The Port Commission of the Port of Houston Authority met virtually in regular session on Tuesday for its April meeting. Chairman Ric Campo reflected on the priorities of Port Houston’s future, as he emphasized its commitment to continued investment in infrastructure to keep growing and sustaining 1.35 million Texan jobs, and providing opportunities to thrive for small and minority and women-owned businesses (MWBE).
The meeting opened with encouragement and support from Harris County officials and the City of Houston, including Harris County Commissioners Rodney Ellis and Adrian Garcia and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner. These officials commended the Port Commission for improving and strengthening opportunities for minorities and women-owned companies to access Port Houston business, through its new MWBE policy, an item on the Port Commission’s agenda.
Later in the meeting, the Port Commission approved the Minority- and Woman-Owned Business Enterprise Development Policy, accompanied by the Amended and Restated Small Business Development Policy.
The officials also expressed support of Port Houston’s efforts to achieve continued improvement of the Houston Ship Channel through the Project 11 deepening and widening project, keeping Port Houston competitive and generating jobs and economic impact for the region and the state.
Notably, the Commission awarded the first Project 11 construction contract at the meeting – and more than half of the total $24 million in contracts approved at the meeting supported Project 11 efforts.
“Each step forward in this project represents the future prosperity of over 3.2 million Americans who rely on this channel for their livelihoods, and the future generations who will benefit from these investments for decades to come,” Chairman Campo said, concerning this significant milestone.
In his operational update, Executive Director Roger Guenther announced that container volume in March was the highest ever. Port Houston handled 297,397 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) in the last month, a 20% gain over March of last year.
Guenther also announced the production of a special video offering a unique “behind the scenes” look at what makes Port Houston work. “Navigating the Future” includes Guenther, Chairman Campo, and others as they discuss port activity, the economic outlook, infrastructure, environmental and MWBE initiatives, and much more.
About Port Houston
For more than 100 years, Port Houston has owned and operated the public wharves and terminals along the Houston Ship Channel, including the area’s largest breakbulk facility and two of the most efficient and fastest-growing container terminals in the country. Port Houston is the advocate and a strategic leader for the Channel. The Houston Ship Channel complex and its more than 200 public and private terminals, collectively known as the Port of Houston, is the nation’s largest port for waterborne tonnage and an essential economic engine for the Houston region, the state of Texas, and the U.S. The Port of Houston supports the creation of nearly 1.35 million jobs in Texas and 3.2 million jobs nationwide, and economic activity totaling $339 billion in Texas – 20.6 percent of Texas’ total gross domestic product (GDP) – and $801.9 billion in economic impact across the nation.