[Approval of Minutes ]
[Briefing and Possible Action on the following items ]
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>> THE FIRST BRIEFING TODAY, WE'LL HAVE A NUMBER OF COMMUNITY PARTNERS HERE TODAY, BUT IT'S GOING TO BE KICKED OFF BY BRIN DA HICKS-SORENSEN, OUR ECONOMIC DIRECTOR.
>> HICKS-SORENSEN: GOOD AFTERNOON AND THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO HIGHLIGHT THE BIOSCIENCE ECOSYSTEM THIS AFTERNOON. AGAIN, I'M BRENDA HICKS-SORENSEN. THE BIOSCIENCE INDUSTRY IS A SIGNIFICANT EMPLOYER THAT WAS IDENTIFIED AS A STRATEGIC INDUSTRY IN OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK WHICH, STATS LIKE THIS ON OUR WEBSITE IF YOU WANT TO DIVE DEEPER INTO WHAT DISEASE RESEARCH AREAS ARE THE MOST PROMINENT. ALL OF THAT IS UP THERE FOR FUTURE PERUSAL. AS WE LOOK AT HOW WE SUPPORT COMPANIES AND INSTITUTIONS THAT ARE HERE, WE DO INDIVIDUAL AS WELL AS CONSOLIDATED SUPPORT. SO WE DO OVER 30 BUSINESS
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RETENTION AND EXPANSION VISITS EVERY YEAR. WE ALSO HOST MULTIPLE SMALL NETWORKING MEETINGS WHERE WE BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER WHO SHOULD KNOW EACH OTHER BECAUSE OF THE TYPES OF WORK THAT THEY'RE DOING. BIOFEST INVEST IS AN EVENT WE STARTED IN 2021. IT IS AN ENTREPRENEURIAL EVENT, A PITCH COMPETITION.THERE'S ALSO A SERVICE PROVIDER, EXHIBIT HALL AREA AND WE INVITE INVESTORS TO PARTICIPATE.
THERE'S EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING. SO WE'VE HAD IT FOR THREE YEARS NOW, NOW INCLUDING THIS YEAR.
WE'VE ACHIEVED A $1.4 MILLION INVESTMENT IN SAN ANTONIO COMPANIES THAT PARTICIPATE IN BIOFEST INVEST. THAT EQUATES TO OVER 20 JOBS. SO WE LOOK FORWARD TO SEEING THE DATA NEXT YEAR AFTER WE HAVE THIS YEAR'S EVENT CALCULATED UP. IT GATHERS OVER 250 ATTENDEES THAT PARTICIPATED IN THIS EVENT. SO IT'S A RATHER LARGE EVENT FOR THE COMMUNITY AND BRINGING THE SPOTLIGHT TO SAN ANTONIO. ON THE ADVOCACY SIDE, WE ARE THANKFUL AND APPRECIATIVE THAT YOU HAVE INITIATED THE SBIR/STTR GRANT MATCHING PROGRAM. AND LOOKING AT THE DATA OF OTHER STATES THAT PROVIDE PROGRAMS LIKE THIS, SAN ANTONIO TOTALLY NAILED IT AND OUR PROGRAM LOOKS ON RAPPORT BETTER THAN THE REST OF THE COUNTRY. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
THE COMMUNITY IS ALL ABUZZ AT THEIR APPRECIATION FOR THIS PROGRAM.
THE NEXT ONE, ARPAH IS A NEW FEDERAL FUNDING AGENCY THAT WE HAVE BEEN ADVOCATING TO COME TO TEXAS FOR EXACTLY TWO YEARS NOW. AND I AM PLEASED TO ANNOUNCE THAT TODAY ARPAH ANNOUNCED THAT THEY ARE PUTTING THIS NEW FEDERAL FUNDING AGENCY HUB IN TEXAS.
AND NOT ONLY IS IT A BIG DEAL BECAUSE IT'S A $2.5 BILLION FEDERAL FUNDING AGENCY FOCUSED ON BIOMEDICAL, BUT THE FACT THAT THE HUB IS IN TEXAS REALLY PUTS THAT NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT ON THE BIOMEDICAL COMMUNITY HERE. IN PARTICULAR FOR SAN ANTONIO, WHY IT'S IMPORTANT IS BECAUSE WE HAVE A SEAT AT THE TABLE. THERE ARE FOUR SEATS AT THIS HUB TABLE, DALLAS, AUSTIN, HOUSTON, AND SAN ANTONIO. AND WITH THAT SEAT AT THE TABLE, WE ARE GOING TO BE MAKING SURE THAT THE SAN ANTONIO ORGANIZATIONS CAN INFLUENCE THE PROGRAMMING THAT ARPA-H IS PLANNING ON DOING BY PROVIDING THEM WITH INFORMATION. IT'S GOING TO BENEFIT OUR COMMUNITY BECAUSE, AS ARPA-H HAS AS PART OF THEIR MISSION FOR THE RESEARCH THAT THEY FUND TO BE TRANSLATED INTO PRACTICE FOR ALL AMERICANS, SO NOT JUST A SUBSET, BUT ALL AMERICANS.
WELL, WHO BETTER REPRESENTS THE POPULATION OF ALL OF AMERICA THAN SAN ANTONIO? SO OUR ETHNIC DIVERSITY, OUR SOCIOECONOMIC DIVERSITY THAT WE HAVE HERE IS THE PERFECT PLACE TO BE TESTING AND DEVELOPING NEW TREATMENTS AND THERAPIES AND PREVENTIVE MEASURES.
SAN ANTONIO WAS A BIG COMPONENT AS TO WHY THIS ENDED UP IN TEXAS BECAUSE OF OUR UNIQUE POPULATION DEMOGRAPHICS, BUT ALSO OUR SCIENCE TO BACK IT UP. SO WE ARE VERY PLEASED THAT THIS IS GOOD TIMING FOR THAT, THAT THAT HAPPENED TO GET ANNOUNCED TODAY.
WHEN WE LOOK AT CREATING ACTIONS FOR GROWTH FOR THE COMMUNITY AS WELL AS THE INDUSTRY, I HAVE ONE PROOF RIGHT HERE. SO I WILL SEND YOU COPIES LATER, BUT THIS IS A LIFE SCIENCE CAREER PACKET WE'RE DISTRIBUTING 1300 OF THESE TO ONE HIGH SCHOOL IN EVERY DISTRICT AS WELL AS COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS THAT INTERFACE WITH THE PUBLIC SUCH AS WORKFORCE SOLUTIONS ALAMO.
IT IS IN ENGLISH. IT IS IN SPANISH WHEN YOU FLIP IT OVER.
AND IT HAS CAREER PATHWAYS OF -- YOU START HERE, WHAT DO YOU DID ON NEED TO DO AND HOW DO YOU GET TO THE TOP LEVEL, WHAT SALARIES YOU MAKE, WHAT TRAINING IS REQUIRED.
THERE ARE JOBS IN HERE THAT ARE FOR PEOPLE RIGHT OUT OF HIGH SCHOOL AS WELL AS THROUGH ADVANCED DEGREES BECAUSE THERE IS SOMETHING FOR EVERYONE IN THE BIOMEDICAL AND HEALTH CARE COMMUNITY. SO WE'RE PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
THE OTHER INITIATIVE THAT WE ARE CURRENTLY FUNDRAISING FOR IS OUR CLINICAL TRIAL HUB, WHICH WILL CONNECT THE 90 PLUS ENTITIES THAT ARE WORKING IN THE CLINICAL TRIAL SPACE, DRAW SPONSORS TO RUN THEIR STUDIES HERE, SO AS DOLLARS COMING INTO THE SAN ANTONIO ECOSYSTEM, BUT ALSO ON THE HEALTH EQUITY SIDE IT IS IMPORTANT FOR ALL PEOPLE OF ALL DEMOGRAPHICS TO HAVE ACCESS TO CUTTING EDGE CLINICAL RESEARCH AS WELL AS THE OUTCOMES OF THOSE RESEARCH WHEN THEY'RE IMPLEMENTED INTO PRACTICE. SO AS PART OF ON OUR INITIATIVE, WE'LL BE DOING A COMMUNITY-WIDE EFFORT TO COMMUNICATE WHY IT'S IMPORTANT TO PARTICIPATE IN CLINICAL TRIALS, BUT ALSO PROVIDE INFORMATION TO THE STUDY SITE. SO IF SOMEONE TRY TOES BE IN A
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TRIAL AND THEY'RE SCREENED OUT BECAUSE THEY ARE SOME UNDERLYING CONDITION THEY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT, WHERE THEY CAN TAKE THE NEXT STEP TO GETTING SUBSIDIZED CARE SO THEY CAN GET THEIR MEDICAL ISSUES ADDRESSED BEFORE THEY END UP IN THE ER WHEN IT'S SOMETHING THAT COULD BE PREVENTING. SO THAT'S EXCITING ONE THAT WE'RE FUNDRAISING FOR.IN THIS XHUBLTH/ACTION SPACE, WE ARE WORKING ON NATIONAL STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS AND GRANTS. WE RECENTLY RECEIVED A GRANT FOR A START-UP PIPELINE TO ASSIST COMPANIES WITH MILITARY HEALTH AS PART OF A WORKSHOP OF HOW THEY CAN GET INTO THAT MARKET AS WELL AS DEVELOPING THEIR PITCHES, THEIR INVESTORS, AND FREE SBIR/STTR GRANT WRITING AS PART OF THAT. SO THAT WILL BE COMING UP. IT WAS JUST AWARDED LAST WEEK, ACTUALLY. SO WE WILL BE PUTTING THAT TOGETHER TO IMPLEMENT VERY SOON.
WE ALSO PROVIDE A LOT OF FREE SERVICES TO SAN ANTONIO COMPANIES.
WE TRY TO DO AS MUCH AS WE CAN FOR FREE, BUT WE ALSO HAVE SOME COST SAVINGS PROGRAMS THAT WE GET FROM NATIONAL VENDORS THAT WE PASS ON TO COMPANIES HERE IN OUR ECOSYSTEM.
SO EXCITED ABOUT SOME OF THESE NEW DEVELOPMENTS. WHEN WE LOOK AT HOW WE PROMOTE THE ECOSYSTEM, THERE'S A PICTURE THERE OF OUR PORTION OF OUR BOOTH THAT WE PARTICIPATE IN THE BIOTEXAS BOOTH. SELLING SAN ANTONIO AT THE LARGEST BIOTECH CONFERENCE IN THE WORLD, WHICH IS IN JUNE EVERY YEAR. AND WE WENT THERE TO TALK ABOUT SAN ANTONIO AND OUR STRENGTH AND OUR RESEARCH AND OTHER ASSET THAT'S WE HAVE HERE IN THE COMMUNITY. THAT WAS IN BOSTON THIS YEAR. THERE'S AROUND 20,000 PEOPLE THAT ATTEND THIS CONFERENCE. NEXT YEAR, WE WILL HAVE OUR OWN BOOTH IN THIS CONFERENCE THAT WILL BE ALL SAN ANTONIO. PART OF REASON FOR THAT IS THAT DALLAS AND HOUSTON ARE NOW HAVING SEPARATE BOOTHS. SO WE DON'T WANT TO BE UNDERNEATH A SUBBOOTH WHEN DALLAS AND HOUSTON HAVE THEIR OWN. BUT IT'S ALSO AN EASIER WAY FOR PEOPLE TO FIND SAN ANTONIO. IT'S MORE VISIBILITY TO THE FACT THAT WE HAVE A VERY LARGE HEALTH CARE AND BIOSCIENCE SECTOR HERE. AS PART OF THAT, WE DEVELOPED MARKETING MATERIAL.
OVERALL, THE OVERALL ECOSYSTEM AS WELL AS SOME OF THE DISEASE AREAS THAT WE'RE PARTICULARLY STRONG IN. WE HAVE A SOCIAL MEDIA PRESENCE IN THIS ECOSYSTEM.
IT'S TYPICALLY LINKEDIN. SO A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE VIEWING THE MATERIAL WE PUT OUT THERE.
WE PUT THINGS OUT NOT ONLY ABOUT EVENTS AND THINGS THAT BIOMED SA IS DOING, BUT WHEN THE COMPANIES IN THE ECOSYSTEM HAVE A PRESS RELEASE OUT, WE PUBLISH THAT OUT TO GET -- SPREAD THAT VISIBILITY. I MENTIONED THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES.
WE WILL BE GOING TO MED TECH WORLD IN A FEW WEEKS. I'LL BE SPEAKING AT THAT.
AND THAT IS A INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN MALTA ON THE MEDICAL DEVICE ECOSYSTEM HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. WE HAVE ALSO BEEN PUTTING TOGETHER BIOTEXAS CORRIDOR EVENT TOES CONNECT SAN ANTONIO AND AUSTIN AND IN BETWEEN COMMUNITIES.
WE'VE HAD TWO OF THOSE. THEY HAVE THE INFRASTRUCTURE AND THE ASSETS THAT EVERYBODY NEEDS TO DEVELOP THEIR PRODUCTS. AUSTIN HAS A LOT OF INVESTORS, BUT THEY DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE THAT RESEARCH INFRASTRUCTURE. SO IT'S A REALLY GOOD PARTNERSHIP FOR BOTH COMMUNITIES TO KNOW WHO IS DOING WHO AND WHAT'S GOING ON IN EACH COMMUNITY.
WE'VE RECENTLY BEEN CONDUCTING BIOTOURS WHERE WE RENT A BUS AND COORDINATE A TOUR THROUGH IN LET ME KNOW AND ONES BECAUSE THEY ARE TO TYPICALLY EVEN.
AS AN IMPORTANT ONE, WE'RE GOING TO BE BUILDING ON MORE FOR NEXT YEAR.
WE ALSO SUPPORT RELOCATION OBJECTS. WHETHER THEY COME FROM THE CITY, GREATER TX OR THE COUNTY OR COME TO US DIRECTLY, OUR FOCUS IS ON THE DETAILED INTERACTIONS.
FROM RESEARCH SPECIFICS, WHICH WE HAVE. AND OTHER ORGANIZATIONS WITH INTERNATIONAL CITY'S TO DO IN THE
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THEY'RE STILL ON THAT WILL BE COMING OUT HERE IN THE NEXT MONTH.ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? >> CLERK: OUR NEXT PRESENTER IS JIM REED, PRESIDENT OF THE SAN
ANTONIO MEDICAL FOUNDATION. >> REED: I HAVEN'T QUITE DONE IT.
THIS IS MY THIRD TIME. I THINK IT WILL BE MY LAST TIME. SO WE'RE GOING TO TRY IT.
I AM JIM REED WITH THE SAN ANTONIO MEDICAL FOUNDATION. THINK OF US AS THE COORDINATOR FOR THE SOUTH TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER. SO AS I TALK, I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE MEDICAL CENTER AND SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE'VE STUDIED AND DONE.
AND THEN TALK ABOUT A FEW FUTURE THINGS THAT WE'RE GOING TO DO. SO WE HAVE 17 HOSPITALS, 40 HEALTH RESEARCH ORGANIZATIONS AND 80 MEDICAL OFFICE BUILDINGS. THAT'S EXPANDING AT A RAPID PACE. WHEN I STARTED 25 YEARS AGO, WE HAD PROJECTS THAT WERE LARGE IN NUMBER, BUT SMALL IN PROJECTS. THE ONE WE HAVE NOW ARE SMALLER IN NUMBER, BUT HUGE PROJECTS.
THE -- WE RETAIN THE UTSA TO DO ECONOMIC IMPACT STUDIES AND THEY'VE DONE THREE.
AND I'M GOING TO GO OVER HE THE RESULTS OF THE THREE. AND KEEP IN MIND THAT THIS IS THE SOUTH TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER. WE ALSO HAVE HEALTH CARE ALL OVER THE CITY AND THE COUNTY.
SO THE PERCENTS I'M TALKING ABOUT ARE PROBABLY THE SAME IN OTHER ENTITIES, AS WELL.
IN TOTAL ECONOMIC OUTPUT, YOU'LL SEE WHERE IT'S 120% HIGHER THAN THE FIRST STUDY WE DID, WHICH WAS 2010. $11.9 BILLION. WE SUPPORT 86,660 JOBS.
90% HIGHER THAN THE 2010 STUDY. AND AS HEATHER SAID, THOSE ARE HIGH-PAYING JOBS.
AND THEY'RE ALL THE WAY FROM TECHNICIANS TO PHDS TO MEDICAL DOCTORS.
OVER $350 MILLION IN BIOMEDICAL AND HEALTH CARE RESEARCH. NEXT YEAR, THAT NUMBER IS GOING TO APPROACH $450 MILLION. MOST OF THAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN AT THE HEALTH SCIENCE CENTER ARE NOW UT HEALTH AND THE VA. THIS ONE IS AN INTERESTING ONE BECAUSE WHEN THE MEDICAL CENTER WAS FARMED, THEY WERE ALL FAITH-BASED NOT-FOR-PROFIT HOSPITALS.
