The Ion Welcomes Chevron as First Tenant and Program Partner

HOUSTON, Aug. 19, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Rice Management Company and The Ion today announced global energy leader Chevron is the first tenant to sign a lease and the first program partner of The Ion's new space at 4201 Main Street.

Experience the interactive Multichannel News Release here: https://www.multivu.com/players/English/8763551-the-ion-houston-welcomes-chevron/

The Ion's LEED-certified building in midtown Houston is set to open in the Spring of 2021 with Chevron leasing space for collaboration among Chevron teams, startup companies, and community organizations contributing to Houston's innovation ecosystem. Chevron's space will be led by the Chevron Technology Ventures group and will be available for all Chevron employees for networking, professional development, and opportunities to collaborate with other innovation ecosystem players. The organization also plans to leverage The Ion community in its efforts to access and support local innovation.

"Our first tenant at The Ion is one of the most recognizable brands in the world," said Ryan LeVasseur, Managing Director of Real Estate, Rice Management Company. "We're thrilled to welcome Chevron into the Innovation District. They'll be the first of many companies, local startups, and business owners who make a home at and around The Ion as we continue to develop this groundbreaking, mixed-use space."

Barbara Burger, President of Chevron Technology Ventures, said, "We are thrilled to support The Ion as a key component of Houston's growing innovation ecosystem.  We have a long history in Houston with its role as the global energy capital.  We believe The Ion will help to ensure that Houston retains that distinction and plays a leading role in the energy transition through innovation."

As a founding program partner of The Ion, Chevron has long supported Houston's innovation community. Since 2017, Chevron employees have mentored startups and entrepreneurs at The Ion's current space, served as judges for The Ion's innovation showcases, and sponsored programming for K-12 students.

"By becoming our first tenant and a founding program partner, Chevron has shown it is committed to ensuring The Ion is Houston's premier destination for innovators, entrepreneurs, and academics to collaborate on workforce development, build tech-enabled businesses, and support the community," said Jan E. Odegard, The Ion's Interim Executive Director. "We're grateful to welcome such an esteemed organization to our space with which we share the same mission and values."

Chevron and all future tenants of The Ion will have access to the building's cutting-edge amenities and resources, including its prototyping and immersive reality labs, 70,000 square feet of public and shared spaces for event programming, business incubation and acceleration, and curated connections. The Ion's leasing operations are led by Drew Morris at Savills.

About The Ion: The Ion will anchor the 16-acre Innovation District and is destined to become the epicenter for Houston's innovation ecosystem as an inclusive, dynamic, vibrant and dense hub focusing on quality collaborations between entrepreneurs, incubators, accelerators, corporations, academics, and the Houston community when it opens in 2021. The 300,000 square-foot building will accommodate multiple uses, including shared workspace, prototyping and maker resources, event space, classrooms, food and beverage offerings as well as indoor/outdoor communal areas with shared amenities. For more information, please visit https://ionhouston.com/.

For Leasing: Drew Morris, DMorris@savills.us

Press Contact: theion@finnpartners.com, 312-329-3983

SOURCE Rice Management Company and The Ion