Muigai, Caroline LGL From: Icken, Andy - MYR Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2017 3:13 PM To: Robert Eury Cc: John S. Reale Jr. Subject: Fwd: Amazon - Executive Summary Attachments: imageOOlpng; ATT00001.htm,? Amazon_New Executive Summary?v2.pdf; ATT00002.htm Here is summary proposal sheet. support it. Sent from my iPhone Begin forwarded message: From: Clint Pasche Date: October 12, 2017 at 2:42:11 PM CDT To: "lcken, Andy cc: Bob Harvey Subject: RE: Amazon - Executive Summary Andy, please find updated copy reflecting the other transit?oriented sites as discussed. Thank you, Clint From: Clint Pasche Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2017 2:01 PM To: Andy lcken Cc: Bob Harvey Subject: Amazon - Executive Summary Andy, in effort to keep this moving forward, here is a draft ofthe two page executive summary. This should hit the highlights of the proposal and make a compelling case, in a short read, of why Houston is the right choice. note that JR had a moment to take a quick look and offered advice which is not reflected here as we wanted to get this over ASAP. Let us know your thoughts and we can reconcile the changes. Clint AMAZON HQZ HOUSTON PROPOSAL EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION The entire Houston community is pleased to submit our proposai to be the home for Amazon?s second headquarters. As we studied your request-for-proposal and dug deep into your culture, we discovered there are remarkable similarities between us. Houston is a can-do city that focuses on getting resuits, not credit. We think big and then we do it. As you review this proposal, we think you come to this conclusion: Houston and Amazon are kindred spirits, and together, we can change the world. APPROACH TO AMAZON HQZ PROPOSAL PROCESS In Houston, we work together. When this opportunity came about, leaders from across our region came together in a thoughtful, collaborative fashion to present a creative community response. This group included business and civic leaders, academics, startups, and cuitural institutions, each bringing diverse perspectives to our solution. Simply put, our proposai reflects this synergistic effort and iike Houston, is buiit on partnership and coltaboration. We invite Amazon to partner with us and our core sectors to drive future growth and innovation. WHY HOUSTON Houston is diverse The New York Times calls Houston ?America?s Most Diverse City." Houston has no ethnic majority and onerin-four Houstonians was born outside of the United States. This diversity adds a richness to the fabric of Houston you will not find in many other cities. As Amazon seeks to diversify its ranks at the executive, manager and professional levels, there is no better place to iocate than Houston. Houston offers a unique convorgence of industries ripe for disruption Houston is home to key giobai industries teeming with challenge and opportunity: energy, heaithcare, manufacturing, iogistics and space. These are Sectors ripe for disruption, representing some of the richest opportunity sets for Amazon and its innovators. Our proposal offers severai special opportunities and partnerships to drive game?changing solutions. Houston is home to top STEM and computer software taient Houston is home to 240,000 STEM specialists and consistently ranks first or second as the top city for the number of STEM workers and the highest concentration of engineers. it also enjoys a iarge population of 97,550 workers in technology-related occupations. As a company in the business of industry disruption, Amazon can partner with the technicai engineers and talent in our ?legacy? industries to drive innovation forward. Houston and Texas offer a great business climate Through pro-growth poiicy, smart regulation and a favorabie tax regime, Texas has emerged as the premier state for expansion and relocation. We are a right?to?work state and have no corporate or personai income tax. The City of Houston has set priorities of its own to support growth and innovation. The City has no iocal minimum wage, permitting is fast and friendly, and the cost of doing business in Houston is well-below the U.S. major metro average. Altogether, Houston offers Amazon one of the easiest and best places to do business in the country. Houston offers an incredibie quality of fife that attracts talent Our eclectic, culture-titled neighborhoods, restaurants and attractions offer diverse flavors that can only be found here, Houston is ranked as a top city for attracting millennials iargely because we offer a high quality of life paired with a low cost of living. Amazonians can afford to enjoy everything Houston has to offer because their rent is lower, groceries are cheaper, and they can access more affordable healthcare than in most other major cities. Houston is a gateway to the Americas Houston is positioned equidistant to the east and west coasts and offers easy access to every major city in the U.S. We also offer the most flights of any US. city to Mexico and direct access throughout Latin America. Our two international airports are within 25 minutes of the proposed sites with daily non-stop flights to more than i90 destinations inciuding 69 international cities. Additionaliy, Port Houston is America?s number one export seaport. Amazon wiil find that Houston is the perfect conduit to move both goods and people. SITE SOLUTION Houston proposes to partner with Amazon to estabilsh its H02 in the ?Innovation Corridor" of centrat Houston. leveraging one or more privately-owned, development-ready sites. A campus in the Corridor offers direct access to the city's leading academic, corporate, life science, and startup resources in a culturally?rich, diverse, and miilennial-friendly setting. innovation Corridor North Site 800 Bell Located in Dowritown Houston, the former Humble Oil Building offers Amazon the opportunity to repurpose a landmark 1.3 million SF office tower as the launch pad tor future growth and innovation. Several adjacent land tracts are available for development that easily meet the 8 million SF build out required for Amazon HQZ. This location offers proximity to a world~class multi?rnodal transit system and quaiity of life amenities, inctuding luxury hotels, acres of outdoor spaces, an award?winning Theater District, and three professional sports teams. innovation Corridor South Site - Wheeler Station Located in the historic urban Midtown neighborhood, the Wheeler Station site offers Amazon the opportunity to revitalize a historic 200,000 SF Art Deco Sears building on a core 8?acre site adiacent to another 10+ acres that in total, meet the requirement for Amazon's H02. This location aliows a sustainable, modern campus to be woven into an authentic, diverse, and walkable urban neighborhood. This vibrant area offers countless award-winning restaurants, world class museums and green spaces with ample miltenntal?focused housing. Adjacent to Innovation Corridor East River East River is located in Houston's East End, the cultural and arts district located lust minutes away from Downtown Houston and the Innovation Corridor. This site is offered as an alternative opportunity and features a lSO?acre parcel including two existing buildings with more than 550,000 SF available for phase 1 of redevelopment. in addition. adjacent buiidings are available for further buildout to meet the 8 million SF requirement tor Amazon's H02. East River connects to more than a mile of waterfront, and is part of a vibrant and eclectic neighborhood with a focus on diverse cultures and lifestyles, entrepreneurialism, and art. Other Transit-Oriented Sites for Potential Development In addition to the three sites on or adjacent to the Innovation Corridor, Houston has a number of other options that are close to existing or proposed mass transit options. One option wouid integrate with Texas Central Railway's high~speed bullet train station to be located a few minutes northwest of Downtown. The Fannin South site is connected to the Red Line south of the Texas Medical Center. The third site, owned by the University of?Texas, has access to the proposed 90A commuter line that will connect commuters from the region's populous southwest side. INCENTIVES The City of Houston, Harris County, and the State of Texas are prepared to offer a competitive package of incentives for Amazon to iocate in the Innovation Corridor. This is offered in the form of cash and tax incentives that total approximately $268 million. We will Work closely with Amazon to expedite permitting and provide transit and other accommodations. SPECIAL PARTNERSHIPS Houston's leading institutions stand ready to work with Amazon to build new, disruptive business models in Houston's areas of traditional strength: energy in all of its forms and uses, iife sciences and healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, and space. In addition to the main HQ2 campus, our community is prepared to offer a series of special partnerships, including physical space in proximity to industry~focused coliaboration centers, to drive future growth and innovation. These real estate inducements total approximately $38 million in value. CONCLUSION Houston is proposing a partnership with Amazon. A partnership that challenges our city and your company to think big and think differently. Houston's unique convergence of industries presents a series of problem-sets that we can solve'together. As a company looking 10, 20, 30 years down the road with a mission to change the world. Amazon will not find a more able and willing partner than Houston. Since Day One, we have been a city of disruption. We invite Amazon and your tenacious drive to ioin us. Muigai, Caroline - LGL From: Sent To: Cc: Subject: Attachments: Icken, Andy MYR Thursday, October 12, 2017 6:10 PM Bob Harvey John S. Reale Jr.; Robert Eury; Marro, D'Ann - MYR Fwd: Amazon Letter imageOOljpg; 20171012175212524.pdf; And frankly this ietter and the changes the mayor made was worth waiting for?! Sent from my iPhone Begin forv?varded message: From: "Washington, Amanda - Date: October 12,2017 at 6:03:11 PM CDT To: ?Bob Harvey Cc: "Icken, Andy Subject: Amazon Letter Please see attached Amazon Letter. CITY OF HOUSTON Sylvester Turner Office of the Mayor Mayor PO. Box 1562 Houston, Texas 77251-1562 Telephone Diat 311 October 12, 2017 Jeffrey P. Bezos President, CEO and Chairman of the Board Amazon 410 Terry Ave. North Seattle, WA 981096210 Dear Jeff, On behalf of the City of Houston, I am pleased to invite you back home to the fourth largest and most diverse city in America. Heuston is where it all began for you and is where opportunities still abound for 2.3 million hard working Houstonians. As Mayor, I am excited about our proposal to become the home of Amazon and not merely its headquarters. I am certain you will ?nd that like Amazon, Houston is young, dynamic, energetic, and built on growth and innovation. We are a city where we believe that if you can dream it, you can do it. It?s a place where, regardless of your background or what side of town you grew up on, there is opportunity for everyone. Houston is an inclusive city that welcomes everyone, regardless of origin, heritage or social status. As Amazon seeks to diversify and expand its rank at the executive, managerial and professional levels, there is no better place to locate than Houston Many companies have decided to locate their headquarters in Houston because of the access to highly educated and professional talent, as well as to suppliers, customers, and clients. The city?s central location, our two international airports and extensive highway and rail network connect Houston to the east coast, west coast and the world. We also enjoy robust transit options, including light rail, an expansive bus network, popular ride-sharing and van pool programs, convenient access to an extensive freeway system and a planned high~speed rail system. Houston is the energy capital of the world, home to the largest medical center in the world, has the largest port as it relates to foreign tonnage, and is home to the Johnson Space Center. We are also one of the best places in the world to live. Houston is recognized as one of America?s friendliest and greenest cities. We value our environment and invest in our greenspaces, parks, hike and bike trails. Our museum and theater districts are among the largest and most celebrated in the country. Amazon?s employees will thrive in Houston thanks to a high quality of life, low cost of living, and a young city responsive to all generations. Amazon and Houston can grow together and we will lock to Amazon to help steer that growth. After the devastating impact of Hurricane Harvey, the world had the chance to witness what we already know, Houston is a city of strength and resilience. We are a city with a bright future whose best days are yet ahead. With our pro-business environment and can-do attitude, we are con?dent that your people and your business will thrive in Houston. As we look to the ?iture, there is no other city more uniquely positioned to be Amazon?s new home than Houston. As the Mayor of the City of Houston, I want your business. I want Houston to be your home and I am asking you to come. Regards, Sylvester i urner Mayor Bernstein, Alan - MYR From: Bernstein, Aian MYR Sent: Friday, December 15, 2017 10:45 AM To: Bernstein, Alan MYR Subject: Fwd: Houston touts innovation in bid to bring 50,000 Amazonjobs to town I abc13.com Aian Bernstein Director of Communications Houston Mayor's Office 0 832 393 0800 832 943 9835 Begin forwarded message: From: Aian Date: November 30, 2017 at 1:27:24 PM CST To: Alan Bernstein Subject: Houston touts innovation in bid to bring 50,000 Amazon jobs to town I abc13.com 08d53828643c%7C573853 10258b45 b42315 Sent from my iPhone Bernstein. Alan MYR From: Bernstein, Alan - MYR Sent: Monday, October 23, 2017 4:57 PM To: 'Clint Pasche' Subject: RE: Innovation Presser Tomorrow - Amazon No Amazon unless asked. Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Office of Houston Mayor Syivester Turner 0 832893-0800 832643-9835 From: Clint Pasche Sent: Monday, Octo er To: Bernstein, Alan MYR Subject: innovation Presser Tomorrow Amazon Aian, i think you were going to include Amazon and the innovation corridor in the mayor's remarks tomorrow Just confirming that it made it in. Bob Harvey will be there tomorrow in the if the Mayor gets a specific Amazon question that he wants to defer to Bob, Bob is prepped to answer. foiiow the talking points. Thanks, Ciint Clint Pasche . . ., . Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications i it Partnership Tower FA 701 Avenida de las Americas, Suite 900 Houston, TX 77010 713-844~3645 Amazon Houston Proposal Talking Points Our Proposition Houston is proposing a partnership with Amazon that challenges our city and the company to think big and think differently. Houston?s unique convergence of industries presents a series of probiem?sets that we can solve together. As a company looking 10, 20, 30 years down the road with a mission to change the world, Amazon will not find a more able and willing partner than Houston, Since Day One, we have been a city ofdisruption and we think we pair nicely with Amazon?s culture Houston?s innovation Corridor Houston?s Innovation Corridor runs along a four-mile stretch of the Red Line and is the center of a powerful social and economic convergence The proposed sites are in or in the vicinity ofthe Corridor, however, we wiil not go into specifics of the sites as we are bound by a nondisclosure agreement. Anchored at the south by the world's largest medical complex, the Texas Medical Center along with top-ranked Rice University, the Corridor runs north to Downtown Houston. The Corridor offers access to Houston?s leading corporate headquarters, financial institutions, professional service firms along with key players in Houston?s innovation scene including tech startups, incubators and accelerators. The Corridor includes some of the city?s top greenspaces, museums, pro sports venues, and restaurants, plus a wide?variety of housing options. The corridor offers close access to two international airports, three interstates, 3 million workers, plus access to key game changers in business and an unparalleled array of amenities. WHY HOUSTON Houston is America's Most Diverse City Houston has no ethnic majority and oneein-four Houstonlans was born outside of the United States. This diversity adds a richness to the fabric of Houston you will not find in many other cities. As Amazon seeks to diversify its ranks at the executive, manager and professional levels, there is no better place to locate than Houston. Houston offers a unique convergence of industries ripe for disruption Houston is home to key global industries teeming with challenge and opportunity: energy, healthcare, manufacturing, logistics and space. These are sectors ripe for disruption, representing some of the richest opportunity sets for Amazon and its innovators. Our proposed offers several special opportunities and partnerships to drive game-changing soiutions. Houston is home to top STEM and computer software talent Houston is home to 240,000 STEM specialists and consistently ranks first or second as the top city for the number of STEM workers and the highest concentration of engineers. It also enjoys a large population of 97,550 workers in technology~reiated occupations. As a company in the business of industry disruption, Amazon can partner with the technical engineers and talent in our ?legacy" industries to drive innovation forward. Houston and Texas offer a great business climate 0 Through pro~growth policy, smart regulation and a favorable tax regime, Texas has emerged as the premier state for business expansion and relocation. We are a right-to~work state and have no corporate or personal income tax. The City of Houston has set priorities of its own to support growth and innovation. The City has no local minimum wage, permitting is fast and friendly, and the cost of doing business In Houston is well-below the U5. major metro average. Altogether, Houston offers Amazon one of the easiest and best places to do business in the country. Houston offers an incredible quality of life that attracts talent Our eclectic, culture-filled neighborhoods, restaurants and attractions offer diverse flavors that can only be found here. Houston is ranked as atop city for attracting millenniais largely because we offer a high quality of life paired with a low cost of living. Amazonians can afford to enjoy everything Houston has to offer because their rent is lower, groceries are cheaper, and they can access more affordable healthcare than in most other major cities. Houston is a gateway to the Americas and the world Houston is positioned equidistant to the east and west coasts and offers easy access to every major city in the US. We also offer the most flights of any U.S. city to Mexico and direct access throughout Latin America. Our two international airports are within 25 minutes of the proposed sites with daily non-stop flights to more than 190 destinations including 69 international cities. Additionally, Port Houston is America?s number one export seaport. Amazon will find that Houston is the perfect conduit to move both goods and people. Bernstein. Alan MYR From: Sent: To: Subject: Attachments: Bernstein, Aian MYR Thursday, October 19, 2017 9:03 PM Amazon Taiking Points Me!na.!ocx Amazon Talking Points Mediadocx; Bernstein, Alan MYR From: Bernstein, Aian MYR Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2017 3:02 PM To: Darian Ward (Darian.Ward@houstontx.gov) Subject: FW: Question from KPRC Please give him the infoi Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Office of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner 0 832-393?0800 832643-9835 From: Lopez, Mike Sent: Thursday, October 19, 201 To: Bernstein, Alan MYR Subject: RE: Question from KPRC Thank you Alan! Can you share the proposal with When was the proposal made? I Was there a location identified in the proposal? Was the proposal made in conjunction with any local groups? What was Houston?s ?hook"? What reasons did you give that would put Houston above other similar-sized cities? I Mike Lopez Executive Planning Editor KPRC TV Channel 2 Houston, TX Newsroom 713-778-4909 Cell 713?823?9217 Twitter @TXNewsLopez Kpnc? GRAHAM GROUP From: Bernstein, Aian MYR Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2017 2:26 PM To: Lopez, Mike Ward, Darian MYR Subject: RE: Question rom Yes Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Office of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner 0 832'393-0800 832?943-9835 From: Lopez, Mike Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2017 1:29 PM To: Ward, Darian MYR Bernstein, Alan MYR Subject: Question from KPRC Hi Adrian, Alan, Did the city submit a bid tolAmazon in hopes of tending their new Headquarters? Thanksl Mike Lopez Executive Planning Editor KPRC 2 Sent with BiackBerry Work Bernstein, Alan - MVR From: Bernstein, Alan MYR Sent: Thursday, October 19, 2017 2:32 PM To: Icken, Andy MYR Subject: FW: Amazon Media Taiking Points Attachments: Amazon Talking Points Mediadocx Aian Bernstein Director of Communications Office of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner 0 832-393-0800 832-943?9835 From: Clint Pasche Sent: Thursday, Octo er To: Bernstein, Alan MYR Ward, Darian - MYR Subject: Amazon - Media Talking Points Alan Darian, i wanted to share a sheet of talking points we developed based on the proposal we submitted. Between the CNBC interview and other media the mayor might do, i hope you will find this helpfui as you prepare his materials. To this point, we have not said "innovation corridor? by name, but the door is certainly open to do so. Please let me know if you gave any questions happy to chat when you have a moment. CP Clint Pasche Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications 3 - . Partnership Tower 701 Avenida de las Americas, Suite 900 Houston, TX 77010 713?844-3645 I?nobile Amazon - Houston Proposal Talking Points Our Proposition Houston is proposing a partnership with Amazon that chailenges our city and the company to think big and think differently. Houston?s unique convergence of industries presents a series of problem-sets that we can solve together. As a company looking 10, 20, 30 years down the road with a mission to change the world, Amazon will not find a more able and willing partner than Houston. Since Day One, we have been a city of disruption and we think we pair nicely with Amazon?s culture Houston?s innovation Corridor Houston?s innovation Corridor runs along a four-mile stretch ofthe Red Line and is the center of a powerful social and economic convergence. The proposed sites are in or in the vicinity ofthe Corridor, however, we will not go into specifics ofthe sites as we are bound bv a non?disclosure agreement. Anchored at the south by the world's largest medical complex, the Texas Medical Center along with top?ranked Rice University, the Corridor runs north to Downtown Houston. The Corridor offers access to Houston?s leading corporate headquarters, financiai institutions, professional service firms along with key players in Houston?s innovation scene including tech startups, incubators and accelerators. The Corridor includes some of the city?s top greenspaces, museums, pro sports venues, and restaurants, pius a wide?variety of housing options. The corridor offers ciose access to two international airports, three interstates, 3 million workers, plus access to key game changers in business and an unparalleled array of amenities. WHY HOUSTON Houston is America's Most Diverse City Houston has no ethnic majority and one-in-four Houstonians was born outside of the United States. This diversity adds a richness to the fabric of Houston you will not find in many other cities. As Amazon seeks to diversify its ranks at the executive, manager and professional leveis, there is no better place to locate than Houston. Houston offers a unique convergence of industries ripe for disruption Houston is home to key global industries teeming with chalienge and opportunity: energy, healthcare, manufacturing, logistics and space. These are sectors ripe for disruption, representing some of the richest opportunity sets for Amazon and its innovators. Our proposal offers several special opportunities and partnerships to drive game-changing solutions. Houston is home to top STEM and computer software taient Houston is home to 240,000 STEM specialists and consistently ranks first or second as the?top city for the number of STEM workers and the highest concentration of engineers. it also enjoys a large population of 97,550 workers in technology-related occupations. As a company in the business of industry disruption, Amazon can partner with the technical engineers and talent in our "legacy" industries to drive innovation forward. Houston and Texas offer a great business climate Through pro~growth policy, smart regulation and a favorable tax regime, Texas has emerged as the premier state for business expansion and relocation. We are a right-to~work state and have no corporate or personal income tax. The City of Houston has set priorities of its own to support growth and innovation. The City has no iocal minimum wage, permitting is fast and friendly, and the cost of doing business in Houston is well?below the U.S. major metro average. Altogether, Houston offers Amazon one of the easiest and best places to do business in the country. Houston offers an incredible quality of iife that attracts talent Our eclectic, culture?filled neighborhoods, restaurants and attractions offer diverse flavors that can only be found here. Houston is ranked as a top city for attracting millennials largely because we offer a high quality of life paired with a iow cost of living. Amazonians can afford to enjoy everything Houston has to offer because their rent is lower, groceries are cheaper, and they can access more affordabie healthcare than in most other major cities. Houston is a gateway to the Americas and the world 0 Houston is positioned equidistant to the east and west coasts and offers easy access to every major city in the U.S. We also offer the most flights of any U.S. city to Mexico and direct access throughout Latin America. Our two international airports are within 25 minutes of the proposed sites with daily non-stop flights to more than 190 destinations including 69 international cities. Additionally, Port Houston is America?s number one export seaport. Amazon will find that Houston is the perfect conduit to-move both goods and people. Bernstein, Alan MYR From: Bernstein, Alan MYR Sent: Wednesday, October 18, 2017 4:59 PM To: ?DePiliis, Lydia' Cc: Darian Ward Tanya Rivera (TanyaMakany? Rivera@houstontx.goy) Subject: RE: CNN looking for Houston's Amazon bid package Lydia, Congratulations on your job switch. The Amazon build wili be submitted by the Partnership under a confidentiality agreement that applies to all bidding cities. However the city is considering a public release of a general outline of the bid, if not some specifics. Aian Bernstein Director of Communications Office of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner 0 8332-3930800 832843-9835 From: DePilIis, Lydia [mailt? Sent: Wednesday, October 18, 2017 3:09 PM To: Bernstein, Alan - MYR Subject: CNN looking for Houston's Amazon bid package Hi Alan, lt's Lydia, very recentiy of the Houston Chronicle, now of CNNMoney. We spoke a while ago about the city?s intention to pursue Amazon?s second headquarters, and since the bid is due tomorrow, i wanted to ask: Could you send over whatever package was put together? Let me know, thanks! Ali best, Lydia Lydia DePlilis Economy reporter, CNNiVloney twitter:@y Ia ep IS Bernstein, Alan - MVR From: Bernstein, Alan - MVR Sent: Wednesday, October 18, 2017 12:01 PM To: 'Cara Smith' Cc: Darian Ward (Darian.Ward@houstontx.gov) Subject: RE: Questions regarding request Cara, In response to your foiiow~up call this morning, the Amazon build will be submitted by the Partnership under a confidentiality agreement that applies to cali bidding cities. However the city is considering a public release of a general outline of the bid, if not some specifics. Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Office of Houston Mayor Syivester Turner 0 832693-0800 lVi 832843-9835 From: Cara Smith October 1 To: Bernstein, Alan - MYR Subject: Questions regarding FOIA request Hi Alan, I don?t think you and have worked together, but my name?s Cara Smith and i cover commercial real estate for the Houston Business Journai. Jack said you?ve been helpful recommended I reach out to you Quick question. We?re preparing 3 mm request to the city regarding its Amazon HQZ bid, but i know the bid itself isn?t due to Amazon until Oct. 19 and FOIA guidelines don?t allow us to request something that doesn't technically exist yet. So, my question - would a request submitted before Oct. 19 be received answered? Or should we just wait ?til after the Know it?s a little gritty, butjust want to make sure our request is received addressed properly. Thanks! Cara Smith Commercial Real Estate Reporter Houston Business Journai work: 713?395-9507 I 1? bizjournals.com/Houston Bernstein, Alan - MYR From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: Mayor, For your review. Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Houston Mayor?s Office 0 832 393 0800 832 943 9835 Begin forwarded message: From: Clint Pasche Bernstein, Alan MYR Monday, October 16, 2017 10:27 PM COH - Mayor Hunter, Marvaiette Icken, Andy MYR Fwd: FOR REVIEW: Mayor's Video for Amazon Date: October 16, 2017 at 9:26:26 PM CDT To: "lcken, Andy - "Bernstein, Alan Subject: FOR RE . mazon Andy and Alan, Please find a cut ofthe Mayor?s video to go on the password-protected Amazon project website here: He did a nice job with this and comes across as incredibly sincere, thoughtful and optimistic. Seems like a winner to me. Please let me know if you concur and approve. Ideally, you can review at some point tomorrow so we can finalize and post on the slte on Wednesday. Thanks! Clint NOTE: This includes an "audio watermark? on the music that will be removed in the final audio mix. Clint Pasche Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications Partnership Tower 701 Avenlda de las Americas, Suite 900 Houston, TX 77010 ?fl-8446645 Bernstein, Alan MYR Frem: Bernstein. Alan MYR Sent: Monday, October 16, 2017 7:17 PM To: Cottingham, Lara - ARA Subject: RE: U.S. EPA Green Power Leadership Awards Amplification Kit I like it. ?Lessen? the carbon footprint may be better. Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Office of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner 0 832-393-0800 lVi 832434343835 http://citvofhoustonnew From: Cottingham, Lara ARA Sent: Monday, October 16, 2017 6:23 PM To: Bernstein, Alan - MYR Subject: RE: U.S. EPA Green Power Leadership Awards Amplification Kit How is this? Harvey and the storms of 2017 have shown the importance of building sustainable and resilient cities that can withstand our changing climate. We are proud the EPA has chosen to highlight Houston?s long history of investing in green power. Now more than ever, it is important that cities encourage the growth of renewable energy to reduce air pollution and lower our carbon footprint. We can say whatever we want in our press release, but the EPA is likely to take out anything climate related. PS Dailas and Austin are our closest Hyrt?i?l??(o? Lara Cottingham, Deputy Assistant a We Director Q07 City of Houston -, -. Ea Administration Regulatory Affairs 3 Department 5? 511 Walker, 13th Floor Houston, Texas 77002 -. -. ?7/1111": Direct: 832-393-8503 Cell: 281-896-9358 Email: Lara.Cottineham@houstontxeov From: Kelly, MYR Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2017 6:19 PM To: Bernstein, Alan MYR Subject: RE: U.S. EPA Green Power Leadership Awards Amplification Kit Go forth and conquer all US cities who oppose us. Bill Kelly Director of Government Relations Mayor's Office, City of Houston 832.393.0805 From: Bernstein, Alan - MYR Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2017 6:18 PM To: Banks, Kris - MYR Kelly, Bill - MYR Cottingham, Lara - ARA Makany?ivera, Tanya MYR Ward, Darian MYR Subject: RE: U.S. EPA Green Power Leadership Awards Amplification Kit Thanks Kris, we are on the same wavelength. Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Office of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner 0 832-393?0800 832?943-9835 From: Banks, Kris MYR Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2017 6:17 PM To: Kelly, Bill MYR Bernstein, Alan - MYR Lara ARA Makany~Rlvera, Tanya - MYR 2 Ward, Darian . MYR Subject: RE: US. EPA Green Power Leadership Awards Amplification Kit Shouldn?t we be talking about how we?re already beating LA in green power and baseball is next? Or Chicago/DC, to account for all possibilities (ideally DC since that?s one of the biggest competitors for the Amazon deal). This might be obvious, but i think we could also use the opportunity to talk about cities taking leadership on climate issues, like green power, and we can highlight the Mayor?s role on Climate Mayors. i think there's value in differentiating Houston from Texas culturally in the eyes of a lot of the people who will be paying attention to this, like Amazon, and i think this is a good opportunity to assert that. - From: Kelly, Bill MYR Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2017 6:04 PM To: Bernstein, Alan .. MYR Cottingham, Lara ARA Makany?Rivera, Tanya MYR Ward, Darian MYR Banks, Kris MYR Subject: RE: U.S. EPA Green Power Leadership Awards Amplificatidn Kit i would suggest talking about the great record Houston has on green energy use, but even with that use, we still need federal help with infrastructure dollars. Lara has the tone that we like, so l'd leave it to her to draft. By the 23?, we should be able to say: Not only does Houston beat New York in baseball, we also beat NYC in green power. However, with a changing climate, all cities, including New York and Houston, are on the same team. Climate change is real, and cities are dealing with that reality every day. in Houston, we need that support in terms of infrastructure dollars that will make our city more resilient that before the storm. We are thankful for this award as Hurricane Harvey shows that when Houstonians are asked to pull together, we can overcome any challenge. Bill Kelly Director of Government Relations Mayor?s Office, City of Houston 832.393.0805 From: Bernstein, Alan MYR Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2017 5:39 PM To: Cottingham, Lara - ARA Makany-Rivera, Tanya - MYR Subject: RE: U.S. EPA Green Power Leadership Awards Amplification Kit 1 yield to GR on their suggestions. But from the media side this would be a perfect chance to shine in the eyes of Amazon or others keeping an on culture and policy in Houston. I see we have a while before the news release goes out. Let me know ifyou'd like to draft something for the mayor based on your knowledge of the issue. Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Office of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner 0 832-393?0800 832-943-9835 From: Cottingham, Lara ARA Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2017 5:35 PM To: Bernstein, Alan MYR Make ny-Rivera, Tanya MYR Subject: RE: US. EPA Green Power Leadership Awards Amplification Kit Hi team, is there anything special you or the Mayor would like to include in his quote for this release? Thanks?~Lara Lara Cottingham, Deputy Assistant Director City of Houston Administration Regulatory Affalrs Department 611 Walker, 13th Floor Houston, Texas 77002 Direct: 832-393-8503 Cell: 281?896~9358 Email: Lara.Cottineham@houstontx.gov From: Cottingham, Lara ARA Sent: Friday, October 06, 2017 6:04 PM To: Bernstein, Alan MYR Maka ny-Rlvera, Tanya MYR Subject: RE: US. EPA Green Power Leadership Awards Amplification Kit Shouldn?t we be talking about how we?re already beating LA in green power and baseball is next? Or Chicago/DC, to account for all possibilities (ideally DC since that?s one of the biggest competitors for the Amazon deal). This might be obvious, but I think we could also use the opportunity to talk about cities taking leadership on climate issues, like green power, and we can highlight the Mayor?s role on Climate Mayors. I think there?s value In differentiating Houston from Texas culturally in the eyes of a lot of the people who will be paying attention to this, like Amazon, and I think this is a good opportunity to assert that. From: Kelly, Bill MYR Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2017 6:04 PM To: Bernstein, Alan MYR Cottingham, Lara ARA Makany~Rivera, Tanya - MYR Ward, Darian MYR Banks, Kris MYR Subject: RE: U.S. EPA Green Power Leadership Awards Amplification Kit 1 would suggest talking about the great record Houston has on green energy use, but even with that use, we still need federal help with infrastructure doliars. Lara has the tone that we like, so l?d leave it to her to draft. By the we should be able to say: 1 Not only does Houston beat New York in baseball, we also beat NYC in green power. However, with a changing climate, all cities, including New York and Houston, are on the same team. Climate change is real, and cities are dealing with that reality every day. in Houston, we need that support in terms of infrastructure dollars that will make our city more resilient that before the storm. We are thankful for this award as Hurricane Harvey shows that when Houstonians are asked to pull together, we can overcome any challenge. Bill Kelly Director of Government Relations Mayor's Office, City of Houston 832.393.0805 From: Bernstein, Alan MYR Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2017 5:39 PM To: Cottingham, Lara - ARA Makany?Rivera, Tanya MYR ; Ward, Darian - MYR Kelly, Bill MYR 2 Banks, Kris MYR Subject: RE: U.S. EPA Green Power Leadership Awards Amplification Kit Hi team, is there anything special you or the Mayor would like to include in his quote for this release? Thanks?Lara Lara Deputy Assistant Director City of Houston 0; Administration Regulatory Affairs 3 it Department 61:: Waiker, 13th Floor . Houston, Texas 77002 Direct: 832093-8503 Cell: 281w896~9358 Email: From: Cettingham, Lara - ARA Sent: Friday, October 06, 2017 6:04 PM To: Bernstein, Aian MYR Makany?Rivera, Tanya MYR Subject: FW: US. EPA Green Power Leadership Awards Amplification Kit Hi team, Just wanted to keep you in the loop on this. We will be awarded the green power partner of the year award for 2017 on October This is a big deal in the Sustainability world and hopefuliy a big deal for the Mayor. He can?t accept the award in NYC, but i am hoping your office can help spread the news by sending out a release - l?ll send you a draft? and share on social media. it?s embargoed until the 23, but let me know if you have any questionsl Thanks?~Lara Lara Deputy Assistant ?111??!03, Director 1 City of Houston Administration Regulatory Affairs Department 611 Waiker, 13th Floor Houston, Yexas 77002 Direct: 832?393-8503 Cell: 281?896-9358 Emali: Sent: Friday, Octo er 06, To: iliott?inihamI Lara - ARA Cc: Subject: U.S. EPA Green Power Leadership Awards Amplification Kit Dear Lara, The 2017 EPA Green Power Leadership Awards Ceremony is coming up in less than three weeks! We look forward to honoring you and the other Award winners at the annual Green Power Leadership Awards Ceremony luncheon, which will take place on Monday, October 23 at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York City. Winning an EPA Green Power Leadership Award (GPLA) is an impressive achievement and worthy of promoting to your constituents and stakeholders. We encourage you to promote your award and environmental achievements and inspire other organizations to follow your lead. To help you promote your status as a Green Power Leadership Award Winner, we have developed an amplification kit that includes a press release template, sample social media posts, and the 2017 Green Power Leadership Award Winner logo and guidelines for use. Please use this link to access the logo: (please copy and paste the link into your browser). Please remember that the Green Power Leadership Award winners will not be identified publicly until October 23. Therefore, please do not publicly share news of your award status until the ceremony, except with those in your organization who are involved in the awards ceremony planning activities. Again, congratulations on your awardl We look forward to honoring you at if you have any questions, feel free to contact me at? Sincerely, Meiissa Klein Communications Lead, Green Power Partnership U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Bernstein, Alan - MYR From: Bernstein, Aian MYR Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2017 5:39 PM To: Cottingham, Lara Makany-Rivera, Tanya Ward, Darian Kelly, Bill Banks, Kris MYR Subject: RE: U.S. EPA Green Power Leadership AwardsAmpiification Kit i yield to GR on their suggestions. But from the media side this wouid be a perfect chance to shine in the eyes of Amazon or others keeping an on culture and policy in Houston. I see we have a while before the news release goes out. Let me know if you?d like to draft something for the mayor based on your knowledge of the issue. Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Office of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner 0 8312-3930800 832-943?9835 . From: Cottingham, Lara - ARA Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2017 5:35 PM To: Bernstein, Alan MYR Makany-Rivera, Tanya MYR Subject: RE: U.S. EPA Green Power Leadership Awards Amplification Kit Hi team, is there anything special you or the Mayor would like to include in his quote for this reiease? Thanks?~Lara Lara Deputy Assistant Director City of Houston Administration 8: Regulatory Affairs Department 611 Walker, 13th Floor Houston, Texas 77002 Direct: 832393-8503 Cell: 281?895-9358 Email: Lara.CottinghamQhoustontxgov From: Cottingham, Lara - ARA Sent: Friday, October 06, 2017 6:04 PM To: Bernstein, Alan - MYR Makanydiivera, Tanya - MYR - Subject: FW: 0.5. EPA Green Power Leadership Awards Amplification Kit Hi team, Just wanted to keep you in the loop on this. We will be awarded the green power partner of the year award for 2017 on October This is a big deal in the Sustainability world and hopefully a big deal for the Mayor. He can?t accept the award in NYC, but lam hoping your office can help spread the news by sending out a release I?ll send you a draft and share on social media. it?s embargoed until the 23, but let me know if you have any questionsl Thanks?~Lara Lara Deputy Assistant Director City of Houston Administration 8i Regulatory Affairs Department 611 Walker, 13th Floor Houston, Texas 77002 Direct: 832?393-8503 Cell: 281?896-9358 Email: From: GPLA Sent: Friday, October 06, 2017 3:28 PM To: Cottingham, Lara ARA Cc Subject: U.S. EPA Green Power Leadership Awards Ampiiflcation Kit Dear Lara, The 2017 EPA Green Power Leadership Awards Ceremony is coming up in less than three weeks! We look forward to honoring you and the other Award winners at the annual Green Power Leadership Awards Ceremony luncheon, which will take place on Monday, October 23 at the New York Hilton Midtown in New York City. Winning an EPA Green Power Leadership Award is an impressive achievement and worthy of promoting to your constituents and stakeholders. We encourage you to promote your award and environmental achievements and inspire other organizations to follow your lead. To help you promote your status as a Green Power Leadership Award Winner, we have developed an amplification kit that includes a press release template, sample sociai media posts, and the 2017 Green Power Leadership Award Winner logo and guidelines for use. Please use this link to access the logo: (please copy and paste the link into your browser). 2 Please remember that the Green Power Leadership Award winners will not be identified publicly until October 23. Therefore, please do not publicly share news of your award status until the ceremony, except with those in your organization who are involved in the awards ceremony planning activities. Again, congratulations on your awardl We look forward to honoring you at If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at Sincereiy, Melissa Klein Communications Lead, Green Power i3artnership US. Environmental Protection Agency Bernstein, Alan - MYR From: Sent: To: Subject: Wait til the 19th. Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Houston Mayor's Office 0 832 393 0800 832 943 9835 Bernstein, Alan MYR Thursday, October 12, 2017 4:17 PM Cara Smith Re: Questions regarding FOIA request On Oct 12, 2017, at 4:00 PM, Cara Smith ?rote: Hi Alan, I don?t think you and I have worked together, but my name?s Cara Smith and I cover commercial real estate for the Houston Business Journal. lack said you?ve been helpful recommended reach out to you Quick question. We?re preparing a FOIA request to the city regarding its Amazon H02 bid, but I know the bid itself isn?t due to Amazon until Oct. 19 and FOIA guidelines don?t allow us to request something that doesn?t technically exist yet. SO, my question wouid a FOIA request submitted before Oct. 19 be received answered? Or should We just wait ?til after the Know it's a little gritty, but just want to make sure our request is received addressed properly. Thanksi Cara Smith Commercial Real Estate Reporter Houston Business Journal work: 713695-9607 I i? biziournais.com/Houston Bernstein, Alan MYR From: Bernstein, Alan MYR Sent: Thursday, October 12, 2017 8:30 AM To: icken, Andy - MYR Subject: Re: i think the letter is fine without any such changes. it is only a cover letter, after all, for the meat and potatoes. What is the due date for submission of the bid? in other news, i used what you and the mayor told me about TIRZ funds to explain to media that even if we could tap them for flood relief, we wouldn*t want to because much of those funds are dedicated to drainage projects. Now a few people on Twitter are telling me there are no drainage projects funded by TIRZ money. Is there somewhere I can look to find specific drainage projects that use those funds? Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Houston Mayor's Office 0 832 393 0800 832 943 9835 On Oct 11, 2017, at 11:07 PM, Icken, Andy MYR wrote: We continue to work the Amazon package now. Mayor has letter you helped with last night. A suggestion we might make to mayor is to couch many of the characterizations of our city as my city? or our city. Etc. that?s how he talks in public forums and it is so effective. With that as backdrop would you make any changes? Sent from my iPad Bernstein, Alan - MYR From: Bernstein, Alan - MYR Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2017 3:23 PM To: 'Ciint Pasche? Cc: Darian Ward marvaiette. hunter@houstontx. gov Subject: RE: Amazon Clint, Looks good. The mayor asks when he can view ail of the Amazon interviews together. Please let us know. Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Office of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner 0 832693?0800 832-943?9835 Original Message-mm Frorn: Clint Pasche Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2017 3:08 PM To: Bernstein, Alan MYR Ward, Darian - iviYR Cc: Terry Vantine Subject: RE: Amazon Alan and Darian, Piease find a cut of the Mayor's video at the Koilaborate link below. Note that this is a rough cut for content approval purposes and includes no color correction, b?roll or music bed. These will be added in post- production. This link will allow you to watch the video and pause and add comments that with the video to help expedite edits. 1 have copied Terry from Vision Productions who can help if you have any questions. Thanksl Clint Original From: Bernstein, Alan - MYR Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2017 10:33 AM To: Clint Pasche Ward, Darian MYR Subject: FW: Amazon Clint, Please see Marvalette's question below. Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Office of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner 0 832-393-0800 [Vi 8322-9438835 %7CAlan . 184646a488 1f08d5 .Bernstein%40houstontx.gov%7 C4Cfb757d184646a4881f08d5 1063d682%7C57885a 10258134 5b4a5 19C96c772 10258b 45b46519c96c772 - Original Message?-??- From: Hunter, Marvalette - MYR Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2017 10:31 AM To: Bernstein, Alan MYR Subject: Amazon Alan, The Mayor will be reviewing the draft package on the Amazon bid today. Do we also have a copy of the video that was prepared? Marvalette Hunter Mayor's Chief of Staff City Hall 901 Bagby, 3rd Floor Houston, Texas 77002 832?393-1050 office Bernstein, Alan - MYR From: Sent To: Subject: Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Houston Mayor's Office 0 832 393 0800 832 943 9835 Begin forwarded message: Bernstein, Alan MYR Wednesday, October 11, 2017 10:51 AM Hunter, Marvalette - MYR Fwd: Amazon vid From: Clint Pasche Date: October 11, 2017 at 10:49:50 AM CDT To: "Bernstein, Alan - Cc: "Ward, Darlan Subject: RE: Amazon Thank you Alan the production team is going to shoot me over rough edits this morning. Let me see if they have edited the mayor?s video yet. Clint Original Message~~??- From: Bernstein, Alan MYR Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2017 10:33 AM To: Clint Pasche Cc: Ward, Darian - MYR Subject: FW: Amazon Clint, Please see Marvalette?s question below. Alan Bernstein Director of Communications - Office of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner 0 882?393?0800 832-943-9335 8b45l34a 519C96c772 MTeq 1 D&reserved=0 Original From: Hunter, Marvalette MYR Sent: Wednesday, October 11,2017 10:31 AM To: Bernstein, Alan? - MYR Subject: Amazon Alan, The Mayor will be reviewing the draft package on the Amazon bid today. Do we also have a copy of the video that was prepared? Marvalette Hunter Mayor's Chief of Staff City Hall 901 Bagby, 3rd Floor Houston, Texas 77002 832693-1050 office Bernstein, Alan MYR From: Bernstein, Alan MYR Sent: Tuesday, October 10, 2017 10:30 PM To: lcken, Andy MYR Subject: Re: suggested edits/deletions in red 1 But of course! From: icken, Andy MYR Sent: Tuesday, October 10, 2017 10:28:43 PM To: Bernstein, Alan MYR Sublect: Re: suggested edits/deletions in red Ok if 1 pass on adding it includes your edits? Sent from my iPhone On Oct 10, 2017, at 10:27 PM, Bernstein, Alan MYR wrote: This is your babyl From: Icken, Andy MYR Sent: Tuesday, October 10, 2017 10:20:13 PM To: Bernstein, Alan MYR Subject: Re: suggested edits/deletions in red Great changes. Support all. Should we take jointly to mayor or do you want to. Sent from my iPhone On Oct 10, 2017, at 10:17 PM, Bernstein, Alan - MYR wrote: Dear Jeff, On behalf of the City of Houston, the fourth largest and most diverse city in America, i am excited to offer our proposal to become the home of Amazon HQ2. i am certain you will find that like Amazon, Houston is dynamic, energetic, and built on growth and innovation. We are a city where we believe that if you can dream it, you can do it. it?s a place where, regardless of your background or what side of town you grew up in, there is opportunity for everyone. Houston is a wide?open society that welcomes everyone, regardless of origin, breeding or social status. Many companies have decided to locate their headquarters in Houston because of the access to highly educated and professional talent, as well as to suppliers, customers, and clients. The city?s central location, our two international airports and extensive highway and raii network connect Houston to the east coast, west coast and the world. Houston is also a great place to live. We value our environment and invest in our greenspaces, parks, and hike and bike trails. Our museum and theater districts are among the largest and classiest in the country. Amazon?s employees will thrive in Houston thanks to a high quality of life with a low cost of living in a young, growing city responsive to all generations. Amazonians will also enjoy robust transit options in Houston, including light rail, an expansive bus network, popular ride?sharing and van pool programs, a convenient access to an extensive freeway system and a planned high-speed rail system. Houston truly is a global knowledge capital. We are known as the Energy Capital of the World. We are known as Space City, which put a man on the moon. We are known as atop manufacturing center and the top exporting metro and port in America. We are known as the City of Medicine. We are a city where industries converge and disruptive innovations are born, and we invite Amazon to join us in this endeavor. Houston is a city of strength and resilience. A welcoming, diverse and inclusive city. We are a city with a bright future whose best days are yet ahead. With our pro-business environment and can-do attitude, we are confident your people and your business will thrive in Houston. Bernstein, Alan - MYR From: Sent To: Subject: This is your babyl Bernstein, Alan MYR Tuesday, October 10, 2017 10:27 PM Icken, Andy - MYR Re: suggested edits/deletions in red From: lcken, Andy - MYR Sent: Tuesday, October 10, 2017 10:20:13 PM To: Bernstein, Alan MYR Subiect: Re: suggested edits/deletions in red Great changes. Support all. Should we take jointly to mayor or do you want to. Sent from my lPhone On Oct 10, 2017, at 10:17 PM, Bernstein, Alan MYR wrote: Dear Jeff, On behalf of the City of Houston, the fourth largest and most diverse city in America, I am excited to offer our proposal to become the home of Amazon HQZ. i am certain you will find that like Amazon, Houston is dynamic, energetic, and built on growth and innovation. We are a city where we believe that if you can dream it, you can do it. It?s a place where, regardless of your background or what side of town you grew up in, there is opportunity for everyone. Houston is a wide?open society that welcomes everyone, regardless oforigin, breeding or social status. Many companies have decided to locate their headquarters In Houston because oflthe access to highly educated and professional talent, as well as to suppliers, customers, and clients. The city?s central location, our two international airports and extensive highway and rail network connect Houston to the east coast, west coast and the world. Houston is also a great place to live. We value our environment and invest in our greenspaces, parks, and hike and bike trails. Our museum and theater districts are among the largest and classiest in the country. Amazon?s employees will thrive in Houston thanks to a high quality of life with a low cost of living in a young, growing city responsive to all generations. Amazonians will also enjoy robust transit options in Houston, including light rail, an expansive bus network, popular rideusharlng and van pool programs, a convenient access to an extensive freeway system and a planned high-speed rail system. Houston truly is a global knowledge capital. We are known as the Energy Capital of the World. We are known as Space City, which put a man on the moon. We are known as a top manufacturing center and the top exporting metro and port in America. 1 We are known as the City of Medicine. We are a city where industries converge and disruptive innovations are born, and we invite Amazon to join us In this endeavor. Houston is a city of strength and resilience. A welcoming, diverse and inclusive city. We are a city with a bright future whose best days are yet ahead. With our pro?business environment and can?do attitude, we are confident your people and your business will thrive in Houston. Bernstein, Alan MYR From: Bernstein, Aian - MYR Sent: Monday, October 09, 2017 4:43 PM To: Sylvester Turner - MYR marvaiette. hunter?homtontx gov Darian Ward Tanya Rivera Murphy, Brenda - MYR Subject: talking points for mayor for two combined video messages Tuesday morning Attachments: Amazon Recordingdocx Aian Bernstein Director of Communications Office of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner 832693-0800 iVl 832-9438835 http://citvofhoustonnevvsj Amazon Recording My name is Sylvester Turner, mayor of the City of Houston. I love Houston because if we can dream it, we can do it. it?s a place? where, regardless of your background or what side of town you grew up in, there is opportunity for everyone. Houstonians build relationships, not walls. We are a welcoming city and the most diverse in the nation. Houstonians give back and help one another. During and after the flood we saw Houstonians stepping up to help one another. We never hesitate to lend a helping hand. As we look to create an innovation district in Houston, density is the number 1 driver of innovation. We will create a space where start-ups will be able work together to brainstorm and support one another?s ideas. Houston is a great place to live. We value our environment and invest in our greenspaces, parks and hike and bike trails. Amazon will be able to pursue its sustainability goals in Houston, which is America?s greenest city. We also have one of the largest museum and theater districts in the country? there is always something to do in Houston. Amazon?s employees will thrive in I Houston thanks to a high quality of life with a low cost of living in a young, growing city responsive to all generations. Amazonians will also enjoy multi-modal transit options in Houston which include light rail, an expansive bus network, popular ride?sharing and van pool programs, and convenient access to an extensive freeway system. Millenials and Gen Y-er?s keep choosing Houston because of the many opportunities our city offers. Amazon is a company that continuously evolves to meet the needs of its customers and community by solving problems and providing innovative solutions to make our lives easier. Houston also continues to evolve. We are known as the energy capital of the world but now we have groWn to include other industries and will continue to find ways to keep our economy moving. Amazon?s corporate culture and philosophy align well with Houston?s confident, nimble, get-it-done mentality. - Amazon?s Houston campus will be centrally located at the nexus of activity and will be linked to our innovation corridor, driving convergence and creative collisions across key industries. HOPE What does hope mean to me? 0 Hope means never giving up and having faith that things will get better. 0 My mother always said that tomorrow will be better thantoday. i stand for Hope because life is about never giving up and working towards a better future. Bernstein, Alan MYR Subject: MST: Amazon Bid Video Message 8t Holocaust Museum video Location: Diplomatic room floor Start: Tue 10/10/2017 10:00 AM End: Tue 10/10/2017 10:30 AM Show Time As: Tentative Recurrence: (none) Meeting Status: Not yet responded Organizer: Sylvester Turner MYR Required Attendees: Darlan Ward Bernstein, Alan Tanya Rivera MYRPOLICEDETAILQDHOUSTONTXGOV SHOOT #1 introduce yourself. (name, title, organization) - What do you love about Houston, Texas? 0 What are the core attributes of Houstonians that make them unique? Describe your vision for an innovation corridor that would run from Downtown to TMC. What would that look like, how would it feel? 0 Personally, what makes Houston a great place to live and work; what is unique about Houston? it Tell us why Houston is a cultural fit for Amazon (or any other innovative company). What would you say to Jeff Bezos to convince him to choose Houston as their - Every city with more than 1 million people is pitching Amazon, what is Houston's "x-factor? that makes us the compelling choice? Final video clip will be :60 to :90 so we?re not looking for tons of material. Core Message Points from Proposalzr - Amazon will join us at the convergence of Houston?s key industries an energy, healthcare, space and manufacturing and leverage third wave technology to move these legacy industries forward and solve the world?s challenges. - Amazon?s new Houston campus is centrally?located at the nexus of activity and linked to our innovation corridor, driving convergence and creative across key industries. Amazonians wiil thrive in Houston, enjoying an incredibly high quality of life with a iow cost of living in a city that has grown with and responded to millennials and Gen Y?ers . 0 Amazon?s corporate culture and philosophy ailgn well with Houston's confident, yet humble, get?it-done mentality. . Amazon?s spirit of high?velocity disruption will find an able partner with Houston, a city built on fostering business growth and constant innovation ?where no one will stand in your way; they will more likely ask, "how can I help?? 0 Amazon will find the skilled talent base it needs in Houston, which is America?s most diverse city and features a wel ~educated, STEM~focused workforce drawn both from iocai colleges and universities and from leading universities around the world. - As Amazon continues to expand its geographic reach, it will benefit from Houston?s position as the gateway to the Americas, and the world, while aiso equidistant to the east and west coasts. - Amazon will be in good company in Houston, which has one ofthe highest concentrations of corporate headquarters in the country and a full complement of global-business-oriented professional firms. Amazon will be abie to pursue its sustainability goals in Houston, which is Amertca?s Greenest City and located in the state with the highest wind production capacity in the United States. - Amazonians will enjoy rnultiwmodal transit options in Houston including light rail, expansive bus network, popular ride sharing and van pool programs, convenient access to an extensive freeway system, along with 345 miles of interconnected bikeways. Shoot#2 Both are part of video shoots scheduled for next week, organized by the Greater Houston Partnership, and shot by HMH Board of Trustee Tracey Shappro's Productions. WHAT: Post the Gl?iP shoot, requesting Mayor Turner be filmed providing a :30wsecond to laminute answer to this question: "What does HOPE mean to you?" WHY: Holocaust Museum Houston's Butterfly Project, representing the 1.5 million children that perished in the Holocaust, has inspired compassion and hope around the world. This exhibit, will be on view in New York at the United Nations for six weeks as part ofthe international Holocaust Day of Remembrance. The Mayor has been invited to attend the UN Reception Jan. 23, 2018 in NYC. HMH is filming Holocaust survivors, general public and leaders in the community to take part in the for 100" videos tied to the Butter?y Project. The videos wili be used in social media and on the Museum's website to support The Butterfly Project, the UN exhibition, and to encourage additional videos on HOPE. Tuesday, Oct. 10 (the shoot is happening between 10-11 a.m. once VISION is set up and he walks in); Terry Vantine is the onsite contact. Bernstein, Alan - MYR Subject: MST: Amazon Bid Video Message 8t Holocaust Museum video Location: Diplomatic room floor Start: Tue 30/10/2017 10:00 AM End: Tue 10/10/2017 10:30 AM Show Time As: Tentative Recurrence: (none) Meeting Status: Not yet responded Organizer: Sylvester Turner MYR Required Attendees: Darian Ward Bernstein, Alan Tanya Rivera Clint Pasche at the Partnership asks the mayor to tape an Amazon bid video message at Houston First, or have its Vision Production crew come to City Hall Tuesday from 9am-noon. if we do it ourselves at HTV we have to get it done by Friday, Oct. 13. i have talking points for the video. Shoot #2 Both are part of video shoots scheduled for next week, organized by the Greater Houston Partnership, and shot by HMH Board of Trustee Tracey Shappro?s VISION Productions. WHAT: WHY: WHEN: Post the GHP shoot, requesting MayorTurner be filmed providing a :30wsecond to 1~minute answer to this question: "What does HOPE mean to you?? Holocaust Museum Houston?s Butterfly Project, representing the 1.5 miilion children that perished in the Holocaust, has inspired compassion and hope around the world. This exhibit, will be on view in New York at the United Nations for six weeks as part of the international Holocaust Day of Remembrance. The Mayor has been invited to attend the UN Reception Jan. 23, 2018 in NYC. HMH is filming Holocaust survivors, general public and leaders in the community to take part in the for 100? videos tied to the Butterfly Project. The videos will be used in social media, and on the Museum?s website to support The Butterfly Project, the UN exhibition, and to encourage additional videos on HOPE. Tuesday, Oct. 10 (the shoot is happening between 1041 a.m. once VISION is set up and he walks in); Terry Vantine 1 is the onsite contact. Bernstein, Alan - MYR From: Bernstein, Alan - MYR Sent: Thursday, October 05, 2017 12:35 PM To: Clint Pascbe Subject: Chronicle questions on Amazon bid I told reporter Collin Eaton we are not talking about what's in bid until it's ?nished. Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Houston Mayor's Office 0 832 393 0800 832 943 9835 Bernstein, Alan - MYR From: Bernstein, Alan MYR Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2017 4:28 PM To: 'Clint Pasche? Subject: RE: Amazon Pitch - Mayor Testimonial Video Tuesday at City Hall at 3.0 am. Room to be determined. Si? Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Office of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner 0 832-393?0800 832-943~9835 From: Clint Pasche Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2017 10:55 AM To: Bernstein, Alan - MYR lcken, Andy MYR Cc: Ward, Darlan - MYR Hunter, Marvalette - MYR Subject: RE: Amazon Pitch - Mayor Testimonial Video Thank you Alan. if the mayor is available to come over to film, that would be good for consistency, but it is not absolutely necessary as we understand his time constraints. Each video will be piaced separately on the private website we are creating for the project we are not merging them together into one montage piece. We could also send the same crew over to your offices if that works better - it is Vision Production who i believe the mayor has worked with before. The best timeframes to shoot are on Tuesday from 9am~noon. If you are producing, we would need your final video file by noon on Friday, October 13. To help with message points, I?ve included our main talking points from the pitch narrative. I think you will find a few lines in there that he can sink teeth into but he can (and I know, will) make it his own. Note for the others, we are conducting these lnterview~styie (not direct to camera or scripted, but you will not see the interviewer or hear the questions). Happy to chat more as we work out the details. Thanks! Clint Core Message Points from Proposal: 0 Amazon will join us at the convergence of Houston?s key industries energy, healthca re, space and manufacturing and leverage third wave technology to move these legacy industries forward and solve the world?s challenges. 0 Amazon?s new Houston campus is centrally-located at the nexus of activity and linked to our innovation corridor, driving convergence and creative collisions across key industries. - Amazonians will thrive in Houston, enjoying an incredibly high quality of life with a low cost of living in a city that has grown with and responded to millennials and Gen Y?ers. - Amazon?s corporate culture and philosophy align welt with Houston?s confident. vet humble, get-it?done mentality. Amazon?s spirit of high?velocity disruption will find an able partner with Houston, a city built on fostering business growth and constant innovation where no one will stand in your way; they will more likely ask, ?how can i help?? 0 Amazon will find the skilled talent base it needs in Houston, which is America?s most diverse city and features a well-educated, STEM?focused workforce drawn both from iocal colleges and universities and from leading universities around the world. 0 As Amazon continues to expand its geographic reach, it will benefit from Houston?s position as the gateway to the Americas, and the world, while also equidistant to the east and west coasts. - Amazon will be in good company in Houston, which has one of the highest concentrations of corporate headquarters in the country and a full complement of giobal~business~oriented professional firms. 0 Amazon will be able to pursue its sustainability goals in Houston, which is America?s Greenest City and located in the state with the highest wind production capacity in the United States. Amazonians will enjoy multl-modai transit options in Houston including light rail, expansive bus network, popular ride sharing and van pool programs, convenient access to an extensive freeway system, along with 345 miles of interconnected bikeways. From: Bernstein, Alan MYR Sent: Wednesday, October 4, 2017 10:32 AM To: Clint Pasche icken, Andy - MYR Cc: Ward, Darian MYR Hunter, Marvalette MYR Subject: RE: Amazon Pitch Mayor Testimonial Video Clint: l'm positive the mayor will want to provide his video statement. Although his message. is obvious, we welcome your suggested talking points to make sure his focus fits with the other messages you are collecting. if you need the mayor to tape at your place for the purpose of visual consistency, please let me know. Otherwise we can do it at HTV. When would you need the video by? Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Office of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner 0 832-393-0800 832-943-9835 From: Clint Pasche Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2017 10:23 AM To: Bernstein, Alan - MYR lcken, Andy MYR Subject: Amazon Pitch - Mayor Testimonial Video Alan, looping in Andy here. As i mentioned at the flood presser yesterday, we are collecting video testimonials from Houston leaders talking about why Houston is great for Amazon, extolling our diversity, quality of life, etc. These are short Videos: :60 :90 each. The business, tech and education folks are coming to Partnership Tower at various times next Monday and Tuesday to tape. I assume the mayor would prefer to shoot his own in your studios at City Hall, though he is more than welcome to tape his here as well. Let me know your thoughts and what you would need to help prepare him. Thank you, Clint Clint Pasche Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications I Partnership Tower 701 Avenida de las Americas, Suite 900 I Houston, TX 77010 7138443645 Bernstein, Alan MYR From: Bernstein, Alan - MYR Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2017 10:32 AM To: 'Clint Pasche'; Icken, Andy MYR Cc: Darian Ward marvaiette. hunter@houstontx. gov Subject: RE: Amazon Pitch - Mayor Testimoniai Video Clint: I?m positive the mayor will want to provide his video statement. Although his message is obvious, we welcome your suggested talking points to make sure his focus fits with the other messages you are collecting. If you need the mayor to tape at your place for the purpose of visual consistency, please let me know. Otherwise we can do it at MTV. When would you need the video by? Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Office of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner 0 832-393-0800 832843-9835 From: Clint Pasche Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2017 10:23 AM To: Bernstein, Alan - MYR Icken, Andy MYR Subject: Amazon Pitch Mayor Testimonial Video Alan, looping in Andy here. As i mentioned at the flood presser yesterday, we are collecting video testimonials from Houston leaders taiking about why Houston is great for Amazon, extolling our diversity, quality of life, etc. These are short videos: :60 - :90 each. The business, tech and education foiks are coming to Partnership Tower at various times next Monday and Tuesday to tape. lassume the mayor would prefer to shoot his own in your studios at City Hall, though he is more than welcome to tape his here as well. Let me know your thoughts and what you would need to help prepare hlm. Thank you, Clint Clint Pasche Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communlcatlons Partnership Tower PARTNERSHIP. 701 Avenida de las Americas, Suite 900 I Houston, TX 77010 713844-3645 HUM: .- 1- . Bernstein. Alan - MYR From: Bernstein, Alan MYR Sent: Friday, September 29, 2017 4:43 PM To: Subject: Amazon The Houston bid is being developed. Sorry I don?t have more. Alan Bernstein Dlrector of Communications Office of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner 0 832~393~0800 832-943~9835 Bernstein, Alan - MYR From: Bernstein, Aian MYR Sent: Friday, September 29, 2017 12:58 PM To: 'Keates, Nancy? Subject: RE: Wall Street Journal story/ comment request true Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Office of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner 0 832893?0800 832434343835 http:/l houstontx.gov/ social medie/ From: Keates, Nancy Sent: Friday, September To: Bernstein, Alan - MYR Subject: Wall Street Journal story/ comment request Hi Alan, For a story that is tentatively scheduled to run in the Wall Street Journal next week, am saying that Houston is bidding to be the home of Amazon's second headquarters, HQZ. Please let me know if that's not true or if anything has changed. Thank you, Nancy Nancy Keates CORRESPONDENT THE WAIL STREET JOURNAL. 0: 503-697-5989 Bernstein, Alan - MYR From: Bernstein, Alan MYR Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2017 9:00 PM To: Sylvester Turner Hunter, Marvalette - Icken, Andy - MYR Subject: Nothing is Too Strange for Cities Wooing Amazon to Build There - NYTimes.com Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Houston Mayor's Office 0 832 393 0800 832 943 9835 Sylvester Turner - MYR From: Koskl, James MYR Sent: Monday, October 02, 2017 6:30 PM To: Sylvester Turner - MYR Cc: lcken, Andy Hunter, Marvalette - Bernstein, Alan MYR Subject: FW: [Houston Strategies) Assessing Houston's Chances and Suitability for Amazon HQ2 Email from Houston Strategies about Amazon HQZ. Don?t agree with everything here but still some interesting thoughts and background. iames Koski Deputy Chief of Staff Office of Mayor Sylvester Turner 832.393.0833, On Behalf Of Tory From: Sent: Monday, October . To: Houston Strategies Subiect'. [Houston Strategies) Assessing Houston?s Chances and Suitability for Amazon H02 This week we have a guest post from Oscar gErik) analyzing Houston?s chances for Amazon HQZ. Chris ornlinson also weighed in at the Chronicle. And l'll weigh in with my own thoughts at the end. Assessing Houston?s Chances and Suitability for Amazon HQZ Amazon?s reguest for proposals by October 19 for its planned secondheadguarters dubbed H92 has unleashed a frenzy of interest across the country. The New York Times has designated Denver as the city to beat, and a leading site candidate in the area is a largetract halfway between Denver and Boulder along highway 36, an office ark which curiousl was ori inall develo ed I Houston?s Phillips 66 to target alternative energy research. Denver?s frontvrunner status seems justi?ed, since it has the Rocky Mountain high (in more sense than one i) and does not have any fatal flaws which could knock out other likely leading candidates, such as high housing costs and inability to build new housing (Boston, NYC, California), poor business climate and/ or government ?nance and Chicago inadequate infrastructure for a 50K workforce (Austin), lack of coolness (Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta), and lack of tech workforce in numerous cities, including Houston. There are plenty of rankings and lists of contenders on the web, and not a single one I?ve seen mentions Houston as a candidate ?91, it, Q). North Texas has been especially interested and eager, with daily press reports of sites that local interests are promoting, including a detailed proposal. for Victory Park by Hillwood (Perot?s firm) and Hines, as well as numerous other sites including the lanned Texas Central rail 1 station lira-union arena site, the Valley View mall redevelopment site in North Dallas, the State Ea_ir site at Exposition Park, Plano, and many more. Local interests are submitting up to 50 sites, which are being ?ltered for one uni?ed submission. The Houston Business Journal reported that Houston will likely submit a bid. But in contrast to North Texas and other cities, there? 3 been negligible reporting of HQZ activity in Houston. Which leads to the questions: how extensive is the local effort, does Houston have a chance, and would HQ2 even be a good ?t for Houston? Amazon?s Requirement Amazon?s RFP spells out their wishful wish list, and there is no magical place which meets all their desires. So Amazon? decision will be based on which criteria are most important, and perhaps only Jeff Bezos knows what will drive the decision. And Bezos may already have preferred location(s) in mind and is using this exercise to maximize the incentives to be offered by increasing the sense of competition. Looking at the RFP, here is the number of lines dedicated to each criteria category: Lines in RFP on the subiegt Houston?s position Site and Buildings 50 Probably average or below Incentives 27 Likely to be less than other big cities Workforce 17 Below tech hubs Overall Logistics 14 Good Sus Depend taimbility and Enviro mnent (mainly site buildings) 3 on the building site Business Climate Good Education Average Quality of Life Av Hi Good (eonge erage or below ghWays stion is a factor) Culture Average or below Public transit, bikes and pedestrians Below average Housing Very good l2 lO If Amazon?s decision criteria are in proportion to the RFQ space, then issues like public transit, culture, and quality of life may not be as important as numerous press reports have suggested, which would work in Houston? 3 favor. The facility site, incentives, workforce, and logistics appear to be most important. On the other hand, business climate and housing, Houston?s are not among top categories in the RFP. Most cities including Houston are going to struggle to meet the real estate requirement, either with downtown sites or ready?to?build suburban sites with around 100 acres. Cities with suitable sites under single ownership will have an advantage. Houston?s Chances First things first: will the risk of hurricane disasters and potential ma; or disruption to business operations be a fatal flaw for Houston, especially with Harvey fresh on everyone? minds? There?s a good chance the answer to that question is yes, especially since Seattle is at risk for a major earthquake, and a near 100% safe location for HQZ makes sense from the business perspective. But the RFQ makes no mention of operational continuity, so let?s assume we?re still in the running. Sites: Amazon is Open to anything and everything, but ideally wants 500,000+ sf by 2019 with space to expand to 8,000,000 sf, which is equivalent to eight of Hines? newly built 48 story 1,050,000 sf office tower at 609 Main.While there is plenty of vacant space in Houston, 1 can?t think of a location which is an ideal match for Amazon, especially given the 2019 deadline for phase 1 space of 500,000 to 1,000,000 sf. This web post suggests three sites in Houston: 800 Bell (former ExxonMobil office), the lSO-acre East. River site and the Astrodome. While 800 Bell is empty and available, it was completed in 1963 and its exterior design screams early 1960s retro, which is probably anegative. Can it be renovated to meet modern standards, everything including LEED standards ,transugender restrooms and cei 'ng heights? While the originally planned renovation would have redone the exterior, I?m inclined to think Amazon will want something newer than a 54-year?old building. On the plus side, there are plenty of vacant lots around 800 Bell, and it is downtown, if that?s what Amazon prefers. surveyed the East River site last week and 1 think it is a nonstarter. Approaching it from interstate 10 on Hirsch, you pass through a disadvantaged,neighborhood with pre?W 2 housing and vacant lots de?nitely not attractive. The east side of the site is bordered by warehouses, and going east along Clinton you?ll find more warehouses, mdustrial facilities, and a scrap yard. Buffalo Bayou along the site has a large cliff-like dropcff to the water, as well as bulkheads along the water, and is 4 not much of asset in its current state. The north side of the property along Clinton is modern housing, which is not a vibrant urban scene Amazon may be seeking for a downtown lo cation. In addition, there is no site work in progress yet, and the only office building is the old KER building. 0 1 just can?t see Amazon wanting to bring potential recruits to this site, it won?t impress. The Astrodome may have potential. Harris County has already slated $105 million towards its conversion to a parking garage and event center and that money could be redirected to an of?ce conversion. Once the Dome is reduced to a shell, you could build multiple levels of offices in a ring around the perimeter inside, potentially getting up to 1 million square feet of offices overlooking the field area, creating one of the most distinctive offices anywhere with myriad possibilities for the center field area and maybe catwalks up high. Somewhat like a smaller version of the Apple headq arters inside a dome. here?s plenty of parking, land for additional buildings is available probably for free since it is publicly owned, and it has good transportation access with the freeway and light rail. On negative side potentially a show-stopper is the need to coexist with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which may be possible for a smaller presence but not for a 50,000 person campus. The former downtown ost office site could be a potential candidate for downtown, but may not be large enough and the developer? 3 current plan would ed to be totally redone. Of course there is ne plenty of?ce space in the Energy Corridor, such as the 1.4 million sf campus Conoco has recently an abandoned but environmentally?oriented Arnazon Will probably not want to be ywhere near an oil and gas industry cluster. There could be suburb an sites readily available in a suburban area like the Woodlands, but the challenge is to deliver 500,000+ sf by 2019 with sufficient space for In summary, Houston does not appear to have ideal candidates for the site, so we don?t have any advantage in this crucial category. Incentives: Houston will of course offer something, but most likely it will be much less than others will offer (and rightfully so, since there? 5 no compelling reason to give away the farm for Amazon, like Wisconsin did for Foxconn . Incentives are unlikely to be an advantage for Houston. Workforce and Education: We? re going to rank behind tech hubs in the important workforce category, and we?ll probably be in middle of the pack in terms of education. Conclusion: there is nr advantage for Houston in these categories. For education, 1 can?t help but lament the demise of the proposed University of Texas Data Science Center. This new campus could have been a big plus in Houston?s bid, as well as being a tremendous asset to the region to prepare our workforce for the future. The University of Texas name would have brought prestige and resources that others can?t match. The cancellation due to narrow-minded political interests was a huge loss to Houston. (Disclosure: I?m a Texas EX.) Other Factors: For the remaining factors Houston will have advantages in business climate, logistics and housing, but lag behind others in public transit, culture and quality of life. Overall, no net advantage. Which brings up a larger, more philosophical issue: are Amazon and Houston a good If Amazon wants to duplicate its Seattle culture, image, and workforce dynamics, probably not. Being in the world?s leading oil and gas center may not be consistent with their values. The high-growth Seattle tech scene is a totally different workforce dynamic with abundant tech workers and high churn. Amazon is notorious for its high turnover rate. Houston?s lack of rival tech employers would provide a more staid, subdued employment scene. Wildcards for Houston which could put us in play Diversity: Page 5 of the RFQ calls for the ?presence and support of a diverse population?. Houston would probably rank #1 among all contenders in this category, both domestically and in terms of immigrants. With the increased scrutiny of workforce diversity and inclusion in the tech industry, Houston would be a much better place to recruit black and Hispanic workers than Denver, Boston, and Austin, and certainly at least as good as any other place. Sites and Building: Page 2 states that Amazon has a preference for ?communities that think big and creatively when considering locations and real estate options?. As mentioned above, an of?ce in the Astrodome would be highly unique and something that no other city can duplicate, and likely very attractive to millennials due to the coolness factor. But that?s only if the Astrodome is in play for Houston? proposal. Health Care: Does Amazon have any future aspirations of being in the health care industry beyond prescriptions? If yes, the Texas Medical Center Workforce and strong medical education system is among the best in the country. The scuttled University of Texas data science center: Can this project be resurrected as part of Houston?s proposal? It seems unlikely in the short time before the Amazon deadline, but if it can be resurrected it would be very helpful in closing the education gap. school in Houston at River Oaks He attended elementary of Houston, or does he Jeff Bezos Houston connection. Elementary from fourth through sixth grade. Does he have fond memories to avoid Houston? prefer Downtown Freeway plans: The $4 billion plan to rebuild and expand Houston? downtown 'on is expected to move forward in the 20203. Most or all competing ten-city the works even remotely this ambitious for con plus? freeways to relieve congest1 cities except Dallas have nothing in infrastructure. Will Amazon View this as a all of the Americas, if they want to drive addition): fantastic nonstop air access to Airports (Tory sion across Latin America. an international expan Verdict The chances of Houston being selected seem very unlikely due to our lack of strength in the key sarily a bad thing, since Amazon is probably not a good fit for categories. And that? not neces Houston. Just about every city with at least 1 million in population will submit a bid. For mo st cities ?t about winning, but it is about showing what you have to offer, and ill continue to need sired and valued. Amazon here?s a chance to show Amazon our so when distribution sites and regional offices, and they need that next logistics facility, they?ll know we?re a good place to do business. So, assuming that Houston will submit a bid, the Greater Houston Partnership should be sure to highlight our in logistics and transportation. (including Houston), this isn also that partnerships with Amazon are de Amazon? RFP says the ?nal site selection and announcement will be in 2018. And North Texas should calm down and not get overexcited. Most likely, they?ll also be on the losing en . 