AND NONE OF THEM PAID ANY TAXES. SO TODAY, WE GENERATE ABOUT $121 MILLION IN CITY AND COUNTY TAXES AND ANOTHER $121 MILLION IN STATE TAXES. SO WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN NEXT? WELL, NEXT MONTH IS A BIG MONTH. NEXT MONTH, WE HAVE OUR THIRD REHAB HOSPITAL THAT WILL HOSPITAL. WE HAVE THE WOMEN AND CHILDREN'S TOWER AT THE COUNTY HOSPITAL, THE UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL, WHICH IS ABOUT A $650 MILLION PROJECT. AND IT'S GOING TO OPEN.
WE HAVE THE UT SPECIALTY HOSPITAL THAT WILL OPEN IN 2024 AND WE HAVE THE AMERICAN CANCER
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SOCIETY THAT IN 2025 WILL OPEN A 40-BED CANCER -- IT'S LIKE A RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE.IT'S HOUSING PATIENTS FROM OUTSIDE THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO AND IN AND A LOT IS STATES. IT' PATIENTS A MONTH. IT HAS -- IT WANTS TO REPLICATE ITS HOSPITAL.
1.8 MILLION SQUARE FEET. AND NEXT TO IT, THEY WANT A 650,000 SQUARE FOOT OUTPATIENT FACILITY. AND WE HAVE 60 ACRES IN THE SOUTH TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER THAT I'M TALKING WITH THEM ABOUT. IT PROBABLY WILL NOT OCCUR FOR FOUR OR FIVE YEARS.
IT'S A LONG RANGE PROJECT. BUT THEY HAVE ALL KINDS OF CONSULTANTS AND HEADQUARTER PEOPLE COMING DOWN AND SAN ANTONIO IS RANKED IN THE TOP TWO TO THREE IN FUNDING FOR THIS HOSPITAL. SO WITH THAT, I'LL CLOSE, BUT THANK YOU AGAIN FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SHARE SOME THINGS ABOUT WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE MEDICAL CENTER AND I'LL BE GLAD TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS LATER ON. THANK YOU.
>> CONGRATULATIONS ON A VERY, VERY LONG CAREER. >> REED: THANK YOU.
>> AND ENDING THAT CAREER WITH A THREE POINTER LIKE A VA EXPANSION.
CONGRATS. >> CLERK: SO RENEE DOE MINGS WILL BE OUR LAST PRESENTER.
>> DOMINGEZ: HELLO, EVERYONE. I'M JUST SOAKING IT ALL IN. KNOWING THAT COUNCILMAN PELAEZ IS STILL GOING TO GRILL ME AFTERWARDS, I STILL GET A SENSE OF ANXIETY BUILDING AS I PREPARE TO PRESENT. I PUT ON YOUR DESK THERE SOME IMPACT REPORTS FROM THIS YEAR THAT GIVES YOU A SNAPSHOT OF OUR PLANS. SOME MILESTONES AND SOME RECENT SUCCESSES. AND ALSO IT GIVES YOU A GOOD HIGH-LEVEL OVERVIEW OF THOSE AREAS THAT WE TEND TO FOCUS ON. A LOT HAS CHANGED IN THE 40 YEARS THAT WE'VE BEEN AROUND, BUT OUR MISSION STATEMENT THAT'S UP ON THE SCREEN HAS REMAINED FAIRLY CONSISTENT THAT ENTIRE TIME. WHAT'S CHANGED DRAMATICALLY IS HOW WE ACHIEVE THAT MISSION.
I MENTIONED 40 YEARS. NEXT YEAR IS OUR 40-YEAR ANNIVERSARY.
WE HAVE A LOT OF GREAT PLANS AND IDEAS ON HOW TO CELEBRATE THAT MILESTONE, BUT BACK IN 1984, GENERAL MCDERMOTT OF USAA ALONG WITH THE WHO'S WHO OF BUSINESS AND CIVIC LEADERS, INCLUDING THE MAYOR AT THE TIME ENVISIONED THE IDEA OF ESTABLISHING A RESEARCH PARK SIMILAR TO WHAT THEY HAVE IN NORTH CAROLINA TO REALLY LEVERAGE THE BIOSCIENCE AND HEALTH CARE INDUSTRY HERE IN SAN ANTONIO THAT WAS JUST TAKING OFF. JIM KIND OF HIGHLIGHTED THE ROOTS OF THAT INDUSTRY WITH THE SOUTH TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER, BUT SWERRY WAS AROUND, TEXAS BIOMEDICAL WAS AROUND. AND THE MILITARY ALREADY HAD A STRONG PRESENCE.
SO THE COMMUNITY AT THE TIME REALLY HAD ALREADY ACKNOWLEDGED THAT WE'VE GOT TO DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO LEVERAGE THAT. WITH THAT 1986 CAME THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE PARK.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU ALL KNOW THIS, BUT WEST OF HERE OFF OF 211 HIGHWAY 90 WE HAVE A 1500 ACRE RESEARCH PARK, OR DID, THAT WE ESTABLISHED IN 1986. WE RECUTED UT HEALTH OUT THERE.
WE OURSELVES ESTABLISHED A BUNCH OF RESEARCH LABS AND HELPED INCUBATE COMPANIES IN THE 1990S.
BUT EVERYTHING CHANGED IN 2015 WHEN MICROSOFT CAME AND BOUGHT AROUND 160 ACRES OF LAND AT THAT RESEARCH PARK. OUR CEO, RANDY HERRIG CONCEPTUALIZED THE IDEA OF MONETIZING THE LAND AT THE PARK AND REINVESTING THAT ENTIRE REA SIDE OF SAN ANTONIO, THE NEAR EAST SIDE WHERE WE'RE CURRENTLY LOCATED. SO IN 2017, WE PURCHASED THE MERCHANT'S ICE COMPLEX. IT'S AN ENTIRE CITY BLOCK, FIVE ACRES, AND WE BEGAN CONSTRUCTION OF AN INVASION HUB. WE RECRUITED GENCARE TO OUR CAMPUS.
WE ESTABLISHED THE VELOCITY INNOVATION CENTER IN 2020. IN 2021 WITH THE CITY'S HELP, WE RECRUITED SCORPI IS BIOLOGISTICS, AND IN 2022, WE BOUGHT THE ADJACENT PROPERTY AND
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BEGAN ESTABLISHING AN INNOVATION HUB THERE ON THE EAST SIDE. SO LET ME ZOOM OUT A LITTLE BIT FROM THAT HISTORY AND PROVIDE YOU A SNAPSHOT OF OUR LONG-TERM GOAL.AND THAT IS TO CREATE AN INNOVATION DISTRICT ON THE NEAR EAST SIDE.
BY DEFINITION, AN INNOVATION DISTRICT IS A SPECIFIC GEOGRAPHIC AREA THAT ATTRACTS ANCHOR INSTITUTION COMPANIES, START-UPS, IT HAS PROGRAMMING. IT'S ALL INTERCONNECTED IN TERMS OF INFRASTRUCTURE IN A MIXED USE ENVIRONMENT. THE PURPLE AREA THERE REPRESENTS AROUND 70 ACRES. TWO-THIRDS OF WHICH WE BELIEVE IS VERY DEVELOPABLE.
THE NEAR EAST SIDE HAS BEEN UNDERDEVELOPED FOR DECADES, BUT WHEN YOU ADD IN OUR INVESTMENT, THE THERE REPRESENTED IN ORANGE, WHEN YOU LAYER IN THE GREAT PLAN AND INVOLVEMENT WITH THE CITY, THE COUNTY, AND THE PUBLIC SECTOR, IT HAS ALL THE RIGHT INGREDIENTS FOR THE PERFECT INNOVATION SDRIKZ. WE ENVISION A VIBRANT MIXED-USE DEVELOP NEAR THE URBAN CORE MEANT TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN TALENT, ALL IN A LIVE, WORK, PLAY ENVIRONMENT. NOW, HOW WE GET THERE IS WHAT I WANT TO PRESENT TO YOU TODAY.
VERY BRIEFLY. THIS IS A SIMPLIZED VERSION OF OUR PLAN.
IN SIMPLE TERMS, IT'S AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PLAN BASED ON CLUSTERING THE INDUSTRY TOGETHER WITH THE OVERARCHING GOAL OF DEVELOPING OUT IN AN INNOVATION DISTRICT AND ITS PROVEN ABILITY TO GENERATE INCLUSIVE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. AND WE'RE GOING TO SUPPORT THAT PLAN BY REALLY DRIVING THREE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PILLARS THAT THIS COMMITTEE IS VERY FAMILIAR WITH. THE ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. ALL THREE ARE VERY INTERRELATED. AND I'M GOING THE VERY QUICKLY WALK THROUGH OUR PLANS FOR EACH OF THOSE. THIS SEEMS LIKE A VERY DAUNTING PLAN. THE BIG IDEA. YOU MAY BE ASKING WHERE DO WE START? TRTS FOCUS WILL ALWAYS BE AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT RESPONSE AND THAT IS A FOCUS ON JOBS AND INVESTMENT. AND WE'VE ALREADY STARTED.
BY Q 2 OF NEXT YEAR IN JUST SIX SHORT MONTHS, WE WILL HAVE COMPLETELY REDEVELOPED THE ENTIRE MERCHANT'S ICE COMPLEX. THERE INDICATED ON THE RIGHT, IT WILL BE FULLY LEASED AND FULLY REDEVELOPED. MERCHANT'S ICE, FOR US HERE IN SAN ANTONIO, IS A PERFECT PROOF OF CONCEPT. WE'VE PROVEN THAT WE CAN ATTRACT MAJOR COMPANIES TO THE NEAR EAST SIDE LIKE GENCURE AND SCORPIOUS BIOLOGISTICS. WE'VE PROVEN THAT WE CAN DEVELOP THESE BUILDINGS INTO STATE-OF-THE-ART FACILITIES FOR BIOTECH.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DO NOT KNOW, OUR LITTLE CAMPUS ON THE HE EAST SIDE AS SOME OF THE MOST ADVANCED BIOMANUFACTURING IN THE ENTIRE SOUTHWEST REGION.
WE'VE PROVEN THAT WE CAN PARTNER WITH YOU AT THE CITY, COUNTY, AND FEDERAL AGENCIES TO INVEST AND WE'VE PROVEN THAT WE CAN PARTNER WITH LOCAL DEVELOPERS TO DEVELOP THE EAST SIDE.
ON THE 8TH, WE ARE GOING TO ANNOUNCE A MAJOR PARTNER RELOCATING THEIR HEADQUARTERS THERE. MOST IMPORTANT, WE'VE PROVEN THAT WE CAN GENERATE JOBS AND INVESTMENT. OUR NEXT PHASE OF THE DEVELOPMENT IS THE SUDDEN PROPERTY THERE. IT'S INDICATED IN THE RENDERINGS TO THE LEFT.
WE WANT TO ESTABLISH A 12 ACRE SUPER HUB. WHEN WE SUCCESSFULLY REDEVELOP THAT SUDDEN PROPERTY, WE NOT ONLY CREATE MOMENTUM FOR THAT INNOVATION DISTRICT THAT I JUST MENTIONED, BUT IT'S GOING TO HAVE A SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC IMPACT TO THE CITY.
THE SUDDEN PROPERTY NOT ONLY REPRESENTS AROUND 160,000 SQUARE FEET OF LAB SPACE, BUT AROUND 2,500 NEW JOBS AND AROUND $1.4 MILLION IN ADDITIONAL CITY PROPERTY TAX.
IT'S A HUGE OPPORTUNITY FOR US. IT REPRESENTS TAKING OUR VISION AND TURNING IT INTO AN ECONOMIC GENERATOR FOR THIS CITY. SUDDEN ALSO REPRESENTS SOMETHING ELSE FOR US.
AND THAT IS THE FUTURE HOME FOR A MAJOR ANCHOR TENANT. YOU SEE MOST INNOVATION DISTRICTS AROUND THE WORLD HAVE ANCHOR INSTITUTIONS ANCHORING THE DEVELOPMENT.
AND WE HAVEN'T BEEN SHY IN PROMOTING THE IDEA OF MOVING MILITARY MEDICAL RESEARCH OFF BASE ON TO OUR CAMPUS TO SPUR ADDITIONAL PRIVATE INVESTMENT FROM BOTH THE ACADEMIC SECTOR AND THE PRIVATE SECTOR. YOU SEE, IT'S THIS INTERACTION BETWEEN THE PRIVATE SECTOR, THE PUBLIC SECTOR, AND THE MILITARY SECTOR THAT'S GOING TO DRIVE INNOVATION AND ATTRACT
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ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT. THIS, BY FAR, IS GOING TO BE A HUGE DIFFERENTIATOR FOR SAN ANTONIO AND THE KEY ASPECT OF OUR STRATEGY AS WE MOVE FORWARD. WE ARE ACTIVELY ENGAGED IN DEVELOPING OUT THAT VERY FIRST BUILDING THAT YOU SEE THERE ON THE SUDDEN PROPERTY.SO LET ME TAKE A STEP BACK. LET ME ZOOM OUT A LITTLE BIT AND HIGHLIGHT THOSE OTHER ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOCUS AREAS THAT I MENTIONED. ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT HAS ALWAYS BEEN CORE TO THE MISSION OF TRTS SINCE OUR INCISION. IN PARTICULAR, THE ROLE START-UPS AND ENTREPRENEURS PLAY. THIS REPRESENTS NEW JOB CREATION. NEW BUSINESS FORMATION. KNOWLEDGE-BASED ECONOMIES, THE TYPE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT DEVELOPING REQUIRE A ROBUST ECOSYSTEM FOR ITS START-UPS AND INNOVATORS. IT'S A KEY INGREDIENT, KEY INNOVATION.
AND THE BIOSCIENCE SPACE, IT'S VERY, VERY DIFFERENT THAN TRADITIONAL TECH.
THESE TECHNOLOGIES REQUIRE SPECIALIZED FACILITIES. THEY REQUIRE MENTORSHIP.
THEY REQUIRE TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE AND THEY REQUIRE FUNDING.
AND THAT, IN ESSENCE, IS WHO VELOCITY IS. VELOCITY, THIS IS THEIR MISSION STATEMENT, BASICALLY HELPS EARLY STAGE BIOSCIENCE COMPANIES BRAURCHB THEIR BREAKTHROUGHS TO ENHANCE AND SAVE LIVES. WE DO THAT, ONE, THROUGH PHYSICAL SPACE.
IN MARCH OF 2020 ON THE MERCHANT'S ICE CAMPUS, WE OPENED THE VELOCITY INNOVATION CENTER.
IT HAS 25 OFFICES. IT HAS AMPLE COWORKING SPACE, EIGHT MINI LABS, FOUR CONFERENCE ROOMS, A PODCAST ROOM AND A COMMUNITY RESOURCE CENTER. THIS CENTER OF ACTIVITY IS FOR START-UPS. BUT IT REPRESENTS SO MUCH MORE THAN PHYSICAL SPACE.
WHAT WE DO REALLY IS WE CONNECT CAN, WE SUPPORT AND WE FUND. WE FOSTER ENTREPRENEURIAL DEVELOPMENT. WE ACCELERATE THE PROCESS FOR COMMERCIALIZATION.
AND WE HELP COMPANIES ACCESS FUNDING. THAT SIMPLE INNOVATION MODEL TRANSLATES TO LOTS OF ADVANCED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE. FOR EXAMPLE, UNDER OUR CONNECT VERTICAL THERE, WE HAVE NUMEROUS NETWORKING EVENTS, WE HAVE CONFERENCES.
ONE OF WHICH WE PARTNER WITH THE CITY ON, MILITARY MEDICAL INDUSTRY DAY FOCUSED ON MILITARY MEDICAL AND PRIVATE INDUSTRY. OUR FLAGSHIP PROGRAMS ARE OUR ACCELERATOR AND INCUBATOR PROGRAM. AND WE DO MAINTAIN THE ALAMO ANGEL INVESTMENT GROUP HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. I REALLY HOPE AT A FUTURE MEETING, COUNCILMEN, THAT YOU INVITE ALAMO ANGELS HERE. IT'S A NETWORK OF INVESTOR ANGELS.
WE WERE ASKED TO HELP STABILIZE IT. TODAY IT'S THE LARGEST ANGEL INVESTOR NETWORK IN THE ENTIRE STATE OF TEXAS. SO THEY'RE DOING SOME GREAT THINGS. I ENCOURAGE YOU TO INVITE THEM TO YOUR NEXT MEETING.
LASTLY, LET ME TALK ABOUT SOMETHING VERY CRITICAL TO OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FUTURE AND THAT'S WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT. WE REALLY ARE MAKING A CONCERTED EFFORT TO PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES TO NEARBY RESIDENTS. AS WE DEVELOP OUT THE SUDDEN PROPERTY AND MERCHANT'S ICE, OUR GOAL IS TO CREATE JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR THOSE NEARBY RESIDENTS.
AND THE FIRST STRATEGY WE'RE DEPLOYING IS AWARENESS AT THE MIDDLE SCHOOL LEVEL.
SO WE'VE INITIATED OUR STEP INTO S.T.E.M. PROGRAM IN PARTNERSHIP WITH COMMUNITIES AND SCHOOLS.
