Site Selection ranks Houston No. 1 for expansions, relocations
March 1, 2012
Site Selection magazine has ranked Houston as the No. 1 U.S. metropolitan area for corporate facility expansions and relocations in 2011.
Local experts, including Craig Richard, chief economic development officer with the Greater Houston Partnership, say the ranking could lead to even more regional economic development.
Last year, the GHP counted 195 relocations and expansions in the 10-county Houston region. Out of these relocations and expansions, the 34 that GHP helped to coordinate created more than 4,720 jobs.
Site Selection magazine, which is published by Conway Data Inc. and is the official publication of the Georgia-based Industrial Asset Management Council, ranked Houston a year earlier as the No. 2 area in the U.S. for expansions and relocations. This year, Houston beat out the former No. 1 competitor, Chicago.
To qualify in the expansion and relocation category, all facilities have to be at least 20,000 square feet, have a capital investment of at least $1 million and create at least 50 new jobs.