The Chamber interacts with its fair share of companies interested in relocating to the Houston area, both domestic and international. When evaluating the area, they look at the financial picture, building and land inventory, and then they always ask about the availability and skills of the workforce. Having a qualified and skilled workforce is key to any business success. Lone Star College and the Texas Workforce Commission have partnered up to offer the Skills for Small Business Program. This grant program provides free funding to small businesses to assist with their training needs. It is available for ongoing education, certification, and non-published courses. Qualifying businesses must be privately owned and have up to 99 employees. Approved businesses will receive
Read more →Compaq’s New Legacy In 2018, I wrote an article for this newsletter titled, “The Legacy of Compaq” which illustrated how Compaq computers locating to northwest Harris County in the 1980s substantially shaped how the community developed over the subsequent decades. Yet, on February 24, 2025 the business community perked up when Apple, Inc. announced it was investing $500 billion in the US to build out its new AI platform. The press release also included an announcement that the computer servers for this new system were going to be manufactured in Houston, the only city named in the release. At the time, I thought it was a bit interesting, but did not give it too much thought, recognizing Houston’s now robust
Read more →Launching this week is the creation of the Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce volunteer corps, the Chamber Champions. Some twenty-plus Chamber members will have convened for the first time this week to kick off the program. The intent of the program is to generate a more visible Chamber presence at Chamber events, whether it be ribbon cuttings, luncheons, networking events, and to also serve as volunteer helpers at some of the larger chamber events, like the annual Founder’s Cup Golf & Croquet Tournament and the NXNW Economic Outlook. This program will function differently from other previous Chamber ambassador programs in that there will be no score keeping or point system to monitor individual attendances at events. Yet, Chamber Champion members
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