Walmart Distribution Center In Baytown

[HeightsGuy]

KJB, Wallmart will not be leasing this from the school district, the landlord is the Texas Permanent School Fund. The money goes back into the fund. Baytown and Goose Creek ISD will get nothing specifically from this deal. Where they will get their money is from related activity such as other companies who will no doubt build their own distribution centers nearby now that Walmart has arrived. Walmart gets the golden egg for starting the ball rolling, but the next players won't get the same deal.

Now, as it comes to the question someone (sarcastically;) asked me about development I would like to see instead of this, how's this one for a start:

Washington Mutual selects San Antonio for 4,200-employee center

[MidtownCoog]

I used to teach classes in the MCI building in San Antonio.

Old Bernie Ebbers and his deal with the devil paid for that.

Beautiful facility! Just watch out for the Scorpions in your backpack!

[RedScare]

Come on, I wasn't that sarcastic....was I?

4,200 jobs is nothing to sneeze at. Nice coup for SA. I'm sure they especially enjoyed winning out over Dallas. Personally, I'd like to see both WAMU and WalMart, as well as maybe a Toyota Truck plant or two, coming to Houston..

BTW, I hate WAMU. They ruined a fine friendly bank, Bank United.

[H-Town Man]

Apparently Wash Mutual was deciding between SA and DFW. Why not Houston?

As long as we have the bad air and the billboards, we can expect to keep losing out on corporate relocations that don't involve energy companies.

[kjb434]

As long as we have the bad air and the billboards, we can expect to keep losing out on corporate relocations that don't involve energy companies.

How does that influence anything with relocating. Most often it goes to the city that gives the most incentives such as tax breaks. Also, visiting all three cities, I don't notice much difference in pollution and billboards.

We have been winning more than losing as for as relocations go.

Also, a call center doesn't need the best location in the world, so finding a city that has cheap land on the outskirts in the burbs is enough. It is also why many smaller cities have call centers too. It's cheaper to build facilities. It's especially the reason call centers or relocating to India (some are better than others).

[MidtownCoog]

We don't want to get in the business of competing for call centers.

[LTAWACS]

We don't want to get in the business of competing for call centers.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It wont be a call center. It's the back office for the company. My gf works for wamu in the phoenix tower. They take up something like 4-7 floors (she told me but I forgot). That is their current HQ for small business banking. She told me they were considering locating that new center somewhere in Houston.

[MidtownCoog]

Agree with Red they stink.

They held the mortgage on my townhome.

Worse customer service ever.

[LTAWACS]

Agree with Red they stink.

They held the mortgage on my townhome. 

Worse customer service ever.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you pay on time there will be no problems.

[MidtownCoog]

LOL! If it were only that complicated.

More like getting your year end tax statements from them on time.

[LTAWACS]

LOL!  If it were only that complicated.

More like getting your year end tax statements from them on time.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ah yes. They can move very slowly. Business has been picking up for them and they were very shorthanded for the longest. Im on the verge of getting hired there myself.

[Subdude]

LOL!  If it were only that complicated.

More like getting your year end tax statements from them on time.

Jeez, tell me about it. But overall they're better than Chase.

[RedScare]

If you pay on time there will be no problems.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually, my gripe with them had nothing to do with loans. It was my small business acoounts and the hideous fees, unhelpful managers, and constant mistakes on my account (and slow to correct), that ran me off.

The final straw came when someone created a fictcious check with a xeroxed signature that was not even that good a reproduction, and they took 2 months to credit me back the funds. They said it looked like a good signature, though it was an almost comical reproduction.

[LTAWACS]

Actually, my gripe with them had nothing to do with loans.  It was my small business acoounts and the hideous fees, unhelpful managers, and constant mistakes on my account (and slow to correct), that ran me off.

The final straw came when someone created a fictcious check with a xeroxed signature that was not even that good a reproduction, and they took 2 months to credit me back the funds.  They said it looked like a good signature, though it was an almost comical reproduction.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You sound like a high maintenance customer. What is the name of your small business? How did you allow checks to be stolen from you?

