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Houston powers Texas to No. 1 state for economic development

Eli Lilly pharmaceutical plant rendering Generation Park

Lilly's factory in Generation Park is one example of Houston's economic growth.

Courtesy of Eli Lilly

Texas is on a 14-year winning streak as the top state for attracting job-creating business location and expansion projects.

Once again, Texas has claimed Site Selection magazine’s Governor’s Cup. This year’s honor recognizes the state with the highest number of economic development projects in 2025. Texas landed more than 1,400 projects last year.

Ron Starner, executive vice president of Site Selection, calls Texas “a dynasty in economic development.”

Among metro areas, Houston lands at No. 2 for the most economic development projects secured last year (590), behind No. 1 Chicago and ahead of No. 3 Dallas-Fort Worth.

In praising Houston as a project magnet, Gov. Greg Abbott cites the November announcement by pharmaceutical giant Lilly that it’s building a $6.5 billion manufacturing plant at Houston’s Generation Park.

“Growth in the Greater Houston region is a great benefit to our state’s economy, a major location for foreign direct investment and key industry sectors like energy, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, and life sciences,” Abbott tells Site Selection. “Houston is also home to one of the largest concentrations of U.S. headquarters for companies from around the world.”

In 2025, Fortune ranked Houston as the U.S. city with the third-highest number of Fortune 500 headquarters (26).

Texas retained the Governor’s Cup by gaining over 1,400 business location and expansion projects last year, representing more than $75 billion in capital investments and producing more than 42,000 new jobs.

Site Selection says Texas’ project count for 2025 handily beat second-place Illinois (680 projects) and third-place Ohio (467 projects). Texas’ number for 2025 represented 18% of all qualifying U.S. projects tracked by Site Selection.

“You can see that we are on a trajectory to ensure our economic diversification is going to inoculate us in good times, as well as bad times, to ensure our economy is still going to grow, still create new jobs, prosperity, and opportunities for Texans going forward,” Abbott says.

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This story was originally published on our sister site, InnovationMap.

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Texas grocer H-E-B seeks best new products for annual grocery competition

Photo courtesy of H-E-B

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It’s not America’s Got Talent or The Voice, but for 12 years, H-E-B has been steadily churning out stars. Through its annual Quest for Texas Best competition, small companies have become literal household names, filling pantries across the state. Now, a new crop of products has the chance to audition.

H-E-B’s Quest for Texas Best will take applications for its 13th annual contest from March 11 through April 22. Small business owners and entrepreneurs across the state can submit their unique and innovative products to win a combined $100,000 in cash prizes and the opportunity to feature their products on H-E-B shelves across Texas.

Since the competition started, H-E-B has discovered over 1,000 unique products across the Lone Star State. These have included various food and non-food items, including cookies, coffees, beauty items, toys, home goods, and even roasted crickets. The contest has awarded nearly $3 million in prize money and provided valuable marketing, mentoring, and supplemental support to its winners.

Over the years, the Houston area has been well-represented among the champions. In 2025, four Houston companies made the top 10, with My Drink Bomb, a company that makes flavor additions for sparkling water, winning third place and $10,000.

To be considered for the contest, interested suppliers and manufacturers can submit videos online. After the Call for Entries period is complete, H-E-B's Business Development Managers will select the top applicants who will head to San Antonio in October to present their wares in person before a panel of judges.

The jury will determine the top four winning products and award $50,000 to the Grand Prize winner, the title of "Texas Best," and placement on H-E-B store shelves. The first-place winner will receive $25,000, the second-place winner will receive $15,000, and the third-place winner will receive $10,000.

“We look forward to connecting with Texas-based innovators each year and providing exciting opportunities through this competition,” said James Harris, H-E-B’s Sr. Director of Diversity & Inclusion and Supplier Diversity for H-E-B, in a release. “I can’t wait to see what products are brought to the table this year. After 12 years of the H-E-B Quest for Texas Best, the creativity and ingenuity of Texans still inspire me.”

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