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Dear Texas Economic Development Stakeholders,
Small business is BIG in Texas and we want to wish you all a happy Small Business Week from April 30-May 6! We are proud to say that Texas small businesses have never been a more powerful force, driving our state's economic growth and creating jobs for our fellow Texans. Each year during the first week of May, we celebrate small business owners and entrepreneurs across the state, highlight their inspiring stories and promote continued small business growth. Because when our small businesses succeed, all Texans succeed! Find more on Small Business Week below, including a special message from Governor Greg Abbott.
Also in May, we celebrate Economic Development Week! In Texas, economic development is a team sport, and during May 8-12, we'll not only highlight our state's continued economic development excellence, but also honor the local, regional and state partners that make our record-breaking success possible. Working together, we are Building the Texas of Tomorrow! We invite you to follow us on social media throughout the week for more information.
We're also thrilled to announce that Texas has once again been named the Best State for Business in the nation! This is the 19th year Texas has secured the top title, leading the nation each year since Chief Executive began the ranking in 2001.
In the May issue of the Texas Business Bulletin, you will meet our newest team member and learn more about new resources and programs from our office. Plus you'll find an economic snapshot, recent project announcements, upcoming events and much more!
As always, please be sure to visit our website, follow us on social media or reach out to a member of our team if we can be of any assistance!
Have a happy Small Business Week and Economic Development Week!
 -Adriana Cruz, Executive Director, Texas Economic Development & Tourism
New Application Window Still Open
There are still funds available—get your application in today!
Applications for the Texas Travel Industry Recovery Grant (TTIR) program, administered through EDT's Economic Development Finance Division, remains open for a new application category. The TTIR Program provides reimbursement grants of up to $20,000 for the recovery of Texas businesses in the tourism, travel and hospitality industry that were negatively impacted during the pandemic.
The new category opened applications for additional NAICS codes and also reopened the application process for all previous applicants who may now qualify for funding or for additional funding. See the full listing of eligible NAICS codes at ttir.gov.texas.gov.
This application round will remain open until remaining funds are dispersed. For eligibility and grant application details, deadlines, an application instruction video and the TTIR application portal, click the link below.
  Unemployment Rate: 4%
Jobs Added in March: 28,600
Job Recovery Rate: 159%
Workforce: 14.89 million
It's Small Business Week in Texas! With 3.1 million small businesses across our state, there's no denying that small business is BIG in Texas. This week, we are proud to celebrate the state's resilient, inspiring and innovative small business owners who gave it their all to achieve their entrepreneurial dreams in Texas—which continues to be recognized as one of the best states to start and run a business in the nation.
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Small businesses are not only the cornerstones of our local communities, but they also create jobs for hardworking Texans. In fact, small businesses employ nearly half of all working Texans—supporting our state's status as the #1 jobs creator in the nation!
Did you know?
- In Texas, 99.8% of businesses are small.
- Texas is a top state for women-owned businesses and is home to 1.25 million women business owners.
- Texas is home to 1 in 5 of the nation’s Hispanic business owners, 1 in 10 of the nation’s Black business owners and nearly 1 in 10 of the nation’s Asian American business owners.
- Texas is #1 for jobs created by Hispanic women business owners, Black business owners, Black women business owners and Veteran women business owners.
We are excited to share an official proclamation from Governor Greg Abbott and a special video message celebrating the contributions of our state's small businesses:
 Follow us on social media throughout the week as we highlight some of the many small business owners who embody the unwavering entrepreneurial spirit of this great state. Join in the celebration by downloading the official Small Business Week in Texas badge at the link below and use #SmallBizWeekTexas in your social media posts!
Start your small business during Small Business Week! For small business resources, including the Governor's Small Business Resource Portal, Seven Steps to Start a Business in Texas, Business Permit Office and more, visit gov.texas.gov/smallbusiness.