[RedScare]

Not really. At the time, I had a law office with several employees. We ran a lot of checks through the accounts. My bank officer from Bank United used to waive some of the fees, since we kept a decent amount of money in their bank...common practice...Amegy Bank does that for me now. In return, I sent business their way.

My officer quit because WAMU forced her to stop waiving fees for evryone, including good customers. Then, since I did not have an officer that knew me, they refused to transfer money between accounts without me coming in personally. In other words, all of the nice things they used to do for me, they stopped doing, so I went somewhere where they still do.

The check was not stolen. A doctor's office received a check from our firm, and someone copied the check and created a new check on their computer and xeroxed the signature onto it. I never lost a check. Interestingly, the doctor's check was never cashed. It apparently was stolen from his office.

This is way off topic, so this is my last post on the subject of WAMU's service.

[LTAWACS]

Not really.  At the time, I had a law office with several employees.  We ran a lot of checks through the accounts.  My bank officer from Bank United used to waive some of the fees, since we kept a decent amount of money in their bank...common practice...Amegy Bank does that for me now.  In return, I sent business their way.

My officer quit because WAMU forced her to stop waiving fees for evryone, including good customers.  Then, since I did not have an officer that knew me, they refused to transfer money between accounts without me coming in personally.  In other words, all of the nice things they used to do for me, they stopped doing, so I went somewhere where they still do.

The check was not stolen.  A doctor's office received a check from our firm, and someone copied the check and created a new check on their computer and xeroxed the signature onto it.  I never lost a check.  Interestingly, the doctor's check was never cashed.  It apparently was stolen from his office.

This is way off topic, so this is my last post on the subject of WAMU's service.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not good. At any rate. I wonder where in the Houston market they could have established their new operations center.

[MidtownCoog]

I wonder where in the Houston market they could have established their new operations center.

Hard to say, but I know for a fact they got a sweet deal on the MCI facility.

I wish I could find a picture of it. It's really nice.

[H-Town Man]

How does that influence anything with relocating.  Most often it goes to the city that gives the most incentives such as tax breaks.  Also, visiting all three cities, I don't notice much difference in pollution and billboards.

We have been winning more than losing as for as relocations go.

Also, a call center doesn't need the best location in the world, so finding a city that has cheap land on the outskirts in the burbs is enough.  It is also why many smaller cities have call centers too.  It's cheaper to build facilities.  It's especially the reason call centers or relocating to India (some are better than others).

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It influences relocating because when big companies relocate they are often looking for high quality of life for their employees. As misleading as it may be, the ozone ranking is one of the first places they look to see quality of life. Park acreage per capita is another. And yes, Houston's billboards, which far outnumber those in San Antonio or Dallas, have given us a bad reputation in the corporate world.

When Toyota was considering where to build its truck plant, they eliminated Houston on account of its bad air quality among other things. That's not a corporate relocation, but it gives you an idea of how these folks think. Houston right now has a bad mark for its quality of life. Why do you think that the city's Quality of Life commission, which was formed a few years ago, is made up of business leaders, and is connected with the Greater Houston Partnership? Yes, tax incentives have a huge impact, but so does quality of life.

[MidtownCoog]

Toytoa not chosing Houston due to pollution is more urban legend than fact.

And with Harris county getting serious about new (non-grandfathered) plant emmisions, why would they come here?

The Toytoa plant will pollute. It's not like they are putting together Legos.

[LTAWACS]

Why do you think that the city's Quality of Life commission, which was formed a few years ago, is made up of business leaders, and is connected with the Greater Houston Partnership?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

So when are these cretins of corruption getting to work? Why have they not done anything for us?

And who is on these associations?

[H-Town Man]

Toytoa not chosing Houston due to pollution is more urban legend than fact.

And with Harris county getting serious about new (non-grandfathered) plant emmisions, why would they come here?

