MEMBERS IN MOTION

QUALITY OF LIFE: SAN JACINTO TEXAS HISTORIC DISTRICT GRANTS

SAN JACINTO TEXAS HISTORIC DISTRICT AWARDS GRANTS TO FOUR ENTITIES DURING A PANDEMIC YEAR

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges it brought, the San Jacinto Texas Historic District (SJTHD) proudly awarded multiple grants to entities across Harris County Precinct 2 this year. Those projects included: Imelda Assistance Fund, Dolly Parton Imagination Library, City of Morgan’s Point Elevated Storage Tank Painting and The Bridge for Kids. The Imelda Assistance Fund was established by Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner and Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo in an effort to meet the needs of those who have suffered damage during Tropical Storm Imelda and the flooding that followed. The Imelda Assistance Fund will disperse $10,000 of grant money to nonprofit organizations that provide services to individuals impacted by the tropical storm. This grant will help efforts related to cleanup, repairing, rebuilding, and other recovery efforts. The City of Morgan’s Point received one $5,000 matching grant for the placement of their city logo on the water tower located between Wilson Street and Blackwell Street, just south of Main Street. Harris County Precinct2gether received four $5,000 matching grants – for a grand total of $20,000 – for continued participation in the Dolly Parton Imagination Library/Read2gether programs. The initiative gifts free books to children in participating communities from birth through five years, regardless of their income, and the grant funds awarded will cover direct costs for books and postage for enrolled children. Specifically, the four grants cover 30 different elementary schools in the SJTHD footprint, including Jacinto City, Northshore, and East End. The program has already made great strides towards promoting literacy in our region and the world. The program is available in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, and Australia and reached a milestone of one hundred million distributed books in 2019.

The final grant awarded this year benefited the women’s shelter of The Bridge Over Trouble Waters. Their capital campaign to expand their facility and create “The Bridge for Kids” center will help support hundreds of kids impacted by family violence and homelessness. The $5,000 grant will go towards the campaign for the new facility, which will double their current capacity and allow the organization to expand their impact. The San Jacinto Texas Historic District is a collaborative entity that brings together the port region communities of East Harris County (Precinct Two). Our mission, carried out in partnership with the Economic Alliance Quality of Life Task Force, is to continue the tradition of showcasing the history and beauty of the communities in our district. SJTHD is committed to funding projects that promote public safety, beautification, special projects, outreach, and other priorities aligned with its mission. To learn more about the the San Jacinto Texas Historic District, visit their Facebook page at https://www. facebook.com/SanJacintoTexasHistoricDistrict/.

PRECINCT 2 REACHES DITCH MAINTENANCE MILESTONE

Harris County Precinct 2 Commissioner Adrian Garcia’s office recently celebrated a huge milestone as they dug their one millionth linear-foot of roadside ditch! Roadside ditch and drainage maintenance improves water conveyance to drainage outfalls, which helps in the reduction of potential flooding for residents and businesses. Without proper maintenance, standing water can also penetrate and seep under road surfaces causing deterioration, which in turn requires more frequent and costly road repairs. As a comparison, in 2017 Precinct 2 completed just over 200,000 linear feet of drainage maintenance. In 2019, Commissioner Garcia’s first year in office, the Public Works team completed over 500,000 LF of ditching. And this year, despite the pandemic and having one of the busiest hurricane seasons, the team accomplished the goal of 1,000,000 linear feet two months ahead of schedule.

For more information on how Precinct 2 Ditch Maintenance works, click here or visit the Harris County Precinct 2 YouTube page.

BIC ALLIANCE PROMOTES OSTERBERGER TO PRESIDENT, COO

LEAGUE CITY, Texas — BIC Alliance has promoted Jeremy Osterberger to president and COO. Osterberger joined BIC Alliance in 2003 and most recently served as vice president. Osterberger has played a key part in BIC’s success over the years, and he will continue to help lead the company’s sales

Jeremy Osterberger and digital teams. Thomas Brinsko, who previously served as president and COO, will now be BIC’s CEO.

For more information, visit BICMagazine.com or call (281) 538-9996.

METRO ADAPTS & CONTINUES BUSINESS

METRO Star Vanpool continues to provide commuting services to the eight-county region throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. As we navigate a new normal, customer and employee safety continue to be our top priority. We have modified some of our procedures to ensure our vanpool groups are equipped with adequate resources for a clean and safe ride to work. New and returning participants can expect a clean vehicle, with carefully thought-out physical distancing parameters put in place. Each group also receives a sanitizing kit to maintain a clean vehicle. Our dedicated team of commute experts are available virtually to help employers find safe and reliable commute solutions for their essential employees. We are also available to help match potential riders with a new or existing vanpool. With so many new concerns we are all facing, safely returning to your workplace doesn’t have to be one of them. Visit StarVanpool.com to learn more or call 713-224-7433.

