3 min read January 2024 — Elijah Williams, executive director of Houston’s Energy Corridor, sat down with Invest: to discuss Houston’s growth, the role played by the energy industry in the region’s economy, the importance of community engagement and more. “Houston is booming,” he said. “This region is projected to see its population consistently grow over the next 20 years. There is a reason for that.”
How has the vision of the Energy Corridor shifted in recent years?
The Energy Corridor is a critical business district and economic hub for the Houston-Harris County region. We are home to many energy majors and their industry partners with over eight Fortune 500 and/or Global 500 companies, either headquartered or with a significant presence within the corridor. That centrality of energy sector representation is exciting and important and puts the Energy Corridor at the heart of Houston’s energy economy. Houston is the energy capital of the world, and the Energy Corridor is by far the nucleus of that.
I have been in this role for just over four years and have instituted a vision to make the Energy Corridor the place to work, live, play, and thrive in Houston. When I walked through the door, it was six months prior to the onset of COVID. The pandemic was not good for business districts, as most people know. However, we are gaining an understanding of what a post-COVID office world looks like right now. For the Energy Corridor, we have been extremely unique in our post-COVID recovery. First, we were considered a bit of a suburban business district, located at the end of the city of Houston’s limits. We are the last stop in Houston going west along I-10. The growth in Houston and Harris County is happening westward, which is exactly where we are. That development represents locations where people want to live with high-quality housing, schools and more. People were flocking to those communities. Our proximity to this growth post-COVID was a huge factor in our recovery.
Additionally, there is also a solid foundation of companies that have called the Energy Corridor home for a long time. Partner companies and competitors want to be near these Fortune 500 and Global 500 companies. That, in line with the competitive cost of quality office assets in the area has allowed us to do well. In September 2023, Avison Young shared that West Houston, led by the Energy Corridor and also consisting of Westchase and Katy Freeway East, was the top performing suburban submarket in the country over the past 12 months. I am excited about the momentum this creates.
What trends are you noticing in company preferences and activity?
One is that companies who are relocating to the Energy Corridor are shrinking their footprint and locating closer to where employees live. Recently, Baker Hughes moved their corporate headquarters to the Energy Corridor. The corridor will also be joined by Fluor in mid-2024, who will be relocating from Sugar Land to our district, bringing an anticipated 1,500 plus jobs. Companies are looking for the ability to consolidate at a reasonable price in quality office space and business districts. They are looking for close proximity to work. Instead of having employees make long treks to the office, there is an interest in shorter commute times to support better quality of life for employees. Amenities are also important, whether that means amenities offered within an office building or larger business district. What makes the Energy Corridor so special is that we offer these amenities, including excellent parks, trails and restaurants. We bring it all to the table.
How does the Energy Corridor engage and collaborate with the community to achieve your mission?
Community and collaboration is who we are. One of our roles as the organization responsible for the Energy Corridor is to bring together the business community with the local community. We want the corridor to be exciting for the employee or the resident. As such, we consistently host and engage the public and business stakeholder community through public meetings specific to projects, or simply on a quarterly basis. This allows us to receive input, share information, and have productive dialogue. It’s important to deliver what our constituents want and need whether it is related to driving economic growth, mobility, public safety, or community activation.
For example, we hosted our third-annual tree lighting celebration in 2023 with the support of four of our major employers. They underwrote an event that connected the business community to the residential community. It’s a win-win for everyone. Companies want to give back to the communities they reside in, and the people who live there want to feel that sense of community from those same companies whom many of them work for. Our organization is working to lead the way on such efforts.
What advice would you give to a potential investor or business owner about the Greater Houston market?
Come to the Energy Corridor. It is such a great time for us. We have a great economic foundation of companies located in our district. Another unique component is that there is a great future ahead in the corridor with new projects on the horizon. Several mixed-use and redevelopment projects are expected in the near future that our organization is strong proponents of. The Energy Corridor District is working to support such development as we move to build out shared use paths and other placemaking projects to support future development, as well as the overall needs of the corridor.
While the Energy Corridor is a great place, this expands to Houston as a whole. Houston is booming. This region is projected to see continued and consistent population growth over the next 20 years. There is a reason for that. Houston is a great place to live, the economy is doing great and that will continue. Houston is the energy capital of the world, our medical center is the largest in the world and taking on new efforts in life sciences, NASA is working to go back to the moon and the Houston space port is growing, and let’s not forget the Port of Houston. The Energy Corridor is a huge part of Houston’s success with a $24.3 billion total economic output and over 119,000 total jobs.
For more information, please visit:
