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ECONOMIC GROWTH CONTINUES IN 2020

By Regina Lindsey

This year has been a trying year for many of us, both personally and professionally. It is no different in the economic development world where an election and the advent of COVID-19 caused ripples in the minds of investors and businesses. However, we currently have 47 projects with a projected $10B of investment that would create 3,364 jobs, with five new projects entered since November 1st. This amounts to a higher than average amount of inquiries for the end of the year. The Economic Alliance has announced six wins this year that has attracted $900M in investment and created 920 jobs. Of these projects, we’d like to explore two more in-depth. Horn Technologies and Services, part of a Chilean company that manufactures sodium hypochlorite, has decided to make La Porte home to its next location. The project brings $200M in investment and creates 38 new jobs. The project is a good example of the breadth of value the Economic Alliance brings to the region. After initially assisting Horn Technologies and Services with identifying appropriate land that had access to available feedstock, the Economic Alliance continued to help Horn Technologies and Services navigate the development process. First, there was a need for providing a list of transport companies and terminals to support movement of their product to public and private terminals as well as local engineering firms. We are pleased that they selected one of the Economic Alliance’s members. Since exports will be an integral component of their business, a relationship with the Port of Houston is necessary. The Economic Alliance successfully facilitated meetings between the two. Infrastructure in unincorporated Harris County is always a concern. Working with CenterPoint Energy, Horn Technologies and Services was able to quickly receive the guidelines for determining easement needs and sufficient power and costs. The most recent assistance has been to help provide options for access to potable water. This year we have also seen a transition in the percentages of industry sectors. The wins and new projects have seen the logistic/ midstream sectors tick up 10%. Some of this is a result of the reaction to over production of oil. However, some of it is the changing dynamics of company business models. An emerging industry in the Houston region is the development of cold storage facilities. Pro Citrus Network is one example. Pro Citrus Network is headquartered in Visalia, California, and specializes in providing high quality citrus around the country. Pro Citrus Network made the decision to expand its import program directly into the Port of Houston. They recently decided to develop a 70K square foot cold storage facility along the Port of Houston and settled on Baytown. The Economic Alliance was able to make introductions to a variety of our members for various services and to the City of Baytown as they navigated the permitting process. Since their import season from Chile is seasonal, they are interested in a partnership for a tenant to utilize their space in their off season. If you or someone you know is interested, please contact Kim Flores at kflores@pcnbrand.com. The Economic Alliance receives leads from a number of sources. Those might include the Governor’s Office, Greater Houston Partnership, or direct inquires. However, often it is a member referral, and we appreciate

Patti Knudson with Knudson LP, who learned about this project while sitting on an airplane next to its president, Allan Dodge. We welcome the new companies into the region and congratulate those that have the capacity to expand. With the contribution of our members and our relationships with stakeholders, we look forward to meeting the needs of the business community in 2021. If you have any insight on leads in our area or information on upcoming projects, contact Regina Lindsey at regina@allianceportregion.com.

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