METRO CEO to Speak at Starbucks Breakfast Series

If you work or live downtown, save Thursday morning to sip some java, enjoy some pastries and hear our president and CEO, Frank J. Wilson, give a sneak preview on how mass transit will affect your life in the future.

As part of the Starbucks Breakfast Speaker Series, Mr. Wilson will discuss how commuting downtown, along with mobility for our entire region, will be changed by infrastructure investments that transcend bus and rail.

Transition to the Future will be from 7:45 a.m. to 8:45 a.m. on Thursday, March 20, at Fulbright Tower Auditorium, 1301 McKinney on the mezzanine level. Free Starbucks coffee, pastries and networking will be offered. The event is open to the pubic. Tickets at the door are $5 per person but free for members of the Houston Downtown Alliance.

As Houston's growth continues to mushroom, how can we improve mobility without pouring more concrete, adding more lanes and contributing to more air pollution? What are the details of  METRO's $2 billion expansion, when will the light-rail lines begin construction, and how will they affect businesses?

Find out the answers on Thursday as Mr. Wilson addresses these issues.

"We look for people who are helping to shape downtown, whether it is in the business world, the arts or sports. We look for people who are making a difference," said Andrew Huang, president of Houston Downtown Alliance. "So, obviously, with METRO, with all that's going on with the plans and how they affect downtown, we thought it was very appropriate to have Frank speak."

Past speakers include Jamey Rootes, president of the Houston Texans and Matthew VanBesien, CEO of the Houston Symphony.

"It's basically a chance to give people a chance to hear from the movers and shakers, be able to ask questions,  get involved and be knowledgeable about a all the changes that are happening downtown because it seems that it's going 100 miles per hour," said Huang.

If you're near the Red Line, you can ride the rail, disembark at Main Street Square, then walk three blocks east on McKinney toward the George R. Brown Convention Center. Fulbright Tower Auditorium is across from the Shops at Houston Center.

The series is sponsored by METRO, Starbucks, the Houston Business Journal, Houston Downtown Alliance, Crescent and Continental Airlines.

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