International Investment

Greater Houston's Finest Address
With its proximity to Houston, Fort Bend County is home to national and international companies such as SABIC Technology Center, Minute Maid, Texas Instruments, Fluor Corporation, and Schlumberger, as well as small to medium-sized companies focused on the manufacturing, distribution, and service arenas. The workforce, business climate, and quality of life make Fort Bend the perfect place for foreign investment.
- Proximity to Houston
- Twenty minutes from Houston’s thriving commercial centers -from the Galleria to downtown- Fort Bend County has quick, easy access to the pulse of Houston, it’s ports and airports, and recreational outlets.
- Foreign Trade Zone Designation
- Within the foreign trade zone serving Fort Bend County, such as the Port of Freeport, goods can be stored, manufactured, tested, disposed of, exhibited, and repackaged without incurring US Customs duties and taxes. Highway 36A, running through significant sections of Fort Bend County, provides quick, direct access to the Port of Freeport. The Port of Freeport’s FTZ was expanded in 2010 to include the Intermodal Center, a joint venture between Kansas City Southern (KCS) Railroad and Center Point Properties, in Fort Bend County.
- Fort Bend County represents proactive, competitive, pro-business public policy that encourages business expansion and relocation, built around low taxes, aggressive advocacy for pro-business state and federal legislation, and local strategies that encourage investment and job creation.
- Although Fort Bend County is home to national and international companies with significant infrastructure in place, there is still a great deal of land available for commercial development and redevelopment- from office and retail to industrial-as well as business parks and building complexes available for repurposing.
- Aggressive Incentive Structure
- Proactive federal, state, and local incentives targeting foreign investment, including the EB5 immigrant investor program, stimulating the economy through job creation and capital investment by foreign investors.
- Available Incentives
“ The Houston metro area is the most diverse in the nation, and right here, in Fort Bend County, is the most diverse part of the region. By 2050, all of America will look like Houston today. This is where the American future is going to be worked out.” - Prof. Steven Klineberg, Kinder Institute For Urban Research, 5/2019

International Testimonials
The international community has identified Fort Bend County as a great place to invest and do business. See and hear about Fort Bend’s efforts and successes attracting international investment and businesses to the county from some of the county’s international business leaders who chose Fort Bend to invest their dollars.
“There were suggestions by some people we move our headquarters to Taiwan or China or other cities in the US… However, we never questioned where our headquarters should be. We knew we should be here in Sugar Land, constructing right next to our existing building. Sugar Land is our home town.” Dr. Chih-Hsiang Thompson Lin, Founder, President, CEO, and Chairman of the Board- Applied Optoelectronics, Inc.
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Ambassador Juan Sosa
Consul General of Panama in Houston
“… Rosenberg will be an integral part because it already is a rail hub… By making Rosenberg the middle point in this corridor from Freeport to Dallas Fort Worth, Rosenberg will benefit greatly…”
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Robert Hebert
Former Fort Bend County Judge
“… The level of investment we are seeing from overseas bring high paying jobs… our diversity works to our advantage in developing foreign investment… That’s how it should work…”
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Masaud Baaba
Tristar Holdings, Inc. President
“… With the diversity in this county, you will have a large pool of people, very educated… that you will not find in many other counties… It is very simple math. Get the good people, good knowledge, the financial institutions… that makes you very excited to join Fort Bend County…”
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Rocky Lai
Rocky Lai & Associates, President & CEO
“… We’ve been very happy here with our investment in Fort Bend County… We have a world class, number one education system here. We have a diverse population.. High end, well educated residents…”

Why Fort Bend
Fort Bend County is the most diverse county in the United States. If you would like to find out more about why so many are choosing Fort Bend County, please view our video “Why Fort Bend” in the language of your choice.
Made In Fort Bend
Low cost of land & occupancy, proximity to Greater Houston, ease of mobility, & a talented labor pool, all make Fort Bend a desirable location for industrial development. See The Made In Fort Bend video below in your language of below.
Learn Here, Work Here- Fort Bend
The news is out. In Fort Bend, education matters, workforce development is a priority, and businesses are reaping the benefits. With unparalleled programs, Fort Bend County leads the way in workforce development programs and education. See the Learn Here, Work Here! video in the languages below.
Living & Living Well In Fort Bend
Fort Bend County remains the fastest-growing large county in the nation with a 26 percent population increase since 2010. With several of the top communities in the nation, Fort Bend County is the premiere address in Houston. Check out why!
Sociologist Stephen Klineberg, Kinder Institute For Urban Research, "Fort Bend is the single most diverse county in the United States". Rice University's Kinder Institute for Urban Research - Houston Chronicle

International Resources
Fort Bend County is the gem of the Greater Houston area. Consistently ranked as one of the fastest growing counties in the United States, producing new jobs and a higher quality of life year after year, Fort Bend County is the premiere location for business development and residential life within the Greater Houston environment
Access to three Class A railroads, Sugar Land Regional Airport, Houston Southwest Airport, and an elaborate highway infrastructure system connecting businesses with all business centers of the region, the Port of Houston and the Port of Freeport, Fort Bend County is geographically positioned for access to national and international markets.
Fort Bend County 2018 Population 787,858
Source: US Census Bureau 2018 Estimates (updated 5/19)
Helpful Resource Links
Fort Bend is at the center of America’s new diversity. All of us in the region are now minorities. All of us are called upon to develop something that has never existed before in human history – a truly successful, inclusive, equitable, and united multi-ethnic community, as the world’s ethnicities and religions are all coming together in this one remarkable place.
Stephen Klineberg, Kinder Institute For Urban Research
- Greater Houston Partnership- International
- Foreign Consulates
- EB5 Immigrant Investors Information
- EB5 Regional Centers
- Texas- Trade & Foreign Direct Investment Update
- Texas Foreign Trade Zones- Office of the Governor
- FTZ- Interntional Trade Administration
- US Citizens & Immigration Services
- SBA Office of International Trade
- State of Texas Mexico City Office
- Port of Freeport
- Port of Houston
- American Turkic Business Council
- Highway 36A Coalition
- Greater Houston Partnership Regional Export Plan
- Brookings Institute- Houston Growing Global