Skip to main content

Planes, Trains and Automobiles: EWP Members Get Behind the Scene Look at Texas’ Transportation Network

Published Apr 17, 2019 by Julia McGowen

For a sprawling state like Texas, a strong transportation network is vital to everyday life, and intrinsically tied to economic development and quality of life.

To further explore this network and how women are shaping the transportation industry for our region, the Partnership’s Executive Women’s (EWP) Partnership Program’s annual retreat, entitled “Planes, Trains and Automobiles,” spanned two days, packed with immersive presentations, demonstrations and interactive experiences.

The retreat, held in Bryan–College Station, partnered with the Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) and Texas A&M University to offer EWP members behind the scenes looks at many innovations happening in the transportation industry.

On day one, attendees participated in presentations from key regional leaders at the Center for Infrastructure Renewal (CIR) and viewed a smart intersection demonstration as well as a hands-free AutoDrive Electric Car demonstration. The group also toured CIR’s brand new building at Texas A&M’s RELLIS campus, a premier, high-tech research, technology development and education campus, which includes the Structural and Materials Testing Facility, the Asphalt Innovation Laboratory and the soon-to-be home of the Army Futures' lab.

 

Texas A&M Autonomous Car

 

EWP members then traveled to tour the Texas A&M Engineering Extension (TEEX) Brayton Fire Training Field, where more than 194,000 emergency responders from all 50 states and 81 countries train every year and viewed Disaster City, which has training modules for collapsed buildings and extreme disaster response.
 

EWP Texas A&M Tour

 

Day two began with a panel discussion featuring EWP members Michelle Brown, Managing Director, Customer Experience, United Airlines, Marcia Faschingbauer, President and CEO, Excargo Services Inc., and Brenda Mainwaring, Vice President, Public Affairs, Union Pacific Railroad Company, as they shared insight into the current trends in the airline, railroad and cargo/logistics industries.

Attendees were joined by the Texas A&M Mays Business School and learned details on their Professional MBA program in Houston before traveling to Texas A&M’s campus to tour the new, top-notch Zachry Engineering Education Complex, which currently has 19,000 engineering students enrolled, to learn more about Texas A&M’s aerospace research from John L. Junkins, Ph.D. 

Executive Women's Partnership (EWP) is Houston’s premier networking group for female executives. Open to member companies with $100M-plus revenue, this program offers members invitations to several exclusive and intimate gatherings throughout the year. In addition to receiving VIP behind-the-scenes looks at our member companies and peer-to-peer networking opportunities. For information on joining EWP, click here.