STRUCTURE TONE SOUTHWEST HIRES RUDOLPH M. TEJEDA JR. AS VP OF INDUSTRIAL CONSTRUCTION IN HOUSTON

EPC expert Rudolph (Rudy) Tejeda Jr. has joined Structure Tone Southwest’s Houston team. As the new Vice President of industrial construction, Tejeda will oversee the office’s expansion into the sector and manage Houston’s industrial construction operations. Tejeda has more than 26 years Rudolph Tejeda Jr. of experience in delivering the most advanced, hardened structures in the Energy and Industrial sectors. Having held key roles in the industry, his hands-on experience across disciplines makes Tejeda uniquely qualified for the role. He excels in blast design and construction, industrial building programming, and the delivery of industrial buildings inside and outside the fence for upstream, midstream, and downstream energy clients. In his most recent role as VP of Design Build services at an engineering, procurement, and construction firm, Tejeda oversaw multiple projects and project teams, while working closely with clients to optimize their project’s value. He plans to bring both his industrial construction knowledge and his leadership skills to his role in Houston.

“Rudy is truly an expert in Texas’s complex industrial sector,” says Joseph Cribbin, president of Structure Tone Southwest. “He knows what it takes to design and build these kinds of facilities, and we’re excited to share his skills and expertise with our industrial clients and project teams.” Chris Talley, Regional Vice President of Structure Tone Southwest in Houston stated, “Rudy is a welcome addition to our team. We’ve seen our industrial sector growing every year and Rudy will provide our clients with a much more diverse service offering.” Tejeda holds a bachelor’s degree in architecture from the University of Houston.

CITY OF SEABROOK KICKS OFF LIVABLE CENTER STUDY

The City of Seabrook and the Economic Development Corporation (SEDC) have officially kicked off their Livable Center Study thanks to a grant provided by the Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC). H-GAC awarded Seabrook $153,950.64 for the study and the SEDC provided $40,049.36. Freese and Nichols have been awarded the project and presented their timeline to Seabrook City Council at the December 1, 2020, Council meeting. The plan will focus around the Old Seabrook District and include input from the community and area stakeholders. Stay up to date on the plan’s progress by following Seabrook Economic Development on LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/showcase/seabrook-edc.

BLUESKY GLOBAL: SMARTBOX TECHNOLOGY

BlueSky Global, a pioneering environmental technology company headquartered in Tomball, targets large problems with even bigger technology solutions. The company’s added focus is COVID-19, a pandemic that has put the world on its heels. BlueSky Global has applied their adept business model and state-of-the-art technology to minimize exposure to the virus. Founded in 2016 by Dr. Michael Seitz, BlueSky Global has developed a technology that could revolutionize industrial air filtration. For CO, BlueSky’s cutting-edge SmartBox Technology has combined high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtering and ultraviolet (UVC) sterilization into a fully integrated machine. Seitz says the company’s patented SmartBox Technology is the safest and most environmentally friendly industrial air cleaning system, as well as the simplest to use and maintain. Seitz compares the SmartBox system to replacing an ink-jet cartridge on a printer. When it is time, a used SmartBox can be easily

replaced, without any exposure to contaminants.

SATTERFIELD & PONTIKES CONSTRUCTION GROWS COMMUNICATIONS STRATEGIES

A significant impact Satterfield & Pontikes Construction has seen from COVID-19 is the increased importance of communication within teams and across the organization, especially while employees are adjusting to new ways of working. Without as much direct communication or the opportunity of tools like Town Hall meetings to bring everyone together, S&P had to build new strategies that ensure cross-functional collaboration, allow us to engage with employees, and maintain productivity in the office and on our job sites – all while protecting the safety and wellbeing of our employees and trade partners. We focused on flexibility in internal communications, leveraging a variety of platforms and channels such as using cloud-based collaboration tools, rolling out a text messaging system, and implementing an internal podcast.

TEXAS MUTUAL SUPPORTS HURRICANES LAURA AND DELTA RECOVERIES

Texas Mutual Insurance Company, the state’s leading provider of workers’ compensation, is committed to the resiliency of Texans and their businesses. In fall 2020, Hurricanes Laura and Delta devastated Orange County, Texas, leaving many without power while already facing the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. In response, Texas Mutual donated $50,000 to the Orange County Disaster Rebuild and worked with its agent partners to identify policyholders whose businesses were affected. They identified 19 policyholders and delivered $95,000 in grants to help them with their recovery. Texas Mutual has also delivered $4 million across the state for COVID-19 resiliency and economic growth, including $425,000 to organizations in the gulf coast region. The Bridge Over Troubled Waters, an Economic Alliance member, was among recipients.

