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/.

The post Port Houston Continues Commitment to Community Engagement: New Port Commission Community Advisory Council Launched appeared first on Port Houston.

Caption: Volunteers thank truckers at Port Houston’s container terminals.

With more than 3.5 million professional truck drivers on the road today, the men and women of the trucking industry work one of the most demanding jobs in America. These individuals are responsible for delivering our goods safely, securely and on time.

Port Houston, along with Gulf Winds International and its More Than the Move Foundation, teamed up to celebrate this year’s National Truck Driver Appreciation Week (Sept. 8-14) to show appreciation for their services.

Team members from both Port Houston and Gulf Winds International surprised the truck drivers at the Bayport Container Terminal with homemade breakfast tacos and cold water as they exited the facilities.

“This week was a perfect opportunity to recognize our partners in the trucking industry and say thank you to those who help drive our economy,” said Garret Berg, manager of community relations and events for Port Houston. “These men and women are always on the move, so we were glad for the chance to catch them and let them know that they are appreciated.” More Than the Move Foundation is the nonprofit arm of Gulf Winds International, a local logistics and drayage company based in Houston.

The post Port Houston Celebrates National Truck Driver Appreciation Week appeared first on Port Houston.

Port Houston's small business department recently hosted a graduation reception for the Interagency Mentor Protégé Program 2019 class on the M/V Sam Houston.

With the guidance of local agencies, twenty-one protégés are now on the path to discovering new resources and taking their companies to new heights after completing the program. The annual program consists of a nine-week course and group presentations, and it educates small business owners on contracting and procurement.

We are a partner and sponsor of this program with several other local agencies, including the City of Houston Office of Business Opportunity, Houston METRO, Houston First Corporation, Houston Independent School District and Houston Community College.

The mentor program provides massive opportunity to small businesses that are ready to grow and achieve success through connecting with these organizations. Through this program, small business owners can strengthen working relationships with established companies and local agencies. Other benefits of the program include helping the entrepreneurs understand business financials and procurement bidding, developing relationships with companies, as well as technical assistance.

“This program has grown to advance these professionals and open the door to opportunities with projects that they may not have considered before,” said Gilda Ramirez, senior director of small business and education outreach for Port Houston. “It also shows the strong partnerships that we have in our region – together we are building the workforce.”

The post Small Business Graduates Honored by Interagency Mentor Protégé Program appeared first on Port Houston.

Caption: Port employees at Houston Food Bank Project.

Whether preparing sandwiches, cutting up fruit or loading milk containers into coolers, each of Port Houston’s volunteer activities at the Houston Food Bank helped provide more than 11,000 fresh meals to local children through the Keegan Kitchen Program.

More than 65 port employees dedicated part of their workday Aug.14 to helping the Houston Food Bank advance its mission to to lead the fight against hunger.

“Much like the Port of Houston, the Houston Food Bank has a far-reaching, regional impact,” said Port Houston Director of Community Relations and Events Leslie Herbst. Their work provides more than 100 million nutritious meals each year to people in the Houston area and 18 surrounding counties.

The Houston Food Bank opened Keegan Kitchen in 2017 with the purpose of providing up to 20,000 nutritious meals each day to children around Houston. “The Food Bank delivers fun and unique programming for our team each year, and we can always count on their dedicated staff to provide us with memorable and meaningful volunteer experiences,” Herbst said.

The post Port Houston Pays It Forward Through the Houston Food Bank appeared first on Port Houston.

Port summer interns working at community garden event.

12 weeks, 15 interns and more than 30,000 pounds of soil, mulch and sand. This year’s summer intern project was a true test of team work, as Port Houston interns successfully completed a total transformation of the community gardens at Mission Milby Community Center.

Mission Milby Community Center is located in the heart of Houston’s Pecan Park and has been
serving the local community since 1926. As part of the community project, the interns designed
an entirely new garden layout, complete with raised garden beds, recreational green space and
an outdoor learning classroom.

Their idea was to create shared space that would bring together schools and community groups
for the purpose of helping sustain, promote and connect the community in Houston’s East End.

In addition to the day-to-day work, the interns were able to tap into support from organizations such as
the Growing Roots East End Network, Urban Harvest and Houston Wilderness. “We are very proud of all
the time, energy and hard work that this group of interns dedicated to this project,” said Port Houston Manager of Community Relations and Events Garret Berg.

The post Summer Interns Transform Community Gardens at Mission Milby Community Center appeared first on Port Houston.

Port Houston continued its popular Port University course in 2019 for small businesses with presentations from various departments about doing business with the port.

Port University, a four-week training course, is an outreach program designed to educate small businesses about procurement opportunities. The workshops are presented in collaboration with the University of Houston Small Business Development Center.

More than 50 small business representatives attended the class. They learned about port procurement opportunities, port facilities, the small business program, contracting language, bonding, insurance requirements and the port’s BuySpeed Procurement System. Since its inception in 2003, more than 800 small business owners have graduated from Port University.

