The Rincon’s are good friends of mine and I’ve been involved with this case from the very beginning.  I couldn’t image such a tragic event befalling any family but this family took on the tragedy with tremendous courage and community support. The Rincon’s had people scheduled for the audience at the trial, we all had shifts and times and alternates filled in as needed. The sentencing was moved to the Board of Supervisors chamber to accommodate the crowds.  Judge Feilds and the Prosecuting attorney Mark Deibolt did an amazing job of presenting the case.  My prayers are with the Rincon’s.

DUI driver gets 14 years for killing young cyclist

When Jose Rincon Sr. first met prosecutor Mark Diebolt, he told him how much time he wanted Glenda Rumsey to serve in prison for killing his only son.

“Jose was 14 years, one month and one day old when he died. I told him that if she does one day less that that, it wouldn’t be fair,” Rincon said.

On Tuesday, Pima County Superior Court Judge Richard Fields sentenced Rumsey to 14 years in prison and gave her credit for 56 days she’s already served in jail. She can be released after serving 85 percent.

Fields said that while he could have sentenced Rumsey to consecutive sentences for killing Jose Rincon Jr. and hurting his friend, Oscar Perez, he didn’t want to “bolster” the appeal that will be filed by Rumsey’s attorneys.

So, Fields sentenced Rumsey to 14 years for manslaughter and 13 years for aggravated assault and ran them concurrently. He also ran three, six-month driving-under-the-influence sentences concurrently.

Rincon called the sentence “bittersweet.”

“It’s time to move on. We’re not going to be bitter, and we’re not going to be disappointed. It’s time to go on and do something constructive to honor my son,” Rincon said.

According to authorities, Jose Rincon Jr. and Perez were riding their bicycles east on Broadway near Vozack Lane on the East Side around 7:20 p.m. Jan. 12, 2008, when Rumsey struck both teens with her car.

The evidence showed Rumsey had a blood-alcohol level of 0.249 two hours after the crash. The legal limit in Arizona is 0.08.

Rumsey’s sentencing hearing was moved from Pima County Superior Court to the Board of Supervisors meeting room to accommodate the 300-plus people who showed up to support the Rincon and Perez families.

Before sentencing Rumsey, Fields watched a multimedia presentation showing the boy’s life and listened to his parents, his grandfather, Rodolfo Bejarano, and his sisters, Julissa, 8, and Gabriela, 16. He also heard from Perez and Rumsey.

An emotional Rumsey said she will regret the day of the crash the rest of her life and realizes Jose Rincon Jr. died because she made poor decisions.

“I had no right driving that night. Jose Rincon was in the right, and I was in the wrong,” Rumsey said.

Had someone killed her 10- and 12-year-old children, she would feel the same anger as the Rincons, Rumsey said.

The Rincon family spoke of Jose Rincon Jr.’s intelligence, talent, kindness, athleticism, his stubbornness and his penchant for wearing socks three or four days in a row.

When told he was spoiled for complaining about not getting a Wii his last Christmas, he grinned and said, “You know what Mom? You’re spoiled. Do you know how many moms would love to have a kid like me?”

The thing was, Jose Rincon Sr. said, it was true.

Jose Rincon Sr. also spoke of getting the phone call about the crash, rushing to University Medical Center, watching his wife buckle upon learning their son was dead and of his family’s struggle to forgive Rumsey.

Rumsey was taken into custody twice after her arrest because she continued to drink and she has shown no remorse, Jose Rincon Sr. said.

Julissa Rincon told Fields the thing she misses the most is sleeping with her big brother.

“He was a good cuddler, like me,” Julissa Rincon said. “I wish you could’ve met him. You would’ve liked him. Everyone did.”

Gabriela Rincon said she and her brother were two halves of a whole. They played in a mariachi band together, shared friends, went to school together and stayed up until 3 a.m. talking and watching movies.

The teenager told Fields no matter what sentence he imposed, it would be nothing like the sentence Rumsey imposed upon her family.

Adriana Rincon described life without her son as a life without flavor. Many days she has to force herself out of bed for her daughters.

Although Rumsey will be in prison, she will be able to hear about her children’s lives, Adriana Rincon said.”On this Earth, I’ll never have that privilege again,” she said.

Jose Rincon Sr. remembered one of his last conversations with his son. It was a text message from Jose Jr. asking if he’d bought the Jonas Brothers concert tickets yet.

He had. He delivered them to Jose’s friends at his funeral.

Contact reporter Kim Smith at 537-4241 or kimsmith@azstarnet.com.

After Killing the Golden Goose, How many City and County Employees will be Laid Off?

By Carl Schroeder, PAC Chair, Kadon Land Company

Personally, I never enjoy hearing the words “I told you so. ” When I hear that, it means I was wrong. So I won’t tell you, “I told you so,” even though I just did.

