HOUSTON (August 31, 2022) – The Houston Local Organizing Committee (HLOC), designated to oversee city-level planning for the 2023 Men’s Final Four, is pleased to announce the following industry leaders as Host City Supporters: TDECU, Texas Children’s Hospital, Rusty Hardin & Associates, Cotton Holdings, Inc., CareSource, Smart Financial and Calpine Corporation. The contributions made by these corporations will be used to support a variety of initiatives, including programs designed to leave a lasting impact on the Greater Houston area and thousands of members of the local community.
“We are grateful for these incredible Host City Supporters that are helping Houston and Harris County put on a world class event. 2023 will be the fourth time Houston has hosted this prestigious event and with the Host City Supporters on our team, the event is on track to be the best one yet, including a significant increase in engagement and local initiatives. It takes our entire network coming together, from local companies and non-profit organizations, to city, county and countless additional partners to ensure that we execute on an incredible 2023 NCAA Men’s Final Four. Through this collaboration, the seven participating organizations are showcasing their commitment to Houston and its residents. These companies are helping us bring impactful education, entertainment and local programs to life,” said Holly Kesterson, president of the Houston Local Organizing Committee.
Leading up to the National Championship, the HLOC Host City Supporters will bolster the HLOC’s impact related to educational programs, fan events and community projects. Moreover, company representatives will lend their time and talent toward volunteering at local program sites including the elementary literacy program with more than 33,000 participants across 11 area school districts; collegiate educational initiatives with the four university host institutions (Houston Baptist University, Rice University, Texas Southern University and the University of Houston), interactive pop-up fan experiences; and other grassroots initiatives taking place. Further, Host City Supporters will assist with community projects that will leave a lasting impact for Houston and Harris County residents.
####
About TDECU: Founded in 1955, TDECU is a not-for-profit financial cooperative with more than 366,000 Members and over $4.7 billion in assets. TDECU currently has 39 service locations, including 35 Member Centers, and offers a complete selection of convenient, innovative, and competitive products and services, including a full suite of deposit products as well as mortgage, auto and personal loan products, online and mobile banking. TDECU also offers, through its subsidiaries, retirement planning and wealth management, personal and business insurance products. Members can also access a worldwide network of over 55,000 surcharge-free ATMs. For more information visit TDECU.org or call (800) 839-1154.
About Texas Children’s Hospital: Texas Children’s Hospital, a not-for-profit health care organization, is committed to creating a healthier future for children and women throughout the global community by leading in patient care, education and research. Consistently ranked as the best children’s hospital in Texas, and among the top in the nation, Texas Children’s has garnered widespread recognition for its expertise and breakthroughs in pediatric and women’s health. The hospital includes the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute; the Feigin Tower for pediatric research; Texas Children’s Pavilion for Women, a comprehensive obstetrics/gynecology facility focusing on high-risk births; Texas Children’s Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in suburban West Houston; and Texas Children’s Hospital The Woodlands, the first hospital devoted to children’s care for communities north of Houston. The organization also created Texas Children’s Health Plan, the nation’s first HMO for children; has the largest pediatric primary care network in the country, Texas Children’s Pediatrics; Texas Children’s Urgent Care clinics that specialize in after-hours care tailored specifically for children; and a global health program that’s channeling care to children and women all over the world. Texas Children’s Hospital is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine. For more information, go to www.texaschildrens.org. Get the latest news by visiting the online newsroom and Twitter at twitter.com/texaschildrens.
