In 2022, Port Houston committed two million dollars towards two community green space initiatives focused on health equity through green spaces.

The first program is carried out in partnership with the Houston Parks Board through the 50/50 Parks initiative. Port Houston is sponsoring two parks, at $500,000 each. The first is Hidalgo Park, right across from our Sam Houston Pavilion, and the second one is Oak Meadow Park, a block away from Pasadena and close to one of our dredged material placement sites. These parks will get additional funds through the Parks Initiative, which will result in a significant revitalization.

In 2023, Port Houston was honored to join the ribbon cutting ceremony for Hidalgo Park. Port Houston helped provide funding for improvements to the park which included a new splash pad, new maritime themed playground, improved sidewalks, improved lighting, painting, and more!

The second program, with an investment of one million dollars, is done in partnership with the small cities and unincorporated areas in East Harris County. We are currently planning to invest in green spaces in Shore Acres, Galena Park, Jacinto City, and multiple SPARK parks throughout the Houston Ship Channel area. This program is grassroots focused and consists of green space needs assessments conducted per city, with input from city officials and community members, and prioritization of needs in those communities.

Both programs are grounded in community engagement with a goal of improving health equity. We are focused on being intentional and listening to the communities we are hoping to support. These programs are scheduled to run until 2024.

Additionally, Port Houston has awarded money to other greenspace initiatives through the 2022 Community Grants Program. Non-profit organizations like Rebuilding Together Houston, Houston Botanic Garden, Native Plant Society of Texas, and Target Hunger are helping provide green programs to improve the local community.

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As owners and operators of the eight public terminals along the channel, Port Houston plays a key role in supporting nearly 980,000 jobs within Texas. Moreover, when factoring in the collective influence of more than 200 public and private companies operating along the Houston Ship Channel, this remarkable figure surges to 1.54 million jobs, magnifying its effect on the state's workforce. Now, with the expansion of the Houston Ship Channel, we aim to bring even more employment opportunities to our region.

Our commitment to the community goes beyond providing jobs. Throughout 2023, the Port Houston team actively engaged in a myriad of initiatives aimed at enriching and beautifying our neighboring areas. From waterfront clean-ups, preparing meals for families, to renovating housing in the Greater East End, we remain fully committed to creating a positive transformation in our local communities.

Additionally, we place a strong emphasis on environmental stewardship and have taken proactive measures to support the environment. For instance, we're making a generous contribution of $300,000 towards the creation of a new pocket park in Channelview, in collaboration with the East Harris County Greenspace Program. These efforts are aimed at fostering a healthier community, promoting overall wellness in the region.

Furthermore, through our highly successful Community Grants Program, we are contributing even more funds to support meaningful projects that align with our outreach priorities. Now in its fourth year, this program has already provided $875,000 to organizations doing exemplary work in Greater Houston communities, and this year, we are committing $395,000 for the grant cycle. Through our unwavering support for these thriving community initiatives, we are nurturing enduring partnerships that yield sustained and positive transformations within the community.

To learn more about our community initiatives, visit https://porthouston.com/community/outreach/overview/.

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At Port Houston, we know that in order to meet our vision of becoming America’s distribution hub for the next generation, we need to be a resource to help mentor and train the next generation of workers.

For the past decade, Port Houston has led an alliance of industry stakeholders and governmental entities to address the need for a well-trained talent pool of future maritime leaders. As a major source of job creation for the region, Port Houston has a strategic stake in the development of a robust maritime workforce.

Port Houston has invested more than $5 million in maritime education, and we’re continuing to expand our efforts. For the first time ever, Port Houston has developed its very own Mentorship Program where port employees can help youth in the Houston area learn more about careers in the maritime and supply chain industries. We are helping turn students’ wildest dreams into a reality and guiding them during the process.

As part of the Port’s strategic plan, we started our Regional Workforce Development program mentoring and guest speaking at local Houston high schools. This program will provide students an opportunity to work alongside an industry leader to streamline their areas of maritime interest, prepare them for continued education, and develop the necessary soft skills to be successful in their career path. Additionally, students have the opportunity to learn from some of the best and brightest minds at Port Houston to see how a successful maritime terminal operator works.

For the 2022-2023 academic year, Port Houston selected 29 volunteers who are serving as mentors and guest speakers to the next generation of maritime leaders. In Fall 2022, we officially kicked off at Stephen F. Austin High School and Jack Yates High School, with in-person sessions and one-on-mentor/mentee meetings. In Spring 2023, our volunteers will be busy with monthly speaking engagements and training sessions at all our partnering maritime education schools.