The home building industry drives the economy on a local level. However, home building is hurting. We won’t meet our projected new home permits for 2007 that was anticipated to be about half the permits pulled in 2005, our peak year.

If you factor in a resale market with over 10,000 houses for sale, (with over 3,000 of those units unoccupied), throw in an unknown number of foreclosures, you have a problem that trickles down to just about every business, government entity and resident in our community.

We need to earn money before dollars can be spent and trickle down in the local economy.

Pima County , the City of Tucson, and the towns of Marana, Oro Valley and Sahuarita tax new home buyers in their respective communities through Impact Fees.

Seen by elected officials as an easy source of funding, they waste no time during a good market. Local legislation added tens of thousands of dollars onto the sale price of a new home while creating the impression they were tough on home builders and land developers.

All along, it is the new home buyer who ultimately pays those fees.

The new home buyer doesn’t even get a piece of paper in exchange for paying Impact Fees. Although we don’t see results (i.e. new infrastructure built) for five, 10, or even 20 years out, the toll on the economy is now.

Why can’t Pima County and every municipality within its borders recognize when it’s time to offer concessions to the industry that pays a huge portion of their bills and funds their operations?

They have successfully crafted an image that those associated with the home building industry are “the problem” in our community. I contend that they have lost sight of our overall and beneficial contributions to the community, economy and local charities. They may still, to this day, be having a difficult time understanding the connection.

Now that their cash flow has been cut, will they cut off their own noses to spite their public “face?” Or, will they offer some temporary, reasonable concessions before reaching crisis layoffs?

Let’s see how they tighten their own belts as building permits and related fees continue to fall.

Did I forget to mention they still want to talk about affordable housing?

The roots go back decades and we are reaping today what leaders sowed many years ago. Home building and real estate activities deliver shy of $3b per year to our economy.   Unless and until we diversify away from growth related industries thousands of Tucson residents will be dependent on growth for their livelihood. Is that bad?

 Roger Yohem VP of SAHBA summed it up pretty well. Read the full article HERE:

Anti-business genesis

From a development perspective, a complex maze of reluctant leaders, ingrained employees and citizen resistance are the roots of the anti-business policies coming out of Tucson City Hall.

City leaders “have to direct staff to develop standards and the process for encouraging development,” said a builder. Instead, the “entrenched bureaucracy” won’t allow progress to happen.

“Staffers have their own personal agenda, which I believe, is no growth,” he added. “The result is anarchy.”

A former member of the City Council spoke of the process. If an assignment conflicted with a staff member’s agenda, it was stonewalled. The official confronted employees and a typical response was: “I’ve been here almost 20 years, you’ll be gone in four and I’ll still be here.”
There is no pressure to perform. And many employees are protected by a union.
“They can’t be fired, so many feel bullet-proof. They don’t have to answer to anybody,” said a director of SAHBA.

The city’s anti-business movement “got legs” during the terms of Democratic mayors Tom Volgy (1987-91) and George Miller (1991-99). Both had won council seats in 1977.

“As no-growthers, they started to empower extremists and staff to follow their lead,” the SAHBA director said. “The people they hired decades ago are killing today’s redevelopment efforts. Many have moved up into policy-making positions with their negative attitudes toward progress.”

Regarding the conflicts of business versus neighborhoods, Volgy once said, “It’s hard for business groups to understand what the neighborhoods want, and vice versa. It’s very hard to put themselves in each other’s shoes.”

Yet Volgy’s “Kumbaya” thesis never developed into a serious collaboration. The narrow-minded NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard), BANANA (Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything), and NOTE (Not Over There Either) protesters trumped progress.

As the city’s finance director told the council this spring, income from sales taxes will be flat in 2008 for the first time in 30 years because, “There’s no growth.”

No political cover

City leaders lack the political grit to confront the no-growth crusaders. Proposed projects fade away despite the widespread benefits.

“A radical minority dictates city policy,” says a SAHBA director. “There’s a handful of people who claim to represent neighborhoods but they really don’t. It’s always the same two or three people, who have become the city’s de facto planning department.”

One way to restore balance is to give politicians political cover. Development dissenters should get 60 days to prove their claims about traffic, property values, and other concerns.

“Make neighborhoods do what developers are required to do. Pass a mandate that they prepare and pay for their own study,” he said.

Here is a great letter to the editor from Inside Tucson Business. There are so many strong voices in our community that are waiting in the wings to be heard.

This blog was created as a way to let some of those voices be heard.  The traditional media has strong voices as well, the challenge is finding those messages in a crowded world is sometimes difficult. The goal of this blog is to bring those voices front and center.

