President POV
San Antonio is truly a community unlike any other – a global destination that effortlessly intertwines cutting-edge industries, research prowess, higher education excellence, cultural vibrancy, and an unparalleled culinary scene. Our unwavering commitment at greater:SATX is to elevate our region, to solidify its status as the premier choice for the global economy.
With strategic focus and alignment on our target industries, we have identified five priority countries to concentrate our global business development efforts: Japan, South Korea, Germany, Canada, and Mexico. Leveraging our established offices and representatives in these markets, we will activate a series of high-impact business development missions throughout the year that will continue to amplify San Antonio’s global significance.
As we work to elevate SATX, we do so in partnership with Governor Greg Abbott’s office and the Texas Economic Development Corporation. Earlier this month, Governor Abbott led a delegation to London on an economic development trip and hosted the German minister for economic affairs in Austin. During the meetings, Texas committed to promoting greater trade with the two countries. Germany and U.K. are leading investors in foreign direct investment in Texas. Combined, the two countries have created more than 30,000 Texas jobs through investment projects in the past decade.
Following Governor Abbot’s productive visits with leaders from the U.K. and Germany, I joined our partners from Visit San Antonio and the San Antonio International Airport on a trade mission to the U.K. and Germany. Our greater:SATX team played an integral role in elevating San Antonio’s brand presence across Europe with targeted meetings with cybersecurity and technology, life sciences, advanced manufacturing, and financial services prospective companies. Our region’s assets, including our growing workforce and industry expertise resonated with European business leaders and we expect to continue growing an even stronger project pipeline from these two key markets.
San Antonio’s ties to Europe are strong and growing stronger. In May, we will celebrate Condor’s inaugural nonstop flight connecting SATX with Frankfurt, which will serve as a gateway to all of Europe. San Antonio will also host the 2025 InCyber Forum, an international convening of the world’s leading cybersecurity firms and experts. San Antonio’s selection as the site for the first U.S.-based conference speaks to the importance of our region within the global cybersecurity landscape, being the top market for certified cybersecurity professionals outside the nation’s capital.
Together with our partners, we are propelling San Antonio to new heights, securing our rightful place as a global economic powerhouse.
Greater together,
Jenna Saucedo-Herrera
Investor Spotlight: Skanska USA Inc.
greater:SATX sat down with Steve Lyons, Vice President of Business Development at Skanska USA Inc., to find out more about this about this organization benefitting thousands of San Antonio residents
Skanska has a long history in Texas, and 2024 marks 60 years since we began building in Texas. We have committed ourselves to creating a sustainable future for our clients, people, and communities by using our knowledge and foresight. We continue to create and build innovative solutions that support healthy living beyond our lifetime as the San Antonio region continues to expand. Skanska operates as a local builder backed by a strong global brand, financial strength, and a vast network of resources.
Regional Partner Highlight: Shavano Park
Shavano Park strives to be the premier community in Bexar County, preserving and celebrating our natural setting and small town traditions amid the surrounding area’s urban growth. Shavano Park provides excellent municipal services, a city-wide safe and secure environment, excellent infrastructure and stable government. Shavano Park is a great place for a business seeking access to the Loop 1604 and northside commercial markets of Bexar County.
greater:SATX visited with Bill Hill, City Manager for the City of Shavano Park.
San Antonians Like Where They Live, Making for Happier Employees
When people like where they live, they’re happier at work. And San Antonians like where they live. In fact, the region was ranked as having the third most positive impact on employee satisfaction in North America. Happy employees produce good work and support strong communities. Read the full report to learn more about our Four Best Practices to Drive Metro Positivity Effect.
In the News
Port SA’s wish list: better roads, a child care center and more community connections
In the next decade, Port SA officials are planning for more of the kind of development and infrastructure that they say Port workers, tenants and the Southside community need and want. The development is expected to add 12,000 to 18,000 jobs on the campus.
SA and Austin look to cash in on megaregion game plan
The Interstate 35 corridor that connects San Antonio and Austin has become a magnet for investment and development. greater:SATX CEO, Jenna Saucedo-Herrera, believes there is an opportunity through an economic alignment with the Capital City and other smaller communities in the area to chase larger deals and spread the wealth.
From college dropout to auto exec
Susann Kazunas takes charge of Toyota’s San Antonio plant: She was an engineering student at the University of Kentucky working in an internship program. More than halfway through her degree program, though, she decided to drop out of college to focus all her attention on the plant that stamped sheet metal into car parts.
Frost Bank to donate $1M to Alamo, becoming ‘official bank’ of historic site
Frost Bank will donate $1 million to support the “revitalization and improvement of the Alamo’s historic buildings and grounds,” according to a release from the bank Friday. Frost Bank’s sponsorship is the latest major donation to the Alamo.
SA airport sees another surge as Austin traffic slows
Just under 790,000 ticket holders moved through San Antonio International’s two terminals in January. That’s its largest passenger count for the month ever and is a nearly 7% increase over the same month in 2023. SAT saw significant gains in domestic and international traffic. SAT is starting the year off at a record pace, following a year in which the airport hit an all-time high in 2023 with nearly 11 million passengers.
SA airport sees another surge as Austin traffic slows
Geekdom expands footprint as business surpasses pre-pandemic numbers: Geekdom has expanded its footprint in the Rand Building downtown – a move that leaders view as a sign of its recovery and that of a startup and entrepreneurial community that was battered by the COVID-19 pandemic. Geekdom now has 15 full-time employees and 1,017 members across its various membership types that accommodate the spectrum from single-day individual users to companies seeking more permanent space.
From Schools to the Spurs: How Joeris General Contractors built its way to $1billion
In 2023, Joeris General Contractors marked a critical milestone for a construction firm: crossing the billion-dollar mark in top-line revenue. The company, which was founded in 1967 and is on the verge of celebrating its 60th year in business in San Antonio, completed several high-profile projects in its hometown last year.
EMBREY construction executive talks bringing more women onto job sites, industry outlook
Solving the labor issue, though, is a more complex problem. Many skilled in the trades have aged out of the industry, making them hard to replace. A huge part of working through the industry’s labor shortages is getting more women interested in the trades.
Texas awards millions in cancer research funding to SA institutions
The Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas has approved nearly $98.6 million in grants to help fund the state’s fight against the deadly disease, with a little more than 10% of that allocation earmarked for a pair of San Antonio recipients. UT Health San Antonio will receive $9.4 million in CPRIT funding. The balance – just under $998,000 – is earmarked for the University of Texas at San Antonio.
UTSA committed to downtown expansion despite urban shift
Nearly four years removed from the outbreak of Covid-19, San Antonio’s urban core still hasn’t fully recovered. But its largest university remains fully committed to a major downtown campus expansion plan backers believe will help drive more people and investment to the heart of the nation’s seventh largest city.
SWBC donates $1 million for rooftop addition at Alamo Visitor Center and Museum
The Alamo Trust announced a $1 million donation from the SWBC Foundation to help fund a rooftop dining area and event space at the Alamo Visitor Center and Museum, set to open in 2027. The event space will be called the Charlie Amato and Gary Dudley Vista Club, named for two top executives at the financial services company.
Pape-Dawson’s expansion spree continues with Nashville acquisition
Pape-Dawson Engineers has acquired Tennessee-based engineering firm RaganSmith as part of its recent efforts to expand across the Sun Belt. The acquisition marks Pape-Dawson’s first foray into the Tennessee market, after recently breaking into Georgia earlier this year and into Florida late last year as well. The acquisition adds 170 team members to Pape-Dawson’s group of engineering industry professionals.