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Houston in the News

What are major media outlets saying about Houston? The conversation about H-Town has evolved in recent years as awareness of the city's tremendous quality of life, emerging tech and innovation scene and other attributes has grown. The Partnership is working to expand the conversation around these key attributes that will help advance the region's economic growth. Read some of the recent stories about the nation's most diverse major city and the Partnership's efforts to steer its prosperity.

Fossil fuels built Houston into an energy capital. Can it lead the clean energy transition?

There's a new kind of energy in town to advance the transition to an energy-abundant, low-carbon future.

Houston metro area among the nation's top destinations for new corporate projects, report says

When it comes to landing corporate developments, Houston is among the top destinations in the country.

Houston ranks in top 10 for best housing markets for stability and growth, new report shows

The greater Houston housing market ranks among nation’s the top metropolitan areas in terms of growth and stability, according to a recent report by SmartAsset.

HPE Houston campus.jpg

Houston tech ecosystem ranks as No. 5 in the world for emerging startup hubs

In a new report from Startup Genome and the Global Entrepreneurship Network, Houston ranks fifth among the world’s top 100 emerging ecosystems for startups. Last year, the groups’ report put Houston at No. 19 in the same category.

Houston could become ‘epicenter of global clean hydrogen hub,’ report says

The region contains all the ingredients for a clean hydrogen market — clean power access, electricity-guzzling industries, and the existing network of production and pipelines — on a scale large enough to make Houston “the epicenter of a global clean hydrogen hub” that extends across Texas and the U.S. Gulf Coast, the Center for Houston’s Future laid out in a report released May 23.

Report: How Houston could gain, lose jobs in a clean energy transition

As the "energy capital of the world," Houston's overall employment is significantly impacted by the energy industry. New research is shedding light on how Houston's economy could be impacted if the city doesn't lean into an energy transition to become the energy capital of the future.

Inflation Reduction Act accelerates clean energy transition in the Houston area

The energy transition has accelerated in the Houston area in the past year as companies expand their presence in the region and plan new projects for solar, wind, hydrogen and carbon capture technologies.

The flurry of activity can be attributed to the region's place as the center of the U.S. energy industry and the existing infrastructure for transporting, refining and storing energy. But also playing a part in the uptick in activity has been the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and the incentives it created for clean energy projects.

Report: Houston ranks in the top 10 life sciences markets in the U.S.

In assessing Houston’s strength in life sciences, CommercialCafe says that “the resilient Texas powerhouse was lifted by the wave of emerging life sciences clusters across the U.S.” Two major projects are helping Houston maintain that powerhouse status. The Texas Medical Center (TMC) last year unveiled TMC3, a 37-acre, roughly 6 million-square-foot life sciences campus, and Houston-based Hines recently topped out the 270,000-square-foot first phase of the 53-acre Levit Green life sciences district next to TMC.

TMC3 Aerial July 2022

Exxon to Move HQ to Houston, Merge Refining and Chemicals

Exxon Mobil Corp. will relocate its corporate headquarters to the Houston area from suburban Dallas and combine its chemical and refining divisions in a major shake-up aimed at reducing costs.

The City of the Future: Walkable, mid-sized and built for flexible work

Houston is using their assets and sharing that expertise to attract more development. The secondary intent is to become less of a high-traffic metro and more walkable by connecting this development to downtown.

Dear Austinites, you have permission to move to an affordable, weird city: Houston

You want live music? How about the world-class Houston Grand Opera, the symphony at Jones Hall, and Opera in the Heights? And if you’d prefer something more familiar to Austin sensibilities—a schlubby guy doing Oasis covers on his acoustic guitar, for example—may I suggest Hopdoddy Burger Bar in Rice Village? Moreover, Houston can claim genres of music almost totally lacking in Austin—think DJ Screw, or Paul Wall and the Southern rap spawned by Swisha House. Also, Beyoncé. 

Downtown Houston

fDi’s Global Cities of the Future 2021/22 — overall winners

Houston came in at No. 19 on 2021/22 fDi list, which ranks major global cities based on foreign direct investment. That’s up from No. 24 when the ranking was published in 2018/19. Houston was only one of two U.S. cities among the top 20 on the latest list, with New York ranking seventh. 

Intuitive Machines opens $40M production center at Houston Spaceport ahead of moon mission

Houston-based Intuitive Machines has completed its Lunar Operations and Production Center and is preparing to send its first lunar lander product to Florida in support of a NASA mission.

Houston's economic fate no longer solely tied to oil and gas, Moody's report says

Houston remains the energy capital of the country, but a new Moody Analytics report indicates the Bayou City has diversified its industry portfolio enough to no longer rely solely on oil and gas.

Chevron's offer to pay for staff to move to Houston signals growing focus on Texas

Chevron isn’t requiring employees to move to Texas, but its offer to cover employees’ relocation is another sign that Houston is a primary center of operations for the oil major.