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The Sam Houston II Tour Boat officially turns 64 on July 30th, 2022. The Sam Houston II provides a unique tour along the Houston Ship Channel and has been bringing joy to visitors of all ages. Unlike most boat tours, this is a completely free 90-minute ride that gives visitors a first-hand look at the Port of Houston and the maritime industry.

The very first tour boat was purchased by Port Houston in 1928. It was named the M/V R.J. Cummins after the longest-serving port commissioner at the time and carried about 24 passengers.

In 1948, the R.J. Cummins was replaced by the Sam Houston I. Port Houston bought an 85-foot inspection vessel which was converted from the hull of a World War II Coast Guard Cutter vessel. She was named the M/V Sam Houston I, in honor of the great liberator of Texas, and put into operation May 1949 taking up to 60 guests.

The current boat, M/V Sam Houston II, replaced the Sam Houston I after it had been in service for nearly eight years. The Sam Houston II was christened on July 30, 1958 when former Port Commission Chairman Howard Tellepsen’s 16-year-old daughter, Karen Tellepsen, wielded the champagne bottle against the Sam Houston’s bitt. Designed by L. B. Christenson Engineers, Inc., the Sam Houston II is 95 feet overall, has a 24-foot beam, and a maximum capacity of 100 passengers. It was outfitted in a manner comparable to a fine hotel carrying thousands of visitors from all parts of the world on cruises down the Houston Ship Channel.

In 1992, the current Sam Houston pavilion opened. For Port Houston’s 90th anniversary in 2004, a mural created by the Museum of Cultural Arts Houston, depicting Port Houston’s rich history was added to the exterior walls of the pavilion buildings.

Guests aboard the tour boat have included royalty, celebrities, and politicians from around the globe, but most are everyday tourists from here or anywhere in the world who want to learn more about Port Houston. The tour on the Sam is just one of the many ways Port Houston reaches out to the public in a long tradition of commitment to the communities adjacent to the Houston Ship Channel. Register for your tour today!

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Caption: Port Houston's Community Relations and Maintenance teams installing Little Libraries at Galena Park High School. 

Little Library Community Initiative

Port Houston and the Galena Park Independent School District partnered to bring some joy to the community. Leaders at Port Houston and Galena Park decided to start the Little Library Community Initiative.
This project began as an idea from one local member and her idea to support her area . With the help of Galena Park ISD librarians, Port Houston team members used their skills to design and build eight custom little libraries for the neighborhood.

Caption: The installation of Galena Park's Little Community Library.

The Little Library Community Initiative provides people of all ages 24/7 access to books and educational materials. These libraries are complete with a planter base filled with native Texas pollinator plants. Students and individuals can use the little libraries to discover a variety of books as well as share a love of reading, both in English and Spanish.

Why does book access matter?

According to Literacy Texas (2022), “Today, more than 43 million people in the United States cannot read or write above an elementary level and around 3 million Texas adults read below a basic level.”² With easy access to mobile devices, computers, social media, and television, it’s getting harder for students and adults to advance their reading and writing skills.

Roughly 63% of children were not reading at the appropriate grade level before the pandemic. That number increased to 72% according to LiteracyNow (2021).⁴

This initiative will encourage Galena Park community members to love reading, increase their access to books of all levels, and increase their comprehension levels with books in different languages.

Houston Yacht Club Boat Parade

Caption: Port Houston's Community Relations team joining the Houston Yacht Club's Opening Day fleet parade. The Port Houston Fire Boat and crew helps lead the way!

Port Houston’s team joined Commodore Farley Fontenot, and the Houston Yacht Club for the 2022 Opening Day fleet parade. The Port Houston Fire Boat and crew helped lead the parade and welcome the participating boaters.

This year the Houston Yacht Club celebrates the 125th anniversary of their founding, and today the oldest yacht club in Texas. (The Houston Yacht Club, 2022).¹ The opening day celebration took place with the traditional boat parade in which members’ boats pass in review and exchange salutes with an anchored officer’s boat. As a strategic leader and advocate for the channel, Port Houston is proud to join and support local recreational users of the Houston Ship Channel and Galveston Bay.

Port Houston is also excited to be a 2022 sponsor of Houston Yacht Club’s upcoming Beacon Group A-Class Catamaran World Championship Regatta taking place in Galveston Bay this May. Participants will be joining from all over the world to compete in the international maritime event. HYC is noted for excellence in race management and hosts 2-3 national or international regattas per year.

