CenterPoint Energy engages with corporations considering headquarters or back-office relocations to advise the firms and their site location consultants of the advantages to choosing Houston. The market for corporate relocations is primarily driven by our strong economy, national and global business profile, and access to quality office space. The Houston economy continues to be one of the strongest in the nation.

In addition to providing an excellent environment for startup and small- and mid-size companies, the Houston region is known worldwide as a major corporate center. Houston has the second-largest concentration of Fortune 500 headquarters in the nation. Twenty-three companies on the 2007 Fortune 500 list are headquartered in Houston, and many other Fortune 500 companies maintain U.S. administrative headquarters in Houston. Four 2005 Fortune 100 Fastest-growing Companies are headquartered in Houston. Of the world’s 100 largest non-U.S. based corporations, at least 51 have non-retail operations in Houston. And with a strong international presence, Houston is home to more than 3,500 firms and organizations trading more than 250 types of products and services engaged in international business activities with more than 200 countries.

Houston’s expansive selection of commercial real estate property and industrial space make it the fifth-largest office market and eighth-largest industrial market in the nation. As of March 2004, the Houston market had 29.6 million square feet available for lease, of which 13.1 million square feet was Class-A space, and 1.3 million square feet of multi-tenant space was under construction. Houston is the largest manufacturing and industrial center on the Gulf Coast, with 321 million square feet of industrial space at the end of the first quarter of 2004.

The following is a sampling of companies that either have realized their success here by expanding or have relocated for the opportunity to fulfill that mission:

• Boeing Space Systems
• Calpine
• Chevron U.S. Energy & Production
• Chevron Upstream Energy & Production – Africa & Latin America
• CITGO
• Garden State Life Insurance
• GenarisGlobal Services
• Ineos, Inc.
• JPMorgen Chase International Technology Center
• Lockheed Martin Orion Headquarters