 

Published on Friday, August 08, 2008

TO: The Editor
FROM: M. L. Ebert
RE: Steve Emerine’s column “Politicians’ failure to act may have already doomed Tucson’s future,” July 28 issue

Steve Emerine again is “spot on” regarding our city government. I remember seeing a computer-generated presentation of the makeup of Tucson’s demographics including political affiliation many years ago. I said then (1980s) that this town did not have the stomach for the diversity an annexation of those folks living north of River Road would give to our community.

We truly are destined to be guided into the future by people with little understanding or appreciation for free enterprise or the importance of protecting property rights.

A good beginning would be to declare city council positions full-time and to pay them enough to attract caring citizens from the private sector. Secondly, move away from partisan elections and look to actual leadership credentials, instead of party affiliations, of individuals running for office.

Regarding annexation: We need to stop the annexation of land; that is gutless. This city needs people to join the municipal government process. Most living in the outlying areas are affected by decisions made by our city council yet have no voice. To entice them, we may have to give them their own seats on the council. If we want to stop the anti-business spirit of this city government and stop the decay, we need to do all of the above.

This is the first in a series of posts that we will be doing from time to time called – SERVE or BE SERVED.  We will be putting forth a member of our business, political or associations and solicit your feed back via comments is they are people of service to their community or if they are in their position of power to be served.

Those that are BEING SERVED conduct their life in a fashion that revolves around self preservation. They are intoxicated with the power of their position.  Those that are here to SERVE exhibit the characteristics described in Greenleaf’s Servant Leadership. Described below;

“The difference manifests itself in the care taken by the servant-first to make sure that other people’s highest priority needs are being served. The best test, and difficult to administer, is: Do those served grow as persons? Do they, while being served, become healthier, wiser, freer, more autonomous, more likely themselves to become servants? And, what is the effect on the least privileged in society? Will they benefit or at least not be further deprived?“

The question for our readers is to determine if these leaders careers are primarily about keeping the status quo or doing the work of the community?

Let’s kick this off with Mayor Walkup – leave a comment;

SERVED

or

BE SERVED

Don’t be afraid to give some examples!

Having recently run for office, I can assure you that it’s not a process to be taken lightly. There were 14 hour days for 6 months straight. The campaign process becomes your life. Your marriage, family, business and community activities are put on hold as you look for every opportunity to get your message out to the voters. My race was brief, less than a year, I can’t image a 2 year presidental campaign. Obama and I  both have two children, both are 10 and 7 years old. The experience undoubtedly changed both of our families forever.

Why did I run?  Because I believe in our community and have been blessed beyond my wildest dreams here. Lately, either because I’m more engaged or more aware, I’ve become more and more concerned about the decisions we are making as a community.  I often wonder if my children will not have the same opportunity here that I did. I’m see a lack of jobs for our graduating college students. I see a vanishing middle class and a community separated by the “retirees” and “struggling to survives.”

I serve on a number of non-profit boards and believe it is our responsibility to give back to the community any way possible. The one board that I’m most proud and involved in is Catholic Community Services. The agency has a $36m budget and 500+ employees. They do work for people from cradle to grave and cover all of southern Arizona. In the 5 years on the board I’ve watched the total people served  rise from 90k to over 120k per year.  We provide the safety net for thousands of kids, families and elderly, we are struggling to keep up on the demand for our services. Our health care clinic is over whelmed, our elderly services are at a breaking point. What I’ve seen first hand is that we can’t keep making the safety net bigger. At some point we must focus on the fundamentals of our community. We must focus on economic development, creating better paying jobs. We must bolster our middle class and provide hope for our children.

President Elect Obama published a letter to his children in this Sunday’s Parade and it struck a cord for me and my family. We read the letter to the kids as we tucked them in and we relived and reflected on the campaign process as a family.  Let us keep in mind that although we are quick to criticize our elected officials they are, for the most part, making a sacrifice to run and hold office.

Next Tuesday, Barack Obama will be sworn in as our 44th President. On this historic occasion, PARADE asked the President-elect, who is also a devoted family man, to get personal and tell us what he wants for his children. Here, he shares his letter to them.

Dear Malia and Sasha,

 

I know that you’ve both had a lot of fun these last two years on the campaign trail, going to picnics and parades and state fairs, eating all sorts of junk food your mother and I probably shouldn’t have let you have. But I also know that it hasn’t always been easy for you and Mom, and that as excited as you both are about that new puppy, it doesn’t make up for all the time we’ve been apart. I know how much I’ve missed these past two years, and today I want to tell you a little more about why I decided to take our family on this journey.

When I was a young man, I thought life was all about me-about how I’d make my way in the world, become successful, and get the things I want. But then the two of you came into my world with all your curiosity and mischief and those smiles that never fail to fill my heart and light up my day. And suddenly, all my big plans for myself didn’t seem so important anymore. I soon found that the greatest joy in my life was the joy I saw in yours. And I realized that my own life wouldn’t count for much unless I was able to ensure that you had every opportunity for happiness and fulfillment in yours. In the end, girls, that’s why I ran for President: because of what I want for you and for every child in this nation.