References
¹Houston Yacht Club. Home – Houston Yacht Club. (n.d.). Retrieved May 12, 2022, from https://houstonyachtclub.com/web/pages/home

²Literacy facts. Literacy Texas. (2022, April 12). Retrieved May 12, 2022, from https://www.literacytexas.org/impact/literacy-facts/

³Simmons, K. S. (2022, April 22). Texas facing crisis as student reading gap grows during pandemic. ABC13 Houston. Retrieved May 12, 2022, from https://abc13.com/literacy-illiteracy-education-educators/11776796/

⁴The Problem. Literacy Now. (2021, September 3). Retrieved May 12, 2022, from https://literacynowhouston.org/about-us/the-problem/

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Caption: Containers being unloaded from vessel to the Bayport and Barbours Cut Container Terminals.

What Can You Do With a Container?

We have grown accustomed to seeing these TEUs on the road, behind a truck as they are whisked away to their next destination, but they can actually be transformed and utilized in many different ways. This begs the question, What can you do with a container?

In Houston, you may see them around the city, integrated in the design of businesses, thus giving the container a second life. Local bars like Truck Yard in East Downtown area or 8th Wonder Brewery use them. Closer to the East End, a historic community near Houston’s port you can find them at various places, ranging from use as murals, to screen movies, or retail.

On average, a container’s lifespan for transportation of goods can range from 10 to 12 years before it is taken out of service. However, a container can very well last up to 50 years depending on its use and ongoing maintenance to avoid rust, a typical culprit in its deterioration.

Places to visit in Houston

Ironworks Building

Caption: Front of Ironworks Building in historic East End Houston

Captions: (Left and center photos) The Ironworks building houses various businesses ranging from vintage apparel, coffee, law group, tattoo artist, plant shop, and more using containers inside the warehouse space. (Right most photo) Here is the Cargo vintage shop with a tenant picking out some clothing.

“After researching the various uses of containers, I found that many were repurposed into homes so I decided to develop a different concept of designing them as creative workspaces. When I started developing my vision for IRONWORKS, I knew this would fit with the industrial look I wanted to capture in the space,” noted Andrew Kaldis, owner of Ironworks and Kaldis Development.

Caption: photo of container door used as table in the Ironworks Building conference room.

“I was able to establish a relationship with the right fabricator to alter the containers per my design. My hope for the building is that it continues to be a landmark for the area. It is very rewarding to contribute to a neighborhood and see it flourish,” noted Kaldis.

East ENd River Mural

Caption: David Maldonado, a local Houston artist devotes his time to create murals and other pieces of art that represent the city. Mural agency Muros hired Maldonado to complete the East End River Mural on Clinton Drive using containers as the canvas.

“My great grandfather and grandfather worked as longshoremen. To this day, my father and many family members continue to work as longshoremen as well. I feel proud and honored when I get to do a project with historical background,” said Maldonado.

Caption: David Maldonado puts the finishing touches on the East End River Mural displaying elements of Houston including NASA, the Port of Houston, nature and city scape.

“Art has a way of building bridges in the community and public art is a great way of doing that. This [East River Mural] is the first time I’ve worked with shipping containers, and I would use them for future projects. I think it’s great when things are repurposed and used in other ways.”

Moonstruck Drive In Cinema

Caption: Moonstruck Drive In is a new addition to the East End, the drive in utilizes stacked containers to screen movies outdoors. Families can watch old-time movies up to the most recent releases from the comfort of their cars.

Moon Tower Inn

Caption: Moon Tower Inn is an American restaurant specializing in game-meat and hotdogs along with a variety of beer for an outdoor pub feel. The bar area is housed in a container.

The post The After Life of a Container appeared first on Port Houston.

The project involves building a sidewalk that connects Jacinto City to Galena Park to help schoolchildren get to and from school safely.

Those cities identified a need for an avenue to allow people to walk through Port Houston property that is used for dredge disposal, Port Houston Executive Director Roger Guenther noted.

“We appreciate the partnership with our local officials to move this forward,” Guenther said.

This project also illustrates well the partnerships goal in Port Houston’s strategic plan and our connections to community strategy in our master plan.

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Caption: Jennifer Williams-Alcia

Jennifer Williams-Alcia’s career path at Port Houston has blossomed since she started working as an intern at the port in 2015. Today, she is a full-time employee – a mechanic, and also an ambassador, on the Port’s popular Sam Houston Boat Tour.

