HOUSTON – CNBC's "Street Signs" was broadcast live from a restaurant downtown Houston on Tuesday. Anchor Brian Sullivan came to Texas to kick off CNBC's Opportunity USA tour.
"You guys make it easy to do business here," said Sullivan. "Just trying to find places around America to change the way people maybe view a certain way. I think Houston maybe was pigeon-holed into being the oil capital. In reality, there's a lot of cool stuff happening here and we're trying to show it off."
CNBC said there are big opportunities throughout America. The business network is also spotlighting San Diego and Minneapolis. It said the common thread is innovation.
The program originated from The Pass and Provisions on Taft near downtown Houston.
"We've been busy since we opened the doors," chef and owner Seth Siegel-Gardner said. "We don't have any complaints."
Siegel-Gardner and his friend, Terrence Gallivan, were chefs in New York City. Siegel-Gardner is from Houston. He convinced Gallivan to move to Houston. Gallivan is also an owner.
"It's a great town to open a business in," Gallivan said. "Obviously it's the fourth biggest city in the nation. People are looking for a good product and to open up businesses."
Sullivan met with Houston Mayor Annise Parker and business leaders. The program also highlighted the low unemployment, the lack of state income tax and less regulation in Texas than in other parts of the country.
Houston is third only to NYC and Chicago in number of Fortune 500 companies.