[00:00:01]
COURT DIRECTORS FOR THE
[A. REGULAR SESSION ]
CORPORATION IS HEREBY CALL TO ORDER ON THIS THURSDAY, UM, AUGUST THE 22ND AT 6:13 PM UH, AND TONIGHT WE'RE GONNA HAVE A NOTIFICATION FROM, UM, OUR, UH, DISTINGUISHED BOARD MEMBER AND PASTOR, UH, PASTOR BUR, PLEASE.FATHER, WE'RE GRATEFUL FOR THIS, UM, OPPORTUNITY TO COME TOGETHER AS LEADERS FOR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.
GOD, WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE EXPERIENCES COLLECTIVELY AND INDIVIDUALLY, AND THE OPPORTUNITY, GOD, TO LOOK FORWARD, UH, AND TO WORK FOR OUR CITY.
WE ASK NOW FOR CLARITY OF THOUGHT IN MIND, GOD, THAT, UH, THE WORK THAT IS DONE IN THIS PLACE WILL BENEFIT THE CITIZENS OF DESOTO.
UH, WE PRAY THESE AND OTHER BLESSING.
UH, AND, AND WHILE HE'S GRIEVING HIS FATHER'S LOSS, WE PRAY FOR TRAVELING.
GRACE, THANK YOU FOR, UM, FOR THOSE WHO ARE IN CHICAGO AND WHO ARE TRAVELING, WE ASK NOW THAT YOU'LL BRING THEM BACK TO US SAFELY.
THESE ANOTHER BLESSINGS WE PRAY IN JESUS' NAME, AMEN.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, UH, PASTOR PER WE APPRECIATE THAT.
WE'RE OF, UM, COMFORT AND, UH, COVERING, IF YOU WILL FOR US ALL AND,
[B.1. Finance Status Reports June & July 2024. Tracy Cormier, Managing Director Financial Services. ]
UH, AS WE PROCEED TO OUR REGULAR AGENDA AND OUR NEW BUSINESS ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION AND OR POSSIBLE ACTION.UM, WE HAVE OUR FINANCE STATUS AT THIS TIME, UH, FOR JUNE AND JULY, 2024.
UH, FROM, UH, TRACY CORMIER, UH, MANAGING DIRECTOR OF FINANCIAL SERVICES FOR US, PLEASE.
ALRIGHT, UH, GOOD EVENING EVERYONE.
UM, PAGE 13 IS, WAS STARTED TO JUNE REPORT, AND WE CAN START OFF WITH THE REVENUE.
UM, TODAY THROUGH JUNE, YOU HAVE COLLECTED, UH, 76% OF YOUR REVENUE FOR THE BUDGET YEAR.
UM, THE SALES TAX, WE RECEIVED 217,000 1 65 IN ADDITIONAL REVENUE COMPARED TO THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR.
AND WITH THE INTEREST REVENUE, WE RECEIVED $182,316 OF ADDITIONAL REVENUE COMPARED TO THIS TIME LAST YEAR.
SO REVENUE WISE, WE ARE DOING GREAT EXPENDITURES.
OF COURSE, WE ALWAYS RUN, UM, LOW, YOU KNOW, BEHIND PERCENTAGES ON THE EXPENDITURES.
NOTHING OUT OF THE ORDINARY FOR THE MONTH.
UM, JUST YOUR, UH, REGULAR PAYROLL OPERATING EXPENDITURES FOR JUNE.
UH, ANY QUESTIONS FOR JUNE? JUST ONE OBSERVATION.
WE SHOULD PROBABLY JUST UPDATE FOR THE RECORD OUR, UM, THE NOTIFICATION HERE.
THE, THE, THE REPORT, UM, IT HAS JUNE THE THIRD.
THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN JULY I HEARD.
UM, IN JULY YOU ARE AT 84.9% OF YOUR REVENUE AMOUNT.
UH, THE BUDGET YEAR STATES YOU SHOULD BE AROUND 83%.
UM, THROUGH JULY, YOU, UH, COLLECTED ADDITIONAL 210,000 IN SALES TAX COMPARED TO THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR.
AND THE INTEREST REVENUE IS 196,784 HOURS MORE THAN THE PREVIOUS TIME.
UM, LAST YEAR, UM, ONCE AGAIN, EXPENDITURES ARE RUNNING WAY UNDER, UM, THE BUDGET YEAR, UH, PERCENTAGE.
UM, NOTHING OUT OF ORDINARY, JUST NORMAL PAYROLL AND OPERATING EXPENDITURES.
BUT WE, WE STILL, UM, UNDER, WE'LL TALK,
[B.3. Presentation of Sales Tax Data by Sector, Tracy Cormier and Matt Carlson. ]
YOU WANNA GO AHEAD AND JUST, WE JUST JUMP NUMBER THREE FORWARD.WHY DON'T YOU GO AHEAD AND DO THAT.
UM, MATT AND I WERE TALKING TODAY AND WE WERE KIND OF REVIEWING THE REPORT AND WE HAVE ABOUT 12,900 BUSINESSES THAT WE, THAT THE REPORT GAVE US SINCE 2019.
NOW, OUT OF THOSE, WE SAY 13,000, A LITTLE OVER 8,000 DID NOT HAVE A CATEGORY CHECKED.
AND SO WE GOT 8,000 PROPERTIES, UH, BUSINESS THAT WE RECEIVED SALES TAX THAT WE CAN'T PUT IN A CATEGORY.
[00:05:01]
THAT SENT US THIS REPORT AND PRO AND PAY THEM TO DO AN ANALYSIS, THEY COULD BREAK IT DOWN FURTHER AND GIVE US THE NUMBER YOU GUYS ARE LOOKING FOR.BUT THE REPORT THAT THEY SENT US, I MEAN, THERE'S NO WAY WE COULD BREAK IT DOWN AND GIVE YOU THE CORRECT NUMBER FOR EACH CATEGORY.
BECAUSE OVER 8,000, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT KIND OF, I MEAN, WE CAN LOOK AT, LOOK AT THE NAME AND TELL IT'S A RESTAURANT, BUT IF IT'S LIKE A LLC, WE WANT KNOW WHAT TYPE OF BUSINESS.
IT'S, AND, AND, AND IT'S EVEN MORE THAN THAT.
I MEAN, THERE ARE NUMEROUS LISTINGS FOR THE SAME BUSINESSES.
SO DAIRY QUEEN IS LISTED THREE SEPARATE TIMES.
I'LL BE DARNED IF I CAN FIGURE THAT OUT.
SO THERE'S A, THERE WERE JUST FAR TOO MANY QUESTIONS IN TERMS OF THE INTEGRITY OF THE DATA.
THE NUMBERS LOOKED MORE OR LESS RIGHT? I THINK, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF US, YOU KNOW, SORT OF TAKING AN ENTIRE MONTH AND KNOWING THAT THAT MORE OR LESS MATCHES WHAT WE'RE GETTING.
BUT THE FACT THAT 8,000, 8,000 PIECES OF DATA SEPARATE, SEPARATE COMPANIES ARE REMITTING SALES TAX TO THE CITY.
THE ONLY EXPLANATION I COULD COME UP WITH, AND WE WANT TO GET IT CONFIRMED FROM THE DATA, THE DATA SOURCE IS LIKELY ONLINE, UH, ONLINE SALES.
WHERE THEY'RE REMITTING REMITTING THOUGH, BECAUSE THERE ARE ONLY, THERE, THERE'S NOWHERE NEAR EIGHT, 13,000 COMPANIES IN DESOTO NOT EVEN CLOSE.
I MEAN, WE KNOW THAT THERE'S ABOUT 2100.
SO EVEN THE FACT THAT WE STILL HAVE 4,000 STILL MAKES ME SCRATCH.
THAT'S ALMOST TWICE THE NUMBER THAT WE OUGHT TO HAVE.
EVEN IF THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE REPORTED TWICE.
WHY, WHY DO WE HAVE SO MANY? AND LIKE, AND THOSE ARE, THOSE WERE NOT ANSWERS WE COULD DERIVE JUST LOOKING AT THE DATA.
THE ONLY THING YOU THINK OF, LIKE IF YOU HAVE A DAIRY QUEEN THAT'S LISTED THREE TIMES AND THERE'S ONLY ONE IN DESOTO, IT'S PROBABLY WAS THREE DIFFERENT ORDERS IN THAT TIME PERIOD.
THAT'S THE ONLY WAY I CAN THINK OF.
I MEAN, ANOTHER ONE IS OUTBACK.
AND I THOUGHT, WELL, OUTBACK MIGHT BE REPORTING SALES TAX ON LIQUOR SEPARATE FROM SALES TAX ON FOOD.
IT IS THINGS LIKE THAT THAT YOU JUST, THERE AT THE, AT THE, THERE'S NO WAY TO DISCERN.
DOES, DOES THIS MAKE SENSE? AND AS THE LAST THING I WANT TO DO IS BRING FORWARD THE SAME INFORMATION AND WITHOUT SOME SORT OF, SOME SORT OF EXPLANATION FROM THE SOURCE WHO GENERATES IT.
WHY ARE THERE SO MANY DISCREPANCIES IN THIS? SO BASICALLY WE'RE WAITING ON THEM TO TELL US WE ARE, IT'S GONNA BE A COST.
NOW THE GENERAL DATA THAT THEY GAVE US IS NO COST TO IT BECAUSE THE CITY HAS A CONTRACT FOR THEM TO DO THAT.
BUT THAT'S AS FURTHER THEY GO.
THEY'RE NOT GONNA SORT IT AND SLICE IT.
WE HAVE TO PAY AN ADDITIONAL AMOUNT FOR THAT.
THEN WHAT IS THAT? WE DON'T KNOW YET.
WE HAVEN'T CHECKED, BUT IT SHOULDN'T BE NO MORE THAN A COUPLE HUNDRED FOR ONE REPORT, YOU KNOW, BUT MULTIPLE REPORTS THAT COULD GET KIND OF POSSIBLE.
AND SO WHAT MATT AND I DISCUSSED IS JUST, UM, IF OKAY, THE BOARD IS OKAY, IT'S KIND OF WAITING TILL THE END OF THE FISCAL YEAR AND THEN JUST DO AN ANALYSIS FOR THE ENTIRE FISCAL YEAR GOING BACK FIVE YEARS.
AND I, AND, AND MORE THAN THAT, THE OTHER THING THAT WE DISCUSSED AS PART OF THIS IS, AND THEN HAVING THAT REPORT REPEATED ON AN EVERY SIX MONTH BASIS SO THAT WE CAN START GETTING SOME TRENDING DATA TO SAY, ARE THINGS GOING UP? ARE THINGS GOING DOWN? ARE THERE SOME, SOME OF 'EM ARE DISPARATE THAN THE OTHER, BUT THAT, THAT'S OUR THINKING IS LET'S FIGURE OUT WHAT THE ANALYSIS LOOKS LIKE.
MAKE SURE IT'S NOT UNGODLY EXPENSIVE.
I CAN'T IMAGINE IT'S GONNA BE NO CRAZY.
I THINK IT'S WORTHY OF, OF HAVING MM-HMM.
BUT WAIT UNTIL THE END OF THE YEAR, SO WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE A FULL YEAR OF DATA TAKE THIS YEAR AS THE, IS THE BASELINE AND THEN WE'LL START TRENDING FROM THERE.
SO FISCAL YEAR ENDS END OF SEPTEMBER.
AND THEN THERE'S A DELAY IN TERMS YES.
WE, UH, SO WHEN WE, WHEN CAN WE FINALLY SEE SOMETHING? SO I THINK, I THINK IT'S REASONABLE TO EXPECT IT MAY HAPPEN AS EARLY AS NOVEMBER, BUT I THINK IT'S REASONABLE TO EXPECT BY OUR, BY OUR DECEMBER BOARD MEETING, WE WOULD HAVE THAT IN HAND.
AND SOME OF IT JUST DEPENDS ON HOW FAST WE GET THAT DATA OUT OF THE STATE.
'CAUSE WE MEET EARLIER IN THE MONTH NOW.
I DON'T WANNA PROMISE TO YOU IF YOU CAN'T HAVE IT.
'CAUSE WE DON'T, WE WOULDN'T IN NOVEMBER, AROUND NOVEMBER 9TH OR 10TH IS WHEN WE WOULD RECEIVE SEPTEMBER'S PAYMENT.
SO IF YOUR MEETINGS BEFORE THAT, WE WOULDN'T HAVE A DATE BEFORE YOUR NOVEMBER MEETING.
SO BY DECEMBER I THINK WE, WE COULD CERTAINLY HAVE THAT AND, AND AGAIN, BE ABLE TO START TO TAKE A LOOK AT THOSE.
AND IT MIGHT EVEN BE WORTH, DEPENDING ON THE COST, EVEN TAKING LAST YEAR'S DATA AS WELL, AND TAKING THOSE, THOSE TWO WITH SOME ASSUMPTION, THERE'S GONNA BE SOME BUSINESSES THAT COME AND GO AND WE CAN IDENTIFY THOSE, UM, AT LEAST, AT LEAST THE NUMBER OF BUSINESSES WE GONNA GIVE CATEGORY, UM, OUGHT TO GIVE US A PRETTY GOOD IDEA OF IS THAT CATEGORY GROWING OR SHRINKING? YEAH.
I WAS GONNA SAY A LOOK BACK AND CURRENT WOULD BE HELPFUL,
[00:10:01]
ESPECIALLY IF THE COST IS SO MINIMAL.IF IT, IF IT'S NOT HUGELY EXPENSIVE, I THINK THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE.
WOULD THAT, AND I'M JUST THINKING FROM AN ACCOUNTING STANDPOINT, WOULD THAT BE PROPRIETARY? MEANING THAT IF I GET A HOLD TO THOSE SALES NUMBERS, I CAN ALMOST TELL HOW MUCH REVENUE A PERSON IS A COMPANY IS GENERATING.
THAT'S WHAT WILL IT BE? AND SO IT WILL BE PROTECTED.
AND WE'LL JUST GET CATEGORIES.
IF WE GET DOWN TO NAMES, WE, WE ARE ABLE TO DRILL BACK AND TO, AND, AND KNOW EXACTLY HOW MUCH REVENUE.
SO IF I WAS LOOKING TO BUY A COMPANY, I COULD POSSIBLY GET MY HANDS ON THAT.
AND, AND, AND, AND SO THAT'S THAT IT IS REPORTED TO US AT THAT LEVEL, BUT WE CAN'T, WE CAN'T REPORT IT TO YOU AT THAT LEVEL.
AND THAT'S, THAT WAS, THAT WAS, I, I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT LEVEL IT WAS REPORTED TO US, BUT I THINK WE WOULD NEED TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO INDEED.
AND EVEN WITHIN A CATEGORY, IF IT'S, IF THERE ARE VERY FEW ENTRIES WITHIN THAT CATEGORY, MAYBE THERE'S TWO OR THREE BUSINESSES, I DON'T KNOW, IN THE TIMBERING CATEGORY.
AGAIN, WE MAY, WE MAY HAVE TO ELECT TO NOT REPORT ON THAT SIMPLY BECAUSE OF THAT.
IT, IT'S, IT'S TOO EASY TO BACK INTO WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.
I DON'T, I DON'T RECALL IN OUR, WHEN I SORTED 'EM OUT, UH, TO THAT, THAT THERE WERE ANY THAT WERE THAT NARROW.
SO I DON'T THINK THAT'LL BE A PROBLEM.
BUT IS AS WE GET TO A LITTLE MORE REFINED DATA, THAT'S BECAUSE I THINK THERE WERE ABOUT, REMEMBER 17, 17 DIFFERENT REPORTING CATEGORIES, I BELIEVE, I THINK WAS THE NUMBER.
UM, AND THEN THERE WAS NONE, NOTHING REPORTED, OTHER REPORTED.
AND, UM, YEAH, IT WAS JUST THOSE TWO.
NOTHING IN, IN OTHER CATEGORY THAT WERE HUGE.
SO LITTLE, LITTLE MORE DATA BE TO BE GOTTEN THROUGH THERE TO UNDERSTAND IT BETTER WHAT WE, WHAT WE HAVE OUR HANDS ON AND WHAT, WHAT IT, WHAT THE TRUTH MEANING IS.
THAT'S REALLY WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO HEAD TO THIS.
WE, YOUR NUMBERS ARE GOING UP, WHICH IS GREAT, BUT WHAT'S DRIVING THAT? MM-HMM.
I'D LIKE TO SAY THAT LET'S BE CERTAIN THAT AS WE DRILL DOWN THE CUSTOMIZATION OF IT ALL, THAT IT, IT DOES ALIGN WITH EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE REALLY WANTING VERSUS A TEMPLATE THAT THEY MAY HAVE.
SO THAT IS, WE, WE, WE PERSONALIZE IT, IT MAKE, MAKE IT MORE INTIMATE FOR US.
I THINK THAT'S AN IMPORTANT QUESTION.
UH, ANY OTHER OBSERVATIONS OR QUESTIONS FOR TRACY? TRACY, THANK YOU FOR YES.
THAT, UH, CONTINUOUS EFFORT AND THAT YOU PROVIDE,
[B.2. Strategic Plan Update: Target Sector Analysis Review - Alex Metzger Next Move Group. ]
UH, MOVING FORWARD, WE'RE GONNA MOVE FORWARD TO OUR, UH, STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE, UH, UH, TARGET SECTOR ANALYSIS REVIEW WITH, UH, ALEX, UH,HE'S LOOMING LARGE AMONGST US.
UM, THANK YOU FOR JOINING US, ALEX, OF COURSE.
THANK YOU FOR, UH, LETTING ME SHARE FOR A FEW MINUTES.
