Guadalupe County celebrates spirit of teamwork in economic development

Cindy Aguirre-Herrera

(Seguin) -- Guadalupe County is celebrating what some describe as a “team sport” in the recruitment and relocation of businesses to the area. The Guadalupe County Commissioners Court on Tuesday proclaimed the upcoming week May 9-15 as Economic Development Week.

County officials say economic developers promote economic well-being and quality of life for their communities by creating and retaining jobs that facilitate growth, support workforce development, enhance wealth, and provide a stable tax base.

EDC representatives from Seguin, Schertz and Cibolo were all on hand for the recognition.

Leading the statements at the podium was Josh Schneuker, executive director for the Seguin Economic Development Corporation. Schneuker says it really takes the efforts of everyone to get a deal done.

“It takes teamwork to get deals done and we are very happy that you all are a strong member of our economic development team and I think all of us here today are kind of symbolizing that economic development is a team sport so what’s good for Seguin is going to be good for Schertz and Cibolo and vice versa.”

So, I really just want to thank you today for your support of economic development. I also would like to thank all of our partners here today as well as from around the county for all the hard work that they do to really make this place a wonderful place to live, work and play,” said Schneuker.

Next in line was Adrian Perez, of the Schertz Economic Development Corporation. Perez who serves as the EDC’s executive director says the recipes for success appear to be returning to the table and believes the local partnerships will go a long way in getting some of those companies to say yes to Guadalupe County.

“As we come out post pandemic and our country recovers and our state recovers, we are seeing more and more companies look at the state of Texas – finding a place where personal freedom, business friendliness, a focus on private investments so that we can all prosper is really what they are seeing and what they are being attracted to and when they come to Texas, they are seeing communities that partner with the same philosophy, with the same concepts in mind and they find communities, counties and cities working together so that they can be a success,” said Perez.

Also thanking the court was Dustin Morris, the business retention and expansion specialist for the Cibolo EDC.

Guadalupe County Judge Kyle Kutscher says he is thankful for each of the EDC’s in the county and looks forward to seeing their success continue.

“We would not be able to accomplish success stories that we have had in the past without the hard work from each of the individual cities. We know that without the EDC’s and all of their staff and everybody working every day, tirelessly trying to accomplish the goals that we have all laid out, these things would not have happened. As a county, we are very proud to be partners with you, but we understand we don’t carry the heavy load often times in a lot of these economic development conversations. We want to improve our position. We want to be more active. We want to help with more additional resources and I think we are moving in that right direction but we also understand the real focus is within the cities and even when there are prospects that look to locate outside of cities, all of you have come to our aid and worked with us in the same respect as if it was in the city limits and we truly, truly appreciate that,” said Kutscher.

In addition to the week of recognition, a signed proclamation was also ordered by the commissioner’s court. It applauds all the economic development efforts that have helped both small and large companies make significant capital investments throughout the county and that have helped create jobs for all residents.

View article on SeguinToday.com