Kansas' Koch Industries to Expand Houston Operations.(Originated from The Wichita Eagle, Kan.)

Mar. 13--Koch Industries, the crown jewel of home-grown Wichita businesses, said Wednesday that it plans to significantly expand its operations in Houston -- and said at the same time that the business climate here is unfriendly to its future growth.

That message came after the company issued a statement saying that within the next four years, employment in Houston should rise nearly two-thirds, from its current level of 600 people to 975.

That's well below half the 2,800 now working at the world headquarters on 37th Street North, but the growth in Houston sent clear signals about the future of the country's second-largest privately held company and …