SO, UH, AND THANK YOU TO THOSE WHO, WHO WERE ABLE TO MEET ME LAST WEEK WHEN I WAS IN TOWN.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO QUICKLY GO OVER KIND OF THE TARGETED INDUSTRY STUDY, UM, THAT OUR FIRM HAS DONE AND KIND OF SHOW YOU ALL WHAT WE FOUND AS FAR AS TARGETED SECTORS THAT MAKE SENSE, UM, FOR YOUR COMMUNITY TO PURSUE.
UH, THIS DOESN'T MEAN THAT THESE ARE THE ONLY BUSINESSES THAT, THAT THAT MIGHT COME THERE.
OF COURSE, THE STATIONS RPS AND THERE'S OTHER WAY TO GET 'EM, BUT THESE ARE ONES THAT WE FOUND THAT YOU HAVE A VERY STRONG BUSINESS CASE, UM, TO PURSUE.
SO HOLD ON, SHARE MY SCREEN HERE THROUGH A COUPLE SLIDES TOGETHER.
THE FULL REPORT WILL BE IN A PD, LOTS OF DATA AND STUFF IN IT.
AND, AND OUR PLAN IS DELIVER THAT, UM, I BELIEVE END OF SEPTEMBER, BUT FOR NOW, THERE'S SOME SLIDES TOGETHER, KIND SHOW YOU ALL WHAT WE FOUND.
ALRIGHT, UM, THIS IS ACTUALLY OUR 10TH YEAR IN BUSINESS THIS MONTH.
SO CHAD CHANCELLOR, MYSELF STARTED THE COMPANY 10 YEARS AGO.
UM, BEFORE THAT WE DID LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS SIMILAR, UH, TO MATT
[00:15:01]
AND ANTOINE.WE HAVE HELPED, UM, AND CLIENTS IN COMMUNITIES AND EACH ONE OF THE STATES IN BLUE.
SO AS YOU COULD SEE, WE'VE DONE EVERYTHING FROM MAINE, WASHINGTON, FLORIDA, TEXAS, CALIFORNIA, AND EVERYWHERE IN BETWEEN.
UM, WE, THIS IS JUST A SMALL SAMPLING OF SOME OF OUR TEXAS CLIENTS.
WE HAVE DONE A LOT OF TEXAS WORK.
UM, YOU'LL SEE THERE, UH, WE'VE DONE IRVING, UM, GALVESTON COUNTY, TEMPLE, LONGVIEW, KIL WORK, ARTHUR, WE'VE DONE SOME THINGS FOR, UM, SAN ANGELO.
AND THIS IS JUST TO, TO NAME A FEW.
WE'VE PROBABLY HELD ANYWHERE FROM 75 TEXAS TOWNS.
I WOULD, I I WOULD VENTURE AGAINST OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS.
THESE ARE SOME OF OUR, UM, NATIONWIDE CLIENTS.
UM, TUSKEGEE, ALABAMA, THE WORLD TRADE CENTER OF NEW ORLEANS.
UH, WE'VE DONE, UM, A LOT OF WORK IN SHREVEPORT, OSWEGO COUNTY, NEW YORK, SUMMIT COUNTY, OHIO, WHICH IS CLEVELAND, STARK COUNTY, OHIO, THE CLEVELAND AREA, BROKEN ARROW, OKLAHOMA, NOT TOO FAR FROM Y'ALL.
SO, UM, JUST TO GIVE YOU KIND OF A SAMPLING OF OUR CLIENTS AND THE THINGS THAT OUR FIRM, UM, PRIDES OURSELF ON OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS.
SO WE ANALYZE A LOT OF DIFFERENT DATA TO COME UP WITH THESE TARGET SECTORS.
LAST WEEK WHEN I SAT DOWN WITH, WITH MATT AND THE ZOOM
SO IT'S ALWAYS GOOD TO GET THAT KIND OF CONFIRMATION.
UM, WHAT WE FOUND THAT SOME OF THE TARGETED SECTORS IS LIFE SCIENCES, WHICH I'VE GOT SOME SLIDES ON HERE.
SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT AND CYBERSECURITY, UM, PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, UM, AEROSPACE AND AVIATION MANUFACTURING, REGIONAL HEADQUARTERS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP.
AND WE HAVE A BUSINESS CASE FOR EACH ONE OF THESE.
SO WHENEVER A BUSINESS COMES IN OR YOU'RE TARGETING A BUSINESS IN ONE OF THESE SECTORS, WE ARE GOING TO HAVE, UH, MARKETING MATERIALS AND A SALES CASE FOR EACH ONE.
WE WENT A LITTLE BIT FARTHER AND, UM, WE ALSO DO SITE SELECTION.
AND THERE HAS BEEN A LARGE PUSH BY SEVERAL COMPANIES, ESPECIALLY THESE TARGETED SECTORS, UM, TO SCORE DEI, DIVERSITY, EQUITY, AND INCLUSION TYPE THINGS IN THEIR SCORE SHEETS AS THEY CONSIDER LOCATIONS.
UM, THIS WASN'T THIS WAY 10 YEARS AGO, BUT IT'S SOME TREND THAT WE'RE SEEING, ESPECIALLY IN SOME OF THESE TARGETED SECTORS.
SO WE THINK WE'RE A BUSINESS CASE.
THIS MAKES A LOT OF SENSE FOR YOU ALL TO NOT ONLY TARGET THESE TARGETED SECTORS, BUT TO TARGET COMPANIES THAT TRULY VALUE DEI AND THEIR MISSION.
THAT WAY YOU CAN SEPARATE YOURSELF FROM SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT YOU'LL BE COMPETING WITH IN THE DALLAS METRO.
UM, SO THAT'S JUST ONE OF THE, UH, ONE OF THE SALES PITCHES THAT WE'RE COMING UP WITH.
UM, AS YOU CAN SEE HERE, THESE ARE ALL, YOU MOVE ALL THESE BOXES OUTTA THE WAY SO I CAN READ HERE.
SO MORE LIFE SCIENCES COMPANIES THAN ARE DEMONSTRATING THE VALUE OF DEI IN THEIR CORE FOR THESE COMPANIES.
DESOTO PROVIDES THE MOST DIVERSE POPULATION IN THE CITY OF DALLAS AND THE ENTIRE METROPLEX WHILE PROVIDING LOCATION ADVANTAGES THAT THE DFW METROPLEX OFFERS.
UM, SO ADDITIONAL, YOU ARE PREPARED WITH INDUSTRIAL SITES, BUSINESS, COMMERCIAL PROPERTY WORKFORCE, WORKFORCE TRAINING, UM, A LOT OF, UM, CLUSTERING IN THE LIFE SCIENCES AREA.
A LOT OF WORKFORCE STRENGTHS, AND IT MAKES A LOT OF SENSE TO GO AFTER THESE TYPE COMPANIES.
THESE ARE JUST A SAMPLE OF LIFE SCIENCE COMPANIES IN THE DALLAS FORT WORTH AREA.
SO EVERYBODY LIKES THE CLUSTER.
THEY LIKE TO BE AROUND OTHER BUSINESSES THAT DO THE SAME THINGS THAT THEY DO.
SO THIS IS JUST, IF YOU'RE SITTING OUT WITH A, UM, YOU KNOW, A COMPANY OWNER IN TORONTO THAT'S IN THE LIFE SCIENCE SECTOR, AND THEY SEE THE SLIDE THAT IT IS REALLY GONNA TURN THEM ON.
UM, AND THEY UNDERSTAND THAT THESE COMPANIES CAN HAVE SUCCESS IN THE DALLAS AREA.
THERE'S NO REASON TO, THEY CAN'T.
UM, HERE ARE SOME OF THE WORKFORCE STATS FOR THE DALLAS REGION.
UM, SO THEY HAVE THE MOST LIFE SCIENCE AND BIOTECH JOBS IN THE UNITED STATES.
UM, IT IS ONE OF THE MOST DIVERSE ECONOMIES IN THE UNITED STATES WITH 24 FORTUNE AND 500 COMPANIES.
FOURTH AND COMPUTER, MATHEMATICAL AND ENGINEERING TECH JOBS.
SO ALL THESE MAKE A LOT OF SENSE FOR THIS AREA.
WE COME DOWN HERE AND WE GO INTO KIND OF SOME DIFFERENT, UM, SECTORS WITHIN LIFE SCIENCES, UH, CANCER RESEARCH, BRAIN RESEARCH, A LOT OF EYE SKIN AND DENTAL.
UM, KIND OF PUT SOME INFORMATION ON HERE AT SALES CASES, UM, AS WELL AS SOME OTHER AREAS.
HERE'S A DIFFERENT KIND OF CAPITAL AND INVESTMENT FIRMS THAT ARE INVESTING IN LIFE SCIENCES.
AND THESE ARE ALL IN THE METRO AREA.
UM, DE SOTO'S DIVERSE POPULATION.
SO WE DEFINITELY VIEW THIS AS A STRENGTH THAT YOU ALL HAVE, UM, ALMOST 80% MINORITY, UH, POPULATION AND DEMOGRAPHICS IN YOUR AREA.
SO IF A COMPANY IN THE LIFE SCIENCE AREA REALLY TRULY AT THEIR CORE BELIEVES IN DI AND WANTS TO MAKE THAT PART OF THEIR LOCATION DECISION, WHICH MORE AND MORE COMPANIES ARE, IT WOULD BE A NO BRAINER TO COME VISIT YOU ALL FIRST BEFORE ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE REGION.
HERE ARE THE REST OF THESE SLIDES.
[00:20:01]
WE JUST KIND OF THROW TOGETHER THE BUSINESS CASE BECAUSE THEY'RE, REMEMBER YOU ALL KNOW DALLAS WELL, YOU KNOW THE METRO WELL, YOU KNOW DESOTO WELL, BUT IF A COMPANY'S IN TORONTO OR GERMANY AND THEY'RE MOVING TO THE UNITED STATES, THEY'RE NOT GONNA KNOW KIND OF WHERE DESOTO IS WITHIN THE METROPLEX.SO WE PUT THESE SLIDES IN THERE, UM, THAT KIND OF HELP SELL WHERE YOU ALL ARE IN RELATION TO ALL THESE OTHER THINGS.
HERE'S A MAP WE PUT, AND HERE, VERY INTERESTINGLY, IS THE INDIVIDUAL, UM, COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES THAT OFFER THINGS THAT THESE PEOPLE IN THESE COMPANIES CAN PROVIDE WORKFORCE FROM.
SO YOU'LL SEE THE DIFFERENT KIND OF PROGRAMS. 76% OF THE, UH, UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS OF DALLAS DEGREES ARE IN STEM.
IT'S TOP FIVE IN THE NATION FOR TOTAL COMPUTER SCIENCE STUDENTS.
THIRD IN THE NATION FOR UNDERGRADUATE COMPUTER SCIENCE DEGREES.
IF YOU COME OVER HERE AND LOOK AT, UH, A LITTLE BIT ON UNT AND THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS IN ARLINGTON, UH, WE SHOW HOW MANY PHD STUDENTS THEY HAVE, UM, ET CETERA.
SO WE PUT THIS IN MULTIPLE SLIDES JUST TO SHOW ALL THE WORKFORCE TRAINING AND PLACES THAT THEY CAN PULL, UM, VALUABLE EMPLOYEES FROM.
YOU SEE, THIS WAS AN EASY ONE.
DEFINITELY LOW HANGING FRUIT MAKES A LOT OF COMMON SENSE WHEN YOU SEE THE KIND OF CLUSTERING THAT THE REGION HAS AND THE KIND OF WORKFORCE PROGRAMS, UM, ET CETERA.
UH, WE ALSO PUT ON HERE INCENTIVES THAT WAY BUSINESS OWNERS CAN KIND OF SEE WHAT KIND OF THINGS, NOT NECESSARILY THAT THEY WILL GET, BUT WHAT IS POSSIBLE AND OTHER COMPANIES MIGHT BE, UM, QUALIFYING FOR IN YOUR AREA.
UM, WE ALWAYS LIKE TO BRAG ON THE INDUSTRIAL AVAILABLE LAND.
UM, LIFE SCIENCES DO NOT NEED LARGE, UH, YOU KNOW, VERY LARGE ACREAGE.
UM, THEY DO NEED SOME NICE BUILDINGS AND YOU CAN'T RETROFIT A LOT OF BUILDINGS TO FIT THIS KIND OF SECTOR.
AS YOU CAN SEE THE INTERSTATES, YOU HAVE SHOVEL READY SITES.
YOU CAN KIND OF SEE THE LAYOUT OF THE INDUSTRIAL PARKS.
WE FOUND THAT SEVERAL OPTIONS THAT THEY HAVE THAT WE WANT TO SHOW.
SO AGAIN, THESE WILL ALL BE IN A PDF, THEY HAD A MAT HOME AND THEY'RE OUT VISITING WHEN COMPANIES CAN SIT DOWN AND, AND, AND SHOW ALL OF THIS.
AND REALLY MAKES THE BUSINESS CASE NOT JUST FOR DESOTO, BUT SPECIFICALLY LIFE SCIENCES.
THAT WAY IF, UM, YOU DON'T WANNA SIT DOWN WITH A PDF THAT GOES OVER, YOU KNOW, AEROSPACE WHEN YOU'RE SITTING WITH A LIFE SCIENCES COMPANY.
SO EACH ONE OF THESE IS KIND OF CUSTOMED FOR THE TARGETED SECTOR WE'RE, UH, RECOMMENDING.
UH, WE PUT ALL THE UTILITIES IN THERE.
AGAIN, UM, THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT TO BUSINESS OWNERS.
YOU ALL HAVE EXCELLENT UTILITIES AS YOU ALL ARE AWARE.
WE, WE PIECE A LINK TO SOME OF THE GREAT STUFF GOING ON IN YOUR COMMUNITY.
AND THEN THAT IS THE LIFE SCIENCES SLIDE.
UM, I KNOW YOU'LL HAVE A MEETING TO GET TO.
WHERE'S CYBERSECURITY? WHERE'S YOUR AEROSPACE? ONE SECOND HERE.
CHAD, WHILE YOU'RE DOING THAT, I I JUST WANNA MAKE A COMMENT THAT THERE'S, THERE THEIR INDUSTRY SECTORS WERE UNPROMPTED BY US.
INTENTIONALLY WE SAID, YOU KNOW, WE KNOW WHAT WE THINK.
SO LOOK AT THE, LOOK AT THE WORKFORCE DATA, LOOK AT THE MARKET DATA, LOOK AT THE OPPORTUNITIES AND COME BACK TO THAT.
YOU CAN SEE HOW MANY OF THOSE ARE OVERLAPPING WITH THE SAME, THE SAME PLACES THAT WE HAVE TARGETED ALREADY THAT THAT'S REASSURING TO HEAR.
UH, BUT, BUT WE ALSO WANNA MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT JUST, YOU KNOW, SORT OF IN SYNC WITH THE WRONG, WITH THE WRONG IDEAS.
UM, AND, AND, AND THERE ARE SOME NEW ONES THERE THAT I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T SPEND A LOT OF TIME ON CYBERSECURITY.
UM, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, UH, WITHIN THE LAST MONTH WE'VE HAD SEVERAL CONVERSATIONS AROUND THAT.
MY ASSUMPTION HAS ALWAYS BEEN WE DON'T REALLY HAVE THE OFFICE TO SUPPORT THEM.
AND I'M STILL FIRMLY BELIEVE THAT THAT'S THE CASE, BUT I'M ALSO LEARNING THAT SOME OF 'EM AREN'T VERY BIG USERS.
SO WE MAY BE ABLE TO FIND SMALLER FIRMS UNTIL WE HAVE THAT COMMERCIAL OFFICE DATA IN, IN PRESENT AND IN OUR COMMUNITY.
SO, JUST AS A MATTER OF INTEREST, I JUST WANTED TO TO INTERJECT THAT, THAT THIS IS AN INDEPENDENT STUDY THAT'S TELLING US WHERE WE OUGHT TO BE HUNTING, UM, IN ADDITION TO WHAT WE ALREADY KNEW EXACTLY AND AND DISAGREE.
WE LOOK AT THIS FROM A SITE SELECTION.
SO WE PROBABLY, UH, HELP ANYWHERE FROM FOUR TO SEVEN DEPENDING ON THE YEAR, UM, COMPANIES LOCATE PER YEAR.
AND WHEN WE DO THAT, WHEN WE'RE ANALYZING THINGS IN THEIR SECTOR, THIS IS THE KIND OF DATA THAT WE LOOK AT.
SO SOME OF THESE REALLY STOOD OUT AS AS STRENGTHS AND THINGS THAT YOU SCORED VERY WELL WHEN A COMPANY IS LOOKING AT YOUR REGION.
[00:25:01]
AVIATION.UM, SO AGAIN, WE ALWAYS START OUT WITH THE CLUSTERS.
YOU WANNA KNOW WHAT OTHER BUSINESSES ARE THERE AND BEING SUCCESSFUL THERE.
UM, DALLAS FORT WORTH IS THE NUMBER ONE AND AEROSPACE SECTOR IN THE UNITED STATES.
THERE YOU CAN SEE KIND OF THE HEAT MAP, UM, THE DEPLOYMENT CLUSTERS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF IT.
AND AGAIN, MOST OF THESE SLIDES WILL BE REDUNDANT, UM, BECAUSE AS I SAID HERE, WE WALK IN WITH A SLIDE DECK TO AN INDIVIDUAL COMPANY THAT WOULD NOT SEE THE OTHER SLIDES.
UM, SO HERE WE TALK A LOT ABOUT YOUR HELIPORT THAT YOU HAVE.
