Texans have a knack for creating world-class barbecue - and success in culinary endeavors is akin to their strategy for economic development. Seasoned professionals from all levels of government provide juicy financial incentives and mix in industrial diversity to suit a variety of tastes. They combine those and patiently wait for the deals to gel, adding additional perks to spice up the deal, if necessary. The recipe works whether they are cooking up beef or beefing up the economy. Despite the national economic chill, Texas continues to whet the appetites of businesses and not only close those hot deals but keep `em coming back for seconds.
If Texas were a nation, its economy by gross domestic product (GDP) would be the 12th-largest in the world, according to the Texas Comptroller's 2008 estimates. Gross state product (GSP) for fiscal year 2008 was $1.182 billion, and according to the Controller of Public Accounts, quarterly estimates indicate that in the fourth quarter of 2008, the GSP grew to $1.245 billion.
With a continually expanding population, growth seems to gravitate primarily to major metropolitan areas centered around Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston. More people chose to relocate to Texas in 2008 than any other state, according to Allied Van Lines' 41st Annual Magnet States Report, for the fourth year in a row. The United States Census also estimates that two Texas metro areas increased their populations by more than 100,000 people from 2007 to 2008: Dallas-Fort Worth (147,000) and Houston (130,000). The Austin-Round Rock metro area - part of greater Houston - was one of the nation's fastest-growing metro areas between 2007 and 2008, according to population estimates.
A Pro-Business Government
Aggressive and competitive recruitment, low taxes, and a reasonable regulatory environment are just a few of the strategies that help the state scale to the top of lists. Aaron Demerson, executive director of economic development and tourism for the Texas governor's office, says that from December 2007 to December 2008, Texas accounted for 80 percent of job gains in the nine states with increased employment. The state's unemployment rate hovered at 6.5 percent in February 2009, nearly two points below the national average. Employment figures released in January by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics show that the two largest markets in Texas, Houston and Dallas-Fort Worth, registered the nation's biggest gains in private-sector employment between November 2007 and November 2008; Houston added 42,400 jobs and Dallas-Fort Worth picked up 35,100. No other U.S. market gained more than 15,600 private-sector jobs during that 12-month period.
The Lone Star State explores incentives to expand existing industry sectors and cultivate new ones. Demerson reports considerable interest in the state legislature for renewable energy and incentives for the film industry. Currently, more than 100 bills deal with solar, alternative energy, and energy conservation. He projects that some new bills will complement legislation passed in prior sessions to promote alternative energy, such as SB 20 (2005), which enabled the Texas Public Utility Commission to select the state's most productive wind zones to develop a transmission network to move power from those zones to various populated areas in the state. "We believe that ultimately this project will see a significant reduction in the cost of power," says Demerson. Several other bills have been introduced during this current legislative session that will increase incentives for the production of films, TV, and video gaming industries.
Demerson says activity in the "deal-closing" Texas Enterprise Fund (TEF), has been instrumental in the announcement of nearly 54,000 jobs and a projected investment of more than $14 billion since its inception. Caterpillar - the global manufacturer of construction and mining equipment, diesel and natural gas engines, and industrial gas turbines - is an example of one of the most recent participants in the fund. In December 2008, Governor Rick Perry announced Caterpillar's worldwide Assembly, Test & Paint operations would locate in Seguin. "At a time when there is so much economic uncertainty, the more than 1,400 new jobs, and nearly $170 million in capital investment is very much opportune and welcomed," says Demerson, who notes that details of the project are still in negotiations. Activity in the manufacturing sector continues to contribute significantly to the state's job growth. Recent announcements in the manufacturing sector from such companies as Santana Textiles and TPCO Enterprise Inc. are expected to result in the creation of 2,800 jobs.
In the past year, Texas has witnessed growth in the renewable energy niches, particularly in wind, solar, clean coal, natural gas and nuclear energy, and biofuels. Companies like HelioVolt, a solar cell/module manufacturer and Vestas, a wind energy R&D firm, have found their future in Texas. Texas also remains home to more Fortune 500 headquarters than any other state in the nation. The variety of industry clusters throughout the state contributes to what Demerson calls the state's "economic diversification process."
In 2004, the Governor's Industry Cluster Initiative identified six industry clusters that focused on building the state's competitive advantage: aerospace and defense, advanced technologies and manufacturing, biotechnology and life sciences, energy, information and computer technology, and petroleum refining and chemical products. In November 2007, the governor appointed 29 public- and private-sector leaders to the Governor's Competitiveness Council to identify the issues affecting Texas' global competitiveness within those clusters. "With these reports as guides, we'll be able to foster existing and developing clusters, like the telecommunication industry, biotech companies, semiconductors, and the growing gaming industry," says Demerson.
