TITLE: GREATER HOUSTON PARTNERSHIP OPEN BROCHURE
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HOUSTON
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Open the Door
Open for Business
Open Minds
Open to Possibilities
Open for Life
Open to You
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OPEN your horizons to a city wide open to possibilities to opportunities to prosperity to imagination and innovation to cultural diversity and to excitement. Whether you're a business leader considering expansion or relocation or a professional looking for world-class employment opportunities, the Houston region has unbeatable advantages. Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, located in a culturally diverse metropolitan region of 4.8 million residents & and growing at more than twice the national pace. Energy Capital of the World ... home of NASA's Johnson Space Center ... home of the world's largest health care complex ... site of the 2003 and 2004 Masters Cup tennis championships, the 2004 Major League Baseball All-Star Game, the Super Bowl XXXVIII football classic ... a dynamic arts center ... a fast-growing technology community ... a major financial center ... a world-class city for manufacturing ... Houston is all of these.
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OPEN for business
Houston is a business-friendly city. We want your business to succeed, and
we have the components in place
to help make that happen:
A large, well-educated workforce, Competitive wage rates, Real
estate priced below the national average,
Low-cost utilities with surplus capacity, Excellent transportation infrastructure,
Appealing business incentives, Right-to-work labor environment
Houston offers something else: Houstonians are optimists and are motivated
by success. An annual study
confirms that Houstonians, far more than the U.S. population as a whole, are
convinced that their hard work
will be rewarded.
Where we work Houston is a city of choices and opportunities. Downtown to Uptown, businesses thrive in 19 different commercial centers. From the west Houston energy corridor to the industrial complex of the Ship Channel to offices in the scenic Woodlands, Houston has the right environment for any business.
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Dynamic downtown A flourishing business district featuring five new skyscrapers makes downtown Houston an exciting place to work. Rapid growth in the number of lofts and apartment homes, restaurants and entertainment venues also makes downtown an inviting place to live.
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Excellent labor climate Labor and management work well together in Houston. Texas also offers the advantages of being a right-to-work state.
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Competitive wages Salaries in the Houston region are comparable to those of many majo rmetropolitan areas. Employers enjoy wage rates that help them compete around the world.
Large workforce A workforce of 2.5 million in the metropolitan area of 4.8 million means employers will find the diversity of skills, training and education their companies need
Well-trained workers Houston workers are better educated than the national average. More than 750,000 Houston adults have a bachelor's or graduate degree, while another 774,000 have an associate's degree or have completed some college.
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OPEN passage
Houston's transportation network provides easy access for employees,
customers and business partners traveling across town or around the world.
Public transportation Since its inception in 1979, the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO) has nearly doubled its ridership, tripled its bus fleet, won accolades for its service and set industry standards for use of new technology. A light rail system serving downtown and the Texas Medical Center is METRO's latest major project.
Highways Houston is the crossroads for two major interstate highways, with nine other major traffic arteries serving the area. Advanced, Web-based traffic monitoring services help motorists choose the best routes to their destinations and stay informed about real-time driving conditions.
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Houston airports Businesses are connected to the world through the fourth-largest airport system in the United States and sixth-largest in the world. More than 43 million passengers a year move through the three airports of the Houston Airport System: George Bush Intercontinental Airport, William P. Hobby Airport and Ellington Field. Twenty-seven passenger airlines serve 115 domestic destinations and 50 international destinations from George Bush Intercontinental Airport.
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Port of Houston Businesses enjoy access to world markets and a direct link to 14,000 miles of U.S. intracoastal and inland waterways. As the sixth-largest port in the world, the Houston port ranks first in the United States in foreign waterborne commerce and second in total tonnage. The burgeoning pleasure cruise industry provides a passage between the southwestern U.S. market and popular vacation destinations in the Caribbean and Latin America.
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OPEN to the world
Houston caters to industries that manufacture and distribute goods internationally.
A leading
business publication has named Houston one of 12 world-class communities for
manufacturing
for four consecutive years.