CORE TRUCKING COMPANY OF TEXAS OPENS NEW FACILITY FOR THE PORT OF HOUSTON AREA

CORE Trucking Company of Texas opened a new transload facility on November 30th servicing the Port of Houston. Located at 1200 McCabe in La Porte, just off Highway 146. The facility is conveniently located a few miles from both the Barbours Cut and Bayport Container Terminals. The new facility is a 2 story 2400 square foot Corporate office with a 12 door, 12,000 square foot cross dock facility sitting on 7 3/4 acres. 4/ 1/2 acres are paved for terminal operations. Designed for 24-hour cross docking operations. 2 3/4 acres are undeveloped and will be used to construct a future Automated Storage and Retrieval (ASRS) warehouse. CORE Trucking has operated in the Houston Port area for 24 years as a drayage provider. CORE takes pride and is known for the quality service provided for its customers drayage needs. This new facility will allow CORE to expand its business to include cross docking and intermodal services to and from the Port of Houston and Dedicated Service to a new line of customers.

The strategic location of the CORE facility is ideal to optimize transportation of international cargo. The location of the facility allows Core to reduce the road time of containers by providing drayage, transload and extended delivery service by van for

CORE customers.

MOBIL STEEL RECOGNIZED WITH AISC FABRICATOR SAFETY AWARD

Mobil Steel International, Inc. received the American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) 2019 Fabricator Safety Award for no OSHA reportable incidents. This is our first AISC recognition for no reportable incidents and will be awarded at the next international steel conference.

We have also received the Associated Builders & Contractors (ABC) annual STEP award for our superior safety performance in 2019. This award is sponsored by CNA Insurance. We received the Diamond Level award recognition which is the highest of the four categories. This is our fourth year of recognition, and each year we have achieved the next highest level of recognition. This is the second year we have received the Diamond Level for our exemplary safety achievement.

PASADENA EDC UPDATE Pasadena Loves Local Campaign

Recently PEDC held a check distribution event for the Pasadena Cares Financial Assistance Grant Program which was created as a component of the Pasadena Loves Local initiative which focuses on promoting Pasadena’s business community. The program was designed to provide financial support to Pasadena businesses during these trying times.

At the conclusion of the program, close to 200 businesses will have benefitted from $1,000 grants to provide some financial relief. Going forward the campaign will focus on giving exposure to the Pasadena business community through creative marketing approaches, messaging, and special events. For more information and to view photos of the event visit www.PasadenaLovesLocal.biz.

PINNACLE REBRANDS AND RELEASES ECONOMIC IMPACT REPORT

This October, PinnacleART announced a rebrand to Pinnacle. Pinnacle, leaders in the industrial reliability and mechanical integrity market, is doubling down and focusing on data-driven reliability to help its clients reduce risks and maximize overall productivity. To further accelerate Pinnacle’s commitment to drive the reliability industry forward, the organization has established Pinnacle Ventures, a $50MM corporate venturing fund focused entirely in the reliability technology space. Pinnacle released the first of its kind report, “The Economics of Reliability – Global Refining” and the first in a series of reports that explore the impact reliability has on various global industries including the oil and gas, chemical, wastewater, and other industrial processing industries. In this interim report, Pinnacle analysts take data from the oil refining industry and dive into how that key sector is being affected by reliability today. From small independent refiners to large integrated oil companies to state owned refining companies, we dive into the differences across the world. To learn more, visit www.pinnaclereliability.com.

EXXONMOBIL RECOGNIZES SARA BAILEY AS 2020 REFINER OF THE YEAR

Each year, ExxonMobil Baytown awards a community volunteer who has made outstanding contributions to the area. Refinery Manager Rohan Davis awarded Sara Bailey as the 2020 Refiner of the Year. Sara was raised in Baytown and has served on many boards through the years. Also as a docent to the Baytown Historical Museum for thirty years, Sara has taught thousands of children about ExxonMobil Baytown and the importance of the facility to the community and across the globe. Davis stated, “Sara is a great example of what being our Refiner of the Year is all about. She shares her talent and passion to give back to our community and make Baytown a better place, and we are honored to highlight Sara as this year’s recipient.”

congratulations!

HCA HOUSTON HEALTHCARE SOUTHEAST RECOGNIZED AMONG THE BEST PLACES TO WORK IN HEALTHCARE 2020

HCA Houston Healthcare was recently selected by Modern Healthcare to receive the 2020 Best Places to Work in healthcare award.

