3 Houston innovators to know this week

who's who

This week's roundup of Houston innovators includes Chris Howard of Softeq, Stephanie Hertzog of Sodexo, and Moody Heard of Buildforce. Courtesy photos

Editor's note: In the week's roundup of Houston innovators to know, I'm introducing you to three local innovators across industries — oil and gas, tech development, and construction staffing — recently making headlines in Houston innovation.


Chris Howard, CEO of Softeq

On this week's episode of the Houston Innovators Podcast, Softeq Founder and CEO Chris Howard shares how he's focusing on supporting the Houston innovation ecosystem. Photo courtesy of Softeq

A sign of a blossoming innovation ecosystem is when experienced and successful founders turn their focus to supporting emerging startups. That's what Chris Howard, who founded his tech company over 20 years ago, is looking to do with a new innovation lab and more in the works.

"I want to give back as an entrepreneur and a Houstonian," Howard says on this week's episode of the Houston Innovators Podcast. "I really want to leverage Softeq's expertise in order to help these companies grow in the same way that we've been doing for a couple of decades now."

Howard shares more about the Softeq Innovation Lab and how COVID-19 has affected his business and technology in general on the episode. Click here to read more and stream the episode.

Stephanie Hertzog, CEO of Sodexo

Stephanie Hertzog is hoping the future workforce of her company and others within the energy industry better reflects the city's diverse populations. Photo courtesy of Sodexo

Ever since taking the helm at Houston-based Sodexo Energy Resources North America, CEO Stephanie Hertzog has been intentional with prioritizing diversifying the workforce of the company. In a Q&A with InnovationMap, she notes on how the energy industry has been known as pretty homogeneous, especially within the gender divide. But things are changing.

"And we need to all be focusing on getting more of not only diversity, but inclusion as well," she says. "It's not just about hiring a diverse group, it's about making those people feel included when they get here and having them want to stay and be a part of our industry." Read more.

Additionally this week, Hertzog expands on her call for the energy industry to diversify in a guest column for InnovationMap. Click here to read it.

Moody Heard, CEO of BuildForce

Houston-based Buildforce is developing a technology to better connect contractors and the trade professionals they employ. Photo courtesy of Buildforce

A Houston innovator is tapping into tech to disrupt a booming industry in Houston, Texas, and beyond .Buildforce is a construction staffing app that aims to more efficiently connect contractors to skilled workers in trades ranging from electrical, mechanical, and plumbing to flooring, concrete, painting, and more.

The company raised a $1.5 million pre-seed round led by Houston-based Mercury Fund and is led by CEO Moody Heard.

"Our key insight is that providing a superior service to construction employers starts with providing a superior experience for tradesmen and women," Heard says in a news release. "Talent is the greatest finite resource in construction in Texas. In order to deliver talent to our contractor partners, we've created a job placement experience that is simple, friendly, and transparent. That's something people in the construction trades aren't used to, and has helped us grow incredibly quickly over the past several months." Click here to read more.

Stephanie Hertzog, CEO of Houston-based Sodexo, shares how she's embracing diversity and innovation within the energy industry. Photo courtesy of Sodexo

Houston CEO talks augmented reality, diversity, how it will all play a role in the energy transition

Q&A

When Stephanie Hertzog first started her role as CEO of Houston-based Sodexo Energy & Resources North America in the fall of 2019, she was on the road every week visiting some of the facility management company's 100 million customers.

"I actually had a conversation with my assistant in early March, and said, 'Okay, our goal is that by April, I not be on the road every week. Let's try to get this to at least every other week,'" she recalls. Shortly after, the world changed, and by March 10 she halted all travel and was forced to lead her company to innovate in more ways than one.

"When we think about innovation, we often think about technology, but we've had to innovate so much in the last 12 months, in how we do everything," she says. "We've really asked a lot of our teams over the last year in regard to having to rethink how they do things and be innovative and adapt."

To Hertzog, it's this adaptation and innovation she's seen in the last year that will allow her industry to support an energy transition and, as she says, "preserve" beyond the pandemic and inevitable future downturns.

InnovationMap talked with Hertzog about the importance of adaptation in the energy industry, new technologies that Sodexo has implemented in that effort, and how a diverse workforce plays a role in all of it.

