, and wetlands are nature's own bio filters."
Waters of America lakes feature forage fisheries that are cost effective and present natural feeding and faster fish growth rates.
Among its services, Waters of America offers custom lake design and construction, trophy fishing lakes, wetlands, water retention impoundments, fisheries management and fish stocking.
Waters of America was founded in 2007 by Hub Bechtol and Roy Bechtol – the noted community planner and golf course designer. The firm is the most recent addition to Bechtol Communities, joining award winning Bechtol Golf Design and Planned Environments, two companies known for environmental development through conscientious land planning.
Roy Bechtol's passion for combining outdoor recreation and environmental responsibility with his business endeavors led to the creation of Waters of America, which he sees as a natural offshoot of his two other firms. "With these three companies, we continue to create value and a great lifestyle for our clients," Roy Bechtol said.
By being affiliated with Bechtol Golf Design and Planned Environments, the latter of which has been involved in residential and resort community planning for nearly 35 years, Waters of America has the opportunity to capitalize on the rapidly growing trend of offering fishing lakes as the development's primary amenity or in addition to golf and other forms of recreation.
» Kite-Bechtol Golf Design
Another unique feature of Bechtol Golf Design is the ability to include
Tom Kite in selected projects under the banner of Kite Bechtol.
Tom Kite is certainly well known in the game of golf as one of its consummate professionals with 19 PGA Tour victories - most notably the 1992 US Open - and nine Champions Tour victories. Kite is rapidly gaining notoriety for his work in golf course design, and his exacting play is notable in the tracks he builds as well. Kite only takes on projects when he knows that his schedule will allow his full participation in the project. While he is highly involved in all phases of a project, he focuses on a quality practice experience, green design and course strategy.
The name Tom Kite has long been associated with quality on the golf course. Throughout his Hall of Fame career, he has been one of the most consistent, successful and innovative golfers of all time. For more than 30 years, Kite has played and studied most of the greatest golf courses in the world. In the early 1990s he decided to take his love of playing golf and use it to begin work designing golf courses. Kite has now designed 10 courses with another two in the construction phase. He utilizes his vast experience and knowledge of the game of golf in each of his design projects with the goal of creating a high-level course that is capable of hosting a PGA Tour event and yet is enjoyable and playable for all skill levels.
The pairing of Kite Bechtol brings playability and expertise to the golf course design experience. The duo has paired to build five golf courses - three in Texas and one each in Oklahoma and Nevada - and has several more courses in development.
