Richardson Economic Development Department

Thank you to the SHOP Companies team for your commitment to Promenade North and partnership with the City of Richardson Texas. This legacy shopping center is on an exciting trajectory with high quality, highly desirable tenants like Civil Pour setting the standard for new offerings. Thanks in particular to Buck Wheeler for his vision and hard work on the project.

See The Dallas Morning News' story about Plano ISD's groundbreaking of the new Career & Technical Education (CTE) Center! We look forward to seeing how students in Richardson and across Plano ISD’s other served communities will benefit from the significant investment in career training and readiness that will contribute to Richardson’s and our region’s workforce. The new CTE Center represents a $72 million investment in training for various fields, from cybersecurity (supported by a donation from Toyota North America) to welding to a culinary arts program, and an accompanying restaurant open to the public. The CTE Center will open in fall 2026 at the intersection of Alma Drive and West Park Boulevard. To read the Dallas Morning News' story on the CTE Center: https://bit.ly/4gcJWFS #RichardsonEconomicDevelopment #CareerAndTechnicalEducation #WorkforceDevelopment #EconomicDevelopment #cybersecurity #welding #trades

This afternoon, the IQHQ hosted a group of young leaders from the New Taipei International Vocational Youth Ambassador Overseas Leadership Program. The students met with Mayor Bob Dubey and City Manager Don Magner, who shared insights into Richardson’s local government and economic ecosystem. The visit offered the Taiwanese delegation a firsthand look at the innovative work happening at the IQHQ and the opportunities it provides for start-up companies. The IQHQ is home to UTD's @Catalyst program, run by the University’s Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship at UT Dallas. The program fosters collaborations between corporate innovators and the university, supports the startup and entrepreneur community, and advances UT Dallas research. On a near monthly basis, the IQHQ hosts several foreign groups and dignitaries who come to learn about the community and tour UT Dallas and the Startup Runway international business development programs located in the facility.

It has been a year of achievements for Richardson’s La Casita! The Dallas Morning News just named the bakery as one of 16 affordable restaurants to visit in Dallas-Fort Worth. It's located at 580 Arapaho Road and last January the bakery was recognized for the second straight year as a semifinalist in the Outstanding Bakery category of the prestigious 2024 James Beard Awards. The James Beard Awards are considered highly prestigious in the culinary world and are often compared to the Oscars in the film industry. If you haven't stopped by yet, you may want to try out this outstanding and high-achieving culinary institution that calls Richardson home! https://bit.ly/3ZmGhhH #RichardsonTexas #EconomicDevelopment #EconDev #LaCasitaBakeshop #Bakery #JamesBeardAwards

In this month’s edition of Community Impact, there’s a front-page story about Richardson's Innovation Quarter Headquarters (IQHQ) and its role in supporting our growing tech industry through partnerships with organizations like UT Dallas and Startup Runway. The IQHQ serves as a hub for innovation, featuring facilities like a 5G testing lab and incubator spaces to attract and support international tech companies entering the U.S. market. These initiatives have contributed to the city’s significant tech employment growth and its position as a leading technology hub in Texas. You can read more at this link to the article: //bit.ly/4il6Kon #RichardsonTexas #RichardsonEconomicDevelopment #IQHQ #RichardsonIQ #RichardsonTechnologyandSoftware #innovation #UTDallas #leadership #technology #startups

This morning Mayor Bob Dubey and City Manager Don Magner joined executives with the GEICO team as they cut the ribbon to celebrate the designation of its Richardson office as a new operations hub to grow commercial insurance offerings. The expansion is part of GEICO's strategic efforts to enhance small businesses and commercial clients. The announcement comes with 500 new jobs, and hiring is already underway for customer service, claims handling, and policy support positions. GEICO highlighted Richardson's appeal as a business and employment center for locating its new team here and has been in the community since 2016 when it relocated its North Texas regional office. GEICO is a member of the Berkshire Hathaway family of companies and is the second-largest private passenger auto insurance company in the United States. Here are some links to local news coverage with more about the new team: Community Impact: https://bit.ly/4iymvJ0 Dallas Business Journal at https://bit.ly/41oEs6v WFAA: Hiring spree announced in this North Texas city | https://bit.ly/4ikoqRc

Save the Date! Thursday, December 12, 2024 | 8:30 – 10 a.m. The IQHQ® | 1302 E. Collins Blvd., Richardson, TX During this IQ Brew session, Manjula Variyam, Principal attorney at Aambell, will discuss Intellectual Property (IP) law, exploring questions such as: What are the different types of IP assets? How are they protected? How long does IP protection last? What are the reasons to protect your IP assets? She will go in-depth into IP issues of interest to software companies, including the question of patentability of software inventions. She will also touch on IP implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI). The IQ® Brew is a free, public networking and educational series featuring short presentations from entrepreneurs, small business owners and subject-matter experts. The goal of The IQ® Brew is to share the successes and challenges the Richardson business community has faced and to pass along the knowledge needed to start and grow a business here. To register for the event click on the following link https://bit.ly/4f0UVAT

The Small Business Administration for our DFW District Office recognized Richardson's locally owned and operated Painting With a Twist in celebration of Small Business Saturday, on November 30. Painting With a Twist, which is located in the Arapaho Village Shopping Center, near Tom Thumb, was one of only two small businesses that were recognized by the SBA District Office this week. Kimberly Garrison has owned the Richardson location since December of 2015 and is currently enrolled in the T.H.R.I.V.E program that is put on by the SBA office in DFW. The program provides education and training for executives of small businesses, poised-for-growth companies. Richardson has numerous small, one-of-a-kind businesses to support, including local gift shops, coffee shops and restaurants so don’t forget about them when thinking about gifts and gift cards for friends and family this year (many local restaurants also sell T-shirts and other swag with their brand on it which also make great gifts for their fans). The City of Richardson supports Small Businesses through its Economic Development Department, which offers a range of free services, both online and in-person, to Richardson businesses (and those thinking about locating here).

We work every day to promote how great Richardson is for business, and the quote in this week’s Dallas Business Journal article about Associa’s HQ move to the community made us swell with pride. Clint Wallis, vice president of corporate real estate at Associa was quoted saying the follow, “The city of Richardson offers a dynamic business environment, robust infrastructure and a vibrant community that aligns perfectly with our company's values and vision for the future. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the city officials, community leaders and residents of Richardson for their invaluable support." We couldn’t have said it better ourselves and look forward welcoming Associa to the community! You can read the DBJ article about the move at this link: https://bit.ly/4g0tfNq #RichardsonTexas #RichardsonEconomicDevelopment

Most of the Richardson business community knows The University of Texas at Dallas as a driving force in North Texas, preparing innovative, job-ready professionals. One of the ways they do it is through real-world experiences. We recently found an impressive example in the student-led Dallas Formula Racing team, that designs and builds competitive race cars, giving students hands-on skills in engineering, business, and marketing. The club operates like a startup, with students managing everything from strategy to production.