Business executives searching for a corporate home in the Dallas-Fort Worth area should take a close look at Frisco, especially if they do business in one of the sectors that Frisco’s economic development team deems a good fit: technology, finance, energy or recreation.
“We’ve developed seven industry targets,” said Jim Gandy, president of the Frisco Economic Development Corp. “These include companies that are in computers and electronics, medical devices, telecommunications, software and media, financial services, entertainment and recreation, and renewable energy. Those are the types of companies we’re most interested in attracting to Frisco.”
Gandy said his group has comprehensively analyzed Frisco’s economy and demographics, and those seven sectors make the most sense in regard to the types of companies to attract to the city.
“Over the years, we’ve done numerous studies, sort of an internal audit of Frisco’s strengths and opportunities,” he said. “And when you look at all the things Frisco has to offer, from location to low cost of doing business to the availability of a knowledgeable, skilled work force, these types of companies match up really well.”
Gandy emphasized Frisco’s demographics as the key asset it provides companies doing business in the North Dallas suburb.
“Our average age is 34, and over 50 percent of our population over the age of 25 has at least a bachelor’s degree,” he said. “So our citenzry is very young and very well-educated. It’s a readily available, skilled work force.”
And that pool of workers is growing quickly: The U.S. Census Bureau ranked Frisco as the fastest-growing city in the United States for the period 2000-2009. And on top of that, Frisco has abundant undeveloped land for companies looking to build new headquarters.
“In the 2010 census, our population was about 117,000,” he said. “In 2000, it was 33,714. So from 2000 to 2010, we grew by 247 percent. And we have 72 square miles of land, of which 54 percent is still raw land, so there’s a lot of development that will occur in Frisco over the next 20 years.”
Finally, Gandy says location is always a key factor in deciding where to base a business, and Frisco offers advantages there, as well.
“It always floats to the top that we’re talking about our location,” he said. “Our ease of proximity to or from anywhere in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, and our proximity to DFW Airport. Also, being located in the Central Time Zone gives you a lot of conveniences for traveling to the East Coast or West Coast, which in most cases can be a day trip — out for a meeting and back in one day.”
How to reach: Frisco Economic Development Corp., (972) 292-5000 or www.friscoedc.com
QUICK INFO
Counties: Collin and Denton
Incorporated: 1908
Population: 116,989 (2010 Census)
Land area: 72 square miles
Government system: Council-Manager
Mayor: Maher Maso
City Manager: George Purefoy
Web: www.ci.frisco.tx.us
