HOUSTON--The Port of Houston and the city's industrial outlook will be the focus of a panel at the upcoming RealShare Houston conference, on March 31 at The Houstonian hotel.

With the site actively investing in its terminals to handle increased activity, catalyzed by re-shored operations and the expansion of the Panama Canal, the Port is a top-of-mind submarket, and industrial a key sector in Houston's economy.

“The heavy industrial manufacturing base, serving the downstream activity located around the Port of Houston, is investing billions of dollars in new projects that will be ongoing for years,” David Boyd, co-managing director of Boyd Commercial/CORFAC International, told GlobeSt.com.

Boyd will appear on the panel “The Houston Port, The Grand Parkway, and What's Next for Industrial Real Estate,” moderated by Rhett Miller, regional director of Southeast VTS Inc. Other panelists include Walker Barnett, principal of Houston Colliers International; Jordan Frisby, economic analyst, Port of Houston Authority; and David Hudson, senior vice president-Houston, Duke Realty.

As its title implies, there will also be discussion about the completion of the Grand Parkway between Interstate 10 and U.S. 290, and how it has spurred attractive land pricing and is driven new investment.

“Overall the market is still very strong, although there is uncertainty creeping in due to low oil prices and what effect that will have on Houston,” says Boyd. “Vacancy rates are very low and we have a relatively modest amount of new construction coming online, compared to past cycles.

“…But good economy or bad, the people are still coming. This creates a huge demand for goods and services that are all fulfilled through industrial real estate, which drives the new development. We are going to have to continue to invest heavily in our transportation infrastructure in order to keep up.”

For more information on RealShare Houston, click here.