UM, THERE IS A LOT, A LOT OF HELIPORT IN SMALLER HANGAR SPACE AND, AND YOU'D BE SURPRISED HOW LITTLE HANGAR SPACE SOME OF THESE COMPANIES ARE USING NOWADAYS AND CAN FIT SOME VERY GOOD HIGH PAYING JOBS IN THERE.
UM, THIS IS A BUILDING THAT WOULD WORK.
UM, HERE WE TALK ABOUT THE INDIVIDUAL, UH, TRAINING AND FLIGHT AVIATION STUFF THAT IS WITHIN YOUR REGION.
UM, AGAIN, THIS IS STUFF THAT'S JUST GONNA SELL TO A BUSINESS OWNER, UM, OR, OR A BOARD WHEN THEY'RE MAKING THESE KIND OF DECISIONS.
SO LIKE NORTH TEXAS OFFERS A FIRST, UH, IN THE NATION DEGREE PROGRAM IN AVIATION LOGISTICS.
UM, SO THAT'S STUFF THAT ARE RESEARCHERS FOUND.
AND AGAIN, WE GO BACK OVER THE UTILITIES AND THE THE STUFF.
MADAM, IS THERE ANY OTHER ONE THAT YOU WOULD LIKE ME TO HIT ON? UM, I KNOW YOU'VE SEEN SOME OF THESE, OR ANY QUESTIONS I CAN ANSWER OR, YOU KNOW, I PERHAPS WHAT MIGHT BE OF INTEREST IS SOME OF THE THINGS THAT ARE NOT HERE.
UM, AND, AND, AND THE REASONING WHY IS, YOU KNOW, WE HEAR ABOUT, UM, SEMICONDUCTOR, UM, WE'RE HEARING, WE'RE HEARING AND SEEING HEADLINES A LOT AROUND THAT.
UM, WE'RE HEARING A LOT ABOUT, UM, BATTERY AND SOLAR ASSEMBLAGE AND, AND, UH, MANUFACTURING.
UM, AND I THINK ALEX, I THINK WHEN YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT JUST THE OVERALL SIZE OF THOSE PROJECTS AND THE LAND REQUIRED, BUT MAYBE YOU CAN KIND OF ELABORATE A LITTLE BIT ON THAT OF, YOU KNOW, GREAT PLACES, THEY'RE JUST NOT REAL.
YOU ALL, YOU ALL MAKE A LOT OF SENSE FOR A LOT OF THOSE COMPANIES.
UM, HOWEVER, YOU JUST REALLY DON'T HAVE THE PRODUCT.
WHEN I CAME THERE AND VISITED YOU ALL LAST WEEK, UM, A LOT OF THE DISCUSSIONS LED TO COMMUNITY BEING LANDLOCKED.
I MEAN, THAT'S NOTHING YOU ALL CAN, CAN CHANGE.
AND BECAUSE OF THAT YOU ARE LIMITED TO SOME OF THESE SPACES AND, UM, CONTINUOUS ACRES THAT YOU CAN PUT TOGETHER.
UM, SO YES, IF YOU FIND A BATTERY PROJECT THAT, THAT, THAT NEEDS A SMALL BUILDING, YOU ALL HAVE A GOOD BUSINESS CASE FOR THAT.
BUT, BUT MOST OF THOSE ARE GONNA NEED ANYWHERE FROM 30, 40, 50 ACRES, VERY, VERY LARGE BUILDINGS.
UM, THAT'S JUST NOT GONNA MAKE SENSE.
UH, YOU KNOW, WITH THE CURRENT PRODUCT THAT YOU ALL HAVE AS FAR AS BUILDING SOME SITES GOES.
SO THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF CASES WHERE YOU ALL HAVE MAKE BUSINESS SENSE OR SOMETHING.
AND, AND IT MAY BE PRODUCT OR, UM, IN THE ADVERSE, THERE'S HUNDREDS OF COMMUNITIES THAT WE WORK WITH THAT'S VICE VERSA IF THEY HAVE THE PRODUCT, BUT JUST DON'T MAKE THE BUSINESS SENSE.
UM, SO IT'S MUCH BETTER TO HAVE THE, UM, HAVE THE SALES PIECE, WHICH YOU ALL DO HAVE.
UM, NOW A LOT OF THE, THE MANUFACTURING PRODUCTS, AND THAT'S SOME OF THE THINGS WE TALKED TO IN OUR TARGETED SECTOR, WE WANT TO HIT THE TYPE THAT GET A LOT OF GOVERNMENT SPENDING AND A GOVERNMENT INFLUX OF MONEY.
SO IF YOU CAN FIND SOME OF THOSE REALLY SMALL MANUFACTURING PLANTS, UM, THAT YOU KNOW, THAT ONLY NEED 10 ACRES, MAYBE ONLY NEED 75,000, A HUNDRED THOUSAND SQUARE FEET THAT YOU CAN BUILD, UM, THAT IS GONNA MAKE A LITTLE SENSE FOR YOU ALL.
BUT YOU ARE REALLY LANDLOCKED FROM SOME OF THE MORE MASSIVE, UM, AND LARGE SCALE PROJECTS THAT THAT'S GONNA HURT YOU, WHERE YOU'RE GONNA HAVE THOSE BIG MANUFACTURING PRODUCTS OF THAT SIZE.
I'D LIKE TO ASK A QUESTION REGARDING, YOU TALK ABOUT THE DEMOGRAPHICS AND WHAT, UH, IS A PRO OR A CON FOR US, FOR OUR AREA.
WHAT ABOUT, UM, WHAT'S COMPARABLE TO WHAT WE BRING FROM A DEMOGRAPHIC STANDPOINT AND OTHER AREAS THAT YOU'VE LOOKED AT AND WHAT HAVE BEEN THE BENEFACTORS OF THAT, NUMBER ONE? NUMBER TWO WOULD LIKE TO UNDERSTAND, UH, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT SALARIES, FOR EXAMPLE, THE, ARE OUR SALARIES COMMENSURATE WITH OTHER AREAS? I MEAN, HOW DOES THAT PLAY A ROLE IN THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS FOR THIS? RIGHT? AND NOW THE NEXT THING THAT WE'RE GONNA DO, SO I SHOULDA PROBABLY BLED OFF WITH THIS, IS THIS IS KIND OF A THREE STEP PROCESS.
WE WERE DOING VIRTUAL, WE MAKE THE BUSINESS CASE OF THE TARGET DETECTORS, AND NEXT WE REALLY GO INTO KIND OF A WORKFORCE ANALYSIS AND THEN A STRATEGIC PLAN OF RECOMMENDATIONS ON THE BACK END OF IT.
UM, BUT I CAN'T SPEAK TO A LITTLE OF THAT.
AND, UM, MOST OF THE SECTORS, UH, THAT WE RECOMMENDED ARE, ARE VERY HIGH PAYING.
UM, SO WHEN WE LIVE INTO THE WORKFORCE,
[00:30:01]
DATA, BUSINESS OWNERS MAKE DECISIONS ON REGIONS AS A WHOLE, AS YOU ALL KNOW, UM, YOU COULD LIVE ON THE NORTH SIDE OF DALLAS AND YOU WILL DRIVE TO DESOTO, UM, YOU KNOW, FOR A $80,000 A YEAR JOB OR IF YOU'RE ONLY MAKING 50 OR 60.UM, SO BUSINESS OWNERS, WHEN THEY'RE MAKING THAT BUSINESS CASE, THEY REALLY LOOK AT THE REGION OF THE WHOLE, OF MAYBE 45, 60 MINUTE DRIVE LINE WHEN THEY'RE MAKING THESE DECISIONS.
SO, UM, YOUR COMMUNITY, WE HAVE NOT REALLY DELVED IN.
UM, I KNOW WE TRIED TO GET SOME OF THE DATA FROM YOUR EMPLOYERS, WE'RE WORKING ON THAT, BUT WE HAVE NOT REALLY DUG IN ON A, ON A DEEP LEVEL ON HOW THAT STACKS UP AS FAR AS MEDIAN WAGE, UM, WHAT'S INCREASING, WHAT SECTORS ARE INCREASING FOR PAYMENT AND WHAT KIND OF, UM, OCCUPATIONAL CODES ARE OUT THERE.
SO, UM, THAT'S KIND OF THE NEXT PART OF OUR SET, BUT I WILL TELL YOU THAT THEY LOOK AT A, A MUCH BROADER AREA THAT, THAT JUST THE, UM, MUNICIPALITY THAT YOU ALL ARE IN.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING TO, TO KEEP IN MIND.
UM, OF COURSE PEOPLE ALWAYS ARE GONNA TAKE JOBS THAT ARE CLOSER TO HOME, SO IT WILL ALWAYS BENEFIT YOU ALL.
AND THEN THE MORE TAX REVENUE THAT YOU ALL GENERATE FROM THESE COMPANIES, UM, THE MORE QUALITY OF LIFE STUFF YOU CAN DO ON THE BACK END.
UM, BUT YES, FROM A PURE COST STANDPOINT, UM, YOU ALL STACK UP VERY WELL, UH, FOR A LOT OF THESE COMPANIES.
AND THEN, AS YOU ALL HEARD IN THE NEWS IN THE LAST 10 YEARS, I MEAN, IT'S ALL ABOUT WORKFORCE.
AND EACH ONE OF THESE SECTORS, THERE'S OTHER BUSINESSES THERE, THERE IS A, A WHAT WE CALL LOCATION QUOTIENT, WHICH MEANS, UM, US AVERAGE IS ONE FOR A LOCATION QUOTIENT.
SO AT Y'ALL'S REGION, WE ONLY LOOKED AT STUFF THAT WAS KIND OF TRIPLE AND QUADRUPLE TIMES THE UNITED STATES AVERAGE OF OF WORKERS.
SO WORKFORCE IS GONNA BE THE NUMBER ONE THING.
COST IS A HUGE DRIVER, BUT YOU ALL HAVE EXCELLENT INFRASTRUCTURE, UTILITY, UM, TAX COST IN TEXAS, AS YOU ALL KNOW, UM, TEXAS IS, IS HIGHLY COMPETITIVE.
AND, AND A LOT OF THAT IS BECAUSE IT'S COST OF BUSINESS AND ADVANTAGE THAT YOU ALL HAVE OTHER, OVER OTHER AREAS OF, UH, AROUND THE NATION.
UM, AS FAR AS Y'ALL'S DEMOGRAPHIC MAKEUP, I, I, I JUST THINK IT'S, IT IS A UNIQUE ADVANTAGE, UM, COMPARED TO OTHER COMMUNITIES AROUND WHEN THERE ARE SO MANY OF THESE COMPANIES THAT ARE STARTING TO MAKE STRATEGIC DECISIONS BASED ON DEMOGRAPHICS.
AND YOU ALL HAVE AN ADVANTAGE THAT NO OTHER COMMUNITY HAS OR THAT DOESN'T HAVE TO THE DEGREE THAT YOU ALL DO WITH A MINORITY AND DIVERSE WORKFORCE.
SO WHEN YOU'RE FINDING COMPANIES THAT ARE USING THAT IN THEIR SCORING METRICS, IT IS A NO BRAINER WITH THE PRODUCT AND THE COST OF THE WORKERS THAT YOU ALL HAVE FOR THEM TO COME TAKE A LOOK.
AND, AND I MEAN THAT'S JUST, UM, IT IS WHAT SEPARATES YOU ALL FROM A STRATEGIC STANDPOINT, FROM ALL THE OTHER AREAS IN, IN DALLAS THAT HAVE THE SAME COST, THE SAME WORKERS, THE SAME ACCESS TO WORKFORCE TRAINING PROGRAMS, TO UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS. UM, SO WHEN YOU'RE REALLY TRYING TO LOOK AT IT FROM A HIGH MACRO LEVEL, HEY, WHAT'S MY SALES CASE TO DIFFERENTIATE MYSELF FROM, YOU KNOW, TWO TOWNS OVER, UH, WE THINK THAT IS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT MAKING ANY MORE LAND.
SO YOU GOTTA KIND OF GET CREATIVE WITH, WITH THE TYPE OF COMPANIES, THE SIZE OF COMPANIES AND WHERE YOU CAN PUT THESE COMPANIES TO HELP EMPLOY PEOPLE.
WELL, SO I HAVE A QUESTION IN TERMS OF, UH, NOT EVERYONE'S GONNA GO TO COLLEGE.
SO DID YOU, UH, WELL, UNIVERSITY, DID YOU TAKE A LOOK AT THE COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM AS WELL? YES.
BECAUSE I THINK THAT SHOULD BE A PART OF THE DECK.
AND IT DEFINITELY GOES INTO THE WORKFORCE STUFF.
I WENT TO TWO YEARS IN COMMUNITY COLLEGE, BUT YES, THAT'S, THAT'S DEFINITELY A BIG THING, THE TECHNICAL PROGRAMS AND, AND WHEN YOU REALLY GET DOWN INTO THE WORKFORCE TRAINING STUFF, I MEAN, I MEAN THAT'S WHERE THE, THE BLOCKING AND TACKLING AND THEN BOLTS OF IT IS, IS IS GETTING KIDS AS YOUNG AS MIDDLE SCHOOL EVEN AND SHOWING 'EM, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THESE PLANTS AND WHAT'S OUT THERE AND HOW NICE IT IS AND WHAT THEY CAN GET WITH KO TECH AND TECHNICAL TYPE DEGREES IN COMMUNITY COLLEGE.
BUT ALL THAT COMES IN SUBSEQUENT STEPS.
AND AGAIN, AEROSPACE, THERE'S A LOT OF, OF, OF AEROSPACE AND THESE SMALLER MANUFACTURING PROJECTS THAT, THAT DO NOT NEED THESE LIFE SCIENCES DEGREES.
UM, ENTREPRENEURISM IS GONNA BE A BIG SECTOR OF OURS.
THERE'S JUST SO MUCH VENTURE CAPITAL FUNDING IN YOUR AREA.
AND, AND NOT ONLY THAT, BUT IT IS JUST THE WAY THE WORLD NOW, THE YOUNGER GENERATION ALL WENT THEIR OWN BUSINESSES.
IT'S BECOMING A MUCH MORE COMMONPLACE.
UM, AND, AND PEOPLE ALWAYS LIKE TO DO THAT WHERE THEY'RE FROM.
SO WE THINK THAT'S A VERY STRONG, UM, TARGETED SECTOR FOR YOU ALL TO START PURSUING THIS.
WELL, SOME OF THOSE COMPANIES, ALEX, THAT YOU PULLED, UM, THAT YOU FELT WERE A, A GOOD STRONG MATCH FOR OUR MARKET, DID YOU HAVE ANY COMPARISON TO THOSE THAT WOULD BE OUTSIDE OF DFW AND EVEN THOSE OUTSIDE OF TEXAS THAT WOULD BE POTENTIALLY EXPANDING INTO THE REGION VERSUS THE ONES THAT ARE ALREADY HERE? BECAUSE OFTENTIMES I THINK OUR BIGGEST OPPORTUNITY ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE THE COMPANIES THAT ARE ALREADY HERE IN THE REGION EXPANDING THEIR FOOTPRINT INTO DESOTO VERSUS SOMEONE THAT'S
[00:35:01]
COMING FROM OUTSIDE OF THE STATE.MM-HMM,
UM, THERE'S A LOT OF NUMBERS THAT GET THROWN AROUND BY IADC AND CONSULTANTS WHEN, WHEN THEY GIVE TALKS ANYWHERE FROM 70 TO 80% OF JOBS DO COME FROM YOUR EXISTING INDUSTRY, UM, AND WITHIN REGION.
AND, UH, YOU'RE NOT THE ONLY COMMUNITY THAT'S LANDLOCKED OR THAT'S RUNNING OUTTA LAND.
SO IF YOU ALL HAVE SOMETHING AND THERE'S A, THERE'S A, A BUSINESS UP THE ROAD IN ANOTHER COMMUNITY THAT NEEDS TO EXPAND AND NEEDS SOME SORT OF OFFICE SPACE OR, OR, OR EIGHT OR 10 ACRES THAT YOU ALL CAN PROVIDE, THAT IS DEFINITELY, UM, I DON'T WANNA SAY LOW HANGING CREW, BUT DEFINITELY AN OPPORTUNITY THERE.
UM, THAT'S NOT REALLY WHAT OUR, UM, TARGETED SECTOR IS, IS GOING TO DO, BUT PART OF OUR STRATEGY MAY BE TO HELP IDENTIFY THOSE COMPANIES.
A LOT OF THAT'S GONNA BE NETWORKING NOT ONLY FROM THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT TEAM, BUT MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY JUST BEING OUT, TALKING POSITIVELY ABOUT THE COMMUNITY, UM, KEEPING THEIR EARS OPEN WHEN THEY'RE, WHEN THEY'RE TRAVELING, TALKING TO PEOPLE NEXT TO 'EM ON THE PLANE WHEN THEY'RE A RESTAURANT, SAYING POSITIVE THINGS THROUGHOUT THE COMMUNITY AND, AND, AND BRINGING THOSE KIND OF LEADS WHEN YOU HEAR 'EM.
ALEX, ONE OTHER QUESTION FROM ME IF I MAY PLEASE.
UH, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT COSTS, SO YOU LOOK AT DIFFERENT AREAS, DIFFERENT REGIONS IF YOU WILL, THE COST TO BILL.
SO LET'S JUST TAKE, UH, COST PER SQUARE FOOT IN CALIFORNIA TO BILL COULD BE 2000 OR $2,200 PER SQUARE FOOT DALLAS METROPLEX AREA.
IT COULD BE UH, THOUSAND TO 15.
ARE YOU LOOKING AT THAT AS A COMPARISON AS WELL? UM, WE ARE NOT LOOKING AT THAT.
