Greater San Antonio is having a remarkable year in advanced manufacturing. It shows what sustained regional investment can deliver, and it offers a clear lesson for how we pursue our next opportunity.
Toyota announced a $3.6 billion expansion that will add 2,000 jobs. Industrial Electric Mfg. (IEM) chose Brooks for a $200 million campus expected to create up to 3,000 jobs by 2030, the largest job-producing investment in our region in more than two decades. JCB is preparing to start production at its $500 million South Side plant. And Germany-based Blackwave chose Port San Antonio to build components for rockets and spacecraft.
Together, those four companies plan more than 6,700 new jobs. That's about 11% of the region's manufacturing workforce today, a workforce that has already grown nearly 17% since 2021.
None of this happened by accident.
Toyota has built trucks here for two decades. Brooks and Port San Antonio, both former Air Force bases, were ready when companies came calling because our community spent years preparing them for what's next. Brooks had room for IEM's 1-million-square-foot campus inside the city, close to the amenities workers want. Port San Antonio has grown into one of the state's most important technology and industrial campuses, with nearly 18,000 people working there and $10.6 billion contributed to Texas GDP, according to the Texas Comptroller.
That's what economic development looks like when it works. You develop talent before the jobs arrive. You prepare sites before a company needs one. You invest in infrastructure before capacity becomes a constraint. And you align as a region before a specific project brings everyone to the table.
Now we're applying that same discipline to our next opportunity: headquarters.
Why headquarters matter
Headquarters bring the people who decide where companies invest, hire and grow. When those leaders live here, our region is in the room for the next decision instead of waiting for a call. They bring high-wage professional jobs. They pull bankers, law firms, suppliers and startups into their orbit. And they build the civic and philanthropic leadership that strengthens a community for generations.
San Antonio already knows this. Think about what USAA, H-E-B, Valero and Frost mean to this community beyond their payrolls. Our goal through MOMENTUM:2030 is to add the next generation of companies to that list.
What it takes, and what we're doing
A plant decision hinges on acreage, power and timelines. A headquarters decision hinges on people. Can the company recruit and keep top talent? Will those employees want to live here? Can leadership reach customers and partners quickly?
So that's where we're focused. We're targeting companies with real ties to our region, through industry, customers, military missions or leadership roots, and building relationships around the strengths we can offer them. Our business leaders are part of every pitch, because CEOs who have built here are our most credible recruiters. Eight of our colleges and universities have committed to a shared goal of 45% educational attainment by 2030. And our airport is growing to match our ambitions: the Terminal A expansion opened in March with three new gates and facilities for international arrivals, and Terminal C just passed its halfway mark on the way to adding up to 18 gates.
We're already seeing it work. Defense Unicorns, a defense software company valued at more than $1 billion, moved its headquarters from Colorado Springs to downtown San Antonio, pointing to the strength of our cybersecurity industry.
That's no coincidence. Port San Antonio is where our two strategies meet: manufacturing floors next to cyber operations, defense missions and tech talent. That mix is our edge, and it's exactly what the next generation of headquarters is looking for.
Economic development is often measured by announcements. We must also measure ourselves by what we build between them.
Manufacturing is proof that the long game works. Now we're building what's next.
Sarah Carabias Rush is the President & CEO of greater:SATX Regional Economic Partnership.
greater:SATX is investor-funded. If you want to talk about what your company’s investment makes possible, my door is open.
Read More