Letter from the President 2020. What an unexpected and previously inconceivable year. I’m fairly certain that everyone everywhere would agree on that one statement.
in large patient studies have renewed hope that this unseen enemy will soon be defeated.
However, the Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership has never backed away from difficult circumstances. Famous auto executive Lee Iacocca once said, “In times of great stress or adversity, it's always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive.” I believe that BAHEP has lived those words by example time and time again.
Although 2020 presented more challenges than ever could have been imagined just one year ago, it also offered opportunities to join together as a community, a region, a state, a nation, and a world to solve enormous problems.
Such examples can be found within this annual report. BAHEP worked around obstacles to keep connected to its members. As so many others have done and still do, we held virtual meetings to educate and inform our membership and others in the region about initiatives affecting them all. These included activities by our healthcare systems and educational institutions to serve our communities under extreme circumstances brought about by the pandemic.
The Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership is incredibly thankful for the contributions of its members and regional partners who have been instrumental in supporting BAHEP’s initiatives throughout 2020. Economic development does not and cannot cease when the way forward is paved with uncertainty.
BAHEP also continued its advocacy work on behalf of NASA, the Houston Spaceport, and the Coastal Barrier System while also supporting our small businesses with critical information about the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) advances. At the conclusion of this report, there is a section titled BAHEP Turns Challenges into Opportunities. Normally, I’m not a big fan of repetition, but I also believe that some things deserve to be emphasized so that they are not overlooked. That’s the case I would like to make for the following four paragraphs. As this annual report is being written, newly-developed vaccines against COVID-19 have been revealed whose high efficacy rates 6
Entering its 45th year of service to the people and businesses of Bay Area Houston, BAHEP remains Resilient in the Face of Adversity continuing its work to strengthen and build upon the firm foundation of the region’s economy. Best regards,
Bob Mitchell President
