Firm: Region ‘ready for new jobs and job growth’

Consulting group talks to officials about area’s economic strengths, weaknesses

TexAmericas Center officials along with Texarkana area chamber, city, county, business and employment personnel gathered for nearly two hours Friday to find out about the region’s economic development strengths and weaknesses.

Representatives with the Arizona-based Foote Consulting Group gave the audience of a preview of a report it plans to release in full, on or close to July 1. The report will offer a detailed study of the company’s findings regarding workforce (employ staff) needs as well the different types of job opportunity and growth the area can expect to draw during the next few years.

Dean Foote, the company’s owner, told the gathering that his firm, which also operates as a business location site selector and adviser, researched and collected economic development information within a 40- to 60-mile radius of Texarkana—a task they recently performed for Carson City, Nev.

“You guys have a region that’s ready for new jobs and job growth,” Foote said. “We have conducted a business targeting process, and there are companies that are looking to locate that are appropriate for this area and for the job market here. Texas, as a state, is now generally one of the best places for business location and job growth in the country.”

As for a business magnet, Foote said Interstate 30 pres-

ently attracts a lot of manufacturing project activity, which is becoming more dominate locally, as is warehousing construction and distribution centers.

From a local standpoint, Foote added that freight transportation, its access to rails along with its access to the interstate, make it cost effective for businesses to use.

Besides being warehouse and distribution center friendly, Foote said the Four States Area is also attractive to call centers and data centers.

Along with targeting the types of business and industry that could locate here, Foote said his firm’s economic development assessment used the cities of Longview and Tyler, Texas, as key population comparison municipalities when focusing on local logistics, labor cost and labor availability. It also used cities like Anniston, Ala., and Albany, Ga., as defense-based industry towns to compare Texarkana to.

Taking labor costs as a key issue, Foote said the current local labor costs can be both a positive and a negative for Texarkana.

“This area’s low-cost wage is affordable to local business and industry, and it helps ensure a healthy bottom line year after year for profit, but the bad news is that it may not be enough and labor will move off for better wages,” he said. “In terms of the defense industry, low cost for hiring a welder looks pretty good here, but there just may not be enough welders.”

Compared to the national average, Foote said Texarkana does have affordable labor costs, but he added that in manufacturing, the local wage needs to be a little higher for machine operators and machine maintenance personnel, although he added that electronic technicians get paid pretty good locally.

“Skilled labor wages are not too good here, but for semi-skilled labor and clerical workers, things look pretty good,” he said.” Work skills are actually the No. 1 problem across the country—especially when it comes to machine handlers. Locally, there is both semi-skilled and skilled labor availability for employers. Local labor quality, both in terms of train-ability and attendance, is also pretty good here.”

Foote also said his firm took stock of local job training and college education availability after surveying and interviewing about 50 local companies. He added that both Texas A&M University-Texarkana and Texarkana College have strong focus in job training.

Regarding land availability, Foote said both the TexAmericas Center and the Nash Business Park have space with affordable lease prices. However, he added that the area also needs at least one modern industrial building to bring people to.

Finally, Foote recommended that a local workforce round table group be formed, after which three focus groups should be formed to hold workshops focusing on important areas.

Foote added that his firm’s full and complete survey report should out later this month or by July 1.