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Houston can expect an additional 450,000 jobs and a capital investment of $45 billion after the Greater Houston Partnership received a $3 million dollar grant from General Electric to support GHP’s Opportunity Houston 2.0 campaign.

The jobs will begin to arrive between 2014 and 2020, attracting talent, growing the regional workforce, and enhancing Houston’s image. The campaign, which was launched in December 2012, has now raised more than $18 million.

GE is a global technology company but also a major local employer in the region. Houston is home to 6,000 GE employees and seven of the company’s business units, including Oil & Gas, Healthcare and Capital. Across the state, GE employs nearly 10,000 individuals, which represents one of the company’s largest employee bases in the U.S.

Drayton McLane Jr., chairman of the Opportunity Houston 2.0 campaign stated the significance of GE commitment to the region and its partnership with Opportunity Houston.

“GE’s contribution is the largest investment in Opportunity Houston 2.0 to date,” said McLane, chairman of The McLane Group, a holding company that includes distribution, logistics and technology in its corporate portfolio.  “GE has been a leader in jobs and improving the quality of life for Houstonians for a very long time. This latest investment is further evidence of the company’s ongoing commitment to encouraging economic growth and job creation in the Houston region.”

In 2005, GHP launched Opportunity Houston, an aggressive lead generation and marketing program to grow jobs, increase capital investment, and expand foreign trade.  The program concludes this year. More than 160 investors, including multinational corporations, small businesses, individuals and economic development organizations, contributed $32 million to the initial Opportunity Houston program. The program has assisted the Houston region in creating more than 487,000 jobs and attracting $36.2 billion in capital investment since 2005.

“Opportunity Houston 2.0 will continue the momentum of the original program and further position the region as a place for dynamic growth, robust capital investment, and endless opportunity,” said GHP President and CEO Bob Harvey.