I have said it many times, “Houston is a great place to live.” I especially love being able to share all the wonderful things that Houston has to offer with people who are relocating here. True, this is an important part of my job as Director of Global Relocation Services at John Daugherty, Realtors, but it is also the truth. From our great shopping and restaurants, to all the great sporting events, arts and culture, parks and trails and much more…Houston really has it all.

Here’s a new one for you:
Houston is the Global Center of Excellence for International Human Resources.

For the past three years, I have been involved in the Houston International HR Roundtable. This is a fantastic group of individuals comprised of the HR community and the service professionals who work in partnership with them. During the time that I have been involved in this group, I have come to know its leader, Larry Scott, who has done an exceptional job at bringing great speakers and educational opportunities to the group. He has also incorporated networking Happy Hours, which has helped bring the members of this group together.

At the end of 2009, Larry Scott formalized the group, adding structure and varying levels of membership and sponsorship opportunities, while enhancing membership benefits. He now serves as president for the group and is the visionary for its future.

So, what is Houston International HR Roundtable?

Houston International HR Roundtable is committed to developing Houston as the Global Center of Excellence for International Human Resources. It is the leading education and networking professional organization in Houston for international HR professionals, including international and domestic service providers.

The vision of the group is to develop Houston as the Global Center of Excellence for international human resources.

I was absolutely thrilled when Larry approached me and asked me to Chair the Global Center of Excellence Committee. He felt that I would be a perfect fit, given my work within the Relocation Industry and the contacts that I have locally within the Houston Relocation and HR community.

The Global Center of Excellence Committee is focused on bringing increased recognition to Houston as the Global Center of Excellence for International Human Resources in accordance with the vision statement of Houston International HR Roundtable.   This committee works in conjunction with our other committees to promote Houston and its value as a global leader in international HR.  I am very excited to be the Chair of this important committee, and look very forward to assisting in bringing recognition to the Houston as the Global Center of Excellence.

If you are interested in membership or more information about Houston International HR Roundtable, please visit:
Houston International HR Roundtable.  To view upcoming events, please click here:  Events Calendar.

The above is reprinted by permission from the Houston Relocation Blog published by Michelle Sandlin, CRP.  Michelle is the Director, Global Relocation Services at John Daugherty.

Houston International HR Roundtable has embraced social media. Whether you use Facebook, Linkedin, Google, FeedZilla, or Twitter – we are there to connect with you. We also invite you to follow our RSS feed or share our content. We provide links on each page for most of the major social networking sites. For those who prefer to receive our updates by email, please subscribe via Feedzilla for email updates. We also publish an “old-fashioned” newsletter and you can sign-up here.  Let us know how we can help you connect via social media.

Houston is one of the largest international HR markets in the world.  As the energy capitol, expatriate management and related services are Texas-sized businesses judging by the number (and quality) of our immigration lawyers, expatriate tax providers, and relocations companies.  We have a world-class infrastructure that connects us to the global community.  Houston is also incredibly diverse and we are home to 90 foreign consulate offices.

Reflecting Houston’s standing in the international HR community, we host a constant stream of international HR conferences.  In addition to our monthly events, Houston regularly hosts conferences by Families in Global Transition (FIGT), National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC), Texas State Council of SHRM, and Global HR News.

Please send us a tweet or say hello in person when you are in Houston.  For further information on Houston as the Global Leader in international business, please visit the Greater Houston Partnership.

Welcome to Houston!

The Houston International HR Roundtable was a guest at the Global HR Executive Leadership Workshop™ yesterday.  Thank you to Ed Cohen for his hospitality!  Two of the highlights of the conference were the panel on global EAP and Michael Cadden’s presentation on OurWorldConnect.  OurWorldConnect is likely to change the way international assignees communicate with each other AND with their companies.  If you manage international assignees you need to see one of Michael’s presentations. You might even get to meet the Moose!