PEDC COMMEMORATES 25 YEARS OF SUCCESS!

In 2020, PEDC is celebrating 25 years of successfully growing the Pearland community. Since its creation in 1995, PEDC has been committed to enhancing the community’s economic vitality through the attraction, retention, and expansion of primary employers, encouraging private investment and working to recruit both small and large employers to diversify the City’s economic base. Over the past twenty-five years, PEDC has been instrumental in the growth of the community, its efforts resulting in:

• Creation of 5,400 new jobs
• Retention of nearly 1,000 jobs
• Securing $1 billion in private capital investment to Pearland
• Attracting seven of the top ten businesses with the highest assessed property value in 2019

In addition, many of the infrastructure projects, beautification initiatives and roadway improvements in our community began with the leadership of the PEDC. From championing strategic planning efforts, to improving east-west mobility, to the construction of the iconic Pearland entryway features along our corridors, PEDC has invested significant time and has contributed nearly $84 million to ensure Pearland affords the quality of life needed to attract residents, jobs and investment.

To celebrate this milestone anniversary, PEDC has created a 25th anniversary report. You can view or download the report at www.pearlandedc.com/25years.

ENDRESS+HAUSER COMPLETES CONSTRUCTION ON NEW GULF COAST REGIONAL CAMPUS IN PEARLAND'S LOWER KIRBY DISTRICT

Endress+Hauser has moved into its 112,000 square-foot Gulf Coast Regional Campus in Pearland’s Lower Kirby District. The campus offers areas for calibration, repair and training, including a state-of-the-art Process Training Unit. The facility houses teams to support Endress+Hauser’s products, solutions and services, SpectraSensors’ gas analysis systems for the U.S. and international customers and Analytik Jena’s product lines for laboratory instrumentation. The campus also contains a building and warehouse location for Endress+Hauser’s partner for sales and service in the Gulf Region, Vector Controls and Automation Group.

Located on a 17-acre site on the southeast corner of Beltway 8 and Kirby Drive, the facility will be home to approximately 110 employees, including management, engineering, sales, operations and administrative personnel.

PEDC began recruitment efforts for this project in early 2018 when we began working with the company’s site consultant on site and incentive information. PEDC assisted the company in locating the site for its facility and worked with the City to extend water to the site.

CODE NINJAS BREAKS GROUND ON NEW HEADQUARTERS FACILITY IN PEARLAND

Code Ninjas recently broke ground on its new headquarters facility at 2880 Broadway Bend in Pearland. Founded in 2016, Code Ninjas is the world's largest and fastest-growing coding franchise with hundreds of locations across the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The new 9,400 square-foot headquarters is being built less than a mile from the company’s current home office in Pearland Town Center and will feature state-of-the-art amenities including space for franchisee training and testing curriculum for Code Ninjas. The new headquarters will be home base for approximately 60 employees with capacity for growth.

PEDC began working with the company last year on this expansion and relocation project.

CITY OF PEARLAND LAUNCHES COVID-19 RECOVERY GRANT PROGRAM FOR SMALL BUSINESES

In response to the unprecedented challenges created by COVID-19 for small businesses, the City of Pearland partnered with PEDC and LiftFund to launch the City of Pearland Small Business Recovery Grant Program.

The City of Pearland has contributed $800,000 - a portion of the funds it received from the Federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act) -- to small business recovery grants. This Small Business Recovery Grant Fund is intended to support the small business environment within the City of Pearland that suffered as a result of the pandemic to reopen or maintain operations. Businesses with a revenue up to $2 million were eligible to apply and awards from the program will range from $1,000 up to $15,000. In addition to the grant funding, LiftFund will provide technical assistance, through consultation services during the application process and afterwards, to ensure small business owners receive the support they need to pivot and overcome the challenges they are facing due to COVID-19.

To inform Pearland businesses, a joint marketing effort was undertaken to get information about the grant program to Pearland businesses. The City of Pearland, PEDC and the Pearland Chamber of Commerce all participated through direct mail, email, social media, web-based programs and press releases. A dedicated website for the grant applications was created and 98 applications were received during the October 12th - 26th application period. Grant recipients are expected to be awarded funds beginning November 21, 2020.

PROGRESS CONTINUES ALONG STATE HIGHWAY 35 CORRIDOR

One of the main strategies outlined in the Pearland Prosperity Strategic Plan is to optimize the development potential of Pearland’s principal commercial corridors. The State Highway 35 Redevelopment Strategy was developed to provide detail to the Strategic Plan strategic initiatives and provide the “big picture” strategic actions that are needed to encourage more investment in the corridor.

The SH 35 Corridor Redevelopment Strategy identified the Rice Drier/Halik area as a potential project, as part of Catalyst 2 Business Park North, to create more investment by better positioning the properties in the area for investment. As the City has grown, the area has developed into a light industrial area that creates heavy demands on the narrow roads that they were not designed to accommodate. Both Halik and Rice Drier roads need to be improved to concrete roads to handle the growth of light industrial traffic.

We are currently in the process of the reconstruction of Rice Drier Road, which is anticipated to be completed before the end of the year, and we are in the design phase of reconstructing Halik Street, west of SH 35, as well. Reconstructing the roads will increase their longevity and set the pavement condition rating to that of a new concrete road. It will also improve the surrounding condition and appearance of the area by replacing the waterline and the open roadside ditches with curb and storm sewer and adding pedestrian access with a sidewalk and decorative paver strip.

A virtual meeting regarding the Halik reconstruction project is scheduled for November 18th at 3:00pm. For additional information on the project or to attend the meeting, please click here to contact Jess Byerly.