East End Houston is on its way to becoming the manufacturing epicenter for the entire country, opening the new East End Maker Hub (EEMH) on June 3, 2021. The 300,000 sq ft. innovation manufacturing facility has a goal to create 1,000 new companies in the next five years and prepare Houston’s 21st-century advanced manufacturing workforce to fill thousands of high paying advanced manufacturing jobs most available to non-degreed adults of all ages.
Patrick Ezzell, President of the Urban Partnerships Community Development Corporation (UP CDC), said that the mission of the East End Maker Hub is to “drive advanced manufacturing by bringing together the brightest engineers, scientists, manufacturers, and makers to generate innovative advanced manufacturing solutions.” Patrick believes that EEMH is the beginning of a much-needed new era of manufacturing that will bring jobs back to America. All this will occur in what once was Houston’s industrial manufacturing center, East End Houston.
The East End Maker Hub is a joint effort between UP CDC and TXRX Labs, a high-tech incubator driving the creation of new manufacturing companies, workforce development and job training for non-degree adults of all ages. Both entities leveraged $1.25 million in equity to raise $37 million in capital through New Market Tax Credits (NMTCS), funding partners, the City of Houston, and the U.S. Economic Development Administration.
So far, 25 companies have signed leasing agreements with the EEMH as Phase 1, and 2 goals have been successfully achieved. The revolutionary companies of this new ecosystem include those that design and develop electronics for unmanned aerial vehicles and the creators of a groundbreaking polymer-based transcatheter heart valve for children.
