Sugar Land Is Winning On And Off The Field

After the largest annexation in the city's history, adding 30,000 new residents, it would be understandable if Sugar Land city officials wanted to sit back. That's not happening. City leaders have set their sights on having more than 150,000 people living in Sugar Land. That's good news for business owners...and the baseball team.

The city's plan is focused around making Sugar Land more than just a place to live by transforming it into a destination itself. The championship-winning Sugar Land Skeeters are a big part of that. Sugar Land Skeeters owner Bob Zlotnik (who will be a speaker at Bisnow's upcoming The Future of Sugar Land event) is uniquely positioned to understand and capitalize on the city's growth. He told Bisnow he's excited about the growth and recent annexation of New Territory and Greatwood. The Skeeters are busy planning a "Welcome to Sugar Land" event at a ballgame for the new residents. 

From Bob's perspective, the community is doing pretty well despite the downturn. Tickets sales at the ballpark have been down this year, but considering there's been four times as many rain days as the previous four years combined, those numbers could be far worse. 

Pre-sales for the Skeeters tickets are triple what they've been in the past. Corporate sponsorships have doubled. Clearly the community still has money to spend. With Smart Financial Centre opening soon, the question is where to spend the family's precious entertainment budget. 

But Bob isn't too worried about Constellation Field competing against Smart Financial Centre. Constellation Field can hold far more people, but is subject to the weather. Acts like Jerry Seinfeld can't take chances on the weather. Smart Financial Centre will likely focus on high-end acts, so in Bob's eyes, there's room for both. 

The city's growth continues to attract business. Just last week, ABM, a facilities services company, announced it will bring 390 jobs to Sugar Land over the next two years. The healthcare industry is also making rapid gains in the area. Nearly one in nine job holders in the Greater Houston area now works in the healthcare industry, and the sector has added nearly 50,000 jobs in the past five years, according to the Greater Houston Partnership.

Much of the gain in healthcare industry employment can be traced to Fort Bend County. In September, Memorial Hermann opened its $93M Sugar Land Expansion, which included a new six-story, 155k SF facility. OakBend Medical, the largest provider in Fort Bend County, has doubled its staff since 2000. 

Between the 30,000 new residents, a championship-winning minor league team, Smart Financial Centre and Imperial Market, there's a lot to talk about in Sugar Land. Join Bisnow's experts on Nov. 29 to discus The Future of Sugar Land. Register here.