New City of Houston economic development director Robert Harrington wants city residents to know his motivation for being here is sincere.
“I don’t do this job to get on the front of the paper, or to achieve fame and fortune,” Harrington said. “I did it because right now there’s somebody here in Houston who gets up every morning and they look in the mirror and go, ‘How am I going to do it? How am I going to pay my electric bill and water bill and how am I going to feed my kids?’
“If I do my job correctly, one day that person is going to look in the mirror and say, ‘I can do it.’
“Right now there’s somebody here in Houston who gets up every morning and they look in the mirror and go, ‘How am I going to do it? How am I going to pay my electric bill and water bill and how am I going to feed my kids?’ If I do my job correctly, one day that person is going to look in the mirror and say, ‘I can do it.'”
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR ROB HARRINGTON
“That’s me, that’s how I was raised. It’s all about giving back to the community you’re in.”
A native of Marceline, Harrington (who goes by Rob) is married and his wife, Katie, has taken a job in the lab at Texas County Memorial Hospital. The couple has four children – three boys (ages 14, 12 and 10) and one girl (age 7).
After graduating from high school in Marceline, Harrington attended Moberly Area Community College before eventually earning a business degree from the University of Phoenix. He has about 10 years of experience in the economic development field, holding positions in Shelby, Lamar, Iowa and Texas.
Harrington, 37, said Houston reminds him of Marceline and is the kind of place he would prefer for his family to live in.
“There aren’t very many communities the size of Houston where you can find the variety of restaurants you have here and the industry and even a great hospital,” he said. “The hospital here is a gem. It’s attractive to people who might want to move here and outside companies that might want to come to town.”
Harrington said he thoroughly enjoys being involved in the three primary nuts and bolts aspects of being an economic development director: business retention, expansion and attraction.
“My job is to go out and market the community to existing companies in town or using available means to attract businesses to Houston and start roots here,” he said. “There’s a lot that goes into it; it’s not real estate business or politics, it’s those three things and more all crammed into a job description. It’s a people business, too. You have to be willing to walk into a room full of 50 strangers and leave with 50 friends.
“But I just love what I do; to me it’s not work, it’s a passion.”
Harrington began duties in early October and said his vision for Houston grows daily.
“I think there is a lot of opportunity here,” he said. “There are several great locations already here and it’s my job to get them filled. But it’s not just that, it’s also working with the hospital and the Durham Co. and other companies to help them grow and bring commerce and grow the tax base here.”
One of his first priorities, Harrington said, is to secure a tenant for the building on the west side of town that was most recently home to a dairy business. He also hopes to work with area students in some fashion.
“I’d like to help them sort through all the options they have,” Harrington said. “And that doesn’t necessarily mean going to college.”
Harrington would also welcome the presence of a technical school.
“I know bringing one in is a passion of a lot of people here,” he said.
Business retention and expansion should be one of an economic developer’s main focuses, Harrington said.
“About 80-percent of jobs created in a community are going to come from companies you already have,” he said. “When I look at economic development as a whole, if you do business retention correctly, the rest should come easy as well. Let’s just say an existing company comes to you and says, ‘If we had some wider streets, a little cheaper water rate or better electrical service, we could expand and hire another 20 employees.’
“I’m not saying any of those things are bad here, but the point is, guess what an outside company that might bring 100 jobs is going to want? They’re going to want the same things.”
Harrington said he looks forward to working with City Administrator Tona Bowen and other city employees.
“You have a great city administrator here,” he said. “She has great ideas for the future and has a great understanding of the area, and she and I are on the same page when it comes to a lot of ideas. I think we’ll have a great partnership.”
The whole City of Houston “team” seems to be functioning well, Harrington said.
“The city council and the whole staff are really, really good,” he said. “The saying at my house has for a long time been, ‘teamwork makes the dream work.’ It’s true, and I think there’s a great epicenter and a great foundation here and I’m excited to work with them.”
Harrington said Houston residents can expect results.
“I plan on surprising a lot of people,” he said. “I’m working for the people, and I’ve never let any of that, ‘you’re just a small town’ stuff get in my way. I want people here to know that I’m here to make sure their home is everything they want it to be today and tomorrow.”
Living in Houston, Harrington said, isn’t going to be short-term thing for he and his family. His father will also move here from the Marceline area in the near future.
“We’re not lifetime Houstonians, but we’re Houstonians now and we plan to be for a long, long time,” he said.
Harrington can be reached by phone at Houston City Hall at 417-967-3348 or by email at ec.dev@houstonmo.org.