Industrial space Houston's 314 million square feet of industrial space
is
more affordable than space in most major U.S. industrial markets. The inventory
of industrial real estate in the country.
Railroads Houston is one of the nation's busiest
rail shipping centers. Ten mainline rails radiate
from Houston, connecting to destinations across
Houston ranks among the 10 largest in the country.
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OPEN to growth
Incentives Houston knows how to welcome business. Incentives include property tax abatements, sales tax refunds, enterprise zones, tax increment reinvestment zones, sales tax exemptions, pollution control abatements, industrial revenue bonds, franchise tax refunds, property value limits and job training funds.
Office space Houston is the nation's fifth-largest office market. Office space is a bargain among major metropolitan areas.
Taxes Houston's tax structure makes it a low-cost center for doing business. Another major draw for the region: no personal state income tax.
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Utilities Businesses that depend on affordable energy resources appreciate Houston's plentiful power availability and utility costs below the national average.
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Aerospace More than 17,000 engineers, scientists and administrative personnel work at the Johnson Space Center, home of NASA's shuttle and space station operations. JSC is the lead center in design and implementation of the International Space Station, coordinating the efforts of 16 nations.
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OPEN to industry
Houston's reputation was built on energy, but its future is as diverse
as the global
economy. That economic balance enables Houston to weather industry cycles.
It also
means that major suppliers and customers for many Houston businesses are nearby.
Technology Houston companies are world leaders in such dynamic technology sectors as electronics, computers, software, biomedical technology, aerospace and energy.
Services More than two of every five jobs gained in Houston since 1988 have been in the service sector. More than 30 percent of Houston area jobs are in services.
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OPEN to imagination
Energy capital of the world 3-D reality rooms give energy companies
in Houston
a valuable perspective on the world's hydrocarbon basins. Houston leads
virtually
every segment of the oil and gas industry. More than 5,000 energy firms do
business in the region, while 44 of the nation's 200 largest publicly
traded
oil and gas exploration and production firms are headquartered in Houston.
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OPEN to innovation
Biomedicine Fertile ideas from Houston's renowned scientific community create dozens of business opportunities in biomedicine. Areas of biotechnological expertise include health care, agriculture, chemistry, environmental science and consumer goods.
Software development Houston has more than 225 companies engaged in software publishing and more than 1,500 providing programming and system design services. Houston is home to some of the world's largest independent software developers.
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Health care Medical facilities in Houston are among the most respected in the world. The 700-acre Texas Medical Center is at the forefront of research and treatment of cancer and heart disease. More than 61,000 are employed in 42 institutions, including 12 hospitals, two medical schools, four schools of nursing and schools of dentistry, public health, pharmacy and virtually all other health-related careers.
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International More than 3,400 Houston firms trade goods or services with 200 countries. Supporting international trade and relations are 77 consular offices, 40 international chambers of commerce and trade associations, 22 foreign banks and 80 business and cultural organizations.
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OPEN market
One in three jobs in the Houston region is tied to international trade. The
city
is a major distribution hub for goods manufactured around the world.
Manufacturing The region has a strong high-tech manufacturing support infrastructure that includes engineering/design, electronics, measuring and controlling products, machining and tooling, data processing and telecommunications.
Distribution center Houston is a major distribution center, capitalizing on its port, two major airports, two major rail lines and more than 1,000 trucking companies working to distribute manufactured goods and products domestically and internationally.
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OPEN to possibilities
Houston companies are working on the future. Plentiful resources, from venture
capital to research capabilities to an established technology-transfer network,
make Houston an ideal place to build businesses and careers that create a better tomorrow.
Research Houston universities lead groundbreaking research in key technologies. Two examples: At Rice University, Nobel Prize winner Richard Smalley heads the Center for Nanoscale Science and Technology. At the University of Houston, physicist Paul Chu founded the Texas Center for Superconductivity.
Technology transfer Houston
has a well-developed infrastructure
for transferring to the private sector technology developed
at the Texas Medical Center, Johnson Space Center and
area universities.
