Future Growth

We know what Texarkana has to offer, but what can we do to attract businesses?

Sunday’s Texarkana Gazette carried some interesting information about the local economy. On the front page, there was a story about a report from a consulting firm that said Texarkana is in a good position for growth.

With easy access to rail and Interstate highway transportation, as well as available land and labor— at reasonable prices—Texarkana would be an ideal place for both manufacturing and warehouse/distribution businesses. Local colleges also offer training to give workers marketable skills.

The only negative is that the affordable labor market might be good for business, but not so much for workers. There could be more jobs, but wages might not be all that some would hope for. That could lead to trained workers moving off for better pay elsewhere.

Then on Page 3A there was a story about a Council for Community and Economic Research survey that ranks Texarkana as one of the most affordable places to live, shop and do business.

All of that is nice. But it’s nothing new. Most of us have known for years that Texarkana has the right climate for businesses of all types and sizes. We know about the available land, the transportation access, the labor pool, the training opportunities. We know about the low cost of living, too. And unfortunately all about the low wages.

Th thing is we didn’t need a report or survey to tell us any of that. What we need is a plan to lure these companies and jobs to Texarkana.

Don’t get us wrong. We appreciate any effort to improve the economic picture. But we have seen a lot of consultants and reports over the years.

We know what we have. Now we need to know what to do.

That’s something we hope to hear more about.