There is a difference between a national firm with a Houston phone number and a firm that is actually in Houston. It shows up in small, checkable ways — knowing that a business here pays $1.40 a line for 9-1-1 where most of Texas pays fifty cents, because Harris County runs its own emergency network and is not part of the state program. Nobody outside this city knows that, and it is on every phone bill in it.
“Houston, Tranquility Base here.”“Houston, Tranquility Base here. The Eagle has landed.” Twenty-five miles south-east of downtown, Johnson Space Center has run every crewed American spaceflight since Gemini IV in 1965 — and it is still the reason mission control anywhere in the world is called Houston.
We are not going to pretend that advising a business on its phone system is spaceflight. But there is something about working in a city whose whole identity is built on getting the details right the first time, because the second time is not available — and that part we do take seriously.
Hover a card for the record. Click it and it opens up. If you were at any of these, you already know which one you would have picked.
01Game 7, 2017 — the first one
02Springer, five home runs, 2017 Series MVP
03Altuve, 2017 AL MVP
04Verlander arrives, August 2017
05Game 5, 2022 — Alvarez, three-run shot
06Framber Valdez, Game 2, 2022
07Dusty Baker gets his ring, 2022
08Bregman at third, the whole run
09Orange Friday at Minute Maid
Nine moments per team. If you were there for any of these, you already know which one you would have picked.
01Hakeem Olajuwon, back-to-back Finals MVP
02The Dream Shake
03Game 6, 1994 — Hakeem blocks Starks
04Clutch City, 1995
05Sweeping Orlando, 1995
06Rudy Tomjanovich — never underestimate the heart of a champion
07Kenny Smith from deep
08Sam Cassell, Game 3, 1994
09The Summit, when it was loud
Nine moments per team. If you were there for any of these, you already know which one you would have picked.
01First game, 2002 — beating Dallas
02J.J. Watt, three-time Defensive Player of the Year
03Andre Johnson, the standard
04Watt's 2017 Harvey relief effort
05Arian Foster, undrafted to All-Pro
06First playoff win, 2011
07C.J. Stroud, 2023 Offensive Rookie of the Year
08Battle Red Day
09NRG, third down, full volume
Nine moments per team. If you were there for any of these, you already know which one you would have picked.
01Back-to-back AFL Champions, 1960 and 1961
02Warren Moon, Hall of Fame, Houston's own
03Earl Campbell, 1978 Rookie of the Year
04Luv Ya Blue, 1978–79
05Bum Phillips: kick the door in
06The Astrodome, blue pompoms
07Mike Munchak and Bruce Matthews, both in Canton
08Run-and-shoot, 1990s
091993 — eleven straight
Nine moments per team. If you were there for any of these, you already know which one you would have picked.
01Four championships in the league's first four years
02Cynthia Cooper, four-time Finals MVP
03Sheryl Swoopes, three-time WNBA MVP
04Tina Thompson, the first pick in league history
05Kim Perrot, remembered
06The 1998 team, 27–3
07Compaq Center, sold out
08The first WNBA dynasty
09Still the only franchise to win the first four
Nine moments per team. If you were there for any of these, you already know which one you would have picked.
01Gordie Howe signs, 1973 — with Mark and Marty
02Back-to-back Avco Cups, 1974 and 1975
03Gordie Howe, WHA MVP at 46
04Three Howes on one line
05Calder Cup, 2003
06The Summit, hockey in Texas
07Andre Lacroix and the WHA years
08Toyota Center era
09A hockey town, whatever anyone says
Nine moments per team. If you were there for any of these, you already know which one you would have picked.
01Phi Slama Jama
02Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler, same team
03Final Four, 1982, 1983, 1984
04The Game of the Century, 1968, Astrodome
05Elvin Hayes vs Lew Alcindor, 52,693 people
06Case Keenum, NCAA passing yards record
07Andre Ware, 1989 Heisman
08Kelvin Sampson's return to the Final Four
09Back in the Big 12
Nine moments per team. If you were there for any of these, you already know which one you would have picked.
Thirty minutes with an advisor who lives here, no cost and no obligation. Our office is in Stafford, twenty minutes from downtown, and the person who answers is the person you will work with. If it turns out we are not the right fit, we will tell you who is.