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I think that Houston is going to have to have an industry (or a few industries) that it's closely associated with if it is to be considered "thriving". That's generally the way it works for major cities, and I can't imagine it being different for us. One of those will undoubtedly be "Energy" or just plain Oil. I think the choice for a better, more diversified city largely depends on what the energy industry does: does it remain really just an oil industry going by a more favorable name or does IT diversify into alternative energies, especially wind and solar? So yes, I do believe in diversification for the future of Houston but I think the most important diversification ought to come from within the major industry already associated with the city.
Houston's corporate video production steals the spotlight
Houston a major player in commercials and corporate shoots
Lights are beamed into an Ellington Airport hangar. The camera is set as J.J. Watt takes his position. And, action!
Watt runs suicide drills across the white chalk letters stenciled on the concrete floor. He turns over a tire. He lifts weights. In an adjacent room, Lynn Birdwell watches the scene unfold on a monitor, joined by representatives of Reebok and a London-based ad agency. They're all part of "Hunt Greatness," a television ad filmed this spring in Watt's adopted hometown.
Reebok's marketers had hired Birdwell's Houston-based commercial production services company, Bird House Productions, for the spot featuring the NFL Texans' All-Pro defensive end. Birdwell believes Houston has the talent in place for many more big-time shoots, for both commercial and corporate clients. Her peers are taking note.
Last month, ProductionHUB, a global networking group for the media and entertainment industry, recognized a subset of the city's video world by ranking Houston as the third-fastest-growing city for corporate video production, ahead of places like Los Angeles and Dallas.
Feature: Economic diversity key to Houston's recovery from oil slump
Xinhua News Agency | Sat,2016-05-07 Feature: Economic diversity key to Houston's recovery from oil slump
HOUSTON, May 7 (Xinhua) -- Houston, the fourth largest city in the United States, is slowly on the mend from a two-year downturn of oil prices, with the locomotive of diversifying its economy.
"Houston learned a lot of lessons to diversify its economy," said City Controller Chris Brown. "This is the fifth downturn we' ve had in recent history; the one in the mid-1980s (was) the most severe and drawn out. We put in a plan to begin to diversify the economy."
"Houston is an extremely diversified town, second only to New York in general office numbers, and as a result we have international business that attracts from all over the world and 98 direct fight routes to every continent in the world," Brown said.
"More international businesses are doing business in Houston now. Unfortunately, we just have to weather through this downturn, but I'm very optimistic," he said.
Houston and Dallas should follow the California model. Invest heavily in its universities and turn out the best and brightest. Develop more local funding for startups. California has no magic that can't be replicated. Houston is strong in engineering, Dallas in finance.
When comparing population and GDP CA and TX are in a dead heat. While I do see 'reasonable' investment in innovation and startups from the likes of Austin Ventures, Houston seems to lag behind on this front. I have been in the tech sector for nearly two decades and have done some early early stage and middle market stuff but the funding has typically come from Austin or Cali depending on the stage. The larger companies I have dealt with that have pursued private equity have either been out of Boston or California.
When comparing population and GDP CA and TX are in a dead heat. While I do see 'reasonable' investment in innovation and startups from the likes of Austin Ventures, Houston seems to lag behind on this front. I have been in the tech sector for nearly two decades and have done some early early stage and middle market stuff but the funding has typically come from Austin or Cali depending on the stage. The larger companies I have dealt with that have pursued private equity have either been out of Boston or California.
Again, why are both the regions of Houston and Dallas being classified together? North Texas has just about the most diverse economy in the universe. The region is constantly shedding industries. One such industry was its energy businesses which during the late ninties, on the large part, moved to Houston. Its aerospace industry has shrunk. Its garment industry withered away. Banking collapsed. Again, as odd as it is to say, if you want cake, you can't eat it to. The energy business needs to decentralize away from Houston in order for it to develop a more diverse economy. As the United States transitions from an importer of oil to that of exporter, perhaps a lot of tge energy business will decentralize away from Houston.
