Interview: Adriana Cruz

The Perryman Group’s latest long-term forecast indicates recovery from recent issues and expansion in the decades ahead. Nearly 6.8 million jobs are projected to be added, for a 2045 total of 19.5 million and a 1.72% annual rate of growth over the period. Population is likely to grow by more than 11.0 million to reach 40.3 by 2045. Output (real gross product) is anticipated to expand from an estimated 2020 level of 1.7 trillion to 4.0 trillion in 2045, a 3.43% annual rate of gain. This growth is widespread across the state, with its many diverse regions seeing opportunities in a variety of traditional and emerging sectors. The large metropolitan regions and the Permian Basin oil region will continue to be at the forefront, but opportunities abound throughout Texas.

As COVID-19 becomes more controlled, what was a remarkably strong economy going into the health crisis is recovering. While it may take another year or two for some industries and regions of the state to reach pre-pandemic levels, the long-term outlook is clearly positive. The Texas economy is saddled up and ready to ride!

Dr. M. Ray Perryman is President and Chief Executive Officer of The Perryman Group (www.perrymangroup.com), which has served the needs of over 2,500 clients over the past four decades.

The Recruiter The Recruiter In Chief In Chief by RON STARNER

Texas’ ultimate deal closer resides in the Governor’s Mansion.

When your state has won the coveted Site Selection Governor’s Cup a record nine years in a row, you may be tempted to rest on your laurels.

There won’t be any of that going on in Austin this year, if Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has his way. Far from it, Abbott is doubling down on his pursuit of corporate plant investment and private sector job creation.

In a candid interview for this publication, the 48th Governor of Texas said he isn’t done persuading CEOs and other business leaders to choose Texas for their various operations. From corporate headquarters to manufacturing plants and logistics facilities, companies are investing into new and expanded projects in the Lone Star State at an unprecedented pace.

In 2020, Texas outpaced every other state in the nation by landing 781 corporate facility deals, nearly doubling the total of second-place Ohio, which tallied 419. No other state in America even came close to reaching half of Texas’ total.

A big reason behind Texas’ windfall last year was the Governor’s decision to reopen his state while many others were still closed for business.

“We undertook a number of measures that were focused on trying to maximize businesses being allowed to remain open and operate safely and to minimize any type of shutdown,” the Governor told Site Selection Editor-in-Chief Mark Arend, “and find the right blend of that and maximum public safety. We focused on keeping businesses open as much as possible and providing them the guidance and the tools, meaning we were able to surge testing supplies through chambers of commerce to help businesses be able to test employees, for example.”

The result was only a minor drop-off in corporate plant expansions from 2019 to 2020. In 2019, Texas landed 859 facility projects. In 2020, it secured 781.

In his more recent interview with us, the Governor pledged to pursue a balanced