IT'S BASICALLY A THREE-PRONG PROGRAM. THEY FIRST GO INTO THE SCHOOLS AND PRESENT SPECIALIZED CURRICULUM. FOR THE PARENTS, WE HAVE AFTER-SCHOOL SCIENCE FAIRS WHERE WE SHARE SCIENCE EXPERIMENTS WITH THEM.
AND THEN FOR THOSE VERY INTERESTED IN ENTREPRENEURIALISM AND THE BIOSCIENCES, WE HAVE WORKSHOPS ON OUR CAMPUS TO EXPOSE THEM TO THOSE TWO KEY ASPECTS.
I WANT TO THANK THE CITY, BECAUSE THROUGH THE ARPA-H PROGRAM, WE ARE ABLE TO SCALE THIS PROGRAM. JUST TWO YEARS AGO, WE WERE IN AROUND SEVEN SCHOOLS.
TODAY WE'RE IN OVER 56 SCHOOLS AND WE'RE EXPOSING S.T.E.M. CAREER OPPORTUNITIES TO OVER 12,000 STUDENTS. AND THE ARPA-H PROGRAM HAS ALLOWED US TO DO THAT.
A LOT GOING ON. THIS IS OUR MODEL, AS I MENTIONED.
UNDER EACH OF THOSE VERTICALS, WE HAVE NUMEROUS TACTICS, STRATEGIES, AND GOALS.
BUT WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO HOW WE GRADE OUR PAPER AND THE OUTCOMES THAT TWER TRACKING, IT COMES DOWN TO JOB CREATION, WEALTH CREATION, EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT, BUSINESS CREATION.
THESE ARE THE METRICS AND OUTCOMES THAT ARE REALLY GOING TO TALK ABOUT THE SUCCESS WE HAVE DOWN THE ROAD. WITH THAT, I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS AND I REALLY
[00:35:03]
APPRECIATE YOU ALL HAVING THIS HEARING TO TALK ABOUT THE BIOSCIENCE AND HEALTH CAREINDUSTRY. >> CHAIR: THANK YOU. SO IN REVERSE ORDER, RENEE, I'LL TELL YOU, I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO POINT OUT A FEW THINGS.
ONE, FROM MY COLLEAGUES, YOU KNOW, Y'ALL WERE PRECEDED BY RENEE.
RENEE USED TO SIT AT THAT CHAIR BEFORE ALEX LOPEZ SAT IN THAT CHAIR.
FOR MANY YEARS, YOU WERE THE POINTY END OF THE STICK AS IT RELATES TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
FOR THE CITY AND I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT YOU'VE DONE. >> THANKS.
>> CHAIR: YOU WORKED THE TOYOTA PROJECT, YOU WORKED A LOT OF OUR BIG PROJECTS.
AND PROUD OF WHAT YOU'RE DOING TODAY, RENE. I WILL TELL YOU THIS ANGEL INVESTORS THING THAT YOU TALKED ABOUT I THINK IS REALLY IMPORTANT.
BECAUSE I DON'T THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE REALIZE THAT WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING WITH TRTF AND WITH THE ANGEL INVESTORS IS THAT YOU'RE BUYING UP LEGACY COMPANIES, RIGHT? LIKE AL SXN ALLEN LUMBER. IS THAT THE ANGEL INVESTORS OR WAS THAT TRTF COMMUNITY HOUSE?
>> YEAH. ON THE BACK PAGE OF THAT IMPACT REPORT, THAT'S OUR COMMUNITY
HOUSE. >> CHAIR: OKAY. >> AND IT'S BASICALLY A PRETTY ADVANCED AND CREATIVE FUNDING STRATEGY TO PAY FOR EVERYTHING I JUST PRESENTED.
>> CHAIR: SO THIS RESEARCH FOUNDATION IS FOCUSED ON THINGS LIKE GENOMICS AND SOME OF THE MOST BLEEDING EDGE SCIENCE. ITS NEW FUNDING STREAM IS A LUMBER COMPANY, RIGHT? AND A COMPANY THAT INSTALLS FENCES AND DOES LOW VOLTAGE WORK FOR, LIKE, YOU KNOW, SECURITY CAMERAS AROUND FENCING. I THINK THAT'S BRILLIANT THE WAY YOU GUYS IDENTIFIED AN OPPORTUNITY BY BUYING UP COMPANIES THAT EMPLOY SAN ANTONIOANS AND SEEING THAT THOSE COMPANIES DON'T DISPLACE SAN ANTONIOANS BUT HAVE TO LAY THEM OFF ARE INSTEAD NOW RUN BY YOU GUYS. I THINK THAT'S FANTASTIC. THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT.
THE SECOND THING I'LL TELL YOU IS THAT THERE'S ALWAYS -- AND IT'S A CONVERSATION I'VE HAD WITH YOU AND RANDY IS THERE'S A CONCERN ABOUT, YOU KNOW, GENTRIFICATION.
I THINK EVERYBODY AGREES WE WANT TO SEE THE EAST SIDE AND THE WEST SIDE ENJOY THE SAME THINGS THAT -- LIKE THE SOUTH SIDE HAS GO GOTTEN, RIGHT? WE'VE GOT THE PORT OUT THERE, WE'VE GOT BROOKS AND THOSE ARE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ENGINES AND MIRACLES IN SOME SENSE, RIGHT? WE'VE GOT THE MEDICAL CENTER. THE EAST SIDE AND THE WEST SIDE HAVE BEEN TRADITIONALLY LEFT OUT OF THESE OPPORTUNITIES. HOWEVER, IT COMES NEED TO MITIGATE AND RECOGNIZE THAT WE NEED TO MITIGATE THIS GENTRIFICATION IF A NPHENOMENON.
WHAT IS THE PLAN THERE? >> THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION AND FRANKLY A BIG CONCERN OF OURS.
WHAT WE'VE DONE IS DEVELOP A SUBSTANTIAL ACTION PLAN IN TERMS OF DEVELOPING OUT THE INNOVATION DISTRICT. AND IT TALKS ABOUT ALL OF THE KEY POLICIES AND ISSUES THAT WE'VE GOT TO BEGIN ADDRESSING, DEVELOPING OUT PLANS FOR AND ANTI-DISPLACEMENT POLICIES IS A CRITICAL PART OF THAT PLAN. AND FRANKLY, WE'RE GOING TO NEED TO PARTNER WITH THE CITY ON, YOU KNOW, THOSE POLICIES AND WAYS TO KEEP THE NEARBY RESIDENTS KIND OF IN THEIR HOUSES AT AN AFFORDABLE RATE. OUR RESPONSE TO THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT US FOCUSED ON.
THAT IS CREATE JOB OPPORTUNITIES FOR THOSE RESIDENTS SO WHEN THERE IS AN OPPORTUNITY, THEY CAN ACCESS THAT JOB AND MAKE A LIVING WAGE. AND SO WHEN I TALK ABOUT THE 2,500 JOBS THAT ARE GOING BE CREATED AT THE SOUTHERN PROPERTY, THOSE AREN'T PHDS.
IT'S EVERYTHING FROM LAB TECHS TO PHDS. IT RUNS THE GAMMIT.
BUT WE WANT SOMETHING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. I PRESENTED THAT PLAN TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IN THE CITY. AND THEY HAVE THE PLAN AND THEY ALSO GAVE ME SOME GREAT ADVICE, COUNCILMEN. AND THAT IS KEEP PROVING UP YOUR CONCEPT WITH MERCHANTS ICE. WE'LL HELP YOU. WE'LL HELP YOU LOCATE COMPANIES THERE. WORK ON SUDDEN THAT'S LAYERING INFRASTRUCTURE.
BUILD OUT YOUR 12-ACRE SUPER HUB. ONCE THAT MOMENTUM IS CREATED AND THOSE ADDITIONAL POLICIES AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TOOLS THAT NEED TO BE ACCESSED WHEN THOSE START BECOMING MORE RELEVANT, WE'RE RIGHT THERE WITH YOU.
SO OUR PRIMARY FOCUS, COUNCILMAN, HAS BEEN FINISHING MERCHANTS, GETTING SUDDEN GOING
AND WORKING WITH THE CITY ON A LONG-TERM PLAN. >> CHAIR: THANKS.
I'LL HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR OUR OTHER TWO GUESTS, BUT I WANTED TO GO AROUND THE HORN.
[00:40:04]
>> THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION. I WANT TO THANK FOR THE.BEGINNING SLIDE ON MILITARY MEDICINE, AS YOU KNOW, BROOKS, AIR FORCE BASE WAS THE SITE OF THE SCHOOL OF AVIATION MEDICINE. LATER IT BECAME THE AEROSPACE MEDICAL CENTER.
(SPEAKER IS VIAGRAN) SO I LIKE TO SEE THE CITY FOCUSSING ON THAT.
I WANT TO THANK BUY YOUR MED SA FOR THEIR CONTINUED WORK AND THEIR OVERALL GOALS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE A LEADER ON THIS INDUSTRY. I THINK THE ONE QUESTION I HAVE IN TERMS OF BIOFEST INVEST WEEK, IS THERE ANYTHING WE IN THE SOUTHERN SECTOR CAN DO TO HELP WITH THAT BIOFEST INVEST WEEK? YOU KNOW, UNIVERSITY AWARDS, MEDICAL SCHOOL IS THERE, IS
THERE ANYTHING MORE THAT WE CAN DO TO HELP PROMOTE THAT? >> YEAH.
RIGHT NOW WE'RE REALLY INTO THE PLANNING FOR 2025. AS YOU KNOW, CONFERENCES ARE REALLY SET A YEAR BEFORE. SO PART OF WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT THERE IS CONVENTION SPACE OR MEETING SPACE. WE WILL PROBABLY COME TO YOU WITH A PROPOSAL AROUND THE CONVENTION CENTER AND HOW WE CAN LEVERAGE THAT FOR MULTIPLE DIFFERENT ORGANIZATIONS TO COME IN TO WHERE IT'S BLOCKED OFF FOR BIOFEST WEEK. YOU MENTIONED UIW.
THEY HOST BIOFEST INVEST RIGHT NOW. SO WE DEFINITELY PRESSURE THEIR SUPPORT AND THEIR VENUE SPACE IN PARTICULAR HAS PARKING AVAILABLE, WHICH IS UNIQUE FOR A UNIVERSITY. SO THAT'S HELPFUL. IT ALSO HAS A GOOD VIEW OF THE CITY, BECAUSE AS WE BRING PEOPLE IN FROM ACROSS THE COUNTRY, ACROSS THE WORLD, WE DON'T WANT THEM TO BE ISOLATED IN SOME, YOU KNOW, CONVENTION SPACE SOMEWHERE THAT'S DISCONNECTED FROM THE BEAUTIFUL NATURE OF OUR CITY, THE CULTURE OF OUR CITY. SO WE WANT TO HAVE DIFFERENT VENUE OPTIONS AROUND SO THAT PEOPLE CAN SEE DIFFERENT PARTS OF TOWN.
>> VIAGRAN: WELL, COUNT ME IN. I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT. AND THEN SAN ANTONIO MEDICAL FOUNDATION, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'VE DONE HAS BEEN EXTRAORDINARY. AND THE SOUTH TEXAS MEDICAL CENTER. I THINK THE ONE THING I'D LIKE TO SEE AS WE MOVE FORWARD IS HELP WITH THE TRANSPORTATION ISSUE. AND GETTING PEOPLE FROM THE SOUTHERN SECTOR. AND I KNOW VIA STARTING WITH THE LINES, BUT IS THERE ANY WAY POSSIBLY FOR COMMITTED RIDE SHARE DROP-OFFS OR KIND OF THAT -- JUST DROP OFF PICK UP FOR SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT GO DOWN THE THERE FOR THE SERVICES? OR IS THAT BASED FROM HOSPITAL
TO HOSPITAL? >> REED: THAT'S GA QUESTION BECAUSE WE WORK CLOSELY WITH VIA FOR THEIR PRIMO AND THEIR CONNECTIONS FOR THE SWITCHES THAT THEY HAVE ON THAT.
AND, IN FACT, TWO WEEKS AGO, THE INNOVATION FOLKS AND THE SMART CITY FOLKS MET AT VIA FOR ABOUT THREE HOURS TALKING ABOUT THIS VERY SUBJECT, MEDICAL CENTER, AND OTHER LOCATIONS ALL THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND HOW WE MIGHT USE INNOVATIVE-TYPE TECHNIQUES AND SMART CITY TECHNIQUE TOES IMPROVE SERVICE AND GET IT IN SHORTER INTERVALS. AND MORE FREQUENTLY AND KEEP OUT ON TIME. SO THAT'S BEING WORKED ON AS WE SPEAK BY YOUR INNOVATION FOLKS, YOUR SMART CITY FOLKS, THE VIA FOLKS AND THOSE OF US THAT ARE VOLUNTEERS WORKING WITH VIA AND
ALL OF THAT. >> VIAGRAN: GOOD. AND I JUST WANT TO, AS WE MOVE AND I'M GLAD YOU BROUGHT THE WHOLE INNOVATION AND SMART CITY. BECAUSE AS WE MOVE AND SOME OF THOSE APPOINTMENTS CAN GO VIRTUAL IS HEARING FROM ALL THE HOSPITALS AND PARTNERS IN THE MEDICAL CENTER THAT SAYS IF THEY HAD BETTER ACCESS, IF THEY HAD THOSE DEVICE WEBS THEY WOULDN'T HAVE TO COME IN AS OFTEN FOR CHECKUPS. SO I WANT TO CONTINUE THAT PARTNERSHIP BECAUSE I THINK IT'S KEY THAT WE DO THAT. AND MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE -- WE'RE NOT JUST -- WE HAVE TIN KNOW VACATION, THE INDUSTRY IS WORKING, BUT IT'S THOSE KEY LEVEL THINGS TO MAKE SURE THAT OUR RESIDENTS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO HAVE ACCESS TO.
SO THANK YOU. >> REED: YES. AND LAST WEEK WE HAD A FOUR-HOUR MEETING DEALING WITH BROOKS, DOWNTOWN AND THE MEDICAL CENTER WITH THE INNOVATION FOLKS.
AND OUT OF THAT, JUST THIS MORNING, I WAS GETTING NAMES OF THE I.T. FOLKS AT ST. LUKE'S AND CRISTAS AND METHODIST TO GIVE THEM TO YOUR FOLKS SO THAT THEY HAVE A NETWORK OF I.T. PEOPLE TO
WORK TOGETHER. >> VIAGRAN: GREAT. WELL, I'M GLAD YOU GUYS ARE ON
TOP OF IT. THANK YOU. >> REED: THANKS.
>> VIAGRAN: AND THEN, RENE, WHILE I LOVE YOU GUYS MOVING TO THE EAST SIDE AND REVITALIZING
[00:45:02]
THERE, I THINK WHEN WE LOOK AT THAT INVESTMENT THAT YOU'RE MAKING THERE, IS THAT WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT AFFORDABLE HEALTH CARE FOR MANY OF THOSE RESIDENTS, EAST, SWOOEVT, EVEN TO THE WEST, IS NOT READILY AVAILABLE FOR THEM. AND SO IT'S A TALE OF HERE IS ALL THIS INNOVATION. HERE IS WHAT WE'RE PROVIDING, BUT THE VERY PEOPLE THAT LIVE AROUND IT CAN'T AFFORD IT. AND SO I THINK THAT I -- OF COURSE, I DON'T WANT TO SEE ANYTHING CHANGE IN TERMS OF AS WE MOVE FORWARD AND LEAD IN THIS INDUSTRY, BUT I DO WANT TO TAKE MORE OF A VIEW OF THE NEIGHBORS AROUND THERE. SO I WOULD LIKE TO SEE AN EFFORT IN TERMS OF ARE WE HAVING CONVERSATIONS? ARE WE WORKING WITH METRO HEALTH TO MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE KNOW THAT THEY NEED TO INVEST IN THEIR HEALTH CARE? I CAME FROM SOUTH SIDE LIONS AND CITYWIDE, WE WERE DOING PAD TESTING FOR MY RESIDENTS.AND WHILE SOME OF MY SENIORS RETIRED AND HAVE THEIR DOCTORS, YOU KNOW, I HAD ONE, SHE ONLY GOES TO A BAPTIST HOSPITAL AND ONLY GOES TO A BAPTIST DOCTOR. BUT THERE'S OTHERS THAT DON'T HAVE THAT ACCESS. AND TRYING TO COORDINATE THAT AS YOU GROW AND UNDERSTANDING THAT, BECAUSE WHAT I DON'T WANT TO SEE IS THIS INDUSTRY WORK IN A SILO AND NOT UNDERSTAND WHERE THEY GO INTO. BUT, YEAH, JUST CONGRATULATIONS. THANK YOU FOR ALL THE WORK AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING MORE AND SEEING HOW WE CAN HELP. THANK YOU.
>> THANK YOU, CHAIR, AND THANK YOU TO BRENDA, HEATHER, A LOT TO DIGEST.
I THINK IT'S GREAT TO SEE THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO LEADING WHEN IT COMES TO THE BIOSCIENCE INDUSTRY IN SO MANY DIFFERENT MOVING PIECES AS THE CHAIR MENTIONED.