Related News

Membership

Partnership Members Making News - April

4/21/25
The Greater Houston Partnership celebrates our members making important announcements and sharing news about their operations and impact in our region. Learn more about some of those announcements over the last month below.  Business Moves Eight Houston companies have been named to Fortune’s third annual list of America’s Most Innovative Companies, including Houston Methodist, ExxonMobil, NRG Energy, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, Texas Children’s Hospital, Sysco, and Chevron. MD Anderson breaks ground on a new five-story, 470,000-square-foot ambulatory surgery center in Sugar Land. Fervo Energy ranks in the top 10 on Time magazine and Statista’s new list of America’s Top GreenTech Companies of 2025, recognizing sustainability-focused companies based on factors such as impact, financial strength, and innovation. Houston-based private equity firm EnCap Investment LP has committed $2.5 billion to launch two new portfolio companies in Fort Worth, Double Eagle Energy Holdings V LLC and Tumbleweed Royalty V LLC. Houston Christian University breaks ground on a $60 million engineering, science and nursing building that will include administrative space and multidisciplinary learning spaces. The University of Houston has started construction of the new William P. Hobby School of Public Affairs academic building, a 42,000-square-foot building to be located in the north side of campus. Fervo Energy expands its flagship geothermal project in Utah through a new power offtake agreement with London-based Shell PLC (NYSE: SHEL). League City City Council has discussed its Westside Master Plan, a strategic initiative to guide the development of the city's remaining undeveloped land. Education Houston Community College has been awarded a $282,000 grant from the Texas Workforce Commission to expand its apprenticeship programs in plumbing, sheet metal work and electrical technology. Rice University and the University of Houston collaborate to improve an emerging carbon capture technique with a product that can be used as fuel, chemicals or as starting materials to produce other compounds. Houston Community College-Katy has held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the campus’ new greenhouse, preparing students for careers in modern agriculture and environmental science. Five student-founded startups have been named finalists for Rice University's prestigious pitch competition, H. Albert Napier Rice Launch Challenge, hosted by Rice University’s Liu Idea Lab for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Energy Transition  Dow aims to use next-generation nuclear reactors for clean power and steam at a Texas manufacturing complex in collaboration with X-energy. Rice and Exxon aim to develop “systematic and comprehensive solutions” to support the global energy transition with materials science, polymers and catalysts, high-performance computing and applied mathematics from the university. Health Care St. Luke’s Health has awarded $1.5 million in grants to nonprofit agencies for projects relating to the health and well-being of those in underserved communities, including access to health care and health services, mental health, food insecurity, safe shelter and housing, violence prevention and human trafficking. HCA Houston Healthcare and Houston Methodist Hospital have received Premier's Everest Award, which recognizes hospitals that have both the highest current performance and the fastest long-term improvement in the five years of trend data analyzed by the researchers.  Innovation  Greentown Labs announces newest startups to join Houston climatetech incubator, specializing in various "green" applications, from converting plastic waste into sustainable materials to developing energy-storage solutions. The new Rice Nexus located at Rice University is partnering with Google Public Sector and Non Sibi Ventures to support high-potential AI-focused startups. Axiom Space progresses an orbital data center push in partnership with international telecommunications company Kepler Communications. Researchers from Baylor College of Medicine and the University of Houston have developed a new blood-filtering machine that poses fewer risks to pediatric patients with hyperleukocytosis. Houston Grand Opera is recognized for its thriving state under the leadership of General Director and CEO Khori Dastoor, emphasizing the company's bold artistic choices, Dastoor's vision for growth and community engagement, and the generous support from donors, positioning Houston Grand Opera as a model for the field. Transportation  The Houston Metropolitan Transit Authority has opened a new, direct line bus route called 500 IAH Downtown Direct, picking up travelers from the George R. Brown Convention Center and taking them directly to George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) and vice versa. United Airlines plans to start construction of its new 50,000-square-foot Terminal B club this summer, the largest in the United system. The Houston Metropolitan Transit Authority is listed to start construction on 56 Airline/Montrose this summer as the next phase of its 20-mile project.    If you are a member and want us to help communicate news about your organization, please send a press release or information about the announcement to member.engagement@houston.org and we will share it with our content team for possible inclusion in an upcoming roundup. Learn more about Partnership membership. 
Read More
Membership