Mallory McCoy joined the Business & Community Development team as the South Texas Regional Community Relations Specialist. She grew up in South Texas and was involved in her family masonry business from a young age. She attended Texas Tech University for two years and plans to complete her degree online in Public Relations & Strategic Communication Management. Mallory managed an office in the demolition industry before accepting a position on Governor Abbott’s campaign as a Regional Director where she was able to network, grow teams, exceed metrics every week and become actively involved in her community. Serving as a liaison through the campaign allowed her to realize her passion for serving and growing her community. In her free time, Mallory loves to be with her family, especially her niece and nephew, Indiana and Quaid. She likes to work in the yard with her great grandmother, cook with her mom and dad and go fishing with her husband, Mike. She also has a passion for Consuela bags and seeing all the beautiful wonders of Texas. Mallory is excited to diligently serve the people of South Texas as their new Regional Community Relations Specialist. You may reach out to Mallory through our staff directory.
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In April, Governor Greg Abbott celebrated the groundbreaking of Wells Fargo's Irving Campus, which is expected to create 659 new jobs and $445 million in capital investment.
 Texas' success in attracting the highest number of corporate expansions and relocations is thanks to a unique combination of competitive business advantages that no other state can claim. For more on these business advantages, visit our Why Texas webpages. Here are some recently announced projects in regions across the state:
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Yara and Enbridge in Texas: Norwegian fertilizer maker Yara and Canadian pipeline company Enbridge plan to invest up to $2.9 billion to build a low-carbon blue ammonia production plant in Texas. The plant is planned to be Yara's biggest and will be built at an Enbridge oil storage and export facility near Corpus Christi, with production to start around 2027-28.
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Premium Waters in Seguin: Premium Waters, LLC, a bottled water manufacturing company, announced a new facility in Seguin. The project is expected to create $80 million in capital investment and create at least 60 new jobs.
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Carhartt in Fort Worth: A new Carhartt distribution center is planned for Fort Worth, bringing 500 new full-time jobs to the area.
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K&N Engineering in Grand Prairie: K&N Engineering, a manufacturer of high-performance automotive filtration products, announced the opening of a new manufacturing facility and warehouse in Grand Prairie. The project is expected to create more than 300 new jobs.
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Amherst Group in Cuero: Amherst Group, LLC announced the grand opening of a StudioBuilt™ manufacturing facility in Cuero. At full capacity, the facility is expected to create more than 250 new manufacturing jobs.
Upcoming Governor's Small Business Summits
Register Now: Governor's Small Business Summit — Temple
The Governor's Small Business Summit — Temple aims to help Texas small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs reach new heights by connecting them with the resources and information needed to start, strengthen and grow a business. This event offers a variety of sessions bringing together local, state and federal resource partners to provide key insights on critical business topics. It's also an opportunity to network with other business owners and meet experts who will share timely, relevant and actionable advice on a multitude of small business subjects.
Keynote Speaker: Drayton McLane, Jr., McLane Group
Guest Speaker: Aaron Demerson, Commissioner Representing Employers, Texas Workforce Commission
Panel Topics:
• Finance & Funding
• Workforce Development
• Cybersecurity
• Marketing & E-Commerce Essentials
Speakers for panel sessions include Jason Collier, Executive Vice President with Extraco Banks; Karen Poe, Human Resource Manager for Reynolds Consumer Products; Jeremey Wilson; Deputy CISO/Texas Cybersecurity Coordinator with the Texas Department of Information Resources; H.B. Macey, Owner of Perry Office Plus; and many more!
Other Upcoming Events
Be sure to check in at gov.texas.gov/events as we continue to announce additional event details, speakers, panelists and webinars for 2023!
Partner Resource Highlight: Upskill Texas Initiative
The Texas Workforce Commission has made up to $5 million available for employers to provide qualified training for current employees through the new Upskill Texas initiative. Employers with 100 or more employees, including publicly funded healthcare employers, or their designee, are invited to apply for funds to identify and deploy qualified training for employees. To be eligible, employees must have worked for the employer for six months or more. For more information regarding this program, visit the Upskill Texas webpage.
