Houston Mayor to lead business delegation to India

The Greater Houston Partnership and Mayor Annise Parker will lead a delegation of top business representatives and elected officials to India from April 20 to April 25.

The mission will focus on increasing trade and investment between the Houston region and Indian cities including Mumbai and Delhi.

Houston Airport System Director Mario Diaz will be part of the Houston group that includes companies, ranging from energy and aviation to engineering and international trade and foreign investment.

Delegates also include representatives from the Indo-American Chamber of Commerce, the Texas Medical Centre, the Port of Houston Authority, and local businesses - Isani Consultants L.P., KBR, Universal Weather and Aviation, Gunda Corporation LLC, The Asset Management Consultants, Strategic Infrastructure, Emediscript Inc./Vishal Consultancy, Telco Intercontinental Corp., Geotest Engineering, Inc. and Ascendon Group.

The delegation will host a "Doing Business with Houston" seminar for Indian business people and investors. In addition, the group will meet with high-level government officials and corporate decision-makers.

"More than 100,000 residents of Indian origin call Houston home and over 700 Houston companies report business or trade ties with India," said Mayor Parker.

"As the most diverse city in the United States, we have a responsibility to nurture our foreign relationships. This trade mission is the result of a request from the Indian business community. Given the strength of the existing connections between us, this should be a very productive mission for Houston and our Indian counterparts," she added.

Greater Houston Partnership President and CEO Bob Harvey said that our economy is diverse and robust, and is a leader in many of the types of industries that Indian entrepreneurs and business people are pursuing, including energy, healthcare, transportation and manufacturing.

"We are excited about the growth prospects this trade mission will bring for both our region and a global economic powerhouse like India. Houston presents a great opportunity for expanding Indian firms looking to do business overseas," he added.

Houston and India share extensive business, trade and cultural ties.

As the fourth largest city in the United States, Houston serves as headquarters to as many as 26 Fortune 500 companies, is home to the world's largest medical complex, the Texas Medical Centre, and has earned the title "Energy Capital of the World" because of its large concentration of oil, gas and renewable energy companies.

Trade between Houston and India has more than quadrupled since 2004 and totalled $4.7 billion in 2014. The Houston/Galveston Customs District ranks as India's third largest U.S. gateway for international trade by value. India is sixth among Houston's Asian trading partners and 16th among Houston's trading partners worldwide.

More than 718 Houston companies report business or trade ties with India. Of the 441 firms in the Houston region affiliated with Indian subsidiaries, 38 are headquartered in Houston.

Conversely, 14 Indian firms operate 20 subsidiary locations in the Houston area.