IT IS SOMETHING THAT EVERYBODY LOOKS AT AND WHEN WE'RE DOING SITE SELECTION, IT'S SOMETHING WE DO LOOK AT, RIGHT? WE DO NOT LOOK AT THAT FROM THIS AREA BECAUSE YOUR, YOUR CONSTRUCTION COSTS ARE WHAT THEY ARE COMPARED TO OTHER AREAS.
NOW, IT'S A HUGE INCENTIVE WHEN YOU'RE SITTING IN CALIFORNIA AND IT COSTS, I DON'T KNOW, $200 A SQUARE FOOT AND, AND YOU CAN WALK IN AND SHOW SOMEBODY THAT ONLY COSTS A HUNDRED DOLLARS A SQUARE FOOT WHERE YOU'RE AT.
I MEAN, THAT IS A, A HUGE COST SAVING, RIGHT.
BUT FROM OUR TARGETED INDUSTRY STANDPOINT, WE DO NOT REALLY, UH, DELVE INTO THAT BECAUSE THAT'S NOT REALLY SOMETHING THAT YOU ALL CAN CHANGE.
UM, YOU KNOW, YOUR, YOUR CONSTRUCTION COSTS ARE WHAT THEY ARE, BUT AS FAR AS SITE SELECTION AS A WHOLE IS A HUGE DRIVER.
I MEAN, YOUR COST OF WORKERS IS SOMETHING THAT IS PROBABLY YOUR NUMBER ONE DRIVING.
UM, YOUR CONSTRUCTION COSTS ARE ANOTHER THING.
YOUR CONSTRUCTION COST OR YOUR, YOUR COST TO GET GOODS IN AND OUT.
UM, INSURANCE COSTS, COST FOR UTILITIES, UH, DEPENDING ON THE BUSINESS ARE HUGE.
NOW, VERY FEW THINGS YOU CAN DO TO CHANGE THE COST WITHIN YOUR COMMUNITY.
UM, BUT YOU DO STACK UP VERY WELL AS YOU CAN SEE BY ALL THE GROWTH HAPPENING, UM, NOT ONLY IN IN THE DALLAS METRO, BUT YOUR STATE IS HOME.
ALTHOUGH WE CAN'T CHANGE IT, WE CAN COMMUNICATE IT.
SO WE HAVE A, WE HAVE A PRODUCT THAT IS A VIRTUAL SPEC BUILDING.
AND, AND WE'VE HAD, WHAT IT IS, IS YOU CAN BUILD DIFFERENT KIND OF BUILDINGS THAT PRE PERMITTED AND YOU HAVE SLIDERS ON IT.
WE EVEN HAVE SOME FOR HANGERS.
AND YOU'LL SAY, YOU KNOW, IF WE ADDED A, A PAINT SHOP 20,000 SQUARE FOOT AND THE PRICE AND CONSTRUCTION TIMELINES WILL CHANGE.
WE HAD A CLIENT OF OURS IN MISSOURI JUST EMAILED THAT OUT A COUPLE YEARS AGO.
UM, THE CALIFORNIA COMPANIES CALLED EMAIL AND SAW 'EM PLAYING WITH IT.
AND THEY WANT A PROJECT OF IT, JUST EXACTLY WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.
THEY SAW, UM, IT WAS ALMOST 60% LESS TO BUILD THAN IT WAS, I THINK THE COMPANY WAS IN LA AND THIS WAS IN, IN HERE KANSAS CITY, BUT IN KIND OF RURAL 40 MILES AWAY.
AND THEY CAME AND GOT A LOOK AT PROJECT OFF OF IT.
SO, UM, THAT'S SOMETHING YOU'VE ALWAYS GOTTA BE GOING.
AND WHEN YOU'RE TARGETING THESE, THESE, THESE BUSINESSES WITHIN THESE SECTORS AND DOING YOUR MARKETING OUTREACH, UM, IT ALWAYS BEHOOVES YOU TO GO TO HIGH COST AREAS IN NEW YORK, SAN FRANCISCO, LA, TORONTO, MONTREAL, YOU KNOW, GO TO THE HIGHER COST AREAS AND MAKE THAT PART OF YOURSELVES.
BUT YOU'RE A HUNDRED PERCENT THANK YOU.
ALEX, YOU, UM, YOU ALLUDED TO IT, BUT MAYBE YOU COULD JUST KIND OF LAY OUT SORT OF THE NEXT STEPS, UM, THAT GET US TO, UM, FINALIZING THE DATA ANALYSIS.
YOU'VE GONE A LONG WAYS THERE AND GETTING US TO THE, TO THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
UH, LAYING THAT OUT TOWARDS THE END OF SEPTEMBER.
UM, IF YOU COULD, AND THE OTHER ONE, IF, IF YOU HAVE IT AVAILABLE, AND I DON'T KNOW THAT YOU DO, 'CAUSE I KNOW YOU WERE EVEN AS RECENTLY AS THIS WEEK STILL WORKING ON IT.
SOME SORT OF, IT MAY JUST CHARACTERIZE, UM, THE OUTREACH, HOW YOU FEEL LIKE THE OUTREACH HAS GONE, YOU KNOW, IN PERSON ONLINE DATE OF THE SURVEY.
UM, YEAH, WE ALWAYS, ALWAYS WANT MORE FEEDBACK THAN WE GET.
UM, WE FEEL LIKE THERE COULD HAVE BEEN, UH, MORE PEOPLE, UM, UH, FILL OUT THE SURVEYS.
SO MAYBE IF WE WANT TO SEND THAT OUT AGAIN, ESPECIALLY BEFORE WE REALLY DELVE INTO STRATEGIC STUFF, UH, WE CAN DO THAT.
UM, I THOUGHT MOST EVERYBODY WAS ON THE SAME PAGE THAT I MET WITH AS FAR AS THE OUTREACH.
UM, YOU KNOW, I, I TRIED TO KEEP THOSE CONVERSATIONS SPECIFICALLY CONFIDENTIAL, BUT A LOT OF IT WAS,
[00:40:01]
UH, WE'RE LANDLOCKED, WE NEED TO KEEP PEOPLE WORKING CLOSER HERE.THE TAX REVENUE HERE, WE NEED MORE QUALITY OF LIFE TYPE STUFF.
UM, WHETHER IT'S A MOVIE THEATER OR WALKING DISTRICT RESTAURANTS, I HEARD HEARD A LOT OF THAT.
UM, I REALLY LEFT WITH A GOOD SENSE OF Y ALL'S COMMUNITY PRIDE AS FAR AS WANTING TO GROW THE TAX BASE.
YOU WANT TO SPEND YOUR, YOUR DINNER MONEY IN TOWN, IN NICE RESTAURANTS.
YOU DON'T WANT TO DRIVE THE NEXT TOWN.
UM, WHAT WAS THE SAMPLE SIDE, HOW MANY, HOW MANY, WHAT WAS THE SAMPLE SIDE? SO AS FAR AS THE, AS FAR AS THE, THE NEXT STEPS, WE'RE RUNNING THAT WORKFORCE DATA NOW AND NEXT WEEK.
UM, AND THEN WE'LL TRY PUT THAT TOGETHER.
AND THEN WE ARE ALL MEETING, UM, PROBABLY THE SECOND WEEK IN SEPTEMBER TO START WRITING OUT THE STRATEGIC PLAN, KIND OF WRITING OUT THE LAST THING.
THE FIRST THING WE HAVE TO COME UP WITH IS THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND THEN RESEARCH THE OTHER COMMUNITY AND WHAT THEY'VE DONE SUCCESSFULLY.
UM, SO IT IS GONNA BE A TIGHT TIMELINE FOR, TO GET IT DONE BY YOUR MEETING AND, AND ME AND THE SEPTEMBER.
BUT WE ARE ALL HANDS ON DECK AND, AND, AND, AND GET THAT PREPARED FOR YOU ALL.
UM, THIS TARGETED SECTOR THAT WE WILL DO, IT WILL BE IN THAT REPORT, UM, FILLED OUT FAR MORE IN DEPTH THAN OUR WORKFORCE NUMBERS.
BUT YES, UH, TO YOUR POINT, IF, IF, IF ANY MORE WE COULD SEND THAT SURVEY OUT ONE MORE TIME AND ASK PEOPLE TO FILL IT OUT, UM, UH, WE ALWAYS LEARN STUFF EVERY TIME WE DO ANSWER.
NO, ALEX, MY QUESTION WAS, WHAT WAS THE SAMPLE SIZE YOU HAD TO WORK WITH? HOW MANY PEOPLE, HOW MANY RESPONSES DID YOU GET? I'M NOT SURE, BUT I'D HAVE TO CHECK WITH MY TEAM TO GET BACK TO YOU BASED ON, UM, KIND OF THE SURVEYMONKEY.
I DON'T REALLY HAVE ACCESS TO THE, THE SURVEYMONKEY, BUT I WILL CHECK WITH MY STAFF TOMORROW AND SEND OUT AN EMAIL.
I WOULD THINK THERE WAS, UM, THERE WAS ONLY A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE THAT CAME TO MEET WITH ME PERSONALLY.
I KNOW THERE'S BEEN A FEW PEOPLE THAT HAVEN'T ZOOMED AND I WOULD, I'M GUESSING ANYWHERE FROM 20 TO 30 FILLED UP SURVEYS.
SO WE, WE WOULD PROBABLY LIKE TO DOUBLE THAT.
BUT AGAIN, I DON'T KNOW THE EXACT NUMBERS WITHOUT GETTING INTO HAVING MY STAFF GET INTO SURVEY MONKEY.
AND MATT, CAN YOU SHARE LIKE WHO WE SHARED THAT WITH JUST FOR THE RECORD? YEAH.
YOU KNOW, I, AND I, I DON'T REMEMBER WHO ALL THE, THE STAKEHOLDERS BECAUSE WE KIND OF, WE KIND OF ENGAGED AT TWO DIFFERENT LEVELS, UH, COUNCIL AND THE BOARD CLEARLY.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT, I DON'T KNOW, 14 OR 1416 THERE, CITY STAFF, CITY, UH, CITY DIRECTORS, UM, AND WHICH ADDS ANOTHER 10 OR 12.
UM, AND THEN, UH, SCHOOL DISTRICT, UH, ELECTED OFFICIALS.
AND THE OTHER PIECE WAS TO OPEN THAT UP TO, TO, UH, THE COMMUNITY.
AND THAT'S REALLY WHERE THE SER WE WERE, WE WERE HOPEFUL WE WOULD GET MORE SURVEY DATA BACK BY JUST REACHING OUT TO THE COMMUNITY IN GENERAL.
AND I, AND, AND WE, WE WILL LOOK FOR SOME WAYS TO PUT THAT BACK OUT IN FRONT OF FOLKS TO SEE IF WE CAN'T GET THAT NUMBER UP BECAUSE WE, AS WE CLOSE THE SURVEY, SO IT'LL BE OPEN, WE CAN JUST SET THAT SAME, UM, KIND OF RE-LOOK AT THE, THE NUMBERS IF IT TELLS US ANYTHING DIFFERENT.
BUT, UH, I, I, I, I DID LEAVE IN THERE WITH A GOOD SENSE THAT EVERYBODY SEEMED TO BE ON THE SAME PAGE.
NOW, TO MATT'S POINT, UM, A LOT OF PEOPLE WE MET WITH WERE ALL INVOLVED IN THE COMMUNITY AND, AND SERVE ON THE BOARD OR, AND ELECTED OFFICIALS.
SO YOU ALL TYPICALLY ARE IN LINE BECAUSE WE'RE ALL TRYING TO DO SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, BUT I, I DID BELIEVE THEY WERE THE GOOD SENSE THAT Y'ALL WERE, WERE ON THE SAME PAGE FAR MORE THAN OTHER COMMUNITIES, UH, THAT WE SOMETIMES DO SO WELL.
AND, AND NOT THAT WE ARE ATTEMPTING TO SKEW THE DATA BY ANY STRETCH, BUT WE ALSO WANTED TO FIND THOSE PEOPLE TO THAT POINT WHO REALLY, WHO ARE INVOLVED.
IT'S, THIS IS NOT A, THIS IS NOT A NOVELTY TO 'EM AT, THERE'S SOME SORT OF A STRATEGIC PLANNING EFFORT GOING ON.
UM, AND SO I THINK THAT THAT SHAPED IN TERMS OF WHO THE OUTREACH, ESPECIALLY AS IT RELATED TO IN-PERSON OR ZOOM MEETINGS.
UM, WE COULD EXPAND THAT IF WE CHOSE TO, BUT WE DIDN'T FEEL LIKE THAT WAS NECESSARILY GONNA HELP US MUCH.
BUT WE DID WANNA HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY FOR FEEDBACK, AND THAT WAS THE REASON FOR THE, THE SURVEYMONKEY AND, AND THE SURVEY THERE.
I DON'T EVEN REMEMBER HOW MANY QUESTIONS WERE ON IT.
UH, IT WAS NOT HUGE IF I RECALL.
NO, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S, WE NEVER, WE MAKE, NOBODY WILL FILL IT OUT.
YOU'VE GOTTA KEEP THINGS PRETTY SIMPLE AND TO THE POINT.
UM, AND, AND THE DATA SOURCES THAT WE USE, WE, WE PARTNER WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN MISSISSIPPI AND THEY'VE GOT EVERY SINGLE ESRI
COMMUNITY INPUT, JUST KIND OF GET SOME, SOME PERCEPTION TYPE THINGS AND, AND, AND MAKE SURE IT'S ALL ADDING UP TO, TO WHAT WE'RE SEEING IN THE NUMBERS.
ALEX, I HAVE ONE LAST QUESTION.
IT, IT JUST CAME UP FOR ME TO BE HONEST WITH YOU, CONSIDERING THE FACT THAT WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, UH, DESOTO AREA, BEING A LANDLOCK AREA.
SO WE'VE GOT WHAT WE HAVE, ARE WE LOOKING AT,
[00:45:01]
AND I'M GONNA USE THIS, THIS PHRASE, A OLOGY ASSESSMENT TO, UH, DETERMINE WHEN, WHAT DOES PHASING LOOK LIKE FROM A TIME SENSITIVITY STANDPOINT TO OPTIMIZE THIS OPPORTUNITY THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT? IN OTHER WORDS, PHASING IS GOING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE FOR US 'CAUSE TIME KILLS ALL DEALS.AND IF YOU, YOU KNOW, AND WE WANT TO BE SENSITIVE TO THAT FROM KEY MILESTONE STANDPOINT, IS THAT SOMETHING THAT YOU GUYS LOOK AT AS WELL? WELL, I, I WOULD SAY YOU'RE CORRECT, BUT ALSO PHASING CREATES OTHER DEALS IN THE BACK END.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW, BUILDINGS BECOME OBSOLETE AND THE CITY CAN GET CONTROL OF 'EM, AND THEN YOU REFURBISH 'EM AND, AND IT IS A NEW OPPORTUNITY THAT WASN'T THERE BEFORE.
UM, SO, SO WE WILL LOOK AT KIND OF THE LAND.
UM, I, UH, I KNOW THAT ANON PROVIDED US A MAP OF THAT.
THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE KIND OF LOOK AT.
UM, BUT THAT'S MORE OF A, A CITY COMPREHENSIVE TYPE PLAN ON WHAT TO DO WITH LAND DEVELOPMENT AND WHERE TO DO IT.
WE'RE KIND OF LOOKING STRICTLY FROM A, UM, YOUR WORKFORCE ASSETS, YOUR COST ASSETS AND THE BUSINESS CASE FROM A COMMUNITY, AND THEN HOW YOU CAN STRATEGICALLY GO AFTER THESE TYPE OF COMPANIES AND GET IN FRONT OF THEM AND SHOW THEM WHAT YOU ALL HAVE TO OFFER.
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME TONIGHT.
WE SURE APPRECIATE YOU DROPPING IN.
AND WE'LL LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING MORE FROM YOU.
[B.4. City Council Liaison update regarding City events, meetings, etc., by Councilmember Andre" Byrd.]
WE'RE GONNA HAVE, UM, AN UPDATE FROM OUR CITY COUNCIL LIAISON, UM, SANDRA GREEN BY COUNCIL MEMBER BYRD THAT'S GONNA SHARE SOME UPDATES WITH US, PLEASE.AND I HEARD THE WARNING SIGNS TO BE QUICK.
I KNOW WE'RE TOGETHER TOMORROW.
EVERYBODY KNOW WE HAVE A JOINT, A JOINT MEETING TOMORROW.
UM, AND ALSO, UM, FOR THOSE OF OF YOU THAT MIGHT WANT TO JOIN US, UH, WE'LL BE AT METHODIST, UH, CHARLTON METHODIST HOSPITAL AT 7 7 7 O'CLOCK TOMORROW IN THE MORNING FOR THE, UH, LEGISLATIVE UPDATE.
UH, COMMISSIONER CHRIS WALLACE WILL BE THE MODERATOR, AND WE WILL HAVE A PANELIST, JUDGE CLAY JENKINS AND, UH, JUDGE TODD LITTLE WOULD BE THE PANELIST ON THE 23RD.
AND THEN WE HAVE A BONUS, UH, FRIDAY, UH, MORNING, WHICH WOULD BE ON THE 30TH.
AND, UM, UH, COUNCIL WA UM, REPRESENTATIVE, UM, I'M SORRY, UH, JASMINE CROCKETT, UH, UH, CONGRESSWOMAN CROCKETT WILL BE HERE ON THE 30TH AND IT WILL BE AT THE, UM, AT THE BREAKFAST AT CHARLTON METHODIST FOR THOSE DAYS.