The due date of applications for the Upskill Texas Initiative Grant is June 5.
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LBJ Library Future Forum
 In April, EDT's Executive Director Adriana Cruz participated in the LBJ Library Future Forum where she moderated a conversation with the Consul General of Mexico Pablo Marentes and the Consul General of the UK Richard Hyde. The panel discussed consular affairs in addition to the strong and growing cultural and economic relationship between Texas and two of our strongest trade and investment partners—the UK and Mexico.
 Texas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Coalition Day at the Capitol
 EDT's Executive Director also participated in the inaugural Texas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce Coalition (THCCC) Day at the Capitol in April. During the event, Adriana spoke on the state's impressive economic growth in addition to small business and economic development resources our office provides. We are thankful for our strong and growing partnership with THCCC!
Hood County Day at the Capitol
 Also in April, EDT's Executive Director was invited to speak at Hood County Day at the Capitol, hosted by the Granbury Chamber of Commerce. The group discussed topics such as economic development in rural Texas and the continued expansion of the Texas economy. We look forward to working with Hood County and the Granbury Chamber of Commerce to ensure that Texas remains competitive and the nation’s economic leader.
Building the Texas of Tomorrow
Texas is widely known across the nation and the world for our success in economic development. During Economic Development Week, May 8-12, 2023, we celebrate the people and organizations that work to make that success possible. From business retention and expansion to workforce development and small business support, our state's economic development organizations do it all—and they are more than 700 strong. Together with our local, regional and statewide economic development partners, we are Building the Texas of Tomorrow!
We invite you to honor your local chamber or economic development organization in your area during this important week. You can also follow along with us on social media for more Economic Development Week content and use the hashtag #TexasEDWeek2023!
 “It ain’t bragging if it's true!” Here are some of the recent accolades Texas has received:
- Texas was once again named the Best State for Business by Chief Executive Magazine—now for the 19th time in a row.
- Texas tops the list of the Fastest Growing & Cheapest States in America for 2023 with a #1 ranking in job growth.
- Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston are the fastest-growing metro areas in the nation, according to U.S. Census Bureau analysis.
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CompTIA's latest report ranks Texas #1 in the U.S. for net tech jobs added last year, reaching more than 867,000 tech workers across the state.
- Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport was recently ranked the world’s second busiest airport (Airports Council International).
- According to SmartAsset, 12 of the top 20 U.S. cities that ranked as being the best housing markets for growth and stability are in Texas, and six Texas cities are in the top 10.
The U.S. Department of the Treasury has approved Texas' application for funding through the State Small Business Credit Initiative (SSBCI). Texas has the potential to receive more than $472 million to operate two programs—a capital access program (CAP) and a loan guarantee program (LGP)—that will increase access to capital for Texas small businesses. The CAP, allocated $118 million, will provide portfolio insurance for business loans, and the LGP, allocated $354.1 million, will provide loan guarantees. Together, the CAP and LGP will constitute the Texas Small Business Credit Initiative (TSBCI) program.
TSBCI will assist small business growth and create new jobs in Texas through increased access to small business funding. TSBCI is administered by EDT's Economic Development Finance Division, within the Office of the Governor, on behalf of the U.S. Department of the Treasury.
For more information about the federal SSBCI program, please visit the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s website. Additional guidance, forms and other resources related to Texas' TSBCI program will be posted at the program website as details become available. You may also sign up for updates to be notified as soon as our office has new information on the program.
 Interested in working with the best state economic development team in the country and helping grow the Lone Star State's economy? Come join our team! There are multiple positions for experienced professionals in Business & Community Development (BCD), Economic Development Finance (EDF), Texas Workforce Investment Council (TWIC) and other divisions. Here's a select sampling of open positions:
For more information on available positions, visit gov.texas.gov/employment.
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