7 Tory Commentary In general, I pretty much agree with Oscar. I also think there?s a more fundamental issue, which is that Amazon doesn?t Want to compete with the high?paying energy industry for local talent (especially if there?s another oil booml), nor does the energy industry want Amazon poaching their hard-recruited talent, especially technical talent. I just don?t think there?s much appetite here for Amazon, and the feeling is probably mutual. Also, 1 think Amazon wants to be the ?big ?sh in a small pond? (or maybe ?modest lake? for sufficient scale) wherever they go, with dominant in?uence (think Mercedes or Airbus in Alabama or BMW or Boeing in South Carolina), and that just wouldn't be the case in Houston with so many major Fortune 500 corporations here. They certainly would be in Denver though, and I agree with the NYTimes it?s the most likely winner if they put a competitive incentive package together. The most interesting wild card from Oscar's analysis is the UT data science center: if somehow those became synergistic campuses (maybe using the Astrodome or old Astroworld land?), it would certainly be a major differentiator vs. other cities. Even if we didn?t win the HQZ, they may circle back for a major secondary office (data soience Americas intl a consolation prize worth shooting for? This post can also be found at You received this message because you are subscribed to the Goo gle Groups ?Houston Strategies? email distribution group. To unsubscrihe from this group, send email to For more options, v1 it this group at You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ?Houston Strategies" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop recei ?ng emails from it, send an email to houstonstrate ies+unsubscribe a. Too Ile rou scorn For more options, Visit Sylvester Turner - MYR i From: Koski, James - MYR Sent: Monday, October 02, 2017 6:30 PM To: Sylvester Turner - MYR Cc: icken, Andy Hunter, Marvalette Bernstein, Alan MYR Subject: FW: [Houston Strategies] Assessing Houston?s Chances and Suitability for Amazon HQZ Email from Houston Strategies about Amazon HQZ. Don?t agree with everything here but still some interesting thoughts and background. )ames Koski Deputy Chief of Staff Office of Mayor Sylvester Turner 832.393.0833, james,koski@homtontxgoy From: On Behalf Of Tory Sent: Monday, October 02, 2017 6:20 To: Houston Strategies nc uita ility for Amazon HQZ Subject: [Houston Strategies] Assessing Houston 5 a This week we have a guest post from Oscar (Erik) Slotboom analyzing Houston's chances for Amazon HQZ. Chris Tomlinson also weighed in at the Chronicle. And I'll weigh in with my own thoughts at the end. Assessing Houston?s Chances and Suitability for Amazon HQ2 Amazon?s reguest for preposals by October 19 for its planned secondheadguarters dubbed Hg 22 has unleashed a frenzy of interest across the countiy. The New York Times has designated Denver as the city to beat, and a leading site candidate in the area is a large tract halfway between Denver and Boulder along highway 36, an of?ce park whiph curiously was originally developed by Houston?s Phillips 66 to target alternative energy research. Denver?s frontmrunner status seems justi?ed, since it has the Rocky Mountain high (in more sense than one!) and does not have any fatal ?aws which could knock out other likely leading candidates, such as high housing costs and inability to build new housing (Boston, NYC, California), poor business climate and/or government ?nance (NYC and Chicago), inadequate infrastructure for a 50K workforce (Austin), lack of coolness (Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta), and lack of tech workforce in numerous cities, including Houston. There are plenty of rankings and lists of contenders on the web, and not a single one I?ve seen mentions Houston as a candidate (1 g, By, North Texas has been especially interested and eager, twith daily press reports of sites that local interests are promoting, including a detailed proposal for Victory Park by Hillwood (Perot?s ?rm) and Hines, as well as numerous other sites including the planned Texas Central rail 1 station Reunion arena site, the Valley View mall redevelopment site in North Dallas, the State Fair site at Exposition Park, Plano, and many more. Local interests are submittin to 50 sites, which are being ?ltered for one uni?ed submission. The Houston Business Journal reported that Houston will likely submit a bid. But in contrast to North Texas and other cities, there?s been negligible reporting of HQ2 activity in Houston. Which leads to the questions: how extensive is the local effort, does Houston have a chance, and would HQ2 even be a good ?t for Houston? Amazon?s Requirement Amazon? 3 RFP spells out their wishful wish list, and there is no magical place which meets all their desires. So Amazon?s decision will be based on which criteria are most important, and perhaps only Jeff Bezos knows what will drive the decision. And Bezos may already have preferred location(s) in mind and is using this exercise to maximize the incentives to be offered by increasing the sense of competition. Looking at the RFP, here is the number of lines dedicated to each criteria category: Lines in RFP on the subiegj Houston?s position Site and Buildings 50 Probably average or below Incentives 27 Likely to be less than other big cities Workforce 17 Below tech hubs Overall Logistics 14 Good Sustainability and Environment (mainly site buildings) Depends on the building site Business Climate Good Education Average Quality of Life Average or below Highways Good (congestion is a factor) Culture Average or below Public transit, bikes and pedestrians Below average Housing Very good 12 10 ues like public transit, in proportion to the RFQ space, then iss (1 quality of life may not be as important as numerous press reports have suggested, uld work inHouston? favor. The facility site, incentives, workforce, and logistics appear to be most important. On the other hand, business climate and housing, Houston? 3 are not rice in the RFP. Most cities including Houston are going to struggle to meet the sites with around among top catego real estate requirement, either with downtown sites or ready 100 acres. Cities with suitable sites under single ownership will have an advantage. Houston?s Chances a1 major disrupt on to business First things first: will the risk of hurricane di Operations be a ly with Harvey fresh on everyone? 5 minds? There? a good chance the is yes, especially since Seattle is at risk for a major akes sense from the business perspective. But earthquake, and a near 10 ntion of operational continuity, so let? assume we?re still in the running. the RFQ makes no me thing and everything, but ideally wants 500,000+ sf by 2019 with innes? newly built 48 story Sites: Amaz space to expand to 8,000,000 lenty of gpaggin Houston, I can?t the 2019 deadline for 1,050,000 sf of?ce tower at 60 ch for Amazon, especially given think of a location which is phase 1 space of 500,000 to 1,000,000 sf. on is open to any three sites in Houston: 800 Bell (former Exxchobil office), the 150~acre 'le 800 Bell is empty and available, it was completed in early 1960s retro, which is probably a negative. Can it be everything including LEBD standards trans- gender id have redone the ovation wou han a 54*year-old building. On if that? 5 what This web post sugge East River site and the Astrodome. 1963 and its exterior desi renovated to meet heights? While the origina surveyed the East River site last week and 1 think it is a nonstarter. Approaching it from interstate 10 on Hirsch, you pass through a disadvantaged neighborhood with pre?WW2 housing and vacant ehouses, and going east yard. Buffalo Bayou lots - definitely not attractive. The eas along Clinton you?ll find more warehouses, industrial facilities, and a scrap has a large cliffwlike dropoff to the water, as well as bulkheads along the water, and 1 along the site 4 not much of asset in its current state. The north side of the property along Clinton is modern housing, which is not a vibrant urban scene Amazon may be seeking for a downtown location. In addition, there is no site work in progress yet, and the only of?ce building is the old KBR building. I just can?t see Amazon wanting to bring potential recruits to this site, it won?t impress. The Astrodome may have potential. Harris County has already slated $105 million towards conversion to a parking garage and event center and that money could be redirected to an office conversion. Once the Dome is reduced to a shell, you could build multiple levels of of?ces in a ring around the perimeter inside, potentially. getting up to 1 million square feet of of?ces overlooking the ?eld area, creating one of the most distinctive of?ces anywhere with myriad possibilities for the center ?eld area and maybe catwalks up high. Somewhat like a smaller version of the Apple headquarters inside a dome. There?s plenty of parking, land for additional buildings is available probably for free since it is publicly owned, and it has good transportation access with the freeway and light rail. On negative side potentially a show-stopper -- is the need to coexist with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which may be possible for a smaller presence but not for a 50,000 person campus. The former downtown post of?ce site could be a potential candidate for downtown, but may not be large enough and the developer?s current plan would need to be totally redone. Of course there is plenty of?ce space in the Energy Corridor, such as the 1.4 million sf campus Conoco has recently abandoned but environmentally?oriented Amazon will probably not want to be anywhere near an oil and gas industry cluster. There could be suburban sites readily available in a suburban area like the Woodlands, but the challenge is to deliver 500,000+ sf by 2019 with suf?cient space for massive expansion. In summary, Houston does not appear to have ideal candidates for the site, so we don?t have any advantage in this crucial category. Incentives: Houston will of course offer something, but most likely it will be much less than others will offer (and rightfully so, since there?s no compelling reason to give away the farm for Amazon, like Wisconsin did for Foxconn). Incentives are unlikely to be an advantage for Houston. Workforce and Education: We?re going to rank behind tech hubs in the important workforce category, and we?ll probably be in middle of the pack in terms of education. Conclusion: there is no advantage for Houston in these categories. tremendous asset to the region to prepare our Workforce name would have brought prestige and resources that others can?t match. The cancell narrow-minded political interests was a huge loss to Houston. (Disclosure: 1 a Texas Ex.) Other Factors: For the remaining factors Houston will have advantages in business climate, logistics and housing, but lag behind others in public transit, culture and quality of life. Overall, no net advantage. Which brings up a larger, more philos0phical issue: are Amazon and Houston at good fit? If Amazon wants to duplicate its Seattle culture, image, and workforce dynamics, probably not. Being in the world? leading oil and gas center may not be with their values. The high? growth Seattle tech scene is a totally different workforce dynamic with abundant tech workers and high churn. Amazon is notorious for its high turnover rate. Houston?s lack of rival tech employers would nt scene. provide a more staid, subdued employme Wildcards for Houston which could put us in play Diversity: Page 5 of the RFQ calls for the ?presence and support of a diverse population?. Houston would probably rank #1 among all contenders in this category, both domestically and in terms of immigrants. With the increased scrutiny of workforce diversity and inclusion in the tech industry, Houston would be a much better place to recruit black and Hispanic workers than Denver, Boston, . and Austin, and certainly at least as good as any other place. Sites and Building: Page 2 states that Amazon has a preference for ?communities that think big and creatively when considering locations and real estate options?. As mentioned above, an office in the Astrodome would be highly unique and something that no other city can duplicate, and likely very attractive to millennials due to the coolness factor. But that? only if the Astro dome is in play for Houston? proposal. Health Care: Does Amazon have an future as irations of bein in the health care industi be out prescriptions? If yes, the Texas Medical Center workforce and strong medical education system is among the best in the country. The scuttled University of Texas data science center: Can this project be resurrected as part of Houston? 5 proposal? It seems unlikely in the short time before the Amazon deadline, but if it can be resurrected it would be very helpful in closing the education gap. Jeff Bezos Houston connection: He attended elementary school in Houston at River Oaks Elementary from fourth through sixth grade. Does he have fond memories of Houston, or does he prefer to avoid Houston? Downtown Freeway plans: The $4 billion plan to rebuild and expand Houston?s downtown freeways to relieve congestion is expected to move forward in the 20203. Most or all competing cities except Dallas have nothing in the works even remotely this ambitious for center?city infrastructure. Will Amazon View this as a plus? Airports (Tory addition): fantastic nonstop air access to all of the Americas, if they want to drive an international expansion across Latin America. Verdict The chances of Houston being selected seem very unlikely due to our lack of strength in the key categories. And that?s not necessarily a bad thing, since Amazon is probably not a good ?t for Houston. Just about every city with at least 1 million in population will submit a bid. For most cities (including Houston), this isn?t about winning, but it is about showing what you have to offer, and also that partnerships with Amazon are desired and valued. Amazon will continue to need distribution sites and regional of?ces, and here?s a chance to show Amazon our so when they need that next logistics facility, they?ll know we?re a good place to do business. So, assuming that Houston will submit a bid, the Greater Houston Partnership should be sure to highlight our in logistics and transportation. Amazon?s RFP says the ?nal site selection and announcement will be in 2018. And North Texas should calm down and not get overexcited. Most likely, they?ll also be on the losing end. 7 Tory Commentary In general, I pretty much agree with Oscar. I also think there?s a more fundamental issue, which is that Amazon doesn't want to compete with the high-paying energy industry for local talent (especially if there?s another oil booml), nor does the energy industry Want Amazon poaching their hard-recruited talent, especially technical talent. I just don't think there?s much appetite here for Amazon, and the feeling is probably mutual. Also, I think Amazon wants to be the "big fish in a small pond" (or maybe 'modest lake? for sufficient scale) wherever they go, with dominant in?uence (think Mercedes or Airbus in Alabama or BMW or Boeing in South Carolina), and that just wouldn?t be the case in Houston with so many major Fortune 500 corporations here. They certainly would be in Denver though, and I agree with the NYTimes it?s the most likely winner if they put a competitive incentive package together. The most interesting wild card from Oscar?s analysis is the UT data science center: if somehow those became synergistic campuses (maybe using the Astrodome or old Astroworld land?), it would certainly be a major differentiator vs. other cities. Even if we didn?t win the HQZ, they may circle back for a major secondary of?ce (data science Americas intl a consolation prize worth shooting for? new -F This post can also be found at You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Houston Strategies" email distribution group. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to For more options, visit this group at mn- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Goo gle Groups "Houston Strategies? group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to houstonstrate Iies+unsubscribe a co levrcu scorn. For more options, visit Sylvester Turner MYR From: token, Andy MYR Sent: Monday, October 02, 2017 11:01 PM To: Koski, lames - MYR Cc: Sylvester Turner - Hunter, Marvalette - Bernstein, Alan MYR Subject: Re: [Houston Strategiesi Assessing Houston?s Chances and Suitability for Amazon HQ2 This article misses the mark by a lot. They haven?t even touched on the urban site we are considering and the fantasy of the Astrodome is beyond absurd. The area around NRG is essentially a wasteland and about as far away from the urban environment Amazon has fostered inSeattle. I would make the Same comments on the 300 acre UT campus?it is not an urban environment, not connected to transit and frankly not near residential communities( and on top of that the Regents have instructed I eff Hildebrand to market it to return the 216m$ they spent for it. Other parts of the article similarly miss the mark. The energy industry has robustly supported competing for this and would l'ke nothing more than more teclmically proficient workers in our city. And the article also misses the fimdamental point that the technical skills needed in the energy industry and the medical industries are quite transferable to an Amazon environment. Ok I?ll stOp ranting now. Sent from my ad On Oct 2, 2017 at 6:29 PM, Koski, James - MYR wrote: This article misses the mark by a lot. They haven?t even touched on the urban site we are considering and the fantasy of the Astrodorne is beyond absurd. The area around NRC: is essentially a wasteland and about as far away from the urban environment Amazon has fostered inSeattle. I would make the same comments on the 300 acre UT campus?it is not an urban environment, not connected to transit and frankly not near residential and on too of that the Regents have instructed Jeff Hildebrand to market it to return the 216m$ they spent for it. Other parts of the article similarly miss the mark. The energy industry has robustly supported competing for this and would like nothing more than more technically pro?cient workers in our city. And the article also misses the fimdamental point that the technical skills needed in the energy industry and the medical industries are quite transferable to an Amazon environment. 0k 1? ll stop ranting now! Sent from my iPad On Oct 2, 2017, at 6:29 PM, Koski, James - MYR wrote: Email from Houston Strategies about Amazon HQ2. Don't agree with everything here but still some interesting thoughts and background. lames Koski Deputy Chief of Staff Office of Mayor Sylvester Turner 832.393.0833, From: [m Sent: Monday, October To: Houston Strategies Subject: [Houston Strategle HQZ On Behalf Of Tory mg ouston?s Chances and Suitability for Amazon This week we have a guest post from Oscar gErik) Slotboom analyzing Houston?s chances for Amazon HQ2. Chris Tomlinson also weighed in at the Chronicle. And I'll weigh in with my own thoughts at the end. Assessing Houston?s Chances and Suitability for Amazon HQ2 Amazon?s reguest for prop osals by October 19 for its planned secondheadguarters dubbed HQZ has unleashed a frenzy of interest across the country. The New York Times has designated Denver as the city to beat, and a leading site candidate in the area is a large tract halfway between Denver and Boulder along highway 36, an office park which curiousl was ori inall develo ed Houston?s Philli 66 to target alternative energy research. Denver? front-runner status seems justi?ed, since it has the Rocky Mountain high (in more sense than one!) and does not have any fatal flaws which could knock out other likely leading candidates, such as high housing costs and inability to build new housing (Boston, NYC, California), poor business climate and/ or goVernment ?nance (NY and Chicago), inadequate infrastructure for a 50K workforce (Austin), lack of coolness (Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta), and lack of tech workforce in numerous cities, including Houston. There are plenty of rankings and lists of contenders on the web, and not a single one I?ve seen mentions Houston as a candidate 2, 1, ii, 13;, 6). North Texas has been especially interested and eager, with daily press reports of sites that local interests are promoting, including a detailed proposal for Victory Park by Hillwood (Perot?s firm) and Hines, as well as numerous other sites including the planned Texas Central rail station Reunion arena site, the Valley View mall redevelopment site in North Dallas, the State Fair site at Exposition Bath, illegal, and many more. Local interests are submitting up to 50 gigs, which are being ?ltered for one unified submission. The Houston Business Journal re orted that Houston will likel submit a bid. But in contrast to North Texas and other cities, there?s been negligible reporting of HQ2 activity in Houston. Which leads to the questions: how extensive is the local effort, does Houston have a chance, and would HQ2 even be a good fit for Houston? Amazon?s Requirement shful wish list, and there is no magical on will be based spells out their wi So Amazon?s decisi ly Jeff Bezos knows ets all their desires. most important, and perhaps on have preferre Amazon?s RFP place which me on which criteria ar what will drive the decision. And Bezos may already 'mize the incentives location(s) in mind and is using this exercise to max to be offered by increasing the sense of competition. umber of lines dedicated to each criteria Looking at the REP, here is the category: Site and Buildings 50 Probably average or below incentives 27 Likely to be less than other big cities Workforce 17 Below tech hubs Overall Logistics 14 Good Sustainability and Environment (mainly site buildings) 12 Depends on the building site Business Climate 0 Good Education 8 Average Quality of Life 8 Average or below Highways 7 Good (congestion is a factor) Culture 4 Average or below Public transit, bikes and pedestrians 4 Below average Housing 2 Very good If Amazon?s decision criteria are in proportion to the RFQ space, then issues like public transit, culture, and quality of life may not be as important as numerous press reports have suggested, which would work in Houston? favor. The facility site, incentives, workforce, and logistics appear to be most important. On the other hand, business climate and housing, Houston?s are not among top categories in the RFP. Most cities including Houston are going to struggle to meet the real estate requirement, either with downtown sites or ready-toubuild suburban sites with around 100 acres. Cities with suitable sites under single ownership will have an advantage. Houston?s Chances sk of hurricane disasters and potential major First things first: will the ri disruption to business operations be a fatal flaw for Houston, especially with Harvey fresh on everyone?s minds? There?s a good chance the answer to that question is yes, especially since Seattle is at risk for a major earthquake, and a near 100% safe location for HQZ makes sense from the business perspective. But the RFQ makes no mention of operational continuity, so let?s assume we?re still in the running. Sites: Amazon is open to anything and everything, but ideally wants 0 expand to 8,000,000 sf, which is 500,000+ sf by 2019 with space ly built 48 story 1,050,000 sf of?ce equivalent to eight of Hines? new vacant Space in Houston, I tower at 609 MainWhile there is plenty of 'deal match for Arnazon, especially can?t think of a location which is an 1 given the 2019 deadline for phase 1 Space of 500,000 to 1,000,000 sf. This web post suggests three sites in Houston: 800 Bell (former ExxonMobil office), the lSO-acre East River site and the Astrodome. While 800 Bell is empty and available, it was completed in 1963 and its exterior design screams early 1960s retro, which is probably a negative. Can it be renovated to meet modern standards, everything including LEED standards trans? gender restrooms and ceiling heights? While the originally planned renovation would have redone the exterior, l?m inclined to think Amazon will want someth'ng newer than a 54?year" old building. On the plus side, there are plenty of vacant lots around 800 Bell, and it is downt own, if that? what Amazon prefers. surveyed the East River site last week and I think it is a nonstarter. Approaching it from interstate 10 on Hirsch, you pass through a disadvantaged neighborhood with pro?WW2 housing and vacant lots definitely not attractive. The east side of the site is bordered by warehouses, and going east along Clinton you? ll ?nd more warehouses, industrial facilities, and a scrap yard. Buffalo Bayou along the site has a well as bulkheads along the water, large cliff~like dropoff to the water, as and is not much of asset in its current state. The north side of the sing, which is not a vibrant urban property along Clinton is mo dern hou scene Amazon may be seeking for a downtown location. In addition, 5 there is no site work in progress yet, and the only office building is the old KER building. I just can?t see Amazon wanting to bring potential recruits to this site, it won?t impress. The Astrodome may have potential. arris County has already slated $105 million towards its conversion to a parking garage and event center and that money could be redirected to an of?ce conversion. Once the Dome is reduced to a shell, you could build multiple levels of offices in a ring around the perimeter inside, potentially getting up to 1 million square feet of offices overlooking the field area, creating one of the most distinctive offices anywhere myriad possrbilities for the center ?eld area and maybe catwalks up high. Somewhat like a smaller version the Apple headquarters inside a dome. There?s plenty of parking, land for additional buildings is available probably for free since it is publicly owned, and it has good transportation access with the freeway and light rail. On negative side potentially a showwstopper is the need to coexist with the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo, which may be possible for a smaller presence but not for a 50,000 person campus. The former downtown ost office site could be a potential candidate for downtown, but may not be large enough and the developer? current plan would need to be totally redone. Of course there is plenty office space in the Energy Corridor, such as the 1.4 million sf campus Conoco has recently abandoned but environmentally?oriented Amazon will prob ably not want to be anywhere near an oil and gas industry cluster. There could be suburban sites readily available in a suburban area like the Woodlands, but the challenge is to deliver 500,000+ sf by 2019 with sufficient space for massive expansion. In summary, Houston does not appear to have ideal candidates for the site, so we don?t have any advantage in this crucial category. Incentives: Houston will of course offer something, but most likely it will be much less than others will offer (and rightfully so, since there? 3 no compelling reason to give away the farm for Amazon, did for Foxconn). Incentives are unlikely to be an advantage for Houston. Workforce and Education: We?re going to rank behind tech hubs in the important workforce category, and we?ll probably be in middle of the pack in terms of education. Conclusion: there is no advantage for Houston in these categories. ,1 can?t help but lament the demise of the re osed 'ence Center. This new camrius could have Universi of Texas Data SCI been a big plus in Houston? bid, as well as being a tremendous asset to the region to prepare our workforce for the future. The University of Texas name would have brought prestige and resources that others can?t match. The cancellation due to narrow~minded political interests was a huge loss to Houston. (Disclosure: I?m a Texas EX.) Other Factors: For the remaining factors Houston will have advantages in business climate, logistics and housing, but lag behind others in public transit, culture and quality of life. Overall, no net advantage. Which brings up a larger, more philosophical issue: are Amazon and Houston a good fit? If Amazon wants to duplicate its Seattle culture, the world? 5 image, and workforce dynamics, probably not. Being in leading oil and gas center may not be consistent with their values. The high? growth Seattle tech scene is a totally different workforce dynamic with abundant tech workers and high churn. Amazon is notorious for its high turnover rate. Houston? 5 lack of rival tech employers would provide a more staid, subdued employment scene. Wildcards for Houston which could put us in play Diversity: Page 5 of the RFQ calls for the ?presence and support of a diverse population?. Houston would prob ably rank #1 among all contenders in this category, both domestically and in terms of immigrants. With the increased scrutiny of workforce diversity and inclusion in the tech industry, Houston would be a much better place to recruit black and Hispanic workers than Denver, Boston, and Austin, an certainly at least as good as any other place. ates that Amazon has a preference for Sites and Building: Page 2 st ?communities that think big and creatively when considering locations and real estate options?. As mentioned above, an office in the would be highly unique and something that no other city can duplicate, ls due to the coolness factor. But and likely very attractive to millennia Astrodome is in play for Houston? 3 preposal. that? only if the Health Care: Does Amazon have any future aspirations of being in the health care industry beyond prescriptions? If yes, the Texas Medical dical education system is among the best Center workforce and strong me in the country. as data science center: Can this project The scuttled University of Tex sal? It seems unlikely in the be resurrected as part of Houston?s propo fore the Arnazon deadline, but if it can be resurrected it would be very helpful in closing the education gap. Jeff Bezos Houston connection: He attended elementary school in Houston at River Oaks Elementary from fourth through sixth grade. Does he have fond memories of Houston, or does he prefer to avoi Houston? plan to rebuild and expand Houston? 3 downtown freeways to relieve congestion is expected to move 203. Most or all competing cities except Dallas have forward in the 20 remotely this ambitious for center-city nothing in the works even infrastructure. Will Amazon View this as a plus. Downtown Freeway plans: The $4 billion ss to all of the addition): fantastic nonstop air acce ansion across Latin Airports (Tory drive an international exp Americas, if they want to America. Verdict The chances of Houston being selected seem very unlikely due to our lack of strength in the key categories. And that? not necessarily a bad thing, since Amazon is probably not a good ?t for Houston. Just about every city with at least 1 million in population will submit a bid. For most cities (including Houston), this isn?t about w' 'ng, but it is about showing what you have to offer, and also that partnerships with Amazon are desired and valued. Amazon will continue to need distribution si es and regional of?ces, and here?s a chance to show Amazon our so when they need that next logistics facility, they?ll know we?re a good place to do business. So, assuming that Houston will submit a bid, the Greater Houston Partnership should be sure to highlight our in logistics and transportation. Amazon?s RFP says the final site selection and announcement will be in 2018. And North Texas should calm down and not get overexcited. Most likely, they?ll also be on the losing end. Tory Commentary In general, I pretty much agree with Oscar. I also think there's a more ?mdamental issue, which is that Amazon doesn't want to compete with the high?paying energy industry for local talent (especially if there's another oil boomi), nor do es the energy industry want Amazon poaching their hard?recruited talent, especially technical talent. I just don't think there?s much appetite here for Amazon, and the feeling is probably mutual. Also, I think Amazon wants to be the "big fish in a small pond? (or maybe ?rnodest lake' for suf?cient scale) wherever they go, with dominant in?uence (think Mercedes or Airbus in Alabama or BMW or Boeing in South Carolina), and that just wouldn't be the case in Houston with so many major Fortune 500 corporations here. They certainly would be in Denver though, and 1 agree with the NYTimes it?s the most likely winner if they put a competitive incentive package together. The most interesting wild card from Oscar?s analysis is the UT data science center: if somehow those became synergistic campuses (maybe using the Astrodome or old Astroworld land?), it would certainly be a major differentiator vs. other cities. Even if we didn?t win the HQZ, they may circle back for a major secondary of?ce (data science Americas intl a consolation prize worth shooting for? van This post can also be found at You received this message because you are subscribed to the Goo gle Groups "Houston Strategies? email distribution group. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to HoustonStrate-gies unsubscribe?tbgooglegr- oupscom For more options, visit this group at - awn?v- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Houston Strategies? group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to For more options, visit glecom/d/optout. 10 Eylvester Turner MYR From: John Reaie Sent: Wednesday, October 04, 2017 To: Sylvester Turner - MYR Cc: Icken, Andy - Edwards, Amanda - CNL Subject: Re: Houston Mayor Turner, thanks for your mail. One of the things I don?t take for granted is the power of a united community working together. Through building Station, I continue to learn how to build a community, be its champion and the great responsibilities that come with this. I believe this is one of the ideals that we share and are core to who we are. We started Station to transform Houston. Our task force made sure we addressed our challenges and failures so we all can deeply understand the problem and task at hand. We started Entrepreneurs for Houston to use our talents to develop solutions to aid our community while using our platform to drive donations to the relief fund. I am completely committed to obr vision to transform Houston and bringing the community together to do so. Today, I met with Dick Williams to share in greater depth these ideals with items I've shared through my mails and our meetings to ensure this is core to what we take forward. Millennials and our entrepreneurs must be involved to ensure this organization looks like Houston, represents Houston, and that our spirit of innovation'remains authentic. Houston X?s soul must be developed from the bottom?up. I believe there needs to be a transparent and inclusive process to bring people to the must be one of our demands. This is why the call to action of the drafted vision piece has you activate the community to get involved. I've pasted my recommendations below. Unless you provide a different direction, I?ll take the responsibility of reinforcing these points with Gina, Dick and others to ensure they are explicit. We will uphold these values to take Houston forward. JR Recommendations: 1. I recommend we move forward to endorse the forming of the Houston Exponential to consolidate efforts to maximize ecosystem impacts so long as the items listed below are specifically included in the plan 2. I recommend we communicate to meeting participants from the Monday (Barbara Burger, Bob Harvey, Gina Luna, Lori Vetters, Randy Walker) so they have clarity on our recommendations as well as a clear message to HTC Board members and GHP Innovation Roundtable members ahead of their planned 10?October Board meeting. 1 3. I recommend that Amanda and i convene a meeting with the Task Force over the next two weeks to communicate the same, consistent plan. Action Items: 1. Vision Piece - recommend we get something published during the next two weeks to clearly outline this plan. I?m happy to help with how we can use ecosystem events to communicate this plan. 1 attached draft I wrote a few weeks back if sure, since it is about 40 days old, it needs work. 2. Amazon recommend we target an event on the 19-Oct (day Amazon proposal is due) to make an ecosystem announcement integrating some of the Amazon messaging into the press conference. Ideally, we would announce the intention to launch the Innovation District on this date as this ties back to the proposed location for Amazon HQZ. Suggested Houston Exponential Feedback Requests: 1. Innovation District Committee request one of the goals objectives of this committee be tied to Task Force recommendation of connecting back to Complete Communities 2. Advisory Council create a regular communication plan with committee chairs and or CEO to ensure you are briefed on a quarterly basis - 3. Committees .. request plan as to how committees will be formed to be inclusive of the community, including ?Power of 5" members (academia; corporations; entrepreneurs; investors; govt) 4. Youth Inclusion Within committees, ensure that our young people are at the table. 5. Education - request that an education committee be formally added as one of the launch committees. I would suggest Gabriela Rowe (Village School) to chair this committee. Request that one of the goals objectives of this committee be tied to Task Force recommendation to connect into Hire Houston Youth Program and Complete Communities program 6. Conferences request that Houston First and Visit Houston be participants in relevant committees to ensure we have an integrated into our convention and visitor strategy and plan 7. Advisory Board Board - happy to provide recommendations if requested on millennial candidates from tech community 8. City Committee Members recommend working internally with Amanda, Andy, Jesse Bounds and Stephen David to identify which City employees should be included in the various Advocacy and Policy Committees as City representatives 9. Data Science Institute - recommend the eventual CEO of Houstonx be part of the Data Science Task Force (which I believe Jeff Schienbarger from Chevron is leading?) John S. Reale, Jr. {lo-Founder, CEO 713.825.2768 Please consider joining Entrepreneurs for Houston to donate to the 54H Fund to support tech and entrepreneurship initiatives related to Hurricane Harvey On Wed, Oct 4, 2017 at 10:32 PM, Sylvester Turner - MYR wrote: JR in April I met with you and CM Edwards on startups, technology and innovation. Subsequently I had a conversation with David Wolfe who asked to do everything i could to restart the conversation on the Institute '2 of Data Sciences. 1 then inserted references in the State of City address. It was the CM who pushed for the l. creation of the Task Force which ultimately led to the presentation to me. i in June I led the delegation to Israel where the focus was heavily on their success with startups, technology and innovations. There were people on that trip thatl did not see around the table 2 weeks ago when we met. 2 Neither was the CM who Was a part of this from the beginning. I appreciate the fact that HT was at the table with GHP and everyone was saying the same things, but I do have questions on what impact a merger will have on future startups and will this new entity be inviting to the diversity that exists Within our community. The lack of millennials on the proposed board did raise concerns and I certainly appreciate GHP providing me with proposed board members, butl am also considering others as well. In my humble opinion we will achieve our ultimate result if we are collaborative in our approach, take full adVantage of everyone interested in advancing the City?s position, not create an additional organization that excludes others (or at least doesn't appear to be inclusive and inviting). The start of this was organic and I could feel and hear from people that they wanted to create this innovative ecosystem and put Houston in a more competitive position because we are having to catchup. I know we need to move forward but if we are not collaborative and open in our approach, we will make advances in creating this ecosystem but it will not be transformational. Therein lies my hesitancy. Sent from my iPhone On Oct 2, 2017, at 6:19 PM, John Reale i Hope you are well. Drafts materials related to Innovation Initiative attached. 2 Need direction on next steps to respond to HTC and GHP. Thanks, JR John S. Beale, Jr. (Io-Founder, CEO 713.825.2768 Please consider joining Entrepreneurs for Houston> Eg> 3 fl!- Attaching the Playbook (Long version), Committee Chair Deck (Short version) Communications Plan which would not be for broad circulation but does include the and lastly, the message outline in regard to the ?1 launch. These are all still in draft form - Playbook is about 95% there and communications does about 75%. 1 We are also currently crafting the press releases. 1 1 Would love your feedback. 5: 1 Jon ?1 . Original Message l. From: John S. Reale, Jr. Sent: Monday, October 2, 2017 7:18 AM To: Jon Nordby Hm Cc: Amanda Edwards > Subject: Houston a 1 Good morning. i 3; Please send the latest versions of documents related to Houston when you get a moment. I know there is a 1 short and long version of deck as Well as an FAQ. Thanks Joni i JR 1 1 John S. Reale, Jr. ?1 Co-Founder CEO 1 Station Houston Hun/(lawman? 1 i 1 Please excuse any typos or tone of this message as Siri and aren?t always on the same page. This message was sent from my iPhone. ?1 1 it Sylvester Turner - MYR From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: Attachments: All, i have attached my revised notes Edwards, Amanda CNL Friday, October 06, 2017 10:47 AM John Reaie; Sylvester Turner - MYR lcken, Andy - Hunter, Marvalette - MYR RE: Innovation initiative Follow?up (Revised per Meeting) Memo for Mayor's Tech Meetingdoc; Innovation in Houstonpdf (showing only the items where we had consensus) from our September 27?? meeting with the Mayor as well as my comments on the HX documents provided. Here are some of my thoughts (below in red) on summary: Amanda K. Edwards Houston City Council At~Large-, Position 4 832a393-30l2 From: John Reale Sent: Thursday, September 28, 2017 2:34 To: Sylvester Turner MYR Cc: lcken, Andy MYR Hunter, Marvalette MYR Edwards, Amanda - CNL Subject: innovation Initiative - Foliow~up Mayor Turner, Hope you had a great birthday. I appreciate all of your time this week to drive our innovation initiative forward. I?ve provided (1) recommendations; (2) action items; and (3) suggested feedback and requests related to Houston Exponential below. Copying Amanda, Andy and Marvaiette should they have other points I might have missed. JR Recommendations: 1. I recommend we move forward to endorse the forming of the Houston Exponential to consolidate efforts to maximize ecosystem impacts so long as the items listed below are specifically included in the plan 1 think that it should also be made clear that the City is still reviewing and has some additional comments/revisions that are forthcoming. 2. I recommend we communicate to meeting participants from the Monday (Barbara Burger, Bob Harvey, Gina Luna, Lori Vetters, Randy Walker) so they have clarity on our 1 recommendations as well as a clear message to HTC Board members and GHP Innovation Roundtable members ahead of their planned 10?October Board meeting. - 1 think whatever is communicated should highlight that City feedback is forthcoming and should be incorporated. 3. I recommend that Amanda and 1 convene a meeting with the Task Force over the next two weeks to communicate the same, consistent plan. I think all members of the Mayor?s Task Force should be invited to participate in the new structure if they would like. What is confusing to me is that the HX report highlights the Mayor?s Task Force as a present entity, but it has technically completed its charge. What are your thoughts about extending the Mayor?s Task Force?s existence as the AdVisory Group 1 mentioned . in my recommendations that periodically meets Mayor and works With i think a meeting on October 17 at 4pm may work with my schedule. Action Items: 1. Vision Piece recommend we get something published during the next two weeks to clearly outline this plan. I'm happy to help with how we can use ecosystem events to communicate this plan. 1 attached draft I wrote a few weeks back if sure, since it is about 40 days old, it needs work. I thought the Vision piece was supposed to be folded into the press conference. FYI I have not yet had an Opportunity to review the vision statement provided 2. Amazon - recommend we target an event on the 19?Oct (day Amazon proposal is due) to make an ecosystem announcement integrating some of the Amazon messaging into the press conference. Ideally, we would announce the intention to launch the Innovation District on this date as this ties back to the proposed location for Amazon HQZ. I thought we were targeting November. I have a conflict on October 19?" and 1 would like to be present for this. 1 think it is ok if we push this back to November. Suggested Houston Exponential Feedback Requests: Please see my notes attached. 1.. Innovation District Committee - request one of the goals objectives of this committee be tied to Task Force recommendation of connecting back to Complete Communities Please see my notes instead - I have attached a copy of my amended notes from the September 27 meeting that addresses this tOpic. 