Emerson Process Management is celebrating the grand opening of its new Valve Automation headquarters May 8. The new facility consolidates the company's sales management, engineering, product development and administrative functions into a 215,000-square-foot, $30 million structure off Hwy. 290 near FM 1960.

The new facility is expected to bring 126 new jobs and $9.5 million in capital investments to the area. In order to help close the deal, the state has provided a $1 million grant through the Texas Enterprise Fund, which aims to increase and maintain Texas business and employment opportunities.

"From small businesses to multinational corporations like Emerson, employers know Texas offers them the best chance at success through our low tax rates, predictable regulations, lawsuit abuse reforms and skilled workforce," said Gov. Rick Perry at the facility's grand opening May 8.

The facility features an Innovation Center to offer visual technology training, a demonstration area to provide hands-on experience, and a manufacturing facility to expand services for the oil and gas industry.

"Oil and gas represent 40 percent of Emerson Process Management's sales, so understandably, Houston is an important market," said Denise Clarke, general manager of Fleishman-Hillard, which handles public relations for the St. Louis-based company. "The growth of the oil and gas industries are fueling Emerson's need for more space and capacity."

The grand opening comes on the heels of Emerson's new $34 million Emerson Industrial Center for Hydrocarbon and Energy that opened off Beltway 8 and Bellaire Boulevard in early 2012, which also serves as the company's global headquarters for valve automation, Clarke said. This 160,000-square-foot facility has more than 350 employees with plans to add an additional 100 by 2015.

Initially, the Valve Automation headquarters off Hwy. 290 will employ 175 people, but the workforce should be expanded to 250 by 2015. Overall, Emerson Process Management employs more than 1,000 Houston residents. The company has recently invested in renovations or new locations in Houston, Central Texas, Pittsburgh, Minnesota and Louisiana.

Emerson has operated facilities in Texas since the late 1920s, according to David Plum, president of Emerson Process Management's Valve Automation business, and the decision to consolidate its services in Northwest Houston was finalized after the company received an incentive from Cy–Fair ISD, which classified the business as a foreign trade zone. This exemption allows international trade companies to delay U.S. Customs payments until the imported goods are available on the U.S. market. According to CFISD, about $325 million in duties and taxes have been saved by establishing FTZs.