David Gow, President & CEO, Center for Houston’s Future

In an interview with Invest:, David Gow, president and CEO of the Center for Houston’s Future, discussed Houston’s economic momentum, the region’s collaborative approach to long-term growth, and emerging opportunities in brain health and innovation. “We have a long history of coming together around important causes,” Gow said.

How would you describe Houston’s economic outlook today? What are some of the main trends shaping business and investment decisions?

The outlook is robust and positive. Houston has long been strong in energy, medical, and aerospace, and advanced manufacturing is also a great growth engine for us. The Port of Houston has been catalytic in spurring economic growth. We are starting with an extraordinary foundation, and we are also planting seeds for new industries.

What types of companies and industries are continuing to drive that growth, and what new sectors show the most promise?

One thing we are excited about is that there is a neuroscience renaissance coming. There is a global movement around brain health and a real focus on how we can support lifelong brain health and fully utilize brain productivity. There are breakthroughs in neuroscience, a new understanding of the brain, and new opportunities to measure brain health.

That creates an exciting growth opportunity. Historically, the medical community has been more focused on heart health and cancer care, but now we think there is an opportunity for the brain to become front and center. Houston has a strong foundation to secure a leadership position in brain health because we already have outstanding neurological institutions leading in their own right.

One of the efforts of the Center for Houston’s Future is to convene those institutions so they can collaborate and position Houston to be a lighthouse for brain health globally. On this initiative, we have brought together institutions to collaborate toward that goal. We have three project chairs: Dr. Jochen Reiser of UTMB Galveston, Amy Dittmar of Rice University, and David Callender of Memorial Hermann. Those three entities, plus West Health and Accenture, are the project chairs of what we are calling Project Metis. 

Metis is the name of the Greek goddess of deep thought and wisdom. We are drawing on that name to create an initiative that positions Houston for leadership in this space.

Houston continues to lead in energy. How is the region balancing its traditional strengths with new opportunities related to energy transition and emerging technologies?

Several years back, Houston formed the Houston Energy Transition Initiative, often referred to as HETI. The idea was to transition Houston from being the oil and gas capital to becoming the energy capital of the world.

What happened there is analogous to what we are now doing with brain health. Leading institutions in the oil and gas space, some of them long-standing competitors, came together for the greater good. They collaborated, and the results of that work are visible all across the region. We are becoming a leader in global energy.

One example is Greentown Labs, a large innovation hub here in town that co-locates around 300 climate-tech startups. Each of those startups has a piece of the puzzle in reducing carbon emissions and creating new efficiencies in fuel. They are going to be part of the broader effort to ensure that Houston leads the world in energy transition.

How are projects in aerospace helping to elevate Houston’s global profile?

One of the great things about Artemis is that it put a spotlight on the work already happening here. For the past several years, there have been extraordinary breakthroughs and exciting new companies in aerospace, including Venus Aerospace.

What Artemis did was remind the world who we are. It reminded people that Houston is Space City and gave us more visible leadership in that sector. It is an exciting time, and the astronauts involved have been extraordinary ambassadors for the space program. Their humanity, combined with their insight into the science of space exploration, has been powerful.

One of the fun things about being Space City is that you can go to a dinner gala or an event around town and find yourself sitting next to an astronaut. They are here, and they are part of our culture.

How well prepared is Houston’s talent pipeline to support the future growth of these sectors?

We have long had a really strong workforce, but we are never going to rest on where we are. There is a lot of activity happening at the Greater Houston Partnership, at the Center for Houston’s Future, and across our leading corporations focused on the future of work.

The key question is what the future skills of the workplace are going to look like with the coming of AI. Once we identify those skills, we need to determine what steps to take today to make sure our workforce and our communities are prepared for the future and able to support continued growth.

How important is collaboration to Houston’s success?

We have a long history of coming together around important causes. I mentioned energy transition, where long-standing competitors came together for the greater good of reducing carbon emissions and increasing energy availability. We are seeing the same thing in the medical community now by bringing together institutions that have traditionally competed in order to position Houston as a leader in brain health.

You can see this collaborative spirit in many places. The Greater Houston Partnership has long been a catalyst for getting people to work together for better outcomes collectively than they could achieve independently.

Business leaders everywhere are navigating cost pressures, high interest rates, and geopolitical uncertainty. What are Houston leaders most focused on today?

There is a great deal of volatility in the midst of investment decision-making today. But I do believe it is almost in the DNA of our region to press on even in times of uncertainty.

Maybe that comes from our legacy in oil and gas, which has always involved volatility. We find ways to stay focused, keep our heads down, and execute our plans even when the waters are shifting around us.

How are real estate and infrastructure shaping Houston’s future growth?

At the Center, we have done a fair amount of work on urban planning and on the evolution and build-out of the city. One of the things we think is especially important is coupling the development of a vibrant urban core with strong suburban communities.

We want to see an urban core with housing density and, therefore, housing affordability, surrounded by wonderful suburban communities. We believe Houston can have both. There has been more population growth in the suburbs over the past 10 years, but we are also seeing more growth in the urban core. That coupling of the two will make Houston particularly attractive from a livability standpoint.

What gives Houston a competitive advantage over other markets?

One thing I would add to our existing industrial foundation is that the city and the region have worked hard to develop technology innovation ecosystems. There are several examples, from the Cannon to the Ion, to Greentown Labs for climate tech, to Rice University, and the University of Houston’s innovation hub.

These are important because when you bring together early-stage companies, co-locate them, and provide them with resources, you greatly increase their prospects of success. Entrepreneurship is a difficult road, but these hubs offer mentor networks, angel investor networks, shared services, educational programs, and community-building opportunities that improve outcomes.

They connect entrepreneurs who might otherwise be operating independently and give them a community that can help position them for success.

How is the Center for Houston’s Future supporting those efforts?

One of the things our organization is aspiring to do now is take those best practices in innovation hubs and apply them to neuro opportunities tied to brain health. Some innovation hubs are industry agnostic, while others are specialized, like Greentown in climate tech and the Texas Medical Center’s innovation hub in medtech.

We believe Houston can and should lead the world in the development of brain capital, and that means creating an innovation hub focused on neuro opportunities. That would strengthen the overall picture and help Houston participate in and lead a new industry.

What are your top priorities for the organization over the next two to three years?

Last year, we completed a project called Vision 2050. Its main thrust was to create a strategic plan for Houston’s future, to identify what we aspire for the region to be and have over time. That project has been completed and published, but there is more work to do to turn those concepts into reality. We have identified aspirations and initiatives, but implementation remains a major priority.

The other major focus this year, and into next year as well, is Project Metis and ensuring Houston’s leadership in brain health.

Is there anything else you would like to add?

The Center did a study a few years back on the economic impact and importance of immigrants, and the data showed clearly that immigrants have been a significant net positive for Houston’s economic growth. They have fueled a lot of the region’s development.

I think most Houstonians are looking for a rational plan on immigration, a reasonable middle ground. It is not about having wide-open doors, and it is not about shutting everyone out either. It is about a logical, reasoned approach that recognizes the value immigrants bring and creates a workable path forward.