2. Advisory Council create a regular communication plan meetings) with committee chairs and or CEO to ensure you are briefed on a quarterly basis Per my note above, this may be the Mayor?s Task Force group. . . (open for discussion) 3. Committees request plan as to how committees (and other governance structures within HX) will be formed to be inclusive of the community, including "Power of 5" members (academia; corporations; entrepreneurs; investors; govt) 2 4. Youth Inclusion Within committees, ensure that our young people are at the table. We should also be inclusive of other forms of diversity. See my HX notes. 5. Education - request that an education committee be formally added as one of the launch committees. I would suggest Gabriela Rowe (Village School) [Does she work with TMC with their program? i think someone at City and TMC need to be part of the conversation about leadership for this] to chair this committee. Request that one of the goals objectives of this committee be tied to Task Force recommendation to connect into Hire Houston Youth Program and Complete Communities program [Please see my attached notes on Hire Houston Youth and Innovation Curriculum] 6. Conferences request that Houston First and Visit Houston be participants in relevant committees to ensure we have an integrated into our convention and visitor strategy and plan My attached notes on this supplement this point. 7. Advisory Board Board - happy to rovrde recommendations if requested on millennial candidates from tech community That would be helpful. We also need City representation, millenn'ials and other recommendations of Mayor at the table, as well. Also, see my attached notes on engagement with the Mayor. 8. City Committee Members recommend working internally with Amanda, Andy, Jesse Bounds and Stephen David to identify which City employees/representatlves should be included in the various Advocacy and Policy Committees as City representatives 9. Data Science Institute - recommend the eventual CEO of HoustonX be part of the Data Science Task Force (which I believe Jeff Schlenbarger from Chevron is leading?) 1 will deter fully to the Mayor to comment on this. John S. Reale, Jr. Co?Founder, CEO 713.825.2768 Please consider joining Entrepreneurs for Houston to donate to the E4H Fund to support tech and entrepreneurship initiatives related to Hurricane Harvey CITY or HOUSTON orrespon ence Amondo K. Edwards, Attorge 4 Mayor?s Task Force for Technology Innovation Implementation Priorities Suggestions September 27, 2017 The items below contain recommendations regarding the prioritization and implementation of various recommendations contained within the June 2017 report presented by the Mayor?s Task Force for Technology implementation. These recommendations reflect input provided by Council Member Amanda Edwards for purposes of discussion with Mayor Turner, members of his team, as well as with John Reale, in, Task Force Chair. General Priorities for Implementation 0 Innovation District: (Creation of a district that fosters collisions, births new technologies and companies, and brings together talent. Such district must incorporate density for ecosystem participants; provide access to multimodal transit options, embrace diversity inclusivity, and be a place where people can live, work and play. Smart technology usage in innovation district is an additional bonus.) 0 Quarter 2017: Mayor?s Press Conference to announce (1) launch of the innovation District, (2) Vision for Innovation and (3) Submission of bid for Amazon (in a manner that grabs attention of public in a clever way) 0 Quarter 2017/1? Quarter 2018: Pass package of ordinances needed to maximize and expedite the impact of the Innovation District creation (Le. expedited permitting, 3 80 agreements, branding, consideration of management district, depending on location, and potential creation of an overlay district of special regulatory exceptions) to Other Items of Consideration for the Innovation District: I Consider different options of connecting the Innovation District to Complete Communities by (1) putting the innovation District in a Complete Community, (2) cultivating Makers spaces in Complete Communities, or (3) ensuring METRO connectors bring connect innovation District and Makers spaces with Complete Communities. I Consider pro?les that have potential for density, access to rail, can embrace live, work, play development, and connect to other business centers (that connect customer base With start ups) Downtown, EADO, Midtown, or any other areas that match that profile. 0 Advisory Council to the Mayor: Create or collaborate with separate entity to formulate an Advisory Council from whom the Mayor receives regular brie?ngs. 15? Quarter 2018'. Select Commence Advisory Council 0 2nd Quarter 2018: Commence the planning and development of key recommendations from the Task Force report, including: (1) the Smart City Plan (timeline objectives), (2) Open Data recommendations and implementation, (3) recommendations for revisions to procurement practices, (4) Secondment/Loaned Executive Program, and (5) City of Houston being considered as a Testing Ground for Innovation. 0 Special Considerations: Such a group should include both community experts, as well as from within the City of Houston who are connected to various components representation and values. of the City of Houston?s policy vision onferences to Houston, as well as develop a Recruit Technology Entrepreneurship uston First to identify desirable ?agship conference or summit: 1? Quarter 2018'. Work with Advisory Council Ho 'ons and aggressively pursue conferences 0 Technology Entrepreneurship Conference optt to relocate to Houston. 0 Quarter 2018'. Work with Advisory Council GHP Houston First to begin 019] launch of ARTi?cial intelligence Quarter 2018/1? Quarter 2 with a State of Innovation kickoff event featuring planning for the Week to celebrate the Mayor. Art 85 innovation, Director of Education to facilitate innovation expeit rotation in schools to inspire young people, increase exposure and knowledge and drive access to potential careers in technology; and (2) facilitate a standardized invention, innovation and entrepreneurship curriculum (with pitch day competitions) Quarter 2018'. Connect Director of Education with Advisory Council, MC HISD to create a ?young inventors? program curriculum with pitch day competitions incorporated. 0 Special Considerations: focus within our Complete Communiti School Year Education Related Activity 0 Innovation Curriculum: Enlist the City?s es to commence in 2019 Hire Houston Youth Program to include corporate Hire Houston Youth: Expan 3 well as internships at early stage 0 Expand sponsorship of eligible candidates to attend coding academies a tech companies st Tech Press Conference at Tech partner site announcing 2??5 Quarter 2018: Mayor to ho the number of youth hired into tech related jobs. 0 Special Consideration: Rely on Advisory Council 0 to handle company recruitment. Other Key Items Already Being Handled by Mayor Private Sector 0 Data Sciences Center (Mayor private sector already handling) High Tech Firm Recruitment: (Mayor private sector are already handling) CITY or HOUSTON orrespon once Amanda K. Edwards. At-Lorge 4 Mayor?s Task Force for Technology Innovation Implementation Priorities Suggestions September 27, 2017 The items below contain recommendations regarding the prioritization and implementation of various recommendations contained within the June 2017 report presented by the Mayor?s Task Force for Technology Implementation. These recommendations reflect input provided by Council Member Amanda Edwards for purposes of discussion with Mayor Turner, members of his team, as well as with John Reale, 11:, Task Force Chair. General Priorities for Implementation 9 Innovation District: (Creation of a district that fosters collisions, births new technologies and companies, and brings together talent. Such district must incorporate density for ecosystem participants; provide access to multimodal transit options, embrace diversity inclusivity, and be a place where people can live, work and play. Smart technology usage in innovation district is an additional bonus.) 0 '4?h Quarter 2017: Mayor?s Press Conference to announce (1) launch of the Innovation District, (2) Vision for Innovation and (3) Submission of bid for Amazon (in a manner that grabs attention of public in a clever way) 0 4?h Quarter 2617/13t Quarter 2818: Pass package of ordinances needed to maximize and expedite the impact of the Innovation District creation expedited permitting, 380 agreements, branding, consideration of management district, depending on location, and potential creation of an overlay district of special regulatory exceptions) Other Items of Consideration for the Innovation District: I Consider different options of connecting the Innovation District to Complete Communities by (1) putting the Innovation District in a Complete Community, (2) cultivating Makers spaces in Complete Communities, or (3) ensuring METRO connectors bring connect Innovation District and Makers spaces with Complete Communities. I Consider pro?les that have potential for density, access to rail, can embrace live, work, play development, and connect to other business centers (that connect customer base with start ups) Downtown, EADO, Midtown, or any other areas that match that profile. 0 Advisory Council to the Mayor: Create or collaborate with separate entity to formulate an Advisory Council from whom the Mayor receives regular brie?ngs. 13? Quarter 2018'. Select Commence Advisory Council 0 2nd Quarter 2018: Commence the planning and development of key recommendations from the Task Force report including: (1) the Smart City Plan (timeline objectives), (2) Open Data recommendations and implementation, (3) recommendations for revisions to procurement practices, (4) Secondmenthoaned Executive Program, and (5) City of Houston being considered as a Testing Ground for Innovation. 0 Special Considerations: Such a group should include both community experts, as well as representation from within the City of Houston who are connected to various components of the City of Houston?s policy vision and values. 0 Recruit Technology Entrepreneurship Conferences to Houston, as well as develop a flagship conference or summit: 15? Quarter 2018: Work with Advisory Council Houston First to identify desirable Technology Entrepreneurship Conference options and aggressively pursue conferences to relocate to Houston. 0 1st Quarter 2018: Work with Advisory Council GHP Houston First to begin planning for the [4?1 Quarter 2018/1St Quarter 2019] launch of ARTi?cial intelligence Week to celebrate Art Innovation, with a State of Innovation kickoff event featuring the Mayor. Education Related Activity 0 Innovation Curriculum: Enlist the City?s Director of Education to facilitate innovation expert rotation in schools to inspire young people, increase exposure and knowledge and drive access to potential careers in technology; and (2) facilitate a standardized invention, innovation and entrepreneurship curriculum (with pitch day competitions) 2'?ll Quarter 2018: Connect Director of Education with Advisory Council, MC HISD to create a ?young inventors? program curriculum with pitch day competitions incorporated. 0 Special Considerations: focus within our Complete Communiti School Year es to commence in 2019 0 Expand Hire Houston Youth: Expand Hire Houston Youth Program to include corporate sponsorship of eligible candidates to attend coding academies as well as internships at early stage tech companies 0 Quarter 2018: Mayor to host Tech Press Conference at the number of youth hired into tech related jobs. 0 Special Consideration: Rely on Advisory Council ech partner site announcing to handle company recruitment. Other Key Items Already Being Handled by Mayor Private Sector 0 Data Sciences Center (Mayor private sector already handling) 0 High Tech Firm Recruitment: (Mayor private sector are already handling) Sylvester Turner From: Sent: To: Subject: olis%2F2017%2 FO9%2Fvour__city_w houstontx.gov%7Cb695 6429919645624884 &sdata=4ZWerA8hZ%2 YR limmie Lee Soiomon Saturday, October 07, 20 Sylvester Turner - MYR Your City wm Lose the Con 17 11:53 AM test for Amazon's New HQ utIook.com/? url=http 8d50d33d474%7C57a85a10258 rotectionn dd7f112d436b78b80 Sylvester Turner - MYR From: Sylvester Turner - MYR Sent: Sunday, October 08, 2017 7:03 PM To: Icken, Andy Hunter, Marvalette - Bernstein, Alan MYR Subject: Amazon Andy, i took a look at the RFP. i believe we will be making a fatal mistake to submit a proposal primarily proposing a potential 15 acre site and the Bell location. i suggest we include the KBR site, the 300 acres owned by UT, i am told the Port owns a lot of acres and Walmart opened a distribution Center close by, and i wouid not rule out Sharptown and Greenspoint Mall sites. Though the latter 2 are notcovered by light rail, we can work to design a transit plan. We must emphasize in the proposal that the City of Houston is a relatively young City that is still evolving and maturing and dynamic. We are a growing City that can grow with the company. With that being said we are in a good position to build and develop to accommodate their needs now and into the future. With regard to the incentives being offered, can you quantify the value of the package. Are there additionai things that the airport or Metro or Houston First can offer that go beyond tax incentives that would be unique and special? i want to reach out to others for some additional ideas and would like to include things i believe helpful in the proposal. For example, I am asking Communications to work on a video presentation by me which i would like included. As soon as possible i would like to review the draft proposal of GHP. This cannot be a boilerplate proposal. it has to be innovative, futuristic and aggressive. It must highlight our diversity and our young talent. Sent from my iPhone Sylvester Turner MYR From: Icken, Andy MYR Sent: Sunday, October 08, 2017 8:19 PM To: Sylvester Turner - MYR Cc: Hunter, Marvalette Bernstein, Aian - MYR Subject: Re: Amazon Mayor I?ll answer a few of these at this time. 1- we agree your video is critical and we have been working with Alan on it. I believe he has carved out time on your calendar Tuesday and been working the script. I?ll check status in the am. We are also arranging other videos of education business and community leaders 2- ?rst our proposal is not going to be a single sire. In fact it is three different site and the available land we calculate as approaching 200 acres. In the last part of the outline we describe three sites. The largest is the East River site of 142 acres or the former KBR SITE fully controlled and offered by Midway. The second one is the multiple blocks available proximate to the EXXON Building that does include the minimum sq ft of existing buildings required. We expect to have property availabilities of over 15 acres there the third site is the Rice Sears site which is fully controlled by Rice and metro and we expect it is fully available of 15 acres. In addition connecting the EXXON Site and Rice sears site ate full block availabilities we calculate as over 15 acres. 3- We has considerable conversations with those that have dealt with Amazon over the past 15 years. JR and Blair Garrou are our greatest source of info here. While the RFP describes a possible ?suburban campus? of 100 acres that is not what they have ever done and in fact have particularly emphasized access to diverse neighborhoods with residences and quality of life amenities within walking distances to the work environment. 4- we were also cautioned to be as specisite proposal our three site Orion doesn?t fully respect that advice but we believe the breadth of our preposal and the connectivity between them to day or what we can create over time will Still have them seriously evaluate it. Suwe believe if we further add to the solid proposal we are making and addother possible sites we will diminish our overall proposal and run real risks of not being considered at all This View is supported by many of our startups by Blair and and what we have seen Amazon do previously. 6- we dis have conversations with and Jeff Hildebrand speci?cally. Jeff did not want to put the land in the package as his charge from the Logo and Governor are to fully recover the 216m$ spent on the property. In addition any large campus we offer requires a committed developer to put in sizable infrastructure .that is likely at least 25m$ and was not prepared to commit that. The possibility of Port land did not come up however knowing the limited amount they control and the likely value to imports and exports. In addition I would be concerned any land there would be viewed favorably since it is our strong belief that Amazon isn?t ultimately buying land but rather setting a stage so they can acquire and retain a highly skilled workforce that they believe is best centered ina core urban environment. Mayor none of our judgments are hard science or engineering. We have depended heavily on what Amazon has done historically and equally on those like JR and Blair who have had extensive experience with Amazon. 3. Finally 1 agree our incentive discussion must be broad based and not re?ect solely on abatement. We will include TMC,the Airport,HoustonFirst and others. Today we did get the State package and 't is clear as we suggested this same package will be included in at least 3 other Texas cities. We will get you a revised package Monday hopefully incorporating comments from you and others received over the weekend Sent from my iPhone On Oct 8, 2017, at 7 :02 FM, Sylvester Turner MYR wrote: Andy, 1 took a look at the RFP. I believe we will be making a fatal mistake to submit a proposal primarily proposing a potential 15 acre site and the Bell location. I suggest we include the KBR site, the 300 acres owned by UT, I am told the Port owns a lot of acres and Walmart opened a distribution Center close by, andl would not rule out Sharptown and Greenspoint Mall sites. Though the latter 2 are not covered by light rail, we can work to design a transit plan. We must emphasize in the proposal that the City of Houston is a relatively young City that is still evolving and maturing and dynamic. We are a growing City that can grow with the company. With that being said we are in a good position to build and develop to accommodate their needs now and into the future. With regard to the incentives being offered, can you quantify the value of the package. Are there additional things that the airport or Metro or Houston First can o?fer that go beyond tax incentives that would be unique and special? I want to reach out to others for some additional ideas and would like to include things i believe helpful in the proposal. For example, i am asking Communications to work on a video presentation by me which I would like included. As so on as possible I would like to review the dra? proposal of GHP. This cannot be a boilerplate proposal. It has to be innovative, ?ituristic and aggressive. It must highlight our diversity and our young talent. Sent from my iPhone Sylvester Turner - MYR From: Bernstein, Alan - MYR Sent: Monday, October 09, 2017 4:43 PM To: Syivester Turner - Hunter, Marvaiette Ward, Darian - Makany?Rivera, Tanya - Murphy, Brenda MYR Subject: talking points for mayor for two combined video messages Tuesday morning Attachments: Amazon Recordingdocx Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Office of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner 0 832?393?0800 832-943?9835 httg:[[cityofhoustonnewsz Amazon Recording 0 My name is Sylvester Turner, mayor of the City of Houston. because if we can dream it, we can do fyour background here is llove Housto it. it?s a place where, regardless 0 or what side of town you grew up in, opportunity for everyone. onships, not walls. We are a - Houstonians build relati in the nation. welcoming city and the most diverse ack and help one another. During - Houstonians give Houstonians stepping up and after the flood we saw to help one another. 0 We never hesitate to lend a helping hand. 0 As we look to create an?innovation district in Houston, density is the number 1 driver of innovation. 0 We will create a space where start?ups will be able work together to brainstorm and support one another?s ideas. 0 Houston is a great place to live. We value our environment and invest in our greenspaces, parks and hike and bike trails. - Amazon will be able to pursue its sustainability goals in Houston, which is America?s greenest city. 0 We also have one of the largest museum and theater districts in the country- there is always something to do in Houston. Amazon?s employees will thrive in Houston thanks to a high quality of life with a low cost of living in a young, growing city responsive to all generations. 0 Amazonians will also enjoy multi?modal transit options in Houston which include light rail, an expansive bus network, popular ride?sharing and van pool programs, and convenient access to an extensive freeway system. Millenials and Gen Y-er?s keep choosing Houston because of the many opportunities our city offers. Amazon is a company that continuously evolves to meet the needs of its customers and community by solving problems and providing innovative solutions to make our lives easier. Houston also continues to evolve. We are known as the energy capital of the world but now we have grown to include other industries and will continue to find ways to keep our economy moving, Amazon's corporate culture and philosophy align well with Houston?s confident, nimble, get?it?done mentality. 0 Amazon?s Houston campus will be centrally located at the nexus of activity and will be iinked to our innovation corridor, driving convergence and creative across key industries. HOPE: What does hope mean to me? 0 Hope means never giving up and having faith that things will get better. 0 My mother always said that tom thantoday. orrow wili be better because life is about never giving up and i stand for Hope working towards a better future. Sylvester Turner - MYR From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: Mayor Understand you had eonvers As a result of that and conver Icken, Andy - MYR Tuesday, October 10, 2017 7:57 AM Sylvester Turner - MYR Hunter, Marvalette MYR Amazon ation with bob Harvey yesterday afternoon on Amazon package and possible sites. sationl had following with him last night we are modifying the package. Changes are being made last night and today. Will get you current version as early today as possible. Sent from my iPhone Sylvester Turner .. MYR From: Sylvester Turner MYR Sent: Tuesday, October 10, 2017 8:48 AM To: Icken, Andy MYR Cc: Hunter, Marvalette - MYR Subject: Re: Amazon i< Sent from my iPhone On Oct 10, 2017, at 7:57 AM, lcken, Andy - MYR wrote: Mayor Understand you had conversation with bob Harvey yesterday afternoon on Amazon package and possible sites. As a result of that and conversation I had following with him last night we are modifying the package. Changes are being made last night and today. Will get you current version as early today as possible. Sent from my iPhone Sylvester Turner - MYR From: lcken, Andy MYR Sent: Tuesday, October 10, 2017 10:34 PM To: Sylvester Turner - MYR Subject: Fwd: suggested edits/deletions in red hdayor Here is proposed cover letter from you on Amazon proposal. The cover letter does not address speci?cs on site jr incentives. I?m hoping later tonight to have that revised package- re?ecting your comments to bob Harvey yesterday. I?ll also forward a signed copy of judge Emmett ?s letter. Sent from my iPhone Begin forwarded message: From: "Bernstein, Alan Date: October 10, 2017 at 10:17:19 PM CDT To: "Icken, Andy - Subject: suggested edits/deletions in red Dear Jeff, On behalf of the City of Houston, the fourth largest and most diverse city in America, i am excited to offer our proposal to become the home of Amazon HQZ. i am certain you will find that like Amazon, Houston is dynamic, energetic, and built on growth and innovation. We are a city where we believe that if you can dream it, you can do it. it?s a place where, regardless of your background or what side oftown you grew up in, there is opportunity for everyone. Houston is a wide-open society that welcomes everyone, regardless of origin, breeding or social status. Many companies have decided to locate their headquarters in Houston because of the access to highly educated and professional talent, as well as to suppliers, customers, and clients. The city?s central location, our two international airports and extensive highway and rail network connect Houston to the east coast, west coast and the worid. Houston is also a great place to live. We value our environment and invest in our greenspaces, parks, and hike and bike trails. Our museum and theater districts are among the largest and classiest in the country. Amazon?s employees will thrive in Houston thanks to a high quality of life with a low cost of living in a young, growing city responsive to all generations. Amazonians will also enjoy robust transit options in Houston, including light rail, an expansive bus network, popular ride-sharing and van pool programs, a convenient access to an extensive freeway system and a planned high?speed rail system. Houston truly is a global knowledge capital. We are known as the Energy Capital of the World. We are known as Space City, which put a man on the moon. We are known as a top manufacturing center and the top exporting metro and port in America. We are known as the City of Medicine. We are a city where industries converge and disruptive innovations are born, and we invite Amazon to join us in this endeavor. Houston is a city of strength and resilience. A welcoming, diverse and inclusive city. We are a city with a bright future whose best days are yet ahead. With our pro-business environment and can~do attitude, we are confident your people and your business will thrive in Houston. Ivester Turner - MYR From: icken, Andy - MYR Sent: Tuesday, October 10, 2017 10:35 PM To: Sylvester Turner MYR Subject: Re: suggested edits/deletions in red Should have added that should be obvious but we have asked and gotten nice changes in letter from Alan. Sent from my iPhone On Oct 10, 2017, at 10:33 PM, Icken, Andy MYR wrote: Mayor Here is proposed cover letter from you on Amazon proposal. The cover letter does not address speci?cs on site jr incentives. I?m hoping later tonight to have that revised package? re?ecting your comments to bob Harvey yesterday. I?ll also forward a signed copy of judge Emmett ?3 letter. Sent from my iPhone Begin forwarded message: From: "Bernstein, Alan Date: October 10, 2017 at 10:17:19 PM CDT To: "Icken, Andy Subject: suggested edits] deletions in red Dear Jeff, On behalf of the City of Houston, the fourth largest and most diverse city in America, I am excited to offer our proposal to become the home of Amazon H02. I am certain you will find that like Amazon, Houston is dynamic, energetic, and built on growth and innovation. We are a city where we believe that if you can dream it, you can do it. it?s a place where, regardless of your background or what side of town you grew up in, there is opportunity for everyone. Houston is a wide-open society that welcomes everyone, regardless of origin, breeding or social status. With our pro-business envir Many companies have decided to locate their headquarters in Houston because of the access to highly educated and professional talent, as well as to suppliers, customers, and clients. The city?s central location, our two international airports and extensive highway and rail network connect Houston to the east coast, west coast. and the world. Houston is also a great place to live. We value our environment and invest in our greenspaces, parks, and hike and bike trails. Our museum and theater districts are among the largest and classiest in the country. Amazon?s employees will thrive in Houston thanks to a high quality of life with a low cost of living in a young, growing city responsive to all generations. Amazonians will also enjoy robust transit options in Houston, including light rail, an expansive bus network, popular ride-sharing and van pool programs, a convenient access to an extensive freeway system and a planned high?speed rail system. Houston truly is a global knowledge capital. We are known as the Energy Capital of the World. We are known as Space City, which put a man on the moon. We are known as a top manufacturing center and the top exporting metro and port in America. We are known as the City of Medicine. We are a city where industries converge and disruptive innovations are born, and we invite Amazon to join us in this endeavor. Houston is a city of strength and resilience. A welcoming, diverse and inclusive city. We are a city with a bright future whose best days are yet ahead. onment and can?do attitude, we are confident your people and your business will thrive in Houston. Sylvester Turner - MYR From: Icken, Andy - MYR Sent: Tuesday, October 10, 2017 10:52 PM To: Sylvester Turner MYR Subject: Re: suggested edits/deletions in red And after some dialogue this evening we suggest changing ?breeding? to ?heritage?. Sent from my iPhone On Oct 10, 2017, at 10:33 PM, Icken, Andy - MYR wrote: Mayor Here is proposed cover letter ?torn you on Amazon proposal. The cover letter does not address speci?cs on site jr incentives. I?m hoping later tonight to have that revised paclcage- re?ecting your comments to bob Harvey yesterday. I?ll also forward a signed copy of judge Emmett ?3 letter. Sent from my iPhone Begin forwarded message: From: "Bernstein, Alan - Date: October 10, 2017 at 10:17:19 PM CDT To: ?Icken, Andy - Subject: suggested edits/deletions in red Dear Jeff, On behalf of the City of Houston, the fourth largest and most diverse city in America, I am excited to offer our proposal to become the home of Amazon HQZ. I am certain you will find that like Amazon, Houston is dynamic, energetic, and built on growth and innovation. We are a city where we believe that if you can dream it, you can do it. It?s a place where, regardless of your background or what side of town you grew up in, there is opportunity for everyone. Houston is a wide?open society that welcomes everyone, regardless of origin, breeding or social status. Many companies have decided to locate their headquarters in Houston because of the access to highly educated and professional talent, as well as to suppliers, customers, and clients. The city?s central location, our two international airports and extensive highway and rail network connect Houston to the east coast, west coast and the world. Houston is also a great place to live. We value our environment and invest in our greenspaces, parks, and hike and bike trails. Our museum and theater districts are among the iargest and classiest in the country. Amazon?s employees will thrive in Houston thanks to a high quality of life with a low cost of living in a young, growing city responsive to all generations. Amazonians will also enjoy robust transit options in Houston, including light rail, an expansive bus network, popular ride~sharing and van pool programs, a convenient access to an extensive freeway system and a planned high-speed rail system. Houston truly is a global knowledge capital. We are known as the Energy Capital ofthe World. We are known as Space City, which put a man on the moon. We are known as a top manufacturing center and the top exporting metro and port in America. We are known as the City of Medicine. We are a city where industries converge and disruptive innovations are born, and we invite Amazon to join us in this endeavor. Houston is a city of strength and resilience. A welcoming, diverse and inclusive city. We are a city with a bright future whose best days are yet ahead. With our pro~business environment and can?do attitude, we are confident your people and your business will thrive in Houston. Sylvester Turner .. MYR From: Sent: To: Subject: Sent from my iPhone Sylvester Turner MYR Tuesday, October 10. 2017 11:54 PM icken. Andy - MYR Re: suggested edits/deletions in red On Oct 10, 2017, at 10:52 PM, lcken, Andy MYR wrote: And after some dialogue this eV ening we suggest changing ?breeding? to ?heritage?. Sent from my iPhone On Oct 10, 2017, at 10:33 PM, lcken, Andy - MYR wrote: Mayor azon proposal. The cover letter does Here is proposed cover letter from you on Am not address speci?cs on site jr incentives. I?m hoping later tonight to have that revised package- re?ecting your comments to bob Harvey yesterday. I?ll also forward a signed copy of judge Emmett ?5 letter. Sent from my iPhone Begin forwarded message: From: ?Bernstein, Alan - Date: October 10, 2017 at 10:17:19 PM CDT To: ?Icken, Andy - Subject: suggested edits/deletions in red Dear Jeff, On behalf of the City of Houston, the fourth largest and most diverse city in America, 1 am excited to offer our proposal to become the home of Amazon H02. i am certain you will find that like Amazon, Houston is dynamic, energetic, and built on growth and innovation. We are a city where we believe that if you can dream it, you can do it. it?s a place where, regardless of your background or what side of town you grew up in, there is opportunity for everyone. Houston is a wide?open society that welcomes everyone, regardless of origin, breeding or social status. Many companies have decided to locate their headquarters in Houston because of the access to highly educated and professional talent, as well as to suppliers, customers, and clients. The city?s central location, our two international airports and extensive highway and rail network connect Houston to the east coast, west coast and the world. Houston is also a great place to live. We value our environment and invest in our greenspaces, parks, and hike and bike trails. Our museum and theater districts are among the largest and classiest in the country. Amazon?s employees will thrive in Houston thanks to a high quality of life with a low cost of living in a young, growing city responsive to all generations. Amazonians will also enjoy robust transit options in Houston, including light rail, an expansive bus network, popular ride?sharing and van pool programs, a convenient access to an extensive freeway system and a planned high-speed raii system. Houston truly is a global knowledge capitai. We are known as the Energy Capital of the World. We are known as Space City, which put a man on the moon. We are known as a top manufacturing center and the top exporting metro and port in America. We are known as the City of Medicine. We are a city where industries converge and disruptive innovations are born, and we invite Amazon to join us in this endeavor. Houston is a city of strength and resilience. A welcoming, diverse and inclusive city. We are a city with a bright future whose best days are yet ahead. With our pro-business environment and can?do attitude, we are confident your people and your business will thrive in Houston. Sylvester Turner - MYR From: Ward, Darian MYR Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2017 11:49 AM To: Sylvester Turner - Bernstein, Alan MYR Subject: FW: Fox 26 news (Amazon) Mayor, Maybe we can squeeze this in today? Danan From: Fox 26 Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2017 11:46 AM To: Ward, Darian - MYR Subject: Fox 26 news Hello Darlan, Would the Mayor be available to give us an interview today regarding Senator Cruz and Cornyn asking Amazon CEO to build their second headquarters here in Texas, Houston being an option? We want to talk about the impact that this would have on the the City of Houston. Thank you, Vanessa Salgado (713)479-2801 Sylvester Turner MYR From: Ward, Darian - MVR Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2017 11:55 AM To: Sylvester Turner Hunter, Marvalette MYR Cc: Bernstein, Alan MYR Subject: Amazon From: Fox 26 Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2017 11:54 AM To: Ward, Darian - MYR Subject: Fox 26 news Cruz, Cornyn Urge Amazon to Locate New HQ in Texas HOUSTON, Texas - U.S. Sens. Ted Cruz (R?Texas) and John Cornyn (Ft-Texas) sent a letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos today making the case for Texas to be the home for Amazon?s newly announced second headquarters. Multiple metropolitan areas in Texas are pursuing the new facility. ?Everything is bigger in Texas, and that includes our economy, our skilled workforce, and our quality of life," they wrote. ?Texas boasts the ideal combination of a talented and highly skilled workforce, limited government, low taxes, and world? class educational institutions. As a result, large multinationalcorporations and even small start-ups are relocating to, or launching their endeavors in Texas. You can read the letter here, and full text is below. October 11, 2017 Jeff Bezos Chief Executive Officer Amazon 2121 7th Avenue Seattle, WA 98121 Dear Mr. Bezos: With the recent announcement that you will be expanding operations to establish a second headquarters, please allow us to be among the ?rst to encourage you to select the Lone Star State for Amazon's expanding business interests. Amazon's rapid growth and business success have been a major economic driver both in the United States and around the world. Everything is bigger in Texas, and that includes our economy, our skilled workforce, and our quality of life. Texas boasts the ideal combination of a talented and highly skilled workforce, limited government, low taxes, and world?class educational institutions. As a result large multinational corporations and even small start?ups are relocating to, or launching their endeavors in Texas. Amazon is among the many diverse businesses that have recently taken interest in Texas, including automotive and aerospace/defense manufacturers, financial services firms, and technology companies. The Dallas?Fort Worth Metroplex alone is home to more than 10,000 company headquarters-the largest concentration in the United States. the nation are in Texas: Houston, Austin, and San Antonio, and each are tat-driven business, and talent. More than 350 people move to Three of the top?five fastest growing cities i best state in the country for talent attraction. becoming well known as global hubs for technology, da Texas each day and Forbes recently named Texas the If Texas was counted as its own GDP giobally. it would boast the min-largest economy in the world. We've added more 10 years, and we have led the nation in exports for 14 years. For 12 years than 2 miliion private-sector jobs over the past in a row. Chief Executive Magazine has ranked Texas as the best state in which to do business. time. Thank you for your consideration as you We are pleased to further discuss the appeal of the Lone Star State at any select a new headquarters for your expanding corporation Sylvester Turner - MYR From: Jimmie Solomon Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2017 1:28 PM To: Sylvester Turner - MYR Cc: Hunter, Marvalette - Al Kashani; Martye Kendrick Subject: Fwd: Houston Film Commission - THE GOLD LINE This is an award winning ?lm short which showcases Houston and its vistas through the vantage point of ?ve skateboarders (2 Whites, 1 Black, 1 Latino and 1 Asian). They each start in a separate part of town and traverse their way to downtown Houston. They all meet up at a skatepark near Allen Parkway. The ?lm showcases the city in a hip and upbeat fashion that would be a great visual backdrop to Mayor urner?s Video pitch to Amazon and any other corporate entities. It shows exactly ?Why Houston!? Houston Password: de02016 Begin forwarded message: From: Martye Kendrick Date: October 11, 2017 at 12:40:18 PM CDT To: Jimmie Solomon Subject: FW: Houston Film Commission - THE LINE Jimmie Lee And Kyla, Please see the short film i referred to at this morning?s meeting. I am interested to see what you think. Martye From: Alfred Cervantes Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 20 To: Martye Kendrick Cc: Rick Ferguson Subject: Houston Film Commissio 17 12:15 PM GOLD Hi Martye, Thank you for reaching out about Lance Childers' THE GOLD LINE (12:1 5min.) short ?lm. 3 Below is the screener link and his contact information to inquire about use: Lance Childers Houston, TX 713-906?4275 mobile .. Password: de02016 Please let me know what else I can Thank You, Alfred Alfred Cervantes Deputy Director Film Houston Film Commission Partnership Tower 7 0l Avenida de las Americas, Suite 200 Houston, Texas 77010 Of?ce: 713-353?8957 Cell: 713?301?1848 Alfred Cervantes Deputy Director Film Office: 713435343957 Cell: 713?301-1848 - Sylvester Turner - MYR From: Jimmie Solomon Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2017 1:30 PM To: Sylvester Turner Sylvester Turner Cc: Hunter, Marvaiette - Al Kashani; Martye Kendrick Subject: Fwd: Houston Film Commission THE GOLD This is an award winning ?lm short which showcases Houston and its vistas through the vantage point of ?ve skateboarders (2 Whites, 1 Black, 1 Latino and 1 Asian). They each start in a separate part of town and traverse their way to downtown Houston. They all meet up at a skatepark near Allen Parkway. The ?lm showcases the city in a hip and upbeat fashion that would be a great visual backdrop to Mayor Turner? 3 video pitch to Amazon and any other corporate entities. It shows exactly ?Why Houston!? Houston assworcl: deciZOl 6 Begin forwarded message: From: Martye Kendrick Date: October ll, 2017 at 12:40:18 PM CDT To: Jimmie Solomon Subject: FW: Houston Film Commission - LINE Jimmie Lee And Kyla, Please see the short film i referred to at this morning?s meeting. I am interested to see what you think. Martye From: Alfred Cervantes Sent: Wednesday, 0 er 11 2017 12:15 PM To: Martye Kendrick Cc: Rick Ferguson Subject: Houston Film Co mmission THE GOLD Hi Mariya, Thank you for reaching out about Lance Childers' THE GOLD LINE (12:15min.) short ?lm. Below is the screener link and his contact information to inquire about use: Lance Childers Houston, TX 13?906?4275 mobile Password: dec2016 Please let me know what else I can Thank You, Alfred Alfred Cervantes Deputy Director Film 6? Houston Film Comiss ion Partnership Tower 701 Avenida de las Americas, Suite 200 Houston, Texas 77010 Of?ce: 713?853-8957 Cell: 713-801-1848 Alfred Cervantes Deputy Director Film Of?ce: 713?853?8957 ill?l 71 3~301~1 848 Sylvester Turner - MYR From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: What about tomorrow? Sent from my iPhone Sylvester Turner - MYR Wednesday, October 11, 2017 4:06 PM Ward, Dariah - MYR Bernstein, Alan MYR Re: Fox 26 news (Amazon) On Oct 11, 2017, at 11:48 AM, Ward, Dorian - MYR Sublect: Fox 26 news Hello Darian, Would the Mayor be availabl Amazon CEO to build their secon to give us an interview today regarding Senator Cruz and Cornyn asking headquarters here in Texas. Houston being an Option? We want to talk about the impact that this would have on the the City of Houston. Thank you, Vanessa Salgado Silvester Turner MYR From: Ward, Darian - MYR Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2017 4:08 PM To: Sylvester Turner - MYR Cc: Bernstein, Alan - MYR Subject: Re: Fox 26 news (Amazon) UK, we'll make it Work. Darian Ward Sent from my Verizon, Samsung Galaxy smartphone Original message From: Sylvester Turner - MYR Date: 10/ 11/17 4:05 PM (GMT 06:00) To: "Ward, Darian Cc: ?Bernstein, Alan Subject: Re: Fox 26 news (Amazon) What about tomorrow? Sent from my iPhone On Oct 11, 2017, at 11:48 AM, Ward, Darian MYR wrote: Mayor, Maybe we can squeeze this in today? Da?an From: Fox 26 Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2017 11:46 AM To: Ward, Darian - MYR Subject: Fox 26 news Hello Darian, Would the Mayor be available to give us an interview today regarding Senator Cruz and Cornyn asking Amazon CEO to build their second headquarters here in Texas, Houston being an option? We want to talk about the impact that this would have on the the City of Houston. Thank you, I Vanessa Salgado (713)479?2801 Sylvester Turner - MYR From: Sylvester Turner - MYR Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2017 5:08 PM To: Jimmie Solomon Cc: Sylvester Turner; Hunter, Marvalette Ai Kashani; Martye Kendrick Subject: Re: Houston Film Commission THE GOLD LINE Marvelette please forward to Andy. I think the short ?lm should be included in the proposal. We may need to get permission to use it. Sent from my iPhone On Oct 11, 2017, at 1:29 PM, Jimmie Solomon - wrote: This is an award winning ?lm short which showcases Houston and its vistas through the vantage point of ?ve skateboarders 2 Whites, 1 Black, 1 Latino and 1 Asian). They each start in a separate part of town and traverse their way to downtown Houston. They all meet up at a skatepark near Allen Parkway. The film showcases the city in a hip and upbeat fashion that would be a great visual backdrop to Mayor Turner?s video pitch to Amazon and any other corporate entities. It shows exactly ?Why Houston!? Houston Pas sword: dec2016 Begin forwarded message: From: Martye KendriCk Date: October 11, 2017 at 12:40:18 PM CDT To: Jimmie Solomon Subject: FW: Houston Film Commission - THE GOLD LINE Jimmie Lee And Kyla, Please see the short film i referred to at this morning?s meeting. i am interested to see what you think. Mamie From: Alfred Cervantes Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2017 12:15 PM To: Martye Kendrick Cc: Rick Ferguson Subject: Houston Film Commission - THE GOLD LENE Hi Martye, Thank you for reaching out about Lance Childers? THE GOLD LINE (12:15min.) short film. Below is the screener link and his contact information to inquire about 1 1136'. Lance Childers Houston, TX - 6-4275 mobile Please let me know What else I can Thank You, Alfred Alfred Cervantes Deputy Director Film Partnership Tower 701 Avenida de las Americas, Suite 200 Houston, Texas 77010 Of?ce: 713~853a8957 13?301-1848 Alfred Cervantes Deputy Director Film Of?ce: 713-853?8957 Cell?. 713-301?1848 - Sylvester Turner MYR Hunter, Marvalette MYR From: Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2017 5:39 PM To: Sylvester Turner Jimmie Solomon Cc: Syivester Turner; Al Kashani; Martye Kendrick Subject: RE: Houston Film Commission - THE GOLD LINE Will do. From: Sylvester Turner - MYR Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2017 5:08 PM To: Jimmie Solomon Cc: Sylvester Turner Kashani Subject: Re: Houston un er, Mervalette - MYR Al Martye Kendrick Comm ssion GOLD hort ?lm should be included in the proposal. We may need to Marvelette please forward to Andy. 1 think the 3 get permission to use it. Sent from my iPhone On Oct 11, 2017, at 1:29 PM, Jimmie Solomon rote: This is an award winning ?lm sho and its vistas through the vantage point of ?ve skateboarders (2 Whites, 1 Black, 1 Latino and 1 Asian). They each start in a separate part of town and traverse their way to downtown Houston. They all meet up at a skatepark near Allen Parkway. The ?lm showcases the city in a hip and upbeat fashion that would be a great visual backdrop to Mayor Turner?s Video pitch to Amazon and any other corporate entities. It shows exactly ?Why Houston!? Houston rt which showcases Housto Password: de02016 Begin forwarded message: From: Martye Kendrick Date: October 11, 2017 at 12:40:18 I To: Jimmie Solomon ilm Commission THE GOLD LINE Subject: FW: Houston Jimmie Lee And Kyla, Please see the short film I referred to at this morning?s meeting. 