Businesses Finding Good Reasons to Call Area Home
Published Apr 14, 2008
Mario Hernandez stands in front of a sculpture titled The Torch of Friendship by Mexican sculptor Sebastian.
Few are as knowledgeable about San Antonio’s diverse business climate as Mario Hernandez. As president of the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation, the Texas native is tasked with bringing new job-producing investments to the area – a mission he’s accomplished repeatedly during his 18-year tenure.
“San Antonio has one of the better economic development programs in the country,” he says. “It’s a growth area that will be an economic success for many years to come.”
When he’s not luring new employers to the city, the grandfather of three enjoys cheering on the Spurs, golfing, hunting and reading in the community he’s called home for more than 20 years.
QHow is the Alamo region recruiting and welcoming businesses and professionals?
AWe make a continued, concerted effort to recruit jobs. We know growth occupations have to be a part of the economic mix if we want to keep businesses and professionals in this area, so we target specific industries in growth sectors. It helps us retain high-level professionals as well.
QWhat kinds of businesses are a good fit here?
AThere are a lot of opportunities in diverse sectors, but information services, technology, computer security and data centers are some of the largest. Microsoft is building a billion-dollar data center here. We’ve also had a lot of success in manufacturing. Toyota opened a big plant here, and it’s helped grow the city’s manufacturing sector four percent in the last four years. Healthcare is the single largest public sector employer in the region, with 114,000 employees. More of the big regional distribution facilities are here as well, including Home Depot and many others tied to the homebuilding and retail industry. Financial sectors also comprise a really strong growth sector.
QWhat types of business clusters have emerged?
AInformation technology, computer security and healthcare are the main areas. We have a Texas Research Park in the northwest part of the Metro area where we incubate a lot of those businesses.
QWhy do businesses choose to relocate to the area and why do entrepreneurs find this an attractive place to start a business?
ABusinesses find the necessary infrastructure and both skilled and unskilled labor that they need. The city also has a cost of living that is five to ten percent below the national average. There’s also a level of predictability with good labor and infrastructure for years to come.
QWhat training resources are available for companies and individuals?
AThere’s a central entity called Alamo WorkSource, which is our regional training operation tied to the Texas Workforce Commission. They handle state, local and federal delivery systems all in one place. They provide identification, screening and training for new employees and work very closely with Alamo Community College District, which is one of the largest junior college systems in the United States.
Story by Melanie Hill
Photo by Jeff Adkins
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