National engineering firm McAdams announced the acquisition of a locally based athletic facility design firm in September.

The gist: Sports Design Group was founded in 2006 in McKinney and specializes in the design and construction of outdoor athletic sports facilities, according to its website. Sports Design Group has worked on about 250 synthetic turf fields and 150 natural grass fields, according to a Sept. 28 news release. The firm has previously worked on athletic facilities for multiple North Texas school districts including Grapevine-Colleyville ISD, Frisco ISD and McKinney ISD.

• 4400 State Highway 121, Ste. 800, Lewisville (McAdams’ Lewisville office)

MaxStrength Fitness is now open in McKinney, owners Kenn and Vanessa Ware said.

The gist: The personal training gym offers 20-minute guided workouts with an emphasis on high-impact, low-force strength training, according to its website.

• 3783 S. Lake Forest Drive, Ste. 200, McKinney

Educators, public officials and graduates from across the state gathered in Austin on Oct. 27 to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Western Governors University in Texas. The online university offers certificates, bachelor's and master's degrees, which students can complete at their own pace.

About the organization: WGU was founded in 1997 by a bipartisan group of 19 governors in Western states to provide a more affordable and flexible option for higher education. In 2011, then-Gov. Rick Perry signed an executive order making Texas an official WGU affiliate.

Since 2011, WGU in Texas has reached the following milestones:

• 38,691 total graduates

• 45,545 degrees earned

• 24,087 students currently enrolled

Quote of note: "It was definitely one of those options that was super flexible, so that kind of fit my current schedule, especially since I work full-time," 2026 WGU graduate Jacob Gomez said. "It was super convenient for me."