Photo Credit: Rod PradoBusiness
Woodlands Chamber hosts 38th Annual Economic Outlook Conference
The 38th Annual Economic Outlook Conference took place on Friday, February 16, 2024 at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott Hotel & Convention Center.
The Economic Outlook Conference, produced by The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce and sponsored by Entergy Texas, is a highly anticipated conference for hundreds of high-profile business leaders to gain insight and knowledge on the trajectory of our economy – and ways to prepare for the growth to come. National and local speakers addressed attendees on the economy, trends and growth on topics related to The Woodlands, Greater Houston area, Texas, and the nation.
View photos from the event on the Hello Woodlands Facebook page here:
This year, Patrick Jankowski with the Greater Houston Partnership kicked off the conference with the Regional Economic Update, followed by an Economic Policy Update from State Senator Brandon Creighton with moderator Tom Abrahams.
Members of The Woodlands Township Board of Directors – Dr. Ann K. Snyder, Brad Bailey, and Kyle Watson – shared The Woodlands Community Update, sharing news such as the record breaking hotel occupancy tax collected in 2023, results of the new mixed beverage tax, increase in law enforcement (10 deputies, 3 detectives) in the public safety contract, $1 million investment in reforestation budgeted for 2024, new plans for Fire Station #5 and Emergency Training Center, details on the One Water Task Force, and the still hopeful plans and continued discussions of a Performance Arts Center.
Gil Staley, CEO of The Woodlands Area Economic Development Partnership, shared the Local Economy Update including the Major Employers Report, recording a combined total of 85 companies and 40,036 jobs in The Woodlands area. For the fifth year in a row, healthcare was reported as the local leading sector representing 31.3% of the overall workforce with 12,527 major employer jobs. With Office Occupancy Vacancy Rate in The Woodlands at a total of 13.5% (in comparison to the Greater Houston’s 25.8% rate) and Sales Tax up 6%, Staley ended the presentation with encouraging local businesses to “Keep On Keepin’ On.”
In celebration of The Woodlands’ 50th Anniversary, Moderator Jim Carman (President of the Houston Region at Howard Hughes Holdings, Inc.), Meredith Dreiss (daughter of George and Cynthia Mitchell), Robert Heineman (Former Vice President of Planning & Design for The Woodlands Development Company), Nelda Blair (The Blair Law Firm & First Chairman of The Woodlands Township Board of Directors), and Kevin Brady (Former U.S. Congressman (TX-8) & Former President of The Woodlands Chamber) reflected on fifty years of excellence and counting, sharing how The Woodlands was developed, memories of George and Cynthia Mitchell, and the hard work it took for residents, businesses, and one developer to make The Woodlands what it is today.
Following a delicious lunch buffet prepared by The Woodlands Waterway Marriott, Captain (Retired) Eric “Popeye” Doyle, Commanding Officer & Flight Leader of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and CEO of RAVN Aerospace, was the lunch keynote speaker and encouraged the audience to focus on embracing humility, ownership, and optimism in their daily lives and in business.
The CEO Spotlight was moderated by Brian Albert, Partner at Kean Miller, LLP and The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce’s Chairman of the Board, and featured Ron Mittelstaedt, CEO of Waste Connections, Inc. and Dr. Arthur T. Sands, President of Nurix Therapeutics, Inc. The conference concluded with a much anticipated keynote message on the Past, Present, and Future of AI given by Zac Kass – Technology Futurist, Specialist in Generative AI Solutions, and Former Head of Go-To-Market at OpenAI/ChatGPT.
Following the conference, The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce shared, “Thank you to everyone who made EOC 2024 a success. Speakers, sponsors, attendees and the team behind the scenes created a day of building connections and a program full of insightful discussions and engaging speeches exploring the past, present and future of The Woodlands. Keynote speaker Zack Kass delivered a master class on Artificial General Intelligence and got us all thinking about what the future may hold. A big note of gratitude to Presenting Sponsor Entergy Texas for always supporting the Chamber and The Woodlands area community. The planning committee led by Linda Nelson, Jordan Buras and Samantha Chapa set a new benchmark for excellence to build future Economic Outlook Conferences on. See you for EOC 2025!”
As the largest business association in Greater Houston, The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce represents more than 1,300 area employers on the local, county, state and national level. They work to improve the area’s economy by advocating for the business community, creating marketing and connection opportunities, serving as a professional and community resource and supporting local nonprofits. For more information, visit www.woodlandschamber.org.
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