InnovationMap: Why is it important for the energy industry to continue to adapt and be innovative?

Stephanie Hertzog: Oftentimes, the energy industry gets viewed a bit as being old school. We, as an industry, have really embraced technology for decades now. And I really think that it's what's allowed us to continue to survive during all of the down cycles.

In today's age, where we have renewables growing their percentage of the market, and there's a lot of enhanced enthusiasm around carbon reduction efforts. And technology will be at the forefront of that energy transition. Technology is going to be a big part of how we continue to provide affordable energy for the foreseeable future.

IM: You're originally from the Houston area. How has it changed and what makes you excited for Houston's future?

SH: I'm most excited about Houston and most proud of Houston in that we've always been a very diverse and international city. I think a lot of that has been driven over the years by energy business, bringing in people from all over, but we also have a high immigrant population. And I think that diversity has really led us to be entrepreneurial. Thinking about innovation and technology, having that diversity of thought and opinion has helped us to continue to be a leader in that space over time. We've always been a large city ever since I was young, but we're continuing to grow. And we're seeing more and more people transplanting here from other parts of the country. And I think that's exciting to see us getting more diversity in our economy as well.

IM: Why is it important — from a business perspective — to have a diverse workforce?

SH: There's a lot of research on this topic. It's very clear that businesses that have more diverse leadership teams outperform those that don't, and so having diversity in the room leads people to ask different questions, to have more discussion and to have more questioning of the status quo.

IM: What has been the most impactful adaptation in your industry in recent years?

SH: It's really been embracing software technology. The mobile aspects of being able to get data on your phone has really allowed us to put in a lot of systems that have allowed us to, for example, better track tasks and make sure that things get done to optimize janitorial cleaning schedule. There's a lot of stuff that we used to do on paper at a site that we now do electronically, which allows us to compare site versus site and see not just how well can that site do, but how well is that site doing versus other sites. It's all about doing what we do really well and as efficiently as possible.

We have a recent innovation that we've been working on: augmented reality glasses that allow someone on an offshore platform, for example, to wear the glasses and someone back in Houston in an office tower to see what that person is seeing almost through their own eyes. That is an example being able to get things done faster. I don't have to physically travel someone to the platform, I can just be able to get them in real time. And so there are a lot of things like that. It opens up all new worlds.

IM: Why is augmented reality an especially useful tool in the energy industry? 

SH: We already discussed from an efficiency standpoint of being able to get the expertise on site without physically having to get out there. But another aspect of that is the safety element. We always try to keep as few people on site as possible, just because these environments inherently have some amount of safety precautions that we have to take. Some of the things are as simple as to be able to actually get out to an offshore platform, you have to have been helicopter trained. But also, Heaven forbid, something should happen on that platform you want the least amount of people out there as possible.

IM: Did the pandemic play any role in terms of expediting the adaptation of these technologies?

SH: Yes. We were looking for better ways to do anything remotely that we could. That was everything from these glasses to just straight up video conferencing. We normally do a safety walk in-person, but how can you do a safety walk remotely? So I think any opportunity, we had to try to enhance the experience of being there, but not being there — everything got escalated.

IM: In light of Women's History month, why is it important for the energy industry to focus on inclusion of women as it moves forward?

SH: I think the business case is the same as we discussed earlier: better outcomes, more success if we have diversity at all levels in the energy space. And it's really important in energy, because we've been bad at this. Particularly around the gender dynamic, if we look at the highest levels in the energy space, there's just not historically been a lot of representation of women there. We're starting to make some inroads, but we still have a long way to go. Part of it's been a pipeline issue. A lot of the leaders of energy businesses are engineers. Women are now coming out of undergraduate around 40 percent of chemical engineers, so we're getting we're getting close to having parity there – but overall engineering is still only 20 percent female. And from that first manager position and on up, there are big gaps where we lose women along the way.

We're not keeping up with the pace that we've been putting women into the business for a long time. Companies have got to make some real effort here. Certainly the year that the United States had around some of the racial divide, I think that's an important topic for us to be talking about. And we need to all be focusing on getting more of not only diversity, but inclusion as well. It's not just about hiring a diverse group, it's about making those people feel included when they get here and having them want to stay and be a part of our industry. From a Houston perspective, we continue to be a big part of the economy here. And so if we're not getting it right, then Houston's going to struggle.

