IDI

DALLAS. KING OF THE SOUTHWEST.

The Dallas Market Office, established in 1994, is responsible for Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston, Texas. Doug Johnson, who has been with IDI for 17 years, leads a team of seven professionals.

Dallas-Fort Worth can claim dual dominance as the Southwest’s chief distribution center and the third largest industrial market in the U.S. Its prime location plays a part: the city is equidistant to the four largest metro areas in North America — New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Mexico City. Five interstate highways converge in Dallas-Fort Worth and the Dallas Metroplex has overnight truck access to more than 50 million people. Two airports serve the area and the city boasts a $100 million state-of-the-art intermodal terminal operated by Union Pacific. Dallas-Fort Worth is home to 12 Fortune 500 headquarters and 6.8 million people and is the fifth-largest metropolitan center in the country.

HOUSTON. AN ECONOMIC POWERHOUSE.

Ranking close behind Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston is the sixth largest city in the United States with more than six million residents in the metropolitan statistical area (MSA). It is home to a thriving business economy that is growing rapidly due to its strong ties to energy, petrochemical plants and manufacturing. This city is also a major corporate hub, with 23 Fortune 500 companies, ranking it third in the United States. Additionally, 40 foreign governments maintain trade and commercial offices in the city. Information Technology (IT) is also a major contributor to the economic success of Houston, housing the operations of more than 1,000 computer related companies.  Besides a diversified economy, Houston benefits from an international port. The Port of Houston is home to a $15 billion petrochemical complex; the largest in the U.S. and the second largest in the world. Roughly 100 shipping lines offer service between Houston and 1,053 ports in 203 countries. The new Bayport Terminal and the older Barbours Cut Terminal are poised for significant growth as the expanded Panama Canal opens to 12,000 TEU (20-foot equivalent unit) container ships.