Here’s how Houston plans to attract new corporate headquarters post-pandemic

The plan leans heavily on the Partnership’s existing relationships with local business leaders, who they’ve leaned on to pitch the city to companies who may be considering new headquarters or markets.

The plan also seeks to grow strong clusters across all sectors, with particular mind paid to renewable energy, life sciences, aerospace and digital technology, among others.

Ultimately, the partnership hopes to change perceptions of Houston that it says have deterred some businesses from establishing a local footprint, despite Texas being a low-tax, business-friendly state.

“In Houston, we have a great story to tell,” said Jim Fish, President and CEO of WM, the Houston-based trash-hauling company formerly known as Waste Management. “But I think we need to be better storytellers.”

Among the strengths of the local economy, Fish said, is its population growth, an advantage that continues to grow for the area as thousands of people and businesses leave states such as New York and California for Texas and Florida. A growing population not only provides workers for employers, but also creates other economic activity as people buy homes and cars, and all the goods and services that go with those major purchases.

This week brought some more good news on the population front.

On Thursday, the Census Bureau reported that Houston’s population grew by nearly 10 percent over the last decade, hitting more than 2.3 million as of April 1, 2020.

That’s the second-fastest growth among all major metro regions, and put Houston ever-closer to eclipsing Chicago for the nation’s third-largest city. California and New York both continued to lose residents over the same period, and Fish said bringing those people to Houston should continue to be a focal point.

Houston has long been in competition with New York and California. Since 2020, four major companies moved headquarters from California to the Houston region. They include personal protective equipment manufacturer Maddox Defense, outdoor furniture maker SunHaven, Axiom Space, a private space exploration company, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, the technology company.

Leaning on expertise

Meanwhile, local business leaders continue to push the region as tech-friendly, hoping to peel off some new companies in the way that Austin has been doing over the last decade. They’ve also made the transition to renewable energy a key part of Houston’s long-term economic success by leaning on the expertise that already exists in southeast Texas’ energy sector.

Last month, Pittsburgh-based Archaea Energy, a renewable natural gas producer, announced they would move their headquarters to Houston.

Archaea describes itself as one of the largest renewable natural gas producers in the U.S, with 28 U.S. operating sites where it converts waste into renewal natural gas.

New York-based Bucha Bio, a materials company, also announced they would move to Houston, where they’ll be the latest tenant of the East End Maker Hub, a consortium of small tech and manufacturing businesses on the city’s east side.