This is Best Southwest Cities page

By Joe Johnson, IOM

May, 2013 – In the early morning hours of April 10, 2013, a cold front with rain and wind was forecast to hit the Best Southwest area between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m., and it came exactly as predicted.  But never mind the cold, rain and wind – the Best Southwest Partnership’s leaders  were on a mission to visit with as many Texas elected leaders as possible to discuss BSW’s Core Initiatives, and to have face-to-face meeting with our state’s leaders.   We were excited that our very first meeting that day was at 9:20 a.m. with the Governor of Texas, the Hon. Rick Perry.    The “BSW Day at the Capitol” had begun!

After going through security we were greeted by Robin Butler with K & L Gates Law Firm, and Dr. Kevin Fegan, Chairman of the Board of Best Southwest Partnership, who led us to    the Governor’s reception area, closed off just for us, where we had a very pleasant private meeting with Governor Perry, lasting about 25 minutes.  Of course we were there to discuss our priorities: BSW Core Initiatives Transportation, Education and Health Care, and the resulting favorable Legislation needed.  He touched on all those initiatives and added a big one to the list – Water!  After a round of picture taking, we headed for a photo session at Lt. Governor David Dewhurst’s office.

Next on the agenda was a trip to the Floor of the House of Representatives for the reading of a Resolution, spearheaded by Representatives Helen Giddings and Yvonne Davis, recognizing the outstanding work done by the 27 year-old Best Southwest Partnership.  A similar trip to the floor of the Senate was next on the agenda, where Senator Royce West authored a Resolution which was read and approved by the Senate.  Chair Fegan, immediate Past-Chair Mayor Knight, Chair-elect Galliford, past Chair Mayor Franke, and Executive Director Johnson were ushered to the Senate Floor for this honor, while the rest of the BSW group witnessed from the Gallery area.

Without a moment to spare, we were ushered to the office of House Speaker Joe Straus, for more recognition, conversation and photos.  And since most us had been up since 4:30 a.m., we were ready for our lunch break in Members Lounge, where we were divided into two groups.  Over delicious box lunches, Hon. Steve Mason and Amanda Skinner headed up the first group in a discussion on “Path of a Bill”, aided by our friends Mance Zachery with EFH, and Angela Ross with AT&T.  Both of these individuals spend a great part of every week during the Legislative Sessions following bills, and they were invaluable in the discussion.  During lunch in Members Lounge, Representative Giddings popped in unexpectedly, and not to be outdone, Senators West and Hancock stopped by to answer questions from the BSW leaders – a decided plus for the day!  While this was going on, Health Care Chair Jonathan Davis and his group visited with staff of Rep. Raymond, chair of Health and Human Services Commission.  Another group led by Legislative Chair Kenneth Govan visited with staff of Rep. Phillips, chair of House Transportation Committee.

At 1:30 p.m. we moved to the John H. Reagan Building, just behind the Capitol, where we had an appointment with Lizzette Reynolds, Chief Deputy Commissioner, Texas Education Agency.  She agreed with most of our Talking Points for Education, with the exception of number of tests, now at 15 or 16, and BSW’s Education leaders were suggesting 3 or 4.   She emphatically held up 8 fingers, saying that is what the commissioner will agree to.  (The next day the Senate voted to move that number to 6.  The final decision awaits a vote.)  

Next up in the Reagan Building was Arturo Alonzo, Deputy Commissioner, Business and Finance, Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board.  His message was that we need “Access and Success” for kids seeking higher education.  We must make higher education available, hence Access.  And after they are enrolled, they need to have Success.  Then the discussion centered on the fact that a huge percentage of incoming college or university students – 40 to 60 % – require remedial education of some kind.  The Universities and Colleges in the BSW area are all facing similar circumstances.

At 3 p.m. a briefing was set for Phil Wilson, Executive Director of TxDOT, and a 3:30 p.m. scheduled briefing with Maureen Milligan, Deputy Director, Texas Health and Human Services Commission, were both delayed by committee meetings down the hall in the Reagan Building.  This was our first time to relax and discuss the various meetings we had experienced with our State Legislative leaders, and we felt proud to have been received so well in Austin as Best Southwest Partnership leaders.

We boarded the motor coach at 4 p.m. for the return trip to the BSW Area as a tired but satisfied group who had accomplished much during our “BSW Day at the Capitol”.

To view Capitol Trip Photos, go to “Best Southwest Partnership” on Facebook

For more information:
Joe Johnson, IOM
Executive Director
Best Southwest Partnership
www.bestsouthwest.org
Director@bestsouthwest.org
214-535-1883

by Joe Johnson, IOM

The 1^st Quarter Best Southwest Partnership Luncheon focused on Transportation and held on March 28, 2013 at the Hilton Garden Inn, was a huge success by any measure.  The pre-meeting Regional Partners Connector in the Ballroom’s Reception Area was jammed with networkers from all BSW cities and communities – the tables in the ballroom were set elaborately – the food was good – the service was very attentive – the audio/visual part of the program worked perfectly – the speaker Hon John C. Terrell, mayor of Southlake and VP of Commercial Activities at DFW International Airport, was very informative – and finally, the 11 Mayors or Councilmembers who filled the head table were very impressive!  The emcee and BSW Chair Dr. Kevin Fegan brought it all into focus as he re-capped Mr. Terrell’s address when he said “this is truly a Regional Partnership, not unlike what DFW Airport and the adjacent cities have created”.

