The Texas Innovation Corridor shines during Economic Development Week
Happy Economic Development Week, everyone! As you may recall from my last column, this week is a nationally celebrated week where communities get to display their region's community leaders, strategies, and economic competitiveness that attract jobs and new investment and bolster our small businesses.
It is no secret that Hays and Caldwell counties are the best place in the country to be doing business. This week, as you may have seen on our social media channels, our community has been telling the story of the Texas Innovation Corridor through a series of videos. Each video features a unique asset of the Texas Innovation Corridor and why it is a desirable and strategic place to work, live and play. If you haven't seen this film series, I strongly encourage you to interact with these videos by liking and sharing them, using the hashtag #EconDevWeek22.
The release of our video series highlights five critical pillars in economic development: transportation, utilities, workforce, quality of place, and regionalism. Each pillar represents a central theme of the work and community leaders that go into the economic development environment and scope of projects. More importantly, it is critical how each pillar interacts with each other to bring projects to fruition, bringing essential infrastructure, jobs, housing, and workforce to the Texas Innovation Corridor.
The first video launched on Monday, encapsulating transportation infrastructure in the Texas Innovation Corridor. Doug Wilson of State Highway 130 and Greg Zanghi of Iron Ox discussed the outlook of our region's logistics systems. Both highlight our region's access to two major international airports, BNSF and Union Pacific rail service, and an extensive interstate road system with Interstate 35, Interstate 10 and State Highway 130. Businesses choose our region due to the transportation advantages offered to get their products to market quickly and efficiently.
Similarly, the reliability of our utility systems and infrastructure is another advantage to the attractiveness of our region. This past Tuesday, in our second film release, Terry Mitchell of Momark Development, Diana Torres of Kyle Economic Development, and Jo Anna Gilliand of Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative explained why our region is successfully meeting the needs of today and the future with utility access.
Workforce and workforce development are top issues in locating and expanding companies. Leaders from Texas State University and Gary Job Corps Center led the discussion yesterday on what the Texas Innovation Corridor does to make our workforce one of the best in the nation. With one of the fastest-growing regions in Texas and one of the fastest-growing in the country, the force within a one-hour drive of our footprint is undoubtedly one of the best talent pools in the nation.
Our region is also impeccable when it comes to quality of life. Today, we're looking forward to hearing from young professionals in our area and company leaders from Desert Door on why the Texas Innovation Corridor is a premier destination for not just visitors but our residents and workforce.
Finally, speaking of the variety of our region, our regionalism continues to be one of the most significant assets of the Texas Innovation Corridor. Gerri Lawing of Guadalupe Valley EDC and Cassie Frow of Amazon will be featured in tomorrow's video on how our regional collaboration makes it happen.
This is an exciting week and a wonderful opportunity to show why the Texas Innovation Corridor is the best place for employers, workers, and overall quality of life. My thanks and gratitude go out to every single individual who helped with our video projects and who continue to make this area the best place in the country to be doing business.
If you have any questions about #EconDevWeek22 or how GSMP is helping facilitate the jobs we have in Hays and Caldwell Counties, my door is always open. Email me at jasong@greatersanmarcostx.com.
