Invest Interview with B.J. Simon
September 29, 2025
President and CEO of the Baytown-West Chambers County Economic Development Foundation B.J., Simon talked to Invest: about the region’s geographic and infrastructure advantages and how those have offered remarkable opportunities for growth. “We aim to align economic priorities with stakeholder needs to ensure long-term competitiveness of our region,” he said.
What has been the overall impact on the region of the Economic Development Foundation over the past year?
Similar to previous years, our work continues on behalf of our stakeholders: the city of Baytown, Chambers County, Port Houston, and our industry partners. One of the efforts we discussed last year involved providing continued strategic foresight related to market dynamics. The national election has had some impact on the business cycle, and we are trying to bring objective assessments and comprehensive information to our stakeholders, particularly as these updates relate to foreign direct investment that has been stimulated by the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) and the CHIPS Act. We hope the current administration develops a rational industrial policy framework to replace the IRA, which has proven advantageous to us.
What are some of the significant developments or economic highlights in the region?
There is a long-standing effort by ExxonMobil at its Baytown complex to build the largest blue hydrogen project in the country, another project contingent upon the final determinations related to IRA/45V Tax Credits. There are many different hydrogen-based opportunities available to our region, and we are extremely excited about the hydrogen ecosystem. Hydrogen-fueled and natural gas-powered data center development has been an emerging sector due to AI. The Foundation’s focus over the last year has been on integrating and nurturing these developments to maximize regional impact.
What opportunities are presented to the region due to growth in the LNG and petrochemical sectors?
Expansions by Enterprise Products, Energy Transfer, Oneok, and Targa in Mont Belvieu are strengthening the regional midstream energy cluster. The growing demand for NGLs (natural gas liquids) is driving continued investments. We are seeing expansion of infrastructure for the purpose of supporting the state’s ‘energy hub’, along with continued job creation and growth capacity in the energy sector.
What makes the Metro East region an ideal location for business expansion and relocation, and what makes it a vibrant place to live?
The agglomeration effect, or the clustering of industries, brings significant economic advantages. Local government has focused on quality-of-life improvements, including new schools and residential developments. There are over 5,000 new homes planned in Baytown and Mont Belvieu, including executive and workforce housing. Further, foreign direct investment continues to rise. There are several international projects underway in the petrochemical and lithium battery supply chain. The advantages offered by our existing and future infrastructure will continue to attract more and diverse industrial players.
How is the Foundation addressing infrastructure and public service needs that accompany continued population growth?
At base, we are facilitators and purposefully try to guide and integrate by providing strategic foresight. Our role is to continuously step back and look for white space opportunities between efforts undertaken by local entities and bring insights from a macro perspective to ensure there are no gaps and identify opportunities for collaboration and synergy. We have a 35-member board representing the breadth of the economy, including representatives from industries such as healthcare and finance. We are able to identify strategic opportunities and work to address gaps in infrastructure and workforce development.
A key area of concern for us has been the lack of mass transportation. Greater Houston’s size makes connectivity difficult. The Grand Parkway, a 177-mile loop, improves access but does not fully address transit needs. There is a dire need for better transit in order to integrate the workforce and rationalize freight movement in the regional economy.
What is your assessment of the labor pool in your territory, and are there any specific skills or professions in which you are seeing a bigger demand?
Access to talent is a key issue statewide, though recent analysis shows that there are over 700,000 workers in the immediate labor shed. There is an oversupply in some occupations but gaps in skilled roles. Wage competitiveness is crucial to attracting and retaining workers. There is a renewed emphasis on strong partnerships between local colleges and universities to align skills development with industry needs.
How is the foundation working with the local universities and colleges to improve alignment between industry needs and college programs?
We routinely engage in exactly that and are presently working with Lee College, as well as other local schools, to address skills gaps. There is a regional consortium of community colleges that is sharing workforce data. The current focus is on cybersecurity, AI and coding academies, along with upskilling programs aligned with reshoring and manufacturing growth. Recently, the emphasis has shifted away from four-year degrees in favor of technical training.
What is your outlook for theBaytown – West Chambers County Economic Development Foundation over the next few years?
Our outlook is positive, and we want to continue current operations. We want to continue letting the broader domestic and international markets know what is going on here, and when companies understand the economic development dynamic of Houston, we want to also ensure they know that the Metro East region is tightly integrated with the Houston MSA, and there are also capabilities outside the city center.
Our local governments have put forth pro-business policies, and we are celebrating our 39th year of service this year. One of the major priorities for 2025 is Project Horizon, which is a strategic initiative to shape the future of the Foundation’s efforts over the next decade. We aim to align economic priorities with stakeholder needs to ensure the long-term competitiveness of our region.