Reggie Gray, President & CEO, Houston Intercontinental Chamber of Commerce
As a true international city, Houston continues to draw the eyes of state and global businesses seeking to leverage the strong economic foundation found in this dynamic market. In an interview with Invest:, Reggie Gray, president and CEO of the Houston Intercontinental Chamber of Commerce, highlighted how the organization is helping members locally and discussed its work in promoting Houston to the world as the place to do business in the United States. “A lot is happening in Texas. I can’t think of any other place in the world better to be today than Houston, Texas,” Gray said.
What have been the key highlights for the chamber over the last 12 months?
It has been a productive year for the chamber. We have been able to expand our reach to the continents of Australia and Africa. The chamber is completely global now. We also completed an around-the-world trip. We met with associates who have wanted to engage since before the COVID pandemic. We will be looking at expanding our global partnerships in the coming year. We had a phenomenal year, and by no means do we plan on slowing down.
What makes the Houston market a key destination for business?
The powerhouse is the fact that it is located in Texas, which has been the leading state in economic development for more than 15 years. Texas has the world’s eighth-largest economy. Houston has the largest exporting port, which is larger than the ports in New York and California combined. Most importantly, Houston has the most Fortune 500 companies in Texas. Houston itself is a hub for key industries, such as oil, gas, manufacturing, and logistics. The city has the world’s largest medical center. It is home to NASA. Its strategic, central geographic location between North and South America has been beneficial for the logistics sector. When you combine all these factors, the economy stays stable even when recessions and other economic factors are in play. I believe it will continue to stay this way. Houston’s economy is so diverse across all different economic sectors. Additionally, there is a lot of land to build on and affordability in the real estate market. A lot is happening in Texas. I can’t think of any other place in the world better to be today than Houston, Texas.
How have the needs of chamber members evolved?
The chamber has been around since 1986. We are more targeted for business development and strategic planning. We don’t do a ton of networking events. Our methodology for our members is to find out who they need to connect with, find out what pain points they have, and focus on those. Our members are more like clients. Our niche has been to specialize and focus on our members individually and help them with strategic planning and strategic issues. It is more than just networking. They may have issues related to staffing, or importing and exporting, or accounting, for example. We can leverage the expertise of our members to be able to meet other members’ needs, depending on what the issue may be.
What partnerships is the chamber focused on?
We have a great, continuous relationship with the state’s economic development department. We aim to have individual relationships with different partners. We represent our members in Texas, other parts of the United States, or anywhere in the world. We steer our members regardless of where they are trying to go. We have partner officers and directors in Los Angeles and New York, which makes the chamber coast-to-coast. We are able to collaborate depending on what part of the country someone wants to go to. For our members, we can help them expand if they want to go to other markets. For example, we helped bring the Saudi Business Council to Mexico. With our membership and our organization, the chamber can help businesses expand to other countries, not just Houston. We have the flexibility for businesses to expand wherever they want to go. This is our edge compared to other chambers.
What is the state of the local labor pool?
The Houston market and its key players have been proactive, especially as it relates to the workforce. One of our members, Lone Star College, has some great programs that help various industries and also help meet workforce needs in the region. In general, the market has a great education system equipping the local workforce. Texas has about 400,000 people moving into the state yearly. It is not about the workforce, but about finding the matches. There may be lulls, or a few areas that see an increase in workforce, but as far as states go, Texas is in one of the best situations as it relates to the workforce pool in the entire country.
What are the chamber’s top priorities moving forward?
It will be to enhance our global connections, especially in Australia and Africa. We want to cultivate additional partnerships that have been patiently waiting in places like India, Singapore, South Korea, and Japan, as well as remain active with our North America partners in Canada and Mexico. We will continue to focus on this international exchange of services, products, and manufacturing. This is what Houston is. Houston is one of the most international cities in the world, and it does not matter if you are a small, regional chamber; the impact is there. We realize this and embrace it, and have been working on this heavily for more than 20 years. We have a lot of projects queued up with all the new markets that we are integrating into our model. We are optimistic for our chamber and its growth and for what we will be able to do for our members.