1 am interested to see what you think. Martye From: Alfred Cervantes? Sent: Wednesday, October 11, 2017 12:15 PM To: Martve Kendrick Cc: Rick Ferguson Subject: Houston Film Commission - THE GOLD LINE Hi Martye, Thank you for reaching out about Lance Childers? THE GOLD LINE (1211 5min.) short ?lm. Below is the screener link and his contact information to inquire about use: Lance Cbilders Houston, TX i13-906-4275 mobile 3156620 Please let me know what else I can Thank You, Alfred Alfred Cervantes Deputy Director Film HoustonFilmComission Partnership Tower 701 Avenida de las Americas, Suite 200 Houston, Texas 77010 Of?ce: 713-853-8957 Alfred Cervantes Deputy Director Film Of?ce: 713?853-8957 Evester Turner - MYR From: Sent: To: Subject: Icken, Andy - MYR Wednesday, October 11, 2017 10:33 PM Sylvester Turner Hunter, Marvalette - MYR Fwd: S.A./Bexar County Bow Out of Amazon HQZ Bid I anticipate there will be other cities( perhaps not many) who will also say things like this. Sent from my iPad Begin forwarded message: From: Bob Harvey Date: October 11, 2017 at 6:32:56 PM CDT To: "lcken, Andy - Subiect: rw: S.A./Bexar County Bow Out of Amazon HQZ Bid Must have been an interesting discussion in San Bob From: Regina Recinos Sent: Wednesda tober 11 2017 6:21 PM To: Bob Harvey Bob Pertierra Jason Ford clint Pasche ?Wanna Mme? esse Ayala Cc: Sandra am Subject: S.A./Bexar County Bow Out of Amazon H02 Bid San Antonio, Bexar County Bow Out of Bid for Amazon?s Second Headquarters San Antonio Express News 1 October 11, ET San Antonio and Bexar County of?cials are bowing out of the competition for Amazon?s proposed $5 billion second headquarters, reversing course from their initial plans to put together a competitive bid, of?cials said. ?Blindly giving away the farm isn?t our style,? Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff and San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenber wrote in a joint letter sent Wednesday to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. The Seattle e?commerce giant invited cities last month to bid on the location of its second headquarters, HQZ, promising 50,000 new jobs that pay an average of more than $100,000 a year. The deadline is Oct. 19. ?We?ve long been impressed by Amazon and its bold View of the future,? Nirenberg and Wolff said in the lam. ?Given this, it?s hard to imagine that a forward-thinking company like Amazon hasn?t already selected its preferred location. And if that?s the case, then this public process is, intentionally or not, creating a bidding war amongst states and cities.? The decision not to bid changes course from test month when a team consisting of the city, the county and the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation said it was ?engaged and ready to pursue this opportunity,? according to a statement released at the time by Erica Hurtak, spokeswoman for the foundation. Hurtak said Wednesday that the city reviewed the bidding criteria and decided that it didn?t have a chance at winning the bid. ?As aspirational as we are about our community?s potential, we simply wouldn?t be highly competitive from a real estate and incentives perspective,? she said in a statement. The news came one day after Nirenberg said the city needs a major internationai airport with nonstop flights to make the city "a competitive, long-term air option.? But, the airport?s lack of direct flights wouldn't have been as big a factor in Amazon?s decision as city?s workforce, said Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Calvert. ?The big one i think we need to overcome more than the airport is the pipeline of iabor," Bexar County Commissioner Tommy Caivert said in an interview Wednesday. ?Our labor force is really our Achilles' heei.? Still, Calvert called the city and county decision not to pursue the Amazon campus ?a big mistake.? He learned of the news from a reporter. ?it?s almost like we?re trying to be second~tier," Calvert said. "We're not even the little engine that could. We couldn?t even be the Jamaican bobsled team. To be honest, we?re fourth~tier.? Earlier Wednesday, U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz asked Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos to consider Texas for the second headquarters, saying San Antonio and other Texas cities are fast becoming ?global hubs for technology, data-driven business, and talent.? Sylvester Turner - MYR From: Sent To: Cc: Subject: Attachments: Icken, Andy MYR Thursday, October 12, 2017 6:12 PM Sylvester Turner MYR Hunter, Marvalette - MYR Fwd: Amazon Letter imageOOlJpg; 20171012175212524.pdf; Thank you. Changes acknowledged and much appreciated. Sent from my iPhone Begin forwarded message: From: "Washington, Amanda - Date: October 12, 2017 at 6:03:11 PM CDT To: "Bob Harvey I Cc: "lcken, Andy Me!" Subject: Amazon Letter Please see attached Amazon Letter. Sylvester Turner Mayor P.O. Box 1562 Houston, Texas 772514562 Telephone - Dial 3'11 October 12, 2017 Jeffrey P. Bezos President, CEO and Chairman of the Board Amazon 410 Tony Ave. North Seattle, WA 981096210 Dear Jeff, On behalf of the City of Houston, I am pleased to invite you back home to the fourth largest and most diverse city in America. Houston is where it all began for you and is where opportunities still abound for 2.3 million hard working Houstonians. As Mayor, I am excited about our proposal to become the home of Amazon and not merely its headquarters. I am certain you will ?nd that like Amazon, Houston is young, dynamic, energetic, and built on growth and innovation. We are a city where we believe that if you can dream it, you can do it. It?s a place where, regardless of your background or what side of town you grew up on, there is opportunity for everyone. Houston is an inclusive city that welcomes everyone, regardless of origin, heritage or social status. As Amazon seeks to diversify and expand its rank at the executive, managerial and professional levels, there is no better place to locate than Houston Many companies have decided to locate their headquarters in Houston because of the access to highly educated and professional talent, as well as to suppliers, customers, and clients. The city?s central location, our two mteinational airports and extensive highway and rail network connect Houston to the east coast, west coast and the world. We also enjoy robust transit options, including light rail, an expansive bus network, popular ride~sharing and van pool programs, convement access to an extensive freeway system and a planned high-speed rail system. Houston is the energy capital of the world, home to the largest medical center in the world, has the largest port as it relates to foreign tonnage, and is home to the Johnson Space Center. We are also one of the best places in the world to live. Houston is recognized as one of America?s friendliest and greenest cities. We value our environment and invest in our greenspaces, parks, bike and bike trails. Our museum and theater districts are among the largest and most celebrated in the country. Amazon?s employees will thrive in Houston thanks to a high quality of life, low cost of living, and a young city responsive to all generations. Amazon and Houston can grow together and we will look to Amazon to help steer that growth. After the devastating impact of Hurricane Harvey, the world had the chance to witness what we already know, Houston is a. city of strength and resilience. We are a city with a bright future whose best days are yet ahead. With our pro-business environment and can-?do attitude, we are con?dent that your people and your business will thrive in Houston. As we look to the future, there is no other city more uniquely positioned to be Amazon?s new home than Houston. As the Mayor of the City of Houston, Iwant your business. I want Houston to be your home and I am asking you to come. Regards, Sylvester E?rmer Mayor Sylvester Turner - MYR From: Kent, Lisa - IT Sent: Friday, October 13, 2017 4:20 PM To: Icken, Andy MYR Cc: Sylvester Turner Hunter, Marvaiette - MYR Subject: AWS paragraph Attachments: AWS paragraphdocx Andy, per our conversation attached is what I was thinking you might want to include. i am sure eisewhere in the document you are presenting Houston stats, so some of this may be redundant. The City of Houston wili commit to AWS GovCloud As the largest city in the nation, the City of Houston utilizes two local data centers and severai city to host technology systems supporting public safety, transportation, community services and financial operations. This historical ?on?premise? focus has constrained the city?s ability to maintain operations, to respond and recover from incidents, and to deliver innovative citizen solutions in a timely manner. The City of Houston is beginning the transition to a cioudvfirst strategy to strengthen operationai responsiveness and build the foundation for explosive growth in ioT, data, Al and smart city initiatives. We are seeking to enhance the lives of Houstonians and the 6.5 million who reside in our- metro region with technology and data that informs citizens, anticipates their needs, and attracts further innovation to our region. With an Amazon partnership, the City of Houston is prepared to move up to 70% of our technology footprint into the AWS GovCloud. This constitutes a massive migration of municipal technology to Amazon, including the nation?s 5th largest police and fire departments, one of the nation?s largest public works departments, and worid-ciass airports serving 55 million passengers per year. We are committed to run the nation?s largest city On the AWS GovCloud. Sylvester Turner - MYR From: Sent To: Subject: Bernstein, Aian MYR Monday, October 16, 2017 1:43 PM Sylvester Turner - Hunter, Marvaiette Icken, Andy - Ward, Darian MYR Chronicie says a Moody's study rates Houston very low on Amazon list Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Houston Mayor?s Office 0 832 393 0800 832 943 9835 Szlvester Turner - MYR From: Jimmie Solomon Sent: Monday, October 16, 2017 2:58 PM To: Sylvester Turner MYR Subject: Christie Backs Newark's Amazon Bid With $7 Billion in Tax Breaks com .cdn.ampproject.org%2Fc%2 Fs%2 UwozU2%2 F%2ley%2 Lk DCow4eXlY%3 D&reserved=0 Sylvester Turner - MYR From: Hunter, Marvalette MYR Sent: Friday, October 20, 2017 12:30 PM To: Rushing, Glenn Cc: Sylvester 'i'urne;r MYR Subject: RE: Congresswoman Shelia Jackson Lee Houston HQZ Amazon RFP Letter of Support Thanks Glenn. Please let the Congresswoman know we appreciate the support. Thank you, Marvalette Hunter Mayor's Chief of Staff (832) 393?1050 Office From: Rushing, Gienn Sent: Friday, October 20, 2017 12:27 PM To: Hunter, Marvatette - MYR Subject: Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee - Houston H02 Amazon RFP Letter of Support Importance: High Marvalette, attached are two letters sent to Amazon in support of the City of Houston?s submission. We realize the package was submitted on yesterday, so we sent these letters independently. Glenn Rushing Chief of Staff Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Loo (TX-18) 2187 Rayburn House Of?ce Building (202) 225-3816 (202) 225-8317 Glenn..Rushing@mail.housogov Sylvester Turner MYR From: Hunter, Marvalette - MYR Sent: Friday, October 20, 2017 5:08 PM To: Sylvester Turner - MYR Subject: Fwd: FOR REVIEW: Mayor's Video for Amazon Marvaiette Hunter Mayor's Chief of Staff City Hail 901 Bagby, 3rd Floor Houston, Texas 77002 832?393-105i Begin forwarded message: From: "lcken, Andy - Date: October 17, 2017 at 9:54:28 PM CDT To: "Hunter, Maryalette - Cc: COH Mayor "Bernstein, Alan Subject: Re: FOR Mayor's Video for Amazon Wow/ Sent from my iPad On Oct 17, 2017, at 8:53 AM, Hunter, Marvaiette - MYR wrote: Awesome job from Houston?s Congratutations Mayor, you hit a homeruni From: COH - Mayor Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2017 8:49 AM To: Hunter, Marvaiette MYR Subject: FW: FOR REVIEW: Mayor?s Video for Amazon From: Bernstein, Alan - MYR Sent: Monday, October 16, 2017 10:27 PM To: COH - Mayor Cc: Hunter, Marvalette MYR Icken, Andy - MYR Subject: Fwd: FOR REVIEW: Mayor's Video for Amazon Mayo r, For your review. Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Houston Mayor's Of?ce 0 832 393 0800 832 943 9835 Begin forwarded message: From: Clint Pasche Date: October 16, 2017 at 9:26:25 PM CDT To: ?lcken, Andy - "Bernstein, Aian houstontx. ov> cc: MW Subject: FOR REVIEW: Mayor's Video for Amazon Andy and Alan, Please find a cut of the Mayor's video to go on the password-protected Amazon project website here: dit.mp4?dl20 He did a nice job with this and comes across as incredibly sincere, thoughtful and optimistic. Seems like a winner to me. Please let me know if you concur and approve. ideally, you can review at some point tomorrow so we can finalize and post on the site on Wednesday. Thanks! Clint NOTE: This includes an ?audio watermark? on the music that will be removed in the final audio mix. Clint Pasche -. Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications Gitimil; HQU til GM Partn ership Tower PARTNERSHIP 701 Avenida de las Americas Suite 900 Houston, TX 77010 713-844-3645 l? Sylvester Turner - u? From: Wiiliams, Stephen - HHD Sent: Thursday, September 07, 2017 8:19 AM To: . Sylvester Turner - Hunter, Marvalette - Icken, Andy - MYR Cc: Hayes, Harry - Koski, James MYR Subject: Fwd: NYTimes: Amazon Announces Plans for Huge New North America Offices Sent from my iPhone Begin forwarded messages From: "Gibbs, Linda? Date: September 7, 2017 at 8:11:10 AM To: "Stephen L. Williams" Subject: NYTimes: Amazon Announces Plans for Huge New North America Offices 'You guys should go for this with a big push on equity and sustainability as development components. F07%2Ftechnolo av%2 Farn azon~heado an1erica.html%3 share &data:02%7C0 %7CSteohen.Williams%4 Oliotistontxgov%7C Si?dS 71 0bb5294bacca5 60 8d 4f5fl e9b4%7C57a85a1 0258b45b4a5 1 90960772 1 8667450655 8284s The online retail giant said it expected the site would cost as much as $5 billion to build and operate, and would be used by as many as 50,000 employees. Linda Gibbs Principal Bloomberg Associates 25 East 78th Street New York, NY 10075 0: +1 212.205.0305 This e-mail message is intended only for the named reeipient(s) above. It may contain con?dential information. If you are not the intended recipient you are hereby notified that any dissemination, distribution or copying of this email and any attachment(s) is strictly prohibited. If you have received this e-mail in error, please immediately notify the sender by replying to this e-mail and delete the message and any attachment(s) from your system. Thank you. Sylvester Turner - MVR From: Syptak, Jeff - MYR Sent: Thursda ,Se tember O7, 2017 12:28 PM To: Eff? Cc: Sylvester Turner MYR Subject: Mayor Sylvester Turner of Houston Texas would like to connect with Jeff Bezos Good afternoon, My name is Jeff Syptak and am the Administrative Specialist for City of Houston, Texas Mayor Sylvester Turner. Mayor Turner would like to connect with Mr. Bezos as soon as possible and we are looking for the best contact number to reach the office. If that'number can be sent to us, we would greatly appreciate it. Thanks, Jeff Syptak Administrative Specialist for Mayor Sylvester Turner Email: Work: 832-393-1083 Cell: 281-455-5604 Sylvester Turner - MYR From: John Reale Sent: Thursday, September 07, 2017 7:28 PM To: Sylvester Turner - Icken, Andy MYR Subject: Fwd: Amazon looking for 2nd HQ in NA See below note from Blair Garrou this morning re: Amazon launching a 2nd HQ. I believe that through our innovation initiative, we can demonstrate that we can compete and that we can win. I have been working with an Amazon executive to help them grow their AWS office, but this is a different scale. What can we do to help? JR John S. Reale, Jr. (So-Founder, CEO 713.825.2768 Please consider joining Entrepreneurs for Houston to donate to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund established my Mayor Turner Forwarded From: Blair Garrou Date: Thu, Sep 2017 at 9:17 AM Subject: Re: Amazon lookin for 2nd HQ inNA To: Bob Harvei Gina Luna Jon Nordby Barbara Burger Co: John Reale Amazon cheat sheet! Industrial growth for AWS (which they are salivating for) Big push into OpenGov initiatives (this is important to Amazon) Near Whole Foods HQ (Austin) Perfect locale for Blue Origin HQ (that isn?t already a locale for Spach) Diverse, cheap workforce Bezos? home town 0 I I JR and my good friend George Levan just reached out and said this has the potential to be more impactful than the Super Bowl for Houston. He?s missing the bigger picture, though. By a handful of zeros. 1 This has the ability to be more impactful than fraeking to Houston?s economy. It took 25 years for fraeking to mature, then 6 months for commodity prices to nosedive. AMZN, and other tech companies that follow their lead, would be sustainable for the long-term. Cloud software, online ecommerce/retail/grocery, autonomous vehicles/drones for transportation and delivery, ubiquitous A1 for the consumer, private space exploration. Every major growth driver of our high?tech economy (outside of healtheare). They?ll be looking for an established or up-and?eoming innovation ecosystem to grow with. Cheaper labor that way, but they?ll want to know the City/Corps are interested. Good think we have our act together now! Sony, I?ll stop drinking coffee Let us know how we can help. Blair 2017 at 7:5; !5 Date: Thursday, Se tember 7, To: Bob Harvey Gina Luna Jon Nordby are or er Cc: John Reale Subject: Amazon looking or in A 7/ 09/ 07/ in-north-americahtml From: Blair Garrou We (Houston) need to be all over this. LMK how JR and I can help/plan/pitch. This would be a massive win and propel the city in a great new direction. Amazon?s AWS unit has been a key contributor to the relief effort via E4H. Blair Blair Garrou Mercury Fund 1 startup venture capital One Grecnway Plaza, Suite 930 Houston, TX 77046 713.71 5.6820 office @bgarrou Sylvester Turner - MYR From: John Reale Sent: Thursday, September 07, 2017 8:13 PM To: Sylvesterr Turner MYR Cc: Hunter, Mawalette Koski, James Icken, Andy Bernstein, Alan MYR Subject: Re: Entrepreneurs for Houston Attachments: E4H Press Release_FINAL 9.7.17.docx Good evening. Please see attached press release scheduled for release on Monday. I am seeking your approval as we plan to release. Grateful if you can approve tomorrow so we can coordinate planned launch activities through the weekend. Proposed quote from the Mayor below. Please add edit as appropriate. All other stakeholders have approved, including: TMC, GHP, Mercury Fund, Sketch City, Circular Board and Station Houston. We are going to keep our entrepreneurs and techies to support civic?tech projects. We are going to attract great talent and investment as we build this innovation economy. Thank you, JR ?Houston has a rich history of collaborating with people from different backgrounds and cultures to solve the world?s most complex problems,? said Mayor Sylvester Turner. ?We?ve seen this across our community through these difficult times. E4H will provide the funding to support our entrepreneurial and civic efforts that will rebuild and sustain Houston ?5 economy.? John S. Reale, 3r. Co-Founder, CEO 713.325.2768 Please consider joining Entrepreneurs for Houston to donate to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund established my Mayor Turner On Wed, Sep 6, 2017 at 9:37 AM, John Reels wrote: Good morning. Sorry for the long note, but figured this is easier to provide context. Happy to jump on a call too, if helpful. I like to be . Key points below as I am seeking your approval and support of the ongbing relief and . recovery efforts initiated by the Houston startup community. This initiative is called 1 Entrepreneurs for Houston (E4H). I would also like your approval for a quote in a press release that will announce a tech-focused relief fund launched by Entrepreneurs for Houston that will support the OpenGov and Civic initiatives being launched through the E4H effort (please edit as you see fit). I believe E4H, and its related Relief Fund, unifies our goals of supporting the relief effort, (ii) ensuring we keep our best and brightest tech talent, and continuing to 7 build and drive our innovation economy. As we are moving as quickly as possible, we hope to get your approval today. Thank you, ii JR 1. Station, the Texas Medical Center Innovation Institute, Mercury Fund, Sketch City . and the Circular Board launched Entrepreneurs for Houston to support relief and . recovery efforts by directing the venture capital and entrepreneur community, outside 7 of Houston, to donate to the GHCF Mayor's Relief Fund. Based upon emails received by Blair Garrou of Mercury Fund, we believe there were significant donations to your Relief Fund from individuals, venture funds and corporations. . 2. We also received an outpouring of support and interest from groups ranging from the Kauffman Foundation for Entrepreneurship, the National Venture Capital Association . (NVCA), and tech companies across the US. All of these organizations asked how they provide direct support to either entrepreneur~specific initiatives or provide free 2 discounted access to their technology. Google, Amazon, ZenDesk and Twilio have all given free access to software for our OpenGov and Civic initiatives. 3. We are aiming to launch the Entrepreneurs for Houston Fund to allow individuals, foundations and corporations to provide direct financial support to these Civic and entrepreneur relief causes (specifically through Station Houston and Sketch City). Thousands of entrepreneurs, marketers and Civic hackers have been working around the clock over the past seven days. These individuals will need to go back to their day jobs or potentially leave the city. I believe this can impact these projects which are important to the relief as well as forging stronger ties that will support us through the rebuild process. 4. We are preposing that Entrepreneurs for Houston partner with the Task Force and the GHP Innovation Office so we may continue to accomplish our near?term goal of bringing all our civic organizations together to support the relief effort, while this i collaboration serves as a stronger foundation to drive our recovery efforts. 5. We have established a fund advisory committee to provide guidance and ensure E4H Funds are handled responsibly. Blair Garrou (Managing Director of Mercury Fund), Barbara Burger (President of Chevron Technology Ventures), Kenneth Guidry (President of PKF Texas), and Brian Fenske (Partner at Norton Rose Fulbright) have agreed to sit on the advisory group at this time. We will expand or modify the advisory group as necessary going forward should you have any recommendations. ~o?u John s. Reale, Jr. 3. Canounder, CEO 213.825.27Q8 Entrepreneurs For Houston Fund Launches with Goal of Raising $10 Million Fund?s first focus is to enhance grassroots efforts for civic relief mobilized in response to Hurricane Harvey HOUSTON (Sept. 11, 2017) In collaboration with the City of Houston and the geater Houston Partnership's Innovation Strategy Office, Entrepreneurs for Houston (E4H) today launched the Entrepreneurs for Houston Fund with an initial goal of raising $10 million. The first focus of the E4H Fund is to provide financial support to the ongoing Hurricane Harvey relief and recovery efforts led by Sketch City and Station Houston. During Harvey, Sketch City and Station Houston joined forces to assist the civic?tech and volunteer communities in creating open- source disaster response infrastructure. The E4H Fund provides the opportunity for individuals, corporations, and foundations to support these civic relief efforts aiding in rescue, relief, recovery, and rebuild projects in Houston. The long-term goal of the E4H Fund is to provide financial support for Houston?s entrepreneurial and civic efforts that will restore and sustain the city?s economy. in the wake of Hurricane Harvey?s impact, hundreds of volunteer designers, developers, marketers and civic hackers from Sketch City?s community joined forces to build and launch dozens of emergency crisis tools. Some of Sketch City's initial projects already underway include: a Shelter Bot allowing people in need to text their zip code to 346-214?0739 to find their nearest shelter; 0 HelgOutHouston.com, a continuously updated map of shelters and their needs; and - TexasRescueMap.com[MuckMag, connecting homeowners who need help clearing out materials from their flooded homes with volunteers to help with that work. 54H has partnered with Mayor Sylvester Turner?s Technology innovation Task Force to support the grassroots tech and innovation ecosystem throughout Houston. This partnership stems from Mayor Turner?s continued mission to ignite Houston?s innovation economy. near-term goal is funding the collaboration of Station and Sketch City to develop a ?Disaster Relief Toolkit? to directly assist Harvey relief and recovery. Sketch City has already shared pieces of the Toolkit with developers and emergency response personnel preparing for Hurricane Irma and will continue to share the Toolkit with other cities and communities in their greatest time of need. "Ho'uston has a rich history of collaborating with people from different backgrounds and cultures to solve the world?s most complex problems,? said Mayor Sylvester Turner. "We?ve seen this across our community through these difficult times. E4H will provide the funding to support our entrepreneuriai and civic efforts that will rebuild and sustain Houston?s economy.? "Since Harvey first made landfall, Houston?stech and entrepreneurship community has made real impacts through disaster relief,? said Blair Garrou, E4i?i cofounder, Mercury Fund managing director, Station cofounder, and the Greater Houston Partnership's innovation Strategy Office advisory board chair. ?As Houston is now in the ?nal stages of the rescue and relief efforts, we will shortly move into recovery and rebuild. We must support Houston?s entrepreneurial community to allow them to continue this effort while building tools and practices to support other communities in their time of need.? To contribute to the Entrepreneurs for Houston Relief Fund or to get involved, visit Media interested in obtaining an interview with members of E4H should contact Ahna Gavrelos at ahnafcbintegrateaeencycom or 713.225.0880. About Entrepreneurs for Houston: ?n_treoreneurs for Housjoii (E4H) is a dedicated effort to drive growth and opportunity in Houston?s entrepreneurship, technology and innovation community. Based in Houston, Texas, E4l?i was formed during Hurricane Harvey in August 2017 by Houston tech community organizations, including Mercury Fund, Station Houston, Sketch City, and the Circular Board. E4i-I?s first mission is to provide funding for Station and Sketch City to support our city?s entrepreneurial and civic efforts that will rebuild and sustain Houston?s economy. About Mayor Turner?s Technology 8: Innovation Task Force: Mayor Syivester Turner and Council Member Amanda Edwards assembled the Mayor?s Technology innovation Task Force to undertake the important task of further cultivating an ecosystem of technology and innovation in Houston. Specifically, the principal charge to the Task Force was to make recommendations to the Mayor and City Council regarding what must be done to attract and retain technology and innovation startups and related businesses to Houston, to help spark long?term growth of Houston?s innovation economy. The Task Force is representative of a cross?section of Houstonians from different industries, backgrounds and points?ofuview - encouraging the creation of a diverse set of strategic recommendations for the development of the necessary infrastructure to attract and retain the innovators of tomorrow to Houston. About Greater Houston Partnership?s Innovation Strategy Office: Greater Houston Partnership?s innovation Strategy Office is dedicated to supporting Houston?s innovation economy and boosting local startup activity. The primary objective is to catalyze the formation of highly- innovative startups driven by new technologies and business models that wiil grow Houston?s innovation economy. The strategic plan aims for Houston to be - and to be seen as - an innovation city at a world~ciass level. About Station Houston: Station Houston is the hub for Houston's tech innovation and entrepreneurship community. Station connects tech entrepreneurs with experienced mentors, investors, customers, education and talent the essential tools to success for a startup. Station Houston is currently home to over ZED?member companies and a network of over 150 mentors. Post Harvey, Station has opened its doors and resources to serve the broader tech, marketing and civic hacker community who are developing solutions to support Houston's relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts. About Sketch City: Sketch City is a Houston-based open, non?profit community of technology advocates and civic hackers. Through hackathons and meetups, the Sketch City community is on the frontlines of creating solutions to Houston?s most pressing civic challenges, including enabling communication for Hurricane Harvey rescue and relief efforts during the earliest onset of the storm and the development of apps to assist the City in all phases of its rescue, relief, recovery and rebuilding efforts. Sylvester Turner - MVR 1 *1 From: Icken, Andy - MYR Sent: Thursday, September 07, 2017 11:55 PM To: Brad Freels Cc: Sylvester Turner - MYR Subject: Re: Mayor was on this at9am this morning. And so are we. Sent from my iPad On Sep 7, 2017, at 5:21 PM, Brad Freels wrote: Andy - As it relates to Amazon and Houston?s response to their proposal While Houston ls very prideful right now and national coverage has been very positive as it relates to its human capitai and spirit; ?We love Houston?, ?Houston and ?Rebuild Houston!? we should ask Mayor Turner, as part of the effort to secure Amazon, to ask everyone to send an letter and/or email to Besoz, encouraging him to come ?home", expressing why they love Houston and/or asking for his consideration of Houston?s proposal, etc.. How powerful wouid it be to receive emaiis/letters of support for the city deiivered to you. Just an idea Brad {Bradiey R. Freeie Chairman Midway CITYCENTRE ONE 800 Town Country Suite 200 Houston, TX 77024 713.529.5200] 713.463.4665 Sylvester Turner - MYR From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: Icken, Andy MYR Friday, September 08, 2017 12:06 AM John Reale Sylvester Turner - Hunter, Marvalette - Koski, James - Bernstein, Alan MYR Re: Entrepreneurs for Houston This is very important to our work as an 'Innovation and Technology City'. Sent from my iPad On Sep 7, 2017, at 8:13 PM, John Reale -Wrote: Good evening. Please see attached press release scheduled for release on Monday. I am seeking your approval as we plan to release. Grateful if you can approve tomorrow so we can coordinate planned launch activities through the Weekend. Proposed quote from the Mayor below. Please add edit as appropriate. All other stakeholders have approved, including: TMC, GHP, Mercury Fund, Sketch City, Circular Board and Station Houston. We are going to keep our entrepreneurs and techies to support civic?tech projects. We are going to attract great talent and investment as we build this innovation economy. Thank you, JR ?Houston has a rich history of collaborating with people from different backgrounds and cultures to solve the world?s most complex problems, said Mayor Sylvester Turner. We ?ve seen this across our community through these difficult times. E4H will provide the funding to support our entrepreneurial and civic efforts that will rebuild and sustain Houston?s economy.? John S. Reale, Jr. Clo?Founder, CEO 213.825.2768 Please consider joining Entrepreneurs for Houston to donate to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund established my Mayor Turner On Wed, Sep 6, 2017 at 9:37 AM, John Reale wrote: Good morning. Sorry for the long note, but figured this is easier to provide context. Happy i i to jump on a call too, if helpful. I like to be Key points below as I am seeking your approval and support of the ongoing relief and recovery efforts initiated by the Houston startup community. This initiative is called Entrepreneurs for Houston (E4H). I would also like your approval for a quote in a press release that will announce a tech?focused relief fund launched by Entrepreneurs for Houston that will support the i OpenGov and Civic initiatives being launched through the E4H effort (please edit as you see fit). I believe E4H, and its related Relief Fund, unifies our goals of supporting - the relief effort, (ii) ensuring we keep our best and brightest tech talent, ?1 and continuing to build and drive our innovation economy. As we are moving as quickly as possible, we hope to get your approval itoday. Thank you, JR 1. Station, the Texas Medical Center Innovation Institute, Mercury Fund, 3 Sketch City and the Circular Board launched Entrepreneurs for Houston to support relief and recovery efforts by directing the venture capital and entrepreneur community, outside of Houston, to donate to the GHCF 2 Mayor?s Relief Fund. Based upon emails received by Blair Garrou of Mercury Fund, we believe there were significant donations to your Relief Fund from individuals, venture funds and corporations. 2. We also received an outpouring of support and interest from groups ranging from the Kauffman Foundation for Entrepreneurship, the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), and tech companies across the US. All of these organizations asked how they provide direct support to either entrepreneur-specific initiatives or provide free discounted access to their technology. Google, Amazon, ZenDesk and Twilio have all given free access to software for our OpenGov and Civic initiatives. 3. We areaiming to launch the Entrepreneurs for Houston Fund to allow individuals, foundations and corporations to provide direct financial support to these Civrc and entrepreneur relief causes (specifically through Station Houston and Sketch City). Thousands of entrepreneurs, marketers and Civic hackers have been working around the clock over the past seven days. These individuals will need to go back to their day jobs or potentially leave the city. I believe this can impact these projects which are important to the relief as well as forging stronger ties that will support us through the rebuild process. 4. We are proposing that Entrepreneurs for Houston partner with the Task Force and the GHP Innovation Office so we may continue to accomplish our near?term goal of bringing all our civic organizations together to support the relief effort, while this collaboration serves as a stronger foundation to drive our recovery efforts. 5. We have established a fund advisory committee to provide guidance and ensure E4H Funds are handled responsibly. Blair Garrou (Managing Director of Mercury Fund), Barbara Burger (President of Chevron Technology Ventures), Kenneth Guidry (President of PKF Texas), and Brian Fenske (Partner at Norton Rose Fulbright) have agreed to sit on the advisory group at this time. We will expand or modify the advisory group as necessary going forward should you have any recommendations. John S. Reale, 3r. ii-Founder, CEO Press ReleasewFINAL 9.7.17.do Sylvester Turner - MYR From: Sylvester Turner - MYR Sent: Friday, September 08, 2017 8:55 AM To: John Reale . Cc: Hunter, Marvaiette Koskl, James - MYR;1cken, Andy - Bernstein, Alan MYR Subject: Re: Entrepreneurs for Houston RI support. Please move forward and prepare a statement for me. You can send to Chief of Staff for approval. I totally support the effort. Thanks Sent from my iPhone On Sep 6, 2017, at 9:37 AM, John Reale wrote: Good morning. Sorry for the long note, but figured this is easier to provide context. Happy to jump on a call too, if helpful. I like to be Key points below as I am seeking your approval and support of the ongoing relief and recovery efforts initiated by the Houston startup community. This initiative is called Entrepreneurs for Houston (EH). 1 would also like your approval for a quote in a press release that will announce a techvfocused relief fund launched by Entrepreneurs for Houston that will support the OpenGov and Civic initiatives being launched through the E4H effort (please edit as you see fit). I believe E4H, and its related Relief Fund, unifies our goals of sUpporting the relief effort, (ii) ensuring we keep our best and brightest tech talent, and continuing to build and drive our innovation economy. As we are moving as quickly as possible, we hope to get your approval today. Thank you, JR 1. Station, the Texas Medical Center Innovation Institute, Mercury Fund, Sketch City and the Circular Board launched Entrepreneurs for Houston to support relief and recovery efforts by directing the venture capital and entrepreneur community, outside of Houston, to donate to the GHCF Mayor?s Relief Fund. Based upon emails received by Blair Garrou of Mechry Fund, we believe there were significant donations to your Relief Fund from individuals, venture funds and corporations. 2. We also received an outpouring of support and interest from groups ranging from the Kauffman Foundation for Entrepreneurship, the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), and tech companies across the US. All of these organizations asked how they provide direct support to either entrepreneur-specific initiatives or provide free discounted access to their technology. Google, Amazon, ZenDesk and Twilio have all given free access to software for our OpenGov and Civic initiatives. 3. Weare aiming to launch the Entrepreneurs for Houston Relief Fund to allow individuals, foundations and corporations to provide direct financial support to these Civic and entrepreneur relief causes (specifically through Station Houston and Sketch City). Thousands of entrepreneurs, marketers and Civic hackers have been working around the clock over the past seven days. These individuals will need to go back to their day jobs or potentially leave the city. I believe this can impact these projects which are important to the relief as well as forging stronger ties that will support us through the rebuild process. 4. We are proposing that Entrepreneurs for Houston partner with the Task Force and the GHP Innovation Office so we may continue to accomplish our near?term goal of bringing all our civic organizations together to support the relief effort, while this collaboration serves as a stronger foundation to drive our recovery efforts. 5. We have established a fund advisory committee to provide guidance and ensure E4H Relief Funds are handled responsibly. Blair Garrou (Managing Director of Mercury Fund), Barbara Burger (President of Chevron Technology Ventures), Kenneth Guidry (President of PKF Texas), and Brian Fenske (Partner at Norton Rose Fulbright) have agreed to sit on the advisory group at this time. We will expand or modify the advisory group as necessary going forward should you have any recommendations. John S. Reale, Jr. CEO 713.825.2768 Press Release Final.doox> Sylvester Turner - MYR From: Sylvester Turner MYR Sent: Friday, September 08, 2017 8:55 AM To: token, Andy - MYR Cc: John Reale; Hunter, Marvalette - Koski, James - Bernstein, Alan MYR Subject: Re: Entrepreneurs for Houston I fully support. Move forward Sent from my iPhone On Sep 8, 2017, at 12:05 AM, Icken, Andy - MYR wrote: This is very important to our work as an 'Innovation and Technology City'. Sent from my iPad On Sep 7, 2017, at 8:13 PM, John Reale ?How Good evening. Please see attached press release scheduled for release on Monday. I am seeking your approval as we plan to release. Grateful if you can approve tomorrow so we can coordinate planned launch activities through the weekend. Proposed quote from the Mayor below. Please add edit as appropriate. All other stakeholders have approved, including: TMC, GHP, Mercury Fund, Sketch City, Circular Board and Station Houston. We are going to keep our entrepreneurs and techies to support civic?tech projects. We are going to attract great talent and investment as we build this innovation economy. Thank you, JR ?Houston has a rich history of collaborating with people from different backgrounds and cultures to solve the world?s most complex problems, said Mayor Sylvester Turner. ?We?ve seen this across our community through these difficult times. 54H will provide the funding to support our entrepreneurial and civic efforts that will rebuild and sustain Houston?s economy.? John S. Reale, Jr. Co?Founder, CEO 713.825.2268 Please consider joining Ent eneurs for Ho ston to donate to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund established my Mayor Turner On Wed, Sep 6,2017 at 9:37 AM, John Reale wrote: 3. Good morning. 