THERE IS THE PORT AND IT OVERFLOWS IN OUR DISTRICTS THAT GO INTO OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND OUR SCHOOLS TO CONNECT US AND ENSURE THAT THAT OPPORTUNITY IS RIGHT NEXT DOOR, THAT IT'S ACCESSIBLE TO THEM. AND WHEN I SEE THESE NUMBERS AND MY COLLEAGUE HIT ON IT A BIT, WHERE I WANTED TO GO WAS THAT, YOU KNOW, I SEE AN 11.9 BILLION ECONOMIC INPUT.
AND GREAT WAGES AT 61,000 -- 61,000 TO $83,000 AND A $4 BILLION IMPACT, BUT THEN I READ HEADLINES WHERE THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO'S NUMBER THREE IN ONE OF THE POOREST TOP TEN CITIES, RIGHT? AND HOW CAN WE CONNECT THESE OPPORTUNITIES TO THE ESTABLISHED COMMUNITIES THAT ARE HERE? AND I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING THE CAREER PACKET THAT YOU ALL MENTIONED THAT YOU ARE DEVELOPING AND IN THE PROCESS OF PRINTING.
BECAUSE WHEN WE HAVE THESE CONVERSATIONS OF LARGE INDUSTRIES AND THE ECONOMIC IMPACT, I THINK WE NEED TO ALSO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT A LOT OF FOLKS IN OUR COMMUNITY DON'T NECESSARILY HAVE A TRADITIONAL EDUCATION, DEGREES OR THE APPROPRIATE TRAINING.
AND HOW CAN WE ENSURE WHETHER IT'S SOMEONE WHO IS WORKING IN MAINTENANCE OR THE CAFETERIA IN THIS FACILITY THAT THEY'RE GETTING AN ENTRY WAGE EQUIVALENT TO WHAT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IS OFFERING, WHICH IS NOW $18. RIGHT? AND TO THE POINT ABOUT WHERE THESE PLACES ARE GOING TO BE LOCATED AND THAT THEY DO LACK HEALTH INSURANCE, HOW CAN WE ENSURE THAT, AGAIN, IF YOU ARE THE CAFETERIA WORKER OR ARE CLEANING THE REST ROOM, THAT YOU HAVE ACCESS TO QUALITY HEALTH CARE WHEN WORKING AT SPECIFIC INDUSTRIES LIKE THIS.
SO THAT'S ONE THING THAT I'M HOPING THAT YOU ALL WILL TAKE INTO ACCOUNT.
I COMMEND YOU ALL FOR CONSIDERING, YOU KNOW, THE ECONOMIC IMPACT THAT IT'S GOING TO HAVE TO THE ESTABLISHED COMMUNITIES, PARTICULARLY IN THE EAST SIDE WHERE FAMILIES ARE BARELY HANGING ON TO STAY IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS. AND I THINK POTENTIALLY ESTABLISHING A COMMUNITY BENEFITS AGREEMENT WITH THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY TO ENSURE THAT THEY HAVE ACCESS TO RESOURCES THAT ARE THERE AND BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOR, RIGHT? AGAIN, I THINK THE PORT HAS SET A GOOD STANDARD OF WHAT I HAVE IN MIND BY GOING INTO THE NEIGHBORHOODS BEFORE MOVING PIECES. AND, AGAIN, I THINK IT'S GOING TO HAVE A GREAT IMPACT AND I JUST WANT TO ENSURE THAT AS THINGS MOVE FORWARD, WE'RE KEEPING THE ESTABLISHED COMMUNITIES IN MIND AND ENSURING THAT THESE JOBS ARE ACCESSIBLE TO OUR COMMUNITIES. WE HAVE A HIGH CONCENTRATION OF INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE CRIMINAL RECORDS AND HOW CAN WE PROVIDE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TOE MAKE A QUALITY WAGE AND NOT HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, DO QUESTIONABLE THINGS TO MAKE A LIVING JUST BECAUSE THEY HAVE A BLEMISH ON THEIR RECORD. SO I KNOW I'M PREACHING TO THE CHOIR HERE, BUT I THINK THESE ARE IMPORTANT THINGS TO NOTE. BUT THOSE ARE ALL MY COMMENTS AND I APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK
THAT YOU ALL DO. THANK YOU, CHAIR. >> YEAH, THANKS.
TO ME, IT'S JUST SO EXCITING THAT SAN ANTONIO IS GOING TO BE ON THE FOREFRONT OF THE BIOSCIENCE INDUSTRY. SO JUST A COUPLE OF QUESTIONS. WHAT ARE WE SPECIFICALLY DOING
[00:50:02]
TO ATTRACT AND PROMOTE FROM A CITY PERSPECTIVE OR A CITY LEVEL TO ATTRACT AND PROMOTE DIFFERENT BIOSCIENCE BUSINESSES TO COME HERE? AND WHAT KIND OF FINANCIALINVESTMENT ARE WE MAKING THERE? >> YEAH. SO THE CITY HAS THE INCENTIVE PROGRAMS. YOU ALL KNOW ABOUT THAT. GREATER SATX HAS THE LEAD MISSION TO GO COLD CALL, BASICALLY, COMPANIES INVESTIGATE THEM AND SAY, HEY, COME TO SAN ANTONIO. BIOMED SA COMES IN TO PROVIDE THAT TECHNICAL EXPERTISE.
SO IF A COMPANY THAT GREATER IS TALKING TO IS IN THE SPACE OF A MEDICAL DEVICE DEVELOPMENT IN THE AREA OF LIVER, FOR EXAMPLE, WE WOULD SAY OH, YOU NEED TO TALK TO DR. STEVEN HARRISON AT CLINICAL RESEARCH. HE'S THE TOP IN THE WORLD. SO THAT'S THE KIND OF TECHNICAL DETAIL THAT BIOMED SA PROVIDES IN SUPPORT OF THE LARGER LEADS THAT ARE COMING.
WE OFTEN GET SMALLER LEADS FROM START-UP COMPANIES OR MEDIUM SIZED COMPANIES BECAUSE THEY'RE AWARE OF A PARTICULAR PROGRAM WE'RE DOING OR THEY SEE US VISIBLY SOMEWHERE.
SO WE THEN REACH OUT TO THE CITY AND GREATER TO BRING YOU ALL INTO THE LOOP.
WE'RE DOING DETAIL, OH, YOU NEED THIS KIND OF MANUFACTURER? THERE'S THREE HERE.
YOU NEED SOMEONE TO DEVELOP YOUR ASSAYS? WE'VE GOT SOMEONE OVER HERE AND THAT LEVEL OF DETAIL. THE PROMOTION WE DO AT CONFERENCES IS HAVING THAT MARKET VISIBILITY AND WE'RE HOPING THAT LENDS SOMEBODY WHEN THEY'RE THINKING TO CALL, WHETHER IT'S BIOMEDIC SA OR THE CITY OR WHOEVER, BUT WE DON'T GO AFTER THE LARGER COMPANIES TO GO
OVER THAT. >> HAVE WE HOSTED SOME OF THOSE CONFERENCES HERE?
>> SAN ANTONIO DOES HOST CONFERENCES HERE. THE LARGEST BREAST CANCER CONFERENCE, FOR EXAMPLE, IS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO IN DISEASE. SO THERE ARE A LOT OF DIFFERENT CONFERENCES THAT COME THROUGH SAN ANTONIO. WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO WITH BIOFEST WEEK IS CONSOLIDATE THEM SO PEOPLE THINK, OH, I NEED TO BE.
>> SAN ANTONIO PREFIESTA AND HOPEFULLY STAY TO FIESTA BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN THIS CONFERENCE IS AND I CAN SNAG ANOTHER CONFERENCE WHILE I'M THERE. AND WE'RE INTERSXURSING LOCAL CONFERENCES. SO IF YOU'RE COMING TO A CONFERENCE THAT HAS A THOUSAND PEOPLE AND THERE'S A LOCAL CONFERENCE THE NEXT DAY THAT NORMALLY GETS 400, YOU MIGHT AS WELL STAY THE NEXT DAY AND SEE THAT ONE. THAT'S THE LAYERING WE'RE TRYING
TO DO. >> OKAY. SO LET'S ASSUME WE CONTINUE TO GROW IN THIS AREA AND MORE BUSINESSES COME HERE. WHAT ABOUT FILLING THEIR EMPLOYMENT NEEDS? ARE WE WORKING WITH OUR UNIVERSITIES TO, I GUESS, ACTIVELY MAKE SURE THAT SOME OF THOSE STUDENTS ARE TRAINED TO FILL THESE POSITIONS?
>> YEAH. AND THAT'S WHY -- OH, HERE IT IS.
WE DEVELOPED THIS BOOKLET. BECAUSE WE NEED TO TRAIN UP THE WORKFORCE NOW SO THEY'RE READY
WHEN THESE BIG COMPANIES ARE COMING HERE. >> YEAH.
>> AND THIS WAS DEVELOPED WITH INDUSTRY SUPPLYING A LOT OF INFORMATION.
SO THIS IS THE FIRST STEP. WE'RE ALSO PARTICIPATING IN AND BRINGING INDUSTRY IN TO WORKFORCE TALENT PLANNING MEETINGS WITH VARIOUS UNIVERSITIES.
SAY, HEY, THIS IS WHAT INDUSTRY IS SAYING THAT THEY NEED IN ORDER TO HIRE PEOPLE FROM HERE.
AND THEN ALSO TELLING THE UNIVERSITIES, HEY, THIS IS A PROGRAM THAT NEEDS TO BE.
>> SAN ANTONIO. EVERYBODY IS SENDING THEIR PEOPLE OUT TO SOMEWHERE ELSE TO GET THIS TRAINING. CAN WE OFFER IT HERE? SO IT'S SHORT COURSES AS WELL AS
DEGREE PROGRAMS TO GET THOSE IN PLACE TO BUILD UP THE TALENT. >> AND HOW LONG HAVE WE BEEN
DOING THESE THINGS? >> WELL, WE REALLY GOT ENGAGED IN THESE THINGS, I WOULD SAY, IN
THE PAST TWO YEARS. >> AND SO DO WE HAVE ANY NUMBERS OR METRICS AT THIS POINT WITH RESPECT TO HOW SUCCESSFUL WE'RE BEING OR ARE WE GETTING STUDENTS TO ENROLL IN THE PROGRAMS THAT
SOME OF THEM -- >> WELL, THIS IS GETTING DISTRIBUTED RIGHT NOW.
IT'S PRINTING RIGHT NOW. SO, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE YET TO SEE WHAT THE IMPACT THIS IS GOING BE. THE DISCUSSIONS WITH THE UNIVERSITIES HAVE BEEN GOING ON THE PAST YEAR OR SO. SO IT'S REALLY PREMATURE FOR THAT.
BUT, YEAH, WE NEED TO COLLECT THOSE METRICS, ABSOLUTELY. >> OKAY.
LAST THING, DO WE THINK ON THE HORIZON THERE'S GOING TO BE ANY FINANCIAL ASK OF -- OF THE CITY WITH RESPECT TO HELPING OUR BIOSCIENCE INDUSTRY? I SAW IN HERE THAT WET LAB SPACE, I GUESS, WE'RE SHORT ON. AND SO ARE WE LOOKING AT -- I KNOW I SAW SOME -- IN THE MAP UP
[00:55:05]
THERE, MAYBE MORE LAND, MORE WET LAB SPACE THERE? >> AT THIS POINT, WE'RE CANVASSING WHAT IS OUT THERE. WHAT WE LEARNED LAST YEAR IS IF A COMPANY MOVES OUT OF A LAB SPACE AND THE BUILDING OWNER, THE REALTOR, THEY JUST WANT TO FILL IT.
SO THEY'LL JUST CONVERT IT BACK TO OFFICE SPACE AND WE'VE LOST THAT RESOURCE.
SO WE'VE BEEN WORKING AND WE'RE EXPANDING ON THIS WITH BROKERS IN SAN ANTONIO TO LET US KNOW IF THEY HAVE LAB SPACE SO WE CAN GET THE WORD OUT SO THEY DON'T CONVERT IT BACK TO OFFICE.
SO WE RETAIN WHAT WE HAVE ALREADY. WE'RE WORKING WITH COMPANIES THAT HAVE EXTRA CAPACITY TO ALLOW COMPANIES TO COME IN AND LEVERAGE THAT CAPACITY IN A SUBLEASE AND ENCOURAGING THEM WHEN THEY ARE SXAVENDING TO THEIR NEXT OFFICE.
THEY INCLUDE EXTRA SPACE IN THERE FOR THIS PURPOSE. SO WE'RE DOING SOME THINGS LIKE THAT TO HELP BUILD IT. WE'RE ALSO FACILITATING AS A NEUTRAL CONVENER SOME GRANT ACTIVITY. SO THAT THOSE FEDERAL GRANTS WOULD HELP PAY FOR SOME LAB
SPACE AND PROGRAMMING TO GO WITH IT. >> OKAY.
WELL -- >> AND, YEAH, THEY HAVE THE EXTRA SPACE COMING.
>> MY SHORT ANSWER, COUNCILMAN, IS I CERTAINLY HOPE WE'RE COMING BACK TO THE CITY ASKING FOR ADDITIONAL INCENTIVES AND ASSISTANCE. YOU ALL ARE ACTIVE PARTNERS IN OUR SUDDEN DEVELOPMENT. YOU PROVIDED SIGNIFICANT INFRASTRUCTURE SUPPORT TO THAT FACILITY. WE ARE MORE THAN HAPPY TO PUT THE LAND INTO ANY PROJECT, SO I'M HOPING THE NEXT TIME WE COME TO VISIT, IT'S WITH THE LARGE COMPANY/CORPORATION IN HAND THAT WANTS TO RELOCATE TO SAN ANTONIO. YOU'VE ALSO PROVIDED KIND OF AS A RIGHT INCENTIVES AS PART OF THAT AGREEMENT TO WHERE IF A COMPANY DOES APPROACH US, IT THEN GETS FUNNELED TO BRENDA AND HER TEAM AT EDD TO START THE EVALUATION PROCESS.
SO IF WE DO, THAT MEANS THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND YOU'LL BE THE
FIRST TO KNOW. >> YEAH. AND SO, CHAIR, I WOULD SAY THIS IS THE KIND OF STUFF THAT WE REALLY, REALLY NEED TO GET FOCUS ON.
AND I DON'T -- YOU KNOW, HAVING JUST GONE THROUGH MY FIRST BUDGET AND SEEING WHAT WE DO WITH SOME OF OUR DOLLARS, I'VE ALREADY RANTED AND RAVED ABOUT MY OPINIONS ON SOME OF THAT.
BUT THIS IS AN AREA WHERE WE SHOULD BE INVOLVED AND WE SHOULD BE DOING WHAT WE CAN TO EXPAND THE THINGS THAT YOU ALL ARE DOING DOWN THERE. THIS CREATES MONEY FOR THE CITY.
THIS CREATES GOOD JOBS FOR THE CITY. AND GOOD PAYING JOBS FOR THE CITY. AND WE CAN KEEP SOME OF OUR LOCAL TALENT HERE.
SO I'M ALL FOR IT. SO THANKS FOR EVERYTHING Y'ALL ARE DOING.
>> AND JUST TO PIGGYBACK A BUSINESS OFF OF WHAT RENE SAID, WE HAVE BEEN TALK, DEVELOPERS
ABOUT BUILDING LAB SPACE HERE. >> SIN SAN ANTONIO. AT SOME POINT, IT WILL BE TIME TO BRING IN THE CITY BECAUSE THEY'RE GOING TO WANT ADDITIONAL SUPPORTS TO GO OUT ON A LIMB AND
BUILD THIS LAB SPACE. >> WHYTE: YEAH. AND MY LAST POINT ON THIS, I WOULD CHALLENGE US NOT TO BE SMALL MINDED ABOUT THIS AND TOO NARROWLY FOCUSED, WE NEED TO LOOK AT THE BIG-PICTURE OPPORTUNITY FOR WHAT IT WOULD MEAN FOR THE CITY AND TO GET THESE GOOD COMPANIES HERE AND CREATE NEW PAYING JOBS HERE. SO I HOPE WE STAY FOCUSED ON
THIS OVER THE NEXT YEAR. >> CHAIR: I AGREE WITH YOU WHEN YOU SAID YOU RANTED AND RAISED.
IS THAT ABOUT RIGHT? SO I WANT TO MENTION, JIM REED, YOU SAID THAT THERE WERE SOME IMPORTANT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. AND I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT THAT THERE ARE TOO MANY TO LIST, RIGHT? BUT CLARITY, GUIDANCE CENTER IS ALSO IN THE MEDICAL CENTER AND THEY PROVIDE SUICIDE PREVENTION, SOME EXTREMELY SOPHISTICATED SPECIAL NEEDS INTERVENTION FOR KIDS, RIGHT? AND THIS PAST WEEK, I THINK THEY GOT A $1 MILLION CONTRIBUTION FROM METHODIST MINISTRIES FOR AN EXPANSION OF THEIR HIGH-RISK INTERVENTION FACILITIES.