AND THEN LAST BUT NOT LEAST, WE WILL, UH, ON THE, ON GETTING INTO SEPTEMBER, I WANTED TO TELL YOU ABOUT THIS BECAUSE THIS IS A, A GREAT EVENT, GOOD FOOD.
UM, GETTING INTO SEPTEMBER, ON THE 19TH OF SEPTEMBER, WE WILL HAVE OUR BOARD AND COMMISSIONS BANQUET.
THAT IS THE BANQUET THAT WE TELL SIXTH.
THAT IS THE BANQUET THAT WE, UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR VOLUNTEER TIME.
WELL, WE GAVE YOU A, UM, A MEDALLION AND PICTURE WITH ME.
SO
WE'RE TALKING, IT'S A CONVERSATION, ECONOMIC CONVERSATION WITH THE COMMUNITY.
THIS IS TO KIND OF HELP THE COMMUNITY KNOW THE, WHAT YOU GUYS HAVE, WHAT YOU DO, BUT MORE SO WHAT OUR CHALLENGES, UH, IN DEVELOPING DESOTO MIGHT BE.
SO WHAT CHALLENGES HAVE HELD US BACK FROM BEING ABLE TO DEVELOP, UH, DESOTO OLD INFRASTRUCTURE, WHATEVER THOSE CHALLENGES ARE.
SO WE WILL HAVE, UM, UH, WE'RE STILL WORKING ON THE TIME, BUT WE'RE THINKING IT'S GONNA START AROUND SIX O'CLOCK THAT FRIDAY.
AND THEN WE WILL HAVE A SECOND, UH, UH, PART OF IT THAT SATURDAY MORNING.
SO, UM, THAT, UH, THAT'S ALL THAT I HAVE.
ARE THERE ANY QUESTIONS? I DON'T THINK SO.
FOR THE SEPTEMBER 20TH AND 21ST, IS THERE A ROLE THAT Y'ALL ARE LOOKING FOR FROM THE BOARD? WE, WE AREN'T, I MEAN, THIS, IT, IT TRULY, IT IS FUNNY 'CAUSE THIS STARTED WITH A CONVERSATION THAT THE COUNCILMAN AND I HAD LAST NOVEMBER, UH, DOWN IN, IN BASTROP AT THE
[00:50:01]
TML CONFERENCE, UH, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE THAT T-F-T-M-L PUTS TOGETHER.BECAUSE I THINK THERE IS A, A LACK OF IDENTIFICATION AND UNDERSTANDING ABOUT SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT WE DO FACE.
I LIKE TO CALL CHALLENGES OPPORTUNITIES BECAUSE CHALLENGES SOUND SO NEGATIVE.
BUT HOW DO WE TURN THOSE INTO AN OPPORTUNITY? HOW DO WE MOVE FROM THAT TO THE NEXT PHASE? AND THAT'S, THAT'S SOMETHING WE WANNA BE ABLE TO TALK ABOUT.
THESE ARE THINGS THAT ARE, LET'S, LET'S, LET'S UNDERSTAND THOSE SO THAT OUR EXPECTATIONS ARE, ARE, ARE FRAMED CORRECTLY.
'CAUSE I THINK TOO MANY TIMES WHAT WE HEAR IS EXPECTATIONS THAT ARE, ARE NOT GROUNDED, IN FACT MM-HMM.
AND I THINK WE JUST NEED TO GET SOME OF THAT PUT TOGETHER SO THAT WHEN WE ARE ALL TALKING ABOUT IT, EVEN EVEN ALEX SAID IT, YOU KNOW, HOW WE TALK ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY MATTERS.
UM, AND, AND IF WE'RE TALKING ABOUT WE DON'T HAVE INFRASTRUCTURE, THAT'S, THAT'S A THING TO SAY.
AND YOU KNOW WHAT? WE MAY NOT HAVE INVESTED AS MUCH AS WE ARE AS WE SHOULD, BUT HERE ARE THE CHANGES WE'RE MAKING, AND THIS IS WHERE WE'RE HEADED.
I THINK THOSE ARE IMPORTANT PARTS OF THAT CONVERSATION SO THAT OUR COMMUNITY RESONATES WITH ONE VOICE, THAT DESOTO IS THE RIGHT PLACE TO BE DEVELOPING AS WE MOVE FORWARD, NO MATTER WHERE IT'S COME FROM.
AND CAN I ADD THIS? I I, I THINK THIS BOARD MOTIVATED US BECAUSE WE, WE HAVE TO CHANGE THE NARRATIVE AND YOU CHANGE THE NARRATIVE BY EDUCATING, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE PEOPLE BELIEVE WHAT THEY BELIEVE.
UH, I WAS TELLING SOMEONE SUNDAY THAT, UM, I, I, UH, I, MY LIMITED UNDERSTANDING OF AN UMBRELLA, UH, I WAS DRIVING AND I, YOU KNOW, GROWING UP YOU SEE AN UMBRELLA, YOU THINK, WHAT? IT'S GONNA RAIN, BUT IT WAS 105 DEGREES OUTSIDE.
AND I SAW A GIRL WITH AN UMBRELLA.
AND THAT CHALLENGED ME EVEN THEN TO SAY, THIS UMBRELLA IS MORE THAN JUST FOR THE RAIN.
IT'S ALSO PROTECTION FROM THE SUN.
SO IT'S SOMETIMES IT IS BROADENING THE, THE, THE SPECTRUM, THE IDEA, THE CONCEPT OF WHAT ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT IS, WHAT IT, WHAT, WHAT IT, WHAT IT CAN BE, AND WHAT IT HAS BEEN HERE IN DESOTO, AND HOW DO WE NAVIGATE WHAT WE ARE? WE CAN'T GET ANY MORE LAND.
AND WE, UM, SO, SO THAT IS THE, THE, THE MEAT AND POTATOES OF IT.
UH, MY JOB IS REALLY STRICTLY, UH, INTRODUCTION.
AND THEN MATT AND THIS TEAM WILL TAKE OVER FROM THAT.
BUT, UM, BUT HOPEFULLY WE WILL GATHER YOU, YOU CHALLENGED US TO GET A BIGGER ROOM.
WE GOT A BIGGER ROOM, THEN WE CHANGED THE DATE
BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, THE GOAL IS TO HAVE PEOPLE SIGN UP FOR IT.
AND SO IF YOU GUYS CAN COME AND JUST BE, UH, YOU KNOW, BE SUPPORTIVE AND, AND IT WILL HELP YOU HERE AS WELL.
UM, WHAT, WHAT, WHAT THE COMMUNITY MIGHT UNDERSTAND AND WHAT THEY MIGHT NOT UNDERSTAND ABOUT OUR COMMUNITY.
YOU KNOW, I'VE SAID THIS, WHEN YOU JOIN THIS BOARD, YOU KNOW THAT WE APPRECIATE ALL THE INPUT THAT WE GET FROM YOU'ALL, BUT OUR COMMUNITY LOOKS TOWARDS YOU MORE SO THAN THEY DO TO ANTOINE.
AND I, YOU KNOW, YOU ARE THE RESPECTED MEMBERS OF THE COMMUNITY, AND WHEN YOU, WHEN YOU SPEAK, THEY LISTEN.
WHEN YOU'RE THERE, IT MATTERS.
SO YOU ASK ABOUT WHAT, WHAT LEVEL OF SUPPORT.
WE ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT WE'RE MAKING HUGE DEMANDS ON YOUR TIME.
BETWEEN JOINT MEETINGS AND BOARD BOARD RETREATS.
AND WE UNDERSTAND AND, AND WE HOPE THAT WE HELP TO PRIORITIZE SOME OF THOSE.
AND WE CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND WHEN YOU CAN'T, CAN'T NECESSARILY BE AT EVERY EVENT.
UM, BUT, BUT WE DO APPRECIATE THE FACT THAT, UH, WE GET THE LEVEL OF SUPPORT THAT WE DO.
AND, AND I THINK OUR COMMUNITY, IT, IT'S VALUABLE TO OUR COMMUNITY.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THOSE UPDATES.
ALWAYS, UH, GREAT INCENTIVES TO BUILD ON.
[B.5. Conduct a Public Hearing and consider a Resolution approving an economic development incentive agreement providing a facade grant for Health and Allied Health, Inc., in the amount of $10,489.26 to be applied as reimbursement for a portion of costs incurred for a monument sign and door signage for business located at 1824 N. Hampton Road, DeSoto, Texas. ]
SO, UH, TONIGHT WE HAVE, UH, PUBLIC HEARINGS ON OUR AGENDA.AND SO ANY PERSON THAT'S WISHING TO SPEAK DURING A PUBLIC HEARING MAY DO SO AND SHARE THAT.
UH, LET ME READ THE AGENDA HERE.
UH, WE LOOK TO CONDUCT A PUBLIC HEARING AND CONSIDER A RESOLUTION APPROVING AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AND SETTLE AGREEMENT, PROVIDING A FACADE GRANT FOR HEALTH AND ALLIED HEALTH, UH, INC IN THE AMOUNT OF 10,004 $89 AND 26 CENTS TO BE APPLIED AS REIMBURSEMENT FOR A PORTION OF COSTS INCURRED FOR A MONUMENT SIGN AND DO SIGNAGE WITH BUSINESS LOCATED AT 1824 NORTH HAMPTON ROAD, DESOTO, TEXAS.
YOU NEED A MOTION TO OPEN THE PUBLIC HEARING AND I YES, I ARRANGE FOR THAT NOW.
AND, UM, SO WE HAVE TWO, SO DO I GO FOR BOTH RIGHT NOW? JUST WAIT FOR NOTE.
SO I HEREBY OPEN THE, THE PUBLIC HEARING FOR THIS ITEM.
THE TIME NOW IS 7:08 PM AND, UH, AT THIS TIME, I WOULD ASK IF THERE THOSE PERSONS THAT WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF THIS ITEM TO DO SO.
[00:55:03]
AND THERE ARE YOU WITHOUT ANY OTHER COMMENTS, YOU CAN CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.UH, HAVE ANOTHER YOU CLOSE TO CLOSE THIS PUBLIC HEARING IF YOU NEED A MOTION AND A SECOND AND THEN CLOSE IT.
UM, SO WE HAVE, UH, NO QUESTIONS AND NO OBSERVATIONS REGARDING THIS.
WE'RE GONNA CLOSE, REMOVE AND CLOSE THIS PUBLIC HEARING AT THIS TIME.
UM, THERE BEING NO DISCUSSION.
AND THE TIME NOW IS 7:09 PM AND NOW WE'RE GOING TO MOVE TO, AS FOR A MOTION, YOU REALLY DON'T HAVE TO HAVE A MOTION.
SO YOU CAN CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AND THEN MOVE ON TO THE CONSIDERATION OF ACTION.
AND THAT'S WHERE WE'LL PRESENT TO Y'ALL.
WELL, AT THIS TIME, WE'LL CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING.
UM, IT IS, UH, 7 0 9 7 10:00 PM WELL, GOOD EVENING BOARD.
UH, THANK Y'ALL AGAIN, I'LL BE PRESENTING THIS ONE TONIGHT.
UH, TALKING ABOUT THE ALLIED HEALTH, UH, HEALTH AND ALLIED HEALTH ADE IMPROVEMENT GRANT PROGRAM.
UH, WE WERE IN COMMUNICATION WITH MS. ESTELLA SHU, UH, BACK IN APRIL OF THIS YEAR.
SHE'S ACTUALLY BEEN IN BUSINESS HERE IN DESOTO SINCE SEP UH, SEPTEMBER OF 2015 WITH A FAMILY, UH, HEALTH PRACTICE RIGHT THERE ALONG HAMPTON ROAD.
UH, SHE WAS ACTUALLY LEASING OUT SOME SPACE SINCE 26, UH, 2015.
AND LAST YEAR SHE DECIDED TO ACQUIRE SOME PROPERTY AND ACTUALLY BUILD ON HER OWN DUE TO THE SUCCESS AND GROWTH OF HER FACILITY.
UH, WITH THIS GROWTH AND SUCCESS, UH, SHE IS NEEDING SOME ASSISTANCE WITH HER EXTERIOR IMPROVEMENTS.
UH, SHE HAS A NEW MONUMENT SIGN, UH, FOR HER SPACE AND ALSO I THINK THREE OR FOUR OTHER SPACES, UH, FOR SOME OTHER TENANTS IN HER FACILITY.
AND ALSO SHE'S LOOKING FOR SOME SIGNAGE FOR HER ACTUAL FACILITY OR FOR HER ACTUAL BUSINESS THERE.
AND THAT AMOUNT LISTED THERE ON THE, UH, PACKET THERE.
SO, UH, SHE SUBMITTED HER APPLICATION IN MAY.
UH, WE HAVEN'T HAD A MEETING TO YOU REVIEW THAT SINCE.
SO, UH, FIRST TIME BRINGING THAT BOARD WANTED TO, UH, JUST OPEN THAT UP FOR DISCUSSION AND YOUR APPROVAL.
UH, IT IS STAFF RECOMMENDATION FOR APPROVAL FOR THIS PARTICULAR GRANT.
REASON, UH, YEAH, FOR THIS, UH, FACADE IMPROVEMENT GRANT THAT WE WILL REIMBURSE ONCE COMPLETED.
ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS THAT WE CAN ADDRESS FROM THE STAFF LEVEL? I DON'T HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT WHAT THE REQUEST IS.
THE ONLY THING I'M JUST WONDERING, WHEN WE HAVE THESE, AND I KNOW IT'S NOT A REQUIREMENT TO GET THE GRANT, BUT WHEN WE, I'M LOOKING AT THE NUMBER OF JOBS THAT ARE FULL-TIME, SIX FULL-TIME, TWO PART-TIME.
IT WOULD BE INTERESTING TO KNOW WHEN WE TALK ABOUT JOBS, HOW MANY OF THOSE JOBS ARE FILLED BY RESIDENTS OF THE CITY OF MINNESOTA? IT'S NOT A REQUIREMENT, I'M JUST, IT WOULD BE GOOD TO KNOW AND WHAT THOSE SALARIES LOOK LIKE.
SHE'S A, LIKE I SAID, SHE'S A LOCAL RESIDENT AS WELL.
AND I WILL SAY JUST ANOTHER TO THAT.
LOOKING AT OUR FACADE GRANT IMPROVEMENT PROGRAM, IT ISN'T NECESSARILY TIED TO JOBS, RIGHT? RIGHT.
FOR INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT TYPICALLY IS.
BUT I THINK THAT IS A GREAT POINT FOR US TO FOLLOW UP ON.
UH, HEALTHCARE AGAIN, IS OUR NUMBER ONE INDUSTRY IN DESOTO MM-HMM.
SO WE ARE PLEASED TO SEE FOLKS LIKE HER REACHING OUT TO US FOR THAT GROWTH HERE.
DO WE HAVE A MOTION? I THINK YOU'RE LOOKING FOR A MOTION FROM ONE OF THE BOARD MEMBERS YES.
TO APPROVE THAT, THAT GRANT I MOVE THAT WE APPROVE THE GRANT TO HEALTH AND ALLIED, UH, HEALTH FOR $10,489 26 CENTS.
SECOND, IT HAS BEEN, IT HAS BEEN MOTION AND SECOND, UM, TO APPROVE THE, UH, THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVE AGREEMENT, UH, TO PROVIDE THE FACADE GRANT FOR HEALTH AND ALLI HEALTH AND ALLIED HEALTH, INC.
IN AMOUNT OF 10,040 $89 AND 26 CENTS.
ALL IN FAVOR, PLEASE SAY, AYE.
[B.6. Conduct a Public Hearing and consider a Resolution approving an economic development incentive agreement providing an Infrastructure grant for Sunshine Pediatric Day Center, DeSoto LLC, in the amount of $20,000.00, to reimburse a portion of eligible site improvement and infrastructure expenses related to a prescribed pediatric extended care center located at 1059 E. Beltline Road, DeSoto, Texas. ]
FORWARD, WE HAVE ANOTHER, UH, PUBLIC HEARING.AND IT IS CURRENTLY 7:00 PM SESSION.
AND THIS IS, UH, TO CONDUCT A PUBLIC HEARING AND CONSIDER THE RESOLUTION.
I APPRO AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVE AGREEMENT, PROVIDING AN INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT FOR SUNSHINE PEDIATRIC DAYCARE CENTER IN DESOTO, DESOTO, LLC, IN THE AMOUNT OF $20,000 TO REIMBURSE A PORTION OF ELIGIBLE SITE IMPROVEMENT IN INFRASTRUCTURE EXPENSES RELATED TO A PRESCRIBED
[01:00:01]
EXTENDED CARE CARE CENTER LOCATED AT 10 59 EAST BELTLINE ROAD, DESOTO, TEXAS.SO LET ME OPEN THE, OPEN TO THE PUBLIC FOR ANY PERSON, EXCUSE MY, MY ALLERGIES, ANY PERSONS THAT WOULD LIKE TO HAVE COMMENTS AND SPEAK TO THIS SUBJECT MATTER.
UH, THEN WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO CLOSE THE PUBLIC HEARING AT 7:12 PM AND ANY DISCUSSIONS AT THIS TIME.
UH, I JUST WANNA TALK TO YOU GUYS THIS EVENING.
WE'RE GONNA BRING UP SUNSHINE PEDIATRIC DAY CENTER, PRESCRIBED PEDIATRIC EXTENDED CARE CENTER, OR P-P-E-C-C THAT PROVIDES ONE OF A KIND SPECIAL NEEDS DAY CENTER FOR CHILDREN WITH INDIVIDUALIZED MEDICAL NEEDS.
