Our Story
The Power of
The future isn't either/or. Houston made it both.
It all started on a flooded Houston lawn.
August 2018 — Mayor Turner meets Katie Mehnert on her lawn, one year after Harvey
When Hurricane Harvey tore through Houston in August 2017, Katie Mehnert watched floodwaters swallow her home and business. Evacuated by boat with her young daughter, she took to social media with a clarion call of anger, grief, and resolve — a voice that resonated with thousands across the city.
A year later, on the anniversary of Harvey's landfall, a remarkable conversation began — right back on that same lawn. Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, a Democrat, and Katie, a Republican, stood together as political opposites united by a shared crisis. The discussion wasn't about partisan politics. It was about the future of Houston, the undisputed energy capital of the world — and the power of &: energy & climate, people & planet, oil & innovation.
Mayor Sylvester Turner, 2018
"We need to bring everyone together across our city and the industry to drive the energy future for Houston."
— Mayor Sylvester Turner
Mayor Turner encouraged Katie to leverage everything she had built — her love for Houston, her deep roots in the energy workforce, and her ability to bring people together across divides — to champion this shared vision. He asked for her help and she made him a promise: she would.
A City Born by the Ampersand
The Ampersand Effect is what happens when you stop choosing sides and start building bridges.
Energy & climate. People & planet. Profit & purpose — not opposites, partners.
From the devastation of a hurricane, a new kind of storm was born: innovation, collaboration, and unstoppable progress.
In Honor & Memory
1954 – 2025
Honorable Sylvester Turner
Mayor of Houston, 2016–2024
Member, Texas House of Representatives, District 139, 1989–2016
Speaker Pro Tempore, Texas House of Representatives, 2003–2009
Member, U.S. House of Representatives, Texas's 18th Congressional District, 2025
Mayor Sylvester Turner passed away on March 5, 2025. His vision — that Houston could lead the world in both energy and climate — is the founding spirit of everything HECW stands for. He championed the Houston Climate Action Plan, brought the city together across every divide, and proved that Houston does hard things.
"Houston Energy & Climate Week is the rodeo where everyone can be a part of the solution."