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This conversation has been edited for brevity and clarity.

As Women's History Month wraps up, it's time to reflect on the enabling diversity and inclusion in the workplace as a driver of innovation. Photo via Getty Images

Houston expert: Now is the time to diversify your workforce in the name of innovation

Guest column

Pop quiz: What's the best way to introduce and nurture a culture of innovation in your organization?

  1. Give all employees a VR headset
  2. Mandate every team leader offer one new idea per quarter
  3. Add the word "innovate" to the organization's mission statement
  4. Actively recruit, hire and support a more diverse workforce

If you didn't answer D, you have some research to do. A trove of recent research shows an undeniable link between workforce diversity and innovation, not to mention better overall results. From McKinsey to the Boston Consulting Group to HBR the data keeps coming.

For instance, Deloitte found organizations with more inclusive cultures are both significantly more innovative and twice as likely to meet or exceed financial targets than their counterparts. My own company, Sodexo, commissioned a study that found gender-balanced teams contribute to better outcomes across the board, including innovation.

Beyond the hard evidence, pure common sense tells us when we open our doors to people with different perspectives and life experiences, we also welcome new ideas. Diverse teams encourage diverse thinking, new solutions and agile implementation. There's a reason that Great Place to Work calls diverse and inclusive teams "the engines of innovation."

At the same time, innovation has become essential in our current economic climate. If this past year has taught us anything, it's that we need to be nimble and ready to think differently at a moment's notice.

As we close out another Women's History Month, we are rounding out a year that has been a collective setback for women in the workplace, in particular. Millions of women have left the labor market during the global pandemic and it's unclear how many will return and what professional repercussions they will face.

This comes as our industry was already woefully lacking gender parity. According to a 2019 Catalyst study, there were fewer women in oil and gas than almost any other major industry. The group found women accounted for only 22 percent of employees, 17 percent of senior level roles and one percent of top leadership.

In other words, the pandemic has given us even more work to do — both in recruiting women and a more diverse employee base in general. We need to do so if we are to transform into the future-oriented industry our customers need us to be.

The news is not all doom and gloom, however. An eye-opening McKinsey report about our industry, "Oil and gas after COVID-19" argues that the global pandemic "will be a catalytic moment and accelerate permanent shifts in the industry's ecosystem, with new future opportunities." The authors lay out several potential avenues for successful organizations, including the ability to "create the organization of the future," by recruiting a new blend of talent that will bring innovative ideas.

This is a watershed moment to rethink how we recruit and hire. We can look more broadly at what we look for and from which fields we recruit. We can consider how different ideas and perspectives can help us forge paths toward our future.

We have the data to fuel the changes we need. We also have the data to offer us the cautionary tale of not changing. As the McKinsey report put it: "The opportunity to lead has never been better—separation between market leaders and laggards will be increasingly sharp."

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Stephanie Hertzog is the CEO of Houston-based Sodexo Energy & Resources North America.

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2 Houston suburbs named among 10 best places to live by U.S. News & World Report

Where to Live

The Houston suburbs of Pearland and League City have landed among the top 10 best places to live in 2025, according to U.S. News & World Report.

New for the 2025-2026 "Best Places to Live in the U.S." rankings, U.S. News expanded its coverage from 150 to 250 U.S. cities, and updated its methodology to examine each city based on five livability indexes: Quality of life, value, desirability, job market, and net migration.

Pearland ranked No. 3 nationwide, earning a 7.0 score alongside No. 1-winning Johns Creek, Georgia and No. 2 winner Carmel, Indiana.

Pearland also landed on top of U.S. News separate rankings of the best places to live in Texas for 2025-2026.

Some facts about Pearland that put it at the top of the list include its median household income ($115,504), its median home values ($319,753), and its bustling population of nearly 124,000 residents.

Housing costs in Pearland are extremely attractive compared to other places in the country, as the national average home is worth over $370,000. It's no wonder this Houston neighbor has been adding more high-income households than many other places in Texas.

Pearland's population is a healthy mix of young individuals and families, with 29 percent of residents under 20 years old and 36 percent of the population between the ages of 20-44. Nearly a quarter of Pearland's population is between 45-64-years-old, while only 12 percent of residents are over 65, the report says.