While the New York native had always wanted to be a veterinarian, that changed after she saw an advertisement for maritime education and became interested in being a merchant mariner. “The more I read on mariners, the more I learned about the industry,” she said. That led to her eventually applying to maritime programs, getting accepted to San Jacinto College and moving to Texas. She graduated from San Jacinto College’s Maritime Transportation Program in 2016 and began working at Port Houston full-time soon after that. Since those early days, she had her eyes set on a career in the maritime industry.

“Since working for Port Houston, my career has skyrocketed,” said Williams-Alcia. “Within a short amount of time, I was given the opportunity to advance from a deckhand to a mechanic, and I am on track to getting my captain’s license.”

The training to obtain her 500-ton Captain’s license requires rigorous testing as well as fulfilling numerous sea hours. Since the Sam Houston Boat Tour is itself an educational operation, Williams-Alcia had a uniquely holistic perspective on the importance of maritime education when she was asked to participate in the “Roundtable for Infrastructure” with U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and U.S. Representatives Sylvia Garcia and Sheila Jackson Lee. She was invited to participate in the roundtable by San Jacinto College Chancellor Brenda Hellyer and Professor Amy Arrowood to share her perspective as a maritime student and professional.

“Being able to participate on the infrastructure roundtable with the highly-respected public officials was a great honor,” said Williams-Alcia.  “I felt incredibly grateful to have been included in such an important discussion. I was in awe to see how different organizations can work together to help each other and benefit the industry,” she noted.

Even though the Sam Houston Boat Tour is temporarily closed due to COVID-19, Port Houston has a virtual tour video that you can watch here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FE_RHOBnnGE. This video shows waterway activity during normal tour operations.

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All of the Port Commissioners will play a role in this council, and this updated platform will help Port Houston leadership better engage community stakeholders who have a vested interest in what we do and who are, in some way, connected to our mission. Members of the council include representatives from Pleasantville, the West Gulf Maritime Association, Harris County, Air Alliance and recreational users of Galveston Bay, among others. The council members will serve 2-year terms. 

“Consistent with our recently adopted strategic plan where Partnerships is a strategic goal, this council will help promote deeper engagement and understanding between local communities and Port Houston, as we work to provide a more open line of communication and robust dialog opportunities,” said Ric Campo, Port Houston Chairman.

Port Houston is committed to building and strengthening partnerships with its surrounding neighbors and seeking greater community and stakeholder involvement in the activities of the organization.  “As a neighbor to many, it’s important that Port Houston continues to build strong relationships with the community. Whether working on smaller, very localized initiatives or something like the Houston Ship Channel Expansion – Project 11, those community relationships play a key role in our success,” said Leslie Herbst, director of community relations and events for Port Houston.

Learn more about our community engagement here: https://porthouston.com/community-outreach/.

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Caption: Associated Testing workers.

Founded in 1959 by Edward Scearce, Associated Testing Laboratories is a pioneer for testing technology. It is a local small business with nearly 50 employees – an accredited multi-discipline engineering and testing firm that specializes in construction materials testing and geotechnical engineering.

Precise testing and accurate sampling are key factors to making sure construction materials meet engineering specifications, noted Javier Infante, executive vice president for Associated Testing Laboratories. From asphalt and concrete to soil or steel inspections, they handle a number of diverse projects, such as the Houston Ship Channel Bridge Project where they recently performed materials testing.

With the Port of Houston being one of the largest industrial complexes in the state of Texas, there’s no surprise that the company chose to become certified with Port Houston’s small business program.  

“The Port’s small business program is one of the best around compared to those that we have been involved with. There are no other programs like the Port’s,” said Infante. “The contract and training opportunities are well communicated by the small business staff.” The company’s exposure and knowledge about the Port has helped them win many projects through business development.

“It is organizations like Port Houston that keep our small businesses thriving in the community. There are many project opportunities available. We are fortunate to have had success and results with our involvement in the program by meeting prime contractors at Port Houston’s events,” Infante said. 

The company has also worked with both Houston airports, local school districts, METRO Houston, the City of Houston and Harris County.

Associated Testing Laboratories understands the value of engineering and supporting their people who work hard to make the projects happen. “Our people are the foundation of our company. We are committed to their development, motivation and recognition,” said Jasbir Singh, president of Associated Testing Laboratories. “The primary purpose of our business is to provide prompt, accurate and cost-effective geotechnical and construction materials testing.”

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