Creating a brand for the business community can be good for audiences both within Houston and outside Houston, said Susan Broniarczyk, an associate professor in the department of marketing at the University of Texas at Austin."Internally, it can be a good motivator that makes people and companies feel like they have something they can champion and get behind," she said.

Facilitator: Susan Broniarczyk, University of Texas at Austin

Susan Broniarczyk, University of Texas

Creating a brand for the business community can be good for audiences both within Houston and outside Houston, said Susan Broniarczyk, an associate professor in the department of marketing at the University of Texas at Austin.Internally, it can be a good motivator that makes people and companies feel like they have something they can champion and get behind, she said.Externally, it can create a good memory hook in other parts of the country so people will remember the city when they think technology.It may be an entry way into that category of tech cities that people think of..Gulf Tech City is an attempt to cover the wide variety of growing industries in the Houston area, including biotechnology, aerospace, software and Internet technology, and the computer hardware businesses.The group of name seekers purposefully avoided the word silicon because it do not accurately describe the city's technology base.

Susan Broniarczyk (University of Texas-Austin)