AND IT CONTINUES TO GROW OUT THERE. I WILL ALSO TELL YOU, LET'S NOT FORGET THAT YOU GUYS ARE ALSO GOING BE GETTING A PRACTICE HOSPITAL OUT OF UT HEALTH, RIGHT? THAT'S GOING BE A REALLY BIG DEAL.
AND, YOU KNOW, OFTENTIMES WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE MEDICAL CENTER, WE TALK ABOUT IN TERMS OF JOBS AND CAPITAL INVESTMENT AND ALL THAT, BUT THE REALITY IS, I THINK -- IF I REMEMBER CORRECTLY, THE NUMBER IS 8 MILLION PEOPLE WHO COME TO OUR MEDICAL CENTER TO GET -- YOU KNOW, TO GET CARE FOR COPD AND HEART DISEASE AND, YOU KNOW, TO TAKE CARE OF THEIR INJURIES AND
[01:00:01]
THEIR SNIFFLES AND ALL THAT. BUT THE MAJORITY OF SAN ANTONIOANS ARE BORN IN THE MEDICAL CENTER, RIGHT? THIS IS A RESOURCE FOR EVERYBODY AND IT MAKES ME VERY HAPPY WHENEVER I SEE, YOU KNOW, THIS KIND OF INVESTMENT IN HEALTH CARE FOR EVERYBODY.BUT, JIM, I ALSO WANT TO TELL YOU THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE THIS -- AND THIS APPLY TOES BIOMEDICINE AND TRTF, ALSO. LAST WEEK WE ALL CELEBRATED THE DIRECT FLIGHT FROM SAN ANTONIO TO FRANKFURT. YOU KNOW, JIM, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU KNOW THIS, BUT I KNOW THAT WE'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT A PROTON PARTICLE ACCELERATOR PROJECT AT THE MEDICAL CENTER, BUT ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT PROTON PARTICLE ACCELERATORS IS IN DARMSTADT.
THE HOME HOLDS INSTITUTE WITH THE HEAVY ION RESEARCH IS SOMETHING WE GOT TO VISIT WITH SWEARY, WITH CPS ENERGY, WITH A&M. SO I THINK THAT TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT IS GOING TO MAKE IT EASIER FOR US TO MARKET SAN ANTONIO TO TEO DARMSTADT, TO MERCK, AND A WHOLE BUNCH OF OTHER COMPANIES IN EUROPE. BIOMED SA, THAT'S A NEW OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU GUYS. RENE, I KNOW YOU GUYS ARE ALWAYS LOOKING TO EUROPE AND THE OTHER SIDE OF THE POND FOR OPPORTUNITIES. BUT ADDITIONALLY, IT ALLOWS UT HEALTH AND THE MEMBERS OF THE FOUNDATION AND THE ALLIANCE TO RECRUIT AND TO TELL ITS STORY.
AND SO I THINK FROM A MEDICAL TOURISM PERSPECTIVE, ALSO, I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE -- YOU KNOW, IT'S IMPORTANT. BUT ONE LAST THING I DO WANT TO MENTION IS THAT WE -- WE HERE AT CITY COUNCIL SPEND A LOT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT SMALL BUSINESS, RIGHT? AND WE SHOULD. I THINK THAT'S OUR RESPONSIBILITY.
BUT SOMETIMES I THINK, YOU KNOW, STAFF AND EVEN COUNCIL AND THE REST OF SAN ANTONIO, I THINK WE THINK THAT SMALL BUSINESS IS JUST, RIGHT, FOOD AND BEVERAGE AND JUST, YOU KNOW, THE SMALL RETAILERS AND JUST THE CONSTRUCTION, YOU KNOW, TRADES. AND, YOU KNOW, THE BAKERS AND THE CANDLESTICKMAKERS AND ALL THAT. THOSE ARE VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.
THEY'RE ESSENTIAL TO MAKING US US, RIGHT? BUT AT THE SAME TIME, WE HAVE LITTLE LABORATORIES SPREAD OUT. THERE'S SOME AT BROOKS, THERE'S SOME AT THE PORT, THERE'S SOME IN THE MEDICAL CENTER. NOW THEY'RE ON THE OVER ON THE EAST SIDE.
THESE LITTLE COMPANIES ARE ONE, TWO PEOPLE BIG. AND, YOU KNOW, MANY OF THEM DON'T TAKE A PAYCHECK. THEY'RE BETTING THEIR OWN KIDS' MONEY AND THEY'RE MORTGAGING THEIR HOMES JUST TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD, YOU KNOW, THE MASS SPECTROMETERS AND THE MICROSCOPES AND, YOU KNOW, ALL THE RESOURCES THEY NEED IN ORDER TO COME UP WITH THE NEXT CURE FOR A DISEASE, RIGHT, OR THE NEXT, YOU KNOW, DEVICE TO -- THE NEXT STINT, EVEN, RIGHT? SO I DON'T THINK THAT WE TALK ENOUGH ABOUT THE BIOTECH RESEARCH INDUSTRY WHEN WE TALK ABOUT SMALL BUSINESS. RIGHT? AND WE SHOULDN'T.
THERE'S NO REASON NOT TO, RIGHT? AND WE ONLY TALK ABOUT IT HERE AT THIS COMMUNITY IN CITY HALL WHENEVER YOU COME AND PRESENT TO US OR WHENEVER YOU PRESENT TO US, RENE.
AND I THINK WE'RE GUILTY OF MALPRACTICE IF WE ONLY DO THIS ONCE A YEAR.
BECAUSE THESE ARE SMALL BUSINESSES, ALSO. AND SO I LOOK FORWARD TO TAKING THIS CONVERSATION TO THE NEXT LEVEL AND FIGURING OUT, YOU KNOW, WHAT IT IS THAT WE NEED TO DO IN THE NEXT BUDGET, RIGHT, TO HELP BLOW WIND IN THE SAILS OF THESE INDUSTRIES, BUT LET'S HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT BONDS, RIGHT? THE NEXT BOND PACKAGE.
BUT I THINK THERE'S AN OPPORTUNITY THERE FOR TRTF AND ITS CAMPUS TO BE ONE OF OUR, YOU KNOW, BENEFICIARIES OF A POSSIBLE BOND INVESTMENT FOR BUILDINGS OR INFRASTRUCTURE TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU GUYS SUCCEED. BUT, ANYWAY, TIME DOES NOT ALLOW US TO DIVE INTO MORE OF THIS, BUT THANKS FOR SHOWING UP AND I KNOW WE'VE GOT ANOTHER ITEM ON THE AGENDA, SO THANKS TO
EVERYBODY FOR BEING HERE. >> CLERK: SO THE NEXT ITEM I'LL PREFACE BY SAYING WE WILL BE ASKING AN ACTION, A VOTE FROM THE COMMITTEE TO MOVE THE ITEM FORWARD, BUT IT'S A BRIEFLY ON WHAT WE'RE CALLING OUR GROSS STAGE GRANTS. YOU'RE GOING TO HEAR A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT SOME OF THE EXCITING WORK THAT SOME OF OUR SMALL BUSINESSES ARE DOING FROM AN INNOVATION PERSPECTIVE. SARA RAPEL FROM OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT IS GOING
TO BE DOING THE PRESENTATION. >> SARA: GOOD AFTERNOON, EVERYONE.
MY NAME IS SARA RAPEL WITH OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT. AND I HAVE THE PRIVILEGE OF PROVIDING SOME UPDATES FOR YOU ON OUR SBI PROGRAMS AS WELL AS OUR SECOND STAGE GRANT PROGRAM.
LET'S START WITH A HISTORY OF THESE PROGRAMS AND WHERE THEY BEGAN.
SO WE HAD OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK ACCEPTED BY DECIDE COUNCIL IN OCTOBER OF LAST YEAR. THAT'S WHERE WE ALSO PROVIDED OUR INVENTSIVE GUIDELINES, WHICH WERE REVIEWED AND ADOPTED BY CITY COUNCIL IN DECEMBER OF 2023.
AND THEN IN FEBRUARY OF 2023, WE ALSO TOOK OUR GROSS STAGE GRANT PROGRAM TOES BOTH SBAC AND EWDC IN FEBRUARY WHERE BOTH COMMITTEES APPROVED THESE PROGRAMS AND THEIR CRITERIA.
[01:05:01]
FOLLOWING THAT, WE LAUNCHED OUR PROGRAM APPLICATIONS IN JULY OF 2023 AND STAFF HAS BEEN REVIEWING THOSE APPLICATIONS AND MAKING CONSIDERATIONS. TODAY, I'LL BE PROVIDING AN OVERVIEW OF OUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE SBIR MATCHING PROGRAM AS WELL AS OUR PHASE ZERO PROGRAM AND PROVIDING A BRIEF UPDATE ON OUR SECOND STAGE PROGRAM, AS WELL.I WANT TO PULL IT BACK TO OUR PROGRAM GOALS. THESE ARE MEANT TO RETAIN HEADQUARTERS HERE IN SAN ANTONIO. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE BUSINESSES ARE STAYING HERE. THE ONES THAT ARE SUCCESSFUL, TO YOUR POINT EARLIER, THESE ARE NOT JUST SMALL BUSINESSES HERE THAT ARE IN THOSE RETAIL SPACES. WE ALSO WANT TO IDENTIFY THE BIOTECH INDUSTRIES, THOSE SERVING OTHER FEDERAL AGENCIES AND LOOKING AT THOSE LOCAL R&D INTENSIVE START-UPS, ALONG WITH SECOND-STAGE COMPANIES. THESE ARE COMPANIES THAT HAVE DEMONSTRATED THEIR GROWTH, WHETHER IT'S IN EMPLOYMENT OR REVENUE OR ATTRACTING FEDERAL DOLLARS HERE TO SAN ANTONIO, PROVIDING THOSE RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES FOR SPACES LIKE BIOMED SA AND VELOCITY TO SUPPORT ON. SO WE HAVE NOT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE BRINGING THAT TO SAN ANTONIO AND BUILDING THOSE LONG-TERM RELATIONSHIPS.
A LOT OF TIMES IT'S LARGER COMPANIES WITH THOSE LARGER INVESTMENT AND JOB OPPORTUNITIES. SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE INSTILLING THOSE RELATIONSHIPS LONG-TERM WITH THESE COMPANIES AT EVERY STAGE OF GROWTH AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY HAVE ACCESS TO THE CAPITAL THAT THEY NEED TO SUCCEED. SO I'LL START WITH AN OVERVIEW OF OUR PROGRAM FUNDING. SO THESE WERE PILOT PROGRAMS. WE ALLOCATED $1 MILLION FOR THESE GROWTH STAGE PROGRAMS. 500 K WAS DEDICATED TO SECOND STAGE AND $500,000 WAS DEDICATED TO OUR SBIR PROGRAMS. THESE PROGRAM FUNDS ARE CONTINGENT TO OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVE FUND GUIDELINES AND WE ALSO WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE WERE EVALUATING THE DEMAND AND INTEREST FOR THESE PROGRAMS TO MAKE SURE WE'RE GETTING THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF INTEREST BUT ALSO CAN MAKE FUTURE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR YOU ON WHAT BEST WORKS FOR THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. A BRIEF UPDATE ON OUR SECOND STAGE GRANT PROGRAM, AGAIN, THESE ARE FOR EXPORT ORIENTED BUSINESSES WHO REPRESENT EMPLOYMENT IN SAN ANTONIO AND ARE LOOKING TO TAKE THAT NEXT LEVEL IN THEIR BUSINESS.
WE ARE TRYING TO CONTINUE OUR MARKETING EFFORTS AND WE'RE GOING TO BE DOING SO THROUGH SOME TARGETED AND DIRECT BUSINESS OUTREACH WITH THE ONSET OF OUR RESEARCH AND INTELLIGENCE TEAM. WE'VE GOTTEN GREAT ACCESS TO AMAZING DATA SETS THAT ALLOWS TO REACH OUT DIRECTLY TO THESE SECOND-STAGE BUSINESSES AND WE'RE.GOING TO INCORPORATE THAT GOING FORWARD. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE'RE TESTING IT AND MAKING SURE IT'S VISIBLE TO ALL THESE BUSY BUSINESS OWNERS THAT MAY NOT BE PLUGGED IN WITH THE CITY GRANT PROGRAMS. A LOT OF TIMES, THEY OFTEN THINK THAT THEY MAY NOT QUALIFY FOR PROGRAMS OR THAT THEY'RE THE, YOU KNOW, TARGET AUDIENCE OR RECIPIENT OF THESE GROWTH STAGE GRANTS, SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT INFORMATION IS GETTING OUT THERE DIRECTLY.
WE'LL BE LOOKING TO COLLABORATE FURTHER WITH THE ENTREPRENEUR CENTER.
THEY HAVE A SECOND-STAGE COHORT PROGRAM THAT'S ACCEPTING THEIR SECOND APPLICATION PROCESS FOR THEIR SECOND COHORT CURRENTLY. SO WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE ALIGNING THERE AND CREATING THAT PINE LINE SO THAT THESE SECOND STAGE BUSINESS OWNERS CAN CREATE THOSE BUSINESS PLANS AND THEN HAVE THE FUNDS TO IMPLEMENT AND DO SO WITH -- WITH WHATEVER BUSINESS PLAN THEY DECIDE ON. RIGHT NOW, WE CURRENTLY HAVE HAD THREE APPLICATIONS SUBMITTED THAT STAFF IS CURRENTLY REVIEWING AND WE'RE HOPING TO DRAMATICALLY INCREASE THAT WITH THIS TARGETED MARKETING. NEXT I'LL GET INTO OUR SBIR. SBIR AND STTR MATCHING GRANT PROGRAM. AGAIN, THIS IS FOR SAN ANTONIO HEADQUARTERED COMPANIES WHO HAVE RECEIVED A FEDERAL PHASE ONE OR PHASE TWO SBIR AWARD. APPLICANTS WERE ELIGIBLE TO ACCEPT UP TO $50,000 FOR PHASE ONE AND UP TO $75,000 FOR PHASE TWO.
THESE, AGAIN, ARE IS HE SEARCH OPPORTUNITIES FOR THOSE SAN ANTONIO LOCAL START-UPS WHO ARE GOING TO BE WORKING WITH OTHER INSTITUTIONS IN SAN ANTONIO AND TO BE IMPLEMENTING THAT FEDERAL PROPOSAL. SO I'M EXCITED TO ANNOUNCE THAT IN THAT TWO-MONTH PERIOD FROM JULY TO SEPTEMBER 15TH, WE'VE HAD AN INCREDIBLE TURNOUT FOR THESE APPLICATIONS.
WE'VE HAD 11 COMPANIES SUBMIT APPLICATIONS. TODAY WE'LL BE RECOMMENDING NINE FOR FUNDING. FOR A TOTAL OF $581,000. AND TOTAL PROGRAM AWARDS.
YOU'LL ALSO SEE HERE LIST SD A DISTRIBUTION OF THE MATCHING APPLICANTS BY THEIR FEDERAL AGENCIES AWARD. YOU'LL SEE A GOOD AMOUNT WERE FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AS WELL AS THE HUMAN AND HEALTH SERVICES DEPARTMENT. SO WE HAD I'LL START WITH OUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE PHASE 1.
AGAIN, THIS IS FOR UP TO $50,000. THESE -- WE'VE ALSO MENTIONED HERE THE FEDERAL AWARD THAT THESE COMPANIES ARE BRINGING TO SAN ANTONIO.
[01:10:03]
SO AGAIN, THIS IS DIRECT FUNDING COMING HERE TO SAN ANTONIO BEING AWARDED TO SAN ANTONIO HEADQUARTERED COMPANY. I WANT TO REMIND STAFF OF THAT. I'LL HAVE TO BE BRIEF BECAUSE WE'RE GOING THROUGH 12 AWARDED COMPANIES, BUT I ENCOURAGE YOU TO GO BACK AND LOOK AT THESE COMPANIES AND LOOK AT THE IMPRESSIVE WORK THEY ARE DOING. IT'S SERIOUSLY VERY IMPORTANT THAT, YOU KNOW, WE TAKE THOSE CONSIDERATIONS THAT THESE COMPANIES ARE DOING INCREDIBLE WORK AND I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE I MENTION THAT. I WANT TAKE START WITH IRYS.NEXT S.T.E.M. BIOCYST. AND CIGNA MAP WHICH IS A BIOSCIENCE COMPANY IS CREATING ANALYTICAL TOOLS TO ASSESS BIOLOGICAL MOLECULES AND INCREASE HE HAVE -- EFFICACYS.
WE HAVE BLOCK GRANT PROGRAM WHO IS ALSO GOING TO BE IN THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY. THEY ARE CREATING ADVANCED CYBERSECURITY SOFTWARE FOR INDUSTRIAL CONTROL SYSTEMS. WE ALSO HAVE OUR PHASE 2 AWARDEE RECOMMENDATIONS, STARTING WITH MED COGNITION. THEY ARE CREATING REALISTIC MANNEQUIN SIMULATORS THAT MIMIC FUNCTIONS FOR USE IN TRAINING EMERGENCY MEDICAL RESPONDERS.
