Kelly Gabriel

Immigration and Texas

Texas and immigration practically go hand in hand.  According to the U.S. Department of Labor 2006 fiscal report for temporary worker visas processed regionally, Texas was one of the top 5 states in utilizing these workers.  Texas like many other states in America is home to illegal immigrants.  Also, just like any other state right now, Texas is very carefully watching the outcome of immigration legislation and awaiting their impact on its economy. 

As equally present as this news is around us so are the far right and left opinions about this issue.  It seems everyone has taken a side and they are all on opposite ends of the spectrum on an issue that for me is not so black or white because you are dealing with people and their fight for what they believe is fair.  Fair is such a relative term.  What is fair to me may not be fair to you and visa versa.  So in the effort of fairness, I would like to take this opportunity to present to my fellow Texans what the issues are and why we should think more clearly about the big picture and not just the band wagon we have currently decided to ride upon.

The first side to the immigration saga is what the labor leaders predict will happen to our labor markets.  The influx of cheap labor will cause a decrease in overall wages offered.  These workers would become attractive to employers and would therefore contribute to unemployment of current citizens.  Then there is the issue of opening Pandora’s Box on letting hoards of people here from Mexico which could cause a domino effect leading to people from other countries coming over as well.  Beyond employment, you have housing, resource consumption, taxes, social security, and the list goes on and on of policy that would have to be revisited to incur these new residents.

Now, I present the other side of the story.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics there is a growing need for low paying and low skilled jobs just as there will become a labor need when older workers leave the workforce.  Texas relies heavily on low skilled workers in its shrimp and agricultural industries.  In 2006 alone, Texas supported 59,000 visas for these purposes.  However, now with the fail of the recent immigration bill and already long processes in obtaining these visas crops have died and shrimp boats have sat empty on the docks.  There is no attraction to these jobs to local workers and so employers must go after the viable work source which is in Mexico.  The Texas Produce Association has already predicted that if it cannot get the workers it needs they will be forced to move production to Mexico anyway.  Texas stands to not only lose products but also industries, and this is not good for the economy either.   

In saying all of this, am I saying that you should feel one way or the other?  No, I definitely am not.  In fact, I am saying quite the opposite.  We need to really focus our attention on the broad scope of the issue because it is not so black or white but at best blurry lines of gray.  We have spent years not addressing this issue to its fullest extent and look where that has gotten us.  Isn’t it time to just figure out what works before it is too late?  You decide.

Mike Alexander and Kelly Gabriel

Podcast! Mike Alexander and Kelly Gabriel

Kelly Gabriel interviews Mike Alexander and discuss what the Houston economy is looking like right now and what we might see in the near future.

Customer Service is Alive in the Houston Airport System

I was recently reading some articles in the Houston Business Journal about customer service and which companies made the grade with J.D. Power and Associates.  I decided that to be on such a list was no small feat and it was time for those companies to be recognized.  As most of you are very aware, the number one rule in business is to keep the customer happy.  In an age where we are more likely to hear an unwanted computer voice when we call a company for help, it is nice to see that some places still acknowledge and work towards making this rule a reality.  Two local Houston entities are setting the pace for exceeding customer expectations and they are Continental Airlines and the William P. Hobby Airport.
                                                                                    
First, before I tout the efforts of Continental and Hobby, here are a few customer service statistics that will put their accomplishments into perspective.  With all of my professional life spent in service industries, I understand and preach the value of good customer service everywhere I go.  I am the person who will call a manager over bad service or tell a friend where not to go to get something.  According to a survey conducted by Amdocs, I am not alone.  Of 1000 people surveyed, 75% said they would tell friends and family about bad customer service experiences.  Statistically this 75% used to tell on average 8 people.  However in this great information age of ours, I am sure that this 8 has grown to at least 15-20 if not more.  This is why these companies should be applauded for their tireless effort to their customers when it seems so few are.

Though the Houston airport system is the fourth largest, it is striving to be number one with its customers.  According to the J.D. Power and Associates 2007 North America Airline Satisfaction Study, Continental Airlines which is based right here in Houston had the highest number of satisfied customers for the second year in a row.  Continental was 24 points higher than its closest competitor which was even an improvement on its scores from last year.  Additionally, Hobby airport for the second year in a row in the same survey ranked number one on the list of small national airports in customer satisfaction. 

Reading these articles made me think of how little time we as consumers spend spreading the good about our Houston businesses, I am glad the Houston Business Journal took the time to report on a story as important as any other in Houston news.  I am happy to see that with the growth in our economy and all the flack that the airports get for the restrictions they must impose on their customers that Continental and Hobby have not lost sight of their mission to provide a quality service that makes them industry leaders.  My only hope is that other businesses will benchmark the success of these two companies and take the time to realize why they have gotten where they are now.  Hopefully, they see the answer is the customer.  I look forward to the Houston Business Journal keeping us in the loop on our Houston businesses and their future triumphs. 

Are We a Step Closer to Actually Knowing About the Wi-Fi Deal?

I cannot forgive the lack of thorough reporting on a recent story I came across on abc13.com. The story is entitled “Houston is one step closer to a Wi-Fi deal”. It covers the news that broke last year where Houston Mayor Bill White came up with a plan to cover most of Houston in a wireless network. However, you would never have known any of this had I not told you. This summation was nowhere in the story. I had to research the article archives of abc13.com to find three previously written stories to finally get this much information on the subject.

This story gives little to no history on the decision for Houston to go wireless. Furthermore, its intro sentence includes the words “free wireless internet access for most of the city.” Now, is the story alluding that the wireless is free of cost to the city of Houston government or to the end user who is sitting in the park using the service? Then this leads me to ask the question how is something this large (Houston is the 4th largest city in the country) going to happen freely for anyone? Additionally, the article later says the “project will cost the city about $2.5 million over five years.” So, what happened to free and again who or what does the word city encompass?

Then there are the droning questions in my head of how. I am sure most of you like me have a wireless network you use consistently if not daily. I don’t know about yours but mine does have spotty access at times and it is usually no more than a few 100 feet from my laptop. Okay, now close your eyes and grow those few 100 feet several hundred square miles and throw in buildings, trees, weather, etc. What is the likelihood this service will be reliable? What is the contingency plan if there are problems and we do pay for this service?

Lastly, how is the city benefiting from this? I have to imagine that there were economic reasons for this. What are they? Where are the numbers on cities where this is already in place and how has it affected them? Well, I would like to tell you but the answers were just not there!

So, eventually were ANY of these questions answered for me by this article? Sadly, I must say no. I find it hard to believe that the author of this story found it a complete reporting. I want to know about the future of our city especially something this exciting that will represent us as forward thinking and open even more opportunities to our city and its economy. When did news only need to be familiar to those writing it? If news required as much work as I had to do to get to the real story, who would ever have time to read it?