News & Resources

Historic Highs Surpassed As More Texans Are Working Than Ever Before Governor Greg Abbott today touted Texas’ continuing strong jobs growth following employment releases from the Texas Workforce Commission and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showing Texas leading the nation with the fastest annual jobs growth rate as the stat...Continue Reading

For much of this year, the American economy has undergone an unprecedented structural shift. Billions of dollars in spending by consumers moved from goods — the stuff we consume and use — to services. But many of these same services will come under threat in an economic downturn, and risk...Continue Reading

New research from the Site Selectors Guild unveils the relevancy of select economic development practices and insights on what’s next for the industry in the year ahead. Relationship-building marketing tactics and product development tactics, such as those designed to strengthen and grow the workforce, were identified as very relevant a...Continue Reading

It’s no secret that Midland, Texas is swimming in locally owned businesses. As more and more pop up around our city, shopping small has never been easier. There is something special about shopping at a local store where the owners greet you by name, swap stories with you, and as...Continue Reading

AUSTIN – The Texas Economic Development Corporation (TxEDC), the private side of a public-private partnership with Governor Greg Abbott’s Office of Texas Economic Development & Tourism, today announced it will lead a delegation to Europe from September 26-29 to meet with business leaders and host events to highlight Texas a...Continue Reading

AUSTIN – The Texas Economic Development Corporation (TxEDC), the private side of a public-private partnership with Governor Greg Abbott’s Office of Texas Economic Development & Tourism, recently concluded an international business recruitment mission that included high-level meetings with government officials and business executives, as well as events in London, Paris...Continue Reading

“It’s an underappreciated industry.” That’s the basic observation of Dennis Donovan, principal with Wadley Donovan Gutshaw Consulting, of Bridgewater, N.J., when he was asked about the importance of, the health of and the potential of the metal fabrication industry. A look at the breadth of the sectors it serves gives some insigh...Continue Reading

We've had a super busy start to our fall webinar line-up! More than 800 people signed up for our recent webinar offerings, on subjects from rural economic development to supporting small businesses and so much more. If you missed any of these recent webinars, you are in luck! We recorde...Continue Reading

The path to success as an entrepreneur can take many different forms, and no matter what path you choose, difficulties will always exist. It's easy to become a bit of a skeptic when it comes to doing business. The truth is, it's not easy — and it's not for everyone...Continue Reading

Job seekers and employees alike expect so much more from their workplaces. Increasingly, culture, flexibility and values trump retirement plans, health benefits and expense accounts in a competitive job marketplace. Job seekers are no longer simply looking for a job. They’re looking for a professional home that feels welcoming and ofte...Continue Reading

If you’ve been in the business world for a while, especially in manufacturing or engineering, you’ve probably encountered the concept of “KISS” solutions. As a young employee who just joined the production floor for Lockheed Martin back in the early 1980s, I had no idea what a program manager wa...Continue Reading

The Midland Development Corporation is governed by a seven-member board. Board members are appointed by the Midland City Council and commit to serving three-year terms. Our current board members talk about their roles, responsibilities, and aspirations for MDC and the community that they serve, in the 2nd part of ...Continue Reading

Midland is home to large corporations, innovative entrepreneurs, thriving family businesses, and cultural activities. Many area leaders have generously donated their time to growing Midland’s economy by serving on the MDC board. Their leadership, guidance, and insight have been essentialto the organization and the community that has evolved in Midland. Th...Continue Reading

Midland, Texas, in the heart of oil & gas country - is a place that has grown exponentially, leveraging the profits from a thriving energy sector to diversify its economy. These investments have made it possible to develop the country’s first spaceport co-located with a major commercial airport. Midland’s Spacepor...Continue Reading

TxDOT makes it easy to find business opportunities and bid information for Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE), Small Business Enterprises (SBE) and Historically Underutilized Businesses (HUB). Read full article.Continue Reading

It’s an anomalous time in the tourism industry. On one hand, the leisure market has picked up to a point that the numbers are just about back to where they were pre-COVID-19, despite the surge of a new strain of the virus surging in recent months. That’s because travelers have wante...Continue Reading

Phew, the labor market crisis is over! Jobs are growing but the rapid pace of hiring has slowed and people who were reluctant to work due to COVID are returning to the labor force. It sure seems like the labor crisis was a COVID issue, so we can all g...Continue Reading

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) efforts take more of a front seat in economic development strategy and growth. We see communities benefit from these efforts, and funders start to expect them when reviewing future plans. Convergent Nonprofit Solutions has managed capital campaigns for EDOs and Chambers of different sizes an...Continue Reading

The ability to attract and retain quality talent is typically the key determinant behind a company’s current and future success. While the COVID-19 pandemic hasn’t changed this, it has shifted the overall talent landscape, forcing employers to evaluate new talent geographies in different ways. This piece explores the various talent-relate...Continue Reading

In today’s quick moving market, companies need to start running multiple lanes of site selection work when searching for their next production facility. Some of the most frequent reasons we see companies looking for new facilities involve the need to update older inefficient operations, achieve transportation savings, increase market share...Continue Reading

Huge spikes in demand for retail products, while food service demand virtually disappeared…supply chain disruptions that revealed previously unknown weaknesses in the flow of ingredients and materials…already existing labor shortages exacerbated by COVID outbreaks and shutdowns, as well as existing staff missing time due to illness, caring for family members...Continue Reading

One of the many lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic was just how fragile the global supply chain is. For decades, much energy has been spent streamlining the supply chain, building efficiencies, and finding low-cost options — but the result has been an increased vulnerability to shutdowns, labor shortages, an...Continue Reading

A company hoping to capture the attention of Gen Z and millennial consumers today can't ignore its corporate social responsibility (CSR) program — that synthesis of tenets like accountability, sustainability and philanthropy, which build up a brand's reputation and, ideally, make the planet a better place. And it's not jus...Continue Reading

As it was making its way through Congress, I wrote a piece on the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) that showed economic benefits from economists, policy experts and small business advocates. Last week, the Senate passed the IRA and on Friday, the House of Representatives passed it, sending it to Presiden...Continue Reading