THE CENTER FOCUSES ON MEDICAL, UH, MEETING THE MEDICAL DEVELOPMENT, MENTAL, PHYSICAL, NUTRITIONAL AND SOCIAL NEEDS OF CHILDREN WHO REQUIRE INTERMITTENT, INTERMITTENT, OR LONG-TERM SKILLED NURSING CARE.
THE CENTER HAS BEEN DESIGNED TO CARE FOR UP TO 60 KIDS.
SUNSHINE PEDIATRIC DAY CENTER'S EXCITED TO BECOME PART OF DESOTO, UH, COMMUNITY.
LOCATED THERE AT 10 59 EAST BELTLINE ROAD.
THEY'RE ON BELTLINE JUST BEFORE 35, RIGHT BEFORE THE Q2.
SEE SOME CONSTRUCTION THAT'S GOING UP RIGHT NOW.
UM, THAT IS THE FACILITY THAT'S GOING THERE.
UM, SO IN AN EFFORT TO HELP ALLEVIATE AND ASSIST WITH THEIR IMPACT FEES TOTALING OVER 48,000, SUNSHINE PEDIATRICS SUBMITTED A REQUEST IN THE AMOUNT OF 20,000, UH, THERE IN MAY AS WELL.
UH, WITH THIS FACILITY, JOB CREATION WILL, WITH IT BEING AN INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT, UH, JOB CREATION WILL BE BETWEEN 30 AND 35.
UM, INVESTMENT IN THE, UH, OUR TAX REVENUE, ABOUT 3.9 MILLION, UH, INTO THE FACILITY.
$25,000 PER YEAR OF TAX REVENUE FOR THE CITY.
SO AGAIN, WITH HEALTHCARE BEING ONE OF OUR KEY INDUSTRIES, UH, UNDERSERVED AND UNMET NEED FOR OUR KIDS HERE IN DESOTO, UH, WE DEFINITELY FELT THAT THIS WAS A GREAT OPPORTUNITY TO BRING THIS FORWARD TO THE BOARD FOR APPROVAL.
AGAIN, UH, AMOUNT OF JUST 20,000 WITH THE TYPE OF INVESTMENT, THE TAX REVENUE THAT WE'LL BE GENERATING YEAR OVER YEAR.
WE WOULD ASK FOR YOUR APPROVAL WITH THIS TONIGHT WITH ANY QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS.
SAME COMMENT, THAT'S A LOT OF JOBS AT 35 AND HOUR WOULD BE GREAT TO KNOW HOW MANY RESIDENTS ACTUALLY.
AND HE SAID WITH, UM, 'CAUSE I THINK THIS IS HIS THIRD LOCATION IN DFW.
SO WITH THIS LOCATION, IT'S GONNA SERVE THAT SOUTHERN DALLAS MARKET LIKE, AND A LOT OF THESE HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS THAT WE'RE ENCOUNTERING.
DESOTO IS BECOMING THAT, YOU KNOW, KEY AREA.
SAY, HEY, THIS IS THE GREAT CATCHMENT BASIN BASIN, UH, GREAT TRADE AREA, LET'S LOCATE HERE.
AND AGAIN, BELTLINE GREAT TRAFFIC COUNTS RIGHT THERE.
CLOSE TO BELT, UH, 35 AS WELL.
SO, UH, VERY EXCITED TO BE PART OF THIS COMMUNITY.
UH, GET ENGAGED WITH OUR CHAMBER, GET ENGAGED WITH OUR COUNCIL, AND ALSO OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT.
SO AGAIN, WE WOULD LOVE FOR AN APPROVAL.
JUST, JUST A CLARIFICATION, YOU ORIGINALLY, THEY DID COME TO US WANTING SOME ASSISTANCE WITH IMPACT FEES, BUT WE CAN'T OH, YES.
SO, BUT THEY HAD MANY, MANY, MANY OTHER EXPENSES WHICH DID QUALIFY.
SO WE FOUND INFRASTRUCTURE THAT WE CAN ASSIST THEM WITH.
AND, AND THAT'S IN THE AGREEMENT.
AND WITH THIS TYPE OF GRANT, JOBS ARE TIED TO IT.
INFRASTRUCTURE IS NOT, YOU DON'T, THIS WAS MISSPELLED.
YOU DON'T NEED TO, WE'D LIKE YOU TO HAVE THE DATA.
WE ASK THEM TO PROVIDE THAT DATA.
AS PART OF OUR ECONOMIC ANALYSIS.
'CAUSE WE THINK IT IS IMPORTANT TO AT LEAST UNDERSTAND THAT.
I MEAN, PROBABLY MORE, MORE IMPORTANT MAYBE IS, IS THE FACT THAT IT'S A $4 MILLION INVESTMENT CAPITAL INVESTMENT IN THE, IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD IS PROVIDING SERVICES THAT ARE OTHERWISE UN PROVIDED IN M SOTO TODAY.
AND NOT ONLY IN IN MINNESOTA, BUT IN SOUTHERN DALLAS.
UM, WE WERE THRILLED THAT THEY WOULD CHOOSE THAT, CHOOSE DESOTO FOR THIS, UM, AND, AND BE ABLE TO BE PART OF OUR COMMUNITY.
UM, YOU ALSO MIGHT NOTICE THAT IN TERMS OF, IN, IN YOUR PACKET, THERE'S A PAYBACK ANALYSIS THERE, UM, THAT, THAT PAY BACK WITH THE, THE, THE IMPACT IN OUR COMMUNITY IN LESS THAN HALF A YEAR.
I MEAN, THE, THE DOLLARS WERE SORT OF A, A, AN EASY TO UNDERSTAND INVESTMENT.
WELL, I MOVE TO, UM, APPROVE AN INFRASTRUCTURE GRANT FOR SUNSHINE PEDIATRIC DATE CENTER, UM, IN THE AMOUNT OF $20,000 AND AGREEMENT AND THE INCENTIVE AGREEMENT.
IT IS BEEN, UH, IT'S BEEN MOVED MOTION AND SECOND, UH, TO APPROVE, UM, THE, THE APPROVAL OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVE AGREEMENT OF $20,000
[01:05:01]
TO, FOR SUNSHINE AND PEDIATRIC DAYCARE CENTER, UH, IN MINNESOTA.UH, THAT BEING SAID, UH, ALL IN FAVOR SAY AYE.
LIKE TO JUST MAKE A COMMENT ON BOTH OF THOSE.
IF GOD WILLING, WE WILL BE TAKING THOSE TO CITY COUNCIL TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 3RD.
[B.7. Discussion of Match Grant for Esports Lab. ]
AS WE MOVE FORWARD, WE'RE AT THE POINT NOW OF DISCUSSION OF THE MATCH GRANT FOR THE SPORTS LAB.UM, IF YOU REMEMBER, UH, AT OUR LAST BOARD MEETING, IT SEEMS PAGES AGO,
UM, FAR MORE INFORMATIVE THAN THAN I WOULD.
IT WAS ORIGINALLY LED TO BELIEVE EVEN, UM, IN TERMS OF THE INFORMATION THEY WERE PROVIDING, THE IMPACT THEY WERE HAVING.
AND, AND I THINK IT WAS, UH, MARK JONES WHO, WHO SAID, MAN, THIS IS ALL GREAT, BUT YOU'RE INCOMPLETE.
AND I THINK THEY WERE A LITTLE STYMIED AT THAT.
AND HE SAID, YOU DIDN'T MAKE AN ASK AND WE'RE NOT LETTING YOU LEAVE UNTIL YOU DO.
I, I THINK THAT WAS MUSIC TO THEIR EARS.
I KNOW, I CERTAINLY HEARD THAT AS I WAS VISITING WITH THEM WITH STARTUP.
UM, THERE WAS CLEARLY A, A DESIRE FROM THE BOARD TO, TO CONSIDER THAT.
SO WE WANTED TO MAKE SURE WE TALKED ABOUT IT THIS EVENING AND GOT SOME DIRECTION FROM YOU.
UM, INTERESTINGLY ENOUGH, UH, CHAIRMAN AND I WERE TALKING ON OUR WAY OUT AND HE SAID, MATT, THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
HE SAID, WHAT WE NEED TO DO IS CHALLENGE INDUSTRY TO MATCH US.
IF WE'RE GONNA PUT IT FORWARD, THEN LET'S ASK THE INDUSTRY TO DO THAT AS WELL.
I THINK THAT'S A FABULOUS IDEA.
NOT JUST 'CAUSE OF THE DOLLARS, WHICH, WHICH WILL ALLOW THEM TO DO SOME OF THE THINGS THEY'VE TALKED ABOUT, HAVING TO PUT OFF FOR ANOTHER YEAR.
BUT I THINK BY REACHING OUT TO INDUSTRY WHO HAVE AN INDU AN INTEREST IN THE ESPORTS, UM, THAT RANGES FROM EVERY KIND OF INDUSTRY YOU CAN IMAGINE.
AND ASKING THEM TO NOT ONLY BE A PART OF THAT FINANCIALLY, BUT TO BE A PARTNER IN THE PROCESS.
AND TO HAVE LOCKHEED AND TO HAVE BOEING AND TO HAVE L THREE AND TO HAVE RAYTHEON AND TO HAVE KAI AS AN ARCHITECTURE FIRM, AND JACOBS AND OTHERS, AND THE ENGINEERING FIRMS COME AND PARTNER NOT JUST WITH THEIR DOLLARS, BUT THEIR PRESENCE AND TALKING ABOUT WHAT THOSE, THOSE OPPORTUNITIES COULD BE, I THINK WILL INSPIRE OUR, OUR, OUR, UH, FUTURE LEADERS.
UM, I THINK THAT NEEDS TO BE PART OF, OF THE OUTREACH AND, AND, UM, WE WANTED TO JUST TEE THAT UP FOR A DISCUSSION AMONGST YOURSELVES.
WANNA CLARIFICATION, SO TO DISCUSS POTENTIAL TARGETS FOR, WE DON'T EVEN HAVE TO NECESSARILY DISCUSS THE TARGETS.
I THINK THE IDEA OF A $30,000 GRANT FROM THE DESOTO MM-HMM.
UM, I THINK IS, IS REALLY WHAT WE WANTED TO GET SOME DIRECTION FROM YOU.
THEN I WOULD SUGGEST THAT, UH, IF THERE'S A PLAN OF ACTION FROM THAT COMES FROM THAT.
AND IT LEADS TO YOUR POINT, AKILA IS THE IDEA THAT I'D LIKE TO ASK EACH OF YOU TO SORT OF THINK THROUGH YOUR SPHERE OF INFLUENCES AND WHO ARE THOSE, WHO ARE THOSE INDUSTRIES THAT YOU CAN OPEN A DOOR.
I MEAN, IT'D BE GREAT IF YOU WENT WITH US, BUT WE'LL MAKE THE ASK.
UM, WE, WE NEED A SHOULDER AT THE DOOR, UM, TO GIVE US AN OPENING TO HAVE A DISCUSSION WITH THE POWERS THAT BE AND MAKE THOSE ASKS AND SEE WHAT WE CAN COME UP WITH.
SO THAT WOULD BE MY ASK IS THE STAFF WOULD, WOULD BE THE FOLLOW ON OF THAT IS TO GET SOME HELP FROM YOU AND SUGGESTIONS ABOUT WHO THOSE INDUSTRY PARTNERS MIGHT BE, SHOULD BE, AND WHERE YOU CAN HELP US MAKE A PHONE CALL AND OPEN THE DOOR.
WELL, I THINK IT'S A GREAT IDEA.
AND I THINK WHEN YOU GET BUSINESS MAKING THAT TYPE OF INVESTMENT, THAT IS NOT JUST MONEY, IT'S NOT A, JUST A TRANSACTIONAL INVESTMENT.
IT'S INVESTMENT INTO THE FUTURE OF WORK.
AND SO I THINK COMPANIES, IT RESONATES WITH THEM.
SO I THINK THAT'S A WONDERFUL IDEA.
UM, WE'RE NOT JUST ASKING FOR YOUR MONEY, BUT WE'RE ALSO ASKING FOR YOUR TIME AND YOUR INVESTMENT INTO, UM, INTO THIS PROJECT.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK WOULD BE GOOD IS IF YOU ALL ALREADY HAVE A, A LIST OF COMPANIES THAT YOU ALL THINK WOULD BE IDEAL, MAYBE YOU COULD CIRCULATE THAT TO US AND WE COULD SEE WHO WE KNOW IN OUR SPHERE OF INFLUENCE THAT MIGHT BE EASIER THAN US COMING UP WITH A LIST.
MAYBE IF YOU ALL CAME UP WITH A LIST AND GOT IT OUT TO THE BOARD AND SAID, DO YOU HAVE A WARM LEAD OR HANDOFF THAT YOU CAN GIVE US? I THINK THAT WOULD MAKE IT EASY ON US TO BE ABLE TO SAY, HERE'S WHO WE WOULD PROVIDE TO YOU.
[01:10:01]
I KNOW FOR ME, IT WOULD MAKE IT EASY.UH, WE, WE KIND OF TASKED OURSELVES WITH HAVING THESE CONVERSATIONS AS WE'RE CIRCULATING OUT AND AMONGST THE, YEAH.
IT WAS RECENTLY AT A DRC EVENT.
I TALKED TO THE, THE, THE WOMAN FROM TOYOTA.
WHO WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY THE RIGHT PERSON.
AND SHE SAID, WHY HAVE YOU BEEN, WAIT, WHY HAVEN'T WE HEARD FROM YOU BEFORE NOW
BUT THERE ARE A LOT OF 'EM, A LOT OF THOSE LIKE THAT, LIKE JACOBS WOULD BE GREAT.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S A NUMBER OF ORGANIZATIONS THAT, YOU KNOW, WE HAVE A LOT OF CONTACT INDEED.
AND WELL, WE'LL PUT THAT LIST TOGETHER THEN IS, CAN I TAKE THAT TO, TO MEAN THAT THERE IS A SUPPORT FROM THE BOARD TO PROCEED WITH SHAPING THIS? YES, ABSOLUTELY.
AND ALSO AS, UM, I MEAN AS A MEMBER OF THE PTSA BOARD, UM, AT THESO HIGH SCHOOL, UM, I THINK IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT IN THE WAY OF WHICH, LIKE THE CONVERSATION, JUST A LARGER CONVERSATION AROUND VARIOUS OPPORTUNITIES THAT, LIKE, NOT JUST FOR THIS ESPORTS LAB, BUT THE INTENTION OUT OF THE WAY THAT, UM, THE HIGH SCHOOL OR THE SCHOOL SYSTEM IS WORKING TO ENGAGE CORPORATIONS, UM, WITHIN THE SCHOOL IN GENERAL, WHETHER IT'S SPECIFIC TO PROGRAMS AND OR FOR SPECIFIC PROJECTS.
AN EXAMPLE BEING THAT, YOU KNOW, I KNOW LEAST I HEARD, AND I'M HOPING THAT THIS IS, THEY'RE REALLY WORKING ON THIS, IS IDENTIFYING SOMEONE TO ASSIST WITH ENVIRONMENTAL, UM, DESIGN FOR THE, UM, EARLY COLLEGE, UM, FACILITY OR BUILDING WITH, THEY MOVED ALL THIS EARLY COLLEGE AND PTECH STUDENTS TO WHAT WAS FORMALLY THE FRESHMAN CAMPUS, UM, THIS YEAR.
AND SO, BUT IN SEEING OTHER SCHOOL SYSTEMS AND LIKE THE, THE LOOK OF THE BUILDING.
SO FOR ME, I, I SEE THIS AS AN ENTRY POINT, BUT ALSO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT IN THOSE CONVERSATIONS, ESPECIALLY AS YOU'RE IDENTIFIED CORPORATIONS, TO BE THINKING OF LIKE, NOT JUST THE ESPORTS LAB, BUT ALSO THE INTENTION OF LIKE HOW CORPORATIONS CAN START TO, UM, PARTNER WITH, AGAIN, EITHER SPECIFIC PROGRAMS LIKE THIS LAB AND OR, UM, LARGER PROJECTS AND HAVING A COMPELLING CASE FOR HOW THEY PLUG IN.
AND THEN EVEN WITH CORPORATIONS, I'M SURE Y'ALL HAVE THIS, BUT I KNOW Y'ALL ALL KNOW, THEY'RE ALSO LOOKING FOR WHAT DOES THE BRANDING OPPORTUNITIES LOOK LIKE? UM, AND THIS BEING AN EXAMPLE, SO THAT PARTICULAR SPACE IS BRANDED BY THIS, WHOEVER'S IDENTIFIED TO COME IN AS A MATCH, UM, DONOR ALONG WITH, YOU KNOW, OF DC AND WHOEVER ELSE.
UM, AND BE AN EXAMPLE FOR FURTHER MARKETING, UM, UM, PURPOSES AS WELL AS CORPORATIONS.
THEY'RE ALWAYS LOOKING FOR LIKE, WHICH, I MEAN, I, I KIND OF BE LIKE, EH, I'M NOT SO SURE, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES, BUT THE WAY THAT THEY WOULD LIKE, WANT EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT.
LIKE THEY DON'T WANNA JUST PUT THEIR BRAND.
THEY ALSO WANNA BE LIKE, WELL, HOW CAN WE BE IN RELATIONSHIP OR SHOW UP OR DO THE PROJECT WITH THE STUDENTS? SO JUST THE INTENTION OF LIKE WHAT THE KIND OF BENEFITS ARE BASED ON, UM, THAT, AND THAT MAY NOT BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF DDC, BUT FOR THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND HOW WE'RE TALKING WITH THEM TO MAKE SURE THEY'RE VERY CLEAR AS TO WHAT ARE ALL THE BENEFITS, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT YOU GET BY WAY OF THIS $30,000, UH, MATCH CONTRIBUTION.
