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Dear Texas Economic Development Stakeholders,
As we head into fall, we have some exciting news to share! Texas does it again, adding new jobs for 11 months in a row in September! The Lone Star State is now the #1 state in the nation for jobs added year over year (Sept. 2021 to Sept. 2022) and our job recovery rate has spiked to 142%! Not to mention, the Texas economy is now ranked as the 9th largest economy in the world—larger than Canada, Korea, Russia and Australia—based on 2021 GDP. Opportunity truly abounds in Texas!
In the November Texas Business Bulletin, you will find our newest industry report, an update on biotechnology and life sciences in Texas, recent project announcements across the state, recent and upcoming meetings and events, plus 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.
As we enter this season of thanksgiving, our team wants to express our gratitude for all that you do for economic development in Texas, and wishes you a wonderful, healthy and hopeful upcoming holiday!
 -Adriana Cruz, Executive Director, Texas Economic Development & Tourism
  Global Economic Rank: 9th (if Texas were a country)
Unemployment Rate: 4%
Jobs Added in September: 40,000
Job Recovery Rate: 142%
Workforce: Nearly 14.6 million
Current Application Window:
Category 4 - Food Services & Drinking Places (NAICS 722)
November 1-22, 2022
The fourth category for potential applicants for the Texas Travel Industry Recovery Grant Program (TTIR) opened November 1, 2022. Category 4 includes businesses and non-profits in Food Services and Drinking Places (NAICS 722).
The TTIR Program, launched on July 6, 2022, was established to provide one-time reimbursement grants of up to $20,000 for the recovery of Texas businesses in the tourism, travel and hospitality industries that were negatively impacted due to COVID-19. These one-time grants are to reimburse eligible costs to these qualifying businesses.
Due to the size of the industry and the high number of potential applicants, applications are being accepted in phases by industry sector identified by NAICS code.
For eligibility and grant application details, deadlines, FAQs and a video tutorial, click the link below, or download the TTIR Program one-pager.
Texas Biotechnology & Life Sciences Industry Report
Biotechnology and life sciences are booming in Texas. This report offers an in-depth look into the companies, world-class institutions, workforce and education, investment and new technologies associated with this growing industry in the Lone Star State.
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Biotech is Bigger in Texas
What do Kimberly-Clark, McKesson, Galderma, Novartis and Abbott all have in common? They are all part of the Texas biotech and life sciences industry with major operations in the state. In Texas, both Fortune 500 firms and small- to medium-sized businesses in the life science and biotech sectors have the opportunity to flourish and are supported by a statewide focus on advancing technologies in medicine and bio-manufacturing.
Recently, FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies celebrated the groundbreaking for their new vaccine manufacturing facility in College Station, with the potential to create 150 new jobs and $300 million in capital investment. Once complete, this facility is expected to be the largest single-use contract development and manufacturing organization (CDMO) production campus in North America.
Did you know? There are more clinical trials conducted at the Texas Medical Center (TMC) in Houston than at any other single site in the world, keeping the Lone Star State on the cutting edge of innovation in medicine. Not to mention, TMC is the largest medical center in the world.
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Private investment in biotech and life sciences is supported by world-class institutions, research facilities and higher education across the state. Texas is home to seven of the nation's top 125 medical research schools and four NCI-Designated Cancer Centers, including the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, which ranks #1 for cancer care by U.S. News & World Report.
Advancing the Texas bio-corridor, are three of the top emerging life sciences clusters in the U.S.— Houston, Austin and Dallas-Fort Worth. Not to mention, Texas offers a robust workforce of more than 105,000 and churns out 18,000 industry-related graduates annually through Texas schools. These schools produce a whopping $6.6 billion in annual research and development expenditures.
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Did you know? Texas is home to the largest military medical complex in the nation. Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) is the U.S. Army’s premier medical institution and the Department of Defense’s largest facility and only Level 1 Trauma Center. |
Our state’s highly skilled and diverse workforce, innovative public and private partnerships and supportive public policy, as well as a statewide emphasis on innovation, creates an environment that allows efficiencies through industry collaboration. Texas is the launchpad biotech and life sciences companies need to succeed and thrive. For more on this important industry, download the new Texas Biotechnology & Life Sciences Industry Report.
 
Port Freeport will be the future home of Volkswagen Group of America's new Gulf Coast hub. (Photo Credit: Volkswagen Group of America)
 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 of Texas' recently announced projects in regions across the state:
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Wells Fargo in Irving: Wells Fargo announced a new campus in Irving expected to create 650 new jobs and $455 million in capital investment. A Texas Enterprise Fund grant of more than $5 million was extended to the company.
