Last May, Pearland launched the Innovation Hub, proving just how much the city values businesses of all sizes.

When the Pearland Prosperity Community Strategic Plan called for the creation of a hub for entrepreneurship and small business assistance, the idea of the Innovation Hub was born.

Customized for Pearland, the valuable program connects local entrepreneurs and small businesses with the resources they need to grow and succeed.

In order to identify market opportunities and create a supportive plan, the Market Assessment and Business Plan stepped in. It laid out how to encourage innovation and entrepreneurship culture, and connect entrepreneurs and small businesses to resources within the region.

The hub provides valuable programming, events, resources, and establishes partnerships that entrepreneurs need to start, scale, and sustain a business.

This incudes networking events and activities geared to the unique needs of startups and small business owners such as assistance programs, service providers, and funding sources to maximize growth potential and overall success.

Business-plan competitions, proactive coaching, networking events, and student programs are also offered.

Through the events — which feature members as speakers and panelists — and through business spotlights, the hub provides additional business exposure for its members in hopes that it will lead to increased clientele and growth.

Members also have exclusive access to learning opportunities as they relate to starting or scaling their business. This may include topics such as tax advisory, human resources, marketing, operations, IP and patents, and fundraising opportunities.

Pearland Innovation Hub also hosts various educational opportunities such as small business pop-ups, business-plan competitions, pitch parties, hackathons, and reverse pitches.

Upcoming events include Understanding Your Value Proposition on September 17, Addressing Your Pain Points on October 5, and Pitch Desk Prep on October 27.

Pearland Innovation Hub is funded through the Pearland Economic Development Corporation (PEDC). Oversight of the hub is provided by an advisory board and it will transition into its own nonprofit organization.

Texas is full of small towns, big cities, and everything in between, which gives residents a wide range of options when choosing where to live.

A closer look at Pearland, located south of Houston just outside of Beltway 8, reveals why it offers an ideal lifestyle for both employers and families looking to relocate.

Education is a priority in the community, evidenced by an educational attainment level that's well above the national average.

An impressive 49.7 percent of Pearland’s adult population holds a four-year degree or higher, compared to the national average of 32.9 percent, according to the latest American Community Survey estimates.

Located just off Pearland Parkway, the University of Houston-Clear Lake Campus provides the Pearland community convenient access to nationally accredited, career-building education opportunities. It offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in areas such as healthcare, education, business, criminology, and more.

Younger students in Pearland can benefit from the excellent public-school systems, with most students attending either Pearland Independent School District or Alvin Independent School District.

In Pearland, sports and recreation are a key component in the community. There are ample opportunities for children of all ages to participate in youth sports programs, and Pearland is home to the 2010, 2014, and 2015 Little League World Series finalists.

Between Pearland High School and Shadow Creek High School, a local school has played in four football state championship games in the last decade alone.

The city features world-class recreational opportunities for members of the community at any age. The 107,000-square-foot Pearland Recreation Center and Natatorium contains a gymnasium, weight room, activity room, racquetball courts, locker rooms, elevated indoor track, and a 50-meter competition pool.

With miles of trails and nearly 20 community and neighborhood parks, residents of Pearland are never far from accessible ways to prioritize their family’s health and wellness.

Pearland recently celebrated the grand opening for the second phase of the Sports Complex at Shadow Creek Ranch, which includes two turf fields and a multipurpose Miracle Field area designed to accommodate special needs athletes.

Pearland also offers public golf courses, sand volleyball courts, tennis courts, soccer and multipurpose fields, numerous playgrounds and dog parks, a local YMCA, and several national and local health clubs.

To see more of what Pearland has to offer, head here.

You may already be familiar with why major life sciences companies are putting down roots in Pearland's Lower Kirby, but did you know that manufacturing companies are also following suit?

Current manufacturing companies in Lower Kirby include Tool-Flo Manufacturing, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Compressor International Corporation, and Dover Energy, along with life science manufacturers Lonza, Merit Medical, and Cardiovascular Systems, Inc.

