Skip to main content

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.

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.

Houston for tourists? If you think that's a joke, the joke's on you

Have you ever been somewhere that was simply enjoyable? Good food, memorable attractions, a culture different from your own, and people who generally seemed happy to be living there?

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.

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.

Houston again recognized as a top major city of the future

A new study from the fDi Intelligence division of the Financial Times places Houston at No. 7 among the top major cities of the future for 2021-22 across North, South, and Central America. Among major cities in the Americas, Houston appears at No. 3 for business friendliness and No. 4 for connectivity.

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

NRG Energy relocating headquarters to Houston

Texas is already home to the company’s largest employee and customer bases. With the acquisition of Direct Energy, which closed in January, NRG Energy decided it was time to simplify the company’s headquarters status. The company currently has more than 3,000 employees in the greater Houston region.

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. 

Axiom Space breaks ground on new Houston Spaceport HQ

The 22-acre Space Flight and Assembly Headquarters will be used to train private astronauts and for the production of the Axiom Station, which has been billed as
the world’s first free-flying, internationally available, private space station. The space station will be used for research manufacturing and commerce in low-earth
orbit.

The New Houston: Oil is no longer to reign as absolute monarch

Houston's economic base, demographics, and attitudes are changing. While oil and money were the prizes Houstonians eyed, they now value things like parks, walkability, and livability.

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

Houston Remains Top Player in Attracting New Companies

3/22/23
The Houston region continues to attract new companies, proving it remains a top destination for companies looking to relocate, expand or establish new operations. According to a Partnership analysis, the new business category accounted for more than 50% of new business announcements in 2022. Site Selection Magazine reported the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land MSA won 255 projects in 2022, ranking third among large U.S. metros. The Chicago metro ranked first with 448 projects, while Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington ranked second with 426 projects. The Partnership reported 199 new business announcements in the Houston area in 2022, a lower number than Site Selection Magazine due to differences in reporting structure and data retrieval methods. Manufacturing was the most common sector, representing 29% of all announcements, according to the Partnership analysis. A few noteworthy Partnership-supported projects include: Orsted - a leading offshore wind developer from Denmark is expanding its presence in Texas by establishing a new office in the Woodlands. The move is expected to create up to 100 jobs in the region. Syzygy Plasmonics - a Houston-based energy 2.0 company is expanding its operations to Pearland. The new location will serve as HQ, R&D, and manufacturing for its deep-decarbonization platform, creating up to 120 jobs. Alfred Talke Logistic Services - a German logistics firm is establishing a new facility in the region, serving as its U.S. headquarters. This project represents a $25 million investment and will create 240 jobs. Texas as a whole remains the top destination in the nation for new companies. Site Selection Magazine awarded Texas its 11th consecutive, and 19th total, Governor's Cup for the most total capital investment projects in the nation for 2022 with 1,028 projects. This was more than twice the number of projects that second-place Illinois attracted. In order for a project to be counted toward the Governor’s Cup race, projects must meet one or more of these criteria: a minimum investment of $1 million, the creation of 20 or more new jobs, or 20,000 square feet or more of new construction. Despite a slight dip from the 2021 project count of 1,123, Governor Greg Abbott told Site Selection Magazine he remains optimistic about Texas’ future, congratulating the “exceptional economic development teams at the local, regional, and state level who work so diligently to attract and retain these growing businesses and the jobs they create in communities across Texas.” Texas remains number one in the United States for the most Fortune 500 headquarters, with Houston being number one in Texas. Twenty-four of Texas’ 53 Fortune 500 headquarters are located in Houston.   Governor Abbott also touted the state’s lack of an individual income tax, its business-friendly regulatory environment, workforce, and recent investments in infrastructure as reasons why more and more businesses are choosing to relocate or expand in Texas. Referring to Texas as the “economic engine of the nation,” Governor Abbott stressed that in order for the state to remain a leader on the national and global levels, it would need to continue to “lead with major capital investments in critical industries such as advanced manufacturing and energy production” and to “work collaboratively with local economic development organizations and business communities and maintain strategic economic development tools.” Maintaining these competitive advantages is a key issue state legislators are addressing during the current legislative session. House Bill 5, which the Partnership supports, aims to establish a new economic development incentive program to attract new businesses. Learn more about why companies choose Houston.  
Read More
Aerospace & Aviation

Houston House Returns to SXSW to Spotlight Tech and Innovation

3/17/23
Houston House returned to Austin for the South by Southwest Conference for its third year, bringing a new group of panelists and industry experts together to deliver a full day of thought-provoking content for over 750 attendees. Houston-based industry leaders and innovators discussed the startup journey, how they’re challenging the status quo in their respective industries to improve products or services, and more. If you were unable to join the Partnership at SXSW, check out our recap of the conversations below.    Demystifying the Startup Journey  Houston House kicked off its day of programming by dispelling the mystique surrounding the startup journey and answering questions about hiring, funding, and finding the right product-market fit. Panelists discussed in-depth how to find and attract the right talent, including cost-effective strategies and solutions for cash-strapped founders, and what they wished they had done differently during their various rounds of funding.  Panelists:  Ted Gutierrez, Co-Founder and CEO, SecurityGate.io  Gaurav Khandelwal, Founder and CEO, Velostics  Simone May, Co-Founder and CTO, Clutch  Moderator: Natalie Harms, Editor, Innovation Map    The Future is Female: Triumphs of Women in Tech  It’s no secret that female founders face a unique set of challenges compared to their male counterparts, especially when funding their next business venture. The panel discussed funding challenges, how they challenge stereotypes in male-dominated industries, and overcoming the feelings of guilt and inadequacy that plague women in business.  “The insecurity women feel that ‘we're not good enough' needs to go. Men don't experience that.” - Lydia Davies, Founder & CEO of TEAMATES  Panelists:  Lydia Davies, Founder and CEO, TEAMATES  Taci Pereira, CEO, Systemic Bio  Janice Tran, Co-Founder and CEO, Kanin Energy  Moderator: Carrie Colbert, Founding and General Partner, Curate Capital    Building a Tech Unicorn  Every tech startup hopes to become the next unicorn, but not everyone makes the cut. Featuring an in-depth conversation with Solugen’s co-founder and CEO, Gaurab Chakrabarti, the panel covered his background growing up in Houston, the surprising marketing campaign that put Solugen on the map, and the journey leading to it becoming a tech unicorn.  Gaurab Chakrabarti, Co-Founder and CEO, Solugen  Moderator: Payal Patel, Principal, Softeq Ventures and Director, Softeq Venture Studio    Click to expand People packed the room at Houston House to hear from Solugen CEO Gaurab Chakrabarti.   Unlocking the Power of AI: Insights & Innovations  Technology and innovation converged in this panel discussing recent developments in artificial intelligence and what the future of business will look like as it becomes more widespread and advanced, including the policies and legislation that may become necessary as AI becomes more intelligent. From song lyrics written in the style of Taylor Swift to how the health care industry is utilizing this technology to better serve its patients, it is clear that we are just beginning to scratch the surface of AI’s capabilities.  “The Ion [in Houston] is going to bring innovation, elevate clean tech energy, and push health care to the next level. That’s why we want to be involved and that’s why you should too.” - Murat Uralkan, Director of Innovation at Houston Methodist Panelists:  Sidd Gupta, Co-Founder and CEO, Nesh  Rob Meadows, Founder and CEO, AI Foundation  Murat Uralkan, Director of Innovation, Houston Methodist  Moderator: Dave Mathews, Principal Venture Capitalist and CTO Advisor, Softeq    Connecting Industries, Empowering Innovation  Ever wondered what it looks like when the brightest minds in different industries come together? The nexus of innovation and collaboration across industries in Houston took center stage in this discussion of how industry leaders can continue to break down traditional barriers and create advancements in everything from biotech to the energy transition.  Panelists:  Barbara Belvisi, Founder and CEO, Interstellar Lab  Moji Karimi, Co-Founder and CEO, Cemvita Factory  Nic Radford, Founder, President, and CEO, Nauticus Robotics  Moderator: Brad Rossacci, Creative Director, Accenture  The Houston House program at SXSW 2023 will be available to stream on-demand soon.  Learn more about Houston’s innovation ecosystem. 
Read More

Related Events

Economy

Economy Series - April

The Greater Houston Partnership's Economy Series presents exclusive data and examines trends impacting our economy on a local and state level.  Join us for this highly anticipated discussion featuring the…

Learn More
Learn More
Executive Partners