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Volkswagen Group of America in Freeport: Volkswagen Group of America will open a $114 million importation facility at Port Freeport, which will serve as the company’s Gulf Coast hub for easy access to production in Mexico and imports from Europe.
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Lionshead in Paris: Lionshead Specialty Tire & Wheel has plans to build a new tire and wheel production facility in Paris, Texas. The facility is expected to create $20 million in capital investment and 40 new jobs.
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Dickey's Barbecue Pit in Mesquite: Dickey’s Barbecue Pit will establish a new manufacturing and distribution plant, under the name Wycliff Douglas Provisions, in Mesquite. The facility is expected to create more than 350 new jobs.
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Trane Technologies in Tyler: Trane Technologies will bring a production line of furnaces to Tyler, adding 65 new jobs.
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Enovis in Austin: Enovis Corporation opened a new state-of-the-art medical technology manufacturing facility in Austin. The center will employ an additional 100 team members.
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Novipax in El Paso: Novipax, a leading absorbent manufacturer for the fresh protein, produce, foodservice and healthcare markets, announced it will soon open a new manufacturing facility in El Paso.
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Chroma Systems Solutions in Austin: Power electronics test equipment provider, Chroma Systems Solutions, announced the opening of a new facility in Austin.
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Apollo USA in North Richland Hills: California-based Apollo USA, a specialty products firm, announced plans to make North Richland Hills the location for their new headquarters.
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EyeVI Technologies in Austin: EyeVI Technologies, in the geospatial AI-powered digital data production industry in Europe, announced the opening of their U.S. headquarters at Capital Factory.
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Orthodyne in College Station: Belgium-owned company, Orthodyne, which manufacturers wireless radio sets, celebrated their grand opening of a new facility at Texas A&M University in College Station.
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DaBella Exteriors in Austin: DaBella Exteriors, a home improvement company, will move their headquarters from Oregon to Austin, moving a large number of their more than 1,000 workers to the area.
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Solidia Technologies in San Antonio: Solidia Technologies will relocate their headquarters from New Jersey to San Antonio.
Governor's Small Business Series - South Padre Island
 The Governor’s Small Business Series - South Padre Island, co-hosted with the Governor's Commission for Women, honored women-owned businesses and entrepreneurs by connecting them with resources to start and grow their businesses in Texas. The event included panel sessions on topics such as marketing and communications, access to funding, micro-credentialing and certifications, leveraging technology and recruiting, training and retention. The First Lady of Texas, Cecilia Abbott, joined the event as a special guest speaker. For more on this year's upcoming events, visit our events calendar.
 Texas Economic Development Council Annual Conference
EDT staff attended the Texas Economic Development Council's Annual Conference in San Antonio, which took place October 19-21, 2022. The team shared an update on Texas' record-setting economic development efforts and an outlook for 2023. In addition, the team offered information on our office's resources for domestic and international companies, Texas communities and small businesses while connecting with our economic development partners from across the state.
 Governor's Small Business Series - Kerrville
  The Governor’s Small Business Series - Kerrville took place October 27, 2022. The event was an opportunity for local small businesses to network with other business owners and meet experts who can share timely, relevant, actionable advice on a multitude of small business topics. These topics included cybersecurity, business marketing and communications, access to finance and funding and more. Sondra Crawford and Ashly Martin of Texas Iberico were the keynote speakers during a fireside chat moderated by Rovey Gutierrez of H-E-B Global Sourcing. For more on the Governor's Small Business Series, visit our website.
Upcoming Events
Governor's Small Business Series - Corsicana I November 10, 2022
The Governor’s Small Business Series - Corsicana will connect small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs with the resources and information needed to start, strengthen and grow a business. The event is an opportunity to network with other business owners and meet experts who can share timely, relevant, actionable advice on a multitude of small business topics.
Governor's Small Business Series - Bryan-College Station I December 8, 2022
The Governor’s Small Business Series - Bryan-College Station will connect small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs with the resources and information needed to start, strengthen and grow a business. The event is an opportunity to network with other business owners and meet experts who can share timely, relevant, actionable advice on a multitude of small business topics.
 “It ain’t bragging if it's true!” Here are some of the recent accolades Texas has received:
- In a recent report from the Milken Institute, which analyzed the best-performing cities in the U.S., Lubbock was recognized for high rankings in job growth, wage growth and broadband accessibility.
- Two Texas cities ranked among the top 10 cities in the U.S. for foreign business, according to a report by Financial Times and Nikkei: Houston (#5) and Dallas (#6).
- Austin (#2) and Dallas (#5) have ranked among the top five fastest growing cities in the nation for 2022, according to an October report from The American Growth Project.
 Interested in working with the best state economic development team in the country? The Office of the Governor is hiring! There are multiple positions for experienced professionals in Business & Community Development, Tourism, Economic Development Finance 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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