Pearland's reputation as one of the safest cities in America is also boosting its community appeal.

Pearland Pear TrailPearland's Pear-Scape Trail is a popular public art trail that residents, families, and visitors can enjoy. The sculptures are scattered all over the city.City of Pearland - Government/Facebook

"Finding a community to be part of can play a major role in making a place feel like home," U.S. News said. "If you’re a parent with young children, you may want to live in a neighborhood with other people in that phase of life. If you’re a professional moving to a hot job market for your field, you may want to live in an apartment close to the office or within walking distance of friends and colleagues."

Pearland also enjoys a better job market than other cities, the report added. Pearland's unemployment rate as of 2023 was only 3.6 percent, lower than the national average unemployment rate of 4.5 percent.

However, if people are looking for a public transportation-friendly city, they may need to look elsewhere. Almost all commuters in Pearland drive to their workplaces, making access to a vehicle absolutely necessary for living in the suburb. Pearland's 31.2-minute average commute time is also 9.2 minutes higher than the national average, U.S. News said.

Other Houston-area suburbs

League City ranked three spots behind Pearland as the 6th best place to live in the U.S., and No. 2 in Texas. The city boasts a median household income of $120,670, and affordable median home values at $327,511.

Workers in League City also predominantly rely on vehicles for their daily commutes, and only 3.7 percent of the population use public transport to get to work. Commuters spend an average time of 27.5 minutes driving to work, U.S. News determined.

More than half (63.5 percent) of all League City residents are married, and 54 percent of the population are between the ages of 25 and 64-years-old.

Here's how other Houston-area cities faired among the top 100:

  • No. 16 – Sugar Land
  • No. 44 – The Woodlands
  • No. 45 – Katy
  • No. 67 – Missouri City
  • No. 73 – Spring

Houston drops out of the top 100

Though Houston proper made substantial improvements to land among the top 100 best places to live in U.S. News' 2024-2025 report, the city has once again plummeted toward the bottom of the list for 2025-2026.

Houston slumped to No. 381 this year, and only ranked No. 63 in the statewide comparison, showing that the city has lost its charm in favor of its appealing suburban neighbors.

The top 10 best places to live in the U.S. are:

  • No. 1 – Johns Creek, Georgia
  • No. 2 – Carmel, Indiana
  • No. 3 – Pearland, Texas
  • No. 4 – Fishers, Indiana
  • No. 5 – Cary, North Carolina
  • No. 6 – League City, Texas
  • No. 7 – Apex, North Carolina
  • No. 8 – Leander, Texas
  • No. 9 – Rochester Hills, Michigan
  • No. 10 – Troy, Michigan
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This story originally appeared on CultureMap.com.

9 can't-miss Houston business and innovation events for June

where to be

Editor's note: From lightning pitches to a female-focused AI summit and energy conferences, there's still plenty to do as Houston settles into the summer. Here are the Houston business and innovation events you can't miss in June and how to register. Please note: this article might be updated to add more events.


June 3 – Founders Live Houston 

Watch five Houston founders present their 99-second pitches at Founders Live Houston. Competing teams include AyeDu (Vinita Gupta), Omniscale (Tony Hernandez-Ferman), AnswerPath (Chris Mullins), Katana.video (Sam Bhattacharyya) and TraceWrap (Laketta B.).

This event is Tuesday, May 3, at 5:30 p.m. at the Ion. Register here.

June 4 – Center for Human Performance Research & Networking Event

Rice University and Houston Methodist's Center for Human Performance will host an event to support its work in the study of exercise physiology, injury prevention and rehabilitation. The organizations will share more information on seed grant opportunities, and the event will feature presentations from Rice and Houston Methodist leaders, networking sessions and a poster showcase.

This event is Wednesday, June 4, from 3-5:30 p.m. at the BioScience Research Collaborative at Rice University. Register here.

June 12 – Transition on Tap

Meet and hear lighting pitches from eight of Greentown Labs’ newest startup members. Attendees can network with entrepreneurs, investors, corporate leaders, philanthropists, students and other climate champions. Georgina Campbell Flatter, CEO of Greentown Labs, and Victor Martinez, Greentown's memberships manager, will also speak.

This event is Thursday, June 12, from 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Greentown Houston. Register here.

