When it comes to supporting economic development in Texas, CenterPoint Energy qualifies as the jack of all trades.
A diversified, $40-billion energy company headquartered in Houston, CenterPoint serves more than 7 million customers in six states with electric and natural gas energy and employs around 9,000 people. In one form or another, this company has been doing business and providing power for more than 150 years.
With roughly 3,700 miles of transmission lines and almost 50,000 miles of distribution lines, CenterPoint delivers electricity to more than 2.4 million customers over 5,000 square miles in South Texas.
Where the firm truly stands out, however, is in the highly competitive field of economic development. The company’s goal is to drive economic growth in its service territories. In Texas, that entails a huge swath of the state around Greater Houston, from the Gulf Coast to inland counties as far north as Washington, Grimes and Montgomery.
Odell Winn II leads the CenterPoint economic development team, which also includes Billy Hill III and Cam Yearty. All three of them work year-round to help businesses find the sites and power they need to grow.
Whether it’s connecting employers to valuable workforce training programs or introducing them to state and local leaders that can provide incentives, CenterPoint stands ready to assist firms through the myriad of challenges posed by site selection and expansion.
Recently, CenterPoint teamed up with local leaders in Houston to officially open a 150,000-square-foot training center on the southwest side of town. The Hiram O. Clarke Training Center opened for business on Nov. 20, 2023.
It has also teamed up with Ford Motor Company to promote the adoption of electric vehicles. In 2010, CenterPoint and Ford formed a partnership to encourage the use of EVs.
Formerly known as Reliant Energy, CenterPoint Energy merged with Vectren Corporation in 2018 with CenterPoint emerging as the head company. David J. Lesar has served as president and CEO of the firm since 2020.
Members of the economic development team at CenterPoint Energy can be reached at any time at EcoDevRFI@CenterPointEnergy.com.