SO THAT'S JUST MY RECOLLECTION.
KE IF I CAN, IF I CAN ADD, I MEAN, I, I WAS JUST, UH, FRISCO LAST WEEK FOR DALLAS, STARTED A WEEK.
THEY HAD A WHOLE DAY, A WHOLE TRACK FOCUSED ON ESPORTS.
AND YOU KNOW, DANNY MARTIN, HE WAS THERE TALKING ABOUT ESPORTS AND CURRICULUM, HAD THE CHANCE TO CHAT WITH HIM.
AND HIS MESSAGE IS STILL THE SAME, PUTTING MORE EYES ON THE SOUTHERN SECTOR, RIGHT.
SO US BEING ABLE TO PARTNER WITH THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND FOLKS LIKE DANNY, UH, THERE IS DEFINITELY SOME INDUSTRY PARTNERS.
EVERYTHING THAT YOU'RE SAYING IS SPOT ON.
SOME THINGS THAT HE WAS REFERENCING LAST WEEK.
SO WE'RE IN A GREAT SPACE, UH, AS MATT ALWAYS MENTIONS BEING ON THE BLEEDING EDGE, THIS IS VERY MUCH SO THE BLEEDING EDGE IN THE SOUTHERN TEXAS.
SO I APPRECIATE Y'ALL SUPPORT THAT IS PART OF A MORE INTENTIONAL COMPREHENSIVE MM-HMM.
UM, AND NOT THAT THAT NECESSARILY OUR RESPONSIBILITY, BUT AS YOU'RE JUST TALKING THROUGH THE KEY, UM, LEADERS AT, UM, THE, UH, AT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT LEVEL, THAT THAT IS LIKE, IT ISN'T JUST, OH, CAN YOU TAKE CARE OF THIS ONE THING AND THEN LIFE GOES ON? VERSUS LIKE, NO.
HOW IS THIS PART OF THE BIGGER, UM, NEEDS THAT THE, THE SCHOOL AND I MEAN, AND ULTIMATELY OPPORT COMMUNITY HAS, WELL, AND YOU BRING UP A GOOD POINT BECAUSE WHEN ALEX WAS TALKING ABOUT CYBERSECURITY YES.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I'VE BEEN THINKING ABOUT IS HOW DO WE CREATE THESE CORPORATE CENTERS THAT ARE WILLING TO BRING THESE JOBS TO, UM, DESOTO, TO DUNVILLE, TO CEDAR HILL, WHEREVER, UM, BECAUSE WE HAVE SUCH A GREAT TALENT AND WORKFORCE HERE THAT ARE DRIVING 45 MINUTES TO AN HOUR TO WORK.
SO AS WE'RE MAKING THESE CONNECTIONS FOR THIS, IT IS ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY TO SAY, HEY, LET US TALK TO YOU ABOUT WHY IT'S IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO BE HERE.
[01:15:01]
AND BRING THOSE JOBS TO DESOTO WHERE YOU HAVE A BUILT IN WORKFORCE ALREADY.SO I THINK IT'S, TO YOUR POINT, SERVES A DUAL PURPOSE.
SO THESE ARE GREAT IDEAS AND, AND, AND I, I WOULD, I WOULD SUGGEST THAT MAYBE A NEXT STEP TO THAT AS WELL IS TO SIT DOWN WITH SOME OF THE LEADERSHIP AT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND LET THEM UNDERSTAND HOW ENGAGED YOU WANT TO BE.
I, I THINK THIS IS SORT OF A NEW ERA.
I CAN'T SPEAK TO WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE THREE YEARS AGO.
AND FRANKLY, I'M NOT SURE IT MATTERS.
IT'S CLEAR THAT THERE'S, UM, UM, A LOT OF FOOT, AND I DON'T, I DON'T SENSE FROM THE LEADERS THAT I'VE TALKED WITH THAT THEY'RE USED TO THIS KIND OF ENGAGEMENT.
AND, AND I, I'M NOT SURE THEY QUITE KNOW HOW TO RESPOND TO IT, ALTHOUGH IT IS, IT HAS UNIFORMLY BEEN VERY WELCOMING.
UM, AND, AND I THINK THAT BEING ABLE FOR US TO, TO MARSHAL THAT KIND OF, UH, INTEREST AND BE ABLE TO EXPRESS TO THEM WHAT WE THINK WE COULD DO, UM, WILL ONLY OPEN THEIR EYES FURTHER AND CREATE MORE OPPORTUNITIES.
AND, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THAT'S WHEN WE START PUTTING TOGETHER KIND OF A LIST OF OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP.
UM, WHETHER IT'S CAREER DAY, WHETHER IT'S HELPING WITH FACILITIES DESIGN, WHETHER IT'S WHATEVER, WHAT, ANY OF IT, BECAUSE YOU'RE, THESE ARE BRILLIANT THOUGHTS.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, MAYBE THAT OPPORTUNITY TO SIT DOWN WITH SOME LEADERSHIP AT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT AND HAVE A CONVERSATION AROUND THIS WOULD BE FANTASTIC.
SO LET ME TRY AND MOVE US ALONG.
BUT I'D BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T SAY SOMETHING TO IT.
IT WOULD ALSO, IT WOULD ALSO BE A FIRST
SO, YOU KNOW, UM, AND I WAS THINKING WHEN ALEX WAS SPEAKING EARLIER, HE TALKED ABOUT THE DEI BEING A PART OF A PROCESS.
I STARTED TO SAY IT THEN, BUT THIS HAS BROUGHT IT BACK FULL CIRCLE.
NOT ONLY DEI, BUT WHAT IS IT THAT A COMPANY IS DOING TO EMBELLISH TO ENHANCE OUR COMMUNITY? WHAT ARE THEY DOING TO SUPPORT THE COMMUNITY? IT'S NOT ONE THING TO JUST BRING A JOB FOR, WHAT ELSE IS IT? BECAUSE THERE ARE OTHER ANCILLARY OPPORTUNITIES.
AND I THINK WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT LIKE, ESPORTS OF THE WORLD AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF STUDENTS, AND THAT'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AS, AS WELL.
SO I THINK WE NEED TO LOOK AT THAT AS WE TALK TO NEXT MOVE AND THEIR ASSESSMENT AS THEY'RE BUILDING THE MODEL FOR US NOW.
NOW MY REMISS OVER MOVING ON
WELL, WE, WE WILL, UM, WE WILL TAKE THAT AS, AS AN OPEN DOOR TO START TO SHAPE A, A PROGRAM OF WORK AROUND IT, UM, AND ENGAGE YOU THEN FURTHER IN, IN THAT ENDEAVOR.
UM, JUST SO I'M CLEAR, UH, THE GOAL BEING A $30,000 GRANT FROM US, A $30, A $30,000 OR MORE GRANT FROM OUR INDUSTRY PARTNERS.
HOW ABOUT THAT? SO, UH, LET'S MOVE ON.
[B.8. Consider the adoption of a revised facade grant agreement policy. ]
WE'RE NOW MOVING TO, UH, UH, CONSIDER THE ADOPTION OF A REVISED FACADE GRANT AGREEMENT POLICY.AND YOU MAY HAVE SEEN, UH, YOU RECEIVED THE RED LINE, I MEAN A SUPER RED LINE YES.
AND THEN IMMEDIATELY BEYOND THAT IT WAS, UH, ACCEPTED.
SO MATT AND VICTORIA CAN GUYS SHARE WITH US HERE? SURE.
SO LET, LET ME BE CLEAR, IT REALLY HASN'T CHANGED THAT MUCH.
IT'S BECAUSE WE COULDN'T COME UP WITH AN ORIGINAL WORD VERSION OF THE PAST GRANT POLICY THAT VICTORIA SAT ABOUT AND RETYPING THE ENTIRE THING.
SO VIRTUALLY EVERYTHING LOOKS LIKE A REVISION, EVEN THOUGH THIS REALLY STARTED, AND MAYBE I'LL LEAN ON YOU YEAH.
UH, TO TALK ABOUT WHAT SPECIFICALLY CHANGED THAT'S RIGHT.
IT, UM, IT REALLY ONLY, THE ONLY CHANGE IS THAT THE POLICY WAS ALLOWING FOLKS TO COME IN WHO HAD ALREADY MADE THEIR IMPROVEMENTS AND GET AN INCENTIVE GRANT.
BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT WE'RE ALLOWED TO DO.
WE'RE WE'RE ALLOWED TO INCENTIVIZE DEVELOPMENT, RETENTION, YOU KNOW, EXPANSION OF A BUSINESS.
AND OBVIOUSLY IF IT'S ALREADY THERE, US GIVING THEM MONEY IS NOT GOING TO INCENTIVIZE THEM TO DO IT.
SO THAT'S NOT A LEGAL PROJECT.
SO THAT WAS THE ONLY THING THAT NEEDED TO BE CHANGED.
WE JUST NEEDED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAD GOT FOLKS ON THE FRONT END TO GIVE US THAT APPLICATION FIRST AND, AND GET THEIR PROJECT APPROVED.
BUT BECAUSE THERE WASN'T A WORD DOCUMENT, UH, IT, I HAD TO RETYPE A WHOLE LOT.
[01:20:01]
BEFORE NOW, WE WERE ALLOWING FOLKS TO COME IN THAT ALREADY HAD EVERYTHING AND HAD ALL THEIR RECEIPTS.A LOT OF THE PROCESS HAD TO BE SWITCHED AS FAR AS WHEN THEY GAVE US WHAT, WHETHER IT WAS WITH THE APPLICATION OR WHETHER IT WAS WHEN THEY MADE THEIR REIMBURSEMENT APPLICATION AFTER THEY HAD IT FINISHED AT THE END.
THAT'S REALLY ALL THAT THAT HAS CHANGED.
I MEAN, THERE MAY HAVE BEEN SOME MINOR LITTLE TWEAKS HERE AND THERE TO JUST CLEAN IT UP, BUT, BUT THAT'S THE MAIN SUBSTATIVE CHANGE.
ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT? IT REALLY JUST KIND OF BRINGS US IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE STATUTES AND, AND, AND I APPRECIATE GREATLY YOU POINTING THAT OUT.
UM, WE HAD SOME, UM, DIDN'T NECESSARILY ALWAYS COMPLY WITH THAT PRIOR TO ME GETTING HERE AND EVEN SINCE WHEN THERE ARE A COUPLE PLACES WHERE WE MISSTEP, BUT WE WANT TO CLEAN THAT UP AND MAKE, MAKE SURE WE'RE DOING IT RIGHT, MOVING FORWARD.
UM, I JUST NEED A MOTION TO, TO FURTHER QUESTION.
CAN I GET A MOTION TO ADOPT THE REVISED FACADE GRANT? I'LL MAKE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE REVISED FACADE GRANT AGREEMENT.
AGREEMENT POLICY SECOND HAS BEEN MOTION AND A SECOND, UH, UH, TO APPROVE THE ADOPTION OF THE REVISED FACADE GRANT AGREEMENT POLICY.
ALL IN FAVOR OF PLEASE SAY AYE AYE OR NAYS, UH, HAS BEEN, UH, UH, APPROVED.
AND WE CAN MARCH FOR PLEASE, PLEASE.
[C. CONSENT AGENDA ]
UM, MOVING ON TO OUR CONSENT AGENDA.UH, HOPEFULLY EVERYONE HAS HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THE CONSENT AGENDA AND, UM, AT THIS TIME, IT, THE CONSENT AGENDAS, UH, NEW BOARD, NO, JULY BOARD MINISTER APPROVE CONSIDER APPROVING.
THE JUNE IS JULY FINANCIAL STATEMENTS CONSIDER APPROVING THE JUNE 13TH, 2024 BOARD MINUTES.
DO I HAVE A MOTION? UM, DID WE HAVE A CALL IN JUNE? YEAH.
AND THIS IS REPLACING OUR AUGUST MEETING.
I, I KNEW THERE, I KNEW THERE WERE TWO.
SO CAN WE JUST MAKE A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA IN, YOU JUST NEED A MOTION TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS PRESENTED.
I MOVE TO PRESU, UH, TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA AS PRESENTED.
IS THERE A MOTION? AND SECOND TO APPROVE THE CONSENT AGENDA, UH, AS STATED.
AND, UM, ALL IN FAVOR SAY, AYE.
[D. EXECUTIVE SESSION UNDER TEXAS GOVERNMENT CODE]
UH, NEXT ON THE AGENDA IS EXECUTIVE SESSION THAT WE HAVE, UM, THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS WILL NOW CONVENE INTO A CLOSED EXECUTIVE SESSIONS.UH, THE TIME IS CURRENTLY, UH, 7:35 PM
[E. RETURN TO OPEN SESSION]
GO RIGHT OUT.I FEEL BAD WE DIDN'T EVEN TALK THAT LONG.
[F. BRIEFING BY CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER - Matt Carlson ]
ALRIGHT.UM, YOU KNOW, AND I GUESS KIND OF MAYBE IN KEEPING WITH KIND OF THE WAY WE'VE BEEN WORKING, UM, THIS, THIS LOOKS A LOT LIKE WHAT YOU'VE SEEN FROM ME IN, IN MONTHS IN THE PAST.
UM, IN TERMS OF OUR BUSINESS GOALS, AS WE CLOSE IN ON THE END OF THE YEAR, UH, WITH, FROM THE CITY STANDPOINT, WE HAVE CERTAINLY MET ALL OF THOSE GOALS THAT WE COULD.
THERE ARE SOME THAT ARE OPEN ON THE HAMPTON ROAD CORRIDOR, UM, IN TERMS OF SOME OF THOSE SUBPOINTS THAT WE HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO DO BECAUSE WE DON'T HAVE A REZONED LAND ON THE HAMPTON ROAD CORRIDOR YET.
UM, THAT MEETING TOMORROW IS PART OF THAT.
THERE'LL BE SOME ADDITIONAL MEETINGS, LIKELY THIS WILL CARRY OVER IT FROM THIS BUSINESS PLAN.
AND THEN FOLLOWING THE, THE BOARD'S RETREAT IN EARLY SEPTEMBER, LIKELY WE WILL HAVE SOME NEW BUSINESS PLAN GOALS TO ADD TO OUR, OUR WORK PLAN FOR NEXT YEAR.
IN TERMS OF OUR DEPARTMENTAL GOALS, UM, YOU KNOW, REMEMBER WE'VE BEEN WORKING ON THESE ALL YEAR LONG.
WE'VE HAD AT SOME POINT SOME RED, SOME SOME RED DOTS NEXT TO THESE, WHICH JUST BUGGED ME,
UM, UH, AND THEN WE'VE HAD TO ADD A YELLOW DOT BECAUSE ONE OF OUR, THE SECOND ITEM HERE WAS TO OBTAIN COMMITMENTS OF A MINIMUM A HUNDRED DOLLARS, A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS OF INVESTMENT IN TOURS TOO.
IN A PERFECT WORLD, WE WOULD'VE DONE THAT.
WE HAD THOSE OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE TO US, BUT WITHOUT THE, THE REZONING, WE WERE UNABLE TO, TO BRING THOSE TO, UM, ANY SORT OF A FINALIZED AGREEMENT.
SO WE PUT THAT BACK TO YELLOW.
THEY'RE STILL SORT OF OUT THERE CIRCLING THE FIELD, WAITING TO LAND.
UM, THEY AREN'T GONE BY ANY STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION.
[01:25:01]
UM, BUT THEY'RE GONNA REQUIRE SOME ADDITIONAL WORK.THE ONE THAT I'M REALLY AM PROUD OF THOUGH, IS WE TALKED ABOUT IMPROVING FRICTIONLESS DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS WITH OTHER DEPARTMENTS.
THE NEW CITY MANAGER IS CERTAINLY EMBRACING THAT.
UM, I THINK WE'RE GETTING GREATER, UH, DISCUSSION AND LESS SILOS, IF THAT'S EVEN A WORD.
UM, THAT INCREASED COMMUNICATIONS BETWEEN OUR DEPARTMENTS, UM, AND SETTING UP SOME STRUCTURES THAT WILL HOPEFULLY, UM, EVEN DO THAT MORE AND ALLOW US TO BE BETTER ALIGNED INTERNALLY.
UM, WE'RE GONNA CONTINUE TO WORK ON THE EXTERNAL SIDE OF THAT AS WE HAVE ASKED FOR JOINT MEETINGS AND, AND CERTAINLY, UM, THE MAYOR CONTINUES TO BE SUPPORTIVE OF THAT.
THE NEW CITY MANAGERS SUPPORTIVE OF THAT.
WE NEED TO GET THOSE SCHEDULED.
UM, AND, AND WE'LL CONTINUE TO WORK ON THAT.
BUT, UM, I WAS, I WAS AT LEAST WILLING TO MAKE IT A YELLOW IF YOU QUIT BEING A RED, I WAS TRYING NOT TO BE A CURMUDGEON.
UM, THE OTHER ONE IS THE SECOND ONE FROM THE BOTTOM, IF YOU REMEMBER AT LAST YEAR'S RETREAT.
UM, WE'VE, WE PUT ON HERE WITH, WITH INTENT EXPANDING OUTREACH TO CHAMBERS OF COMMERCE THAT REPRESENT ALTERNATIVE AND ETHNIC POPULATIONS.
AND, UM, I THINK WE'VE DONE REALLY, REALLY WELL WITH THAT THIS YEAR.
WE'VE BEEN AT A NUMBER OF EVENTS, UM, WITH THE CLIFF CHAMBER, UH, WITH THE, THE, UH, DALLAS BLACK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE.
UM, WE'VE BEEN VERY INTENTIONAL ABOUT FINDING WAYS TO OUTREACH.
