Economic Outlook Conference highlights population growth, business recruitment

COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KBTX) – Population and job growth were major topics at the BCS Chamber of Commerce Economic Outlook Conference held Wednesday.

The effects of that growth are felt across the Brazos Valley. Many of the speakers at the conference drove home the idea while Bryan and College Station are growing, the rest of the Brazos Valley is growing too.

Lucy Ybarra with the Grimes County Chamber of Commerce says the county is experiencing a population boom of its own, bringing more people and money into a local economy that relies heavily on sales tax. Overall, Ybarra is feeling positive after hearing more about growth plans and is eager to bring more exposure to Grimes County businesses.

”Exposure is key. It is extremely important to expose everything that we have to offer, what Grimes County has to offer, what BCS has to offer, the Brazos Valley region as a whole,” she said.

The Brazos Valley is starting to be recognized on a larger scale, according to Brazos Valley Economic Development Corporation CEO Susan Davenport.

Davenport said the assets we have are key for bringing new businesses into the area, with one of our biggest being Texas A&M University. Growth is focused on five key sectors of industry: life sciences, semiconductors, aerospace and aviation, professional services, and energy.

The younger demographic and research capabilities of the university make Bryan-College Station an attractive area for businesses, she added.

”The whole Mecca of the ecosystem around educational attainment and enhancement here, and it’s a phenomenal asset,” Davenport said. “So with that comes really world-renowned researchers in key areas.”

Texas A&M attracts a lot of talent to the area, and now there are reasons for that talent to stay here. Davenport said that compared to other large college towns, Bryan and College Station have the highest population percentage of people aged 20-24, over 17%.

Our youthful market, she added, is a powerful recruiting tool for big businesses, especially with Aggie grads staying in Aggieland.

A key part of their strategy is building relationships between private businesses and public entities.

”The themes of defense, advanced manufacturing, and innovation speak across everything that we’re looking at; and I think that’s important because we have deep strings in those kinds of theme areas,” she said.