Partnership Members Making News in February

Business Moves

• Houston Texans are relocating their headquarters to northwest Houston in the coming years. Their headquarters and training facility will be located in the new Toro District in Bridgeland. The new facility will include a cutting-edge team complex alongside retail, restaurants, hotels, medical offices, and entertainment spaces. The development could generate billions in long-term economic impact, create thousands of jobs, and boost infrastructure in the area. The team expects to open the new facility by 2029, relocating from their current base at NRG Stadium to a standalone campus designed to enhance operations and community engagement.
• Houston City Council has approved about $2 billion in bonds to fund a major expansion and renovation of the George R. Brown Convention Center. The funding is designed to be supported primarily by future hotel occupancy tax revenues instead of local property taxes, and will finance new exhibit halls, retail and restaurant space, and a pedestrian plaza connecting to the nearby Toyota Center. The expansion aims to make the city more competitive for major events, including the upcoming FIFA 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Republican National Convention.
• Trammell Crow Company has delivered the third and final phase of Weiser Business Park in northwest Houston, finishing about 628,000 square feet of industrial space as part of the overall development. This phase adds two Class-A cross-dock warehouse buildings, bringing the park to roughly 1.7 million square feet across six buildings. The earlier phases of the park were fully leased, signaling strong demand for modern industrial facilities in the Cypress area. The new buildings include features like high clear heights and ESFR sprinkler systems, and are now being marketed for lease by Colliers.
• Wellby Financial continues to expand in the Houston area with plans to open a new branch in the Bay Area as part of a broader growth strategy under the President & CEO of Wellby Financial. The move reflects a focus on reaching more members and improving access to financial services across rapidly growing communities in greater Houston. The expansion aligns with the credit union’s mission to help people build financial security and prosperity, leveraging its local roots and member-first approach. This Bay Area project is one piece of Wellby’s larger effort to serve more Houstonians with personalized banking, lending, and community engagement.

Education

• The Houston Symphony, in collaboration with the Cliburn and Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, has announced the launch of the Cliburn International Competition for Conductors. Debuting in June 2028 and occurring every four years, the event will feature the Houston Symphony as the resident orchestra for the entire competition held at Jones Hall and the Shepherd School.
• The University of Houston has secured $1.5 million in funding to advance its energy leadership through a new endowed professorship and a workforce development initiative. The $1 million gift will establish an endowed chair to address global energy challenges, while a $560,000 grant will fund the “Spark Energy Futures” program to provide STEM training and certifications for Houston youth.
• The University of Houston-Downtown will now offer guaranteed admission to graduating seniors from the Houston Independent School District who earn at least a 2.5 GPA. Eligible students must submit a brief application, but their fee will be waived, and they’ll receive dedicated admissions support. District leaders estimate that roughly 7,000 or more HISD seniors could qualify each year.
• ExxonMobil Foundation has launched Teen Engineering and Tech Centers to expand access to hands‑on STEM education for high school students, offering free after‑school programs focused on engineering, technology, and real‑world skills. The centers, piloted near Houston and Spring, aim to serve hundreds of students and help prepare them for college and STEM careers by immersing them in maker spaces, labs, and collaborative projects. ExxonMobil and its partners emphasize mentorship, project‑based learning, and exposure to potential career paths in science and engineering to strengthen the local talent pipeline.

