Skip to main content

Mayor Turner Talks Resiliency, Parks and Innovation at '19 State of the City

Published May 21, 2019 by A.J. Mistretta

Turner McClelland State of City
Mayor Turner and Scott McClelland

Mayor Sylvester Turner reviewed Houston’s progress over the last year in areas such as innovation and resiliency and laid out additional priorities during the annual State of the City address on May 20. Turner discussed improvements he wants to see in education, transit and green space before a group of 1,600 attendees at the event hosted by the Greater Houston Partnership. 

“The state of our city is strong, resilient and sustainable and the best is yet to come, he said. 

After giving his prepared remarks, Turner participated in a one-on-one discussion with H-E-B President Scott McClelland, who is serving as the 2019 Chair of the Partnership. Click here to see the full event. Here are a few of the highlights from the event. 

On Infrastructure 

Infrastructure remains a top priority for the administration. Under the city’s Build Houston Forward initiative, there is now a greater focus on drainage and infrastructure improvements in neighborhoods and not just in major centers of activity and thoroughfares. There are currently 239 such infrastructure projects in the works. “We are moving in the right direction,” he said, “but we need to do more projects sooner.” On another infrastructure-related front, Turner said the Houston Ship Channel needs to be widened and deepened if the Port of Houston is to remain the economic engine its become. 

On Resiliency 

With the 2019 hurricane season less than two weeks away, post-Hurricane Harvey resiliency was a major discussion point. Turner said his office will continue to work with the Partnership and Houston’s elected officials in Washington to secure the $4 billion in federal funds appropriated after Harvey that have yet to be released. He said projects ranging from an additional reservoir to the long-discussed “coastal spine” are needed to adequately protect the region. 

On Parks and Green Space 

Turner said that while many of the city’s signature parks such as Discovery Green and Hermann Park have become extraordinary assets, too many of the parks within neighborhoods do not see the same type of investment and use. The Mayor rallied the business community to support Houston’s park infrastructure through an initiative dubbed “50-for-50” where he is asking the Partnership, the Houston Parks Board, and the Parks Department to bring together 50 companies to form a city-wide coalition for neighborhood parks, primarily in communities that have been underserved. “You can’t create complete communities unless you create green space,” he said. “All Houstonians should have access to great parks and this will touch every district in the city.” A special thanks to H-E-B which has agreed to be the first company to get on board. To join this initiative and ensure your organization is part of the 50-for-50 effort, email 50for50@houston.org

On Transportation 

Growing traffic congestion often tops the list of concerns among Houston residents. Mayor Turner said Houston must work to increase the options available to Houstonians if the city is going to continue to compete with its counterparts. He encouraged the audience to educate themselves on the elements included in the MetroNEXT plan that will go before voters on the November ballot. That plan will help carry the transit agency forward with increased multi-modal options, from bus rapid transit (BRT) to light rail. “We must give people transportation options that meet their needs,” he said. “We need to be bold and transformational.”  

On Proposition B 

Turner said that with last week’s decision by Harris County Civil Judge Tanya Garrison ruling Proposition B unconstitutional, the city has rescinded layoff notices to hundreds of municipal employees and firefighters. The Mayor said the decision puts the city’s financial outlook on much better footing and he remains willing to sit down with the Houston firefighter’s union to reach a deal on a pay raise. “Our firefighters are deserving a raise that the city can afford,” he said. 

On Technology and Innovation 

Turner said when it comes to technology and innovation, Houston has worked overtime to catch up to where it needs to be. Now, the city’s ecosystem is poised for success thanks to the combined efforts of a number of organizations working together. The Mayor pointed to the creation of Houston Exponential and its fund of funds, which has raised more than $25 million so far, as well as a multitude of local startups being aided by new groups like The Cannon, Station Houston and MassChallenge. Meanwhile, Rice University’s plan to transform a former department store building into an innovation hub called The Ion is expected to jumpstart a planned innovation district in Midtown. 

On Education 

Houston should be proud to be the energy capital, an emerging hub for tech and innovation and the location of the largest medical center in the world. But the city’s economic success doesn’t mean much if its young people lack the education to find opportunity, the Mayor said. “We owe it to our kids to provide them with a quality education, we know what it can mean,” he said, adding that several of our schools and school districts are not operating at their best. “If our kids are not succeeding, it’s not because they’re not capable or not smart, it’s because adults have failed them, and failure is not an option in Houston.” Turner said education improvement must be addressed in a holistic and transformational way. 