Related News

Economic Development

Greater Houston Partnership Receives 2024 Excellence in Economic Development Award

8/28/24
The Greater Houston Partnership received a 2024 Excellence in Economic Development Bronze Award from the International Economic Development Council (IEDC). The award was bestowed specifically for the Partnership’s work in the regional or cross-border partnership for regions with 500,000 or more residents.  The strategy formed in partnership with regional allies, as elaborated in the regional playbook, aims to enhance regional economic development in greater Houston by fostering collaboration and coordination among stakeholders. This involved creating a framework for the Houston Regional Economic Development Alliance (HREDA) to maximize engagement and support.  Formed in 2006, HREDA is comprised of economic development organizations and municipalities interested in creating jobs and investment to maintain a positive business environment. HREDA meets monthly at Partnership Tower, and often at other locations around the region. Hosted monthly at Partnership Tower and other regional sites, HREDA meetings include members from 98 economic development organizations, representing over 160 full-time economic development professionals.  The project's uniqueness and innovation reside in member involvement at every stage, ensuring ownership of the final playbook. It addressed previous collaboration deficits noted in studies, aiming to leverage regional resources for economic growth. The scale of marketing the region is no small feat. Covering 8,838 square miles, the 12-county Greater Houston region, with its centerpiece, the 10-county Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands MSA, surpasses an area the size of New Jersey,  Despite this vast expanse, the region's stakeholders have rallied together as allies, streamlining processes to attract prospective companies. This collective effort reflects a shared commitment to securing victories for the region's economic growth. “I am proud to be a part of an organization, such as HREDA, that exemplifies how regionalism and collaboration can drive economic success and set high standards for regional development,” HREDA Chair and Chief Economic Development Officer at Partnership Lake Houston Stephanie Wiggins said. “By uniting various stakeholders under a common goal, HREDA leverages the strengths of the Houston region to create a prosperous and sustainable economic environment." Every year IEDC looks specifically for economic development organizations, government entities, initiatives, and programs that have demonstrated consistent, exemplary performance in the economic development profession, leading the execution of projects that have a significant impact on revitalizing communities, and playing a major role in shaping and improving the practice of economic development. “This group understands what it means to succeed together," Greater Houston Partnership President and CEO Steve Kean said. “When we work together as one to combine the expertise, assets and capabilities of our regional partners, the Houston region is unmatched in potential. Through this mindset of regionalism, we can create a more prosperous and inclusive future for all of our citizens.” Learn more about the 12-county region the Partnership represents.  
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Economic Development

Chevron Relocates Headquarters to Houston

8/2/24
Chevron Corporation has announced plans to relocate its corporate headquarters to Houston from San Ramon, California.  The announcement follows the energy giant's recent efforts to consolidate its operations in Houston, which began in 2022, with the sale of its 92-acre headquarters in San Ramon.  This strategic move aims to enhance collaboration among senior leaders, executives and business partners, according to Chevron’s press release. Chevron currently employs 7,000 people in the Houston area and 2,000 in San Ramon. While the relocation will initially have minimal impact on San Ramon employees, all corporate functions are expected to migrate to Houston over the next five years. Positions supporting Chevron’s operations in California will remain in San Ramon. According to the company, this move aligns with its ongoing efforts to streamline its operations and improve performance. By consolidating its headquarters in Houston, Chevron can leverage the city's robust energy infrastructure and diverse talent pool to advance energy affordability, reliability and security globally. “This is just the final step that many industry observers were waiting to happen,” Ken Medlock, Senior Director of the Baker Institute’s Center for Energy Studies, explained in a recent release. “To start, Houston provides a world-class location for internationally focused energy companies, which is why there is such a massive international presence here. Texas is also the nation’s largest energy producer across multiple energy sources and is poised to lead in emerging opportunities such as hydrogen and carbon capture, so Houston is a great place for domestically focused activities as well. To top it off, Texas rates very favorably for business in general.” Chevron will become the 24th Fortune 500 company to establish its headquarters in Houston, joining the city's growing hub of major corporations. Among these is ExxonMobil, which announced its corporate headquarters relocation to Spring in 2022. “Chevron’s decision to relocate its headquarters underscores the compelling advantages that position Houston as the prime destination for leading energy companies today and for the future," said Partnership President and CEO Steve Kean. "With deep roots in our region, Chevron is a key player in establishing Houston as a global energy leader. This move will further enhance those efforts." Learn more about corporate headquarters in the Houston region.   
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Related Events

Airports

State of the Airports

The Greater Houston Partnership invites you to the State of Airports on Tuesday, December 5, as Jim Szczesniak, Director of Aviation, outlines the next history-making chapter for Houston Airports.  Szczesniak…

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Executive Partners