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The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) created Economic Development Week (EDW) in 2016 to help raise awareness for the work Economic Development Organizations (EDOs) do. EDOs’ accomplishments are often overlooked because the efforts happen behind the scenes to power the local economy. Award-Winning Giddings Economic Development Corporation Successful economic development in ...Continue Reading

The way businesses in the industrial sector approach hiring new employees has changed. Companies can no longer rely on posting a job ad and sitting back to wait for resumes to flood in. With unemployment rates at an all-time low after the advent of the Great Resignation, the best candidate...Continue Reading

In Texas, a state that encompasses 268,597 square miles — more territory than the country of France — a network of more than 80.7 million miles of highway helps stitch together an impressive economic network. The millions of miles of highway in Texas represent billions of dollars in economic impact. Withou...Continue Reading

There are few things more frustrating than gathering a team of skilled individuals who just don’t seem to be able to work together well. There is also nothing more fulfilling than creating a team that is supportive, cooperative and results-focused. Effective coaches know how to support teams in a wa...Continue Reading

“This important milestone is a testament to Texas’s strong and enduring reputation among the nation’s business leaders,” said Robert Allen, president and CEO of the Texas Economic Development Corporation after the rankings were announced April 26. “CEOs of businesses that have relocated to or expanded their operations in Texas frequentl...Continue Reading

In the two months since Russia invaded Ukraine and oil prices shot up to more than $100 a barrel, the perplexing question for the Texas energy industry has been: Why isn’t anyone drilling? The answer initially was that the oil business has become beholden to a new group of investor...Continue Reading

Housing continues to be a challenge in many rural communities. Attracting workforce housing development requires intention and a bit of creativity. We have looked across the country to find communities that are using unique strategies to develop workforce housing and are sharing these best practices. Some, all, or a combinatio...Continue Reading

Commissioning a housing study is an economic development best practice that can ultimately lead to growth. Individual communities and regions are commissioning them to determine the total demand, the type of housing that’s needed, and the ideal price point for the market. Once complete, a housing study is the bes...Continue Reading

AUSTIN, Texas — In March, Texas set a new employment record for the fifth consecutive month, adding 30,100 nonagricultural jobs, according to the Texas Workforce Commission. Nonfarm jobs reached 13,207,600 in March 2022 with a total of 731,600 positions created since March 2021. The seasonally adjusted unemployment rate dropped in Marc...Continue Reading

Only slightly more than a third of those responding to our 36th Annual Corporate Survey say they use outside consultants when site selecting. Therefore, we would expect the results of our 18th Annual Consultants Survey to differ considerably from the results of our Corporate Survey. Let’s see if that hold...Continue Reading

Giddings is an rural community in the heart of Central Texas, the state’s most populated region. Giddings is ideal for logistics companies because it straddles the intersection of State Highways 290 and 77 and is one of those unique places where you can get “almost anywhere from here.”  Giddings’ convenient locatio...Continue Reading

Entrepreneurs and business owners aren’t known for conformity. They go against the grain because settling for what already exists is less appealing than paving new paths. But this idealism and drive don’t come without risks. About 21.5% of startups fold within year one, and 30% go under in the secon...Continue Reading

Aside from that first fulfilled order or invoice payment received, nothing warms an entrepreneur’s heart like a repeat customer. How valuable is a steady stream of reliable, recurring business to a business that’s trying to get established? Research consistently finds that repeat customers spend significantly more than new ones whil...Continue Reading

The Great Resignation has negatively impacted businesses throughout the United States and the world. As CBS reported, in October 4.2 million Americans left their positions for other job opportunities.  Luke Pardue, Chief Economist of Gusto, told CBS “We serve 200,000 businesses across the country and can use their payroll data t...Continue Reading

Governor Greg Abbott today touted the Lone Start State's booming economy and world-class, diverse workforce during the "Why Texas?" fireside chat on economic development in Austin. The Governor was joined by Rex CEO, Peter Rex, and the discussion was hosted and moderated by Texas Economic Development Corporation (TxEDC) President an...Continue Reading

Whether you teach kids, tend bar, make sales calls, develop apps, or do whatever else for a living, you may have spent some period of the last two years considering doing something new. The COVID-19 pandemic rewired the way many of us think about the relationship between our careers an...Continue Reading

Texas is going to need a bigger trophy case. Sports teams win trophies for accomplishments big and small, but championship trophies are the singular physical representation of a team’s season’s worth of hard work and dedication.  Players and coaches who work hard enough to win a championship proudly hoist their trophie...Continue Reading

As the world enters its third year of COVID-19, site selectors are doubling down on predictions they made a year ago. From reshoring and supply-chain tightening to remote working and worker shortages, site selectors are telling us that the trends exacerbated by the global pandemic will become even more pronounce...Continue Reading

The past two years have been difficult, but the path forward is encouraging! The Texas economy was in the midst of a historic expansion in early 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. In just two months, nearly 1.5 million jobs were lost. Since that time, a recovery has ensued, and man...Continue Reading

Delegation is one of the most important tasks of any manager — be they a C-suite executive or a line manager on the plant floor. However, the ability to delegate competently is far more complex than expected. The issue of whom to choose for which job or task, when an...Continue Reading

There were a few common threads to all state legislative sessions in 2021: The seated legislators all had to wrangle, wheedle, cajole or otherwise out-maneuver one another as they redrew legislative and congressional districts in accordance with new U.S. Census numbers. Throughout the year, state leaders also had to figur...Continue Reading

Governor Greg Abbott today congratulated The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) and Baylor University on earning the prestigious national research ranking of Carnegie Tier One, joining nine other Texas universities that have again attained the coveted Tier One ranking for academic excellence at doctoral universities with "very hig...Continue Reading

Networking is one of the most important business skills to master in the franchise industry. It’s equally as important for a franchisor as it is for a franchisee. Developing and nurturing a network of professional peers is vital to career success and can give you a competitive edge in variou...Continue Reading

As businesses throughout the country struggle to fill job vacancies, EDCs are stepping up to the plate. EDCs are working with community partners to develop innovative programs, connect talent with employers who are hiring, upskill the local workforce, and grow a pipeline of next-generation workers. Here are some of th...Continue Reading