Downtown Houston Forum

[Whitney]

In recent years, there has been a spurt of business in the city of Houston. The years 2003-2004 have been particularly remarkable for the Houstonians. The increase in the number of businesses in Houston is found to be nearly 3-8 % between 2000-2004. The year 2004 saw the number of new businesses rise to 187,726 from 180,594 in 2000.
Houston has been known since time immemorial, of its entrepreneur-friendly environment and a ‘can-do’ spirit. The region has always been attracting business ventures from across the world. The key factors that contribute to this are the welcoming atmosphere, a low cost of living and the ease of doing business here.

Some other facts that make Houston a venture capitalist’s paradise are:
• The Houston region is home to more than 85,000 small businesses.
• Houston’s dynamic economy, well-developed information technology sector, talented workforce, business-friendly environment, low costs of living and ease of doing business make it a natural magnet for entrepreneurs.
• Houston is ranked #2 on the Milken Institute’s 2003 Best-Performing Cities Index.
• Site Selection magazine ranked the Houston-Baytown-Sugar Land metro area in the top 10 of Metro Areas for Investment in its March, 2004 issue
• Houston has the lowest cost of living among the country’s 24 largest metropolitan areas( ACCRA Cost of Living Index for the first quarter of 2005)
• Houston has one of the lowest per-family tax burdens of any major U.S. city as there is no state personal income or state property taxes,

In order to promote the business community of Houston, The Greater Houston Partnership was formed. The partnership is a joint effort comprising of hundred’s of business luminaries from different walks of life. Some of the cherished members of the community are Chip Carlisle, Chairman, John Hofmeister, Vice-Chairman, Jeff Mosley, President. The honorable board members include Drew Alexander, Howard T.Ayers, Mike Ballases, Richard W.Weekley and many more.

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