Ease for Exporting and Logistics
Texas also shares its bounty with other countries. The U.S. Department of Commerce has named Texas the top exporting state in the nation for the seventh year in a row, based on 2008 export data. Texas' exports increased more than 14 percent over the last year, totaling $192.14 billion. Top export recipients in 2008 were Mexico, Canada, China, the Netherlands, and Brazil. Texas' top exporting industries in 2008 were chemicals, computers and electronics, machinery, petroleum and coal, and transportation equipment.
Logistically, the state provides access to international and national markets in many ways. Starting with more public roads than any other state and a top-ranked railroad system, the state also boasts 13 deep-water ports and convenient air service through Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston.
Big Deals in "Big D"
In
the cities surrounding Dallas, company decision-makers have been
influenced by such issues as logistics and quality of life. Sanyo
Energy (USA) Corporation, manufacturer of rechargeable batteries and
solar cells, moved its headquarters to Frisco in fall of 2006. Andrew
Sirjord, the company vice president, says the division had been
headquartered from 1987 to 2006 in San Diego, California. "Since a
significant portion of our revenue was generated east of the
Mississippi, we decided that we needed to get closer to our customer
base in Central or Eastern time zones," he says. In addition, state
corporate income tax rates, costs of living, costs of doing business,
and educational availability were prime factors. "The Dallas area had a
strong wage level and low cost of living, so our employees were able to
buy a lot more for their dollar when they moved here," he says. "I've
been told [by employees with school-age children] that the school
system and level of education provided here was a benefit that has
wowed our employees."
The city of Denton reports diverse economic
development activity. Aircraft maintenance and service company Jet
Works Air Center is doubling its hangar and office space at the Denton
Airport and adding up to 60 aircraft technicians to its existing staff
of 132 people. The privately owned, 13-year-old company is the sole
completion center for the Italian corporate aircraft manufacturer
Piaggio. The company has leased land on which to build a
45,000-square-foot facility that will include 32,000 square feet of
hangar space, with the remainder earmarked for offices and back-shop
activities.
Aldi Inc., a discount grocer, is planning what is
expected to become Denton's largest distribution center within the next
few years. The company purchased a 185-acre tract near the Denton
Municipal Airport for the estimated $40 million, 500,000-square-foot
center that will support 25 stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The
site's advantages include proximity to Interstate 35 North with easy
access to Dallas, Fort Worth, and Oklahoma City. Also in Denton,
jewelry manufacturer Jostens' is completing a 13,000-square-foot
expansion to its facility that will result in the addition of
approximately 175 new jobs to the current 290-employee base, which
increases by approximately 200 seasonal and temporary workers during
the fall peak season.
Insurance company Torchmark Corporation's
long history in McKinney began 14 years ago in 1995, when its
Dallas-based subsidiary outgrew its space. "We wanted to relocate that
subsidiary," says Mark McAndrew, chair and CEO. "We were leaning toward
Oklahoma City, where we already had ample office space, but the city of
McKinney really made us a nice offer of incentives." That deal resulted
in the construction of a 150,000-square-foot office building. More
recently, an incentives package from the state and the city facilitated
another 150,000-square-foot expansion for the relocation of the
corporate headquarters from Birmingham, Alabama, and consolidation of
data center functions from Waco, Texas, as well as Oklahoma City and
Birmingham.
McAndrew says McKinney's location on the edge of the
Dallas metro area encourages employee recruitment from outlying areas.
He also notes that the cost of labor and business is much less than
other places with a concentration of insurance companies. "Much of our
competition is based in New York and Connecticut," he says. "When I
look at their expenses, our expense ratio is about half. By locating
here, we can be competitive in the marketplace but still have a very
acceptable profit margin in our products."
In Irving, Chris
Wallace, president of the Greater Irving-Las Colinas Chamber of
Commerce, notes that over the last eight months, technology, energy,
oil and gas have been very successful sectors, with eight new,
expanded, or retained technology companies and five new or expanded
energy companies. Projects include TXU Energy, which added
approximately 850 employees at its new 247,000-square-foot
headquarters; OptimEnergy's new 61,339-square-foot office, with 245 new
hires; and 167 jobs with Pioneer Natural Resources' 293,000-square-foot
expansion.
One of the secrets to Irving's recruitment success
is the proximity to Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. Irving is also home to
the Las Colinas Development, a master-planned community replete with
corporate tenants, including 32 Fortune 500 companies and the global
headquarters of Exxon Mobil, Fluor Corporation, Kimberly-Clark, and
Commercial Metals. "We lean on our already established companies to
help us attract others," says Wallace. Accessibility, one of the area's
selling points, will become even more convenient when a light rail
system, currently under construction and slated for a December 2011
completion, connects Las Colinas to the airport and downtown Dallas.
