Houston Business Barometer Week 5: More than Half of Companies Making Plans to Reopen

Published May 05, 2020 by A.J. Mistretta

Local companies that had shuttered operations in response to the coronavirus pandemic are making plans to reopen in the days and weeks ahead, according to a new survey from the Greater Houston Partnership.

Just 3% of companies surveyed this week said they had completely resumed operations in the days since Governor Greg Abbott’s order went into effect allowing certain sectors to reopen. Another 16% say they have resumed partial operations while 10% say they plan to reopen within 2 weeks. Roughly 24% say they are not planning to reopen in the near future and nearly half of respondents say their companies never shut down.

More than 31% of responding companies said they are currently developing a plan to reopen while 22% say they have a plan and are preparing to execute it. Another 38% said they didn’t shut down or reduce operations enough to require a reopen plan.

Asked what elements of their business they might reassess in response to their COVID-19 experience, the top three answers among respondents were: telecommuting practices, technology needs and their relationship with customers.

When asked about their company’s short-term outlook this week compared to last 28% indicated it’s gotten better, 15% said it’s gotten worse and 57.1% say there’s been no change. Thirty-five percent say the pandemic response has severely impacted their business while another 43% say the impact on their operations has been moderate.

A total of 106 companies responded to the fifth Houston Business Barometer survey conducted by the Partnership between May 4 and 5.

See results from Week 4.

Get information and guidelines on reopening businesses safely from the Partnership's Houston Work Safe Program. Visit the Partnership's COVID-19 Resource page for updates, guidance for employers and more information.