Oil and Gas Boom Is Just One Reason for Solid Growth
Published Oct 08, 2008
The oil and gas industry’s current boom is plenty to keep the Coastal Bend economy hopping, but with a solid corps of other successful industries, as well as a strong workforce, multiple transportation options and plenty of physical room for expansion, the region is taking off in all directions.
The successes in the Coastal Bend’s 12 counties didn’t happen overnight, and the continued good fortune is the result of some serious collaboration, says Mary Ann Rojas, president and chief executive officer of Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend. “We take a focused, collaborative approach to dealing with issues in our region. When we promote the good things about Corpus Christi, we’re promoting the good things about the entire Coastal Bend. When we recruit, we recruit to the entire area – we’re in tune with the needs of the entire region.”
The current boom in the energy sector has led to increased demand for skilled workers, and so Workforce Solutions is teaming up with employers, community colleges and other involved parties to make sure the labor pool is ample. It’s the kind of effort that can be – often is – replicated for other types of business, Rojas says. “We’ve done a good job in making sure we have the infrastructure to meet the demands, and that includes employees. We’ve got an economy here that is better than in most other parts of the country, and so we’ve got to position ourselves to be able to continue delivering good service.”
That kind of forward thinking also is on display at the Corpus Christi Regional Economic Development Corp., which works with the city, the port authority and more than 180 private-sector
companies to grow the area’s economy.
“We are running counter to the national economy right now, and I think that’s clearly due to the region’s economic foundation,” says Roland C. Mower, president and chief executive officer.
“The whole oil and gas industry, from exploration and extraction to refining and transporting the final product, is going gangbusters again. But we see a lot of strengthening in other areas of our economy and some new additions.”
Mower highlights steady job growth - and related upticks in salaries - as evidence of the area’s likely continued success.
“A survey we did of about 90 companies (in 2007) showed that they added around 1,150 jobs at about $47,000 a year,” he says. “And (in 2008) it’s around 950, with a salary of around $48,000 a year, so we’re seeing a broad-based expansion in business throughout the entire Coastal Bend region. We’re seeing an influx of new capital and jobs, and tremendous expansions within our local companies. We also see what is happening around the nation, and we want to be able in this kind of turndown to make sure that the value proposition our region is offering is heard and understood by our industry partners around the world.”
Story by Joe Morris
Current Weather Conditions In Corpus Christi, TX (78403)
Partly Cloudy, and 77 ° F. For more details?
Click here...
