The Economic Development Introduction and Collaborative Meeting brought together economic-development professionals for a port briefing, plus a roundtable discussion about attracting additional importing and exporting companies to the region.
Economic development has been a large component of the Port Authority's mission for years, and these efforts are being expanded by the newly created economic-development department, led by Shane Williams, the Port Authority's foreign-trade zone and economic-development manager.
The Port Authority will focus on working with partner organizations from throughout the region to attract new businesses that will use the port. Retention of existing users also will be a priority.
"The economic-development community in the Houston area is already doing great work," Williams said. "We want to support the existing efforts to bring more international trade-related jobs to the region."
The Port Authority has been meeting with many economic-development officials throughout the region to discuss local development goals and priorities, as well as ways to collaborate in the future.
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