Modern Healthcare’s 13th annual Best Places to Work program identifies and honors 150 outstanding companies and organizations within the U.S. healthcare industry that empower employees to provide patients and customers with the best possible care, products and services. This distinction requires a special commitment to culture and excellence. Modern Healthcare partners with the Best Companies Group on the assessment process, which includes an extensive employee survey. “It is an absolute honor to be named among the Best Places to Work in Healthcare in the nation,” said Jeanna Bamburg, CEO at HCA Houston Healthcare Southeast. “Our leadership team, colleagues and physicians are united by our mission to care for and improve human life, and we are committed to caring for each other like family. We believe excellent people make excellence happen, and this recognition reinforces the effectiveness of our work to continually put our patients and colleagues first in everything we do.” The HCA Houston Healthcare family of caregivers is here for you and your family, 24/7, and offers a network of convenient emergency care centers, urgent care facilities, women’s care clinics, cancer centers and surgery centers – providing you with a higher level of care in your community. Visit HCAhoustonhealthcare.com/southeast for more information.

INEOS HIRES NEW WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT MANAGER FOLLOWING DAVE KING’S RETIREMENT

Dave King, Workforce Development Manager for INEOS O&P USA, will be retiring effective December 31, 2020. After starting his career with DuPont Canada, Dave moved to Texas to work with Solvay, later INEOS, with various roles in manufacturing, engineering, technology, commercial and leadership. After building and commissioning a Florida biofuels plant, Dave returned to Texas in 2014 as Workforce Development Manager being active on Advisory Panels for several Community Colleges, High Schools and Industry

Dave King Associations.

Stacy Putman, replacing Dave King, joined INEOS in 2005 as Polymers Commercial Operations Manager with later roles of HSEQ Corporate Manager, Carson, CA Site Director, and Sr. Project Director. Her new role is Manager of Advocacy, Workforce Development & Strategic Projects for INEOS. Please welcome Stacy to her new role.

Stacy Putman

INDUSTRIAL TAX CONSULTING WELCOMES BRIAN HEARD, CMI

ITC is excited to announce its continued expansion as we welcome Brian Heard, CMI to our Texas Gulf Coast Regional Office led by Mark Dzeda, President. Brian Heard, CMI, will be joining ITC as Complex Industrial Tax Director. Brian is a motivated property tax leader with twenty years of dynamic

experience and proven ability to impact corporate performance through property tax advisory services, including consulting for large-scale appeal work, tax compliance, and audit defense. He is joining ITC from a Big 4 accounting firm where he focused on heavy industrial, chemical, downstream, and oilfield service clients on a variety of property tax issues. Brian’s previous experience includes organizing and leading the property tax functions at two major industrial companies in the defense and aggregates and cement industries. Industrial Tax Consulting (ITC) is a premier leader in providing proactive property tax minimization consulting services on a nationwide basis to clients concerned about maximizing their bottom line. We focus on capitalizing on rapidly-changing market conditions such as the current economic impact of COVID-19, and constant technological advancements to minimize clients’ property tax exposure by proactively pursuing strategic tax reduction opportunities and securing tax incentives. We represent diversified industries, including energy, chemicals, utilities, building products, and manufacturing. ITC’s offices located in major Texas cities are supported nationwide by strategic partnerships with recognized industry leaders, providing our clients the competitive advantage required to flourish in today’s ever-changing environment.

Please contact us should you have any further questions regarding our services or, if you would like to receive a confidential property tax liability analysis, call our offices today at 1-866-4060TAX or scan the QR code for more details.

FIRST HORIZON AND IBERIABANK JOIN FORCES IN MERGER OF EQUALS

First Horizon Bank and IBERIABANK, two relationshipdriven banks, both leaders in the industry, have joined forces in the Houston market. The combination creates a leading financial services company dedicated to enriching the lives of their clients, associates and communities.

“Our ability to invest in technology will ensure our clients have the state-of-the-art products which will help them stay competitive and become more profitable and efficient,” said Gary Olander, Houston Market President. First Horizon’s dedicated and capable team of bankers and industry specialists understand the market and are ready to help clients grow and maintain financial stability.

Proven: Both organizations have earned the confidence and trust of their clients, employees and communities by establishing deep roots in the communities they serve.

Focused: By combining strengths, the new combined company can offer better technology, broader lending capabilities and a bigger financial network.

Better Together: First Horizon is dedicated to delivering personalized service and customized resources to all clients.

To learn more, visit firsthorizon.com/better-together.