The west side of Houston “is exploding with new warehouse/distribution centers along Interstate 10,” says Heiser of IMST Corp. Charlotte, N.C.-based LendingTree ranked the Houston metro area No. 1 in new-business applications in Texas during 2020. With a 37.4% increase in applications from 2019 to 2020, it outranked Austin and Dallas, and took 20th among the nation’s 100 largest metro markets. The Greater Houston Partnership forecasts the Houston region will create 75,500 net new jobs in 2022, with 2,000-plus flowing from the retail sector.