< PreviousT E X A S E C O N O MI C DE V E L O P M E N T G U I DE 65industries. Houston has one of the nation’s fastest growing populations, is a top-10 city for attracting millennials and ranks first in retaining college graduates. The area’s workforce is highly skilled and diverse, and residents enjoy vibrant arts and culture and quality of life amenities. Each of these qualities is essential to a strong local economy that is poised to thrive for business now and in the future. Business is also committed to causes in the Houston community. Occidental partners with nonprofits to provide programming for education, social services, the arts and culture, military veterans and the environment through its community partners program. Some of the organizations we support include the Houston Symphony, American Corporate Partners, the Houston Astros Foundation, Houston Food Bank and Houston Museum of Natural Science.Houston suffered a major blow with Hurricane Harvey two years ago. What did you learn from the city’s recovery? HOLLUB: Houston’s response to Hurricane Harvey reinforced my belief in how resilient this community is. There were so many inspiring stories of generosity and compassion, and I was especially proud to see how Occidental employees came to the aid of their colleagues, neighbors and strangers. We had employees who were trained by Texas Search and Rescue combing neighborhoods to rescue people from flood waters. There were employees in West Texas collecting construction supplies and basic essentials that they then trucked to the Gulf Coast region. Our employees in Abu Dhabi held bake sales to raise funds for affected colleagues. These are just a few examples of the extraordinary compassion and willingness to help others that we saw, and it was truly awe-inspiring. The business community’s response was equally tremendous, with companies donating goods and services while offering resources and support to help employees and families who were displaced by the disaster. Houston would not have recovered as quickly were it not for the selfless acts of all who have contributed. What is your advice to corporate executives in other parts of the country who may be considering an expansion opportunity in Texas?HOLLUB: In 2014, Occidental moved its headquarters to Houston as it brought us closer to the heart of our operations and the people who work in the oil fields of the Permian Basin. Given the state’s business-friendly nature, we have not looked back. Texas is an excellent source of highly educated and trained workers — its 13 million-person workforce is the second-largest in the nation — and it has a strong higher education system. The Houston region alone has 20 universities and colleges, which will be critical to developing the workforce of the future. Texas is consistently ranked as one of the top states to do business, and first for economic climate and growth prospects. This is a great place for commerce. T I L M A N F E R T I T T A I N T E R V I E WTilman Fertitta, owner of Houston Rockets, credits Texas for his business success.Rocketing Topto theby RON STARNERsk any professional sports team owners how they rose to the top, and they’ll likely credit a life-changing experience in their formative years. The same is true of Tilman Ferti a, owner of the NBA’s Houston Rockets and the person Forbes magazine has called the “world’s richest restaurateur.”Long before he became owner of the Rockets, one of the glamor franchises of the National Basketball Association, Ferti a was a student at Texas Tech University and also the University of Houston, where he studied business administration and hospitality management.While Tilman learned the nuts and bolts of managing a business in school, it was his father, Vic, that showed him the ropes of customer service. Vic Ferti a owned a restaurant on Galveston Island, and each day a er school, young Tilman would come in and peel shrimp.To this day, Tilman Ferti a says the most important ingredient to running any successful business, whether it’s a restaurant or a casino or a professional sports team, is to focus relentless on the customer experience.In the following interview, the man who’s now worth an estimated $4.5 billion and runs the Rockets, Landry’s Inc. and Golden Nugget Casinos tells us more about his background and the lessons he’s learned, and what he seeks to pass on to others in business and in life.AAll images courtesy Dancie Perugini Ware Public RelationsT E X A S E C O N O MI C DE V E L O P M E N T G U I DE 68 T E X A S E C O N O MI C DE V E L O P M E N T G U I DEAs someone who was born and raised in Galveston, Texas, several generations after your family emigrated to Texas from Sicily, what does the state of Texas mean to you?TILMAN FERTITTA: Texas is where I became successful. It’s my hometown. There is a pride in saying you are from Texas. I would not go anywhere else. You were educated at both Texas Tech University and the University of Houston, where you studied business administration and hospitality management. What were the most important things you learned while in school in Texas?FERTITTA: I met people from all over the world. Both had diverse populations in their schools. And I learned to be an adult.Forbes calls you the world’s richest restaurateur. How has your home base of Texas made this success possible?FERTITTA: Texas is the best place to do business in the U.S. No. 1, we have all these big cities and a great workforce. People in the South are very nice. We have not over-regulated business.Having your home base here is the best thing you can do for your business. And the big population certainly helps. You’ve been involved in several pro sports ventures in Texas, first as an original investor in the Houston Texans and now as owner of the Houston Rockets. What have you learned from running pro sports teams in Texas?FERTITTA: First, I was also a partner in other sports businesses. I’ve learned that it is much better to be an owner than a partner. Texas