Invest NI: 'Houston, we have an office'

Local investment agency, Invest NI have expanded their overseas base with the opening an office in Houston, Texas.

The Northern Ireland Energy and Technology Centre was opened by Alan Hingston, Director of Trade in Invest NI during a recent Invest NI trade mission to the Offshore Technology Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition in the American city.

Houston is considered to be the oil and gas hub of the United States and Invest NI believes that a presence there offers local companies with an interest in the energy sector, an excellent means of developing business relationships with the major oil and gas players.

Mr Hingston said: “Several of our IT companies are very active in the energy sector and have made enormous progress in building business relationships with US oil and gas companies. We have worked closely with these companies and with the UK Energy Industries Council (EIC) in developing a presence within this market, which is now consolidated in the opening of this office.

“The facilities offered in the Houston office can be made available to Northern Ireland companies of whatever size, who are interested in doing business in the energy sector.”

Attending the opening were Belfast companies Biznet Solutions and SLDI, together with Londonderry company 8Over8. These companies have developed specialised niche products and services and are offering multi-national companies IT programmes and solutions that are proving to be critical in the exploration and production of oil and gas throughout the world.

(MB)