Mike Rosa, Senior Vice President, Economic Development
In a recent meeting with a visiting company, one of the hosts described Dallas-Fort Worth as “a giant community grouped into smaller communities.” Each community is unique, but residents also use the same airports, drive the same roads, and attend the same sporting events. We at the Dallas Regional Chamber know this to be one of our greatest strengths. Companies often start by examining the full region when considering a move here. Our corporate recruitment efforts are most successful when our approach is regional.
For our customers, the visiting corporations, regional matters.
When interested companies or their consultants visit, they are surprised by the sheer size of the Dallas-Fort Worth region and the options available for location and for their employees. This includes hundreds of communities across the 20 counties that the DRC supports in economic development.
Taking the full region into consideration gives companies confidence about our assets, including a strong workforce. About 73 percent of the region’s 7.5 million residents are working age. Dallas-Fort Worth ranks at the top for job growth, adding more than 100,000 jobs on average annually. The Dallas Region consistently ranks as a top U.S. metropolitan area by both actual job growth each year and percentage growth. In May 2019, our region posted the second-highest percent growth in employment among the 12 largest U.S. metros.
It is no surprise then that real estate and site consultants are showing interest in Dallas-Fort Worth. While the DRC is promoting the region, we are also working with city economic development teams across the region – our allies. A quick check of our project files reveals that in the past three years, 55 cities in the region were considered at least once by inbound companies with whom we worked. The cities that have participated in our projects are located in all parts and corners of the region, not just in the geographic heart of Dallas-Fort Worth. Such a high level of engagement by regional cities in DRC projects is a testament to their professionalism and ability to market their cities effectively. Cities in the region are well-represented by outstanding economic development professionals, and through our ongoing collaboration, we put the region’s best foot forward together.
Responding to inbound opportunities is just one of the ways we work to attract companies and jobs to the area. We also travel and market together as a regional team. The DFW Marketing Team, whose members include all cities in the region with economic development offices, plans and takes multiple domestic trips each year. Over the past five years, 30 regional cities have joined us on these trips to meet with site consultants, national brokers, and companies.
From a branding perspective, people from and outside Dallas-Fort Worth understand that this a region of incredible opportunity. From our central location and great quality of life, to our growing talent base, the region competes at the highest level. When we collaborate to win deals and elevate the brand of the region, we all win, no matter which city gets the prize.