President POV
Local businesses are the backbone of any local economy, driving job growth and building community. That is especially true right here in our San Antonio region.
While our greater:SATX corporate recruitment efforts are what often grab headlines, the bulk of Texas’ new job growth comes from existing businesses. In fact, approximately 80 percent of new jobs added each year are created by local firms. That means that in 2023, local businesses likely accounted for more than 29,000 of the 36,700 jobs added in the San Antonio region. In addition, a recent report found that 34% of businesses in the San Antonio-New Braunfels MSA are family-owned, making this region only one of three metropolitan areas in the country where a third of businesses are family-owned. This is something that makes our community proud.
Our team is committed to supporting our local businesses. In fact, it’s at the core of how modern economic development organizations (EDOs) deliver on a core mission to drive job growth. More and more, EDOs nationally are taking a leading role in developing their place to continue driving quality job growth through both corporate recruitment and local business retention and expansion. Together, these efforts enhance the product we’re selling, the San Antonio region, by fostering a greater community and environment for the businesses already here and those we’ll attract in the future.
Through our business advancement efforts, we work to ensure businesses have what they need to continue growing right here in SATX. Business advancement—known in the economic development space as business retention and expansion—encompasses everything from workforce development and international business development to infrastructure support and everything in between.
To support local businesses’ international market expansion and, in turn, grow jobs here locally, our Export Leaders program connects businesses to local experts and new markets. Our 2024 Export Leaders cohort is comprised of eight companies representing tech, cybersecurity, and consumer packaged goods. They have made two trips to Mexico this year, visiting Monterrey and Guadalajara, and will make two more trips later this year to connect directly with potential clients.
Getting to Mexico is easier and more efficient because of business advancement efforts undertaken by greater:SATX and our partners. As more SATX-based businesses do business in and around Queretaro, the need for direct air service grew. We took notice and worked with colleagues at the San Antonio International Airport to successfully establish a nonstop flight to the region.
Germany is our region’s most underserved country. Beyond the military ties, Germany is home to several major industries that have a presence in the SATX region. Starting next month, military contractors, servicemembers, and industry representatives will be able to get to Germany directly from San Antonio without having to transit another U.S. airport. That is business advancement in action.
The greater:SATX team meets with local businesses every week to learn about their growth opportunities and how we can best support them as they create jobs here at home. When we’re supporting our local businesses, our San Antonio region can continue to grow as an ideal place for any business to grow and succeed.
Together, we can advance business and create a thriving economy for future generations.
Greater Together,
Jenna Saucedo-Herrera
Regional Updates
Fiesta San Antonio – A Party with a Purpose
San Antonio’s iconic Fiesta is an 11-day community-wide festival full of parades, carnivals, and great food. Beginning with the first Battle of Flowers event in 1891, Fiesta San Antonio has grown to more than 100 events that generate more than $340 million for nonprofits across the region.
Investor Spotlight: Salsa De Leon
Salsa De Leon is a family-owned and operated business located in Canyon Lake, Texas. They have been crafting and sharing their salsa with family and friends for more than 20 years. The product line includes three roasted salsas: Texas Mild, Hot and Habanero Hot. They use fresh ingredients in their salsa, and they do not use fillers or vinegar, and they are low in sodium and sugar.
In March 2024, Salsa De Leon was inducted into the H.E.B. Hall of Fame Million Dollar Club and awarded the esteemed belt buckle for achieving over one million dollars in sales (+$1.4M). Salsa De Leon is one of only fifty-five H.E.B. Quest for Texas Best suppliers to achieve this sales mark since the contest started ten years ago.
In the News
Europe’s largest cybersecurity conference coming to San Antonio in 2025: Europe’s largest cybersecurity conference is coming to Cyber City, USA, next year, and it's expected to bring more than 20,000 attendees from around the world. The InCyber Forum — an international group of cyber professionals, leaders and policymakers — will hold its annual conference June 17-18, 2025, in San Antonio.
SwRI building space fueling station for Astroscale, Space Force: The nonprofit research organization’s growing space program will build, integrate and test a small demonstration fueling spacecraft as a subcontractor for Astroscale U.S., a Denver-based space services company, as part of a $25.5 million contract with the U.S. Space Force. The Astroscale Prototype Servicer for Refueling, or APS-R, will fly in geostationary orbit — in sync with the Earth’s rotation — where it will be able to refuel spacecraft with hydrazine.
National, multibillion-dollar IT firm opens Port San Antonio location: Peraton Inc., an enterprise IT service provider based in Herndon, Virginia, has opened an office in the Capital Factory at Port San Antonio. The office, which is strategically located near defense contractors, cybersecurity providers and the Sixteenth Air Force, a United States Air Force organization focused on information warfare, will help deepen its existing relationships in the Alamo City and "fuel synergies with federal agencies, industry, academia, and San Antonio's tech corridor."
San Antonio eyes European expansion: Local leaders forge paths in Germany and the U.K. for growth: A contingency of leaders from greater:SATX, Visit San Antonio and San Antonio International Airport is making a hard push to land European companies, offices and foreign direct investment. Representatives of those organizations who were in London and Frankfurt in recent days believe Germany and the U.K. are ripe for such recruitment as international interest in Texas and San Antonio is on the rise.
San Antonio City Council OKs subsidies for employers to train their workers: The City Council signed off on a nearly $3 million subsidy for area employers to train new and current employees — a move the city calls a natural extension of its slow-moving jobs program. That money will be split between 31 companies to provide on-the-job training for 1,371 area workers — a mix of new hires and existing employees.
Visit SA launches U.S. push to land lucrative group business: Visit San Antonio is taking a new pitch directly to more U.S. markets in a bid to wrangle lucrative convention and trade show business from competing destinations. The turf Visit San Antonio plans to cover includes Seattle and San Francisco because of their strong corporate base, as well as Chicago and Washington, D.C., home to many associations.
Victory Capital announces $104B deal with French asset manager: Victory Capital, a financial services firm based in San Antonio, is entering an agreement that will extend its reach across the globe. It announced plans for a 15-year partnership with Amundi, a French asset manager. The two companies entered a nonbinding memorandum of understanding outlining terms of a deal that is expected to close by the end of the year.
New Forbes list says H-E-B, USAA have biggest 'social impact': Forbes has released its updated list of U.S. companies that are "doing good" for the communities where they've planted roots and two San Antonio companies have made it in the top 10 out of 300 companies. H-E-B landed in the No. 3 spot and insurance giant USAA made the No. 6 spot on the list of Best Brands for Social Impact.
UTSA economic development institute infuses $2.6B into Texas economy in 2023, report states: A University of Texas at San Antonio program that helps small businesses across the region infused $2.6 billion into the state’s economy last year, according to its latest economic impact report. The Valdez Institute for Economic Development — housed at UTSA’s downtown campus — uses federal, state and local funding to support small-business owners across 10 centers that serve 79 counties between El Paso and Corpus Christi, including the San Antonio area.