Marketing

Meeting on Feb. 25, 2021, was kicked off by BAHEP President Bob Mitchell welcoming the virtual attendees and thanking Patrick Jankowski, senior vice president, Research, Greater Houston Partnership, for delivering the State of the Economy address. BAHEP Executive Director for Economic Development Dan Seal followed Mitchell with an introduction of Jankowski and brief recap of events one year ago when Jankowski delivered his 2020 State of the Economy.

Jankowski discussed the impacts of COVID-19 to the economy and the resulting structural changes to the economy. He discussed the impact on the “Alice Workers” or the working poor who have been disproportionally affected by the pandemic. He said recovery will be helped by the federal stimulus and vaccinations.

Jankowski cited the economic impact of petrochemical operations being shut down during the recent cold weather in Texas and the longterm impact to infrastructure and Texas’ image. He said the state legislature will likely need two special sessions to address all the issues related to the pandemic and recent cold weather.

He closed out his presentation by saying, “It may take two to three years to recover.” To view the meeting, follow this link: https://youtu.be/EMFNrhnWt7g

BAHEP Initiates Strategic Plan Update for 2022 – 2024

BAHEP’s Strategic Planning Steering Committee is leading the development of an updated Strategic Plan for 2022 through 2024. In the past, BAHEP developed five-year plans, but due to the dynamics of the economy, politics, and social change, it was decided that a three-year plan would be more appropriate.

The planning process is led by BAHEP member Dr. Glenn Freedman, CEO of EduSafe Systems, Inc. The Strategic Planning Steering Committee and Dr. Freedman developed three surveys for BAHEP’s Steering Committee to complete: • Mission, Vision, and Values • BAHEP Strategic Plan Internal Factors • BAHEP Strategic Plan External Factors

Dr. Freedman is also conducting focus group sessions with five BAHEP committees, the BAHEP Council of Mayors, BAHEP’s Board of Directors, and other economic development organizations.

Dr. Freedman and BAHEP President Bob Mitchell will conduct personal interviews with stakeholders some of which include Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia, Galveston County Judge Mark Henry, Galveston County Commissioner Ken Clark, Houston Mayor Pro Tem Dave Martin, State Senator Larry Taylor, State Representative Dennis Paul, State Representative Greg Bonnen, M.D., and Houston Airport System Director Mario Diaz.

Patrick Jankowski, senior vice president, Research, Greater Houston Partnership (left), and Bob Mitchell, president, Bay Area Houston Economic Partnership, are shown following Jankowski’s economic presentation on March 2, 2020. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s Houston Economic Outlook was presented virtually by Jankowski to members of BAHEP. (Photo courtesy of Mary Alys Cherry)

Marketing Prospect Review Meetings

BAHEP conducted a virtual Prospect Review meeting on Dec. 9, 2020. BAHEP has 33 projects currently in the pipeline that are considering Bay Area Houston. Following a review of BAHEP’s newest projects during the meeting, attendees heard from featured speaker Steve Spillette, president of CDS – Community Development Strategies, who gave an update of what he’s seeing in growth patterns around the region, especially in the high-growth sectors. BAHEP staff members that facilitated the Prospect Review were: BAHEP Executive Director for Economic Development Dan Seal and Marketing Managers Barbara Cutsinger, CA Shields, and Kim Morris.

Galveston County Regional Economic Development Allies Weekly Meeting

BAHEP participated in a series of virtual meetings of the Galveston County Regional Economic Develop-