Texas Rising - April/May 2011

TEXpansion

Dallas Metroplex — As Texas grows by thousands of new residents each week, businesses and industries are expanding their operations and building new facilities throughout the state. Here is a sampling of recently announced expansions in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and around Texas.

Premier Studios, LLC has 90 acres under contract and plans to build a 1 million-square-foot television and movie production studio that will create an estimated 450 jobs in Frisco.

Reata Pharmaceuticals and Abbott Laboratories are expanding their operations partnering in an $800 million venture to launch a chronic kidney disease drug. The Irving development is expected to create 100 new jobs.

Hyundai Capital is expanding its U.S. operations by adding an automotive finance office in Plano. The company will open the facility with 230 workers and expand to almost 400 by 2013.

Minneapolis-based MoneyGram International is moving its global headquarters to a 46,000-square-foot facility in Dallas. It plans to hire 150 employees by 2012 with an annual average salary of $115,000.

College Station — Texas A&M University has awarded a $34 million building contract to Skansa USA for a new Arts and Humanities facility. The 107,000 square-foot building will house faculty offices, classrooms, and performance and rehearsal spaces. Completion is scheduled for summer 2012.

San Antonio — H-E-B plans to open 19 Texas stores in 2011. A 112,000-square-foot Bulverde H-E-B Plus store opened in February, adding 160 workers to the 260 transferred from an older, smaller nearby store it replaced. It is the first of four opening in the San Antonio area this year.

For more information, visit the Office of the Governor Economic Development and Tourism Division or Texas A&M University’s Real Estate Center. TR

F1

Race to Learn is Coming to Texas Schools

Texas schoolchildren will be the first in this country to try out an engaging, crosscurricular educational program linked to Formula 1 racing.

Created by AT&T Williams, the F1 racing team, in conjunction with Cambridge University Press, the interactive Race to Learn software for elementary school students will soon make its U.S. debut with a pilot program at Del Valle Independent School District outside Austin. The U.S. Grand Prix will be based from 2012 at the Circuit of the Americas currently under construction in Del Valle.

Race to Learn uses Formula 1 fundamentals to teach a variety of interdisciplinary topics, ranging from balancing a budget and investigating wind flow to pitching sponsorships and teamwork.