Approximately 250 member companies make up the membership of the Economic Alliance Houston Port Region.
That’s a relatively small number, considering these companies and contractors generate as much as 21% of Texas’s gross domestic product.
“We are an economic development organization that serves the Houston Port region,” said Chad Burke, the group’s president and CEO. “It is our job to add capital investments, so we work primarily with the petrochemical industry, specifically the owners, to convince them and help them to build more facilities in the region.”
“We are here to grow the economy,” Burke summarized. “We support that through initiatives with public policy, transportation and infrastructure.”
The region’s footprint extends in a 25-mile stretch along the Houston Ship Channel, and includes the world’s largest petrochemical complex, and is the nation’s number one port when it comes to exporting energy.
“Right now, we are working on 23 projects worth a little over $6.1 billion in capital investment,” Burke said.
These projects will stimulate the region by generating as many as four thousand new, direct jobs in myriad industries including petrochemicals, alternative fuels, real estate and other sectors.
The Houston Port region experienced three significant wins in 2022, thanks to investments made by OxyVinyl, Chevron and Kaneka, including a one-time $1.6 billion in capital investment, resulting in 750 direct jobs retained and 100 direct jobs created, Burke said.
“These multi-million-dollar decisions to invest in the Houston Port region are made based on the area’s available assets to support a productive and efficient operation in Houston,” Burke said with pride.
Those available assets include the region’s proximity to feedstocks including Texas and the U.S. shale oil and gas, and its proximity to global markets via the Port of Houston, Burke said.
Further, the U.S. enjoys a secure and stable business environment, and “we have a competitive workforce to build, maintain and operate these facilities,” Burke said.
In addition to other transportation infrastructure improvements, the Houston Ship Channel expansion project, Project 11, focuses specifically on enhancing the channel to improve economic growth and a safer, more efficient waterway.
Houston Port region courts 23 capital projects
Chad Burke, Economic Alliance Houston Port Region’s president and CEO
Working in tandem with the U.S. Army vCorps of Engineers, the $1 billion investment will not only widen the channel from 530 feet to 700 feet, but also will deepen upstream segments to 46.5 feet.
“They are currently out here digging,” Burke said, adding that he expects these improvements to be realized by the end of 2023.
In an address at the Heat Exchanger World Conference and Expo, held recently in Pasadena, Texas, Burke pledged the Economic Alliance would continue to protect and enhance the Houston Port region in the coming year and beyond.
Public policy and federal advocacy “is never-ending,” Burke said. “Everything we do, policy-wise, reflects the needs of our customers, owners, manufacturers and distributors working here in our region.”
Burke said the Economic Alliance Public Policy Taskforce annually compiles a federal policy white paper to allow members and partners “to advocate as one region with one voice.” The 2022 document discussed infrastructure and investment regarding the widening of the Houston Ship Channel; community college federal priorities for workforce opportunities; a coastal barrier that would protect the region from hurricane surge and open competition.
“Everything we do supports our industry’s growth,” Burke said, adding that the Economic Alliance Houston Port Region contributes to the area’s ongoing success by “marketing the jobs to kids coming out of high school we need in this region to continue our prosperity and growth.”
