Carlos Guzman, Director of Economic Opportunity & Development, Fort Bend County

Invest: spoke with Carlos Guzman, director of economic opportunity and development for Fort Bend County, about the county’s rapid growth, its push to attract major employment hubs, and the long-term planning needed to preserve quality of life. “We want to be a second center of gravity,” Guzman said.

What major changes or trends have influenced economic development in Fort Bend County over the past year?

A few major forces are shaping the county right now. Texas continues to grow, and a significant share of that growth is happening within the Texas Triangle, which is driving more attention to the Houston area. Fort Bend County is capturing a meaningful portion of that momentum. The county is approaching 1 million residents, and over the next 20 to 25 years, that number is expected to double.

That growth is creating new opportunities for development, particularly in areas that still have greenfield land available. Historically, Fort Bend was not seeing the same level of industrial interest that it is seeing now, but that has changed. The Union Pacific announcement late last year involving 2,000 acres for an industrial park brought major visibility to the county and helped generate additional interest from other projects.

Broader national and global shifts are also influencing activity. Changes in administration, tariffs, and supply chain realignment are all contributing to more onshoring and nearshoring discussions. Fort Bend benefits from being in the Houston region and relatively close to Mexico, which makes it attractive for companies looking to strengthen logistics links while staying near a major metro and port ecosystem.

Another important dynamic is the scale of planned development. There are large master planned projects underway, including one that will unfold over about 60 years. That long-term view is significant because it allows development to happen in a more intentional way rather than chasing short-term returns. The county is also investing in major corridors such as the Grand Parkway and the Fort Bend Toll Road, which will open new areas for residential and commercial growth.

How is Fort Bend County balancing population growth with economic development while preserving what makes the county distinctive?

That balance starts with recognizing that Fort Bend is not one uniform market. In many ways, it is two counties in one. The eastern side, closer to Houston, includes communities such as Sugar Land, Missouri City, and Stafford, which are more built out and tend to focus on industries such as life sciences, manufacturing, and office-oriented employment. Sugar Land, for example, has strong potential in life sciences because many of its residents already work in the Texas Medical Center, so there is a natural advantage in bringing those jobs closer to where people live.

On the western side of the county, in areas such as Rosenberg and Richmond, there is more greenfield land, which makes those communities better suited for industrial development and larger-scale projects. That geographic variation is important because Fort Bend’s approach is driven by local buy-in. If a city is not interested in pursuing a certain type of project, the county is not going to push it. Economic development has to align with each community’s vision.

Preserving quality of life also depends on infrastructure and amenities. The county cannot build infrastructure fast enough to match every new arrival, but it can make strategic investments to support mobility and maintain livability. That includes road expansions, but also public assets such as parks and a countywide library system. Fort Bend also benefits from strong schools, which remain one of the biggest draws for families. Lamar Consolidated is one of the fastest-growing school districts in Texas, which speaks to the pace of residential growth taking place.

How is Fort Bend County approaching workforce development as new industries and employers look to expand in the area?

Workforce is the central issue in economic development today. Twenty years ago, most conversations focused primarily on infrastructure. Now, almost every serious project begins with workforce. Roads can be built relatively quickly, but a skilled labor pipeline takes years to develop.

Fort Bend has an advantage because it sits within the broader Houston labor market. Guzman noted that one recent site-selection discussion highlighted access to 2.2 million workers within a 45-minute drive of a Fort Bend site. That scale is larger than the population of some states, and it gives the county a powerful regional advantage when competing for projects.

Even so, access alone is not enough. The county works closely with school districts, technical education providers, community colleges, universities, and the private sector to make sure programs are aligned with employer needs. The county is not in the education business directly, but it does play a role in helping connect the institutions that train talent with the companies that will hire it.

That coordination matters even more as industries evolve. Across the Houston region, schools and colleges are adapting to emerging fields such as AI and advanced engineering. In Fort Bend itself, the University of Houston at Sugar Land has relocated its engineering school to that campus, helping strengthen the link between higher education and future industry demand.

How is the county leveraging infrastructure investments to support both mobility and site readiness?

Infrastructure planning in Fort Bend is collaborative by necessity. It is not only the economic development office involved. The county’s toll road authority, drainage teams, engineers, and other departments all have to work together, especially because much of the land that is easiest to develop has already been taken. What remains often requires more coordination and more problem-solving.

Projects such as the expansion of the Grand Parkway and the Fort Bend Toll Road will be especially important because they will open up new nodes of development. The county is already in discussions with property owners in those areas to determine how public and private investment can work together.

The goal is to create true win-win outcomes. The county is not interested in simply giving away benefits for the sake of landing a deal. Instead, it is looking at what tools can be used to make sites more marketable while also ensuring the county and its residents benefit from the outcome. If those partnerships happen early, they can help unlock land, improve infrastructure, and position Fort Bend more competitively for future projects.

What differentiates Fort Bend County within the larger Houston region and the broader Texas Triangle?

Fort Bend’s opportunity lies in becoming more than a fast-growing suburban county. The long-term goal is to establish it as a distinct center of gravity within the Houston metro.

In other major metros, people clearly recognize multiple activity centers. In Dallas-Fort Worth, for example, Frisco has emerged as its own hub. In Southern California, Orange County is distinct from Los Angeles County, even though both are part of the same larger region. Houston has historically been more centralized, but that is changing as surrounding counties grow rapidly.

Fort Bend wants to be the place people think of alongside Harris County rather than simply as an extension of Houston. That means building not just housing, but also employment centers, amenities, and a stronger identity. The county is advancing that vision through a new branding initiative called Select Fort Bend. It is about to be soft launched, with a larger rollout later this year. The idea of Select Fort Bend is to position the county more clearly in the marketplace and elevate awareness among companies and investors.

The broader goal is to ensure Fort Bend offers enough jobs, quality of life, and services that people do not always need to leave the county for work, shopping, or entertainment. We want to be that other center of gravity.

Looking ahead two to three years, what would success look like for Fort Bend County?

Success would mean activating more of the county’s major employment sites and landing some of the large-scale projects that Fort Bend is now beginning to compete for. The county has already made important progress. A few years ago, it was not even making the shortlist for many projects. Today, it is reaching finalist rounds and having more serious conversations with site selectors and companies.

That shift matters because it shows the county is moving in the right direction. Even when it does not win a project, the feedback helps local leaders understand what needs to improve, whether that is site readiness, infrastructure, or other competitive factors. Within the next few years, those efforts will translate into major wins.

However, success is not only about landing headline projects. It is also about making decisions now that will still look smart decades from today. Development patterns last a long time, and the choices being made today will shape Fort Bend for the next 30 to 50 years. The priority is to make sure the county grows in a way that strengthens future competitiveness and quality of life rather than creating problems for the next generation of leaders.