1'2 Sorry for the long note, but figured this is easier to provide context. Happy to jump on a call too, if helpful. I like to be Key points below as I am seeking your approval and support of the ongoing relief and recovery efforts initiated by the Houston startup community. This initiative is called Entrepreneurs for Houston (E4H). I would also like your approval for a quote in a press release that 'will announce a tech?focused relief fund launched by Entrepreneurs for Houston that will support the i, OpenGov and Civic initiatives being launched through the E4H effort (please edit as you see fit). I believe E4H, and its related Relief Fund, unifies our goals of supporting the relief effort, (ii) ensuring we keep our best and i brightest tech talent, and continuing to build and drive our 3; innovation economy. i As we are moving as quickly as possible, we hope to get your approval today. Thank you, i 1. Station, the Texas Medical Center Innovation Institute, 1 Mercury Fund, Sketch City and the Circular Board launched a Entrepreneurs for Houston to support relief and recovery efforts by directing the venture capital and entrepreneur community, outside of Houston, to donate to the GHCF Mayor's Relief Fund. . Based upon emails received by Blair Garrou of Mercury Fund, we believe there were significant donations to your Relief Fund from individuals, venture funds and corporations. 2, We also received an outpouring of support and interest from groups ranging from the Kauffman Foundation for Entrepreneurship, the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), and tech companies across the US. All of these 1: organizations asked how they provide direct support to either entrepreneunspecific initiatives or provide free discounted 3 access to their technology. Google, Amazon, ZenDesk and Twilio have all given free access to software for our OpenGov and Civic initiatives. 3. We are aiming to launch the Entrepreneurs for Houston Fund 3 to allow individuals, foundations and corporations to provide direct financial support to these Civic and entrepreneur relief causes (specifically through Station Houston and Sketch City). Thousands of entrepreneurs, marketers and Civic hackers have - been working around the clock over the past seven days. These individuals will need to go back to their day jobs or potentially 1 leave the city. I believe this can impact these projects which are important to the relief as well as forging stronger ties that i will support us through the rebuild process. 4. We are proposing that Entrepreneurs for Houston partner i with the Task Force and the GHP Innovation Office so we may 1 continue to accomplish our near?term goal of bringing all our '2 civic organizations together to support the relief effort, while 3 this collaboration serves as a stronger foundation to drive our 7. recovery efforts. 5. We have established a fund advisory committee to provide 2, guidance and ensure E4H Funds are handled responsibly. Blair Garrou (Managing Director of Mercury Fund), Barbara Burger (President of Chevron Technology Ventures), Kenneth Guidry (President of PKF Texas), and Brian Fenske (Partner at Norton Rose Fulbright) have agreed to sit on the advisory group at this i time. We will expand or modify the advisory group as necessary going forward should you have any recommendations. i E, John S. Reale, Jr. Co?Founder, CEO 713.825.2768 Press Reloaso_FINAL 9.7 .17.doox> Sylvester Turner - MYR From: John S. Reale, Jr. Sent: Friday, September 08, 2017 8:57 AM To: Sylvester Turner - MYR Subject: Re: Entrepreneurs for Houston Thank you. I am in Andy's of?ce now. Full steam ahead. If you want a 10 minute debrief, happy to come to your of?ce John S. Reale, Jr. Co-Founder CEO ilition Houston Please excuse any typos or tone of this message as Siri and 1 aren?t always on sent from my iPhone. On Sep 8, 2017, at 08:55, Sylvester Turner - MYR wrote: the same page. This message was I fully support. Move forward Sent from my iPhone On Sep 8, 2017, at 12:05 AM, Icken, Andy MYR wrote: This is very important to our work as an 'Innovation and Technology City?. Sent from my iPad On Sep 7, 2017, at 8:13 PM, John Reale - wrote: Good evening. Please see attached press release scheduled for release on Monday. I am seeking your approval as we plan to release. Grateful if you can approve tomorrow so we can coordinate planned launch activities through the weekend. Proposed quote from the Mayor below. Please add edit as apprOpriate. All other stakeholders have approved, including: TMC, GHP, Mercury Fund, Sketch City, Circular Board and Station Houston. We are going to keep our entrepreneurs and techies to support civic?tech projects. We are going to 1 attract great talent and investment as we build this innovation economy. Thank you, JR ?Houston has a rich history of collaborating with people from different backgrounds and cultures to solve the world?s most complex problems,? said Mayor Sylvester Turner. ?We?ve seen this across our community through these difficult times. E4H will provide the funding to support our entrepreneurial and civic efforts that will rebuild and sustain Houston?s economy. John S. Reale, Jr. Co-Founder, CEO 213.825.2768 Please consider joining Entrepreneurs for Houston to donate to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund established my Mayor Turner On Wed, Sep 6, 2017 at 9:37 AM, John Reade wrote: Good morning. i Sorry for the long note, but figured this is easier to . provide context. Happy to jump on a call too, if ?zi helpful. I like to be 5. Key points below as I am seeking your approval and support of the ongoing relief and recovery efforts initiated by the Houston startup community. This initiative is called Entrepreneurs for Houston (E4H). i I would also like your approval for a quote in a 3 press release that will announce a tech-focused relief fund launched by Entrepreneurs for Houston that will support the OpenGov and Civic initiatives being launched through the E4H effort (please edit as you see fit). 2 I believe E4H, and its related Relief Fund, unifies our goals of supporting the relief effort, (ii) ensuring we keep our best and brightest tech talent, and continuing to build and drive our innovation economy. 3 As we are moving as quickly as possible, we hope to get your approval today. Thank you, 1. Station, the Texas Medical Center Innovation . Institute, Mercury Fund, Sketch City and the Circular Board launched Entrepreneurs for Houston to support relief and recovery efforts by directing the venture capital and entrepreneur community, 7_ outside of Houston, to donate to the GHCF Mayor's Relief Fund. Based upon emails received by Blair i_ Garrou of Mercury Fund, we believe there were significant donations to your Relief Fund from individuals, venture funds and corporations. 2. We also received an outpouring of support and interest from groups ranging from the Kauffman . Foundation for Entrepreneurship, the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), and tech . companies across the US. All of these organizations asked how they provide direct support to either s, entrepreneur?specific initiatives or provide free -. discounted access to their technology. Google, Amazon, ZenDesk and Twilio have all given free . access to software for our OpenGov and Civic initiatives. 3 i i i i 3. We are aiming to launch the Entrepreneurs for Houston Fund to allow individuals, foundations and i corporations to provide direct financial support to these Civic and entrepreneur relief causes 3 (specifically through Station Houston and Sketch City). Thousands of entrepreneurs, marketers and Civic hackers have been working around the clock over the past seven days. These individuals will need to go back to their day jobs or potentially leave the city. I believe this can impact these projects which are important to the relief as well as forging stronger ties that will support us through the rebuild process. 4. We are proposing that Entrepreneurs for Houston partner with the Task Force and the GHP Innovation Office so we may continue to accomplish our near- term goal of bringing all our civic organizations together to support the relief effort, while this collaboration serves as a stronger foundation to drive our recovery efforts. 5. We have established a fund advisory committee to provide guidance and ensure E4H Funds are handled responsibly. Blair Garrou (Managing Director of Mercury Fund), Barbara Burger (President of Chevron Technology Ventures), Kenneth Guidry (President of PKF Texas), and Brian Fenske (Partner at Norton Rose Fulbright) have agreed to sit on the advisory group at this time. We will expand or modify the advisory group as necessary going forward should you have any recommendations. nun?? John S. Reale, Jr. Co?Founder, CEO I ?l i 7138253768 Press Release_FINAL 9.7.17.docx> Sylvester Turner - MYR From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: Thank you. Sent from my iPad icken, Andy - MYR Friday, September 08, 2017 11:01 PM Sylvester Turner MYR John S. Reale ir. Re: Entrepreneurs for Houston On Sep 8, 2017, at 8:55 AM, Sylvester urner MYR wrote: I fully support. Move forward Sent from my iPhone On Sep 8, 2017, at 12:05 AM, Icken, Andy - MYR wrote: This is very important to our work as an 'Innovation and Technology City?. Sent from my iPad On Sep 7, 2017, at 8:13 PM, John Reale wrote: Good evening. Please see attached press release scheduled for release on Monday. I am seeking your approval as we plan to release. Grateful if you can approve tomorrow so we can coordinate planned launch activities through the weekend. Proposed quote from the Mayor below. Please add edit as appropriate. All other stakeholders have approved, including: TMC, GHP, Mercury Fund, Sketch City, Circular Board and Station Houston. We are going to keep our entrepreneurs and techies to support civic-tech projects. We are going to attract great talent and investment as we build this innovation economy. Thank you, JR i ?Houston has a rich history of collaborating ?with people from different backgrounds and cultures to solve the world?s most complex problems,? said Mayor Sylvester Turner. ?We?ve seen this across our community through these difficult times. E4H will provide the funding to support our entrepreneurial and civic efforts that will rebuild and sustain Houston?s economy.? John S. Reale, Jr. (lo-Founder, CEO 713.825.2768 Please consider joining Entrepreneurs for Houston to donate to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund established my Mayor Turner On Wed, Sep 6, 2017 319137 AM, John Reels wrote: Good morning. Sorry for the long note, but figured this is easier to provide context. Happy to jump on a call too, if helpful. I like to be Key points below as I am seeking your approval and support of the ongoing relief and recovery efforts initiated by the Houston startup community. This initiative is called Entrepreneurs for Houston (E4H). I would also like your approval for a quote in a press release that will announce a techefocused relief fund launched by Entrepreneurs for Houston that will support the OpenGov and Civic initiatives being launched through the E4H effort (please edit as you see fit). I believe E4H, and its related Relief Fund, unifies our goals of supporting the relief effort, (ii) ensuring we keep our best and brightest tech talent, and continuing to build and drive our innovation economy. 2 V: As we are moving as quickly as possible, we hope to 1. get your approval today. Thank you, i '1 JR as Medical Center Innovation Fund, Sketch City and the hed Entrepreneurs for Houston to support relief and recovery efforts by directing the venture capital and entrepreneur community, outside of Houston, to donate to the GHCF Mayor?s 7; Relief Fund. Based upon emails received by Blair Garrou of Mercury Fund, we believe there were significant donations to your Relief Fund from individuals, venture funds and corporations. 3- 1. Station, the Tex Institute, Mercury Circular Board launc 2 2. We also received an outpouring of support and interest from groups ranging from the Kauffman Foundation for Entrepreneurship, the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA), and tech 3 companies across the US. All of these organizations asked how they provide direct support to either 1 entrepreneur-specific initiatives or provide free discounted access to their technology. Google, Amazon, ZenDesk and Twilio have all given free access to software for our OpenGov and Civic initiatives. 3. We are aiming to launch the Entrepreneurs for 1 Houston Fund to aildw individuals, foundations and corporations to provide direct financial support to these Civic and entrepreneur relief causes . (specifically through Station Houston and Sketch 3 i i I i City). Thousands'of entrepreneurs, marketers and Civic hackers have been working around the clock over the past seven days. These individuals will need to go back to their day jobs or potentially leave the city. I believe this can impact these projects which are important to the relief as well as forging stronger ties that will support us through the rebuild process. 4. We are proposing that Entrepreneurs for Houston partner with the Task Force and the GHP Innovation Office so we may continue to accomplish our near- term goal of bringing all our civic organizations 1 together to support the relief effort, while this collaboration serves as a stronger foundation to drive our recovery efforts. 5. We have established a fund advisory committee to provide guidance and ensure E4H Funds are handled responsibly. Blair Garrou (Managing Director of Mercury Fund), Barbara Burger (President of Chevron Technology Ventures), Kenneth Guidry (President of PKF Texas), and Brian Fenske (Partner at Norton Rose Fulbright) have agreed to sit on the advisory group at this time. We will expand or modify the advisory group as necessary going forward should you have any recommendations. John S. Reale, Jr. C0~Founder, CEO 713.825.2768 Press Release__FINAL 9.7.17.docx> Sylvester Turner MYR .. From: Sylvester Turner - MYR Sent: Sunday, September 10, 2017 9:41 PM To: Hunter, Marvalette - Icken, Andy - MYR Subject: Amazon Andy I want us to be very aggressive in responding to the Amazon RFP. have been approached by UT about the possibility of using their 300 acres for this project. I asked the Governor for his support of Houston but he indicated that the State wiil take a neutral position since Dallas, San Antonio and Austin maybe interested. i assume the Partnership will be very much interested and should be included in our proposai. think Houston is ideally suited for this deal and speci?cally for it to be located inside the City of Houston. To put forth a very strong proposal we need to start on it now to make sure we cover every base. I really do want this deal. Sent from my iPhone Sylvester Turner - MYR 4. From: Sylvester Turner - MYR Sent: Sunday, September 10, 2017 10:05 PM To: john Reaie Cc: Icken, Andy - MYR Subject: Re: Amazon looking for 2nd HQ in NA 1 have expressed my strong interest in competing for this deal. We need to put forth a very attractive proposal. Please share with us your thoughts. Sent from my iPhone On Sep 7, 2017 at 7:27 PM, John Reale - wrote: See below note from Blair Garrou this morning re: Amazon launching a 2nd HQ. I believe that through our innovation initiative, we can demonstrate that we can compete and that we can win. I have been working with an Amazon executive to help them grow their AWS office, but this is a different scale. What can we do to help? JR tun?.? John S. Reale, Jr. Clo-Founder, CEO 713.825.2768 Please consider joining Entregrenegrs for Hogston to donate to the Hurricane Harvey Re?ef Fund established my Mayor Turner Forwarded From: Blair Garrou Date: Thu, Sep 7, 2017 at 9:17 AM Subject: Re: Amazon looking for 2nd HQ in NA To: Bob Harvey Gina Luna on Nordby Barbara urger Co: John Reale Amazon cheat sheet! Industrial growth for AWS (which they are salivating for) Big push into OpenGov initiatives (this is important to Amazon) Near Whole Foods HQ (Austin) Perfect locale for Blue Origin HQ (that isn?t already a locale for SpaceX) Diverse, cheap workforce Bezos? hometown and my good friend George Levan just reached out and said this has the potential to be more impactfui than the Super Bowl for Houston. He?s missing the bigger picture, though. By a handful of zeros. This has the to be more impactful than tracking to Houston?s economy. It took 25 years for tracking to mature, then 6 months for commodity prices to nosedive. AMZN, and other tech companies that follow their lead, would be sustainable for the long-term. Cloud software, online ecommerce/retail/ grocery, autonomous vehicles/drones for transportation and delivery, ubiquitous A1 for the consumer, private space exploration. Every major growth driver of our high-tech economy (outside of healthcare). They?ll be looking for an established or up?and?comiug innovation ecosystem to grow with. Cheaper labor that way, but they?ll want to know the City/Corps are interested. Good think we have our act together now! Sorry, I?ll stop drinking coffee Let us know how we can help. lair FromBlairGarrou Date: Thursday, Se tember 2017 at 7 :5 To: Bob Harvey Gina Luna on Nordby Cc: John Reale Subject: Amazon looking for h-foraa-second?head uartersain-north- .cnbc.com/20 7/09/07/amazon-launches? americahtml We (Houston) need to be all over this. LMK how JR andi can help/plan/pitch. This would be a massive win and propel the city in a great new direction. 2 Amazon?s AWS unit has been a key contributor to the relief effmt via, E4H. Blair Blair Garrou Mercury Fund stamp venture capital Ono Greenway Plaza, Suite 930 Houston, TX 77046 713,715.6820 of?ce @bgarrou Sylvester Turner - MYR Icken, Andy MYR From: Sent: Sunday, September 10, 2017 10:18 PM To: Sylvester Turner - MYR Subject: Re: Amazon ue oct 19. We are considering several sites 5 many avenues as possible before the rip is will iikely be beneficial. Understand. We are working a put up substantial front end money in the city? those with 3 active developer prepared to A site that might fit those qualifications is the KBR site with Midway and William Harrison as the land owners( midway of course has a great track record in City Center). This will take considerable staff work and Hi be leveraging wherever i can. The can be a but frankly they will be under some pressure from some of their members outside the city? We already made it clear to bob i believe the focus for the region should be the city core much like amazon has done in Seattle. More to come. Sent from my iPhone On Sep 10, 2017, at 9:40 PM, Sylvester Turner MYR wrote: Andy i want us to be very aggressive in responding to the Amazon RFP. have been approached by UT about the possibility of using their 300 acres for this project. i asked the Governor for his support of Houston but he indicated that the State wili take a neutral position since Dallas, San Antonio and Austin maybe interested. i assume the Partnership will be very muchrinterested and should be included in our proposai. it to be located inside the City of Houston. To put forth liy do want this deal. i think Houston is ideali a very strong proposal we need to start 0 suited for this deal and specifically to it now to make sure we cover every base. i rea Sent from my iPhone Sylvester Turner - MYR From: Icken, Andy - MYR Sent: Sunday, September 10, 2017 10:24 PM To: Sylvester Turner - MYR Subject: Re: Amazon 1 should add we are likely have some issues with TOP on an aggressive proposal. When we worked the ful?llment center in the Eta in Greenspoint TOP took a very negative approach to Amazon because of their view of the 'corporate culture of Amazon' and a desire that we impose restrictive salary constraints on them prior to making any package offer. it may sound very illogical but you have seen this as TOP continues to want us to be prescriptive in our financial policies prior to any economic development proposals Sent from my iPhone On Sep 10, 2017, at 10:17 PM, icken, Andy MYR wrote: Understand. We are working as many avenues as possible before the is due oct 19. We are considering several sites in the city~ those with a active developer prepared to put up substantial front end money will likely be beneficial. A site that might fit those qualifications is the KBR site with Midway and William Harrison as the land owners( midway of course has a great track record in City Center). This will take considerable staff work and I'll be leveraging wherever I can. The can be a ally but frankly they will be under some pressure from some of their members outside the city? I?ve already made it clear to bob I believe the focus for the region should be the city core much like amazon has done in Seattle. More to come. Sent from my iPhone On Sep 10, 2017, at 9:40 PM, Sylvester Turner MYR wrote: Andy 3 want us to be very aggressive in responding to the Amazon RFP. I have been approached by UT about the possibility of using their 300 acres for this project. i asked the Governor for his support of Houston but he indicated that the State will take a neutral position since Dallas, San Antonio and Austin maybe interested. i assume the Partnership will be very much interested and should be included in our proposal. i think Houston is ideally suited for this deal and specifically for it to be located inside the City of Houston. To put forth a very strong proposal we need to start on it now to make sure we cover every base. i really do want this deal. Sent from my iPhone Sylvester Turner - MYR From: John Reaie Sent: Sunday, September 10, 2017 11:09 PM To: Sylvester Turner MYR Cc: Icken, Andy - MYR Subject: Re: Amazon looking for 2nd HQ in NA Attachments: Houston Vision Op?ed August 2017 - v2.docx Mayor Turner, Same page. My wife and I went to dinner with some other leaders in the tech community on Saturday where this monopolized the conversation (my poor wife). I believe that our actions (as an innovation economy) will speak loudly as to why we should win. Read this Harvard Business Review article to amplify my thoughts. - cities. Excerpt below. We have the plan in just have to move faster. Happy to visit with Andy you this week. Let's win. JR 1. Communicate the Vision: We must re?visit a vision piece for our City. Attached is a draft piece I put together with Andy?s support before Harvey. We can re-visit to make this piece event bolder, but I believe this can start a movement. 2. Launch the Fund-of?Funds: Blair Garrou (my co?founder of Station who you met before) and I will be going to Insperity on Tuesday to secure their commitment for the Fund-of~Funds to attract Venture Capital to our City. I believe your involvement can help us build more momentum. I think it would be great to have a call with Paul Savardi (Insperity Founder CEO) to reinforce your commitment to our innovation economy. 3. Innovation District: Announcing the Innovation District will be a major catalyst, and become a topic that people from around the world take notice of our creativity of how Houston sees innovation. Andy has been a vital piece to this puzzle building support and engagement from various stakeholders like Bob Eury, Lionstone and Midway. I'd love to share this vision of the district with you to get your feedback and support. We must push on this initiative, particularly as it one of the most important pieces not only to win this bid, but clearly show the world about the future of Houston. 4. Build our Strike Force: We need to assemble a team to work with Andy and Bob Harvey to support how we build, and communicate this proposal. The clock is ticking. I have thoughts on people who need to be involved. We have get the right people 1 involved that are ultimately interesting to Bezos' broader ambitions - look into the was Family Foundation to reveal what?s most important 5. Consolidate the Strategy Office: Before Harvey, we had a meeting scheduled to discuss how we consolidate the Task Force GHP Innovation efforts HTC, where we put a strong leader who can help us convene on areas to drive our innovation economy forward. The HTC Board Meeting is scheduled for 10?Oct. I spent this afternoon providing feedback to Gina Luna and Barbara Burger (Chevron) How can we move faster? 6. Entrepreneurs for Houston Fund: Tomorrow, we will officially launch the Entrepreneurs for Houston Fund. We must make this a success so we can support our ground?up tech efforts to build a solution set that we can share with the world for disaster relief and recovery. No City has done this at a major I don?t know. But this is an opportunity for us to showcase our talents, continue to show how Houston cares, and create awareness that becomes part of our innovation story. "As our research has shown, the vibrant metres of thefutare will be those that are home to high tech advanced industries. That?s because those industries spur the collision. of digital technologies and cattingedge business development, also brought about by tech-savvy workers and investments, and generate jobs and good wages in a period of sluggish economic growth. Digital industries are a main driver of growth within these high?value industries. Yet for all their bene?ts and buzz, digital jobs continue to geographically concentrate in established highwtech meccas at a time when oar nation needs more metro areas, especially in the heartland, to gain a competitive foothold in the digital future. So how can cities garner a bigger share of high-tech growth? The answer is not to just polish up branding and marketing materials and wait for the next Amazon-scale business attraction opportunity. Nor is it to concentrate entirely on traditional economic development strategies of bundling available plots of land for prospective businesses and o?ering generous subsidies (though admittedly, Amazon seems to want a bit of that, too). Rather, cities need to look closely at. the criteria in Amazon?s RFP and ask. whether they?ve done enough to build up the fundamental assets prized by innovative ?rms and industries. John S. Reale, Jr. (Lo-Founder, CEO 713.825.2768 . Please consider joining Entrepreneurs for ?ogstoo to donate to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund established my Mayor Turner On Sun, Sep 10, 2017 at 10:04 PM, Sylvester Turner - MYR wrote: 1 have expressed my strong interest in competing for this deal. We need to put forth a very attractive proposal. Please share with us your thoughts. Sent from my iPhone On Sep 7, 2017, at 7:27 PM, John Reale wrote: See below note from Blair Garrou this morning re: Amazon launching a 2nd HQ. I believe that through our innovation initiative, we can demonstrate i that we can compete and that we can win. I have been working with an Amazon executive to help them grow their AWS office, but this is a different scale. What can we do to help? JR John S. Reale, Jr. Co?Founder, CEO 713.825.2768 - Please consider joining Egtceggegeurs for Houston to donate to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund established my Mayor Turner Forwarded messa From: Blair Garrou 3 Date: Thu, Sep 7, 2017 at 9:17 AM Subject: Re: Amazon looking for 2nd HQ in NA To: Bob Harvey Gina Luna I on Nordby a Cc: John Reale i Amazon cheat sheet! Industrial growth for AWS (which they are salivating for) Big push into OpenGov initiatives (this is important to Amazon) Near Whole Foods HQ (Austin) Perfect locale for Blue Origin HQ (that isn?t already a locale for SpaceX) Diverse, cheap workforce Bezos? home town 0. O. i JR and my good friend George Levan just reached out and said this has the potential to be more impactful than the Super Bowl for Houston. He?s missing the bigger picture, though. By a handful of zeros. This has the ability to he more impactful than tracking to Houston?s economy. It took 25 years for fracking to mature, then 6 months for commodity prices to nosedive. AMZN, and other tech companies that follow their lead, would be sustainable for the longwterm. Cloud software, online ecornmerce/retail/ grocery, autonomous vehiclesldrones for transportation and delivery, ubiquitous A1 for the consumer, private space exploration. Every major growth driver of our high-tech economy (outside of healthcare). They?ll be looking for an established or up?and-coming innovation ecosystem to grow with. Cheaper labor that way, but they?ll want to know the City] Corps are interested. Good think we have our act together now! Sorry, I?ll stop drinking coffee Let us know how we can help. Blair assailant; Date: Thursday, September 7, 2017 at 7:59 To: Bob Harvey F, ina Luna Jon Nordby Barbara Burger Cc: John Rea Subject: Amazon looking or A americahtml We (Houston) need to be all over this. LMK how JR and I can help/plan/pitch. This would be a massive win and propel the city in a great new direction. Amazon?s AWS unit has been a key contributor to the relief effort via E4H. Blair 1 mm Garrou Mercury Fund I startup venture capital One Greenway Plaza, Suite 930 1I Houston, TX 77046 733.7156 20 of?ce @bgarrou 19-Augustn201 7 Architecture: 1 re?ection 2 vision 3 - action plan 4 - call to action Key traits: I I need to read it back and ask myself can I close my eyes to hear the Mayor speaking these words? 0 InSpiring Authentic 0? Focus on future and speci?c calls to action 0 Inclusive Houston: A City of Hope, Opportunity and Inspiration My vision for our community when leadership and unity is needed By Mayor Sylvester Turner With some of the recent events happening in our our country, our world, like so many of you, I ?nd myself re?ecting on what?s right, what?s important and most especially, our future. It got me to thinking about when I ?rst took of?ce as Mayor of our beloved City. When 1 took this of?ce, the themes that resonate With what I believe sets the pace for our future are: Hepe. ..Opport1mity. ..and Inspiration. Having grown up right here in Houston -- Acres Homes speci?cally l?ve seen it all. I?ve seen the ?ooding, the triple digit heat index, the booms and busts -- everything. More than 90 languages are spoken here daily. 4.8 million patients visit our Medical Center every single year. We are the energy capital of the world. We have more than 500 cultural, visual, and performing arts organizations. And only New York City rivals us in Fortune 500 Company headquarters. I?d say we?ve got a few things going for us, wouldn?t you? I?ve always considered myself a champion for Houston? 3 middle class. I want Houston to always be a home for anybody who seeks commtmity, tolerance and opportunity. Why? Because we?re a city of outsiders, a city of dreamers a city of every type of people. Locals. People from other states or countries. Restaurateurs, artists, entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, web developers, construction workers, engineers and more. We are people with ambitions and dreams. People who want to imagine, create and love. We are a City whose diversity and differences are the very thing that makes us beautiful and gives us strength. With disturbing developments such as unconstitutional travel bans, the withdrawal from the Paris Climate Agreement, and an unsure future for healthcare for millions across the country, many of us are worried about the future. it?s clear to me that the time to stand up is right now. But I need your help. Entrepreneurs, corporations, investors, academia and educators, and all of our citizens - just like you and me - are what drive our City?s future. We have a rich history and spirit of innovation and entrepreneurship which are core foundations of our City. We are a City that embraces the complex problems of our world to deliver new solutions that run to the bottom of our oceans to the millions of miles above our atmosphere. Building on that history; listening to our people; and meeting leaders from across the world, I?d like to share with you my vision for Houston, hope for our people, as you all inspire me to work each day to represent us all. I want a Houston that matches the passion, the vision, and the aspirations of its citizens. A Houston that?s built on creativity, collaboration, and unique styles of thinking. In effort to understand entrepreneurs, innovators and technology, I developed a task force speci?cally focused on how we grow our innovation and entrepreneurship economy. Our Task Force has developed a strategy and plan to take our community forward. Looking back, we have not competed amongst others to grow this vital part of our community. Today, we now have a playbook and it is time for us to work as a team to push forward. Thanks to smart work and collaboration with the Greater Houston Partnership along with groups like Station Houston and the Tex as Medical Center Innovation lnstitute, we now have in place foundational pieces to make this vision to drive our innovation and entrepreneurship economy a reality. The innovation Strategy Office is working to drive community and collaboration to explore strategies to unite our people, bring people together to build on our and identify experts to make sure we bring attention on areas where we need focus. 0 startupsvibrant district that is a testing ground for authentic and new food concepts. Our district will innovate in the fields of fashion, design, music and art. Our district will be a place where creators come together to imagine new possibilities to experiment without the fear of failure. We will have the resources and support organizations, capital, mentorship and development partners involved so our creators can take their visions and innovations to launch new products, new companies, new possibilities. Our district will be our center of gravity to connect the rest of our great City and feature a central access point for the rest of the world who We will develop the ll uston Innovation District. Not only will this be a place for technology comes to our City to learn more about our great people. And for each one us, what does this means Opportunity. But we can?t stop there. Did you know that Houston is the #1 city for minoritv owned businesses? I recently took a trip to Israel a true startup hotspot and they valued our entrepreneurial growth so much, they asked us about our energy ?rms. They wanted to connect using Houston assets and resources which is very exciting, but it got me thinking. ?We have all these assets. . . .but what?s missing?? Why haven?t we tapped into our own tech, energy, and ?nancial startup assets ourselves? Everyone is doing amazing things, but there is no follow-up, so they often leave. Places like Silicon Valley, Chicago, or even Cincinnati attract creative thinkers because they have the communities to support creative thought. Collaboration needs integration. All of these cutting edge medical technologies, cleantech investments, and more need support to continue growing. And that?s exactly why the Innovation District needs to be a part of Houston. Based on four key traits, I?ve developed a plan to transform Houston into an access point that connects revolutionary startups with enterprise level companies to foster creative problem?solving solutions. With innovation, diversity, collaboration. . ..there is opportunity for us all. We are rapidly approaching a future with self-driving cars. Arti?cial Intelligence and machine learning are key themes to every industry; and I?m quite sure you can order just about anything from your mobile device. So why wouldn?t the next big tech innovations happen right here in Houston? With the support of the Greater Houston Partnership and other groups in the city, Houston will be a top ?ve innovation hub in the world in the next 10 years. This is my hope, this is my challenge, this is my commitment. With the advent of our lnnov ation District, the Innovation Strategy Office, the launching of a $50 million fund?of~funds venture capital fund that our corporate leaders will invest in to help bring venture capitalists to our community, and a world class data science institute, I see our Houston as one that continues to lead our world forward. I see our Houston that continues to take the most complex problems in our world to create new frontiers. might have heard that ?space is the ?nal frontier?, but 2017 has proven to be quite the uncharted territory so far. If we come together, in the most diverse City in America to build this future, we can accomplish anything. Over the next five years, we will create 25,000 new tech jobs. As each one of these jobs creates about ?ve additional jobs, this fuels our community with exponential growth. I see our innovators launching inspiring new companies that raise over $1 billion in venture capitalist funding. 1 see Houston being recognized as the #1 place in the world for minority and immigrant entrepreneurs regarding the number of new companies and venture capital funding. We will indeed be the community where minority entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses. Why am I so focused on this vision? Simple: startups are the lifeblood of progress and Fortune- 500 companies need their support. Houston will become a bridge, a test bed for the things we continue to dream about while we?re looking out to the stars. Through our culture of innovation and deeply-rooted entrepreneurial spirit we will provide opportunities for everybody at all levels - not just the We will be leaders in education, starting with our children to embrace technology and learn about entrepreneursh'p to our universities and the emergence of a world- class data science institute. The key is having leadership believe in the message of Houston: diversity, teamwork, but most of all: innovation. So I ask you, not only as your mayor, but as a citizen of Houston myself, will you help me work toward a better future for us and our kids? It?s easier than you think to get involved. Check out houstonorg or see how you can mentor over at Station Houston or TMCX or another startup development organization in our cornmunity. Better yet -- like so many of our innovators in town, like to host a meetup on [Septemb -1 at to share more about my vision, our plan, and Houston?s future. We can discuss where you fit, why you matter, and what we can all do to ensure Houston?s continued success in technological, ?nancial, and business innovations. All you have to do is register at mi 1 also hear from our people that you all have new ideas for our City" 3 flag. I encourage you to bring your ideas and creations of what Houston means to you see our City, our people, our future and wave them high and proud. We?ll provide poster boards, markers, and other tools to make your vision a reality as we take the ?rst step into doing the same for this great city. My commitment to you is to be your voice, to be your advocate, and to serve you all. I am here to uphold your values, but most of all to listen to your concerns. This city belongs to all of us. So now you have to ask yourself one question: where do you see Houston in five years and what '11 you do to make your vision our reality? Sources: 1) 2) 1vester~tumer~ 11-b1ac-k?ma or/ 3) hit ournals.com/houston/news/QO17/ ask forceure p13ns?to?movehtm1 4) hit merhoustonchr la?icle/Business?1eaders? 13113-10- 1 147 482.1:ghg 5) task-force?la snout 6) hit innovation-strategy-of?ce/ 7) hit innovation?district?be-1 1277 186.911}; 8) . . hub~indh0ustonhtm 9) 10) hit 11116201.ghp 11) 1111 2016/ 1 2/ 1 3/ 12) 03/05/mavor 3VNesta-turneroutlines? 13) hit St/lcdnilhubs ot.ne.t/hubfs/1955252/SC . llab 2016 Re ort. df 14) ediama/Wiki/Fla: of Houston Brief: one-page pledge for people to sign. Information for form will include requests for the following information: [name] [email] [check boxes that interest you] [provide links to ways to get involved based on interests] I, hereby pledge my creativity, hard-work and passion for our conununity to form a more progressive Houston. I value our future in which Houston is a world- leading innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem that serves us all. I also value the future in which Houston is a creative class city where innovative thinking and creative problem solving is part of our guiding spirit. By partnering with one of several groups, I will do my part to make this new vision for Houston a reality and establish the following goals: 0 A haven for those who are tolerant of our differences and inclusive to provide opportunities for us all 0 Fostering our education system and curriculum to ensure we develop our children and young adults 25,000 new tech jobs in 2022 More than $1 billion in venture capitalist funding for startups by 2022 Launching a world class data science institute Birthing and participating in a vibrant innovation district Eilvester Turner - MYR From: Bernstein, Alan - MYR Sent: Monday, September 11, 2017 11:16 AM To: Sylvester Turner Hunter, Marvaiette Murphy, Brenda - MYR Subject: BACKGROUND POINTS ON CHRONICLE EDITORIAL BOARD TODAY Mayor: The special invitation was extended to you because Hearst Corp. President and CEO Steve Swartz (l misspelled his name previously) is visiting to rally the storm-tossed staff. Chronicle publisher and president John McKeon should be on hand also as the top executive at the Chronicle; he came from the San Antonio paper two years ago. Jeff Cohen as editorial page editor and the rest of the editorial board staff will attend. A reporter will probably attend to see if you make news with what you want to say. This may be a time to talk more about the Amazon bid. Please be prepared to answer a question or two about how Houston should plan long-range to lessen potential fioodng. Different land use policies? A third reservoir? You have received compliments on the editorial page for handling of the flood and that attitude should be part of this meeting. if time allows they ask that you visit the newsroom to provide pats on the back for the storm coverage. Some staff iost their homes to the flood, and Hearst is providing them with interest free loans up to $15,000 if needed. Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Office of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner 0 832?393-0800 832n943~9835 givester Turner - MYR Syivester Turner - MYR From: Sent: Monday, September 11, 2017 12:00 PM To: Bernstein, Alan MYR Cc: Hunter, Marvalette Murphy, Brenda - MYR Subject: Re: BACKGROUND POINTS ON CHRONICLE EDITORIAL BOARD VISIT TODAY 0k Sent from my iPhone On Sep 11, 2017, at 11:16 AM, Bernstein, Alan - MYR wrote: Mayor: The special invitation was extended to you because Hearst Corp. President and CEO Steve Swartz (l misspelled his name previously) is visiting to rally the storm?tossed staff. Chronicle publisher and president John McKeon should be on hand also as the top executive at the Chronicle; he came from the San Antonio paper two years ago. Jeff Cohen as editorial page editor and the rest of the editorial board staff will attend. A reporter will probably attend to see if you make news with what you want to say. This may be a time to talk more about the Amazon bid. er a question or two about how Houston should plan long-range to lessen Please be prepared to answ land use policies? A third reservoir? potential floodng. Different You have received compliments on the editorial page for handling of the flood and that attitude should be part of this meeting. newsroom to provide pats on the back for the storm coverage. if time allows they ask that you visit th d, and Hearst is providing them with interest free loans up to Some staff lost their homes to the floo $15,000 if needed. Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Office of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner 0 832483-0809 832-943?9835 http:[[cityothoustonnewsz Sylvester Turner - MYR From: Sent: To: Subject: Mayor: Bernstein, Alan MYR Monday, September 11, 2017 12:25 PM Sylvester Turner - Hunter, Marvalette - Murphy, Brenda MYR BACKGROUND POINTS ON CHRONICLE BOARD VISIT TODAY The special invitation was extended to you because Hearst Corp. President and CEO Steve Swartz (i misspelled his name previously) is visiting to rally the storm?tossed staff. Chronicle publisher and president John McKeon should be on hand also as the top executive at the Chronicle; he came from the San Antonio paper two years ago. Editor in chief Nancy Barnes will also attend. your local relief fund. This small group will meet with you for the first 10 minutes. This will be the right time to ask Hearst for a donation to Then a very brief editorial board meeting in which you may be asked to respond to the editorial in the Sunday Chronicle (see below) with recomr?endations for Houston?s future. A reporter will probably attend to see if you make news with what you want to say. This may be a time to talk more about the Amazon bid. if time allows they ask that you visit the newsroom to provide pats on the back for the storm coverage. Some staff lost their homes to the flood, and Hearst is providing them with interest free loans up to $15,000 if needed. Sunday Editorial: Autos Jobs Real Estate 85? eNewspaper Subscribe Fight flooding new State, local and national leaders can?t delay in implementing this actionable list of policies. With the sun shining, tioodwaters receding and attention shifting to another part of the country preparing to do battle with its own giant storm, it's easy to grow complacent about the knottier and more resistant challenges that confront Houston and southeast Texas in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Now that cleanup and reconstruction are in full swing, we must not lose focus on the long?range View. if the nation's fourth?largest city and the surrounding region are to emerge stronger and more resilient, we have to rethink, renimagine and rebuild with the future in mind. We have to be better prepared for storms to come. And make no mistake: They will come. Translator This is our "seawall moment," not unlike a time more than a century ago when our Galveston neighbors responded to the greatest natural disaster in American history by changing their form of municipal government, by literally lifting their city up and by raising a sturdy protective barrier that has stood the test of time. We must be just as farsighted and ambitious. in the spirit of Galveston?s long-range view, we offer a dozen action items that we believe are vital if Houston and the region are to come back stronger, safer and more resilient than ever. The list isn?t necessarily comprehensive, but we hope it provokes an ongoing conversation among elected officials, business leaders, community activists, social?service providers, academics, charitable foundations, environmentalists, engineers in short, every resident of the greater Houston area who cares about the future of this vibrant region. 1 .Establish a regional flood control authority Floodwaters ignore city?limit signs and county?line markers. We can't adequately address drainage issues with a m?lange of municipal efforts and flood control districts split between local jurisdictions. instead of dividing these disaster?prevention efforts into provincial fiefdorns, we need a single authority with the power to levy taxes that will take charge of all of our area's drainage issues. Gov. Abbott should call a special session of the Legislature and set up such an authority. Although we are skeptical about whether lawmakers obsessed with divisive social issues can turn their attention to urgent needs, establishing this authority requires action from Austin. Our governor and our Legislature need to get this done immediately. 2. Build a third reservoir Addicks and Barker dams, reservoirs and spillways, constructed more than 60 years ago, are dangerously inadequate. The U5. Corps of Engineers rated both as "extremely higherisk? infrastructure years before Harvey. Houston environmental attorneyiim Blackburn maintains that at least one new reservoir should be constructed in northwest Harris County that can help flooding along Cypress Creek, Bear Creek and Buffalo Bayou. He urges the construction of additional upstream locations on virtually every stream in our region. Harvey shoved us uncomfortably close to catastrophe. We need a third reservoir, and probably more, to avoid unimaginable consequences the next time. Some experts estimate this could be a half-billionudollar infrastructure project. it is a small price to pay to avoid catastrophe and should be part of any federal relief plan. 3. Build the coastal barrier system if Hurricane lke in 2008 had steered straight up the Houston Ship Channel, its powerful surge would have wrought catastrophic damage not oniy on the Johnson Space Center and the Bayport industrial Complex, but also on the nation's economy. This area is responsible for more than half the nation?s jet fuel and almost a third of its oilvrefining capacity. it's also the leading supplier of energy products to the US. military. Texas Land Commissioner George P. Bush has asked 2 President Donald Trump to dedicate $15 billion toward construction of a coastal barrier system that would protect the upper Texas coast from hurricane storm surges. it's time to stop talking about this project and get to work building it. 4. Buy the Westwood Golf Club One of Houston?s worst recurring flood problems may have a relatively simple solution. Phil Bedient, director of the SSPEED Center at Rice for Severe Storm Protection, contends that most of Meyeriand would be protected from future flooding if the Westwood Golf Club along Brays Bayou was converted to a storm?water detention space. Harris County flood control officials must acquire this golf club and convert it into a detention pond. They should, if necessary, use condemnation powers. 5. Approve new funding streams We need money. A lot of it. Current local budgets are inadequate to cover the costs of the massive infrastructure investment we?ll need to keep this region safe from floods. The Harris County Flood Control District has a capital improvement budget of $60 million per year. Mike Talbott, the district's former executive director, estimated that we need about $26 billion for necessary infrastructure updates. Potential funding sources include a Lone Star State version of the Dutch national tax for flooding abatement. The Dutch tax goes into that resourceful nation?s comprehensive and innovative approach to flood protecting. Other revenue-generating ideas: as we said above, create a regional flood control district to levy new taxes, as Harris County did after the deluges of 1929 and 1935; impose a countywide sales tax dedicated to flood prevention; and, of course, expand the drainage fee the Houston City Council implemented in 2011 for a pay-as?you?go Rebuild Houston infrastructure plan (assuming it survives a state court challenge). The Legislature should compel the unincorporated areas of Harris County, home to about 2 million people, to establish local municipalities that levy their own sales and property taxes. At the state level, Abbott?s special session agenda must also tap the $10 billion Economic Stabilization Fund, also known, appropriately enough, as the Rainy Day Fund, to help pay for one?time infrastructure expenses. The federal government's recovery legislation can be a resource to both rebuild what Harvey destroyed and establish new resiliency for regional flooding and stormwsurge protection along the coast. ?Like the Dutch," Blackburn told the Chronicle, ?we need to be willing to tax ourselves to raise the needed money. We have a solid industrial base. We have a generally wealthy and vibrant community. We can do this, but not without proper funding.? 6. Require more effective land?use regulations Adopting new regulations at both city and county levels to better control runoff would include restrictions on expanding impervious surfaces, investment in green infrastructure and stronger flood~detention standards. it the county refuses to act, politicians at City Hall should not be reluctant to use their authority in the extra?territorial iurisdiction to impose landause regulations beyond city limits. Prairies and wetlands in west and northwest Harris County must be preserved either through direct purchases or deals with landowners. New construction should be subject to higher building?elevation standards perhaps with detention 3 ponds. The ploy of paving over Houston and putting up parking lots that are just under a regulatory threshold to avoid mandatory flood-mitigation requirements is the sort of loophole our politicians must close. Houston also must reduce the need for impervious parking lots by lowering or eliminating parking minimums. 7. Reform the National Flood insurance Program The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) must update its flood maps to better reflect the true risk, and cost, of living in a floodplain. Developers have a vested interest in keeping flood zones as small as possible to hide that risk and the eventual expense to owners. People and politicians must push back. We cannot keep rebuilding homes that flood over and over again. Buyouts must take priority over repairs for "repetitive loss properties,? where the federal insurance program has paid multiple claims within a 10?year span. Congress has to act to prevent federal flood insurance from expiring on Se pt. 30, and our representatives can use the opportunity to implement much?needed reforms. Any change to the program should involve forgiving $25 billion debt to the Treasury. The county and city must fill in the gaps for buyouts of routinely flooded properties not covered by FEMA. Local governments must also work to use reclaimed property in flood zones for both flood mitigation and functional urban greenspace. 8. insist on a transparent Corps of Engineers The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers often serves as the most important line of defense between people and floodwaters, but a broken political system leaves far too many in the dark about what the Corps does. Local neighborhoods remain ignorant about Corps projects throughout the region and about the risks and threats posed by floodwaters. Just look at the homeowners surprised to find themselves flooded near Addicks and Barker reservoirs. People who deal with the Corps say that responsiveness varies by region. Congress fails to maintain stringent oversight or proper funding for the Corps. Our elected officials, particularly U.S. Sens. John Cornyn and Ted Cruz, have a duty to ensure that the Corps of Engineers is working to keep Houstonians safe. 9. Reinvigorate our politics Harvey wasn?t the first. Houston, Harris County and beyond have repeatedly had to deal with assorted natural disasters, including devastating hurricanes, and yet our elected officials are too often unresponsive. At the county level and in other jurisdictions without term limits, we re?elect the same people for years, decades even, despite what seems to be their unwillingness or inability to respond to long?range needs. We urge local political parties to shake things up, recruit new candidates with fresh ideas and an eagerness to rattle the status?duo. We need engaged citizens who vote, who demand that politicians respond to real needs, not transgender bathroom restrictions. At the federal level, gerrymandered congressional districts are unexpected contributors to flooding problems. The Corps of Engineers takes its direction from Congress, where US. Rep. Ted Poe?s tadpole?shaped district stretches from the Addicks Reservoir to Atascocita and his colleague Michael McCaul?s from Austin to the Katy Prairie. These sprawling, ungainly districts are drawn to reelect incumbents, not to reflect the interests of constituents. The politics of place, unfortunately, takes a backseat to partisan primaries. Texas needs a nonpartisan redistricting commission. Speaking of responsive elected officials, Congress needs to restore earmarks. The tradition may have gotten a bad name . over the years, but as our two Green congressmen - Al and Gene - have pointed out, earmarks are a useful mechanism for meeting local flood needs rather than relying on the parochial whims of an often recalcitrant Congress. 10. Protect renters in addition to new infrastructure, we have to build economic to help Houstonians, especially renters, weather the financial burden that floods impose. Apartments must be required to offer flexibility on rent payments and late fees during disasters. Leases must be easier to break for renters who endure a natural disaster. Property owners can?t be allowed to discriminate against flood victims who rely on Section 8 vouchers to pay for new housing. 11. Help schools rebuild Harvey cost the Houston independent School District $700 million in damages, Superintendent Richard Carranza says. Abbott should provide the funding it needs to rebuild by calling upon the Legislature for a one-time payment from the Rainy Day Fund. Texas Education Commissioner Mike Morath should help by waiving the academic accountability ratings for public school districts and charter schools in counties declared disaster areas. A waiver will give ravaged campuses the opportunity to rebuild and to focus on the emotional needs of students. For a while, schools can do without the constant drilling students must endure to pass standardized tests. 12. Establish a national emergency website address We need a national 911?styie emergency information web address, a standard and easily remembered internet site where people can find up?to-the?rnornent intelligence on everything from road closures and rising floodwaters to web cameras and weather radar. FEMA needs to take the lead on this idea, establishing the web address and ensuring that county governments aggregate all their emergency data feeds on their locai sites. Residents should rely of state?of?the? art technology and up?to?the-second information from government not from sociai media. Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Office of Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner 0 83269343800 832-943?9835 houstontx. ov socialmedia Sylvester Turner MYR. From: Sent: To: Subject: Bernstein, Alan MYR Wednesday, September 13, 2017 4:42 AM Sylvester Turner Hunter, Marvaiette - Koski, James - Kelly, Bill - icken, Andy Ward, Darian Makany?Rivera, Tanya - Bounds, Jesse - MYR Chronicle editorial supports Amazon bid Amazon and Houston: a perfect match Bringing Bezos? e-comrnerce giant to his boyhood home justifies economic incentives. Houston Chronicle Editorial September 12, 2017 Legend has it that a smart little boy playing around with a primitive computer back in the 19705 figured out something none of his teachers at River 0a ks Elementary School knew how to do. Long before other kids started poking quarters into Pac-Man machines, the resourceful fourth grader hooked his school?s terminal up to a mainframe downtown. Then he invited his friends to join him and stay after school playing video games. When the budding computer in 2004, Jeff Bezos was on his we erd came back home to Houston to help his alma mater celebrate its 75th anniversary to becoming one of the richest men in the world. Now the business he founded, Amazon, is looking for a place to establish its second US. headquarters. The company plans to spend more than $5 billion building what Bezos calls "a full equal" to its sprawling base in Seattle. We?re a little biased, but we can?t imagine a better place than Houston. Amazon's announcement has already triggered a battle pitting big cities across America against each other. The company clearly wants to ignite a bidding war between local governments eager to lure the new corporate headquarters with lavish tax breaks and other lucrative concessions. . We've always been deeply skeptical about government officials showering corporations with tax enticements that amount to little more than corporate welfare. But what we have here is not some questionable deal to sweeten the pot for a retailer moving into a shopping strip. Amazon?s new headquarters is a special case, a major new employer whose potential benefit to our city fully justifies offering generous economic development incentives. Amazon?s 50,000 proposed would pay well, averaging mo new jobs would make it the city?s largest employer. just as important, most of those jobs re than $100,000 a year. Houston would become home not just to another Fortune 500 corporate headquarters, but also to the nation?s largest online retailer. Anyone who lived through the economic bust of the 19805 knows the critical importance of diversifying the city?s employment base beyond the oil and gas industry; Amazon would instantly establish Houston as an international hub in the explosively expanding world of e?commerce. The company issued an outline of "key preferences and decision drivers" that reads like a laundry list of everything Houston brags about. Amazon 5 pepulation, excellent institution ays it wants a "stable and business friendly environment and tax structure," a diverse of higher education, a highly educated labor pool and an international airport with daily direct ?ights to Seattle, New York, San Francisco and Washington DC. On the list of Amazon?s requirements, Houston checks every box. if it wants verification, just ask ExxonMobil. The oil giant recently opened a similar state~of~ ?cant benefit: no state income tax. the-art campus north of Houston. it?s employees have one signi Bezos has already invested heavily in Texa Blue Origin suborbital launch facility is located in Van Horn, a couple of ho build its largest wind project, Amazon Wind Farm Texas, in Scurry County, about midway And it's already announced plans for two fulfillment centers in our area. has said repeatedly in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Nothing "Houston?s open for business," Mayor Sylvester Turner nd U.S. headquarters here. We look ool back to his boyhood htWhole Foods Market, which is based in Austin. His urs drive east of El Paso. The company plans to etween Lubbock and Abilene. 5. Amazon lust boug he world louder than Amazon establishing its seco would shout that message to red with a computer at River Oaks Elementary forward to welcoming that kid who tinke home. Sent from my iPhone Sylvester Turner .. MYR w?W From: Hunter, Marvalette MYR Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2017 7:46 AM To: Bernstein, Alan MYR Cc: Sylvester Turner - Koski, James Kelly, Bill - Icken, Andy Ward, Darian Makany?Rivera, Tanya Bounds, Jesse - MYR Subject: Re: Chronicle editorial supports Amazon bid i?m excited at the prospecl Marvalette Hunter Mayor?s Chief of Staff City Hall 901 Bagby, 3rd Floor Houston, Texas 77002 832-393?1050 office 281?714?8327 cell On Sep 13, 2017, at 4:41 AM, Bernstein, Alan MYR wrote: Amazon and Houston: a perfect match Bringing Bezos? e-commerce giant to his boyhood home justifies economic incentives. Houston Chronicle Editorial September 12, 2017 . Legend has it that a smart little boy playing around with a primitive computer back in the 19705 figured out something none of his teachers at River Oaks Elementary School knew how to do. Long before other kids started poking quarters into Pac-Nlan machines, the resourceful fourth grader hooked his school?s terminal up to a mainframe downtown. Then he invited his friends to join him and stay after school playing video games. When the budding compute in 2004, Jeff Bezos was on his way to becoming one of the richest Now the business he founded, Amazon, is looking for a pl plans to spend more than $5 billion building what Bezos calls "a full equal" to its sprawling bas biased, but we can?t imagine a better place than Houston. has already triggered a battle pitting big cities across America against each other. The Amazon's announcemen company clearly wants to ignite a bidding war between local governments eager to lure the new corporate headquarters with lavish tax breaks and other lucrative concessions. We?ve always been deeply skeptical about government officials showering corporations with tax enticements that amount to little more than corporate welfare. But what we have here is not some questionable deal to sweeten the pot for a retailer moving into a shopping strip. Amazon?s new headquarters is a special case, a major new employer whose potential benefit to our city fully justifies offering generous economic development incentives. nerd came back home to Houston to help his alma mater celebrate its 75th anniversary men in the world. ace to establish its second US. headquarters. The company in Seattle. We're a little 1 Amazon?s 50,000 proposed new jobs would make it the city's largest employer. Just as important, most of those jobs would pay well, averaging more than $100,000 a year. Houston would become home not just to another Fortune 500 corporate headquarters, but also to the nation?s largest online retailer. Anyone who lived through the economic bust of the 19805 knows the critical importance of diversifying the city?s employment base beyond the oil and gas industry; Amazon would instantly establish Houston as an international hub in the explosively expanding world of e?commerce. The company issued an outline of ?key preferences and decision drivers" that reads like a laundry list of everything Houston brags about. Amazon says it wants a "stable and business friendly environment and tax structure," a diverse population, excellent institutions of higher education, a highly educated labor pool and an international airport with daily direct flights to Seattle, New York, San Francisco and Washington DC. On the list of Amazon?s requirements, Houston checks every box. if it wants verification, just ask Exxoanobil. The oil giant recently opened a similar statevof? the-art campus north of Houston. it's employees have one significant benefit: no state income tax. Belos has already invested heavily in Texas. Amazon just bought Whole Foods Market, which is based in Austin. His Blue Origin suborbital launch facility is located in Van Horn, a couple of hours drive east of El Paso. The company plans to build its largest wind project, Amazon Wind Farm Texas, in Scurry County, about midway between Lubbock and Abilene. And it?s already announced plans for two fulfillment centers in our area. "Houston?s open for business,? Mayor Sylvester Turner has said repeatedly in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Nothing would shout that message to the world louder than Amazon establishing its second U.S. headquarters here. We look forward to welcoming that kid who tinkered with a computer at River Oaks Elementary School back to his boyhood home. Sent from my iPhone Silvester Turner MYR From: Sent: To: Cc: Subject: That editorial sets the stage and Sent from my iPhone Sylvester Turner MYR Wednesday, September 13, 2017 8:00 AM Hunter, Marvalette - MYR Bernstein, Alan Koski, James - Keiiy, Biil icken, Andy - Ward, Darian Makany'Rivera, Tanya Bounds, Jesse MYR Re: Chronicle editorial supports Amazon bid the tone for the rest of us as we pursue this deal. On Sep 13, 2017, at 7:45 AM, Hunter, Marvalette - MYR wrote: i?m excited at the prospecl Marvalette Hunter Mayor?s Chief of Staff City Hall 901 Bagby, 3rd Floor Houston, Texas 77002 832-393-1050 office On Sep 13, 2017, at 4:41 AM, Bernstein, Alan MYR wrote: Amazon and Houston: a perfect match Bringing Bezos? e-commer Houston Chronicle Editorial September 12, 20t7 ce giant to his boyhood home justifies economic incentives. Legend has it that a smart iittie boy playing around with a primitive computer back in the 19705 figured out something none of his teachers at River Oaks Elementary Schooi knew how to do. Long before other kids started poking quarters into Pac?Man machines, the resourceful fourth grader hooked his school's terminal up to a mainframe downtown. Then he invited his friends to join him and stay after school piaying video games. When the budding computer nerd came back home to Houston to help his aima mater celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2004, Jeff Bezos was on his way to becoming one of the richest men in the world. Now the business he founded, Amazon, is looking for a place to establish its second U.S. headquarters. The company plans to spend more than $5 bill biased, but we can't imagine a ion building what Bezos calls "a full equal" to its sprawling base in Seattle. We?re a iittie etter place than Houston. Amazon?s announcement has already triggered a battle pitting big cities across America against each other. The company clearly wants to ignite a bidding war between local governments eager to lure the new corporate headquarters with lavish tax breaks and other lucrative concessions. We?ve always been deeply skeptical about government officials showering corporations with tax enticements that amount to little more than corporate welfare. But what we have here is not some questionable deal to sweeten the pot for a retailer moving into a shopping strip. Amazon's new headquarters is a special case, a major new employer whose potential benefit to our city fully justifies offering generous economic development incentives. Amazon's 50,000 proposed new jobs would make it the city's largest employer. Just as important, most of those jobs would pay well, averaging more than $100,000 a year. Houston would become home not just to another Fortune 500 corporate headquarters, but also to the nation?s largest online retailer. Anyone who lived through the economic bust of the 19805 knows the critical importance of diversifying the city?s employment base beyond the oil and gas industry; Amazon would instantly establish Houston as an international hub in the explosively expanding world of e?commerce. The company issued an outline of ?key preferences and decision drivers" that reads like a laundry list of everything Houston brags about. Amazon says it wants a ?stable and business friendly environment and tax structure,? a diverse population, excellent institutions of higher education, a highly educated labor pool and an international airport with daily direct flights to Seattle, New York, San Francisco and Washington DC. On the list of Amazon?s requirements, Houston checks every box. if it wants verification, just ask ExxoniVlobil. The oil giant recently opened a similar stateaof- the~art campus north of Houston. it?s employees have one significant benefit: no state income tax. . Bezos has already invested heavily in Texas. Amazon just bought Whole Foods Market, which is based in Austin. His Blue Origin suborbital launch facility is located in Van Horn, a couple of hours drive east of El Paso. The company plans to build its largest wind project, Amazon Wind Farm Texas, in Scurry County, about midway between Lubbock and Abilene. And it?s already announced plans for two fulfillment centers in our area. ?Houston's open for business,? Mayor Sylvester Turner has said repeatedly in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Nothing would shout that message to the world louder than Amazon establishing its second U.S. headquarters here. We look forward to welcoming that kid who tinkered with a computer at River Oaks Elementary School back to his boyhood home. Sent from my iPhone Sylvester Turner - MYR . From: icken. Andy - MYR Sent: Wednesday, September 13, 2017 9:51 PM To: Sylvester Turner MYR Subject: Re: Chronicle editorial supports Amazon bid Agree. Sent from my iPad On Sep 13, 2017, at 8:00 AM, Syivester Turner - MYR wrote: That editoriai sets the stage and the tone for the rest of us as we pursue this deal. Sent from my iPhone On Sep 13, 2017, at 7:45 AM, Hunter, Marvalette MYR wrote: l'm excited at the prospec! Marvalette Hunter Mayor's Chief of Staff City Hail 901 Bagby, 3rd Floor Houston, Texas 77002 832693?1050 office On Sep 13, 2017, at 4:41 AM, Bernstein, Alan - MYR wrote: Amazon and Houston: a perfect match Bringing Bezos' e?commerce giant to his boyhood home justifies economic incentives. Houston Chronicle Editorial September 12, 2017 Legend has it that a smart little boy playing around with a primitive computer back in the 19705 figured out something none of his teachers at River Oaks Elementary School knew how to do. Long before other kids started poking quarters into Pac?Man machines, the resourceful fourth grader hooked his school's terminal up to a mainframe downtown. Then he invited his friends to join him and stay after school playing video games. When the budding computer nerd came back home to Houston to help his alma mater celebrate its 75th anniversary in 2004, Jeff Bezos was on his way to becoming one of the richest men in the world. Now the business he founded, Amazon, is looking for a place to establish its second U.S. headquarters. The company plans to spend more than $5 billion building what Bezos calls "a full equal" to its sprawling base in Seattle. We?re a little biased, but we can't imagine a better place than Houston. Amazon's announcement has already triggered a battle pitting big cities across America against each other. The company clearly wants to ignite a bidding war between local governments eager to lure the new corporate headquarters with lavish tax breaks and other lucrative concessions. We've always been deeply skeptical about government officials showering corporations with tax enticements that amount to little more than corporate welfare. But what we have here is not some questionable deal to sweeten the pot for a retailer moving into a shopping strip. Amazon?s new headquarters is a special case, a major new employer whose potential benefit to our city fully justifies offering generous economic development incentives. Amazon?s 50,000 proposed new jobs would make it the city's largest employer. Just as important, most of those jobs would pay well, averaging more than $100,000 a year. Houston would become home not just to another Fortune 500 corporate headquarters, but also to the nation?s largest online retailer. Anyone who lived through the economic bust of the 19803 knows the critical importance of diversifying the city?s employment base beyond the oil and gas industry; Amazon would instantly establish Houston as an international hub in the explosively expanding world of e- commerce. The company issued an outline of ?key preferences and decision drivers" that reads like a laundry list of everything Houston brags about. Amazon says it wants a ?stable and business friendly environment and tax structure," a diverse population, excellent institutions of higher education, a highly educated labor pool and an international airport with daily direct flights to Seattle, New York, San Francisco and Washington DC. On the list of Amazon?s requirements, Houston checks every box. If it wants verification, just ask ExxonMobil. The oil giant recently opened a similar state?of? the?art campus north of Houston. it?s employees have one significant benefit: no state income tax. Bezos has already invested heavily in Texas. Amazon just bought Whole Foods Market, which is based in Austin. His Blue Origin suborbital launch facility is located in Van Horn, a couple of hours drive east of El Paso. The company plans to build its largest wind project, Amazon Wind Fa rm Texas, in Scurry County, about midway between Lubbock and Abilene. And it's already announced plans for two fulfillment centers in our area. ?Houston's open for business,? Mayor Sylvester Turner has said repeatedly in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Nothing would shout that message to the world louder than Amazon establishing its second U.S. headquarters here. We look forward to welcoming that kid who tinkered with a computer at River Oaks Elementary School back to his boyhood home. Sent from my iPhone give-star Turner - MYR From: John Reale Sent: Saturday, September 16, 2017 12'. To: Sylvester Turner MYR;1cken, Andy - MYR Cc: Hunter, Marvaiette MYR Subject: Fwd: Amazon looking for 2nd HQ in NA Attachments: Houston Vision Op-ed August 2017 v2.docx Mayor Turner, Andy, Happy Saturday; hope you are well. Circling back re: Amazon HQZ. I provided updates to the note below. Who is playing the role of leader architect for the Amazon proposal? Besides the response to many of the traditional RFP elements, is there a plan to incorporate the plan and highlight your vision for the City, then tying that back to the proposal? If we simply report on our current state of the city, I think we are challenged without clearly showing this plan in our bid, than allowing our actions over the coming weeks and months demonstrate that we are doing exactly what we said we would, as well as be able to tell the story of how we transforming the City. With our planned announcements for the: (1) Fund of Funds; (2) potential consolidation of the Innovation Strategy Office; and (3) Innovation District demonstrating Houston's future and why Amazon (or anyone else for that matter) would be foolish not to grow (or start) their business in any other place but Houston? Bat phone is always JR John S. Reale, Jr. Co?Founder, CEO 713.825.2768 Please consider joining eurs for Houston to donate to the 54H Fund to support tech and En tregrea entrepreneurship initiatives related to Hurricane Harvey Forwarded From: John Beale Date: Sun, Sep 10, 2017 at 11:08 PM Subject: Re: Amazon looking for 2nd HQ in NA 0: Sylvester Turner - MYR Cc: ?Icken, Andy - Mayor Turner, Same page. My wife and I went to dinner with some other leaders in the tech community on Saturday where this monopolized the conversation (my poor wife). I believe that our actions (as an innovation economy) will speak loudly as to why we should win. Read this Harvard Business Review article to amplify my thoughts. - s: hbr.or 2017 O9 what-amazons?h 2-wish~list~si cities. Excerpt below. We have the plan in just have to move faster. Happy to visit with Andy you this week. Let?s win. JR 1. Communicate the Vision: We must re?visit a vision piece for our City. Attached is a draft piece I put together with Andy?s support before Harvey. We can re?visit to make this piece event bolder, but I believe this can start a movement. JR: Please advise 2. Launch the Fundwof-Funds: Blair Garrou (my co?founder of Station who you met before) and I will be going to Insperity on Tuesday to secure their commitment for the Fund?of-Funds to attract Venture Capital to our City. I believe your involvement can help us build more momentum. I think it would be great to have a call with Paul Savardi (Insperity Founder CEO) to reinforce your commitment to our innovation economy. JR: I believe there should be some coordination happening in the background to plan a press conference. In the interim, it would be good for us to visit with Guillermo Borda (Fund Manager) and Blair Garrou (Chair of the Initiative) to review the plan and strategy 3. Innovation District: Announcing the Innovation District will be a major catalyst, and become a topic that people from around the world take notice of our creativity of how Houston sees innovation. Andy has been a vital piece to this puzzle building support and engagement from various stakeholders like Bob Eury, Lionstone and Midway. I'd love to share this vision of the district with you to get your feedback and support. We must push on this initiative, particularly as it one of the most important pieces not only to win this bid, but clearly show the world about the future of Houston. JR: I should have an LOI from Midway early next week. From there, I am working to convene more stakeholders to get complete buy?in to howwe take forward the strategy. We'll need to develop a Public Private Partnership or some other type of vehicle to enable Houston to launch our if we do this right, will be one of the most unique assets in the world. 4. Build our Strike Force: We need to assemble a team to work with Andy and Bob Harvey to support how we build, and communicate this proposal. The clock is ticking. I have thoughts on people who need to be involved. We have get the right people involved that are ultimately interesting to Bezos? broader ambitions - look into the 53.2.93 Family Foundation to reveal what?s most important JR: Please advise 5. Consolidate the Strategy Office: Before Harvey, we had a meeting scheduled to discuss how we consolidate the Task Force GHP Innovation efforts HTC, where we put a strong leader who can help us convene on areas to drive our innovation economy forward. The HTC Board Meeting is scheduled for 10-Oct. I spent this afternoon providing feedback to Gina Luna and Barbara Burger (Chevron) How can we move faster? JR: Another item in progress. I have been intimately involved in the planning between Accenture, GHP and HTC, providing my inputs wearing my Task Force hat. Given the planned meeting on the 25th, I would advise we schedule time to review that plan ahead of the meeting so I can provide the debrief 6. Entrepreneurs for Houston Fund: Tomorrow, we will officially launch the Entrepreneurs for Houston Fund. We must make this a success so we can support our ground?up tech efforts to build a solution set that we can share with the world for disaster relief and recovery. No City has done this at a major I don?t know. But this is an opportunity for us to showcase our talents, continue to show how Houston cares, and create awareness that becomes part of our innovation story. JR: Launched. More to follow as to how we drive interest to drive these efforts. ?As our research has the vibrant metros of the future will be those that are home to high- tech advanced industries. That?s because those Industries spur the collision. of digital technologies and cutting?edge business development, also brought about by tech?savvy workers and investments, an generate jobs and good wages in a period of sluggish economic growth. Digital industries are a main driver of growth within these industries. Yet for all their bene?ts and buzz, digital jobs continue to Area at hicall concentrate in established high?tech meccas at a time when our nation needs more metro areas, especially in the heartland, to gain a competitive foothold in the digital ?ttare. So how can cities garner a bigger share of high?tech growth? The ansWer is not to just polish up branding and marketing materials and wait for the next Amazon~scale business attraction opportunini. Nor is it to concentrate entirely on traditional economic development strategies of bundling available plots of land for prospective businesses and offering generous subsidies (though admittedly, Amazon seems to want a bit of that, too). Rather, cities need to look closely at the criteria in Amazon?s RF and ask whether they?ve done enough to build. up the fundamental. assets prized by innovative ?rms and industries. John S. Reale, Jr. Co?Founder, CEO 713.525.2768 Please consider joining Entreoreneurs for Houston to donate to the Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund established my Mayor Turner On Sun, Sep 10, 2017 at 10:04 PM, Sylvester Turner MYR wrote: i 1 have expressed my strong interest in competing for this deal. We need to put forth a very attractive proposal. Please share with us your thoughts. Sent from my iPhone On Sep 7, 2017, at 7:27 PM, John Reale _W?te" See below note from Blair Garrou this morning re: Amazon launching a 2nd HQ. I believe that through our innovation initiative, we can demonstrate i that we can compete and that we can win. I have been working with an Amazon executive to help them grow their AWS office, but this is a different scale. What can we do to help? JR John S. Reale, 3r. (Io-Founder, CEO 713,825.2268 Please consider joining Entregreneurs for Houston to donate to the Hurricane Harvey Reiief Fund established my Mayor Turner .1 Forwarded messa From: Blair Garrou Date: Thu, Sep 7, 2017 at 9:17 AM Subject: Re: Amazon looking for 2nd HQ in NA To: Bob Harvey Gina Luna Jon Nordby arbara Burger Co: John Reale Amazon cheat sheet! Industrial growth for AWS (which they are salivating for) Big push into OpenGov initiatives (this is important to Amazon) Near Whole Foods HQ (Austin) Perfect locale for Blue Origin HQ (that isn?t already a locale for SpaoeX) Diverse, cheap workforce Bezos? home town 0.0-0. orge Lev an just reached out and said this has the potential to be more friend Go Houston. and my goo the Super Bowl to impactful than though. By a handful of zeros. He? 3 missing the bigger picture, impactful than fracking to Houston? 3 economy. This has the ability to be met to nosedive. AMZN, and cmmodity prices term. Cloud softWare, the long- ation and delivery, ubiquitous high-tech economy for hacking to mature, then 6 months for anies that follow their lead, would be sustainable for ce/retail/ grocery, autonomous vehicles/ drones for transport loration. Every major growth driver of our private space exp It took 25 years other tech comp online eeommer Al for the consumer, (outside of healthcare). established or np-and~coming innovation ecosystem to grow with. Cheaper are interested. Good think we have our act 11 the City/Corps They?ll be looking for a labor that way, but they?ll want to know together now! coffee Let us know how we can help. Sorry, I?ll stop drinkin Blair er 7, 2017 at 3 Gina Luna on Nordby 0: Bob Harvey Cc: John Rea on looking for 2nd 1 Subject: Amaz americahtml We (Houston) need to be all over this. LMK how JR and I can help/planlpitch. This would be a massive win and propel the city in a great new direction. Amazon?s AWS unit has been. a ke Blair Biair Garrou Mercury Fund startup venture capital One Greenway Plaza, Suite 930 Houston, TX 77046 713 715.6820 of?ce "281.250.9579 0611 @bgarrou contributor to the relief effort via E414. Sylvester Turner - MYR From: Tom Bacon wrote: Absolutely. Marvelette please get Tom on my calendar Tuesday/Wednesday. Sent from my iPhone On Sep 17, 2017, at 3:52 PM, Tom Bacon ?wrote: Mayor Turner: When i received the call from Andy to be a potential ?Head of Harvey Recovery?, 5 gathered a team including a number of the groups that offered assistance to put some shape around what "Harvey Recovery? might mean. You've received a ?vaaged that has behind it a fairly robust briefing notebook. l?ll have a couple of copies of that notebook available tomorrow. i think the team developed some pretty solid ideas based on deep dives into previous disaster recoveries and we tailored these approaches to Houston's unique situation. We also have a pretty interesting data solution teed up that may be of interest. i?m thrilled with the bold move to focus on a coastal solution on our way to 3 Harvey Recovery, and look forward to meeting Marvin. This will likely be the most data rich, and therefore measured, disaster recovery in history. Houston ought to have steliar performance. And then there is Amazonl Can i get some of your time this week to discuss? Thanks, Tom Tom Bacon 713-412-4952 Eylvester Turner - MYR From: Tom Bacon Sent: Tuesday, September 19, 2017 1:33 PM To: Hunter, Marvalette - MYR Cc: Sylvester Turner MYR Subject: Re: Hawey Recovery Marvalette: Any progress on potential meeting times? Tom Bacon 713-412?4952 On Sep 17, 2017, at 8:54 PM, Hunter, Marvalette - MYR wrote: Will do. lwill confirm the meeting date and time tomorrow. Tom, I look forward to meeting you. Marvalette Hunter Mayor?s Chief of Staff City Hall 901 Bagby, 3rd Floor Houston, Texas 77002 832?393?1050 office 'On Sep 17, 2017, at 7:52 PM, Sylvester Turner - MYR wrote: Absolutely. Marvelette please get Tom on my calendar Tuesday/Wednesday. Sent from my iPhone On Sep 17, 2017, at 3:52 PM, Tom Bacon ?wrote: Mayor Turner: When i received the call from Andy to be a potential "Head of Harvey Recovery", i gathered a team including a number of the groups that offered assistance to put some shape around what "Harvey Recovery? might mean. You've received a "Z-pager? that has behind it a fairly robust briefing notebook. l?ll have a couple of copies of that notebook available tomorrow. i think the team developed some pretty solid ideas based on deep dives into previous disaster recoveries and we tailored those approaches to Houston?s unique situation. We also have a pretty interesting data solution teed up that may be of interest. l?m thrilled with the bold move to focus on a coastal solution on our way to a Harvey Recovery, and look forward to meeting Marvin. This likely be the most data rich, and therefore measured, disaster recovery in history. Houston ought to have stellar performance. And then there is Amazon! Can i get some of your time this week to discuss? Thanks, Tom Tom Bacon Eylvester Turner - MYR From: Koski, James - MYR Sent: Monday, September 25. 