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 and diverse economy. That was until my phone and emails started to blow up, because it then became known later in the day that the location of this new facility will be located in northwest Harris County.
This is all due to a Taiwanese company by the name of Foxconn. Foxconn is in Houston because originally it was manufacturing Compaq’s computer chassis and set up shop alongside Compaq to bring more economical and logistical efficiencies to Compaq’s operations. In 2002, Compaq merged with Hewlett-Packard, and Foxconn continued its affiliation with the company. Compaq is of course no longer, and HP moved its manufacturing out of state. HP and Hewlett-Packard enterprise moved their operations north, to CityPlace near the Exxon-Mobil campus. Yet, Foxconn remained and continued its operations in northwest Harris County, serving its many customers, one of those being Apple.
In the fall of 2024, Foxconn purchased 10 acres near its other facilities, behind Sam Houston Race Park. At the time, no one thought anything of it until now, when we were made known of its eventual purpose. Foxconn plans to build a 250,000 square foot facility to house the manufacturing of the Apple servers, creating 300 new jobs. Moreover, it is most certain there will be more announcements by other companies wanting to establish in Houston to support Apple’s operations, creating a multiplier effect for new tech jobs. This has us circling back to the former Compaq campus. It continues to exist in much of its original state, with well established infrastructure to support technology-oriented operations. The campus buildings are all currently owned by Mexcor, a local, family-owned liquor distribution company. Given the original purpose of these buildings, and their proximity to Foxconn, the campus is well positioned to take advantage of any future interests from tech companies looking at Houston, and the folks at Mexcor are eager to take advantage of this new opportunity.
With any luck this former gem of Northwest Harris County, could once again shine, with the well-paying tech jobs that once oozed from its walls. When thinking back to the low moments during Hurricane Harvey, there is renewed optimism northwest Harris County could once again be the tech hub of Houston. At the very least, following the Apple announcement, no one can any longer say, Houston is not a tech city.