is a great sports state. The demographics are great here for new companies and for sports sponsorship. Your show Billion Dollar Buyer has been a huge success on CNBC. Why did you decide to do a TV show?FERTITTA: Because I could. CNBC approached me about it. I had been a guest on their shows several times. They were putting together a prime-time lineup. It gave me time to work with small businesses and make a difference. Your first book, Shut Up and Listen!, will be released this fall. What are the most important lessons you want readers to learn from your book?FERTITTA: It’s about going back to great business basics. When you put the book down, it will make you think about things like the 95-5 rule and how not to say no to a customer. The customer is everything. Whether your business is the hotel business, pro sports or retail stores, no “Texas is where I became successful. It’s my hometown. There is a pride in saying you are from Texas. I would not go anywhere else.”— Tilman Fertitta, Owner, Houston RocketsT E X A S E C O N O MI C DE V E L O P M E N T G U I DE 69matter what business you’re in, it’s all about the customer — and hospitality matters. You’ve been involved in a lot of fundraising and public service, particularly in education and police work. Why are these fields so important to you?FERTITTA: There is nothing more important than the education of our youth and public safety. These are the people who protect us and serve us. All the charities I am involved in are either in public safety or education. What advice would you give to a business executive in another state who may be considering a relocation and expansion opportunity in Texas?FERTITTA: I would tell them to come to Texas, let’s sit down together, and let’s discuss the pluses and minuses of moving your business to Texas versus staying where you are. But I believe Texas is the very best place to do business. Image courtesy Dancie Perugini Ware Public Relations70 T E X A S E C O N O MI C DE V E L O P M E N T G U I DEome of the biggest names in business can be found in the Lone Star State’s northern cities. As the home to some of the fastest growing areas in the state and some of the biggest names in industry, North Texas is an increasingly attractive location. The region, which includes Dallas, Irving, Plano, Fort Worth, Arlington, Frisco and the smaller cities of Sherman and Denison, is a magnet for major corporations and up-and-coming companies.by SAVANNAH KINGSN O R T H T E X A SDallas skylinePhoto by Antony BoshierAll Roads Lead to NORTH TEXAS T E X A S E C O N O MI C DE V E L O P M E N T G U I DEDallas-Irving-PlanoPopulation: 5,057,998 Workforce population: 2,613,200Higher education: Collin County Community College District, Dallas Baptist University, Dallas County Community College District, Navarro College, North Central Texas Community College District, Paris Junior College, Southern Methodist University, Texas A&M University-Commerce, Texas Women’s University, The University of Texas at Dallas, Trinity Valley Community College, University of North Texas, University of North Texas at DallasMajor employers: AT&T, BAE Systems, Capital One Finance, Celanese, Dean Foods, Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, Energy Future Holdings, Flexjet, Flextronics, Fluor, Frito-Lay North America, Fujitsu America, GE Energy, Gulfstream Aerospace, Honeywell, J.C. Penny, Kimberly-Clark, L3 Technologies, Lockheed Martin, Maxim Integrated, Peterbilt Motors, Raytheon, Southwest Airlines, Texas Instruments, Torchmark CorporationIndustry clusters: Aerospace & Aviation, Food Processing, Financial Services, Information Technology, ManufacturingFort Worth-ArlingtonPopulation: 2,526,703 Workforce population: 1,045,000Higher education: Tarrant County College District, Texas Christian University, The University of Texas at Arlington, Weatherford CollegeMajor Employers: Life Sciences, Information Technology, Aerospace & Aviation, Manufacturing, Food Processing, Financial Services, Transportation & LogisticsIndustry clusters: Acme Brick, Airbus Helicopters, Alcon Laboratories, American Airlines, Bell Helicopter Textron, BNSF Railway, GE Manufacturing Solutions, General Motors, GM Financial, J.P. Morgan Chase, Justin Brands, Lockheed Martin, Pier 1 Imports, Pratt & Whitney, XTO EnergySherman-DenisonPopulation: 130,993 Workforce population: 46,800 Higher education: Grayson College Major employers: Cigna, Ruiz Food Products, Texas Instruments, Tyson Foods Industry clusters: Information Technology, ManufacturingNO R T H T E X A SNineteen of the 50 largest banks in the USA are doing business in Texas – and the other 31 wish they were. If you’re a banker in Texas and you’re not doing well, there’s something really wrong.”– J. Pat Hickman, Chairman and CEO of Happy State Bank & Trust Co., HappyDallas-Fort Worth is home to 20 Fortune 500 company headquarters and 39 headquarters among the Fortune 1000. Companies like Facebook, Amazon and Galderama have set up shop in Fort Worth. Dallas is home to companies like AT&T, Southwest Airlines, Tenet Healthcare and more. Frisco recently has become home to the Dallas Cowboys, the PGA of America and Keurig Dr. Pepper.AllianceTexas, a Hillwood development, is a massive development located at the heart of the DFW metroplex. The 26,000-acre master-planned development is one of the fastest growing places in the area. Since it was founded three decades ago, AllianceTexas has generated $76.43 billion in regional economic impact. With the Alliance Airport, an intermodal inland port and a state-of-the-art data hub, businesses in a variety of industries have access to assets that can take their company to the next level. Amazon selected Fort Worth’s Alliance Airport to build its regional air hub, which will begin operations this year. The Alliance Airport offers freight shippers the same amenities they would T E X A S E C O N O MI C DE V E L O P M E N T G U I DE 73 Fort Worth was the No. 3 fastest-growing big city in 2017.Next >