Dr. Fegan continued that thought by commenting on how wonderful it was that all 11 cities or chambers in this BSW Regional Partnership were represented at this luncheon.   The 1^st Quarter BSW Luncheon emphasized Transportation and was headed up by Cedar Hill Mayor Rob Franke, and coordinated by the Cedar Hill Chamber’s Amanda Skinner.  Mr. Terrell reviewed some points that the team at DFW Airport use to promote their brand, including Visioning, Customer Service, Partnerships, Tourism, Creating a Destination where people want to go, and finally, thinking Regionally.  Dr. Fegan tied that all together by indicating how many of those same traits will be implemented by the BSW Board.

He also announced the 2^nd Quarter BSW Luncheon to be all about Education, to be held on May 30, 2013, headed up by Dr. Michael McFarland and coordinated by the Lancaster Chamber.  It will be a Best Southwest Education Luncheon featuring 11 scholarships for 11 outstanding students from 11 communities – truly a Best Southwest Scholars Luncheon.  Dr. Fegan concluded the March 28^th BSW Luncheon by saying “You better get your tickets now to this May 30^th Education Luncheon – it’ll be a sell-out!”

BSW Day at the Capitol

April 10, 2013 will be the BSW Day at the Capitol, a one-day trip to Austin to meet with elected officials, including the Governor, Lt. Governor, and our own Legislators.  Recent additions to the day’s schedule include a photo op with the Governor at 9:20 a.m. and a meeting with the Executive Director of TxDOT at 3 p.m.  The full schedule is available on www.bestsouthwest.org.

Each head of BSW’s Core Initiatives will lead their respective areas with talking points: Transportation – Hon. Rob Franke; Education – Dr. Michael McFarland; Legislation – Mr. Kenneth Govan; and Health Care – Mr. Jonathan Davis.  Please contact one of the BSW Chambers for trip reservations and information.

And we’ll see you …

…Around and About the Best Southwest

by Joe Johnson, IOM

The Best Southwest area of DFW has often been described as the most beautiful area of this great Metroplex.  But other adjectives have been used in conjunction with this area – such as “Micro-Market” used by commercial realtors.

A micro-market in commercial/industrial terminology would indicate an area that is hot – really hotter than an entire market.  And that is what is going on in the area served by the Best Southwest Partnership, namely Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville, Lancaster, Ferris, Glenn Heights, Hutchins, Ovilla, Midlothian, Red Oak, and Wilmer.

A Golden Rectangle

A prominent developer has said that one reason for this micro-market is that this area is bordered by I-20, I-45, Hwys. 67 and 287 with I-35E traversing the rectangle,   including 3 rail lines and an airport, with available land and a ready work force – a Golden Rectangle.  Much of this area is located in the Inland Port area, sometimes referred to as the International Inland Port of Dallas (IIPOD).  Cities benefiting from this micro-market and a partial listing of projects over the last year or so are: Wilmer – which recently landed a 500,000 sq. ft. Ace Hardware Distribution Center at Pleasant Run Rd and I-45, and across the way is last year’s prize – a 1,000,000 sq. ft. Whirlpool Distribution Center.  And up the interstate in Hutchins, at I-45 and Cleveland Road, sits the huge FedEx Distribution Center.

More Micro-Market Projects

In Red Oak (which straddles I-35E), Triumph Aero Structures, LLC, a huge aircraft wing manufacturer is constructing 3 buildings totaling approximately 1,000,000 sq. ft. in Red Oak Industrial Park, and employing around 1,000 when completed.  The first building of 240,000 sq. ft. is completed at Ovilla Rd and Hwy 342, with more to come.  And up in Lancaster, several projects are on the ground or are under way:  Hyundai Mobis, a division of Hyundai and Kia bought a 442,000 sq. ft. DC building which now houses 40 employees to ship their parts over the southern US and to train their dealer’s service personnel; Mars Pet Care has a 500,000 sq. ft. building with 75 employees; Pinnacle Auto Parts occupies a 120,000 sq. ft. facility with 60 employees; Owens-Corning works out of a 110,000 sq. ft. warehouse with 10 employees; and on I-20 and Danieldale, ProLogis is building a 1.2 million sq. ft. DC for PepsiCo/Quaker Oats which is set to have 85 jobs.  ProLogis is also building a “spec” DC of 650,000 sq. ft. to house a new client in ProLogis Park 20/35.

More Good Stuff

In DeSoto on I-35E and Centre Park Blvd, Kohl’s has constructed a $60 million 1.1 million sq. ft. e-commerce DC employing 400 FTE’s and DeSoto is actively working on two power centers. Solar Turbines is undergoing a $26 million expansion and DW Distribution is building a 75,000 sq. ft. building costing $4.2 million.  Cedar Hill, which is a highly regarded regional shopping area, also has a large JCPenny’s DC and an industrial vacancy rate of less than 2%, according to CoStar, as well as class A office space.  Duncanville has landed W&B Service Company’s consolidated operation with a 24,000 sq. ft. facility employing 82.  ConocoPhillips is looking to build a facility to produce 100,000 gallons of liquefied natural gas (LNG) per day in Midlothian.  The largest single employer in Ellis County and Midlothian is highly recognized Gerdau Steel Mill, while these other outstanding companies have located facilities there as well: Ennis Inc., Ash Grove, GDF Suez, Holcim, TXI, Target, Toys R Us, and Quick Trip.

The Best Southwest Partnership is a 501 (c) (6) not-for-profit corporation composed of 11 cities and chambers seeking to promote Southern Dallas and Northern Ellis Counties, with core initiatives of Transportation, Education, Legislation and Health Care.  Economic Development and Tourism are key parts of its Mission Statement.  The BSW Partnership is in its 27^th year of cooperative efforts.

Yes, “Good Things are Happening” in the best southwest area of the DFW Metroplex.  Stay tuned!

And we’ll see you …

…Around and About the Best Southwest