According to Colvill, who handles the leasing and marketing for the office towers: “We are very excited about this new lease for seven floors of Galleria Tower II. With all the amenities the Galleria offers, this will be an excellent venue for Stanford to serve its world-wide clients. ”

The Stanford Financial Group is a global network of independent affiliated companies working together to create a powerful resource of financial services and wealth management. Operating under the commitment “build to last,” the Stanford Financial Group of companies manages the assets or provides investment advice for private, corporate, institutional, and governmental clients around the world.

With offices throughout the United States, Mexico, South America, the Caribbean, and Western Europe, the Stanford Financial Group is headquartered in Houston at 5050 Westheimer.

“The Galleria Tower II is an excellent fit for our company in a blue-chip venue,” said Stanford General Counsel Mauricio Alvarado. “This new seven-floor lease will allow Stanford to expand our support services, including human resources, accounting, legal, information technology and advertising, as our company continues to grow worldwide.”

The Galleria Office Towers are owned by Walton Houston Galleria Office, L.P., an affiliate of Walton Street Capital, L.L.C. of Chicago. The office buildings represent 1.1 million square feet of prime Class A office space in the Uptown/Galleria area of Houston. CB Richard Ellis oversees property management of the Galleria Office Towers. Major tenants in The Galleria Office Towers include Air Liquide America, Wachovia Securities, CB Richard Ellis, Solomon Smith Barney, Merrill Lynch, UBS, Citicorp, and the University Club. In addition to the Galleria Office Towers, affiliates of Walton Street Capital own the Westin Oaks and Westin Galleria and 40% of the Galleria retail mall.

Based in Chicago, Walton Street Capital, L.L.C. sponsors a series of performance based, private equity real estate investment Funds. The Funds have received total equity commitments of over $1.6 billion from government and corporate pension funds, foreign pension funds, endowments, foundations, banks, insurance companies, high net worth individuals, and the principals of Walton Street, who have personally committed over $150 million.

The Galleria is a world-class facility and is considered “a landmark in Texas retailing”. With the expansion that opened in March 2003, The Galleria became the fifth largest mall in the nation highlighted by nine types of stone, suspended glass balconies, three types of wood, glass skylights, and plush leather seating. With 3 office towers, 2 full service Westin hotels, 2.4 million square feet of retail space, and a variety of restaurants, The Galleria is a city within a city. Set in the center of Uptown Houston, The Galleria is located at the intersection of Westheimer Road and Post Oak Boulevard just off Loop 610.