Business leaders, students flock to AT&T Stadium to showcase Texas’ massive economy

ARLINGTON – The marching band’s horns and drums blared at AT&T Stadium Friday morning, and Dallas Cowboys mascot Rowdy will be roaring on the field all day. Rapper Saul Paul took the stage for a halftime show, but this was no football game.

The YTexas Summit brings executives, economic development leaders and students from across the state to Arlington for networking, panel discussions and a showcase of Texas’ $2 trillion economy, the future of the Lone Star State and numerous companies. Plant their flag here.

“That’s the answer. [the attendees] YTexas CEO Ed Curtis said. “We’ve been to meetings, but I think what’s unique about this event is bringing the state together, people in Houston, Austin and Dallas who have never met before and connecting with each other. Making connections.”

More than 125 companies participated in the event. Organizers had expected about 3,000 attendees, but said around 900 showed up Friday afternoon. The exhibit will include a close-up look at technology from an autonomous Indy race car and drones and robots, including a production robot from OnRobot, a Danish robotics company that opened its US headquarters in Irving in 2018.

Christian Hallgard, general manager of OnRobot USA, said the company wants to spread the word to small and medium-sized companies looking to automate their manufacturing processes. The robot has built-in safety sensors and is designed to be easy for anyone to program.

“We have high demand but not high supply, so we as a company are trying to rethink the way we go in and deploy robots,” Hallgaard said.

Texas cities set up shop in the field to encourage investment in their communities. Brownsville City Commissioner and Chairman of the Greater Brownsville Incentive Corporation, John Cowen, said he has spoken with companies from Texas and the United States, as well as students, about opportunities in the city.

“I think historically, when Brownsville is in the news, it’s typically not for positive things,” Cowen said. We’re a historically underserved community, we’re low-income, we produce a lot of talent that goes elsewhere to work and live—Houston, Dallas, San Antonio—so we’re trying to stop that brain drain. I think if you have SpaceX there, it’s a real opportunity to show your future in Brownsville.

Along with the optimism surrounding the many businesses that have grown in Texas and moved to the state, there is still discussion about the challenges the state faces in maintaining that momentum.

“Texas is, without a doubt, a great place to do business,” said Brent Ryan, chairman and CEO of Dallas-based tax services and technology company Ryan LLC, during a panel discussion on corporate incentives. “Our concern at the moment is not to rush.”

Ryan said the state must find an adequate replacement for Chapter 313, a property tax incentive that has drawn $217 billion in renewable energy and manufacturing projects to the state and expires in December.

“We need to make a more aggressive case to our legislators, and they need to understand that if you don’t have the highest deduction for all the different things that Texas has, including the best barbecue in the world. Property taxes for capital-intensive investments are going to go to another state, and we don’t want to see that happen,” said the Texas Chamber of Commerce. Association CEO Glen Hammer said during the panel discussion.

The event is the organization’s first at AT&T Stadium. YTexas is an Austin-based business network dedicated to connecting companies that are relocating and expanding in Texas.

“After Covid, we said, ‘Let’s go big,'” Curtis said. “‘If we’re going to do this, let’s do it.’ “

Curtis said he was impressed with the collaboration between the various groups he attended.

“The city of Abilene [booth]Then you have intelligent infrastructure and then you have STEM challenges, Curtis said. “I didn’t know what to expect. Put all these concepts in one room and see what happens.

Curtis said people are already asking about next year’s event, which will be on Oct. 6, and he’s already thinking about doing more by using the entire field and side rooms and expanding rooms for panel discussions.

“I can get the whole stadium, so we can fill this space with a lot of stuff,” Curtis said. “I think it’s going to be a multi-year plan, but the plan is really to create a business like South by Southwest here at AT&T Stadium.”