President's POV
San Antonio’s military presence is one of our greatest competitive advantages. Joint Base San Antonio, our military medical and cybersecurity institutions, and the broader defense ecosystem support tens of thousands of jobs while strengthening the talent, research and innovation capabilities that drive our economy.
But that advantage is not guaranteed. Military missions compete for investment, resources and talent just as companies do, and San Antonio must continue creating reasons for those missions to stay and grow.
In this month’s President’s POV, I explore why military mission retention is an economic development issue, and why continued investment in talent, infrastructure, research and regional collaboration will be critical to San Antonio’s next chapter.
Greater together,
Sarah Carabias Rush
President & CEO
Investor Spotlight: AREA Real Estate
Founded in San Antonio in 2011, AREA Real Estate is helping shape Greater San Antonio through investments in multifamily, industrial, mixed-use, adaptive reuse, retail, and office developments.
With experience spanning more than $2 billion in real estate transactions, the firm has contributed to projects across the region, including The Creamery, The '68 at Hemisfair, Jones Avenue, and 1221 Broadway Lofts.
AREA continues to invest in opportunities that support economic growth, attract talent, and strengthen neighborhoods throughout the region.
Through a long-term commitment to its hometown, the firm is helping position Greater San Antonio for continued growth and investment.
Through a long-term commitment to its hometown, the firm is helping position Greater San Antonio for continued growth and investment.
San Antonio Named a Global City to Watch by Oxford Economics
San Antonio is earning recognition on the global stage, with Oxford Economics' 2026 Global Cities Index naming the region one of North America's top five Cities to Watch.
The designation reflects growing momentum across jobs, investment, talent, and key industries, while highlighting the factors that position Greater San Antonio for continued growth.
Discover what's driving the region's rise and why its economic trajectory is attracting attention from around the world.
National Rankings Reinforce San Antonio's Growing Momentum
San Antonio continues to earn recognition from national organizations for the strengths that are driving the region's growth.
Recent rankings highlight Greater San Antonio's competitiveness across key areas, reinforcing the momentum created by sustained investment, talent development, and industry expansion.
See how these accolades reflect the region's progress and what they signal for the future.
Greater San Antonio's Manufacturing Momentum Continues to Build
Greater San Antonio's manufacturing sector continues to gain momentum, driven by major investments from companies such as Toyota, IEM, JCB, and Blackwave.
These projects are creating thousands of jobs, expanding industrial capacity, and strengthening the region's position as a leading hub for advanced manufacturing.
As Manufacturing Month begins, explore how the companies, talent, and partnerships behind this growth are helping shape Greater San Antonio's economic future.
In the News
Gen Z Is Choosing San Antonio Over New York: San Antonio was the top destination for Gen Z movers in 2024, gaining a net 10,678 young residents while New York City lost nearly 30,000, highlighting a shift toward metros that offer affordability, career opportunities and quality of life. The report found that Texas claimed three of the top five destinations for Gen Z, with San Antonio's lower housing costs and access to big-city amenities helping attract young talent at a faster pace than many traditional coastal hubs.
Alamo Colleges enrollment nearing 100K with some colleges booming: Alamo Colleges District is approaching the 100,000-student enrollment milestone, driven by strong growth across its campuses, with Northwest Vista College leading the way as the district’s largest institution and continuing to expand while focusing on improving student success and graduation rates. The enrollment surge reflects rising demand for affordable higher education, workforce training, dual-credit programs and initiatives such as AlamoPROMISE, further strengthening the district’s role as a key talent pipeline for the San Antonio region.
Behind the Deal: $200M Brooks win and what’s next: San Antonio’s successful recruitment of Industry Electric Manufacturing’s $200 million Brooks facility, expected to create 3,000 jobs, was driven by years of site preparation, regional collaboration, incentive packages, and a ready-to-build 42-acre site that helped the city beat out competing locations in another state. Local economic development leaders see the project as validation of the region’s growing advanced manufacturing reputation and they plan to leverage the win to attract additional corporate investment.
TEXAS: Why Toyota Selected San Antonio: Toyota selected San Antonio for a $3.6 billion expansion of its truck manufacturing plant after a highly competitive, two-year site-selection process that emphasized workforce quality, infrastructure readiness, supplier proximity, utilities, transportation access, and speed to market, beating out Toyota facilities in several U.S. states and Canada. The project will add 2,000 jobs, double the plant’s size to support Tacoma production shifted from Mexico, bring Toyota’s total San Antonio investment to $8.3 billion, and reinforce the region’s growing reputation as a major advanced manufacturing and automotive hub.
Biotech firm to build 130,000-square-foot research hub in San Antonio to fight New World screwworm: Flyttr, a biotech company focused on pest control, is building a 130,000-square-foot research and production hub on San Antonio’s East Side to help combat the New World screwworm outbreak and other agricultural and public health threats. The facility will produce sterile flies and develop next-generation pest management technologies in partnership with Texas Biomedical Research Institute, strengthening San Antonio’s role as a center for agricultural biosecurity and biotechnology innovation.
Brooks acquires 243 more acres to draw companies to Southeast Side: Brooks Development Authority is acquiring control of 243 vacant acres south of Loop 410 from the San Antonio River Authority to create a large, site-ready industrial property aimed at attracting major employers to San Antonio’s Southeast Side. The deal reflects a broader strategy by Brooks CEO Leo Gomez and regional leaders to expand Brooks’ economic development footprint beyond the former Air Force base and develop more large-scale, construction-ready sites that can compete for major corporate investments and job-creating projects.
San Antonio nonprofit signs first innovation pact with Mexican state: Tech Bloc and the government of Nuevo León, Mexico, have signed a memorandum of understanding to strengthen cross-border innovation, entrepreneurship, and startup collaboration between the San Antonio and Monterrey regions, including plans to bring a delegation of Nuevo León companies to San Antonio tech events next year. The partnership will connect companies with organizations such as Port San Antonio, Geekdom, VelocityTX, and greater:SATX while mapping both regions’ innovation ecosystems to identify business expansion, investment, and talent-development opportunities.