HBJ Exclusive: Massive NE Houston Business Park Lands Higher-Ed Center

By Roxanna Asgarian

Lone Star College will build a Process Technology Center on 8.3 acres of land in the 4,000-acre Generation Park.

The center will prepare students for technical careers in the energy industry at places like FMC Technologies, which is currently building its new campus in the park, said John Flournoy, director of sales and leasing at Generation Park.

“We are creating an environment where today’s leading companies and institutions of higher education like Lone Star College can form symbiotic relationships,” Flournoy said. “Access to workforce training is mission critical to these businesses, and we are bringing that training to their doorsteps.”

Using funds from a $485 million bond package the college passed last November, Lone Star College purchased 6 acres of the land. The other 2.3 acres were donated by McCord Development, the developer of the massive master-planned park in northeast Houston.

“We are moving quickly to address the key employment issues facing Houston companies today,” said Dr. Katherine Persson, president of Lone Star College, Kingwood, in a statement. “This Process Technology Center will prepare students with the critical skills that are in high demand from the world’s leading oil and gas companies.”

In March, San Jacinto College announced that it will build a new campus on 57 acres in the park, and the college also hopes to educate its students for careers in the oil and gas industry. FMC Technologies Inc.(NYSE: FTI), a Houston-based oil service and subsea equipment provider, is moving its headquarters from 5875 North Sam Houston Parkway to 173 acres in Generation Park. The company is expected to move 1,400 employees to Generation Park in 2016.