Port Houston’s Small Business and Education Outreach department participates in more than 200 events every year through collaboration with various chambers of commerce, economic development organizations and private/public agency partners.

The post Advancing Small Business Through Port University Program appeared first on Port Houston.

Port Houston invests in maritime education to help build and support the future workforce. More than 450 students and approximately 30 exhibitors attended the 2019 Maritime and Logistics Youth Expo held at the San Jacinto College Maritime Technology and Training Center April 26.

The expo featured presentations by mariners covering towboats, harbor tugs, barges, shipping forklifts, dredging, survey vessels and maritime salvage equipment. Logistics, distribution and transportation companies were on hand to share internship and career opportunities.

The port’s Small Business and Education Outreach department and the Port of Houston Partners in Maritime Education participated and supported this effort, where they helped students learn about different careers in the maritime and logistics industries.

The event also featured a splashing tugboat push competition and a simulated helicopter water rescue. The port’s emergency Mobile Command Center and a Port of Houston fire boat were on site and featured demonstrations. Games, learning activities, giveaways and a photo booth station were provided.

Academic partners included: Texas Southern University, Texas A&M Galveston, University of Houston, Houston Community College and San Jacinto College Maritime, which were all on hand to share maritime, logistics and supply-chain pathways and scholarship opportunities to students.

The event was organized and co-sponsored by Port Houston, Harris County Precinct 2, Houston Pilots, San Jacinto College and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.

The post 2019 Youth Maritime and Logistics Expo Puts Spotlight on Maritime Careers appeared first on Port Houston.

Port Houston strives to be an active steward in the community.

About 30 port team members joined thousands of other volunteers at the annual River, Lakes, Bays N’ Bayous Trash Bash in Pasadena March 30. This annual event is the largest single-day waterway clean up in the state of Texas.

Since 1994, over 100,000 community volunteers have collected more than 2,000 tons of trash and 17,000 tons of recyclables at Trash Bash events.  The program was founded in 1994 by the Houston-Galveston Area Council and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and has grown to 14 sites across the Galveston Bay region.

Port employees also recently showcased their creativity during the Beautify the Bucket Challenge, hosted by the Galveston Parks Board and Artist Boat organization.  This program allows participants the opportunity to take an active role in beautifying the Texas coastline by painting or decorating trash barrels with certain marine or nautical themes.

As part of the program, these barrels were placed along Galveston’s beaches where they will be enjoyed by visitors and help promote environmental stewardship and encourage proper disposal of trash to reduce marine debris.

The post Port Houston Keeping Region Green with Beautification and Environmental Projects appeared first on Port Houston.

Last year was filled with several new community outreach activities and volunteer opportunities for Port Houston staff.  Team members participated in 37 different events, completing more than 1,700 hours of volunteer time. 2019 is kicking off in a similar manner, as Port Houston continues to help improve the quality of life in our region.

For example, employee donations more than doubled in the first large community initiative of 2019, which was  Port Houston’s annual food donation drive benefiting the Houston Food Bank. Employees provided 2,000-plus pounds of food. 

Other outreach activities in Port Houston’s first quarter include participation in a trash clean-up near the Lynchburg ferry, a tree planting at Turtle Bayou Nature Preserve, and a renovation of an East End garden.  Team members also participated as judges in a local academic decathlon and a robotics competition.  Additionally, a number of employees continue to be involved in Read Houston Read’s weekly mentorship program.

“We try to find unique and interesting volunteer opportunities that match employee interests with our business priorities,” said Leslie Herbst, community relations and events director for Port Houston.

“This helps us better engage our Port Houston team, but it also provides an increased impact in the community,” added Herbst.

The post Port Houston Community Outreach Hits the Ground Running in 2019 appeared first on Port Houston.

More than 150 local small business representatives attended Port Houston’s Small Business Capital Improvement Projects and Subcontracting Opportunities Forum in 2019. Our small business development program was created in 2002 to provide opportunities for local small businesses to participate in contracting and procurement at the port.

Key goals of the program are economic development, sustainability and growth of small businesses and industry-focused workshops and events. Our small business participation rate is 39 percent since program inception with more than a half billion dollars awarded to local small businesses. Currently, there are more than 1,100 firms enrolled in the Small Business Development Program.

At the 2019 Forum, Ross Talbot, project and construction manager for Port Houston, provided an overview of upcoming construction and design projects. The workshop focused on infrastructure projects that further drive port operations. These infrastructure projects expand our facilities, so we can accommodate growth in cargo volume.

“This forum is designed to provide information to subcontractors who need the connections, knowledge and networking to get ahead and grow their business,” said Gilda Ramirez, senior director of small business education and outreach for Port Houston.

The post Small Businesses Benefit Through Port Capital Projects Forum appeared first on Port Houston.