New Partnership Members in March

4/7/25
The Greater Houston Partnership welcomed 23 new member companies in the month of March. The Partnership works to connect companies with resources, information and networking opportunities to help increase business while also providing a platform to influence the direction of the region.    New members who joined in the month of March include: Alzheimer's Association, Houston Global Southeast Chapter: The Alzheimer's Association is a voluntary health organization with a mission to lead the way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia by accelerating global research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality care and support. Website. AZA: Ahmad, Zavitsanos & Mensing, or AZA, is a trial law firm based in Houston, Texas with over 60 lawyers excelling at high-stakes litigation for multinational companies and representing individuals and mid-sized businesses. Website. Brooksource: Brooksource is a business management consultant based in Houston, Texas that specializes in delivering Engineering and IT solutions and initiatives for Fortune 500 organizations. Website. Capital IDEA Houston, LLC: Capital IDEA Houston is a non-profit that fully funds education and training for adults who are unemployed or have lower-paying jobs, providing educational pathways to attain thriving careers and financial self-sufficiency. Website. Cell Therapy Manufacturing Center (CTMC): CTMC is a joint venture between National Resilience and MD Anderson Cancer Center located in the Texas Medical Center. CTMC unites robust biopharmaceutical manufacturing with access to MD Anderson Cancer Center’s leading research capabilities into groundbreaking medicines to cure cancer. Website. Complete Shipping Solutions Corp.: Complete Shipping Solutions is a global 3PL solutions provider, offering industry-leading technology through a SMARTT Shipping platform. Website. Corporate Catering Concierge: Corporate Catering Concierge is a catering company offering a wide selection of food options and personalized menu planning. Website. Definity First: Definity First is an IT consulting firm of advanced enterprise-grade solutions with expertise in Custom Development, Staffing, Microsoft Azure, Microsoft 365, Office 365, Microsoft Dynamics 365 CRM, and Microsoft Copilot, as well as tailored additional services for on-premises Microsoft products. Website. Greenback Cost Recovery: Greenback Cost Recovery, LLC is a Houston-based company that specializes in delivering bottom line improvements to businesses by recovering overpayments and reducing ongoing costs associated with property tax, telecommunications, and real estate leases. Website. H-Town Dream Center: H-Town Dream Center is a community center in Splendora, Texas with a mission to give the hope, healing and freedom of Christ to the most vulnerable by feeding the hungry, rescuing women and children in crisis, and educating at-risk youth. Website. Magnum Staffing Services, Inc.: Magnum Staffing Services is a recruiting and staffing solutions firm based in Houston, Texas, specializing in workforce strategy, talent management, and providing staffing solutions for various industries, including warehouse distribution, logistics, manufacturing, and professional services. Website. Metro Houston Charter Bus: Metro Houston Charter Bus is a charter bus rental company providing flexible scheduling, trained drivers, and transparent pricing to make budgeting simple. Website. Minaret Foundation: Minaret Foundation is a multi-faith organization based in Houston, Texas focused on bringing faith communities together by tackling on issues related to child welfare and food insecurity. Website. Moelis & Co.: Moelis & Company is a global independent investment bank that provides financial advisory services to corporations, governments, and financial sponsors. Website. Mo'Kai'Ana Luxury Transport: Mo'Kai'Ana is a luxury chauffeur service for special events in Cypress, TX and the surrounding Houston Area, offering a variety of van services fully licensed by the city of Houston with background checked chauffeurs. Website. One Digital: OneDigital Impact Studio is an insurance brokerage, financial services, and HR consulting firm that provides a centralized platform that equips companies with real-time visibility and heightened control over their organization's total spending. Website. Palletized Trucking, Inc.: Palletized Trucking provides freight transportation services for domestic and international markets shipping through the Port of Houston to sectors including the petrochemical, construction, fabrication, energy, oilfield, and manufacturing industries. Website. Plug and Play Tech Center: Plug and Play Tech Center is an American venture capital firm headquartered in Sunnyvale, California focusing on deploying capital to early-stage technology companies. Website. Rigid Global Buildings: Rigid Global Buildings is metal buildings manufacturer based in Houston, Texas, offering custom and pre-engineered metal building solutions. Website. Tricon Energy: Tricon Energy is a logistics service in Houston, Texas that offers chemical and plastics trading and distribution services in general and liquid chemical, aromatic, methanol, solvent, chlor alkali, and more. Website. Trinity River Authority: The Trinity River Authority of Texas is a conservation and reclamation district that provides water and wastewater treatment, along with recreation and reservoir facilities, within the nearly 18,000-square-mile Trinity River basin. Website. Venice: The Bridge Church is a nondenominational Christian church serving the Venice, FL, community with a mission to help people find and follow Jesus Christ here and around the world. Website.  Zoho: Zoho is an Indian multinational technology company that makes computer software and web-based business tools designed to help break down silos between departments and increase organizational efficiency. Website.   Click here to see the Partnership's Membership Directory.   To learn more about membership with the Greater Houston Partnership click here, or contact membership@houston.org.
Read More

Related Events

Membership

2025 Soirée: Unlock a World of Possibilities

Unlock a World of Possibilities at the Greater Houston Partnership’s 2025 Soirée, chaired by Tom Jorden, CEO of Coterra. Soirée is an evening where the vibrant spirit of Houston’s international community takes center…

Learn More
Learn More
Executive Partners