Port Houston’s small business development program recognized more than 15 years of the program's success and a half a billion dollars awarded to local small businesses in the Houston region at a tribute event presented with Houston First Feb. 27 at the George R. Brown Convention Center.

Port Chairman Janiece Longoria and Commissioner Theldon Branch III, KHOU’s Shern-Ming Chow as well as other dignitaries participated in the event program.

The port’s small business efforts have received a number of awards in recent years, including the Our Great Region Excellence Award by the Houston-Galveston Area Council and the City of Houston Office of Business Opportunity’s Community Partner of Year Award for the port’s Interagency Mentor Protégé Program with local agencies.

Port Houston’s staff participated in over 250 small business outreach events in 2017. More than 1,000 local small business are registered in the port’s small business development program.

A total of 650 small business have also graduated from Port University, a program designed for local entrepreneurs focusing on gaining valuable insight about port procurement opportunities, the language of contracts and lessons for success as a business owner.

"Port Houston's Small Business Development Program is an important economic tool to broadly spread opportunity," said Port Chairman Janiece Longoria. 

Port Houston is a premier gateway for international commerce and the Port Houston Small Business Development Program is a gateway for small businesses to thrive and prosper.