Learn about other major Partnership events coming up and explore the Public Policy section for additional insight into the organization's work at the municipal, state and federal level. 
 

Related News

Economic Development

How Amazon's Strategic Procurement Drives Inclusive Growth

11/20/24
Amazon’s leadership in supplier diversity has positioned the corporation for success while driving inclusive economic growth. Kennedy Oates, Partnership Board Member and Vice President of Global Procurement at Amazon, shared insights and best practices at the Greater Houston Partnership’s One Houston Together Fall Chief Procurement Officers (CPO) Convening.  Oates discussed how Amazon has grown its supplier diversity efforts by ensuring the value proposition of intentional inclusion of underrepresented businesses is communicated at every level. According to Amazon’s 2023 Sustainability Report, the company’s global supplier diversity and inclusion (SDI) program is estimated to have supported over 30,000 U.S. jobs and generated approximately $2.8 billion in wages earned from Amazon's certified U.S. Tier 1 supplier diversity spend.  In 2023, Amazon was inducted into the Billion Dollar Roundtable, a non-profit organization comprised of U.S. corporations that each spend $1 billion or more annually on a Tier 1 basis with diverse suppliers. These diverse-owned businesses comprise majority owners who identify as minorities, women, veterans, disabled and LGBTQ.  Oates stated that achieving this milestone required a deliberate approach, built on a clear vision, a targeted strategy, and an empowered team dedicated to executing these goals. By embedding supplier diversity into Amazon’s core procurement practices, they’ve fostered a sustainable and inclusive growth model that supports both the company’s goals and the success of diverse suppliers. Key Takeaways from CPO Convening Supplier Diversity as a Strategic Value Proposition Oates emphasized the importance of viewing supplier diversity as more than just an initiative—highlighting the long-term value diverse suppliers bring to a company and its surrounding communities. Through its global SDI strategy, Amazon measures impact through jobs supported, wages earned and economic output generated. “Given our reach and scale, Amazon has a greater responsibility.” – Kennedy Oates, VP of Global Procurement, Amazon Vision-Driven Goals with Clear Strategies For Amazon, supplier diversity goals go beyond simple statements. Oates stressed the importance of crafting a well-defined vision, supported by actionable strategies to advance supplier diversity objectives. This approach includes setting clear, market-specific spending targets, identifying procurement categories that have greater opportunity based passed success, and building relationships with suppliers by understanding their needs and their customers’ needs. In addition, internal teams should have collaborative discussions on supplier diversity across the entire business rather than in silos.   Partnering with Companies at Every Level “Every large company was once small.” – Kennedy Oates, VP of Global Procurement, Amazon Amazon is redefining procurement by challenging the perception that only large companies can serve large corporations. Its approach embraces partnerships with businesses of all sizes, embedding supplier diversity as a core element of its supply chain. While direct spending with certified Tier 1 diverse suppliers is central to Amazon’s SDI program, the company further amplifies its impact by encouraging Tier 1 suppliers to include diverse Tier 2 businesses in their procurement processes. For example, Amazon sets specific spend targets in contracts with Tier 1 suppliers to use Disadvantaged Business Enterprises, creating a positive ripple effect that brings opportunities to underrepresented companies deeper in the supply chain. To learn more about the Partnership’s Supplier Diversity workstream, contact LaTanya Flix.
Read More
Economic Development

Geothermal Startup Sage Geosystems Highlights Potential for New Energy in Houston

