News & Resources

Midland company invests in cutting edge drone tech

Monday, January 13, 2020

Thermal Cam USA was awarded $125,000 by the Midland Development Corporation Thermal Cam USA was one of five winners for the 2019 Midland Entrepreneurial Challenge. The competition is hosted by the Midland Development Corporation and Small Business Development Center. They award grants to small businesses for their investment pitches after a series of workshops and seminars. Thermal Cam USA and its owner Peter Walper were awarded $125,000. Walper's company offers a number of services from thermal imaging to surveying using a fleet of drones equipped with high-end cameras. With the money won from the challenge, Thermal Cam USA purchased what Walper describe...

TTUHSC receives support from Midland Development Corporation

Monday, January 13, 2020

TTUHSC receives support from Midland Development Corporation Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Health Professions Physician Assistant Program has announced a $5 million gift from the Midland Development Corp. for expansion to the program. During the 2019 legislative session, Representative Tom Craddick secured $20 million in state funding to expand the Physician Assistant (PA) Program that TTUHSC operates on the campus of Midland College. To this state commitment, the MDC’s board of directors agreed to add $5 million, which will combine with a further $5 million to be raised by TTUHSC to construct a new and expanded $30 million facility. Th...

Midland’s Growth Creates Opportunities for Jobs & Quality of Life

Tuesday, December 17, 2019

Midland has gained national attention for the rapid and sustainable, growth taking place within the community. In this decade alone, Midland’s population has grown by 30 percent. We now have more than 142,000 residents calling the city home, creating significant opportunities. New residents require housing, dining, and shopping, and need services from doctors, lawyers, CPAs, landscapers, and plumbers. In short, if you are an entrepreneur or small business owner, now is an excellent time to be in Midland. It is projected that Midland’s population will continue to grow, reaching 250,000 by 2030. With growth like this, small businesses have the opportunit...

Midland Small Business Saturday Events: Reasons to Shop Local on Nov. 30th

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

November 30th is Small Business Saturday and an excellent reason to support the small businesses that make Midland such a vibrant place to live. The Midland Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Small Business Saturday Pop Up Market to help celebrate. The event will run from 10:30 to 4:00 and feature local businesses like Sugar & Almonds, The Paper Honey Bee, Clark Garden Co., and more. In addition, Finch Media Company will be on-site for holiday photo ops. The Midland Shop Hop is another Small Business Saturday event. It is being hosted by several Midland businesses (including Perch, Lacy J, Spirit Creations...

Midland Development Corporation marches forward with infrastructure plan

Friday, November 22, 2019

MIDLAND, Texas — Intersections, roads and drainage systems are big topics for most Midland citizens. The Midland Development Corporation's board met and approved big-time infrastructure projects on November 4. These projects will seek final approval at the November 19th city council meeting. "It's key to the future growth of Midland that we continue to develop and work to build out our infrastructure and our roads as our community continues to grow," said MDC Executive Director John Trischitti. Trischitti said due to a shortage of engineers working for the city, these projects are going to three private companies. If approved, consultant Kimley-Horn will draw up plan...

Hospital district: MDC funding makes impact in recruiting physicians

Wednesday, November 20, 2019

ighty percent of those physicians and specialty doctors recruited using money from the Midland Development Corp have been retained and are currently practicing in the area. The Midland County Hospital District on Monday provided an update to the MDC about successes, challenges and a fifth-year overview of its recruiting program. This was before the MDC board approved a $50,373.13 payment authorization to the district for its recruiting program. To date, according to officials at the meeting, a total of $2.5 million has been invested in the program since 2014. That money has resulted in “$130 million” in per capita economic outpu...

The 12 Texas cities everyone in the country is moving to

Tuesday, November 19, 2019

Texas is one of the fastest-growing parts of the US. A big factor in the Lone Star State's growth is the millions of people who have moved there from around the country and the rest of the world over the last decade. Using data from the US Census Bureau, we ranked the metropolitan statistical areas in Texas by total net migration between 2010 and 2018 — the number of people who moved into the metro area during that period from another part of the US or another country, minus people who moved out of the metro area — adjusted by the metro area's 2010 population. Texas' bigges...

Study: Midland among top cities in nation for truck drivers

Monday, November 18, 2019

Midland ranks among the top cities in the nation for heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers, according to a new 384-city study by AdvisorSmith. The website showed Midland as the No. 4 mid-size city and the ninth-ranked city overall in the study. Midland was one of three Texas cities in the top overall – Odessa (fourth) and Wichita Falls (10th) are the others. The study analyzed 384 cities based upon heavy and tractor-trailer truck driver salaries, the cost of living and the availability of jobs for truck drivers. Of the cities in the top 10, Midland ranked third in total jobs -- 4,150, 229 percent mor...