Energy 

• ExxonMobil has brought its third advanced recycling unit online at its Baytown, Texas, complex. This allows the facility to process up to about 250 million pounds of plastic waste a year. With this addition, the Baytown site will be part of a network that’s on track to reach roughly 450 million pounds of annual advanced recycling capacity globally by the end of 2026, diverting more plastics from landfills and turning them into raw materials for new products.
• TotalEnergies and Google have signed long-term power purchase agreements to supply about 1 gigawatt of solar energy capacity from new Texas solar projects to help power its data centers over the next 15 years. Construction on solar sites is expected to begin in the second quarter of 2026, with the power supporting Google’s growing operations and contributing to more reliable, affordable renewable energy on the grid. This deal is one of the largest corporate renewable energy agreements in the U.S. and reflects tech companies’ push to secure long-term clean power as data center demand grows.
• Fervo Energy drilled its hottest well yet at Project Blanford in western Utah, reaching temperatures above 555°F at more than 11,000 feet underground. The company says the high temperatures and reservoir quality could unlock multigigawatt potential, marking another step forward in its advanced, data-driven geothermal development strategy.
• CenterPoint Energy has launched a new Community Progress Tracker, an interactive online tool that allows people in the greater Houston area to search by street address or ZIP Code and see where electric grid resiliency upgrades have been completed. The tool maps recent improvements from the company’s long‑term Greater Houston Resiliency Initiative. This aim is to improve transparency and give customers visibility into infrastructure work done to strengthen the electric grid against severe weather and reduce outage impacts.

Health Care

• Rice University researchers have received an $18 million award from a U.S. health agency to develop new technologies aimed at earlier and more accurate detection of lymphatic diseases. The project, led by the university’s SynthX Center with partners including Texas Children’s Hospital and Baylor College of Medicine, is creating an advanced imaging system and a nano-technology diagnostic tool to better map lymphatic vessels and detect disease markers. If successful, these tools could improve the diagnosis and treatment of complex lymphatic conditions and related health issues like cancer spread and cardiovascular disease.
• UTMB Health will lead a new $9.5 million multi-year initiative with the Blue Zones Project aimed at improving the longevity of health and the well-being of the city’s residents in the next few years. Their strategies include adding bike lanes, healthier school lunches, and community lifestyle clinics. The efforts mark the first time an academic health science center has partnered with Blue Zones. The project will center on community engagement, recruiting residents and leaders to shape goals and long-term priorities, and will begin with a planning phase lasting six to nine months.
• MD Anderson Cancer Center is opening a dedicated colorectal clinic in the Dan L. Duncan Building. The clinic features 29 exam rooms, four outpatient procedure rooms, and spaces for counseling, nutrition, physical therapy, and mental health. The initiative aligns with MD Anderson’s plans to grow its colorectal cancer program and bring more specialized care.

Innovation

• NASA and the University of Texas System have signed a Space Act Agreement to deepen collaboration on research, workforce development, and education tied to space exploration and national security. The partnership aims to leverage UT institutions’ strengths to support NASA’s missions and the growing space economy in Texas, which leaders say is central to America’s future in space. NASA officials said the agreement will help advance exploration goals and build a stronger scientific and workforce base in the region.
• Axiom Space has raised $350 million that will help advance the development of Axiom Station, the planned successor to the International Space Station, and next-generation spacesuits that will be used in NASA’s Artemis lunar missions. This investment reflects strong investor confidence in its role in the growing commercial space economy. Additionally, this will support technology development and infrastructure that could position Axiom as a key player in orbital research and human spaceflight beyond low-Earth orbit.

Transportation

• Economic Alliance Houston Port Region shifts its attention towards the economic opportunities with the Houston Ship Channels. The Port Houston area continues to attract significant capital projects and business investment, reinforcing its role as a major engine of regional economic growth. The organization works with industry and government partners to support site selection, workforce development, and infrastructure enhancements that make the Houston Ship Channel region competitive for future expansions. Both infrastructure improvements and a business‑friendly environment are key to sustaining jobs and new development in one of the nation’s busiest trade corridors.
• METRO has expanded its 500 Downtown Direct route so riders can now reach both William P. Hobby Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport straight from downtown. It includes more convenient downtown stops, making the service more practical for commuters, visitors, and business travelers alike. Transit leaders say the move strengthens Houston’s transportation network ahead of major global events like the FIFA World Cup 2026, while encouraging more people to choose public transit long term.

RELATED: Houston Attracts Major Energy Investment with HQ Moves and Expansions

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