Economic Alliance Houston Port Region
Economic Alliance Houston Port Region cultivates, monitors and markets a vibrant regional economy in collaboration with 16 communities surrounding the 25-mile Houston Ship Channel, home to the world's most influential energy corridor and trade ports. By building awareness of economic trends and impacts, Economic Alliance attracts businesses with an advantageous tax structure, a legislative and regulatory climate conducive to economic activity, including incentive, finance, and business assistance programs. The goal of Economic Alliance is to bring together Partners of Strength in collaborative arrangements that leverage resources and deliver more comprehensive economic development successes. Communities in the Economic Alliance not only gain from a regional focus on economic vitality, but also a united voice representing its nearly one million citizens and employees. For more information, call 281-867-1112 or visit www.allianceportregion.com.

Port of Houston Authority
The Port of Houston Authority owns and operates the public facilities located along the Port of Houston, the 25-mile-long complex of diversified public and private facilities designed for handling general cargo, containers, grain and other dry bulk materials, project and heavy lift cargo, and other types of cargo. As the one of the largest ports in the world, Houston’s port also is ranked first in the U.S. in foreign waterborne tonnage and second in total tonnage. Each year, more than 7,700 vessels from around the world and 150,000 barges call at the port. Houston's port annually supports 785,049 jobs throughout Texas, generating $117.6 billion of economic activity in the state and paying $3.7 billion in state and local taxes. A vital element of Houston's infrastructure, the Port of Houston is an approved delivery point for the Coffee "C" futures contracts traded on the New York Board of Trade's Coffee, Sugar & Cocoa Exchange. For more information, call 713-670-2400 or visit www.portofhouston.com.

Greater Houston Coffee Association
The Association was formed in 2001 to bring together the many interests already involved with the importation of green coffee through the Port of houston. local and regional founder members recognized there was a need to internationalize Houston's posture as an up-and-coming coffee center and that a unified effort through an active, non-profit trade association was necessary to bring this about. The Association, state lawmakers, and the Port of Houston Authority were successful in obtaining New York Board of Trade green coffee exchange status in 2003 — the only port to be so designated west of the Mississippi. The Greater Houston Coffee Association is now reaching out to international and regional coffee producers and processors that already recognize Houston's unique location as the immediate gateway to 25 million sophisticated consumers. For more information, call 713-671-0947 or visit www.houstoncoffeeassn.org.

International Trade Expo
ITE is a collaborative partner with our Asia initiatives for this year's symposium.