Content about Austin

AUSTIN, Texas — H-E-B on Friday announced statewide winners of the 12th annual H-E-B Excellence in Education Awards during a banquet at Austin’s Hilton Hotel. At the ceremony, H-E-B chairman and CEO Charles Butt disbursed $585,000 in cash awards and grants and personally congratulated 23 educators, campuses, school districts and one early childhood agency for being among the best in Texas.

AUSTIN, Texas — The makers of a new smartphone app say it will synchronize engagement between pharmacists and patients through mobile devices, social media, websites and printed media.

RxWiki announced Friday the beta release of Mobile+, a customizable mobile application that delivers medication information, news and alerts to patients' smartphones. The app is currently available for Android devices and will soon be available for Apple devices.

NEW YORK — Fast Company magazine and Target are sponsoring a competition to develop a new mobile experience for Target, with a grand prize of $75,000.

The Co.Labs and Target Retail Accelerator is a competition to create either a mobile app or a mobile-enabled website design for the retailer, taking places at the Fast Co. Grill in Austin, Texas, blocks away from the SXSW conference. Entries will be accepted between this Friday and April 30, and seven finalists will be selected in May and awarded $10,000 to develop their prototypes.

AUSTIN, Texas — Natural foods retailer Whole Foods Market has appointed a former Accenture executive as its global VP and chief information officer, the company said.

Whole Foods announced the appointment of Jason Buechel, who will report directly to co-CEO Walter Robb and CFO Glenda Flanagan, overseeing the technology team in the company's Austin, Texas, headquarters and 12 regional offices in the United States and the United Kingdom.

AUSTIN, Texas — To meet growing consumer demand for healthier choices, Whole Foods Market is introducing Engine 2 Plant-Strong products, a new line of plant-based, minimally processed snacks, breakfast items and pantry staples. Developed in collaboration with Rip Esselstyn, author and founder of The Engine 2 Diet, the products will be available exclusively at Whole Foods Market stores nationwide beginning January 2013.

HOUSTON — RediClinic — which currently operates 30 clinics inside H-E-B grocery stores in Houston, Austin and San Antonio, Texas — is encouraging patients to get healthy and lose weight by enrolling in its Weigh Forward weight management program.

The clinic operator has kicked off a promotion whereby patients will receive a $100 H-E-B gift card when they enroll in the 10-week weight management program. The offer ends Dec. 31, 2012.

Weigh Forward was developed in partnership with weight-loss expert David Katz and launched in May 2011.

AUSTIN, Texas — British researchers have concluded that a Swiss echinacea extract is both safe and effective in helping to prevent symptoms of the common cold, according to a study published in American Botanical Council's peer-reviewed journal HerbalGram. 

AUSTIN, Texas — Nearly 80% of parents are spending up to $500 for back-to-school shopping, according to a survey by an online coupon site.

RetailMeNot.com announced Tuesday results of a survey that also found more than half of parents prefer to get a head-start on BTS shopping in July and August, rather than waiting until after the school year begins. The study, conducted with Ipsos Public Affairs, surveyed 1,041 adults online who had a child younger than 18 years old from Ipsos and had a 3% margin of error.

AUSTIN — While 46% of consumers are more inclined to purchase a product if it is eco-friendly, nearly 60% are unwilling to pay more money for that eco-friendly product or service, according to new research.

SAN ANTONIO — H. E. Butt Grocery has made a $100 million commitment to expand into the Austin market, according to an American-Statesman report published Saturday.

The capital expenditures will be used to remodel a number of stores throughout the market, as well as to build a new 75,000-sq.-ft. grocer in the area. The "Mi Tiendo" Latin format expansion, reported earlier this year by the American-Statesman, is a part of that push into the Austin market.

AUSTIN, Texas — The University of Texas is launching a certification program for pharmacy technicians, the school said.

The university's Professional Development Center, part of its Division of Continuing and Innovative Education, will begin classes in February. Students in the 14-week program, which includes a 120-hour internship at a local pharmacy, will learn the skills needed to work as pharmacy technicians, under the supervision of a licensed pharmacist.

HOUSTON — With the holiday season just around the corner, RediClinic is encouraging consumers to enroll in its medically supervised weight-loss program, Weigh Forward, by offering $100 in free groceries at H-E-B when they enroll. The offer ends Dec. 31.

Weigh Forward, which was developed in partnership with weight-loss expert David L. Katz, M.D., kicked off on May 16 at all 29 RediClinic locations in H-E-B stores in Houston, Austin and San Antonio.