International Focus Magazine Vol. 3, #4 | Page 51

times we grow somewhat and then at great times we grow rapidly. who do not have a college degree to have success. This is always a city where you can come and plant your flag, and people are going to be supportive. They want you to succeed. You can be your own creator. That idea of an opportunity city is one that we think we need to extend to the whole community here in Houston that what we want to be known for is a city where the ladder of success isn’t missing the first three rows. That is what is happen- ing in many other cities. It is great to live in San Francisco if you have an advanced degree. If you do not have an advanced degree in San Francis- co, you are probably thinking about leaving because the cost of living is so high and there are not opportunities for those people with lesser academic credentials. Q: How we can support the Greater We want to be a city in Houston where there is an opportunity for everyone to progress. Our economy provides those pathways. That is why we spend so much time on workforce development. It is all about how we create opportunities even for people Houston Partnership? A: The Greater Houston Partner- ship is a member-based organization and people should know that. Any business is eligible to be a member. It is a dues-based organization, but the dues level start at a modest level. Even at the modest dues level members have access to all our programs and all the information we distributed to the community. You get member price at all our events. We have what are called Council meetings, which are topical meetings, where we cover all these major issues, and they are open to all members. All this means that any employee of a member company can come to any of those programs or councils. So, there are lots of ways to engage with the partnership. As you grow as a business, and you have more interest and time to devote to the community, the partnership is a very effective vehicle for individuals who care about Houston and want to effect change in Houston. Also, it is a great way to engage with other like- minded individuals to make a differ- ence. So, you know people should think about their area of interest they have in the community that could range from education to the envi- ronment and everything in between. The partnership is a tremendous ve- hicle for exercising that civic interest in making a difference. So, we would like to invite any of those people to join as partner We have one publication called The Economy at a Glance which is pub- lished by our research department and managed by Patrick Jankowski. He summarizes the Houston econ- omy every month in a way that if you are a business person in Hous- ton thinking about whether to grow, whether this a good time to grow, which direction is the economy headed, and what parts of the econ- omy or industries are carrying the Houston economy, you can find the information in there. Well we will echo that in our publication. Thank you for your time. iF Magazine | www.iFMagazine.net 51