Allen, a Dallas native, came to Fort Worth after years of working in Austin for John Cornyn and Greg Abbott when each man held the Texas attorney general post. Abbott, as governor, tapped Allen to be his deputy chief of staff for two years and later selected him to lead state economic development efforts for six years.<\/p>\n
The independent leadership of the Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership, now almost three years old, allows the team to stay fresh and innovative as they work on attracting businesses, Allen said. His team works hand in hand with others, including the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, which handles more traditional business activities.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt frees us up to focus on attraction and retention,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
So far this year, the privately funded nonprofit has raised about $4.2 million for its economic development efforts. The group\u2019s goal is $5 million.<\/p>\n
The partnership works with C-level executives to get input on where the city should focus its efforts to attract new opportunities. Growth in the manufacturing, aviation, defense and logistical industries are helping drive the city beyond 1 million residents<\/a>, Allen said.<\/p>\n His goal is to take Fort Worth\u2019s economic development to the next level by securing a Fortune 500 company\u2019s relocation to the city, he said.<\/p>\n Corporate retention is a core tenant of his role. Allen is working to bring businesses to Fort Worth that want to stay 50 years or longer.\u00a0<\/p>\n His team partners with business executives and city leaders to address challenges to economic growth, such as education.<\/p>\n Allen said his economic team works hard behind the scenes \u2014 sometimes up to a year \u2014 to promote the city to businesses that are considering a move to Fort Worth.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s when the list of questions begins to develop,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n Key wins include a commitment from Bell Textron Inc. for a $632 million investment to produce the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft, also known as the MV-75<\/a>, he said. Abbott joined Mayor Mattie Parker and Bell president and CEO Lisa Atherton for the Dec. 17 announcement in north Fort Worth.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cThis project is obviously transformational for Tarrant County \u2026 as well as in Denton County,\u201d Abbott said at the time. \u201cBut also, it\u2019s transformative for the future of the state of Texas, our workforce, but maybe most importantly, it\u2019s transformative for our United States military.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Bell\u2019s contract with the U.S. Army \u2014 potentially worth up to $70 billion \u2014 \u201cis a tremendous, tremendous opportunity,\u201d Allen said during his conversation with the Report.<\/p>\n He also pointed to the Fort Worth production of Lockheed Martin\u2019s F-35 Lightning II fighter jet as another example of the city\u2019s strong connection to the defense industry. Anything that involves the military, he said, is important to the city.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s something I\u2019m going to support,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Preparation is important in attracting businesses. In his household, Allen said, the motto \u201cluck favors the prepared\u201d rings true.<\/p>\n More efforts are needed to attract money for research and development in Fort Worth, he said.<\/p>\n The new Texas A&M-Fort Worth campus rising downtown will help as well as redevelopment efforts at Texas Christian University and the building of the UTA West campus near Aledo. Other schools, such as Texas Wesleyan University and Tarleton State University\u2019s Fort Worth campus, are also doing good work growing enrollment and educating students, he said.<\/p>\n Fort Worth\u2019s higher education institutions play a \u201ccritical role\u201d in economic development, he said.<\/p>\n Civic engagement in the process to improve literacy among Fort Worth ISD students is also important, Allen said. Many have called for improvements at the school district, which faces a possible state takeover because of poor student academic performance.<\/p>\n Allen said FWISD Superintendent Karen Molinar, who took up the post in March, is up to the challenge.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to do better,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Turnaround efforts will help to develop a strong workforce that will be qualified for jobs in advanced technology and other emerging industries.<\/p>\n \u201cWorkforce (development) for us is No. 1,\u201d Allen said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Film and television production in Fort Worth is advancing rapidly. \u201cYellowstone\u201d creator Taylor Sheridan and 101 Studios CEO David Glasser partnered with Hillwood and Paramount Television to open a 450,000-square-foot production facility<\/a> in the Alliance area.<\/p>\n \u201cThe \u2018Yellowstone effect\u2019 is real,\u201d Allen said, noting that the production studio will employ hundreds of people who are carpenters, tailors and other skilled workers to support film and television ventures.\u00a0<\/p>\n The city is often seen as a backdrop in \u201cYellowstone\u201d and other related shows. Those TV shows and films \u201cput eyeballs on our great city,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n Francis noted that the city\u2019s growth will increase transportation needs. Allen said he is optimistic about traffic congestion since the Texas Department of Transportation is planning several projects to improve and expand highways in the Fort Worth area.<\/p>\n Transportation is a regional issue that area leaders must work together on for solutions, he said.<\/p>\n More growth is expected in the city\u2019s booming northern and western areas since Fort Worth has large tracts of land still available for development.<\/p>\n Those areas, he said, \u201ccan continue to develop for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s important that city and regional leaders find ways to overcome challenges in power<\/a> and water resources<\/a> so growth isn\u2019t hampered, Allen said. Complacency, he said, will hurt businesses.<\/p>\n Allen\u2019s strategy for economic development is to \u201cbe loud and be proud\u201d in promoting Fort Worth.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery new job we create is an opportunity for something new,\u201d Allen said.<\/p>\n Eric E. Garcia is a senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n News decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy here<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n Fort Worth Report is certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative<\/a> for adhering to standards for ethical journalism.<\/p>\n Republish This Story<\/p>\n![\"YouTube](\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/UbX9c1XDomU\/hqdefault.jpg\")
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