How Firethorne Got its Name
Katy, Texas – April 20, 2016
Firethorne, a 1,400-acre master-planned community in Katy/Fulshear, was named after the firethorn (pyracantha) plant, a resilient evergreen indigenous to the Texas prairie.
Here’s the backstory
The name came from the PGA Masters golf tournament. According to Firethorne General Manager Wayne Meyer, Firethorne got its name thanks to his business partner, Robert White, going to the Masters in 2004. It was 12 years – the 68th Masters held April 8-11.
According to Meyer, the Jefferson Development team was getting everything in place to start the underground utilities on its new project on FM 1463 in Katy/Fulshear. What wasn’t in place, though, was the name. “We wanted a name that was one word that was a strong name that we could do a lot of things with it.” In the same time frame, White had tickets to the Masters golf tournament and asked Meyer to join him. Meyer, engrossed in the community’s early development phase, turned down the offer, to which White responded, “Well, do you mind if I go?” Little did either man know that White’s golfing adventure would inspire the naming of their latest real estate venture.
The next thing Meyer remembers is his getting a phone call from White from Augusta. “I’m standing on it,” he stated.
“Standing on what? ” asked Meyer.
“I’m standing on the name. It’s Firethorn.”
White was standing on hole No. 15 on the prestigious Augusta National Golf Club. Each of the 18 holes of the Augusta National Club is named. Hole No. 15 is named “Firethorn.”
White and Meyer agreed to name their new development “Firethorne” (with an ‘e’ added on the end) and the rest is history, including Gerald Freed’s advertising agency developing the Firethorne logo and advertising campaign. The name has proven successful. To date, Firethorne has closed on 2,676 homes. The community will be built out at 3,400 homes.
To tour Firethorne, take I-10 West and exit Pin Oak to FM 1463, visit www.firethorne.info, or call 281-693-1011.
Content Courtesy of Susan Morris and Alan Shipnuck, Senior Writer, Sports Illustrated