There are a couple of articles in todays Chronicle concerning whats going on at the Port of Houston.
First...
Exports’ volume not issue; it’s their value
In 2013, with some fanfare, Houston rode a wave of petroleum products to overtake New York City as the nation’s top exporting metro area. The Bayou City sent more than $110 billion in goods to other countries, with chemicals providing a boost as well.
Houston continued its upward trajectory for a couple years, hitting a high of $118 billion in 2014. And then, well, you know what happened. The oil bust took a big chunk out of the value of Houston’s exports in 2015: They’re down 18 percent from the previous year, according to the International Trade Administration. But in a demonstration of what’s been dragging down the U.S. economy in recent years, with the exception of Seattle, the other top five exporting metros also dropped as well — allowing Houston to stay on top by a whisker.
What makes this article topical to the thread is the last paragraph which says,
Judging by that uptick in the last quarter, however, it’s possible that services exports — anything that’s sold by the billable hour, like architecture and legal help — could be rising. Those aren’t broken down by the metro area, so it’s hard to know how Houston stacks up against the financiers of New York and the blockbuster movies of Los Angeles. But Houston has a lot of engineers, so it’s likely it’s no slouch on that side of the trade equation.
The export of professional services , I wonder how much economic activity in this area in Houston is overlooked because they do keep those records by MSA's..
Second,
Shuttle could transform how port handles freight
Officials agree to study how, where to build A&M electric hauling system
BRYAN — A futuristic freighthauling shuttle that can move massive cargo containers from one major shipping terminal to another at up to 70 mph hour without using a drop of diesel or stopping at a single traffic light is set to get its realworld debut at the Port of Houston.
If all goes according to plan, the freight carrier, developed by Texas A&M Transportation Institute researcher Stephen Roop, will be used to move containers between the port’s Bayport and Barbour’s Cut terminals.
Powered by a 1,500-volt electrical current, the shuttle would travel the five miles between the terminals on a rail built along Texas 146.
[quote=Jack Lance;45434306]There are a couple of articles in todays Chronicle concerning whats going on at the Port of Houston.
First...
Exports’ volume not issue; it’s their value
In 2013, with some fanfare, Houston rode a wave of petroleum products to overtake New York City as the nation’s top exporting metro area. The Bayou City sent more than $110 billion in goods to other countries, with chemicals providing a boost as well.
Houston continued its upward trajectory for a couple years, hitting a high of $118 billion in 2014. And then, well, you know what happened. The oil bust took a big chunk out of the value of Houston’s exports in 2015: They’re down 18 percent from the previous year, according to the International Trade Administration. But in a demonstration of what’s been dragging down the U.S. economy in recent years, with the exception of Seattle, the other top five exporting metros also dropped as well — allowing Houston to stay on top by a whisker.
What makes this article topical to the thread is the last paragraph which says,
Judging by that uptick in the last quarter, however, it’s possible that services exports — anything that’s sold by the billable hour, like architecture and legal help — could be rising. Those aren’t broken down by the metro area, so it’s hard to know how Houston stacks up against the financiers of New York and the blockbuster movies of Los Angeles. But Houston has a lot of engineers, so it’s likely it’s no slouch on that side of the trade equation.
The export of professional services , I wonder how much economic activity in this area in Houston is overlooked because they do keep those records by MSA's..
Second,
Shuttle could transform how port handles freight
Officials agree to study how, where to build A&M electric hauling system
BRYAN — A futuristic freighthauling shuttle that can move massive cargo containers from one major shipping terminal to another at up to 70 mph hour without using a drop of diesel or stopping at a single traffic light is set to get its realworld debut at the Port of Houston.
If all goes according to plan, the freight carrier, developed by Texas A&M Transportation Institute researcher Stephen Roop, will be used to move containers between the port’s Bayport and Barbour’s Cut terminals.
Powered by a 1,500-volt electrical current, the shuttle would travel the five miles between the terminals on a rail built along Texas 146.
New technology developed in Houston, that's economic diversity 
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