As president and CEO of the Economic Alliance Houston Port Region (Economic Alliance), which is celebrating its 30th year, Chad Burke oversees the Houston Ship Channel’s economic development corporation. By serving at the helm of this organization, which supports the world’s second largest petrochemical complex and America’s largest exporting port, Burke said the only place for the region to go from here is up.
“The Houston Port Region is, and continues to be, the center of remarkable capital investment into the petrochemical industry, resulting in many jobs that investment is creating,” stated Burke, who has more than 20 years’ experience in the industry. “We have seen an estimated $40 billion capital investment announced in the Houston Ship Channel region over the past four years. And with more than $35 billion invested in chemical plant expansions in our area from 2012 through 2015, these are the good ol’ days.”
The Houston Ship Channel also impacts over 1 million jobs and contributes $178.5 billion to the Texas economy annually. And the Economic Alliance plays a major role in this port’s resounding triumphs. Through efforts in marketing, business development, expansion and retention support, public policy and workforce development promotion, the organization has supported over 40 successful projects since 2008. These projects created 4,400 new jobs and flooded the Houston Port Region with more than $5.5 billion in capital investment.
Growing a vibrant regional economy
“The Economic Alliance’s primary function is to market and grow a vibrant regional economy,” explained Burke, who earned his bachelor’s degree in economics from Texas A&M University. “This benefits our members because we make the area an attractive and profitable place to conduct business. This also benefits our cities, schools and universities by adding tax dollars to their budgets. It positively affects housing and retail demands by creating and adding new high-paying careers, too.”
The Economic Alliance also works to clearly identify and prioritize regional needs, implement systematic processes and initiatives to address targeted needs, strategically obtain and leverage adequate resources, and aggressively identify and utilize the Houston region’s expertise to systematically work through volunteer committees and task forces. The organization’s vision aims to lead the community to retain and expand current business and economic strengths; grow both the number and quality of targeted, new employment opportunities; and continuously improve the quality of life and assets so companies are drawn to the region as an incentive for their employees and so tourists continuously visit the region.
One way it is achieving its mission is through supporting legislation that enhances the quality of life for Houston-area residents. Instrumental in supporting the passage of House Bill 5 during the 2013 legislative session — a bill that helped positively alter the way the Houston region’s schools educate their students — the Economic Alliance has tripled the size of its membership during the past six years, including adding two new professional positions to better serve the region.
The Economic Alliance also sponsors regional service initiatives. In honor of serving the area for 30 years, it recently held an event called “Celebrating our past, planting our future.” On April 24, it partnered with Harris County Commissioner Jack Mormon to plant 30 trees in a brand new park in Pasadena, Texas, called Partnership Park. Its board of directors and the area’s mayors took part in the event.
“The strides we’ve made and the successes we have encountered can be directly attributed to the hard work of our wonderful staff and the incredible commitment and contributions from our board and members,” said Burke. “In the end, this region’s ability to prosper is dependent upon a collective will to make it so.”
Prepping for future growth
The Economic Alliance’s will to make the Houston region prosper is not stationary in the past and present; it also looks toward future growth and investments.
“Never before in our history have we seen the kind of capital investment and job creation we will experience over the next decade,” asserted Burke. “Over the next three to five years, we will see the build out of capital projects in the petrochemical industry. As these facilities come on line, we will continue to see a second wave of related growth in service, support and logistics throughout the region. Coupled with this growth will be a tremendous demand for a skilled workforce to support this regional industrial economy. The Houston Port Region will continue to lead Texas, which leads the nation in job creation.”
And the Economic Alliance’s role in all of this is to bolster the workforce development initiative. It is actively searching out the resources and funding to hire a full-time employee to manage its workforce development initiative. Burke said the people already working to improve the workforce have made great strides.
“That program, committee and group are doing some really, really good work in marketing these careers and getting more people trained and into this industry, which we are in dire need of,” he stated.
The Economic Alliance also works tirelessly to ensure the region stays competitive and attractive to industry, so companies will locate and expand in the area. This means utilizing the incentives and resources at the state, county and local levels to effectively attract capital investments and jobs. As for industry challenges, Burke said the organization is continuously advocating for environmental legislation that is fair, consistent and based on sound science.
The Economic Alliance’s long-term goals consist of continuing to very effectively support growth in this economy, which means growth in the refining and petrochemical industry, the logistics industry, the maritime industry, and the service and support of the petrochemical industry along the Houston Ship Channel.
“We need to be constantly growing the support we have for those industries and simultaneously growing those industries,” stated Burke. “Moreover, my responsibility as president is to build and maintain positive working relationships with the 17 communities, the county and the port authority we serve, and accelerate this regional economic growth.”
A leader at home with industry
Burke has been prepping for this responsibility his whole life. A Deer Park native, he always felt magnetized to the area. Upon graduating from Texas A&M University, he worked on economic development projects throughout the state for the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service in College Station, Texas.
“When I was offered the chance to come do the same for my home region, it was a natural choice to say yes,” Burke commented.
But his love affair with doing economic work in this industry was embedded in him from an early age. His grandfather worked for Humble Oil (now ExxonMobil). And with a father who worked in the maintenance department at Shell Deer Park for 35 years and a mother who worked at DuPont for 30 years, Burke learned to appreciate how the industry treated its workers. Through great retirement packages and respectable salaries, his parents taught him you have to have a strong work ethic to be successful.
“My parents always instilled a sense in me that if you get in the industry and work hard, then not only will you be rewarded with a good career and a good-paying job but you will also be able to enjoy a very prosperous retirement,” he stated. “Also, working turnarounds during my spring breaks and summer breaks helped pay for my college and gave me a great respect for the work that happens inside the fence.”
This respect impassions Burke to continually pursue exponential economic growth and a high quality of life for the communities that surround the Houston Ship Channel.
For more information, visit www.allianceportregion.com or call (281) 476-9176.