UM, NOT THAT WE WANNA STOP, YOU KNOW, THAT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH.
UM, WE REALLY DO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE THERE AND, AND I'LL GIVE KUDOS WHAT KUDOS DO.
UM, AND WHEN I SEE THINGS ON, UH, THE LINKEDIN THAT TALKED ABOUT MR. DESOTO, OH MY GOSH.
THIS IS A PEOPLE, THIS IS A PEOPLE JOB.
SO APPRECIATE THAT THAT TOP 50 IS, IS WELL DESERVED.
I'M GONNA LEAVE THE ACTIVITY UPDATES FOR YOU GUYS TO, TO LOOK AT IT, YOUR LEISURE.
IF THERE'S ANYTHING YOU'D LIKE TO HEAR MORE ABOUT, I, I'M ONLY EVER A PHONE CALL AWAY.
I'M HAPPY TO KIND OF BRIEF YOU IN ON ANY OF THE DETAILS THERE.
UM, I'M THRILLED THAT SO MANY OF YOU'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO JOIN US ON MONDAY FOR OUR, OUR PEGASUS PARK DAY OR FOUR HOURS AS THE CASE MAY BE
UM, BUT CONSIDER IT ONLY ONE STEP IN AN EARLY STEP OF GETTING SOME SORT OF CONSENSUS IN OUR COMMUNITY AT, AT VIRTUALLY EVERY LEVEL AND EVERY KIND OF, OF, OF CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AROUND THIS IDEA THAT WE CAN BE A PLAYER IN THE BIOLIFE SCIENCES IN THE DALLAS FORT WORTH AREA.
I DON'T THINK IT'S A QUESTION OF, IT'S ONLY A QUESTION OF HOW AND WHEN.
UM, THE AHA MOMENT FOR ME CAME ABOUT A MONTH AGO.
I WAS INVITED TO, UH, ONE OF THE BIO TXS EVENTS FROM THEIR FACILITIES FACILITY UP AT THE OLD EDS FACILITY IN PLANO.
IT IS THIS MONSTROUS MONOLITH THAT SITS THERE AND, AND, UH, IT'S THE FIRST TIME I HAD EVER GONE TO THE GOD POD.
UM, THAT SITS ON TOP OF A 5, 2, 5 STORY TOWERS WITH A THREE STORY TOWER THAT SITS ON CROSS OF THEM.
AND THIS WAS ROSS PEROT'S PRIVATE ENVIRONMENT FOR HIS STAFF.
I THOUGHT THERE'S AN EGO IN THERE.
SO, UM, BUT THE AHA MOMENT WAS THIS.
IT'S A FACILITY THAT HASN'T HAD ANYBODY WORKING IN IT IN A VERY, VERY LONG TIME.
IT'S A GRAND FACILITY AND IT WILL BE A GRAND ADDITION FOR PLANO AS THEY START TO EMBRACE BIOLIFE SCIENCES UP THERE.
IT'S ABOUT A $4 BILLION PROJECT.
UM, BUT HERE'S, HERE'S, HERE'S THE PIECE.
IT'S A $4 BILLION PROJECT THAT HAS GOTTEN A LOT OF TALK AND A LOT OF MOVEMENT.
IT STILL DOESN'T HAVE AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT INCENTIVE AND TRYING TO TEE THAT UP TO GET TO THEIR CITY COUNCIL JUST LIKE WE DO.
AND THEN THERE IS FULLY TWO YEARS OF WORK TO RETROFIT.
REBUILD AND ENVISION THIS AND GET THIS 90 ACRE CAMPUS.
YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S, IT'S NOT ALWAYS EASIER TO TEAR DOWN AND START OVER THAN TO TRY TO RETROFIT.
SO HERE, HERE I AM DRIVING AWAY FROM THIS REALLY COOL EVENT.
IT'S A LITTLE WARM, BUT OTHER THAN THAT, DRIVING AWAY AND I THOUGHT, WAIT A MINUTE.
I WAS JUST ON A 90 ACRE CAMPUS AND I'M DRIVING TOWARDS ONE.
I DROVE 45 MINUTES TO GET THERE AND THEN AN HOUR AND 30 MINUTES COMING BACK IN TRAFFIC FOR A 90 MILE A 90 ACRE CAMPUS.
WE HAVE ONE THAT SITS 15 MINUTES FROM PEGASUS PARK, 90 ACRES, VERY SIMILAR SHOVEL.
[01:30:01]
PROJECT DESIGNED, WE COULD BEGIN TOMORROW.I SAID, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT ALONE IN THIS.
WE'RE WORKING RIGHT ALONGSIDE OTHER COMMUNITIES.
AND I STARTED DRAWING IT IN MY HEAD.
IF PLANO UP HERE AND US DOWN HERE AND THINK ABOUT UT ARLINGTON AS KIND OF BEING THE OTHER REAL BIG PLAYER THAT'S GOING ON AND THEY'RE PLANNING PROJECTS, IT FORMS THIS PERFECT TRIANGLE.
RIGHT SMACK DAB IN THE CENTER IS PEGASUS PARK.
THE PLACE WE'RE GONNA BE ON MONDAY.
TALKING ABOUT OUR GEOGRAPHIC ADVANTAGE.
TALKING ABOUT OUR LABOR ADVANTAGE.
TALKING ABOUT OUR TIMING ADVANTAGE AND TALKING ABOUT THE FACT THAT WE HAVE UN UNLIKE THIS OTHER, THESE OTHER FACILITIES, WE HAVE A PLAYER WHO, WHO ACTS, WHO OWNS THE LAND, WHO IS ACTING AS AN EQUITY PARTNER, WHO'S WILLING TO ACT AS AN EQUITY PARTNER.
SO YOU KNOW IT WELL FROM TRACK.
WHAT PART DOES LAND PLAY IN THE OVERALL CAPITAL STACK? WE'VE REMOVED, WE'VE REMOVED THAT COMPONENT OF THE DISCUSSION.
UM, AND CHANGED THE WHOLE CAPITAL STACK AND THE DISCUSSION AROUND IT.
I I'M GONNA ASSERT HERE, WE'RE ABOUT A STEP AND A HALF AHEAD AND THAT'S A GREAT PLACE TO BE.
I DON'T WANT US TO STUTTER 'CAUSE THAT'S NOT A VERY BIG LEAD.
I JUST WATCHED THE OLYMPICS AND WATCHED SOME PEOPLE.
BUT I AM THRILLED AT THE, AT THE INERTIA THAT WE HAVE.
I'M THRILLED AT THE EXCITEMENT THAT WE HAVE AND I'M REALLY HOPING THAT WE COME AWAY FROM THAT DAY TOGETHER.
EVEN MORE SOLIDIFIED BEHIND THE IDEA AND, AND LOOKING FOR WAYS TO ENGAGE.
SO THANK YOU FOR BEING THERE FOR THAT.
AGAIN, I ACKNOWLEDGED, MAN, ARE WE DRAWING ON YOUR TIME? A LOT.
UM, AS LONG AS I'VE GOT YOU CAPTIVE, I'M, I'M GONNA ASK THE QUESTION AROUND OUR BOARD RETREAT.
UM, SEVERAL OF THE MEMBERS HAD HAD ASKED, COULD WE PULL SOME OTHER DATES? I, I'M, I WOULD, I AM, I HATE THE FACT THAT WE WON'T HAVE OUR RETREAT WITHIN THE YEAR THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY DOING THE WORK.
AND, AND, AND EVERYTHING IN ME SAYS, GOD, I REALLY DON'T LIKE THAT VERY WELL.
BUT I REALLY DO THINK THE VALUE OF HAVING US AT THE TABLE FAR OUTWEIGHS THAT SENTIMENT FROM ME.
UM, WE LOOKED FOR ACTUALLY LOTS OF DATES.
ONE IN OCTOBER AND ONE IN NOVEMBER.
SO FAR, UM, MR. BALDWIN IS AVAILABLE IN NOVEMBER.
AKILA YOU MENTIONED YOU WERE, GP HAS MENTIONED HE IS, I HAVEN'T HEARD FROM THE OTHER FOUR BOARD MEMBERS.
SO IF WE COULD GET SOME IDEA OF THE, WHAT'S THE DAY? NOVEMBER OR NOVEMBER? NOVEMBER 1ST AND SECOND.
FIRST AND SECOND LIKELY EITHER THE AFTERNOON TO, TO EARLY EVENING OR EVENING TO LATE EVENING ON FRIDAY, AND THEN ALL DAY ON SATURDAY.
SO WHEN DOES THIS START? I MEAN, WHAT TIME? NO, SO IT'D BE ON THE FIRST, IT START ON THE FIRST IN THE AFTERNOON OR, OR WE CAN PUSH OFF TILL FIVE AND RUN TILL NINE.
THE IDEA IS WE NEED ABOUT A HALF A DAY ON FRIDAY AND THEN A DAY ON SATURDAY TO COMPLETE THE HALF DAY ON FRIDAY WILL BE THE PRESENTATION OF OUR STRATEGIC PLAN.
AND THEN THAT WAY WE CAN TAKE THAT FORWARD ON SATURDAY AND BUILD OUR WORK PLAN FROM THAT.
UM, MAKE ANY ADJUSTMENTS WE WANT TO, BUT THEN BUILD OUR WORK PLAN FOR THE NEXT YEAR BASED ON, ON THAT.
I CAN, I I DEFINITELY CAN DO IT.
IT JUST HAS TO BE IN THE AFTERNOON ON STARTING ON FRIDAY.
AND THE ONLY QUESTION IS DO WE START AT FIVE AND GO TO NINE OR, OR YOU KNOW, FOUR AND GO TO EIGHT.
WE NEED ABOUT FOUR HOURS OR THREE.
LISTEN, I'LL, I'LL, I'LL YOU TELL US AND WE'LL, THAT'S WHAT WE'LL DO.
IF YOU'RE COMFORTABLE WITH THREE, THEN THAT'S, THAT'S GREAT.
WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE SOME FOOD TO EAT AND, AND I'LL WE'LL SAVE THE ALCOHOL AFTERWARDS.
BUT, UM,
SO THAT LEAVES US, UH, THAT LEAVES US WITH FIVE NOW WE NEED TO HEAR FROM MCKAYLA AND FROM MARK.
UM, AND THEN IF THAT'S THE CASE, THEN WITH YOUR BLESSING, WE'LL MOVE OUR RETREAT OUT TO NOVEMBER 1ST AND SECOND.
AND I THINK WE'RE FAR ENOUGH OUT TO BE ABLE TO GET PEOPLE ON BOARD.
UM, IT ALSO MEANS THE CITY MANAGER WILL BE ABLE TO JOIN US AND HE WAS VERY, UM, VERY DISAPPOINTED HE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO DO SO IN SEPTEMBER.
SO I, BEING NEW AND BEING AN INTEGRAL PART, I'M, I'M EXCITED THAT HE'LL BE ABLE TO JOIN US AS WELL.
BUT I PREFER NO EARLIER THAN THREE O'CLOCK.
THEN WE'LL MAKE SURE THAT'S THE CASE.
SO I'VE BEEN HOLDING FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8TH FOR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SALES TAX WORKSHOP IN AUSTIN.
[01:35:01]
STILL TO GO IF YOU, IF YOU CAN AND WANT TO.WE DON'T DISCUSS THAT AT OUR NEXT BOARD MEETING THAT SINCE IT'S IN TWO WEEKS.
BUT IT'S FOR EDUCATIONAL, IT IS REQUIRED OF US
BUT THE, WHEN WE DISCUSSED THAT, THE BOARD HAD INDICATED THEY MIGHT ENJOY BEING PART OF THAT.
AND I WILL TELL YOU THERE'S A NUMBER OF, OF ORGANIZATIONS WHO SOME OR ALL OF THEIR BOARD COME EVERY YEAR.
UH, YOU WILL NOT BE ALONE IF, IF YOU ARE ABLE TO JOIN US, BUT WE, LIKE I SAID, WE'RE MAKING A LOT OF, WE'RE NOT MAKING A LOT OF REQUESTS FRIDAYS.
YEAH, WELL IF IT WORKS, THAT'S GREAT.
BUT DON'T, DON'T FEEL LIKE YOU'RE GONNA BE ALONE IN THAT SEX ON FRIDAY.
IT'S A DAY WE'RE DOWN IN THE MORNING AND BACK THAT EVENING.
A LOT OF PEOPLE GO DOWN THE NIGHT BEFORE, BUT YES SIR.
REAL QUICK HERE, A COUPLE THINGS.
ONE IS THAT ON THE DATE OF OCTOBER THE 10TH FOR THE FALL FRANCHISE INTEREST MEETING, THAT HAS BEEN CHANGED ACTUALLY THAT'S GONNA BE, UH, NOVEMBER 12TH.
BECAUSE THAT TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 12TH, THE BOARD DATE.
THE OTHER ONE IS, UM, I WOULD BE TOTALLY REMISS AND WE WOULD BE, IF WE DIDN'T TAKE THIS QUICK OPPORTUNITY TO HEAR FROM OUR NEW INTERN TO BE INTRODUCED AND TO GIVE HER A ROUND OF APPLAUSE.
MY NAME IS, SO GARCIA, I GO BY SOLELY.
UM, I GRADUATED FROM TEXAS A AND M IN DECEMBER AND THEN I STARTED HERE END OF JULY.
SO ALMOST ABOUT TWO MONTHS I'VE BEEN HERE NOW.
WHAT YOU
ACTUALLY WE'RE USING IT TONIGHT.
AND, UM, I'M A BUSINESS MAJOR WITH A CONCENTRATION IN MARKETING AND I ALSO HAVE A MINOR IN COMMUNICATIONS AND PSYCHOLOGY ACTUALLY.
SO YEAH, WE'RE HOPING TO LEVERAGE OFF OF SOME OF THOSE TALENTS.
UM, AND UH, THIS IDEA THAT USING TECHNOLOGY TO OUR ADVANTAGE AS A FORCE MULTIPLIER, UM, AND TO BETTER, TO BETTER IDENTIFY AND SHARE WHAT WE'RE DOING, TRACK WHAT WE'RE DOING, UM, IS, IS REALLY EXCITING.
UM, AND I, I CAN TELL YOU THAT SOLI IS ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE THAT I'VE EVER INTERVIEWED, UM, WHO, WHO ACTUALLY SAID TO ME, I WANNA BE AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPER WHEN I GROW UP.
AND I SAID, I FEEL LIKE I OUGHT TO LIKE CENTER FOR SOME SORT OF HELP
'CAUSE I THINK THERE'S A RESPONSIBILITY TO DO THAT.
UM, SOLELY IS HER DAD IS, UH, A LONGTIME FRIEND, UH, AND AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COLLEAGUE.
SO SHE'S WATCHED IT UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL HER ENTIRE LIFE.
UM, AND, AND WHEN I HEARD THAT SHE WAS REALLY INTERESTED, I, I QUITE FRANKLY SAID TO HER, DAD, CAN I GET YOU TO SEND ME YOUR RESUME LIKE TODAY
SO WE FEEL VERY BLESSED, UM, TO HAVE ANOTHER MEMBER OF OUR TEAM, UM, AND SOMEBODY WHO IS UH, YEAH, OKAY, FINE.
UM, BUT, BUT BRINGS A LITTLE DIFFERENT VIEWPOINT.
UM, I NEVER LET, I NEVER LET IT GET FAR FROM ME THAT THE VERY PEOPLE WE WANT TO BE ATTRACTING FROM A WORKFORCE STANDPOINT, FROM A CITIZENRY STANDPOINT, ARE PEOPLE THAT, THAT ARE THIS AGE MM-HMM.
THAT THESE ARE THE VERY PEOPLE WHO NEED TO BE HELPING US TO SHAPE OUR MESSAGE.
SO I'M VERY EXCITED ABOUT THAT.
LOOKING FORWARD TO HAVING US WHILE
[G. BOARD ANNOUNCEMENTS ]
THANK YOU.WE'RE ABOUT THREE MINUTES TO FOUR MINUTES TO EIGHT.
LET ME JUST CLOSE US BY SAYING I'M HAPPY WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO HAVE THIS, UH, MAKEUP SESSION THIS EVENING.
AND I THINK WE SHOULD TALK MORE TO THIS SUBJECT MATTER AS A BOARD GOING FORWARD.
UH, THAT, UH, WE TALK ABOUT EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND THINGS OF THAT NATURE.
HOW DO WE COMMUNICATE TO BE TIMELY, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING TO ACHIEVE BECAUSE WE'RE A DYNAMIC BOARD IT, AND SO THERE'S A LOT FOR US TO DISCUSS AND, UM, I THINK OUR COLLABORATIVE SKILLS AND EXPERTISE THAT WE BRING TO THE TABLE TO KINDA SHOW TONIGHT EARLIER WITH, UH, WITH, UH, ALEX.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE'VE GOTTA FOCUS ON, BUT WE GOTTA COLLABORATE AND BE HERE COLLECTIVELY.
SO THAT SAID, UH, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
WE'RE VERY, VERY EXCITED ABOUT THE NEXT FEW DAYS THAT WE'RE ALL GOING TO ENGAGE.
I KNOW THAT EVERYONE IS EXCITED ABOUT GETTING OUT
[01:40:01]
HERE TONIGHT.SO THAT SAID, SINCE THERE ARE NO ADDITIONAL AGENDAS, UH, UH, ITEMS THAT WE NEED TO COVER, THIS MEETING IS BEING ADJOURNED AS WE GO FORWARD, THAT WE WOULD CONSIDER THIS BEING OUR NORM GOING FORWARD.
THAT AT 7 58 THAT WE ARE CLOSING THIS MEETING OUT.