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to Salute the State of Texas 3.2.06 Irving, March 2, 2006 – In response to the announcement made today by Governor Rick Perry at the Grand Hyatt DFW, the North Texas Commission joins in the Texas-sized celebration to salute the State of Texas for winning the Site Selection Magazine’s Governor’s Cup Award for 2005. Site Selection magazine has ranked Texas first among the 50 states with the Top 2005 Corporate and Industrial relocations and expansions. The 52-year-old Atlanta-based magazine awards the 2005 Site Selection Governor’s Cup annually to the U.S. state with the most new and expanded corporate facilities as tracked by Conway Data Inc.’s New Plant database. “This is the second year in a row that Texas has taken the gold,” exclaims Dan S. Petty, president and CEO of the NTC. “The North Texas Commission is extremely proud to be on the team of Texans who all working together made this prestigious award possible. We are grateful to Governor Perry and the state leadership for their efforts in making resources available to enable Texas to compete on a global basis for economic activity and development. Preliminary indications show that the D/FW Metroplex gained over 36,000 jobs in 2005, a sharp increase over 2004’s turnaround gain of 30,000 new jobs, and state-wide job growth estimates at 153,000.” Texas claims the 2005 Governor’s Cup with 842 projects, with Ohio taking a distant second with 598 projects. Over the last 27 years, Texas has claimed the cup seven times – 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1992, 2004, 2005 – more than any other state, and placed second on five occasions, third six times, and fourth one time. “The North Texas Commission, the one and only public private regional organization, is proud of the professionals in the Metroplex who work on a daily basis to keep North Texas competitive and for creating an economically enriched environment where businesses can flourish and succeed,” says Petty. In addition to state rankings, Site Selection also ranks U.S. metro areas and micropolitans. The Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington area was the number two Metro with 309 announced projects in 2005. The Top Metros for new and expanded facilities in 2005 were Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, Detroit, Atlanta, Cincinnati, New York City/Newark, Cleveland, Charlotte and Minneapolis. The magazine introduced the Top Micropolitans, which are cities of 10,000 to 50,000 people and cover at least one county, in its March 2005 issue. The top three micropolitans for 2005 are Statesville-Mooresville, N.C.; Tupelo, Miss.; and Batavia, N.Y. And 2005’s Top Industries for total new and expanded facilities were transportation equipment, chemicals, fabricated metal products manufacturing, food processing and plastics. “Texas’ repeat claim to the Governor’s Cup is evidence that economic development strategies for creating a healthy business climate in the state are working,” says Mark Arend, editor of Site Selection. “Two Texas metro areas finishing in the top three Top Metros ranking and significant investment in rural projects show that those strategies are working statewide.” The magazine’s New Plant database focuses on new corporate location projects with significant impact. It does not track retail and government projects, or schools and hospitals. New facilities and expansions included in the analyses must meet at least one of three criteria: (a) involve a capital investment of at least US$1 million, (b) create at least 50 new jobs or (c) add at least 20,000 sq. ft. (1,858 sq. m.) of new floor area. The NTC is also proud that another FORTUNE 500 company, Fluor, has elected to relocate its corporate headquarters to the North Texas Region from southern California. In May 2005, Petty, on behalf of the North Texas Commission, teamed up with Governor Rick Perry to welcome the Fluor Corporation to Texas during a press conference held in the newly constructed International Terminal D at DFW Airport. "The relocation of Fluor's global headquarters to the Dallas/Ft. Worth metropolitan area is an important strategic move for our company. It will improve our operational efficiency and bring us closer to clients that represent 80 percent of Fluor’s North American revenue base," said Alan Boeckmann, chairman and chief executive officer of Fluor Corporation. "As a services-based company, our focus on our clients' needs is imperative. The DFW International Airport enables us to more effectively serve our client base by providing optimal travel connections to all global locations. This airport was one of the major factors in our decision to move from California and establish our new headquarters in Irving." With the Fluor relocation, North Texas now is home to 19 FORTUNE 500 headquarters companies. Fluor ((NYSE: FLR), a FORTUNE 500 company with revenues of approximately $10 billion, will move into its new 136,000 sq. ft. facility in Las Colinas next month. Fluor is one of the world’s largest, publicly owned engineering, procurement, and construction and maintenance services companies with a workforce of more than 30,000 employees. Established in 1971, the North Texas Commission is a regional non-profit consortium of businesses, cities, counties, chambers of commerce, economic development entities and higher education institutions in the North Texas Region. The Commission is the one and only public-private regional organization committed to enhancing the overall economic vitality and quality of life of North Texas. NTC improves the economy, infrastructure and lifestyle of North Texas by leading and directing regionally cooperative initiatives to accomplish objectives in four primary areas: transportation, aviation, environment and long-range strategies. |
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