North Houston is on its way back, and it was never more evident than at the Aug. 23 Economic Showcase, attended by more than 500 business people, clients and media. Fifty tables of stunning exhibits demonstrated the progress this area is making in everything from county parks and road construction to airport expansion and new companies, developments and services.
The event, first of a kind, was held at the Wyndham Hotel-Greenspoint and co-hosted by the North Houston Association and the Houston Northwest Chamber of Commerce. John E. Walsh, Jr., President of Friendswood Development Company and President of the Houston Economic Development Council, was the keynote speaker. First tracing north Houston’s early development, Walsh urged the region to develop into a high-quality community rather than becoming suburban sprawl. “We can be a passive recipient of Houston’s growth as the regional economy recovers or we can pro-actively create a showcase city,” he said.
The area’s major issues, he said, are regionalization of utility systems, intra-regional mobility, enhancement of education institutions and image improvement. Dan Daniels, Marketing Vice President for Champion Realty Corporation, raised the sponsor seed money that guaranteed the event’s financial success.
And Connie Elston, Champion’s Manager of Public Relations and Advertising, showed once again why she is amongst the best in her field. Media from New York to Houston attended, and Billie Lim, editor of the New York based Financial Times, was impressed by the strength of economic development groups in north Houston. The North Houston / South Montgomery County Economic Showcase was underwritten by Compaq Corp., Friendswood Development Company, Champion Realty Corp., Houston Lighting & Power, Houston Northwest Medical Center, Mitchell Development Co., Wilma Southwest Inc., Woodcreek Bank and Union Pacific Realty.
