HOUSTON (January 26, 2021) –The Greater Houston Partnership presented the 2021 Robert C. McNair Civic Leadership Award to longtime businessman and philanthropist Rich Kinder at the organization’s Annual Meeting today. The McNair Award is the most prestigious award bestowed by the Partnership and honors a highly successful business leader who has also made outstanding civic and philanthropic contributions – advancing Houston as a leading global city with a great quality of life and opportunity for all. The award is named for Bob McNair, the esteemed Houston businessman and founding owner of the NFL Houston Texans.  Houston Texans President and Partnership Board Member Jamey Rootes presented the award to Kinder as part of the virtual event.  “Perhaps no other individual in recent memory has transformed the face of Houston like Rich Kinder,” Rootes said. “Rich and his wife Nancy have invested in some of the most notable, game changing projects that have improved the quality of life for all Houstonians, leaving an indelible mark for generations.” Kinder co-founded the energy infrastructure company Kinder Morgan in 1997 and continues to serve as its Executive Chairman. Today, Kinder Morgan is one of the largest firms of its kind in the world and is on Fortune magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies list. Kinder himself is a past recipient of Morningstar’s CEO of the Year Award.  Rich and Nancy formed the Kinder Foundation in 1997 to enrich the lives of people in the Greater Houston area through transformational grants that impact urban green space, education and quality of life. The Foundation has supported key programs in Houston such as Discovery Green in downtown Houston and the renowned Kinder Institute for Urban Research at Rice University. The Kinders also made a transformational gift in 2013 to support the Houston Parks Board Bayou Greenways 2020 Project, which connected green spaces along Houston's bayous and created new parkland for all Houstonians to enjoy. In 2015, the Foundation announced another major gift to the Museum of Fine Arts Houston to support the redevelopment of its 14-acre campus. The Nancy and Rich Kinder Building opened this past fall to high acclaim and has already transformed the visual landscape of the Museum District. In 2018, the Kinder Foundation made a grant of $70 million to the Memorial Park Conservancy to accelerate the implementation of the visionary Memorial Park Master Plan. The first stage of that work wrapped up last fall with the opening of the incredible Eastern Glades. “Time and time again, Rich Kinder has been there to lead the way in building a better Houston,” said Partnership President and CEO Bob Harvey. “Few Houstonians have had such a significant and lasting impact on our community and its future.”  In accepting the award, Kinder thanked the Partnership and discussed the impact of the Kinder Foundation he formed with his wife Nancy. “From the time we formed our foundation almost a quarter century ago, we had some clear objectives,” he said. “First, we decided to concentrate our efforts on the Houston metropolitan area. Second, we wanted to make it a rifle shot formation—in the sense that we would make gifts of a transformational nature in the areas of urban green space, education and quality of life. In doing that we were trying to realize our objective of making Houston a better place for all of its citizens to work and live.” Kinder added that he hopes the foundation can continue to engage in the kind of transformational projects it’s helped realize so far and maintain its track record of success.    ### Greater Houston Partnership The Greater Houston Partnership works to make Houston one of the best places to live, work and build a business. As the economic development organization for the Houston region, the Partnership champions growth across 12 counties by bringing together business and civic-minded leaders who are dedicated to the area’s long-term success. Representing 1,100 member organizations and approximately one-fifth of the region’s workforce, the Partnership is the place business leaders come together to make an impact. Learn more at Houston.org. A.J. Mistretta Vice President, Communications          (c) 504-450-3516 | amistretta@houston.org  Maggie Martin  Senior Manager, Communications          (c) 832-690-0206 | mmartin@houston.org   

50/50 Park Partners this week announced recent construction updates for the initiative as well as new corporate sponsors.  Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner created 50/50 Park Partners, bringing together a city-wide coalition to help revitalize the city’s neighborhood parks. The Greater Houston Partnership, Houston Parks Board and Houston Parks and Recreation Department (HPARD) are working together to draw local companies and community organizations into the important initiative.  Local Businesses Announce Their Support  The 50/50 Park Partners framework provides an opportunity for corporations to play a leadership role in supporting and reinvigorating under-resourced neighborhood parks in their local communities. Project funds will be invested based on priorities of need and distributed citywide across the identified neighborhood parks operated by HPARD. Perry Homes recently announced their commitment to being the program’s Pacesetter with a gift of $1 million. “I want to thank all of our corporate sponsors for joining the 50/50 Park Partners initiative as we transform 50 neighborhood parks across Houston,” said Mayor Turner. “2020 reinforced the importance of parks in healthy, vibrant communities. I am proud to see our city come together to bring long-term improvements to our beloved neighborhood parks.” Other 50/50 Park Partners include Chevron, Valero Energy Foundation, Community Health Choice, Crown Castle, and H-E-B. These Park Partners will each provide funding and in-kind volunteer services, which in turn will improve and steward community parks. Hartman Park Construction Updates  Construction has officially started on Hartman Park, the first neighborhood park to receive improvements and long-term support as part of the 50/50 initiative. Updates to the park include the redevelopment of the playground area, including colorful playground units for children ages 2-5 and 5-12, with multiple swings and spinners and new playground resurfacing. The park improvements will also include new ramps and walkways, new benches, a new bike rack and the required detention and drainage. 50/50 Park Partners has also begun hosting community listening sessions on 11 neighborhood parks. As community engagement is a guiding principle of the initiative, these sessions are an opportunity for nearby neighborhoods to provide input on potential projects and work with Park Partners to prioritize funding. Feedback gathered during individual sessions will be used to inform the park improvement plan. Learn more about the 50/50 Parks Partners here.  Learn more about living in Houston and Houston’s green spaces.