NEXT WE HAVE ASTRO PORT SPACE TECHNOLOGIES, WHO IS DOING RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT FOR MATERIALS TO SUPPORT AIR FORCE BASE LANDINGS. CONTINUING, WE HAVE GATE IQ, WHO IS CREATING TECHNOLOGY TO ASSESS LINKS BETWEEN PEOPLE'S WALKING PATTERNS AND THE PROPENSITY TO DEVELOP ALZHEIMER'S DISEASE AS WELL. AND THEN WE ALSO HAVE LEAP TREND, WHO IS DEVELOPING SOFTWARE TO SUPPORT SOLAR FORECASTING SYSTEMS. NEXT WE HAVE EMERGENCY MED, LLC, WHO IS DEVELOPING PORTABLE AIRWAY SUPPORT DEVICES. AGAIN ALL REALLY SIGNIFICANT WORK THESE COMPANIES ARE DOING AND WANT TO MAKE -- ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IN THESE AWARDEES.
NEXT I'LL GET TO OUR PHASE ZERO RECOMMENDATIONS. THESE ARE GRANTS FOR INCENTIVIZING PHASE 1 APPLICATIONS. THIS CAN BE A COMPETITIVE PROCESS AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE SAN ANTONIO BUSINESSES ARE KNOTS INTIMIDATED BY THAT PROCESS OR THAT -- WE'RE PROVIDING UP TO $2,000 PER SAN ANTONIO COMPANY TO HELP MITIGATE SOME EXPENSES THAT COULD BE FACED IN THAT INITIAL SOLICITATION.
THIS INCLUDES TRAVEL OR DIRECT COSTS, BUT ARE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT SBIR PROPOSAL.
STARTING WITH OUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PHASE ZERO, WE HAVE DEVELOP MADE, FOCUS ON REAL ESTATE COMPANIES AND DEVELOPING SOFTWARE FOR ACCESSIBLE HOUSING.
BIO METALS FOUNDED IN 2021 DEVELOPING NOVEL INDUSTRIAL ENZYMES.
AND PART WIND TURBINES, DEVELOPING SMALL WIND TURBINES.
THAT SUSTAINABLE ENERGY WHICH IS ANOTHER TARGETED INDUSTRY FOR SAN ANTONIO.
AS AN OVERVIEW OF OUR RECOMMENDATION, SO WE STARTED WITH ALLOCATIONS FOR ABOUT $500,000 FOR BOTH THESE PROGRAMS ESTIMATING -- 400,000 FOR OUR MATCHING PROGRAM.
BECAUSE OF THE SUCCESS AND THE DEMAND FOR OUR MATCHING PROGRAM, WE RECOMMEND $6,000 FOR THE PHASE ZERO AWARDEES AND THEN THOSE FOUR PHASE 1 MATCHING AWARDS FOR A TOTAL OF $581,000. THAT ADDITIONAL $81,000 FUNDING WILL COME FROM OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FUND. THE FUND WE USE FOR TRADITIONAL TAX INCENTIVES.
REBATE PROGRAMS. THIS IS FUNDING DEDICATED AND APPROPRIATED FROM THE GENERAL FUND TO GO DIRECTLY TOWARDS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVES.
SO WE WANT TO RECOMMEND THAT WE CAN FUND AS MANY AWARDS AS WE CAN WITH THIS FIRST CYCLE AND PROVIDE YOU ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE FUTURE. OUR NEXT STEPS, SO IN OCTOBER WE'LL BE TAKING UPON YOUR REVIEW AND APPROVAL OF THESE AWARDEES, WE'LL BE TAKING THESE TO CITY COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION FOR THE MATCHING AND PHASE ZERO AWARDS.
LATER THIS YEAR WE'LL ALSO BE TAKING A BRIEFING ON THE SECOND STAGE RECOMMENDATIONS TO EWC AND THEN LATER TO CITY COUNCIL. AND THEN IN 2024, WE'LL ALSO BE PROVIDING PROGRAM REVIEW OVERALL OF THESE GROWTH STAGE GRANT PROGRAMS AND PROVIDING ADDITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FUNDING ALLOCATIONS AND WHAT WE THINK THE NEXT STEPS SHOULD BE. SO THAT'S ALL FOR ME TODAY. I'M AVAILABLE FOR QUESTIONS IF
[01:15:04]
ANYONE HAS THEM. >> PELÁEZ: THIS IS THE FIRST TIME YOU PRESENTED TO THIS
COMPANY, RIGHT? >> SECOND. >> PELÁEZ: I'M IMPRESSED.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR HARD WORK. COUNCILMEMBER VIAGRAN, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?
>> VIAGRAN: NO, I'M EXCITED TO MOVE THESE FORWARD. I MAKE A MOTION TO MOVE THE MATCHING GRANTS FORWARD TO THE NEXT MEETING? NEXT FULL COUNCIL MEETING.
I DON'T NEED TO GIVE A DATE, DO I? >> PELÁEZ: NO.
>> SECOND. >> PELÁEZ: SECOND. ALL RIGHT.
COUNCILMEMBER CASTILLO, QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? >> CASTILLO: THANK YOU FOR THE PRESENTATION AND I'M LOOKING AT THE DASHBOARD FOR THE INCENTIVES PROGRAM AND THIS IS A VERY HELPFUL TOOL SO THANK YOU TO THE TEAM THAT GATHERS THAT DATA.
IT'S VERY COMPREHENSIVE AND ACCESSIBLE. EACH PILLAR LAYS EVERYTHING OUT. AND WITH THE PROJECTS, THE BUSINESSES THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING TODAY, DO WE HAVE WHAT THE MINIMUM WAGE REQUIREMENT IS? FOR EXAMPLE, I SEE THERE'S ONLY ONE IN DISTRICT 5 AND THE D SHOWS THAT IT'S $11.92 AN HOUR THAT THEY ARE OFFERING AND THEY ARE RECEIVING ROUGHLY 25 MILLION IN TAX ABATEMENTS.
SO I WANT TO ENSURE THAT WHEN WE'RE RECOMMENDING THESE BUSINESSES, THAT WE HAVE A STANDARD OF MINIMUM WAGE THAT WE'RE SUPPORTING AND INCENTIVE INCENTIVIZING.
>> A LOT OF INFORMATION IS OUR EXISTING AGREEMENTS, ALL OF WHICH DID FOLLOW THE ACTIVE INCENTIVE POLICY THAT WAS IN PLACE AT THE TIME. THE INCENTIVE POLICY THAT WAS APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL IN DECEMBER THAT WAS EFFECTIVE ON JANUARY OF THIS YEAR DOES HAVE A MINIMUM WAGE. AT LEAST 100% OF THE JOBS HAVE TO BE AT THAT $17.50 AN HOUR.
AND THEN AT LEAST 20.54 CENTS, 80% OF MEDIAN INCOME. AND THEN WE DO HAVE HIGHER LEVELS SO THAT TRIGGERS WHAT THE ELIGIBLE AMOUNT IS. WE ARE REQUIRING THEY MAKE THAT MINIMUM THRESHOLD OF 17.50. MANY OF THESE PRESENTED TODAY
DO PAY HIGHER THAN THAT. >> CASTILLO: PER SUSPECT. THAT'S WHAT I WANTED TO HERE.
BRENDA, THANK YOU TO YOUR TEAM FOR COMPUTING THIS EXCEL SPREAD SHEET.
IT LAYS ANYTHING OUT. ANY QUESTION I HAD WAS ANSWERED IN THIS SPREAD SHEET,
SO THANK YOU ALL. THANK YOU, CHAIR. >> WHYTE: GREAT PRESENTATION. JUST ONE QUESTION. SO THESE COMPANIES WHERE WE'RE GOING TO MATCH THE GRANTS THAT ARE HERE, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT MOSTLY STARTUP COMPANIES,
RIGHT? >> CORRECT, YES. >> WHYTE: WHAT ARE WE DOING TO MAKE SURE THAT AFTER WE GIVE THEM THIS MONEY, WE WORK WITH THEM TO STAY HERE IN
SAN ANTONIO? >> OF COURSE. SO THESE COMPANIES WILL BE CONDUCTING THREE-YEAR COMPLIANCE SURVEYS, SO SIX MONTHS, 18 MONTHS AND 36 MONTH INTERVALS. MAKING SURE WE ARE GETTING THE METRICS ON JOBS, MAKING SURE THE JOBS ARE STAYING IN SAN ANTONIO. THERE ARE PARTNERSHIPS WITH INSTITUTIONS AS WELL UNDERSTANDING THAT ECOSYSTEM AND WHERE WE CAN SUPPORT FURTHER. BUT WE'LL -- I THINK IT'S ALL ABOUT THAT BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS. IF THEY KNOW THAT SAN ANTONIO IS HERE WITH SBIR/STTR PROGRAM THAT'S GOING TO CARRY ON WORD, THAT'S EVEN MORE INCENTIVE ESPECIALLY GIVEN THE NATURE OF TEXAS MATCHING GRANTS AND THE AVAILABILITY OF THOSE. I ALSO THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THESE COMPANIES ARE GOING AFTER AWARDS ALMOST EVERY YEAR.
A LOT OF THESE COMPANIES WILL BE GETTING MULTIPLE AWARDS SO HAVING THAT KNOWLEDGE WE'RE
HERE TO SUPPORT THEM IS DEFINITELY A GREAT INCENTIVE. >> WHYTE: OKAY.
THANKS. >> PELÁEZ: [INAUDIBLE] WHEN I SAW IT ON YOUR SLIDE, I
DON'T GET IT. >> VIRTUOUS, I CAN GO INTO THAT FURTHER.
THERE'S THIS IDEA ALSO THAT IF THESE COMPANIES ARE SUCCEEDING IN CREATING, YOU KNOW, VERY INCREDIBLE TECH THAT ATTRACTS OTHER PROFESSIONAL [INAUDIBLE] TO SAN ANTONIO, SO THAT CREATES THAT -- NOT ONLY ARE WE BUILDING THE SAN ANTONIO HOME-GROWN BUILDING, WE'RE
ATTRACTING ADDITIONAL INVESTMENT FROM OTHER PLACES. >> PELÁEZ: SO IT'S THE FIRST TIME I'VE HEARD THE WORD VIRTUOUS AT THESE MEETINGS. IS THAT A TECHNICAL TERM OF
ART? >> I THINK IT'S JUST A FLOURRY TERM.
>> PELÁEZ: THAT'S WHAT YOU CHOSE. GOT IT.
SO IN FUTURE PRESENTATIONS, MORE VIRTUE, PLEASE. LISTEN, I HAVE NO QUESTIONS.
WE ARE GOING TO TAKE A VOTE. WE HAVE A MOTION AND SECOND ON THE FLOOR.
ALL IN FAVOR OF MOVING THIS FORWARD SAY AYE.
THAT WAS UNANIMOUS. ALEX, NEXT ITEM. >> I WANT TO THANK THE TEAM FOR ALL THE WORK THEY DID ON THIS PROGRAM. THIS IS SOMETHING NEW, BUT WE
[01:20:01]
KNEW THERE WAS AN OPPORTUNITY AND I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK, THE CREATIVITY.NEXT UP IS SHERRY. >> PELÁEZ: IN WHAT LANGUAGE DO YOU WANT TO PRESENT, SIR?
>> ENGLISH, SIR. >> PELÁEZ: YOU SPEAK SEVEN LANGUAGES.
>> YOU ARE BEING VERY GENEROUS. I STUDIED SIX LANGUAGES.
I SERVE AS THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO'S CHIEF DIPLOMACY AND PROTOCOL OFFICER.
I WANT TO RECOGNIZE TWO OTHER PEOPLE FROM OUR TEAM, MARTHA HENRY AND ALFRED BREWER WHO HAVE HELPED PREPARE US FOR THIS PRESENTATION. THE BRIEFING I AM GOING TO GIVE YOU TODAY, I'VE GOT TO REMEMBER TO MOVE THE SLIDE FORWARD, IS GOING TO BE AN AN OVERVIEW OF OUR ACTIVITIES AS THEY RELATE TO INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSHIPS AND GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT AND WHY DO WE DO IT. WE ARE TRYING TO INCREASE GLOBAL RECOGNITION OF THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO, IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF OUR RESIDENTS THROUGH CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL EXCHANGES AS WELL AS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
NOW, WE HAVE OFFICIAL RELATIONSHIPS AROUND THE WORLD, PRIMARILY THROUGH OUR SISTER CITIES PROGRAM. WE HAVE 12 SISTER CITIES, THREE FRIENDSHIP CITIES, AND WE HAVE EXTENDED OUR RELATIONSHIPS IN MOST PARTS OF THE WORLD.
I WOULD SAY WHERE WE HAVE THE MOST, THE HIGHEST NUMBER OF SISTER CITY AND OFFICIAL RELATIONSHIPS IS IN ASIA. NOW, ALL THE ACTIVITIES OF THE GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT TEAM AND THIS, OF COURSE, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT THROUGH GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT WORKS ON THE DIPLOMA AND PROTOCOL, INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS, BUT WE ALSO WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH OUR HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS ON PROMOTING SAN ANTONIO AS A HIGHER EDUCATION DESTINATION. AND WE REALLY DO WORK VERY CLOSELY ON PROMOTING NOT ONLY INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS IN SAN ANTONIO AS AN ECHO SYSTEM FOR HIGHER EDUCATION, BUT ALSO FOR TALENT RECRUITMENT, FOR THOSE STUDENTS TO STAY IN SAN ANTONIO.
WE HEARD A LOT ABOUT THE S.T.E.M. AND IT IS NO SECRET THAT IN THE AREA OF S.T.E.M.
WE DO HAVE LOTS OF INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS WHO COME OUT WITH MASTER'S AND PH.D.S. AND SO KEEPING THEM IN SAN ANTONIO AND HAVING THEM JOIN OUR WORKFORCE IS ALSO VERY ATTRACTIVE. OF COURSE, FACULTY AND RESEARCHERS FROM ALL AROUND THE WORLD WHO CHOOSE TO COME AND JOIN OUR INSTITUTIONS HERE. ONE THING BEFORE I MOVE AWAY FROM THIS SLIDE, INTERNATIONAL ENGAGEMENT IS REALLY IMPORTANT AND DOES HAVE AN IMPACT, NOT JUST ECONOMICALLY, BUT ALSO OVERALL ON THE COMMUNITY. RECENTLY THERE WAS AN IMPACT STUDY THAT GLOBAL TIES USA PUSHED OUT. AND I WANTED TO JUST READ THREE THINGS THAT THEY SAID THAT WERE PART OF THE COMMUNITY IMPACT. PARTICIPATING INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGES INCREASES GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE AND CULTURAL COMPETENCE.
AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE REALLY PUSH WITH THE WORK THAT WE DO.
EXCHANGE VISITORS INCREASES INTERNATIONAL CONNECTIVITY. SO THAT REALLY DOES RESONATE WITH A LOT OF THE WORK THAT COMES THROUGH THE GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT DIVISION.
NOW, THE METRO -- WHAT I'D LIKE TO GO ON TO NOW IS THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK WHICH WAS ACCEPTED BY CITY COUNCIL LAST YEAR. AFFIRMED AND VALIDATED THE METRO PRIORITY PLAN WHICH WAS A PLAN THAT WAS -- WE KIND OF IMPLEMENTED IN THE VERY BEGINNING OF 2020. IT HAD BEEN A RESULT OF RESEARCH AND WORK CARRIED OUT FOR TWO YEARS BETWEEN 2017 AND 2019. OUR GOALS WERE TO FOCUS ON KEY GLOBAL MARKETS, INCREASE SAN ANTONIO'S GLOBAL ACCESS THROUGH DIPLOMACY, BUSINESS, CULTURE, EDUCATION AND TO ELEVATE OUR REPUTATION ON THE GLOBAL STAGE.
NOW, WHEN WE WORKED ON THE METRO P PLAN, WE DIDN'T DO IT BY OURSELVES.
WE WORKED WITH KEY PARTNERS. AND, OF COURSE, NUMBER ONE PARTNER WAS THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION NOW KNOWN AS GREATER SATX. I WOULD LIKE TO RECOGNIZE THE PRESENCE OF SARA, CHIEF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT OFFICER WITH SATX WHO WILL ADD MORE AT THE END OF MY PRESENTATION IF YOU HAVE QUESTIONS. CPS, BIOMED SA, THE SAN ANTONIO CHAMBER OF COMMERCE'S AEROSPACE COMMITTEE AS WELL AS THE CYBERSECURITY
[01:25:02]
COMMITTEE, AND THE SAN ANTONIO MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION WERE ALL INVOLVED IN PUTTING TOGETHER THE STRATEGIC FRAMEWORK FOR THE PLAN. AND THIS WAS A JOINT VISION.AND TO THIS DAY VERY MUCH THE METRO PRIORITY PLAN AND OUR TARGET MARKETS DRIVES OUR INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY. IT IS VERY MUCH A DATA-DRIVEN APPROACH, AND WE FOCUS ON OUR KEY INDUSTRY SECTORS. AND OF COURSE, THERE WAS A LOT OF DATA AND MANY METRO AREAS THAT WERE IDENTIFIED THROUGH THE STUDY WHICH HAD BEEN CARRIED OUT WITH THE BROOKINGS INSTITUTE. AND WE HAD TO NARROW IT DOWN SO THE DECISION WAS MADE FOR THE PURPOSE OF FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT AND TRADE, WE WOULD HAVE FIVE PRIORITY METROS.