Tool-Flo Manufacturing produces tools and products for the oil and gas, automotive, aerospace, and medical industries. When the team at Tool-Flo was searching for a location, the approachability of Pearland’s Lower Kirby stood out.

“We spent a lot of time searching for property and when we drove into Pearland on Kirby Drive, it immediately felt like we were at home,” says former Tool-Flo president Dennis Flolo.

Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Compressor International Corporation (MHI) also selected Lower Kirby for its office, manufacturing, and service facility, and the first U.S.-based manufacturing and service location for the Japanese-owned company.

The 180,000-square-foot facility located on Kirby Drive houses packaging and assembly, vertical and horizontal rotor storage, repair and maintenance services, administrative offices, and a training center. MHI also constructed a 49,500-square-foot warehouse facility.

Dover Energy is the energy division of diversified global manufacturer Dover Corporation, and a manufacturer of specialized products and valves. Dover Energy opened a 150,000-square-foot manufacturing and operations facility in Pearland’s Lower Kirby with a facility that consolidated multiple Texas locations into one regional location that's home to over 200 employees.

“Dover was looking to consolidate the manufacturing and operations of several stand-alone businesses into one site that was convenient and would best position it for future growth, and we found a great location for them that will suit all of their needs in a modern business park environment,” says executive vice president Jarrett Venghaus, regional director at Jones Lang LaSalle (which represented Dover in its purchase of the land).

Merit Medical Systems, Inc. serves hospitals worldwide by manufacturing more than 2,000 proprietary, disposable medical devices used in diagnostic and interventional cardiology and radiology procedures.

Merit Medical chose Lower Kirby as the site for its new research and development and manufacturing facility due to an educated workforce and proximity to Houston. Approximately 400 of Merit’s 6,000 employees work out of the company’s 120,000-square-foot facility.

“Merit was looking for a large growing workforce, an educated community, an array of services immediately around the facility for the employees, and the proximity to the Greater Houston area,” says Merit Medical Systems managing director Richard Jepson.

Cardiovascular Systems, Inc. (CSI), a leading medical device manufacturer of innovative interventional treatment systems for vascular disease, selected Lower Kirby as the home of its second manufacturing facility in the U.S. CSI manufactures a minimally invasive medical device.

In December 2021, life-science company Millar, Inc. hopped on the Pearland bandwagon and broke ground on a headquarters, R&D, and manufacturing facility in Lower Kirby.

It joins fellow big names Lonza, Merit Medical, Cardiovascular Systems, and Endress+Hauser, among others, which are already located in the area that's popular with life science, energy, and manufacturing businesses.

“We looked everywhere, all over, when we were deciding where to move, but ultimately we decided that Pearland, with its life science presence, was the place for us,” says Millar CEO Tim Daugherty. “We know that this facility is going to take us to the next level as a company.”

Located on a five-acre site on Kirby Drive, just south of Beltway 8, the 56,000-square-foot facility will be home to approximately 120 employees and is scheduled to open in 2022. The headquarters and manufacturing facility will also house the company’s R&D and warehouse functions.

Pearland Economic Development Corporation and Pearland city officials began working with Millar on its relocation to a tract within Lower Kirby, furthering their reputation as a city that supports new and small businesses.

Lower Kirby is a 1,200-acre mixed-use development in northwest Pearland, at the intersection of South Beltway 8 and State Highway 288, that's home to office, retail, commercial, and industrial projects and continuing to expand.

Founded in 1969, Millar, Inc. pioneered the development of pressure sensor technology, directing its design and manufacturing expertise toward integrating that technology into catheters for life sciences and clinical applications.

Today, it's a leading developer and manufacturer of those pressure sensor-enabled devices, and partners with global leaders in technology, manufacturing, and healthcare to turn breakthrough technologies into life-saving medical innovations.