Midland MSA has Nation's Highest Per Capita Personal Income

Thursday, November 14, 2019

In 2018, personal income increased in 3,019 counties, decreased in 91, and was unchanged in 3, according to estimates released today by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA). Personal income increased 5.7 percent in the metropolitan portion of the United States and increased 4.8 percent in the nonmetropolitan portion (Table A). In metropolitan counties, the percent change in personal income ranged from -3.2 percent in Lynn County, Texas to 17.5 percent in Midland County, Texas. In nonmetropolitan counties, it ranged from -20.8 percent in Sherman County, Texas, to 64.5 percent in Issaquena County, Mississippi (BEA interactive data). Source: BEA.gov Read more o...

MDC makes investments in Midland’s future

Friday, November 01, 2019

Infrastructure, roads, education, healthcare, jobs: the Midland Development Corporation acts as an investment fund, making key contributions to projects and initiatives that would otherwise be unattainable for our community. The MDC’s structure as a Type A economic development corporation, governed by state statute, enables it to form partnerships and make investments that are difficult or impossible for the City of Midland to accomplish on its own. INFRASTRUCTURE Since 2010, the MDC has invested over $40 million in Midland’s roads, infrastructure, and municipal utilities. Partnering with the City of Midland, over a dozen projects have been completed or are in progress, including: The acquisitio...

The 25 fastest-growing cities in the US, ranked

Friday, November 01, 2019

Rapid economic growth plays a key part in what makes up-and-coming cities attractive potential landing spots. WalletHub recently analyzed 515 US cities to identify the locales that experienced the highest levels of economic growth over the last seven years. Each city received a final growth score between 0 and 100 based on 17 relevant metrics. The metrics fell into categories representing sociodemographics or jobs and economy, including: population growth; college-educated population growth; job growth; median household income growth; growth in homes with $75,000+ annual income; decrease in unemployment rate; increase in number of businesses; and growth in regional GDP per capita. The 25 cities that scored the highes...

Access to Care: Addressing Texas' Physician-to-Population Ratio

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Access to Care: Addressing Texas’ Physician-to-Population Ratio Texas has one of the fastest growing and aging populations in the nation. Yet, according to recent data, Texas ranks 41st in the nation for physician-to-population ratio. For primary care, Texas ranks even lower – coming in at number 47. In 2018, the A&M Rural and Community Health Institute and the Episcopal Health Foundation issued a report that showed some alarming results: 35 Texas counties have no physician, 80 counties have five or fewer physicians, 58 counties are without a general surgeon, 147 counties have no obstetrician/gynecologist and 185 Texas counties have no psychiatrist. 28.7 million peopl...

10 Colleges With Highest-Paid Petroleum Engineering Grads

Monday, October 14, 2019

University of Texas of the Permian Basin U.S. News rank: 88 (tie), Regional Universities (West) Median starting salary of alumni who majored in petroleum engineering: $119,500 Median starting salary of alumni who majored in engineering: $84,440 2018-2019 tuition and fees: $7,124 (in-state), $8,274 (out-of-state) Learn more about University of Texas Permian Basin. Read full article.

US Senator John Cornyn attends mental health round table discussion in Midland

Friday, October 11, 2019

Cornyn was briefed on local entity's efforts to improve mental health care within community, and spoke to gun background legislation. MIDLAND, Texas — Senator John Cornyn visited Midland on September 30 for a special round table. As Senator Cornyn was surrounded by a handful of representatives from a west Texas healthcare provider, he listened and asked questions. Each person at the discussion held at the Texas Tech Health Science Center off Michigan in MIdland spoke on behalf of a local entity that has made efforts to improve local mental health care. For the Midland Development Corporation, that was an $8.4 million investment into th...

Why Young Families are Moving to Midland

Monday, September 30, 2019

Young families are moving to Midland, Texas in large numbers. Some are returning home after having attended college and started their careers in other states. Others are headed to Midland for the first time to take advantage of the many career opportunities that can be found here. When it comes to Midland, there are unlimited opportunities for people who wish to build a future for themselves and for their children. 5 Reasons Young Families are Moving to Midland When speaking with young professionals and young families, several of Midland’s benefits stand out. #1 Midland has high-paying jobs and companies offer upward mobility. People mak...

Midland Has the Best Entrepreneurial Contest in Texas & Startups are Thriving

Monday, September 16, 2019

The Midland Entrepreneurial Challenge (MEC) is launching companies and diversifying Midland’s economy. Midland has a strong entrepreneurial culture, with more startups than Silicon Valley. The creative and enterprising spirit of the people, combined with the presence of large corporations and local support, has created this thriving ecosystem. Still, the Midland Development Corporation (MDC), Mayor Jerry Morales and the UTPB Small Business Development Center (SBDC) wanted to further diversify an economy heavily reliant upon the oil and gas industry. Supporting homegrown businesses was a natural choice. When the SBDC presented the idea of an entrepreneurial challenge, the MDC board enthusiastically supporte...