2017 9:45 AM To: Sylvester Turner . Cc: lcken, Andy Hunter, Marvalette Lewis, Ronald Bernstein, Alan - MYR Subject: Fwd: 3 Houston Sites for Amazon's New HQ: Ralph Bivlns? Realty News Report FYI - The beginr?ng of the email below touches on some of the Amazon requirements and has suggestions on 3 potential sites. James Koski Deputy Chief of Staff Of?ce of Mayor Sylvester Turner 832.393.0833, lashesikoskilazhoustontx.gov Original message m-m? From: ?RealtyNewsReport.eom? a Date: 9/25/17 5:16 AM To: ?Koski, James Subject: 3 Houston Sites for Amazon's New HQ: Ralph Bivins? Realty News Report Having trouble viewing this email? gigs here Top Stories in This lsse of Bulletin (See Full Story Below) Helios Plaza Building Selling for $175 Million Expansion Space Carved Out at Bank of America Center Lionstone to be Acquired Rail-Served Building Sold Offshore Firm Leases Space in Energy Corridor Canadian Buys Crow industrial Property Lincoln Property Co. Pays Dearly for Development Site Texas Apartment Sold for $4.4 Billion Plus: Lease of the Week Headquarters Space City?s Case for Amazon?s $5 Billion MEMO To: Jeff Bezos, Founder, Amazon Inc. From: Ralph Bivins, Founding Editor, Realty News Report Re: Putting Amazon?s Second HQ in Space City - your former hometown Dear Mr. Bezos, Houston is a cradle of innovation and entrepreneurial genius. Houston has been home to many of the great American innovators: computer magnate Michael Dell, tracking pioneer George P. Mitchell and you, Mr. Bezos .. a former student in the Houston Independent School District before you created the most dominate internet retailer. Houston is where President John F. Kennedy, at Rice University in 1962, challenged the nation to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade. And we did it - with Mission Control in southeast Houston leading the way. They still call Houston ?Space City" and it still has the kind of can-do spirit that would make Amazon feel at home. With the deadline for proposals less than a month away, perhaps you'd consider putting Amazon's $5 billion second headquarters in Houston. With 50,000 new jobs and 8 million square feet of office space, Houstonians would love to have it here. Honestly, there is no other city equipped to meet your requirements the way Houston can. May respond to your request for proposals thusly: Amazon Requirement: 500,000 square feet of office space available in 2019. Frankly, Houston has an oversupply of office space right now. A lot of it is brand new, affordable and built to the highest LEED green standards. So Houston can deliver your 500,000 square feet in 2019 and then design and build the 8 million square feet you need in just a few years. Amazon Requirement: Within 45 minutes of international airport. Houston has two (2) major international airports. Hobby Airport has been upgraded significantly since you lived here, Mr. Bezos. Amazon Requirement: More than 1 million in populationlsufficient workforce. The Greater Houston area has a population of more than 6 million people and has been one of the fastest growing cities in the nation in the last decade. Amazon Requirement: Diverse population. Houston has the most diverse population in the nation, even more diverse than New York City, according to Dr. Robert Stein of Rice University. Pupils entering kindergarten at speak more than 100 different languages. Amazon Requirement: Access to Mass TransitHouston has a workable bus Bystem and METRO light rail, which goes through downtown. lnvesco Buying Energy Corridor Building for $175 Million 00 WW A amfigoig?g? 333,513: HOUSTON - Dallas-based lnvesco Real Estate has contracted to buy the Helios Plaza building in the Energy Corridor for $175 million of $445 per SF. Part of the BP North American headquarters, the building is 100 percent leased by SF A World 0i The seller, Houston-based Woodbranch investments, es?ate? was represented by Eastdil Secured, Real Estate Alert reports. The six?story, Helios building, which is near the Addicks Reservoir, did not flood during Hurricane Harvey, according to Real Estate Alert. But mm," several of the buildings in the area did sustain flood Advantage damage. Woodbranch bought the building in April and leased it 031, Real Estate Alert says. Expansion Underway at Bank of America Building in Downtown HOUSTON The old Western Union building, which has been encased and hidden since the 56?story Bank of America Center tower was completed in 1983, is being opened up and redeveloped. The renovation of the Western Union space will add some to the building, providing room for a new white table-cloth restaurant, says Ken Moczulski, founder and CEO of Houston-based Properties, which owns the building. The 1.2 million SF building, 700 Louisiana, was developed by Hines and designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee. Bank of America will be moving out of the building to occupy a new tower developed by Skanska. Cameron Cureton and John Brownlee recently arranged a refinancing of the building. Lionstone to Be Acquired HOUSTON - Lionstone Investments, a Houston real estate firm, is being acquired by the Columbia Threadneedle Investments organization. The transaction is expected to close later this year. Lionstone is a participant in a number of maior projects in Houston, including several with Midway: the GreenStreet mixed?used development in downtown, the Jones on Main redevelopment and the Buffalo Heights development on Washington Avenue. Lionstone will continue to be based in Houston and the Lionstone executive team will remain in place, operating under the Lionstone brand. assess ?Columbia Threadneedie?s leadership, experience, and culture are complementary to Lionstone?s, making this a strong strategic partnership," said Lionstone chief executive officer Jane Page. "Our foundational investment philosophy and approach will remain the same. Collaboratlon in evar?y protect: Plastics Firm Buys Rail-Served Building HOUSTON - Polymers Packaging &Warehousing inc. acquired a warehouse from Aleen Street Associates, Ltd. The rail?served building is located at 550 Aleen Street in northeast Houston inside 610 Loop. Ryan Fuselier and Travis Secor of JLL represented the buyer. Bob Berry and Grant Hortenstine of Avison Young represented the seller. Based in Houston, Polymers Packaging Warehousing lnc. is a supplier of plastic resins, which are exported worldwide. 550 Aleen will serve as the company?s global manufacturing and distribution facility. Offshore Firm Leases Corridor HOUSTON The 2H Offshore engineering firm signed a 31 office lease renewal at 15990 Barkers Landing Road in the Energy Corridor district in west Houston. Jon Siiberman of NAI Partners represented 2H Offshore, which designs subsea risers for shallow water, deepwater and ultrawdeepwater drilling . platforms. HE The building?s landlord, Banyan Street/GAP Timbenrvay One Owner, LLC, was represented by Michelle Wogan and Monte Calvert of Transwestern. Canadian Buys Crow industrial Project in NW Houston HOUSTON - Toronto-based WPT industrial has armed Rear, 5. mm purchased a three-building industrial warehouse property totaling 416,000 SF in northwest Houston. The seller, Crow industrial Holdings, was represented by Trent Agnew and Rusty The facility, called Apex Distribution Center, is located just west of the intersection of Tanner Road and Beltway 8. Lincoln PrOperty Co. Makes a Big Play on Turtle Creek DALLAS - Lincoln Property Co. has acquired a prime two-acre location on Turtle Creek in Dallas for a major office development. {Building Successful Since 193! The acquisition was "likely one of the most expensive per-square?foot property transactions in North Texas this year," reports Steve Brown of the Dallas Morning News. The site includes a office building at 2999 Turtle Creek Blvd. Texas Apartment Acquired in $4.4 Billion Deal PLANO, Texas formerly known as Bob Faith in 1993. Copyright 2017 Sept. 25, 2017 WCA Waste Corporation, th waste management company, office lease to expand its headquarters at the 30~story 1330 Post Oak in the Uptown Houston area. Dan Boyles and Mike represented the tenant, while Eric A Garrett of Transwestern represented the landlord, Four Oaks Place Operating LP. axes-based Monogram Residential, Behringer Harvard, has been acquired by fund led by Greystar Real Estate Partners for $4.4 billion. Greystar controls LEASE OF THE WEEK - Headquarters Lease in Four Oaks Place by Realty News Report Check our website daily for news updates: Monogram controlled a portfolio of 48 apartment complexes in 10 states With 13,438 units. Greystar, based in Charleston, 8.0., was founded by over 425,000 Mannella of NM Partners The building is part of the Four Oaks Place of?ce complex, which was designed by Cesar Pelli and developed by Giorgio Borienghi of lnterfin Cos. Like us on Facebook Your Reliable Real Estate News Source. RealtyNewsReport?com Ralph Realty News Report, Houston, TX 77002 Sae su 5 rl 7? es. 0514' sto . ov forwarg gmail 1 Update About ou: gemice 950mg; Sent by In collaboration with Constant Contact??r; Try it free today Sylvester Turner - MYR From: Hunter, Marvalette MYR Sent: Monday, September 25, 2017 1:13 PM To: Koski, James - Sylvester Turner - MYR Cc: icken, Andy Lewis, Ronald Bernstein, Alan - MYR Subject: RE: 3 Houston Sites for Amazon's New HQ: Ralph Bivins' Realty News Report ThanksJames. From: Koski, James - MYR Sent: Monday, September 25, 2017 9:45 AM To: Sylvester Turner MYR Cc: lcken, Andy MYR Hunter, Marvalette MYR Lewis, Ronald - LGL Bernstein, Alan MYR Subject: Fwd: 3 Houston Sites for Amazon?s New HQ: Ralph Bivins? Realty News Report FYI The beginning of the email below touches on some of the Amazon requirements and has suggestions on 3 potential sites. lames Koski Deputy Chief of Staff Of?ce of Mayor Sylvester Turner 832.393.0833, 'ames.koski .lioustontx.oov Original message From: "RealtyNewsReport.com" Date: 9/25/17 5:16 AM To: ?Koski, James <1 ames.Koski@houstontx.goy> Subject: 3 Houston Sites for Amazon's New HQ: Ralph Bivins? Realty News Report Having trouble viewing this email? Ciick here Top Stories in This Issue of RNR Bulletin (See Full Story Below) Helios Plaza Building Selling for $175 Million Expansion Space Carved Out at Bank of America Center Lionstone to be Acquired Rail-Served Offshore Firm Leases Space in Energy Corridor Canadian Buys Crow industrial Property Lincoln Property Co. Pays Dearly for Development Site Texas Apartment REIT Sold for $4.4 Billion Plus: Lease of the Week Space City?s Case for Amazon?s $5 Billion Headquarters To: Jeff Bezos, Founder, Amazon lnc. From: Ralph Bivins, Founding Editor, Realty News Report Re: Putting Amazon?s Second HQ in Space City your former hometown Dear Mr. Bezos. Houston is a cradle of innovation and entrepreneurial genius. Houston has been home to many of the great American innovators: computer magnate Michael Dell, tracking pioneer George P. Mitchell and you, Mr. Bezos - a former student in the Houston lndependent School District before you created the most dominate internet retailer. Houston is where President John F. Kennedy, at Rice University in 1962, challenged the nation to put a man on the moon before the end of the decade. And we did it with Mission Control in southeast Houston leading the way. They still call Houston "Space City" and it still has the kind of can?do spirit that would make Amazon feel at home. With the deadline for proposals less than a month away, perhaps you?d consider putting Amazon?s $5 billion second headquarters in Houston. With 50,000 new lobe and 8 million square feet of office space, Houstonians would love to have it here. Honestly, there is no other city equipped to meet your requirements the way Houston can. May respond to your request for proposals thusly: Amazon Requirement: 500,000 square feet of office space available in 2019. Frankly, Houston has an oversupply of office space right now. A lot of it is brand new, affordable and built to the highest LEED green standards. 80 Houston can deliver your 500,000 square feet in 2019 and then design and build the 8 million square feet you need in just a few years. Amazon Requirement: Within 45 minutes of international airport. Houston has two (2) major international airports. Hobby Airport has been upgraded significantly since you lived here, Mr. Bezos. Amazon Requirement: More than 1 million in populationlsufficient workforce. The Greater Houston area has a population of more than 6 million people and has been one of the fastest growing cities in the nation in the last decade. Amazon Requirement: Diverse population. Houston has the most diverse population in the nation, even more diverse than New York City, according to Dr. Robert Stein of Rice University. Pupils entering kindergarten at speak more than 100 different languages. Amazon Requirement: Access to Mass TransitHouston has a workable bus system and METRO light rail, which goes through downtown. Although your RFP doesn?t say Amazon headquarters must be in a downtown like the current headquarters in Seattle, the document gives the impression that an urban site is preferred. Houston has a lot of great locations, but to start the conversation, please consider these three sites: 800 Bell: This 1 million square-foot downtown tower, once the headquarters of Humble Oil, is now vacant. The 44-story building, owned by Shorenstein Properties, could be renovated and delivered by Amazon?s 2019 deadline. it is one block from METRO light rail. Over a dozen new mid-rise and high-rise residential buildings are under development in downtown. Plus, 800 Bell is surrounded by a number of surface parking lots that could be sites for new Amazon towers. Downtown has the walkable environment and entertainment facilities that appeal to Millennial workforce more than suburban campuses. East River: Midway, a Houston developer that created the City Centre mixed?use project, owns 147 acre just east of downtown. The site, which has one mile of frontage on Buffalo Bayou, was the campus of KBR (formerly known as Brown Root). A year ago, when Midway unveiled preliminary concepts for the site, Midway CEO Jonathan Brinsden said East River was being planned to accommodate 8 million million feet of new development - which coincidentally happens to be exactly as much space as Amazon needs. Astrodome: The empty, county-owned stadium has innovation in its bones. It was the world?s first air-conditioned domed stadium. When grass wouldn?t grow, Astroturf was invented. The Astrodome has METRO rail service connected to downtown and Midtown. lt?s surrounded by 300 acres of parking that could be sites for additional development. The Astrodome has 500,000 square feet of floor space ready to be reconfigured as innovative office space. Plus, the Dome is on Kirby Drive, where your old school, River Oaks Elementary, is located, just five miles up the road. Ralph Bivins, editor email: RealtyNewsReport@aol.com Follow me on Twitter @RNRBulletin Facebook: Realty News Report We've been covering real estate for decades and It gets better every day Copyright 2017 by Realty News Report. 00 WW lnvesco Buying Energy Corridor Building for uxunv APART ENT $175Mmi0n HOUSTON Dallas?based lnvesco Real Estate has contracted to buy the Helios Plaza building in the Energy Corridor for $175 million of $445 per SF. Part of the BP North American headquarters, the building is 100 percent leased by BP. A wcrid 0 difference "98? BSWR The seller, Houston-based Woodbranch Investments, was represented by Eastdil Secured, Real Estate Alert reports. The six-story, Helios building, which is near the Addicks Reservoir, did not flood during CBRE mum, Hurricane Harvey, according to Real Estate Alert. But ?i?"mg?i several of the buildings in the area did sustain flood damage. Woodbranch bought the building in April and leased it back to BP until 2031, Real Estate Alert says. Expansion Underway at Bank of America Building in Downtown DESIGN HOUSTON - The old Western Union building, which A has been encased and hidden since the 56-story IPartners Bank of America Center tower was completed in 1983, is being opened up and redeveloped. unaware POTENTIAL Delivering Results The renovation of the Western Union space will add some to the building, providing room for a mus?m?iumism new white table-cloth restaurant, says Ken Moozulski, founder and CEO of Houston?based M-M Properties, which owns the building. The 1.2 million SF building, 700 Louisiana, was developed by Hines and designed by Philip Johnson and John Burgee. Bank of America will be moving out ?masses Collabnr?atlun in every protect. of the building to occupy a new tower developed by Skanska. HFF's Cameron Cureton and John Browniee recently arranged a refinancing of the building. Lionstone to Be Acquired HOUSTON Lionstone investments, a Houston real estate firm, is being acquired by the Columbia Threadneedle investments organization. The transaction is expected to close later this year. Lionstone is a participant in a number of major projects in Houston, including several with Midway: the GreenStreet mixed-used development in downtown, the Jones on Main redevelopment and the Buffalo Heights development on Washington Avenue. Lionstone will continue to be based in Houston and the Lionstone executive team will remain in place, operating under the Lionstone brand. "Columbia Threadneedle's leadership, experience, and culture are complementary to Lionstone's, making this a strong strategic partnership," said Lionstone chief executive officer Jane Page. "Our foundational investment philosophy and approach will remain the same.? Plastics Firm Buys Rail?Served Building HOUSTON Polymers Packaging Warehousing inc. acquired a warehouse from Aleen Street Associates, Ltd. The rail-served building is located at 550 Aleen Street in northeast Houston inside 610 Loop. Ryan Fuselier and Travis Secor of JLL represented the buyer. Bob Berry and Grant Hortenstine of Avison Young represented the seller. Based in Houston, Polymers Packaging 8: Warehousing Inc. is a supplier of plastic resins, which are exported worldwide. 550 Aleen will serve as the company?s global manufacturing and distribution facility. Offshore Firm Leases Space in Energy Corridor NEW To THE HOUSTON The 2H Offshore engineering firm *6 signed a office lease renewal at 15990 Barkers Landing Road in the Energy Corridor district in west Houston. Jon Silberman of Partners represented 2H Offshore, which designs subsea risers for shallow water, deepwater and ultra-deepwater drilling platforms. The building?s landlord, Banyan StreethAP Timberway One Owner, LLC, was represented by Michelle Wogan and Monte Calvert of Transwestern. Canadian Buys Crow industrial Protect in NW Houston HOUSTON - Toronto?based WPT industrial has purchased a three-budding industrial warehouse property totaling 416,000 SF in northwest Houston. The seller, Crow industrial Holdings. was represented by Trent Agnew and Rusty Tamlyn. The facility, called Apex Distribution Center, is located lust west of the intersection of Tanner Road and Beltway 8. Lincoln Property Co. Makes Turtle Creek DALLAS Lincoln Property Co. has acquired a prime two?acre location on Turtle Creek in Dallas for a major office development. (Buifd'ing Successfuf wratfom?ips Since 1985 "likely one of the most expensive Texas this year,? reports Steve Brown of the Dallas Morning News. The site includes a office building at 2999 Turtle Creek Blvd. Texas Apartment Deal PLANO, Texas Texas?based Monogram Residential, formerly known as Behringer Harvard, has been acquired by fund led by Greystar Real Estate Partners for $4.4 billion. Monogram controlled a portfolio of 48 apartment complexes in 10 states with 13,438 units. Greystar, based in Charleston, 3.0., was founded by Bob Faith in 1993. Greystar controls over 425,000 units. LEASE OF THE WEEK Headquarters Lease in Four Oaks Place WCA Waste Corporation, the Houston?based solid waste management company, signed a office lease to expand its headquarters at the (SO?story 1330 Post Oak in the Uptown Houston area. Dan Boyles and Mike Mannella of Partners represented the tenant, while Eric Anderson and Tyler Garrett of Transwestern represented the landlord, Four Oaks Place Operating LP. The building is part of the Four Oaks Place office complex, which was designed by Cesar Pell?: and developed by Giorgio Borlenghl of ln?terfin Cos. updates Check our website daily for news lee us on Facebaak RealtyNewsReport.com Your Reliable Real Estate News Source. Ralph Bivins, Realty News Report, Houston, TX 77002 Saernsubscz?ibam iames.koski@houstontx.qov Eorwarg email Luggage Pro?le About our service provider Sent by realtynewsregortanl.com In collaboration with Constant Contact a? Try it free today er Turner - MYR Sylvest From: Bernstein, Alan MYR Sent: Tuesday, September To: Sywester Turner - Hunte Subject: Nothing Is Too Strange [OB/ZS/technobgy/wooing- Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Houston Mayor?s Of?ce 0 832 393 0800 832 943 9835 for Cities 26, 2017 9:00 PM r, Marva\ette oo'mg Amazon amazonrsecond Andy MYR to Buiid There NYTime -headquarters.html s.com Silvester Turner - MYR Icken, Andy MYR From: Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2017 9:05 PM To: Bernstein, Aian - MYR Cc: Syivester Turner Hunter, Marvalette - MYR SUbjecti Re: Nothing Is Too Strange for Cities Wooing Amazon to Build There NYTimes.com Deiightfui! Sent from my iPhone On Sep 26, 2017, at 8:59 PM, Bernstein, Alan - MYR wrote: Aian Bernstein Director of Communications Houston Mayor's Office 0 832 393 0800 832 943 9835 Silvester Turner MYR From: Sylvester Turner MYR Sent: Tuesday, September 26, 2017 11:17 PM To: Icken, Andy - MYR Cc: Bernstein, Alan - Hunter, Marvalette MYR SUbject: Re: Nothing Is Too Strange for Cities Wooing Amazon to Build There - NYTimes.com Our proposal should also be creative/Innovative. Sent from my iPhone On Sep 26, 2017, at 9:05 PM, lcken, Andy MYR wrote: Delightful! Sent from my iPhone On Sep 26, 2017, at 8:59 PM, Bernstein, Alan - MYR wrote: Alan Bernstein Director of Communications Houston Mayor's Office 832 393 0800 832 943 9835 Sylvester Turner - MYR From: John Reale Sent: Thursday, September 28, 2017 2:34 PM To: Sylvester Turner MYR Cc: Icken, Andy - Hunter, Marvalette - Edwards, Amanda CNL Subject: Innovation Initiative - Follow-up Attachments: Houston Vision Opwed August 2017 v2.pdf Mayor Turner, Hope you had a great birthday. I appreciate all of your time this week to drive our innovation initiative forward. I?ve provided (1) recommendations; (2) action items; and (3) suggested feedback and requests related to Houston Exponential below. Copying Amanda, Andy and Marvalette should they have other points I might have missed. JR Recommendations: 1. I recommend we move forward to endorse the forming of the Houston Exponential to consolidate efforts to maximize ecosystem impacts so long as the items listed below are specifically included in the plan 2. I recommend we communicate to meeting participants from the Monday (Barbara Burger, Bob Harvey, Gina Luna, Lori Vetters, RandyWalker) so they have clarity on our recommendations as well as a clear message to HTC Board members and GHP Innovation Roundtable members ahead of their planned 10-October Board meeting. 3. I recommend that Amanda and I convene a meeting with the Task Force over the next two weeks to communicate the same, consistent plan. Action Items: 1. Vision Piece - recommend we get something published during the next two weeks to clearly outline this plan. I'm happy to help with how we can use ecosystem events to communicate this plan. I attached draft I wrote a few weeks back if sure, since it is about 40 days old, it needs work. 2. Amazon recommend we target an event on the 19?Oct (day Amazon proposal is due) to make an ecosystem announcement integrating some of the Amazon messaging into the press conference. Ideally, we would announce the intention to launch the Innovation District on this date as this ties back to the proposed location for Amazon HQZ. Suggested Houston Exponential Feedback Requests: 1. Innovation District Committee - request one of the goals objectives of this committee be tied to Task Force recommendation of connecting back to Complete Communities 2. Advisory Council - create a regular communication plan with committee chairs and or CEO to ensure you are briefed on a quarterly basis 3. Committees request plan as to how committees will be formed to be inclusive of the community, including "Power of 5? members (academia; corporations; entrepreneurs; investors; govt) 4. Youth Inclusion - Within committees, ensure that our young people are at the table. 5. Education - request that an education committee be formally added as one of the launch committees. I would suggest Gabriela Rowe (Village School) to chair this committee. Request that one of the goals objectives of this committee be tied to Task Force recommendation to connect into Hire Houston Youth Program and Complete Communities program 6. Conferences - request that Houston First and Visit Houston be participants in relevant committees to ensure we have an integrated into our convention and visitor strategy and plan 7. Advisory Board Board happy to provide recommendations if requested on millennial candidates from tech community 8? City Committee Members recommend working internally with Amanda, Andy, Jesse Bounds and Stephen David to identify which City employees should be included in the various Advocacy and Policy Committees as City representatives 9. Data Science Institute - recommend the eventual CEO of HoustonX be part of the Data Science Task Force (which I believe Jeff Schlenbarger from Chevron is leading?) John S. Reaie, Jr. Co~Founder, CEO 713.825.2768 Please consider joining Entrepreneurs for Houston to donate to the 54H Fund to support tech and entrepreneurship initiatives related to Hurricane Harvey 19~August-2017 Architecture: l~re?ec?on 2 vision 3 - action plan 4 - call to action Key traits: - ineed to read it back and ask myselii can I close my eyes to hear the Mayor speaking these words? Inspiring Authentic Focus on future and speci?c calls to action Inclusive Houston: A City of Hope, Opportunity and Inspiration My vision for our community when leadership and unity is needed By Mayor Sylvester Turner With some of the recent events happening in our community, our country, our world, like so many of you, I find myself reflecting on what's right, what?s important and most especiaily, our future. it got me to thinking about when i first took office as Mayor of our beloved City. When I took this office, the themes that resonate with what i believe sets the pace for our future are: inspiration. Having grown up right here in Houston Acres Homes specifically -- i?ve seen it all. We seen the ?ooding, the triple digit heat index, the booms and busts everything. More than 90 languages are spoken here daily. 4.8 miliion patients visit our Medical Center every single year. We are the energy capital of the world. We have more than 500 cultural, visual, and performing arts organizations. And oniy New York City rivals us in Fortune 500 Company headquarters. i'd say we?ve got a few things going for us, wouldn?t you? We always considered myself a champion for Houston?s middle class. i want Houston to always be a home for anybody who seeks community, tolerance and opportunity. Why? Because we?re a city of outsiders, a city of dreamers -- a city of every type of people. entrepreneurs, nd more. We are nd love. We are and ntries. Restaurateurs, artists, other states or cou developers, construction workers, dreams. People who Want to imagi as are the very thin Locals. People from doctors, lawyers, we people with ambitions an a City whose diversity and differenc gives us strength. the withdrawal from for millions across the ear to me that the time to stand up academia and investors, drive our City's future. onai travel bans, as unconstituti for healthcare re future future. it's cl 5, corporations, What With disturbing developments sue the Paris Climate Agreement, country, many of us are worrie is right now. But i need your educators, an citizens elp. Entrepreneur just like you and me are are core all of ou of our World ovation and entrepreneurship which that embraces the complex pr bottom of our oceans to the millions of miles and meeting . ory', listening to our peopie; vision for Houston, hope for all. a rich history and spirit of inn City. We are a City to the that hist to share with you ork each day to represent We have foundations of ou iutions that ru here. Building on the world, l?d ilk all inspire me to above 0 leaders from some our people, as you ions of its citizens. that matches the passion, the vision, and the aspirat collaboration, and unique styles of thinking. in effort sk force i want a Housto A Houston that?s built on creativity, to understand entrepreneurs, innovators and technology, 1 developed a ta grow our innovation and entrepregegrshig economy. Our our community forward. Looking Specifically to this vital part of our community. Task Force back, we have no it is time for us to Work as a team ward. Today, we now have a playb Thanks to smart Work and collaboration with the Greater Houston Partnership along with and the iepgas Medical Center innovation institute, we now to drive our innovation and rking to drive this vision groups like Station blousto have in place foundational pieces to make entrepreneurship economy a reality. The innovation Strategy Office is We community and collaboration unite our people, bring people on our 9 bring attention together to bull on areas where we need focus. D'strict. Not only will this be a place for authentic the Houston innovation i district that is a testing ground for ids of fashion, design, music i see it as a vibrant district will innovate in the fie ace where creators come together to imagine new to grow to push for ook an We will develo possibilities to experiment without the fear of failure. We will have the resources and support organizations, capital, mentorship and development partners involved so our creators can take their visions and innovations to launch new products, new companies. new possibilities. Our district will be our center of gravity to connect the rest of our great City and feature a central access point for the rest of the world who comes to our City to learn more about our great people. And for each one us. what does this means Opportunity. But we can?t stop there. Did you know that Houston is the #1 city for minority owned i recently took a trip to israei -- a true startup hotspot -- and they valued our entrepreneurial growth so much, they asked us about our energy firms. They wanted to connect using Houston assets and resources which is very exciting, but it got me thinking. ?We have all these what?s missing?" Why haven?t we tapped into our own tech, energy, and ?nancial startup assets ourselves? Everyone is doing amazing things, but there is no foliow~up, so they often leave. Places like Silicon Valley, Chicago, or even Cincinnati attract creative thinkers because they have the communities to support creative thought. Collaboration needs integration. All of these cutting edge medical technologies, cieantech investments. and more need support to continue growing. And that?s exactly why the innovation District needs to be a part of Houston. Based on four key traits, We developed a plan to transform Houston into an access point that connects revolutionary startups with enterprise level companies to foster creative problem?solving solutions. With innovation, diversity. is opportunity for us all. We are rapidly approaching a future with self-driving cars. Arti?cial intelligence and machine learning are key themes to every industry; and l?m quite sure you can orderjust about anything from your mobile device. So why wouldn?t the next big tech innovations happen right here in Houston? With the support of the Greater Houston Partnership and other groups in the city, Houston will be a top five innovation hub in the world in the next 10 years. This is my hope, this is my challenge, this is my commitment. With the advent of our innovation District, the innovation Strategy Office, the launching of a $50 million fund~of~funds venture capitai fund that our corporate leaders will invest in to help bring venture capitalists to our community, and a world class data science institute, i see our Houston as one that continues to lead our world forward. i see our Houston that continues to take the most complex problems in our world to create new frontiers. might have heard that "space is the final frontier?, but 2017 has proven to be quite the uncharted territory so far. if we come together, in the most diverse City in America to build this future, we can accomplish anything. Over the next five years, we will create 25,000 new techjobs. As each one of theselobs creates about ?ve additionaijobs, this fuels our community with exponential growth. see our innovators launching inspiring new companies that raise over $1 billion in venture capitalist funding. 1 see Houston being recognized as the #1 place in the world for minority and immigrant entrepreneurs regarding the number of new companies and venture capital funding. We will Indeed be the community where minority entrepreneurs launch and grow their businesses. Why am i so focused on this vision? Simple: startups are the lifeblood of progress and Fortune 500 companies need their Houston will become a bridge, a test bed for the things we continue to dream about while we're looking out to the stars. Through our culture of innovation and entrepreneurial spirit we will provide opportunities for everybody at all levels notjust the We will be leaders in education, starting with our children to embrace technology and learn about entrepreneurship to our universities and the emergence of a world-class data science institute. The key is having leadership believe in the message of Houston: diversity, teamwork, but most of all: innovation. So i ask you, not only as your mayor, but as a citizen of Houston myself, will you help me work toward a better future for us and our kids? it?s easier than you think to get involved. Check out houstonorg or see how you can mentor over at Station Houston or or another startup development organization in our community. Better yet like so many of our innovators in town, l?d like to host a meetup on [Septemb at to share more about my vision, our plan, and Houston?s future, We can discuss where you why you matter, and what we can all do to ensure Houston?s continued success in technological, financial, and business innovations. All you have to do is register at [w m1. i also hear from our peOple that you all have new ideas for our City?s flag. encourage you to bring your ideas and creations of what Houston means to you see our City, our people, our future and wave them high and proud. We'll provide poster boards, markers, and other tools to make your vision a reality as we take the first step into doing the same for this great city. advocate, and to serve you 1 am ems. This city belongs to Houston in you ts to be your voice, to be you but most of an to ltsten to your conc h? one question: where do you see our reatity'? My commitment to here to uphold your vatues, all of us. So now you have to ask yourse ?ve years and what Wm you do to make your ytsto Sources: 1) 2) vestertumer.c0mla aframnew .c Brief: one-page pledge for people to sign. Information for form will Include requests for the following information: [name] [email] [check boxes that interest you] [provide links to ways to get involved based on interests] I, . hereby pledge my creativity, hard-work and passion for our community to form a more progressive Houston. ivalue our future In which Houston is a world-leading innovation and entrepreneurship ecosystem that serves us all. i also value the future in which Houston is a creative class city where innovative thinking and creative problem solving is part of our guiding spirit. By partnering with one of several groups, 1 will do my part to make this new vision for Houston a reality and establish the following goals: 0 A haven for those who are tolerant of our differences and inclusive to provide opportunities for us all Fostering our education system and curriculum to ensure we develop our children and young adults 25,000 new techjobs in 2022 More than $1 billion in venture capitalist funding for startups by 2022 Launching a world class data science institute Birthing and participating in a vibrant innovation district Sylvester Turner - MYR From: John Reale Sent: Saturday, Sep em or 4:54 PM To: Sylvester Turner MYR Cc: Icken, Andy Hunter, Marvalette Edwards, Amanda CNL Subject: Re: Innovation Initiative - Foliow~up Hope everyone is well. Two Requests. Please advise. 1. Seeking feedback and or on recommendations (see below). The proposed announcement and press conference would ideally be held on 11 or 12 October if all parties agree. (HTC Board meeting is 10?October). Ideally, we make these announcements so we can move forward include in the Amazon proposal 2. Recommend the Mayor publish a vision piece before this announcement (ideally in the Houston Chronicle on Sunday, 07-October) so this press conference can be used to reinforce vision and action. John S. Reale, Jr. (Io-Founder, CEO 713.825.2768 Please consider joining Entrepreneurs for Houston to donate to the E4H Fund to support tech and entrepreneurship initiatives related to Hurricane Harvey ?On Thu, Sep 28, 2017 at 2:34 PM, John Reale ?wrote: Mayor Turner, Hope you had a great birthday. I appreciate all of your time this week to drive our innovation initiative forward, I've provided (1) recommendations; (2) action items; and (3) suggested feedback and requests related to Houston Exponential below. Copying Amanda, Andy and Marvaiette 5 should they have other points I might have missed. Recommendations: .I 1 1. I recommend we move forward to endorse the forming of the Houston Exponential to consolidate efforts to maximize ecosystem impacts so long as the items listed below are specifically included in the plan 2. I recommend we communicate to meeting participants from the Monday (Barbara Burger, Bob Harvey, Gina Luna, Lori Vetters, Randy Walker) so they have clarity on our recommendations as well as a clear message to HTC Board members and GHP . Innovation Roundtable members ahead of their planned 10-October Board meeting. 3. I recommend that Amanda and I convene a meeting with the Task Force over the .- next two weeks to communicate the same, consistent plan. Action Items: 1. Vision Piece - recommend we get something published during the next two weeks i to clearly outline this plan. I'm happy to help with how we can use ecosystem events to i communicate this plan. I attached draft I wrote a few weeks back if sure, since it is about 40 days old, it needs work. I 2. Amazon recommend we target an event on the 19-Oct (day Amazon proposal is due) to make an ecosystem announcement integrating some of the Amazon messaging into the press conference. Ideally, we would announce the intention to launch the Innovation District on this date as this ties back to the proposed location for Amazon i HQ2. 1 Suggested Houston Exponential Feedback Requests: . 1. Innovation District Committee - request one of the goals objectives of this committee be tied to Task Force recommendation of connecting back to Complete Communities . 2. Advisory Council create a regular communication plan with committee chairs and or CEO to ensure you are briefed on a quarterly basis 3. Committees - request plan as to how committees will be formed to be inclusive of . the community, including "Power of 5" members (academia; corporations; 1 entrepreneurs; investors; govt) 4. Youth Inclusion Within committees, ensure that our young people are at the table. 5. Education request that an education committee be formally added as one of the launch committees. I would suggest Gabriela Rowe (Village School) to chair this . committee. Request that one of the goals objectives of this committee be tied to Task . Force recommendation to connect into Hire Houston Youth Program and Complete . Communities program 3; 6. Conferences - request that Houston First and Visit Houston be participants in relevant committees to ensure we have an integrated into our convention and visitor strategy and plan - 7. Advisory Board Board - happy to provide recommendations if requested on - millennial candidates from tech community with Amanda, Andy, ioyees should be included in 8. City Com ittee Members recomm Jesse Bounds and Stephen Dan 0 identify hich City the various Adv cacy and Pohcy Committees as City repr sentative Data Sela Institute recom en ti ai CEO HoustonX part of the Data Science Force (whic I have Jeff Schienb rger from Ch ron i8 ieadmg 1 John Reaie, 3r Co'Founder, CEO . .2768 he to the E4H Fund to support tech and Sylvester Turner - MYR From: John Reale Sent: Monday, October 02, 2017 6:20 PM To: Sylvester Turner - Icken, Andy - MYR Subject: Fwd: Houston Attachments: Houston Exponential Charter and Playbook 20170919.pdf; Houston Exponential Message Outline and FAst10.docx; Houston Exponential Communications Plan ~v5.docx; Committee Hope you are well. Drafts materials related to Innovation Initiative attached. Need direction on next steps to respond to HTC and GHP. Thanks, JR nu? John S. Reaie, Jr. Co-Founder, CEO 713.825.2768 Please consider joining Entregreneurs for Houston to donate to the E4H Fund to support tech and entrepreneurship initiatives related to Hurricane Harvey Forwarded message From: Jon Nordby Date: Mon, Oct 2, 20 a Subject: RE: Houston To: "John S. Reale, Jr." Cc: Amanda Edwards Subject: Houston ment. 1 know there is a Good morning. ase send the latest versions of documents related to Houston when you get a mo deck as well as an Q. Ple long version 0 short and Thanks Jon! JR John S. Reale, Jr. Co?Founder CE Station Houston ge. This message Was Sin andl aren?t always on the same pa 713 a. Please excuse any typos or to sent from my iPhone. ne of this message as From: Josie Coleman Muigai, Caroline - LGL Sent: Thursday, September 28, 2017 6:31 PM To: Josie Coleman Cc: Bob Pertierra Subject: FW: Houston Amazon HQ2 NDA Attachments: NDA_Amazon Partiespdf On behalf of Bob Pertierra: Gentlemen: Thank you for your time and insight on Monday as we discussed sites for inclusion in our proposal. We greatly appreciate your feedback to help shape the best possible proposal for Houston. Because of the confidential nature ofthis project, we are asking that you complete and sign the attached NDA. Please return a scanned copy of the signed document to Josie Coleman at?bv October 2- We welcome your questions. Thank you, Josie Coleman Executive Assistant to Bob Pertierra, SVP and CEDO Partnership Tower 701 Avenida de las Americas, Suite 900, Houston, TX 77010 713?844-3647 1? WE HAVE MOVED ?The Greater Houston Partnership has moved to our new home at Partnership Tower, located at 701 Avenida de las Americas. For more information about the move, click here. Muigai, Caroline - LGL From: Joe Russo Sent: Monday, October 16, 2017 2:46 PM To: Emma Alexander Robert Harvey; Walsh, Patrick - Icken, Andy Marro, D?Ann MYR Cc: Ian Rosenberg; William Franks; Derrek LeRouax Subject: RE: Caydon Midtown District Amazon Presentation Some intel for anyone that is not aware is that Jeff Bezos owns a 300,000 acre ranch east of El Paso. He is quoted as saying he would like his children to grow up on a ranch as he did in the summers on his Grandfather ranch in South Texas . {tee Passe Principal cavdon.com.au cavdonusa.com MELBOURNE HOUSTON From: Emma Alexander USA Sent: Thursday, 12 October 2017 5:24 PM To: Robert Harvey patrick.walsh@houstontx.gov; lcken, Andy nn arro cc: Ian Rosenberg William Franks Derrek LeRoua Subject: Caydon Midtown District 1 Amazon Presentation Joe Russo Gentlemen, We understand that schedules didn?t allow for the this presentation to be made in person today, but we wanted to provide the below link as soon as possible. Please feel free to use all or parts of this as needed for the larger submission to Amazon. Also, as Melbourne is our mothership we are able to make changes overnight, so piease don?t hesitate to note any changes that would be beneficial. We look forward to assisting with the presentation to Amazon and being a part of Houston?s solution. Please let us know if we can help in any way. DOWNLOAD PRESENTATION Thank you, Emma Alexander Marketing Manager CAYD EXCELLENCE - PASSION - INNOVATION INTEGRITY . COLLABORATION 0+1 832 975 1900 (ext. 1903) +614 01324 655 +1 832 993 2459 caydonusacom A 1415 Louisiana Street, Suite 4200, Houston, TX 77002 MELBOURNE - HOUSTON Tzansmission Disclaimer The information in this electronic mail is confidential, intended only for use of the individual or entity named, and may be subject to legal privilege. if you are not the intended recipient, any dissemination, copying or use of the ?nformation is strictly prohibited. If you have received this transmission in error please notify the sender Message protected by MailGuard: e-mail anti-virus, anti~spam and content filtering.