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Biotechnology Houston is a center of for-profit operations to market and commercialize results of high-tech research. All of the area's major universities boast technology-transfer programs to take research from the lab to the marketplace.
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Higher education Undergraduate, graduate and continuing education opportunities are plentiful and affordable at 60 colleges, community colleges, universities and institutes. Enrollment reflects Houston's diversity, especially at the University of Houston, recognized as the U.S. public university with the second most diverse student population.
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OPEN minds
Houstonians love to work but also know how to enjoy life. In health care, education,
culture,
sports and leisure time, residents enjoy first-class options and opportunities.
From the
Texas Medical Center to urban schools to the performing arts, Houston has received
national and international recognition for achievement.
Public schools More than 950,000 students are enrolled in area public primary, middle and senior high schools. The Houston Independent School District earned national distinction in 2002 as the U.S. urban school district making the greatest overall improvement in student achievement while reducing the achievement gap across ethnic lines and between high- and low-income students.
Private education An excellent public school system is complemented by more than 190 accredited private and parochial schools in the region.
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OPEN to all
Visitors and new residents from around the world are welcomed with
superb attractions, great neighborhoods and low costs of living.
Neighborhoods Houston's housing costs are about
20 percent below the nationwide average and
44 percent below the average for 25 large metro
areas with more than 1.7 million residents.
Low cost of living Houston is affordable. A low tax burden contributes to a cost of living 8 percent below the U.S. average and 23 percent below the average for other large metro areas.
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Internationally and ethnically diverse population Houston is proud to be a multilingual and multicultural city, home to thousands of immigrants and expatriate workers from all over the world. Communities have established a rich blend of educational, cultural, social and business support organizations.
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Professional and collegiate sports Enthusiastic crowds enjoy Houston Texans
football, Astros baseball, Rockets men's basketball, Comets women's
basketball,
Houston Energy women's football and Aeros ice hockey. World-class stadiums,
newly completed or under construction, echo the city's passion for sports.
Area
colleges and universities compete in major sports and enjoy excellent facilities.
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OPEN to excitement
Diversions The Houston area is home to three of
the state's top 10 attractions for visitors: Six Flags
AstroWorld, NASA's Johnson Space Center and
Moody Gardens. The Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo is the world's
richest regular-season rodeo
and largest livestock show.
Extreme shopping From elegant to eclectic, Houstonians benefit from myriad shopping possibilities. The Galleria draws visitors from around the world for memorable shopping experiences, while out-of-the-way and sometimes offbeat shops hold one-of-a-kind treasures.
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OPEN canvas
Arts scene The Theater District, a 17-block area in
the heart of downtown, is home to eight performing
arts organizations. It offers some of the nation's
best work, in addition to international events,
restaurants, movies, plazas and parks.
Arts institutions The performing and visual arts excel in Houston. In the past 15 years, the city has added or expanded eight art museums or galleries, four major theaters or performance centers, and 13 science and history museums.
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Performing arts Houston is one of few cities in the United States that enjoy world-class, year-round performing and visual arts & opera, ballet, symphony, musical theater and drama. The Hobby Center for the Performing Arts is Houston's newest major performing arts venue.
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Outdoor recreation Sailing and sport fishing in the Gulf of Mexico are popular
activities with Houstonians. The region is the nation's third coast
for boating,
with one of the largest concentrations of sailboats, yachts and pleasure craft
in the United States.
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OPEN play
Leisure Houstonians have plenty of places to play & more than 150 golf courses, 423 sports fields, 250 playgrounds and a rapidly expanding system of hike-and-bike trails. In the heart of the city, Hermann Park offers the tranquility of an urban forest and the excitement of a world-class zoo. Memorial Park is a hub of activity for golfers, runners, tennis players, cyclists and skaters.
Weather Mild winters make golf a year-round sport in Houston. Residents take advantage of good weather and green spaces in more than 500 city and county parks and open spaces in the immediate area. Houston gardeners are spoiled by the region's three growing seasons.
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