New Park to Create a Big City Vibe in Midland

Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Midland, Texas has a big city attitude in a small package. Locals will tell you that there’s a vibrancy to Midland that feels like a big city. It’s a place where entrepreneurs can launch a company and see it become successful quickly, where young professionals are starting careers and climbing the corporate ladder, and where business is booming. In a town like this, there need to be big city amenities to complement the hustle and drive of Midland’s citizens. Fortunately, there are. Midland is already home to cultural amenities like the Wagner Noël Performing Arts Center, Marion Blakemore Planetarium, and th...

In Focus: Last-Mile Distribution Drives Industrial Demand in Secondary Markets

Tuesday, August 06, 2019

Retailers are rethinking their supply chain management and locating closer to the end customer to meet their lightning-fast delivery expectations. Today’s consumers make more purchases online than ever before, and popular merchandise is no longer only small household items and clothing. E-commerce has evolved to include big purchases like furniture, refrigerators, mattresses, and even cars. The challenge is that consumers, accustomed to lightning-fast delivery, still expect to receive these bulkier items in one or two days. To meet those expectations, retailers are rethinking their supply chain management and locating closer to the end customer, which is driving industrial demand in secondar...

Growing Markets Positioned for Corporate Location Success

Monday, August 05, 2019

Corporate site location projects begin with understanding which regional markets are growing and will provide a long-term pool of skilled workers and a successful economy attractive to the company and its supply chain. Houston and New Orleans today are not thought of as economic competitors. Dial back the time machine to 1950 and you would see a different story. These two cities were running neck-and-neck based upon population and competition for economic success in the New South. Both cities had nearly 600,000 residents and were competing to attract energy and banking investments on a global scale. Both were connected to th...

People Analytics Helps Define the Search for Skilled Labor

Sunday, August 04, 2019

The analysis of human capital flows across markets and regions measures how, why, and where talent and skill clusters are creating and supporting sustainable market strength. Gross domestic product (GDP) measures raw economic activity and has been used as a leading indicator of the growth and performance of an economy for the last 70 years. In a digital and globally interconnected world, GDP is not a complete picture of economic indicators of progress or predictive growth from market to market. The architect of GDP, Simon Kuznets, recognized the limitations of GDP. The Economist (2016) reported that GDP uses a statistical framework tha...

Best & Worst States to Start a Business

Saturday, August 03, 2019

Starting a business is never easy. According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data, about a fifth of all startups typically don’t survive past year one of operation, and nearly half never make it to their fifth anniversary. But startups fail for different reasons, a “bad location” among the most common. Choosing the right state for a business is therefore crucial to its success. A state that provides the ideal conditions for business creation — access to cash, skilled workers and affordable office space, for instance — can help new ventures not only take off but also thrive. In this study, WalletHub compared th...

Governor Abbott Appoints Daniel To Texas Workforce Commission

Friday, August 02, 2019

Governor Greg Abbott has appointed Bryan Daniel to the Texas Workforce Commission for a term set to expire on February 1, 2025. The commission is charged with overseeing and providing workforce development services to employers and job seekers in Texas. Bryan Daniel of Georgetown is the executive director of the Office of the Governor Economic Development Division, and previously served as the chief administrator for the Texas Department of Agriculture Trade and Business Development Division. Daniel received a Bachelor of Science in agricultural communications and a Master of Science in agricultural education from Texas Tech University. Read full article.

Texas tops the U.S. for real estate development spending and jobs

Thursday, August 01, 2019

For the second year in a row, Texas topped the nation in real estate development activity in 2018. With almost $26 billion in direct spending on real estate projects, the Texas building sector contributed more than $62 billion to the state's economy last year, according to a report from the NAIOP, the Commercial Real Estate Development Association. The development sector supported more than 400,000 jobs in the state last year, the industry trade group said in its annual economic impact report. Read full article.

Historic Low: Texas Unemployment Rate Continues to Fall to 3.4 Percent

Saturday, July 20, 2019

Economy Adds 45,000 Jobs in June AUSTIN – In June, the Texas economy added 45,000 seasonally adjusted Total Nonfarm positions. After shattering the all-time low in May of 2019, the unemployment rate fell again to 3.4 percent. This new record is currently the lowest the unemployment rate has been since series tracking began in 1976. “June’s unemployment rate is a historic win for employers and workers across the state,” said TWC Chair and Commissioner Representing Employers Ruth R. Hughs. “It is a reflection of our excellent businesses, skilled workforce and the hard work of every Texan.” Texas employers added 315,600 jobs over th...

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