Pyramid CDC | Corinthian Pointe | The Power Center in Houston, Texas

About The Power Center

Impacting Lives…Creating Value

The Power Center was the first major undertaking of the Pyramid Community Development Corporation (CDC), a premier faith-based organization founded in 1992 to improve the quality of life in a historically underserved area of southwest Houston. A former dilapidated Kmart, the Power Center opened its doors in 1996 as a multi-use complex designed to address the educational, economical, social, spiritual, cultural, medical and emotional needs of the community.

pyrsamidcdc The development of The Power Center created in excess of 930 jobs (including construction jobs), of which 65% were targeted to individuals with low incomes. The Center currently creates employment for more than 270 people and generates $15.5 million in the community per annum.

Located at the corner of South Main and South Post Oak and just ten miles from Houston’s downtown district, the $9.1 million Power Center complex consists of two buildings totaling 104,000 square feet on 24 acres of land. It is an exemplary 21st Century service delivery model of private and public partnership that serves over 11,000 families a month. Housed within the Center and on its site are a variety of for-profit and non-profit entities and programs which include:

The Houston Career Initiative – a service that strives to successfully match unemployed/underemployed individuals with employers through development, a job database, a computer lab, and emotional and spiritual support
The Imani School – a private Christian school that serves students from pre-kindergarten through the eighth grade and builds critical thinking based on a strong foundation of academic skills.
J.P. Morgan Chase Bank Branch
Jesse H. Jones Conference Center – Houston’s fifth largest banquet facility that provides meeting space for business and organizations in the greater Houston area. The Power Center kitchen features a five-star chef who prepares exquisite culinary cuisine for an intimate dinner of four to a banquet of 1200 people.
Alpha Eye Care Optical Center
George E. Johnson Development Company
The Power Center Pharmacy
Family Centered Health Care Centers – Dr. Barry Martin
The Power Studio Hair Salon
The Power Suites – executive offices for small businesses and entrepreneurs with shared access to conference rooms and receptionist area
WAM Foundation, Inc. – a nonprofit organization that offers educational and social services to HIV/AIDS patients and their families
WIC – a program that provides nutritious foods, healthy diet information and health care referrals to low-income women, infants, and children up to age five

In 2003, The Power Center celebrated ten years of service to the community with a fundraiser that benefited three local nonprofit organizations. President George W. Bush served as keynote speaker. The Center has been host to a number of religious and social events featuring national leaders and celebrities such as First Lady (Senator) Hillary Rodham Clinton, The View’s Star Jones, Nancy Wilson, Sinbad, Jonathan Slocumb, Phil Driscoll, and more.

The History of Pyramid Community Development Corporation

Kirbyjon H. Caldwell and Windsor Village United Methodist Church founded The Pyramid Community Development Corporation (The Pyramid) in 1992 to improve the quality of life in Southwest Houston, Texas. Since inception, The Pyramid has implemented programs that provide holistic empowerment to the community.

The success of The Pyramid is attributable to dedicated, hardworking board members that provide vision and give guidance in setting governing policies. The board consists of leaders from the Houston community with experience in law, finance, accounting, and human resources.

The Pyramid has created two separate companies – the KBBC Holding Company, which currently operates the Power Studio Hair Salon, and The Pyramid Residential Community Corporation, which developed the Corinthian Pointe Residential Subdivision a part of the Corinthian Pointe Master-Planned Community with 462 single-family homes.

The Pyramid continues to provide holistic services to the community. In the second quarter of 2007 in conjunction with Windsor Village United Methodist Church, the Pyramid will offer the Kingdom Builders’ Financial Empowerment Series, a financial stewardship curriculum designed to educate individuals on biblical and practical principles of money. The goal is to empower people to understand their personal finances, develop money management skills, eliminate debt, and accumulate wealth. This and future developments will continue to serve the residents of Southwest Houston, empowering those residents and improving the quality of life for all who live in the area. The Pyramid is honored and humbled by the opportunity to serve the community.

Corinthian Pointe

Corinthian Pointe subdivision is a part of a large master-planned community located outside of the 610 Loop and inside Beltway 8 near Reliant Park. The neighborhood is the largest residential subdivision in Houston developed by a non-profit group.

The community, which spans 220 acres, has 462 single-family homes cost $173 million to build. About 80% of the subdivision’s homes are classified as affordable by the City of Houston. One-third of the homes, which range in size from 1,300 to 2,200 square feet, were sold to low-income families who received down-payment assistance from the City of Houston. Average selling prices were estimated at $80,000 in 2000 and $106,000 today.

Future development for the community includes a 20-acre community park, catfish ponds, the Zina Garrison Tennis Center, a Prayer Center, and a Continuum of Care Retirement Community. Currently under construction are a YMCA and the Kingdom Builders’ Center. Both are scheduled for completion in 2007. The Jean Hines Caldwell Elementary School was completed in 2005.