11/12/24
Long known as the energy capital of the world, Houston is proving its merit as the industry embraces an all-inclusive approach to energy sources. Beyond the wealth of oil and gas capital, Houston has become a landing spot for numerous solar, wind and battery storage investments. Companies like Fluence Energy, Renewable Parts and Solar Plus have chosen Houston for its manufacturing of innovative energy products. Geothermal Energy: An Untapped Resource Geothermal energy, often unsung in the new energy landscape, can be found beneath our feet, harnessing the power of heat lying underground. In conventional geothermal power plants, wells are drilled into geothermal reservoirs to access hot water or steam, which is then brought to the surface. This steam is used to drive turbines that generate electricity. Sage Geosystems is changing that by pursuing geothermal potential in rock that is hot but doesn't have the large volumes of water to bring the heat to the surface. Hot, dry rock enables geothermal power generation in many more places as the geology is more prevalent which enables geothermal to now be deployable almost anywhere in the world. Sage Geosystems: Leading Geothermal Innovation Houston is seeing its chance to make a mark with geothermal thanks to companies like Sage Geosystems, founded in 2020 with its headquarters near Bush Intercontinental Airport. Sage works to build the technology that makes this renewable energy a greater force in the worldwide energy transition, engaged in contracts and partnerships with local energy providers, major government agencies like the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) and hyper-scalers like Meta Platforms. On the public utility side, the company recently partnered with the San Miguel Electric Cooperative to build the first geopressured geothermal system. The technology used can be paired with solar and/or wind to convert these intermittent clean energy sources to 24-hour power generation, or it can be used to move these clean energy sources from a time of day when the demand is low to a time of day when the demand is high, stabilizing the utility grid and helping mitigate the issue of blackouts and brownouts. The facility will be commissioned in December. Sage has three ongoing projects with the DOD. The U.S. Air Force recently provided Sage with $1.9 million in Tactical Funding Increase (TACFI) funding to perform a geothermal demonstration with electricity generation, which will take place in Sage's test well in Starr County, Texas with a targeted completion date of Q3/Q4 2025.  The Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) has funded two geothermal feasibility studies for the U.S. Army installation of Fort Bliss in El Paso and the Naval Air Station CC in Corpus Christi. Sage is performing these feasibility studies with the University of Texas Bureau of Economic Geology. The intent of these studies is to evaluate the technical and economic feasibility of geothermal system installations using Sage's Geopressured Geothermal System (GGS) technology at these two DOD installations. Collaboration Powers Innovation in Houston As evidenced by the above, collaboration plays a central role in the growth of Sage Geosystems. The company has not only partnered with utility companies and major governmental institutions, but also collaborated with the Rice Alliance for Technology and the Greater Houston Partnership to facilitate work with institutions of higher learning like the University of Houston and Rice, venture capital firms, and established energy corporations such as ABB, Chesapeake (now Expand Energy), Nabors, and Geolog. This sense of collaboration is one of the many reasons Sage Geosystems has thrived in Houston, along with the infrastructure, talent and innovative spirit that propels local companies to success. The Houston Advantage for Energy Startups “While Texas is the top energy state in the U.S., Houston is the heart. Houston provides not only access to the O&G industry, but also many utilities and others interested and/or working in energy...The Houston energy ecosystem and the benefits described above will continue to be critical in this scale-up plan." - Sage Geosystems CEO Cindy Taff Looking ahead, Sage is building its first commercial energy storage facility and will be performing a geothermal power generation demonstration with the U.S. Air Force in 2025.  Sage sees Houston as the best place to scale in Texas and throughout the world. "Geothermal energy represents a transformative opportunity for Houston as it further strengthens our position as the global energy capital. Sage Geosystems' innovative approach to harnessing geothermal resources exemplifies the spirit of collaboration, innovation, and commitment to sustainability that defines our region’s energy leadership.” - Partnership Senior Vice President of Economic Development Craig Rhodes  For any new energy startups looking to establish themselves, Taff recommends leveraging Houston’s many assets for future success. “Tap into existing knowledge that can be transferred to clean tech and partner with companies that know where to find the skills needed to give your startup a leg up,” Taff said. “Join local incubators like Rice Alliance for Technology and the Houston Technology Center and others, leverage Greater Houston Partnership and Greentown Labs for networking, collaborate with Rice University and University of Houston, and take advantage of Texas' business-friendly regulatory environment.” Sage Geosystems is a prime example of how energy startups use Houston’s assets as a springboard to meet their potential, along with renowned innovators such as Syzygy Plasmonics, Cemvita Factory, and Fervo Energy. Learn more about the business opportunities within Houston's energy industry and its all-inclusive energy ecosystem.   
Read More

Related Events

Airports

State of the Airports

Tickets and tables are now available! The Greater Houston Partnership invites you to the State of Airports on Tuesday, December 5, as Jim Szczesniak, Director of Aviation, outlines the next…

Learn More
Learn More
Executive Partners