June 16-18 — Energy Drone & Robotics Summit

This three-day summit, the largest of its kind, will connect 1,500-plus leaders in the global energy/industrial robotics, drone and data sectors. Attendees will glean the latest ideas, use cases, best practices, tech and trends from a wide variety of robotics and drone industry experts.

This event begins June 16 at Woodlands Waterway Marriott. Register here.

June 17 – SGSF’s #SUPERGirlsInSTEM Summit, The Intersection of AI & Workforce

SUPERGirls SHINE Foundation is hosting a one-day summit for women ages 18-24 focused on the evolving intersection of AI and the STEM workforce. The conference will feature keynote speakers, panel discussions and hands-on workshops.

This event is Tuesday, June 17, from 9 a.m.-1 p.m. at the Ion. Register here.

June 18 – 2025 Obsidi BNXT: Juneteenth Tech Forum

Obsidi.com, an online platform launched by the Black Professionals in Tech Network (BPTN), will host a forum for high-performing Black and allied tech executives. The event offers networking opportunities, keynotes and panels that feature executives from Echelon Health Partners, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, SAP, Intuit and more.

The event is Wednesday, June 18, at NRG Center. Register here.

June 24 — Houston Methodist Leadership Speaker Series

Head to the Houston Methodist Tech Hub at Ion to hear the latest installment of the Houston Methodist Leadership Speaker Series. Trent Fulin, vice president and CEO at Houston Methodist Cypress Hospital, will discuss the new 105-acre campus and its first 100 days of patient care, followed by a Q&A.

This event is Tuesday, June 23, from 4:45-6 p.m. Register here.

June 25-26 – Carbon Capture Technology Expo and  Hydrogen Technology Conference & Expo North America

Tackling climate change is one of the biggest global challenges that requires immediate action, and many industrial sectors are now looking to new technology to help meet net-zero emission targets. The Carbon Capture Technology Expo is North America's leading event for carbon capture, utilization and storage. The expo offers opportunities to network with industry frontrunners and best-in-class solution providers.

This event begins June 25 at NRG Center. Click here to register. It is co-located with the Hydrogen Technology Conference & Expo North America. Expo passes are free.

June 26 – NASA Tech Talk

Every fourth Thursday of the month, NASA experts, including longtime engineer Montgomery Goforth, present on technology development challenges NASA’s Johnson Space Center and the larger aerospace community are facing and how Houston’s innovation community can leverage them. Stick around after for drinks and networking at Second Draught.

This event is Thursday, June 26, from 6-7 p.m. at the Ion. Register here.

3 Houston innovators who made headlines in May 2025

Innovators to Know

Editor's note: Houston innovators are making waves this month with revolutionary VC funding, big steps towards humanoid robotics, and software that is impacting the agriculture sector. Here are three Houston innovators to know right now.

Zach Ellis, founder and partner of South Loop Ventures

Zach Ellis. Photo via LinkedIn

Zach Ellis Jr., founder and general partner of South Loop Ventures, says the firm wants to address the "billion-dollar blind spot" of inequitable distribution of venture capital to underrepresented founders of color. The Houston-based firm recently closed its debut fund for more than $21 million. Learn more.

Ty Audronis, CEO and founder of Tempest Droneworx

Ty Audronis, CEO and founder of Tempest Droneworx

Ty Audronis, center. Photo via LinkedIn.

Ty Audronis and his company, Tempest Droneworx, made a splash at SXSW Interactive 2025, winning the Best Speed Pitch award at the annual festival. The company is known for it flagship product, Harbinger, a software solution that agnostically gathers data at virtually any scale and presents that data in easy-to-understand visualizations using a video game engine. Audronis says his company won based on its merits and the impact it’s making and will make on the world, beginning with agriculture. Learn more.

Nicolaus Radford, CEO of Persona AI

Nicolaus Radford, founder and CEO of Nauticus RoboticsNicolaus Radford. Image via LinkedIn

Houston-based Persona AI and CEO Nicolaus Radford continue to make steps toward deploying a rugged humanoid robot, and with that comes the expansion of its operations at Houston's Ion. Radford and company will establish a state-of-the-art development center in the prominent corner suite on the first floor of the building, with the expansion slated to begin in June. “We chose the Ion because it’s more than just a building — it’s a thriving innovation ecosystem,” Radford says. Learn more.

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