Pearland - Friendswood Edition | June 2022

CONTINUED FROM 1

Since 2010 there have been several health- and life science-related companies that have opened locations in Pearland, including ve in the last seven years. ANCHORING IN PEARLAND SOURCE: PEARLAND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORP. COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER

MEMORIAL HERMANN SPORTS PARKPEARLAND Memorial Hermann Sports Park- Pearland will oer athletic training for professional athletes, youth athletes and active adults. Cost: $15 million Timeline: May 2022-2023

MILLAR INC. Millar Inc., a company that

manufactures medical devices, will house its headquarters in Pearland. Cost: $10.64 million* Timeline: December 2021-2023

521

SPECTRUM BLVD.

*Estimate according to city of Pearland

TRINITY BAY DR. Existing health care providers 1 Kelsey-Seybold Clinic 2 HCA Houston Healthcare Pearland 3 Memorial Hermann Existing medical manufacturers 4 Adient Medical 5 Cardiovascular Systems Inc. 6 Lonza 7 Merit Medical Systems Inc.

288

COURTESY MILLAR, INC

COURTESY MEMORIAL HERMANN HEALTH SYSTEM

Cardenas teased during the sports park groundbreaking event. Cardenas said there was still plenty of land on Memo- rial Hermann’s 40-acre Pearland cam- pus left to be developed. Pearland is Memorial Hermann’s second-newest hospital in the Hous- ton area, and the population in the area keeps growing, he said. To the south of Pearland, rising communities continue to spur the need for provid- ers to stay ahead of the growth curve, Cardenas added. “Down toward Manvel and Alvin ... we are also aware of all the housing developments that are going up, so we want to stay ahead of that and not get behind the growth,” Cardenas said. Regional draw On the manufacturing and research front, Pearland has seen a rise in com- panies selecting the city for opening their headquarters. Merit Medical, a medical device manufacturer, rst opened on Kirby Drive in 2011. Companies such as Lonza, which opened in 2018, and Mil- lar—a medical device manufacturer with plans to open its headquarters in 2023—have followed. Location is key. “The Texas Medical Center is known worldwide as a hub for biotechnology innovation, with some of the nest minds actively working on tomorrow’s medical breakthroughs,” Bugg said. Lonza is not alone in taking advan- tage of the city’s labor pool. In Pearland, ve of the top eight employ- ers are health care provider companies or medical manufacturers, according to data from the PEDC. Bugg said Lonza also looked for a metropolitan area with a robust port system, like the Port of Houston, to reduce logistics interruptions, receive raw goods and deliver their therapies eciently and eectively.

SHADOW CREEK PKWY.

HCA HEALTHCARE CENTER FOR CLINICAL ADVANCEMENT

BUSINESS CENTER DR.

HCA Houston Healthcare’s training center oers nurses and employees simulations and leadership and organizational development classes. Cost: $6.4 million Timeline: February 2020-June 2021

288

Pearland becoming destination for health-related industries

COURTESY HCA HOUSTON HEALTHCARE

Bureau data. The growth created the need for health care providers to ser- vice the city, and they have continued to expand, Buchanan said. On May 12, Memorial Hermann hosted a groundbreaking at the site of its new $15 million sports park, which is located at 10907 Memorial Hermann Drive. When it opens in 2023, it will feature tness space, a professional sport-style weight room, and indoor and outdoor turf elds. “People don’t have to travel into the [Texas Medical] Center in order to get services,” Pearland Mayor Kevin Cole said at the groundbreaking. Both Memorial Hermann and HCA Houston Healthcare have expanded operations along Hwy. 288 with several buildings, including the HCA Health- care Center for Clinical Advancement in June 2021 and Memorial Hermann’s second medical plaza Building in November 2015. “It is an ideal spot when you look at the growth here of Pearland,” said Noel Cardenas, senior vice president and CEO of Memorial Hermann Pearland. The hospital’s commitment to Pearland is still in an expanding stage,

BY ANDY YANEZ

in Pearland, mirrored the factors the PEDC listed when discussing what brought Lonza to the city. Lonza opened in 2018 along Pearland’s Lower Kirby District, a 1,200-acre mixed-use district, according to the PEDC. “Space, a vibrant locale, a talented and trained local workforce, and prox- imity to the Texas Medical Center all played a pivotal role in Lonza’s deci- sion,” Bugg said. Focusing on medical sector Pearland was naturally able to become an area of interest for health care providers and life science compa- nies because of the city’s community and employment base, Buchanan said. The TMC’s inuence was one piece of the puzzle, but Pearland’s grow- ing population also played a key role in luring health care providers, Buchanan said. Pearland’s population grew 37.89% between 2010-20 from 91,252 to 125,828, according to the U.S. Census

The city of Pearland has become an attractive location for multiple medical-related businesses, includ- ing providers, manufacturers and research companies. Since 2015, companies like Lonza, Memorial Hermann and HCA Hous- ton Healthcare have opened facilities along or near Hwy. 288 in Pearland. “We’ve created a real destination in the [Hwy.] 288 corridor,” said Matt Buchanan, Pearland Economic Devel- opment Corp. president. “We’ve really been focused on trying to make it that destination here in this part of Brazoria County and southern Houston region.” Among the reasons for Pearland’s attractiveness are the city’s proximity to the Texas Medical Center; ports in the Greater Houston area, including the Port of Houston; Pearland’s popu- lation; quality of life; and school dis- tricts, according to the PEDC. Frank Bugg, vice president of Lonza’s cell and gene therapies facility

COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER • COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM