FROM THE EDITOR
A wise person once said, “Don’t put all your eggs in one basket.”
It seems the Taylor City Council, and other regional governments, are listening.
That’s good for residents and taxpayers.
Everyone is pleased as punch Samsung Austin Semiconductor is investing $17 billion to build its foundry in Taylor. With federal assistance and other initiatives, that investment could grow to a staggering $44 billion over time, as well as create nearly 2,000 skilled, high-paying jobs.
Samsung’s debut is also attracting a host of other technologically driven companies that are rising out of the Blackland Prairie, once the province of cotton farmers and other agricultural businesses driven by the commercial promise of another technological advance, the railroad.
At the same, city council members in Hutto and Taylor, as well as county commissioners in Georgetown, are also realizing no economy should be tied to one business bloc.
Hutto is vigorously pursuing agreements with restaurants, entertainment venues and infrastructure improvements to support continued growth, making the city an attractive place to live.
In Taylor, a consultant recently urged the City Council and the Economic Development Corp. to work on business diversification.
“One of the goals of this plan is how do we take advantage of Samsung, but also how do we diversify so that we understand truly what are some of the other opportunities in addition to semiconductors, which is a very cyclical industry?” said Michael N’dolo, national economic services director for MRB Group. “When it goes in a down cycle, what keeps your community going in the interim?”
While he advised the EDC to continue courting suppliers to the Samsung chip foundry and other advanced manufacturing companies, he also stressed the need for educational partnerships to train a tech-oriented workforce.
These initiatives could be a factor in the campaigns of those running for local school board and council offices in the May 3 elections.
During a swearing-in ceremony for county leaders Jan. 1, County Judge Bill Gravell exhorted his colleagues to pursue the entrepreneurs of the future but also asked them not to forget the small and traditional businesses that make up the backbone of Williamson County’s economy and employment.
Meanwhile, the leaders in Williamson County cities and the courthouse should continue to embrace trade agreements with firms in South Korea, the home of the Taylor semiconductor foundry’s parent company, Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
Time will tell how things work out. But it’s important to remember that as the area welcomes the mega-companies that promise the future, governments must continue to support “the little guy,” too.
Thomas Edwards
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