About Rusty Hardin & Associates, LLP: Rusty Hardin & Associates, LLP has built a solid reputation for establishing rapport with juries and obtaining favorable results for clients in commercial litigation, white-collar criminal defense, personal injury, and appellate matters. The firm’s clients have been as varied as Arthur Andersen, Dow Jones, the J. Howard Marshall II estate against claims by Anna Nicole Smith, ExxonMobil, Rice University, Las Vegas Sands, Arkema, Inc., and many professional athletes, including Wade Boggs, Warren Moon, Rudy Tomjanovich, Scottie Pippen, Calvin Murphy, Adrian Peterson, Roger Clemens, James Harden, and Deshaun Watson. Chambers has recognized Rusty Hardin as a top U.S. trial lawyer and a Texas Band 1 lawyer in commercial litigation and white-collar criminal defense, and Best Lawyers has recognized him in commercial litigation and white-collar criminal defense and named him 2019 Houston Lawyer of the Year for white-collar criminal defense. The Litigation Section of the State Bar of Texas inducted Hardin as a Texas Legal Legend, and Benchmark Litigation selected him as a Litigation Star in Texas in Commercial Litigation. Hardin is one of only four attorneys in the U.S. and the only attorney in Texas honored as a 2018 Global Elite Thought Leader in litigation by Who’s Who Legal. Hardin was named one of the 100 Most Influential Lawyers in America by The National Law Journal and one of “The 25 Greatest Texas Lawyers of the Past Quarter-Century” by Texas Lawyer.
About Cotton Holdings, Inc. Cotton is a leading infrastructure support services company in the $20 billion U.S. commercial restoration market with subsidiaries that conduct business under the Cotton Global Disaster Solutions, Cotton Roofing, Cotton Logistics, Cotton Culinary, OneLodge, Stellar Commercial Roofing, Full Circle Restoration and Construction Services, Advance Catastrophe Technologies and Target Solutions brands. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, with an International Logistics Center and regional offices throughout North America, Cotton provides property restoration and recovery, construction, roofing, consulting, temporary workforce housing and culinary services to public and private entities worldwide.
About CareSource: CareSource is a nonprofit, multi-state health plan recognized as a national leader in managed care. Founded in 1989, CareSource administers one of the nation’s largest Medicaid managed care plans and offers a lifetime of access to care through health insurance, including Medicaid, Health Insurance Marketplace, Medicare Advantage and dual-eligible programs. Headquartered in Dayton, Ohio, CareSource serves 2 million members in Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia. CareSource is also a partner in CareSource PASSE, which has been approved as a new option for the Provider-Led Arkansas Shared Savings Entity (PASSE) Program for Arkansans with complex behavioral health and individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. CareSource understands the challenges consumers face navigating the health system and is transforming health care with industry-leading programs that improve the health and well-being of our members. For more, visit www.caresource.com, follow @caresource on Twitter, or like CareSource on Facebook.
About Smart Financial: Smart Financial is one of the oldest and most well-established credit unions in the Houston region since opening its doors in 1934. With 13 locations in Greater Houston, Smart Financial is a state-chartered credit union that is locally owned and operated by its members and focuses on people, not profits. Smart Financial provides a full range of financial services to over 65,000 members with a passion and purpose for helping people reach their lifelong dreams. In 2016, Smart Financial became the naming rights sponsor of Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land, Texas, which has become one of the top mid-sized concert venues in the world. Smart Financial created a foundation in 2013 that has raised over $600,000 for scholarships to Houston area students as well as support for many local Houston charities. For more information, visit www.smartcu.org or engage with Smart Financial Credit Union on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
About Calpine Corporation: Calpine is America’s premier integrated power company. We are the largest generator of electricity from natural gas and geothermal resources and serve retail customers across competitive markets in the U.S. Our commodity trading and asset development teams ensure that we can continue to provide reliable electricity while enabling and advancing the energy transition.
Through wholesale power operations and our retail businesses, Calpine’s diverse team of approximately 2,200 employees serves customers across 22 states, Canada and Mexico. Calpine operates a fleet of 75 power plants and two battery storage facilities (including one under construction) representing nearly 26,000 MW of generation capacity. Environmental stewardship is fundamental to Calpine’s philosophy and culture; in addition to operating the largest geothermal facility in the world and the youngest, most efficient fleets of gas-fired power plants, Calpine has been a long-time advocate of carbon pricing and decarbonization. Learn more at calpine.com.
MEDIA CONTACT: John Brannen, john@scurfieldgroup.com, 713-320-1704
