2 min read November 2022 — With the launch of the incubator, Das GreenHaus, set to open in January, the Boerne Kendall County Economic Development Corporation is focused on creating a space for businesses and entrepreneurs to grow. Invest: spoke with Amy Story, president and CEO of the corporation, about the milestones, economic and workforce development and the sustainability of the county.
What are the key highlights and achievements of the EDC over the last year?
Our biggest accomplishment has been facilitating the launch of Kendall County’s first business incubator Das GreenHaus, which is projected to open in January 2023. This will be a space for start-up companies to get mentorship, education, support, networking and physical space in which to launch their businesses. One of our primary focuses has been establishing our community as a hub for entrepreneurs. We launched an Angel Network in 2020 and are adding Das GreenHaus, which is the next phase in what we can offer entrepreneurs.
We have seen continuous project activity, with around 40 businesses considering Kendall County for their business location at the present time. Last year, we announced the location of Baptist Healthcare System, which will be opening Kendall County’s first stand-alone hospital. This announcement is a significant one for our community and its quality of life. We are seeing a number of businesses that are looking for locations outside of metro areas and Boerne Kendall County seems to be on their radar. The quality of projects looking at Kendall County is quite strong. We tend to be a strong fit for midsized opportunities that don’t require large footprints and we continue to see projects of that size with real interest in our community.
What are the areas of opportunities for the EDC?
A primary area of opportunity for the EDC would be to further distinguish Kendall County as a location of choice for entrepreneurs. We have a skilled workforce with a highly educated population, with the majority of the people living in our community commuting elsewhere for work. Our focus is on generating quality job opportunities for people to both live and work here, and a key component of that strategy is setting ourselves up as that hub of entrepreneurial activity.
What are the challenges for economic development?
The challenges we face are similar to those of other communities: workforce, expensive land and lack of available building inventory beyond a certain size. This is why we have focused our efforts on seeding companies here and having them grow organically while finding space for them as they grow. We have found this to be an effective recruitment strategy for the EDC.
What are the economic drivers for Boerne Kendall County?
What we’ve realized is that quality of life matters to the business decision-makers and it’s important to get these businesses out here to see what the community has to offer. Of our five target industries, breweries, wineries and distilleries have taken off in terms of sheer project numbers. We have a healthy tourism sector, where people come to visit the community because of its charm and location, and many decide to stay. Access to seed funding, strong mentorship and having a space to grow will allow entrepreneurs to continue to locate here and help fuel our local economy.
Regarding budgeting and fiscal prudence, what takes precedence from an EDC standpoint?
We are a little different from most economic development organizations in that we are a membership organization, so we do not receive any portion of sales tax funding. We consistently have to prioritize what is most important for us to meet our economic development goals, such as project support, marketing and participation in the San Antonio regional marketing partnership. This partnership has allowed us to leverage our resources with our peer communities while demonstrating all that the community and the region have to offer.
What are the pressing needs regarding infrastructure for the county’s sustainability?
Boerne Kendall County has been one of the fastest-growing communities for several years, both within the state and in the nation, and it continues to be so. With this comes infrastructure challenges. Thankfully, we have city and county leadership that recognizes we have to plan for the future, which has led to committees focused on transportation, water, greenspace and other infrastructure needs. We continue working with TXDOT to support the community’s transportation planning which is an issue that needs to be factored in as development occurs.
What are some of the legislative priorities for the EDC?
Local control is something we would like to see more of on the legislative front. A one-size-fits-all solution when it comes to dealing with rapid growth and development doesn’t necessarily work in fast-growth communities such as Kendall County. Putting control in the hands of the people who represent the community would certainly be a benefit to Kendall County.
What partnerships do you have in place for workforce development?
The jobs of the future are ever-changing, so we need to ensure that our students are prepared for what the workforce looks like now and in the future. We are looking at the partnerships and resources that exist and what we can do as a community to fill that pipeline with employable people for the businesses that will come.
The school districts have also done a great job in supporting students who will attend vocational schools, trade schools or enter the workforce directly by creating pathways that enable them to find jobs that provide family-sustaining wages. We’ve worked closely with IC2 and University of Texas’ Home to Texas Program, which focuses on rural economic development and is designed to match students with employers, allowing them to see what opportunities exist in their home communities. We tend to see our students leave either for college or to start a career, so we want to show them that they don’t have to leave the area to be successful.
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