Attention
to "speed-to-market" details has garnered the attention of the city's
larger clients who need quick and efficient transitions into their new
facilities. "We were able to recruit Fluor from southern California to
Irving three years ago," says Wallace. "They wanted their building
finished in eight months from an empty piece of land; ground to
move-in. All of the directors that impacted the project were called
around the table at once - the transportation, permitting, building
inspector, water guys, the fire marshal, anyone involved with planning,
grading, building, or move-in." He says gathering the principals
together created a streamlined process that continues today.
The
largest headquarters project welcomed into Las Colinas recently was
that of Blackberry maker and wireless technology company Research In
Motion (RIM), which is expected to employ 1,000 people over the next
few years. However, the community also has attracted about 10,000 small
to mid-size businesses such as Omega Environmental Technologies, a
manufacturer of automobile air conditioning parts.
Raytheon
Company boasts a 13-year history in Texas as Raytheon Company and more
than 50 years with its Texas Instruments legacy. With two Raytheon
business headquarters in Texas - Intelligence and Information Systems
in Garland and Network Centric Systems in McKinney - the company has an
additional presence through its Space and Airborne Systems and
Financial Shared Services. In all, the firm employs 9,100 people across
seven locations in Dallas, Garland, McKinney, Plano, and Richardson,
with an annual regional payroll of more than $700 million, a base of
more than 2,700 suppliers, and $600 million in annual purchases. "Texas
offers a diverse, vast pool of top engineering and technical talent
necessary to build and sustain our innovative culture," says Fred
Finley, site executive at Raytheon's McKinney facility. "Living and
working in North Texas are made easy with an attractive quality of
life, access to excellent education, an appealing cost structure and a
patriotic spirit second to none in support of what we do for the brave
men and women serving our country."
Happenings in Houston
The
Houston region is comprised of 10 counties - Montgomery, Harris, San
Jacinto, Chambers, Fort Bend, Liberty, Austin, Waller, Galveston, and
Brazoria - and is home to more than 5 million people. The area boasts
the Port of Houston, the largest port in the United States, with a
central location on the Gulf Coast. The Houston region's five major
economic sectors are aviation and aerospace, energy and petrochemical,
medical and biotechnology, information technology, and nanotechnology.
In
March, the governor announced a $50 million grant from the state's
Emerging Technology Fund (ETF) for the National Center for Therapeutics
Manufacturing (NCTM), a flexible therapeutics manufacturing and
academic training facility at Texas A&M University in College
Station. The NCTM will become an international destination for research
and application of new technologies for the development of medications
to combat diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and influenza. It also
will serve as a model for future strategic national facilities to
protect the nation from bioterrorism threats and attacks. The NCTM is
planned as part of a "biomedical cluster" that also will include two
renowned research institutions - the Texas Institute for Genomic
Medicine, jointly operated by the Texas A&M Health Science Center
and Texas A&M, and the Texas Institute for Pre-Clinical Studies,
operated by Texas A&M.
In a statement to the Pharmaceutical
Research and Manufacturing Association, the governor noted that the
NCTM's manufacturing arrangements will allow it to contract with
academic, governmental and commercial entities, providing a strong
economic boost to the Texas economy by allowing the production of
therapeutic drugs in-state that otherwise would have been lost to
California, New Jersey, and other locations. The facility will offer
both large and small pharmaceutical companies the flexibility to
manufacture clinical grade commercial drugs in Texas. By collaborating
with academic researchers and commercial companies, the center will
create a new model for producing critical drugs by developing an
innovative "flexible-by-design" manufacturing system, which will allow
rapid production of drugs in precisely targeted quantities. By
comparison, conventional manufacturing plants only specialize in the
mega-production of one type of drug.
Also in March, the
governor's office announced it would provide $250,000 from the ETF to
Austin-based AnaLogix Development Corporation for the commercialization
of its 3-D movement-based game controller for the personal computer and
gaming markets. AnaLogix is working with the University of Texas and
the Austin Technology Incubator to commercialize this product. The ETF
award will allow AnaLogix to launch and sustain production and
marketing of the controllers.
A Silver Lining
While
business has waned somewhat in 2009, the state of Texas refuses to
simmer over it. "Texas has always depended on a combination of being
fiscally responsible, continually working on a business climate that is
favorable for investment and the diversification of our economy," says
Demerson. "These things plus the leadership of Governor Perry and our
legislative body, have contributed to Texas being recognized by many as
having the best business climate in the United States to run a
business."