Gov. Perry Speaks at East Texas Economic Development Summit

Thank you, Governor Dewhurst, and thank you for your unshakeable commitment to building a stronger, more prosperous Texas.

It is great to be here in Texas with a group of people who are investing their time and resources in drawing even more business to our state.

Granted, some people outside the state might only think of Dallas or Houston when they hear the word “Texas” but there’s a whole lot going on in this part of the state as well.

Despite the effects of the global economic crisis, we have a pretty good story to tell here ’re telling it at the right time as employers in other states and countries look for better economic conditions.

I’m not minimizing the impact of the world’s economic struggles because there are people across this country and in our state who are trying to figure out how to find a job.

However, I’m concerning myself with ways to create real jobs and not just the legislative shell games that get played in Washington. That’s why I am optimistic about our state’s prospects and willing to tell anyone who will listen that the land of opportunity still exists.

There is still a place where jobs are welcome where taxes are low regulations are predictable and frivolous lawsuits a rare occurrence.

That place is Texas and we are all proud to sing her praises.

We’re proud to talk about a state where government leaders have embraced the principles of cutting spending investing in job creation and strengthening our school system to groom the workforce of the future.

At the same time, we have been willing to invest resources where appropriate creating jobs with the Texas Enterprise Fund and fostering new, potentially profitable technologies with our Emerging Technology Fund. This fund has been used to take great ideas born of the sharp minds in our universities and guide them into the marketplace where they can improve lives and, hopefully, turn a profit.

This climate of innovation here in Texas has been attracting employers who are being chased out of other states and giving them a chance to excel with a lot less government interference.

When they get here, they’re finding that our doors and our arms are wide open to welcome them and our high tech workforce is getting stronger by the day.

My goal is to keep making it stronger.

Just recently, I announced an initiative to double the size of our education programs that teach high schoolers the STEM disciplines those would be science, technology, engineering and math. We need our young people to be world-class in those subjects so our workforce has the skills that employers increasingly seek in the high tech economy.

Earlier this year, the Legislature passed House Bill 51 which laid out the road map to increasing top-tier research universities in our state.

This plan gives the leaders of our emerging research universities a clearly-marked path to certification and ties funding to key accountability measures like procurement of matching funding and the attainment of key measures like degrees actually awarded, instead of students enrolled.

Just the other day, Texas voters threw their support behind this effort and took the next step required to move Texas toward the top of top-educating states by approving Proposition 4.

This effort to increase the number of research universities meshes perfectly with what we’ve been doing and will continue to do with our Emerging Technology Fund and the other economic development tools at our disposal.

We also have essential job retention tools like the Texas Enterprise Zone Program where ten projects have been approved and will result in nearly half a billion in capital investment.

Since 2005, we have approved close to $44 million in Loan and Bond Projects for East Texas.
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As we sing the praises of our beloved state, people might think we’re exaggerating but we have documentation to back up our claims including some found in a number of prominent business publications.

For example, there’s CEO Magazine, which has identified Texas as the best place to do business for the past four years.

There’s also Moody’s Economy, which just included seven Texas metro areas in their list of “first cities to emerge from recession.”

I tend to agree with Forbes Magazine, which just included all four major Texas metropolitan areas Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston, Austin, and San Antonio in the Top 10 of their list: “America's Recession-Proof Cities to Retire In.”

Bottom line, the word is out on Texas and the word is good.

Granted, we have our share of challenges because nobody is immune to some of the toughest economic conditions we’ve seen.

However, this year, we have also seen companies head to Texas bringing with them jobs investment and hope for tomorrow. During your time here together, I encourage you to stay positive, yet committed to the hard work it’s taking to weather this economic storm.

Keep building relationships, strengthening your networks, and figuring out ways to multiply your effectiveness with teamwork.

I also encourage you to seek out expert advice from people who not only understand economic fundamentals but are keeping a finger on the pulse of today’s economy.

We have a man with us here today that fits that description to a “t.”

He brings a Texas pragmatism to the stuffy halls of academia and a shrewd knowledge of human nature to his study of economic trends.

Please join me in welcoming our keynote speaker President and CEO of The Perryman Group in Waco Dr. Ray Perryman.