YOU SEE ON THE SCREEN FRANKFURT, GERMANY, TORONTO, CANADA, TOKYO, MEXICO CITY, MEXICO, AND THEN, OF COURSE, WE HAD A NUMBER OF CITIES THAT YOU SEE LISTED THERE THAT REPRESENT OUR OFFICIAL RELATIONSHIPS. SO EVEN THOUGH THROUGH THE METRO PRIORITY PLAN WE HAVE OUR FOCUS MARKETS FOR FGI AND TRADE, WE BELIEVE VERY STRONGLY IN COLLABORATION AND TACTICS WITH OUR RELATIONSHIPS G RELATIONSHIPS, BUT ALSO CONTINUING TO CULTIVATE NEW RELATIONSHIPS UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF COLLABORATION.
NOW, GIVEN THE NATURE OF THE GLOBAL ECONOMY AND THE CURRENT ECONOMIC SITUATION, IT WILL BE NECESSARY THAT WE CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN A FLEXIBLE, WITHIN REASON, INTERNATIONAL STRATEGY SO WE CAN SHIFT, ADAPT AND PIVOT AS WE NEED. IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT I SAY THIS, WHEN I CAME BACK THE PLAN -- THE RESEARCH BETWEEN 2017 AND 2019 WAS PRE-COVID.
THE WORLD HAS CHANGED A LOT. OF COURSE THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT ALSO POINTS TO JUST NEWER TRENDS, NEWER MARKETS THAT ARE EMERGING IN MORE IMPORTANCE.
AND SO THE INTENT OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT IS TO UPDATE AND WE WILL AND WE DO PLAN TO UPDATE THE METRO PRIORITY PLAN FOR 2025 SO WE CAN COME BACK AND SEE SHOULD WE BE FOCUSING ON THE SAME MARKETS, SHOULD WE BE LOOKING AT OTHER MARKETS.
AS IT IS RIGHT NOW, WE'VE SEEN, FOR INSTANCE, THE U.K. IS NOT ON THIS SLIDE, BUT THERE'S SO MUCH MORE ACTIVITY THAT WE ARE SEEING IN TERMS OF VISIT SAN ANTONIO AND THEY ARE OPENING AN OFFICE IN THE U.K. JUST TO GIVE YOU AN EXAMPLE. SO ON THE NEXT SLIDE, I WANTED TO KIND OF SHOW YOU JUST THIS IS A HIGH-LEVEL OVERVIEW OF OUR ENGAGEMENT.
AND YOU KNOW, CORE TO THE EFFORTS THAT WE PUT OUT THERE IS REALLY OUR ENGAGEMENTS, AND WE KIND OF CATEGORIZE THEM IN THREE WAYS. WE HAVE EVEN BOUND GROUPS, OUTBOUND GROUPS, AS WELL AS LOCAL ENGAGEMENT. AND I WILL SAY THAT PRIOR TO COVID, PRIOR TO 2020, WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT ENGAGEMENT, IT WAS ALL IN PERSON, FACE TO FACE. IF WE HAD INBOUND, IT MEANT DELEGATIONS WERE ARRIVING IN SAN ANTONIO. OUTBOUND MET WE WERE TRAVELING TO ANOTHER COUNTRY.
THESE NUMBERS ARE NOT JUST CITY OF SAN ANTONIO. IT'S OUR COMMUNITY.
IT'S OUR ORGANIZATIONS THAT WE COLLABORATE WITH SO THEY ARE REPRESENTED IN THESE NUMBERS.
BUT NOW, SINCE 2020, WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN NEW TOOLS, AND THAT TOOL HAS BEEN THE TECHNOLOGY PLATFORMS THAT ALLOW US TO HAVE VIRTUAL ENGAGEMENT. VIRTUAL ENGAGEMENT HASN'T GONE AWAY. IT CAME TO US, WE STARTED TO ENGAGE MORE AND TRYING TO KEEP THE RELATIONSHIPS GOING, BUT NOW WE'RE HAVING THE ENGAGEMENT ON BOTH SIDE, VIRTUALLY AS WELL AS INBOUND. IN 2021, ACTIVITIES WENT BACK UP.
2022, WE SAW A LOT OF ACTIVITY, BUT HERE WE ARE IN 2023 AND WE HAVE SEEN AN EXPLOSION OF ACTIVITIES. AND JUST ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE OF THE SLIDE YOU WILL SEE JUST SOME EXAMPLES ON NUMBERS THERE THAT WE ARE GIVING YOU ABOUT CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT AS WELL AS BUSINESS DELEGATIONS. AND THEN WE CITED, FOR INSTANCE, THE MOST RECENT IPW CONFERENCE THAT TOOK PLACE IN SAN ANTONIO AND THE INVOLVEMENT OF 44 U.S.
COMMERCIAL SERVICES. THIS IS THE DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE COMMERCIAL SERVICE TRADE SPECIALISTS WHO CAME TO SAN ANTONIO AND VERY MUCH A PART OF MAKING IT SUCCESSFUL AND BRINGING SO MANY PEOPLE TO THIS PART OF THE WORLD. I'M SORRY.
ONE OF THE THINGS -- AND I'M JUST GOING TO GO IN HERE, I BELIEVE THAT I HAVE -- OKAY.
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IN TERMS OF OUR LOCAL ENGAGEMENT, WE ARE VERY INVOLVED WITH OUR LOCAL COMMUNITY. AND THAT KIND OF CIVIC PARTICIPATION AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT IS AN IMPORTANT PART OF OUR WORK. WE KEEP HEARING THE WORD RELATIONSHIPS. AND BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS IS NOT JUST ABOUT BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS WITH COUNTRIES ABROAD, WITH DIFFERENT ENTITIES, INDIVIDUALS OVERSEAS, IT'S BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS HERE IN THE COMMUNITY BECAUSE WE WORK TOGETHER TO EXTEND OUR OUTREACH. SO THERE'S A COUPLE OF THINGS HERE, FOR INSTANCE, YOU SEE THE TASK FORCE, TWO TASK FORCES MENTIONED.AROUND THE SAME TIME WE CREATED THE PHILIPPINES TASK FORCE WITH OUR LOCAL PHILIPPINE COMMUNITY, AND THEN WE ALSO CREATED JUST -- AND THIS WAS, OF COURSE, ABOUT TWO YEARS AGO WHEN EWDC, YOU GAVE US THE MANDATE TO GO AND WORK MORE ON OUR LATIN AMERICA STRATEGY. SO WE CREATED THE LATIN AMERICA TASK FORCE THAT HAS BEEN ACTIVE FOR ALMOST TWO YEARS. AND WE STARTED WITH FOSTERING RELATIONSHIPS AND LEARNING MORE ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING IN LATIN AMERICA, BUT PARTICULARLY WITH PANAMA AND COLOMBIA. THESE TWO TASK FORCES HAVE PREDOMINANTLY INVOLVED A LARGE NUMBER OF OUR COMMUNITY MEMBERS FROM DIFFERENT SECTORS, FROM BUSINESS TO EDUCATION TO CULTURE. WE WERE -- YOU KNOW, WE HAVE NOW CLOSED OUT THE PHILIPPINES TASK FORCE. THERE'S NOW A NON-PROFIT THAT'S BEEN CREATED NOW THAT WE HAVE SIGNED OUR SISTER CITY AGREEMENT WITH THE PHILIPPINES, AND THAT RELATIONSHIP IS GOING TO BE MAINTAINED IN LARGE PART WITH THE ACTIVE PARTICIPATION OF OUR FILIPINO AMERICAN COMMUNITY O THE LATIN AMERICAN TASK FORCE SIDE, WE'RE STILL WORKING ON UNDERSTANDING AND DEVELOPING AGAIN INITIATIVES AND TACTICS IN TERMS OF ENGAGING IN DIFFERENT AREAS. SO FOR INSTANCE OVER THE LAST TWO YEARS, WE LEARNED A LOT ABOUT WHAT WE WERE DOING IN SAN ANTONIO CONNECTING WITH LATIN AMERICA. MORE RECENTLY WE'RE NOW BRINGING IN SPEAKERS AND MEETING PEOPLE FROM OTHER PARTS OF LATIN AMERICA. WE DID GO TO LATIN AMERICA EARLIER IN THE FISCAL YEAR. AND THEN, OF COURSE, OUR SISTER CITY CULTURAL ENGAGEMENT. I WOULD SAY A LARGE PART OF THE WORK OF OUR DIPLOMACY AND PROTOCOL TEAM IS IN KIND OF MANAGING THOSE SISTER CITY CULTURAL ENGAGEMENTS, AND LAST WEEK -- ACTUALLY ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO WE HOSTED 40 YOUNG PEOPLE FROM DARMSTAG, GERMANY, WE WERE THE HOST CITY. WE HAD AN AMAZING EXCHANGE, LOTS OF COMMUNITY PARTNERS INVOLVED. AND THAT'S JUST ONE EXAMPLE OF THAT TYPE OF ENGAGEMENT.
ONE OF THE ONES I'M VERY PROUD OF IS DEVALIA USA. IT STARTED VOLUMING THE LOCAL INDIAN COMMUNITY BUT THE ATTENDEES ARE PRETTY MUCH MIXED WE HAVE AS MANY INDIAN AS NON-INDIANS ATTENDING THE DIVALIA EVERY YEAR. NOW, I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT OUR TRADE AND CULTURAL MISSIONS HERE. AND THEY PLAY A SMALL BUT OUTSIZED ROLE IN OUR EFFORTS TO MAKE DEEPER CONNECTIONS. WHILE LIMITED IN NUMBER, WE MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO ENGAGE OUR PARTNERS ON EDUCATION, BUSINESS AND CULTURAL LEVELS.
MOST RECENTLY AND IN A I LINE W THE METRO PRIORITY PLAN AND OUR LATIN AMERICAN STRATEGY, EDD HAS COORDINATED THREE TRADE AND CULTURAL MISSIONS TO FIVE COUNTRIES THAT HAVE BROUGHT MUCH VALUE TO OUR CITY. THESE COUNTRIES ARE ALL COUNTRIES WHERE WE HAVE SISTER CITIES. IT BEARS MENTIONING THERE HAVE ALSO BEEN TWO TARGETED MISSIONS ORGANIZED BY OUR PARTNERS, GREATER SATX ORGANIZED AN INVESTMENT MISSION TO JAPAN THE MAYOR PARTICIPATED IN, AND VISIT SAN ANTONIO ORGANIZED A TARGETED MISSION TO THE U.K. AND, OF COURSE, COUNCILMEMBER VIAGRAN, YOU WERE ONE OF THE PARTICIPANTS IN THAT MISSION. IN OCTOBER WE WENT TO PANAMA AND COLOMBIA, COUNCILMAN, WITH YOU, AND AGAIN IT WAS A VERY BROAD-BASED DELEGATION.
WE HAD HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS, CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, OF COURSE WE WERE WITH THE HISPANIC CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WHICH WAS OUR STRATEGIC PARTNER FOR THE
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TRADE MISSION AND WE WERE ABLE TO INTRODUCE SAN ANTONIO TO PANAMA CITY, BOGATA AND [INDISCERNIBLE]. IN DECEMBER WE WENT TO INDIA AS WELL AS DELHI.AND WHILE IN INDIA, WE HELD TWO ECONOMIC PROMOTION EVENTS. WE HAD BUSINESS OWNERS FROM DELHI COME TO HEAR PRESENTATIONS ABOUT SAN ANTONIO.
THAT WAS REALLY IMPORTANT, SPREADING THE WORD ABOUT SAN ANTONIO.
INDIA IS REALLY EMERGING AS A COUNTRY WHERE THERE'S A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT INTO THE UNITED STATES. WE HAD REPRESENTATIVES OF HIGHER EDUCATION, AGAIN OUR MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT, BUSINESS, AND WE ALSO ENGAGED IN BRE WHILE WE WERE IN INDIA AND RACK SPACE PRESENTATION. RACK SPACE HAS A BIG OFFICE IN S THE ONLY LARGE OWNED COMPANY AT PORT SAN ANTONIO. LAST MONTH WE WENT TO THE PHILIPPINES AND TAIWAN. AND IN THE PHILIPPINES WE SIGNED OUR SISTER CITY AGREEMENT WITH BAGIO AND MADE FUTURE ENGAGEMENT AND A BIG PART OF THAT IS HIGHER EDUCATION. WHEN IN OCTOBER WE SIGNED OUR FRIENDSHIP CITY AGREEMENT, U.T. HEALTH SIGNED AN AGREEMENT WITH ST. LOUIS UNIVERSITY IN BAGIO.
WHEN I TALK ABOUT LOCAL ENGAGEMENT, THE ROLE OF OUR EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS CANNOT BE UNDERSTATED. IN TAIWAN WE ENGAGED WITH OUR SISTER CITY AND IT HAD BEEN THE FIRST TIME A SAN ANTONIO MAYOR HAD VISITED IN MORE THAN 15 YEARS, AND WE LEARNED ABOUT THEIR URBAN RENEWAL PROJECTS AND THEIR REUSE OF SPACES TO CREATE A VIBRANT, LIVABLE CITY FOR OUR RESIDENTS. AND THEN, OF COURSE, WE NOW HAVE OTHER TRIPS PLANNED.
THIS WEEK WE'LL BE GOING TO MONTERREY IN MEXICO. MONTERREY, OF COURSE, IS OUR FIRST SISTER CITY. AND WE ARE GOING TO SUPPORT TWO MOUS THAT ARE GOING TO BE SIGNED THERE. AND THEN WE ARE GOING TO GO TO KOREA AT THE END OF OCTOBER.
AND KOREA IS VERY MUCH A MISSION THAT IS IN PARTNERSHIP WITH GREATER SATX, A BIG FOCUS ON INVESTMENT IN SEOUL, AND THEN, OF COURSE, ENGAGEMENT WITH OUR SISTER CITY.
AND THEN FINALLY, IN JANUARY THERE IS A -- THERE IS THE PLAN TO HAVE A MISSION TO PANAMA, SPECIFICALLY TO PANAMA CITY WITH OUR HIGHER EDUCATION SECTOR PRIMARILY.
AND THAT WILL BE AN OPPORTUNITY TO EXTEND, AGAIN, WHAT WE'RE DOING WITH LATIN AMERICA. NEXT YEAR IN 2024, WE WILL BE HOSTING THE ALL-AMERICA SUMMIT FOR SISTER CITIES INTERNATIONAL. AND THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT EVENT. I THINK VERY TIMELY AND IT'S GREAT SYNERGY WITH OUR CITY WITH WHAT WE'RE DOING AND OUR STRATEGY. WE HAVE ENGAGED MANY CITIES ACROSS TEXAS. WE WANT TO HAVE A GREAT TEXAS PARTICIPATION AT THE SUMMIT, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY WE LOUISIANA FORWARD TO BRINGING IN LEADERS, GRASS-ROOTS LEADERS, CULTURAL AND EDUCATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT LEADERS INTO SAN ANTONIO TO ATTEND THE SUMMIT. AND WE'RE ALREADY WORKING WITH EMBASSIES OF FOREIGN COUNTRIES IN THE AMERICAS AS WELL AS AMERICAN MISSIONS IN THESE COUNTRIES. THIS IS SOMETHING I THINK YOU ARE GOING TO HEAR MORE ABOUT AS WE GET CLOSER TO NEXT YEAR, BUT IT'S IMPORTANT BECAUSE CONFERENCES AND FORUMS HOSTING THEM IN SAN ANTONIO, LEVERAGING CONFERENCES AND FORUMS ARE ALL IMPORTANT EXAMPLES OF HOW WE ENGAGE AS PART OF OUR METRO PRIORITY PLAN.
I'M GOING TO CLOSE ON THIS SLIDE AND TAKE US TO THE FINAL PART OF MY PRESENTATION.
WHICH IS GOING TO BE FOCUSED ON OUR CASA SAN ANTONIO. YOU MAY OR MAY NOT BE AWARE THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO HAS HAD A PROGRAM IN MEXICO FOR MORE THAN 30 YEARS CALLED THE CASA SAN ANTONIO PROGRAM. AND THAT HAS BEEN PRIMARILY OVER THE YEARS BEEN A KIND OF SOLE FOCUS ON MEXICO. WE FOCUSED ON BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AND TRADE.
FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE, A LOT OF IT IS BRE SUPPORTING OUR LOCAL BUSINESSES WANT TO GO GROW THEIR EXPORT MARKETS. WE WORKED A RECRUITING COMPANIES INTERESTED IN EXPANDING AND WE SUPPORTED SAN ANTONIO DELEGATIONS THAT WOULD GO TO MEXICO.
