info@pearlandedc.com 281.997.3000
/ Media Center / Pearland Economic Development Corporation Celebrates 25 Years of Successfully Growing the Pearland Community

Pearland Economic Development Corporation Celebrates 25 Years of Successfully Growing the Pearland Community

For Immediate Release
September 28, 2020

Contact:
Melissa Black
Pearland Economic Development Corporation
mblack@pearlandedc.com
281-997-3000

Pearland Economic Development Corporation Celebrates 25 Years of Successfully Growing the Pearland Community
–A total of more than $1 billion in private investment has been made in the community as a result of PEDC’s efforts–

PEARLAND, TX – The Pearland Economic Development Corporation (PEDC) is celebrating a milestone 25th anniversary this fall. PEDC, under the leadership of its Board of Directors, looks back at past achievements and toward the future with a recently released 25th Anniversary report.

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. PEDC takes a holistic approach to economic development, ensuring Pearland has a competitive and attractive business climate and built environment by focusing on aesthetics, infrastructure, quality of life, image, workforce and quality development and redevelopment of key Pearland districts and corridors. To date, the PEDC has been instrumental in the growth of the community.

  • Creation of 5,400 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

“Having been involved in the PEDC since its inception, I have been extremely impressed with the progress of the PEDC over the past twenty-five years,” said Pearland Mayor Tom Reid. “When the PEDC was created, our community only had 30,000 residents and when you look at our growth since that time, I believe the reason that so many companies and residents choose Pearland as their home is because of the progressive efforts PEDC has made to improve our community’s economic diversity and quality of life.”

Over the last two decades, PEDC has acted as a catalyst to encourage private investment, working to recruit both small and large employers and diversify the city’s economic base. Maintaining a strategic focus on life sciences, healthcare, manufacturing, office headquarters and energy has attracted many national brands in these sectors.

  • Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. – Recruitment of CSI brought $10 million in capital investment to Pearland and as the first primary employer in Lower Kirby, the recruitment of the CSI facility to Pearland was instrumental in setting the tone for the development of the Lower Kirby District, paving the way for many additional employers in the coming years.
  • Kelsey-Seybold – PEDC’s recruitment endeavors over a four-year period led to the 2012 decision by Kelsey-Seybold, a large multi-specialty clinic system in greater Houston, to move its headquarters to Pearland. More than 800 employees now work at the administrative headquarters in Pearland and the company has invested more than $36 million in the community.
  • Lonza – In 2018 Lonza debuted a 300,000 square-foot life science facility in Pearland, currently the largest dedicated cell and gene therapy manufacturing facility in the world.
  • Adient Medical – Adient was also drawn to Pearland’s affordable housing and skilled labor force. The company’s 2018 relocation and opening of its 1,900 square-foot office and research space in the Reflection Bay of Shadow Creek produced over $600,000 in capital investment for Pearland.
  • Endress+Hauser – In 2019, Endress+Hauser invested $38.5 million to build a 112,000 square-foot Gulf Coast Regional Campus in Pearland’s Lower Kirby District.
  • Kemlon Products – PEDC was instrumental in providing valuable resources and helping Kemlon Products, a multi-discipline manufacturing company, narrow its search for the relocation of its multidiscipline manufacturing facility of high-quality electrical connectors, sensors, probes and related components for hostile environments.
  • Brask Neela – PEDC assisted Brask Neela in 2010 with the construction of a new manufacturing facility in Pearland and again in 2015 with an expansion project at the facility. During the recruitment process, the custom-fabricated heat transfer equipment manufacturer cited the support of city officials and development of long-term relationships with the business community and local government as key factors for building its facility in Pearland.

Along with employer attraction and retention, PEDC has also spearheaded many of the mobility projects, beautification initiatives and roadway improvements in our community, contributing close to $84 million to infrastructure and quality of life projects dedicated to growing and improving the Pearland community. Many of these projects have been public-private partnerships that have facilitated and leveraged investment from the private sector to bring investment and jobs to Pearland. A major focus of PEDC infrastructure investments has been in the Lower Kirby District and State Highway 288 and 35 corridors.

“The Pearland Economic Development Corporation considers it a privilege to be an integral part of the community we serve,” said current PEDC Chair, Dr. Hugh Patton. “We look forward to continuing to improve our community throughout the next 25 years.”

As we move into the future, the Pearland Prosperity community strategic plan looks to the next quarter-century – and beyond – for continued opportunities to accomplish projects that advance the community’s shared vision for sustained and strategic growth. PEDC will continue its focus on economic diversification to position Pearland as a dynamic job center with a base of primary employers that bring new wealth into the community while continuing to acknowledge the importance of Pearland’s local-serving business sectors.

To learn more about PEDC accomplishments from the previous 25 years and plans for the community’s future, please visit pearlandedc.com/25years.

# # #

About Pearland Economic Development Corporation
Established in 1995 by the voters of the City of Pearland, the Pearland Economic Development Corporation (PEDC) is the lead economic development group for the thriving, business-friendly community of Pearland, Texas. PEDC focuses on business attraction, retention and marketing; transportation, mobility and infrastructure; developing Lower Kirby; corridors and beautification.
For more information on the Pearland Economic Development Corporation, visit pearlandedc.com.