Partnership Members Making News - August & September

Published Oct 26, 2023 by Madelyn Wilson

View of Downtown Houston in the evening.

The Greater Houston Partnership celebrates our members making important announcements and sharing news about their operations and impact in our community. Learn more about some of those announcements over the last month below.

Business Moves

After selecting Houston as its home for carbon capture, utilization and storage operations, Drax signed a lease in the Energy Corridor.
Exxon Mobil’s Baytown manufacturing facility is expanding with the addition of two new chemical productions units. The $2 billion expansion is part of the company’s long-term growth plan.
Mallard Bay, a Louisiana-based online Airbnb-style marketplace for booking guided fishing and hunting trips, expanded their offices into Houston.
Mitsubishi Logisnext Americas broke ground on its new production facility in Houston. The new campus will support the manufacturing of key electric warehouse products.

Education

ConocoPhillips is the new official partner of both the Houston Dynamo Football Club and the Houston Dash. The partnership will connect soccer and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) for local students and educators through scholarships, curriculum and theme nights at Shell Energy Stadium.
In honor of its upcoming centennial in 2027, the University of Houston has unveiled plans for a $35 million transformative campus revamp that includes the creation of Centennial Plaza, a multi-purpose gathering space at the heart of the campus.
The University of Houston unveiled its new UH-DGH Center for Hydrocarbon Exploration, which will serve as a data center focused on India’s offshore basins, and its geoscience data to investigate production data and exploration.
The University of St. Thomas announced a new 100 percent online graduate degree program - Master of Healthcare Administration, which will begin in spring 2024.

Energy Transition

New York-based clean energy startup Amogy, a company dedicated to turning ammonia into power, is expanding to Houston with a new manufacturing facility set to open next year.
Baker Hughes announced a partnership with Virginia-based Avports to develop, implement and operate onsite solutions for the airport industry with the goal of reducing emissions.
Cemvita Corporation announced an agreement with United Airlines, where the company will supply up to 1 billion gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) from their first full-scale SAF plant.
Microsoft has launched a new energy hub, the Energy Transition Center for Excellence, that will support companies as they evolve their business to become more sustainable and climate-conscious.
Alongside ADNOC, OXY announced they will evaluate investment opportunities in Direct Air Capture facilities and carbon dioxide sequestration hubs in the United States and United Arab Emirates in hopes of developing carbon management platforms to accelerate net-zero goals.
A group of Rice University engineers have developed a record-breaking scalable photoelectrochemical cell that converts sunlight into clean hydrogen. The efficiency rate of 20.8 percent, which has yet to be reached with this type of technology.

Health Care

Harris Health System completed a $48.5 million renovation of Ben Taub Hospital’s emergency department inside the Ginni and Richard Mithoff Trauma Center.
HCA Houston Healthcare Northwest opened its hybrid operating rooms as part of its $69 million expansion. The new rooms feature space and technologies for cardiovascular, electrophysiology and surgical procedures.
Houston Methodist ranked alongside Dallas’ UT Southwestern Medical Center as the state’s best hospital, according to U.S. News & World Report.
Kelsey-Seybold Clinic is expanding its Cypress location with the addition of a 120,000 square foot building that will include space for an ambulatory surgery center.
Texas Children’s Hospital opened its newest building, the Pavilion for Women Tower II. The new medical tower houses women's services outpatient clinics and connects to the Pavilion for Women via a new sky bridge.
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center broke ground this week on a new $668 million research facility at the Texas Medical Center’s Helix Park.

Innovation

Axiom Space has signed its fourth mission order with NASA to send a private astronaut mission to the International Space Station.
CLEAR, a secure identity company, announced a partnership with LinkedIn that expands digital safety. Through a new feature, LinkedIn members in Mexico can verify their identity with the CLEAR verified program for free.
Hines rolled out a new smart building platform that allows employees and employers to book spaces within buildings, order food from nearby restaurants, book on-site fitness classes and access the building via their smartphone or smartwatch.
Houston Methodist has opened its new Tech Hub at the Ion. Spanning 1,200 square feet, the hub will serve as a common ground for innovators across industries to promote collisions and innovation.
Texas A&M University announced plans for a new $200 million research and training facility, funded by the Texas Space Commission. The new facility will serve as a critical resource for lunar and interplanetary missions.

Transportation

Through a $10 million, 5-year contract, the Houston METRO will create its own bike share program. The program is expected to begin in 2024 and could grow to 100 stations.

If you are a member and want us to help communicate news about your organization, please send a press release or information about the announcement to member.engagement@houston.org and we will share it with our content team for possible inclusion in an upcoming roundup. Learn more about Partnership membership.