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HOWEVER AND THAT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE HAVE DONE. WE HAVE EVOLVED OUR CASA SAN ANTONIO STRATEGY, AND SO NOW I'D LIKE TO KIND OF INTRODUCE TO YOU OUR NEW MISSION STATEMENT. WHICH IS TO PROMOTE THE ATTRACTION OF FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT INTO SAN ANTONIO BY DEVELOPING RELATIONSHIPS AND VISIBILITY IN STRATEGIC MARKETS. THE EVOLUTION OF THE CASA SAN ANTONIO SUPPORTS THE NUMBER ONE GOAL OF THE EDD STREAM FRAMEWORK WHICH IS RETAIN, EXPAND AND ATTRACT BUSINESSES WITHIN EACH STRATEGIC CLUSTER, PROVIDE MORE EFFECTIVE SMALL BUSINESS SUPPORT AND FACILITATE INNOVATION ENTREPRENEURSHIP. SO THIS HELPS US AGAIN TO REALLY BE IN A POSITION TO -- TO HAVE SAN ANTONIO POSITIONED AS A RISING INTERNATIONAL CITY, INCREASE FDI BIDDING OFF OUR METRO PRIORITY PLAN. SO HERE ON THIS PARTICULAR, MY FINAL SLIDE HERE, I WANTED TO SHOW YOU THAT -- WHAT WE HAVE DONE AS PART OF THE EVOLUTION OF CASA IS WE KNOW -- WE HAVE SCALED BACK OUR OPERATIONS IN MEXICO AND WE NOW HAVE A VIRTUAL OFFICE THERE. IT ALLOWS US TO PIVOT NOT JUST BE FOCUSED IN ONE GEOGRAPHIC AREA. WE ARE NOT PULLING BACK FROM MEXICO, WE'RE JUST BEING MORE FLEXIBLE HOW WE ENGAGE AND HAVE PROJECT-BASED ENGAGEMENT WHEN IT COMES TO MEXICO.BUT NOW UNDER THE UMBRELLA OF CASA SAN ANTONIO, WE ARE MANAGING OUR FDI, CASA SAN ANTONIO, WE ARE KIND OF IT TAKES ON ALL THE MARKETS THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT THROUGH THE METRO PRIORITY PLAN AND SOME ADDITIONAL ONES BASED ON TRENDS THAT, AS I MENTIONED EARLIER ON. SO HERE, FOR INSTANCE, YOU WILL SEE A LISTING OF SOME OF OUR TARGET MARKETS THAT WILL -- ARE PORT OF OUR STRATEGY.
JAPAN HAS MORE YEARS ONE OF OUR -- WE HAVE SUPPORTED PROMOTING FDI IN JAPAN FOR MANY YEARS. MORE RECENTLY WE'VE BEEN ENGAGING WITH KOREA.
AND THIS MONTH WE HAVE TAKEN A VERY IMPORTANT NEXT STEP AND WE HAVE -- WE HAVE ESTABLISHED A CONSULTANT IN BOGATA, COLOMBIA, THAT WILL DEEPEN RELATION SLIPS -- RELATIONSHIPS. WHAT'S EXCITING ABOUT THIS INITIATIVE, IT IS WITH A GROUP THAT HAS STRONG LINKS TO SAN ANTONIO. AND MANY OF YOU HAVE HEARD OF DAVID FONSECA. HE IS NOW OUR CONSULTANT IN COLOMBIA UNDER MISS FIT VENTURES. SO WE ARE EXCITED BECAUSE THEY HAVE AN EXTENSIVE NETWORK, CULTURAL AWARENESS AND THE BUSINESS ACUMEN TO BE SUCCESSFUL AND BUILD ON THE WORK OF THE LATIN AMERICAN TASK FORCE THAT HAS BEEN IN FORCE TORE THE LAST TWO YEARS.
SO WITH THAT, I HOPE THAT KIND OF GIVES YOU A LITTLE BIT OF AN UPDATE OF WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING. I THINK I'D LIKE TO FINISH BY SAYING LAST WEEK, OF COURSE, WHEN I KNOW IT'S BEEN REFERENCED, COUNCILMAN, AT THE FLIGHT, THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE FIRST TRANSATLANTIC FLIGHT BETWEEN THE UNITED STATES AND GERM ME, IT'S A TRANSFORMATIVE ANNOUNCEMENT. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE WORK THAT WE DO GLOBALLY.
WHEN WE TALK ABOUT BUSINESS, JUST THE EDUCATION CONNECTIONS, IT'S EVERYTHING.
IT'S TOURISM. BUT I LOVE TO POINT OUT AND SAY THAT IS ONE OF THE OUTCOMES THAT WE HAD FORESEEN IN OUR METRO PRIORITY PLAN. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT HOW DO WE VISUALIZE SUCCESS, THAT DIRECT FLIGHT IS AN EXAMPLE OF SUCCESS.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR ATTENTION AND I DO -- I WILL BE DISTRIBUTING -- I KNOW SOME OF YOU HAVE SEEN THIS BEFORE. IT'S -- I CALL IT MY LITTLE BIBLE.
THE PASS PORT SAN ANTONIO METRO PRIORITY PLAN. I HAVE BROUGHT SOME THAT I WILL SHARE WITH YOU SO YOU CAN JUST LOOK AT WHAT I HAVE REFERENCED TO YOU EARLIER ABOUT OUR STRATEGY. AND THEN MORE RECENTLY WE JUST CAME OUT WITH MARKETING COLLATERAL ABOUT WHAT THE CITY OF SAN ANTONIO IS DOING GLOBALLY AND WE'LL PASS THIS ON TO YOU AS WELL. WITH THAT, THANK YOU VERY MUCH, AND THAT CONCLUDES MY
PRESENTATION. >> PELÁEZ: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
COUNCILMEMBER WHYTE, ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS? >> WHYTE: ONE QUESTION IS
JUST SISTER CITY, FRIENDSHIP CITY, WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE? >> THAT'S A GREAT QUESTION WAS WE GET THAT QUESTION A LOT. IN THE OVERALL, CITIES MANAGE THEIR PROGRAMS DIFFERENTLY,
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BUT USUALLY FRIENDSHIP CITIES ARE THE LESS FORMAL RELATIONSHIP.WE TEND TO CALL THEM AS KIND OF IN OUR PROCESS, WHEN WE ENGAGE IN A RELATIONSHIP AND CEMENT THE RELATIONSHIPS, WE TAKE IT IN STAGES. SO WE START WITH MAYBE AN MOU, AN AGREEMENT TO COLLABORATE IN A CERTAIN AREA PROJECT BASED AND THEN WE GRADUATE TO A FRIENDSHIP CITY RELATIONSHIP. SO NOT AS FORMAL AND THE DIFFERENCE BEING THE MAYOR HAS TO SIGN THE AGREEMENT, BUT IT'S NOT SOMETHING THAT GOES TO ORDINANCE, TO CITY COUNCIL.
AND THEN WHEN THERE'S A DECISION TO REALLY MAKE THERE'S A FORMAL RELATIONSHIP THAT'S APPROVED BY CITY COUNCIL, THAT'S WHEN IT BECOMES A SISTER CITY
RELATIONSHIP. >> WHYTE: THANKS. >> CASTILLO: COUNCILMEMBER
CASTILLO. >> CASTILLO: NOTHING. >> VIAGRAN: COUNCILMEMBER
VIAGRAN. >> VIAGRAN: THANK YOU. I LOOK FORWARD TO THE TRIP.
>> PELÁEZ: SHERRY, I NOTICED YOUR SLIDE WHERE YOU HAD THE BREAKOUT OF THE METRO PRIORITY PLAN. LET'S SEE. I'LL JUST POINT OUT --
>> IS THIS ONE? >> PELÁEZ: YEAH. I DON'T SEE INDIA MENTIONED IN
THERE. >> YES, YOU ARE RIGHT, INDIA DID NOT MAKE
>> PELÁEZ: DO WE NEED TO -- DO WE AS A COMMITTEE NEED TO UPDATE THE PLAN OR --
>> NO, NO, INDIA IS PART OF IT. ALL OF OUR SISTER CITIES, IT
JUST DIDN'T MAKE IT ON TO THE SLIDE. >> PELÁEZ: ALL RIGHT.
AND THEN WITH REGARDS TO INDIA, I'LL TELL YOU I'VE ALWAYS WORRIED THAT WE'VE PAID A LOT OF ATTENTION TO -- TO THE MEXICO AT THE SOLUTION OF SOME OTHER COUNTRIES THAT MAY BE PRODUCING MORE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. AND I KNOW SAN ANTONIO IS A CITY WITH AN AFFINITY FOR MEXICO AND THAT'S GREAT AND I LOVE IT AND I HAVE AN AFFINITY FOR MEXICO AS WELL. BUT I WANT TO HEAR A PLAN GOING FORWARD HOW WE ARE GOING TO EXPAND OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS, NOT JUST OUR CITY AND, YOU KNOW, CULTURAL OUTREACH, BUT OUR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS IN INDIA MORE DELIBERATELY.
WHEN WE WERE IN INDIA, THE MAYOR AND I CAME ACROSS THE FACT THERE'S OTHER CITIES, U.S. CITIES WITH PERMANENT OFFICES THERE BECAUSE THEY'VE MANAGED TO FIGURE OUT YOU CAN MINE FOR GOLD IN THOSE HILLS. AND I THINK WE OFFER SOMETHING THAT MAYBE OTHER CITIES DON'T.
WE'RE CYBERSECURITY USA, AND, YOU KNOW, I HATE STEREOTYPES, BUT IN THE INFERENCE OF INDIA, IT'S TRUE. THEY'VE THROWN THEMSELVES ALL IN ON I.T. AND CYBERSECURITY AND THEY ARE THE WORLD EXPERTS IN THIS. AND NUMBER TWO, WE ARE A MAJOR DESTINATION FOR INDIAN STUDENTS WHO COME HERE TO STUDY, YOU KNOW, ENGINEERING, COME HERE TO STUDY MEDICAL SCHOOL, NURSING AND UTSA. SO WHAT IS THE PLAN?
>> SO I'M GOING TO GO BACK TO MY LAST SLIDE AND I APOLOGIZE IF I WASN'T ABLE TO CONVEY IT PROPERLY. BUT INDIA IS IN OUR PLAN. AND WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TALK ABOUT IT'S NOT JUST -- AGAIN, I'M GOING TO OPEN IT UP IF SARA WANTS TO JUMP IN AND ADD ANYTHING, BUT GREATER SATX OBVIOUSLY IS FOCUSING ON CERTAIN COUNTRIES, AND THEN WE ARE FOCUSING ON OTHER COUNTRIES WITH THEM AND ALSO OTHER COUNTRIES SUCH AS LATIN AMERICA THAT WE'RE DOING SEPARATELY. WE ARE WORKING IN TANDEM WITH EACH OTHER AND, OF COURSE, WE ARE AIMING TO -- TO TARGET INDIA WHETHER IT'S THIS YEAR OR NEXT YEAR AS PART OF OUR FDI STRATEGY. WITH CONSULTANTS.
BECAUSE IT'S REALLY ABOUT -- INSTEAD OF HAVING -- WHEREAS IN MEXICO WE HAD AN OFFICE, WHAT HAPPENED I THINK THAT WE FELT THAT THAT MODEL HAD GONE A BIT OUTDATED.
IT WAS REALLY MORE EFFECTIVE TO HAVE CONSULTANTS THAT WE COULD WORK WITH AND PIVOT WITH. AND SO THE CONSULTANT-BASED MODEL WE'RE HOPING TO BE ABLE
TO EXPAND INTO SOME OF THESE OTHER COUNTRIES. >> PELÁEZ: THE OTHER THING TOO IS WE HAVE SO MANY DIFFERENT AFFINITY GROUPS, MULTI ETHNIC, MULTINATIONAL, ALL WHO IDENTIFY QUITE PASSIONATE WITH THOSE DIFFERENT CULTURES.
CZECK REPUBLIC. I GUARANTEE THEY WILL BE APPROACHED FROM TIME TO TIME THEY COME AND ASK FOR A MULTI CURL CENTER, A PLACE -- CULTURAL CENTER, A PLACE WHERE
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THEIR CULTURES CAN BE CELEBRATED WITH EVENTS, WORK SHARE SPACE WHERE THEY CAN OFFICE OUT OF THERE AND WHERE THEY CAN GET SERVICES. LIKE, YOU KNOW, IMMIGRATION ASSISTANCE OR ASSISTANCE TO SMALL BUSINESSES, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHOSE OWNERS ARE MEMBERS OF THESE ORGANIZATIONS. I DO THINK THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER CITIES OUR SIZE WHO HAVE INVEST UNDERSTAND MULTICULTURAL CENTERS AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY WE HAVEN'T IN THE PAST SO I THINK THERE'S TIME FOR A CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. LOOKING FORWARD TO SEE WHATELSE YOU HAVE IN STORE. GOOD JOB. >> THANK YOU.
>> PELÁEZ: ALEX, I THINK WE'RE SET. >> IT'S REALLY INSIDE NUMBER 8, AND I STRUGGLE AS WE HAVE CONVERSATIONS AND AS WE WERE PREPARING FOR TODAY'S PRESENTATION, THE IDEA OF, YOU KNOW, WE SAY CASA SAN ANTONIO AND WE THINK OF THE MEXICO CITY OFFICE. BECAUSE FOR SO MANY DECADES, THAT'S REALLY WHAT IT WAS.
BUT IF YOU SEE THAT REVISED SCOPE, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO SEE HOW WE IMPLEMENT IT IN ALL OF THOSE TARGET MARKETS THAT ARE ON THE NEXT SLIDE.
SO IT'S A LOT, BUT IT'S A DIFFERENT STRATEGY. SO WHAT I WOULD ENCOURAGE US TO THINK, WHEN YOU THINK CASA, DON'T JUST THINK OF MEXICO AND NOW JUST DON'T THINK OF LATIN AMERICA. IT'S GOING TO BE OUR APPROACH TO INTERNATIONAL, CULTURAL AND BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT THROUGH THESE DIFFERENT TACTICS AND UNDERSTANDING IN SOME OF THEM THEY ARE MUCH MORE MATURE AND MAY BE MORE INTENTIONAL. FOR EXAMPLE, IN-COUNTRY CONSULTANTS FOR SOME OF THEM, IT MAY BE TRADE SHOWS. IT MAY BE SOMETHING WHERE WE START THAT INTRODUCTION AND CONVERSATION. I JUST WANT TO -- I DON'T KNOW, I'M STILL THINKING IN MY MIND BECAUSE MAYBE I'M THE ONLY ONE THAT DOES IT WHEN IT COMES TO CASA, I'M JUST THINKING -- EVEN THE LANGUAGE, THE WORD ITSELF BEING SPANISH, I AUTOMATICALLY THINK OF JUST A CERTAIN PART OF THE WORD. I WOULD ENCOURAGE THE COMMITTEE TO REALLY THINK BEYOND AND IF THERE'S AREAS YOU SHERIFF WE SHOULD BE FOCUSING -- THANK YOU FOR HIGHLIGHTING INDIA. IF THERE'S ANY OTHER AREAS YOU THINK WE SHOULD BE FOCUSING, WE APPRECIATE THAT FEEDBACK. WE'VE GOT A LOT OF DATA FROM A COUPLE YEARS AGO THAT SUPPORTED THE AREAS WE WERE SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ON.
THE WORLD HAS CHANGED AND WE ARE ABSOLUTELY OPEN TO PIVOTING WHERE WE NEED TO
PIVOT. >> PELÁEZ: I WILL SAY PART OF THAT IS GOING THIS THIS AMERICAS SUMMIT IN MARCH AND YOU ALL ARE INVITED AND I HOPE YOU SHOW UP AND PARTICIPATE.
SHERRY, WE NEED TO HAVE A DISCUSSION INCLUDING COLLEAGUES ON PANELS THAT TALK ABOUT WHAT SAN ANTONIO IS DOING AS FAR AS, YOU KNOW, LEADING THE WAY NATIONALLY ON ISSUES LIKE HOUSING. ON GETTING BACK TO WORK, CYBERSECURITY.
REDEVELOPING, YOU KNOW, CLOSED AIR FORCE BASES INTO BROOKS OR THE PORT AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
I WANT TO START THOSE CONVERSATION NOW AND MAKE SURE THAT THIS EVENT IS ON EVERYBODY'S CALENDAR. WE'RE GOING TO HAVE THE MAYORS AND CITY COUNCILMEMBERS FROM ALL THESE CITIES ALL OVER THE WESTERN HEMISPHERE AND MAJOR CORPORATE REPRESENTATION FROM ALL OVER THE HEMISPHERE TO TRY TO GET IN FRONT. I THINK IT'S AN OPPORTUNITY TO LEARN BUT ALSO SHOW OFF WHAT MAKES US US. I THINK THAT BRINGS US TO THE
END OF ANOTHER MEETING. >> WE DID HAVE ONE MORE ITEM, WE WERE VERY AGGRESSIVE WITH THIS AGENDA. WE'LL PUSH IT TO
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.