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Four Houston Companies make Fortune Magazine's list

  HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Fortune Magazine has named four Houston companies to its list of 100 best companies to work for.

Methodist Hospital came in 53rd on the list, down from 19th last year. However, it did rank eighth for average pay for hourly employees. The average annual salary for an hourly employee is more than $83,000.

The apartment management company, Camden Property Trust, the Men's Warehouse, and energy company EOG also made the list.

Fortune Magazine says the best company to work for is Google. The web giant has the perks, opportunities and benefits that make employees happy. Google also has a major presence in Austin with its own set of perks. See the full list here.

(Copyright ©2012 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.)
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Houston Real Estate Companies

Harris County sues companies over river pollution

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- Harris County is now suing local waste companies and a paper factory, accusing them of polluting the San Jacinto River. The suit claims that chemicals from waste disposal pits leak into the water and have been doing so for years.

The county is constantly monitoring the dioxin levels in the water and in the fish. Now they're seeking punishment for the companies they believe responsible for releasing the dangerous chemical in the first place.

Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan has filed suit, claiming the San Jacinto River has been so contaminated that fish and crabs caught here are unsafe to eat and it's dangerous to swim in the water.

"These companies, the responsible parties, just dumped it there because they could," Ryan said. "Just dumped it there."

Ryan has filed suit in state court attempting to recover hundreds of millions of dollars from local waste management companies and a paper factory allegedly responsible for the pollution of the river since 1965. The suit names International Paper Company, Waste Management and McGinnis Industrial Maintenance Corporation, accusing them of a "...legacy of pollution...", claiming they disposed of highly toxic chemicals from the paper mill in waste pits located on the banks of the San Jacinto River, that the pits leaked into the river for decades and were ultimately abandoned.

Three years ago, the US Environmental Protection Agency declared the now submerged pits a Superfund cleanup site.

The suit seeks penalties of up to $25,000 a day. County Attorney Ryan says it's time those responsible are held accountable for their actions.

He said, "These parties were aware of it but did nothing about it."

Those living nearby say it's frustrating that they have to live in fear for their health.

"It could be a wonderful place but I'm afraid to go in it," said homeowner Sharon Graves.

An official with Waste Management says they were never involved with the disposal here and that "...the disposal operations that occurred were under the appropriate governmental authorization in place at the time."

Spokespeople for both Waste Management and International Paper Company say they have not yet seen the suit so they cannot comment further.

(Copyright ©2011 KTRK-TV/DT. All Rights Reserved.) Get more Local »

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Shipping companies busy delivering packages during holidays

HOUSTON (KTRK) -- If you think you have a lot to get finished before the holidays, imagine working for a parcel delivery service where tens of millions of packages still have to get to their destinations on time.

Leroy Moses has worked for FedEx for 21 years. He drives for FedEx Express Delivery. He loves his job, he says, especially on days like today.

"The holidays, the whole week is tough," Moses said.

Package after package, Moses drives and scans and delivers.

"You get in a mindset where you been doing it a long time, so there's nothing to it. Just get out here and do it," he said.

And Thursday is the day this year when more packages get delivered than any other day.

"We come in early and get off late," Moses said.

FedEx says this is the busiest season in its history, already breaking its single day delivery record earlier this month at more than 17 million packages. It seems, despite the economy, people still want to give.

"People still finding money to shop and to buy toys, to buy gifts. And that's the best part about it," Moses said.

UPS is also finding Thursday its busiest of the year for ground deliveries. Friday is its busiest day for air. The company has hired an additional 56,000 seasonal employees to help get everything delivered.

"We're gonna do over 26 million packages today. That's roughly a 60 percent increase over what we'd normally handle on a typical day in terms of delivery. It takes a team effort and we have a lot of fun this time of year," UPS employee Shane Boyles said.

It's almost as much fun probably as the people on the receiving end of all of those packages.

UPS company expects to deliver 25 million packages Thursday -- that's 300 packages per second. On a standard business day, they usually deliver 15.6 million.

This week, they've added 400 additional flights per day.

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