The Toytoa plant will pollute.  It's not like they are putting together Legos.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

All right. You win. Corporations never consider quality of life when choosing where to relocate.

[MidtownCoog]

We both know they do, but the Toyota move is urban legend.

And what's funny is they are more than happy to use our port.

[LTAWACS]

All right.  You win.  Corporations never consider quality of life when choosing where to relocate.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

:rolf:

[Subdude]

Toytoa not chosing Houston due to pollution is more urban legend than fact.

And with Harris county getting serious about new (non-grandfathered) plant emmisions, why would they come here?

The Toytoa plant will pollute.  It's not like they are putting together Legos.

It's a fact, Jack.

The Houston area has, in addition to health concerns, economic reasons for seeking cleaner air. Air pollution causes lost jobs and less economic expansion.

A case in point is Toyota 's decision to drop Houston as a potential site for its new truck plant because our area failed to meet clean air standards. The plant , with its thousands of new jobs and millions of dollars in additional taxes, will be located instead in San Antonio .

Link

It's from an archive search, so if the link doesn't work the reference is

Houston Chronicle

April 18, 2003

Page 36

"SMOKE STACKS /Anti-pollution laws should be stronger, not weaker "

THE Houston area never really was in the running for the Toyota manufacturing plant that will be constructed south of San Antonio .

One primary reason was dirty air.

For one thing, Toyota never considers locating plants in areas that don't comply with federal clean air regulations, a company spokesman said.

Houston is in what is known as a nonattainment zone. The air is too polluted to meet Environmental Protection Agency regulations.

The Greater Houston Partnership on Wednesday labeled as "unfortunate" the air problem's bearing on whether the Houston area could be considered.

"We were initially considered," partnership spokesman David McCollum said. "But when they found out we were nonattainment, then we were no longer considered."

Houston Chronicle

February 6, 2003

Page 1

"Houston not a contender because of dirty air "

[MidtownCoog]

Very good, but like I said, they would have to work harder to comply in Houston.

It's easier to pollute in San Antonio.

[HeightsGuy]

It is not easier to pollute in San Antonio. San Antonio sits on the Edwards Aquifer. As such there are some pretty tough EPA regulations. You can't just drop an industrial site wherever you want to over there.

[kjb434]

It would have cost Toyota more to build a facility in Houston to meet the more stringent EPA requirements that were set for the city by the Feds.

In San Antonio, Toyota doesn't have to build all of the enivronmental controls that you would in Houston, therefore being a cheaper facility to build.

In a roundabout way it was our dirty air, but not because of attracting the employees, but for Toyota's own pocket book. I'd much rather have the Wal-Mart Distribution center than Toyota because it less harmful to our environment.

The Chronicle seems to have a way wanting to criticize and blame the city first. They as usual don't cover the whole story.

[HeightsGuy]

KJB, do you have the rest of the story on this one? Toyota is making claims that the plant in San Antonio will be one of the most environmentally friendly auto plants in the World.

While I am usually one of the first to call BS whenever a corporation says something like this, Toyota has recieved a LEED certification (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) by the U.S. Green Building Council for another one of their plants, so it looks like they are willing to cough up the money to be a good neighbor whether they are forced to or not.

In this case, their statements regarding not wanting to be in Houston because of pollution seem genuine.

[LTAWACS]

Can someone tell me what is being done to clean up our air?

[yall_are_nutty]

Can someone tell me what is being done to clean up our air?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) are precursors of ozone. Since 1980, the number of ozone exceedance days in the Houston CMSA has fallen about 40 percent even as the population grew by 50 percent, largely through reductions in man-made VOCs.

Source: U.S. Environmental Protection Agency

The Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County, the largest mass transit company in Texas, uses the latest in clean-burning fuels for its entire fleet of 1,460 buses as one step in a plan to control emissions.

Source: Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County

The Houston-Galveston region had nearly 260 tons of NOx reductions last year as a result of private and public entities utilizing alternative fuel vehicles in their fleets.

Source: Houston-Galveston Area Council