I want all our children to go to schools worthy of their potential-schools that challenge them, inspire them, and instill in them a sense of wonder about the world around them. I want them to have the chance to go to college-even if their parents aren’t rich. And I want them to get good jobs: jobs that pay well and give them benefits like health care, jobs that let them spend time with their own kids and retire with dignity.

I want us to push the boundaries of discovery so that you’ll live to see new technologies and inventions that improve our lives and make our planet cleaner and safer. And I want us to push our own human boundaries to reach beyond the divides of race and region, gender and religion that keep us from seeing the best in each other.

Sometimes we have to send our young men and women into war and other dangerous situations to protect our country-but when we do, I want to make sure that it is only for a very good reason, that we try our best to settle our differences with others peacefully, and that we do everything possible to keep our servicemen and women safe. And I want every child to understand that the blessings these brave Americans fight for are not free-that with the great privilege of being a citizen of this nation comes great responsibility.

That was the lesson your grandmother tried to teach me when I was your age, reading me the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence and telling me about the men and women who marched for equality because they believed those words put to paper two centuries ago should mean something.

She helped me understand that America is great not because it is perfect but because it can always be made better-and that the unfinished work of perfecting our union falls to each of us. It’s a charge we pass on to our children, coming closer with each new generation to what we know America should be.

I hope both of you will take up that work, righting the wrongs that you see and working to give others the chances you’ve had. Not just because you have an obligation to give something back to this country that has given our family so much-although you do have that obligation. But because you have an obligation to yourself. Because it is only when you hitch your wagon to something larger than yourself that you will realize your true potential.

These are the things I want for you-to grow up in a world with no limits on your dreams and no achievements beyond your reach, and to grow into compassionate, committed women who will help build that world. And I want every child to have the same chances to learn and dream and grow and thrive that you girls have. That’s why I’ve taken our family on this great adventure.

I am so proud of both of you. I love you more than you can ever know. And I am grateful every day for your patience, poise, grace, and humor as we prepare to start our new life together in the White House.

Love, Dad  

If you remember back a few quarters, ASBA/O’Neil ranked Tucson the worst in Arizona for it’s friendliness towards business. Well they are at it again but this time our local media missed it. Why you ask did they fail to catch the survey? Because is was actually GOOD news for a change.

Tempe-based O’Neil Associations/ASBA Economic Indicators Monitor showed 25 percent of poll participants ranked Tempe as having the best quality of life, followed by Tucson (21 percent), Prescott (21 percent) and Phoenix (8 percent).

The survey, which has a six point margin of error, also said 29 percent of respondents said Tempe had the best downtown, followed by Phoenix (23 percent) and Scottsdale ( 21 percent) and Prescott (15 percent).

Forward Thinking -Southern Arizona is trying to set the stage for a post-recession surge

By Janet Perez

Like the rest of the state, Southern Arizona has been in a recession since 2007, and at least one prominent economist says the situation won’t be getting better anytime soon.

“My forecast is that it’s going to take a while to get (credit markets) straightened out again and functioning as they should,” says Marshall Vest, director of the Economic and Business Research Center at the University of Arizona’s Eller College of Management. “I think that takes up most of 2009. Then we have all the excess housing that needs to be absorbed. That’s going to take some time and we’re not really absorbing the housing right now because credit markets have been essentially frozen. So, I think it’s the end of 2009 before the economy really regains its footing. I think we’ll start to move up in 2010. By move up, I mean the economy will once again begin to expand and enter a recovery phase.”

Joe Snell, president and CEO of Tucson Regional Economic Opportunities (TREO), says that despite the already deteriorating economic conditions, Tucson still managed to draw new companies and expansions in 2008.

“We’re definitely seeing a slow down in a lot of ways, both in the recruitment of companies and the expansion of companies, but not a massive downtick,” he says. “Our pipeline is as full as it’s ever been. But what we are seeing are companies that may have been ready to announce a $100 million expansion in November saying, ‘We’re going to wait on that until January, we’re cautious, we want to see what’s going to happen in the next three months.’ ”

Last year, the region still saw growth in the health care, bioscience, alternative energy and aerospace industries. Of particular note was the purchase of Ventana Medical Systems in Oro Valley by Swiss drug maker Roche for $3.4 billion. Roche also announced plans for a $100 million expansion at Ventana that would increase employment from 750 to about 1,000. In addition, Roche purchased more than 17 acres of land around the Ventana site to expand the location.

“Possibly the most significant thing we can point to though, is that 57 percent of the successful projects were in our targeted industries, and that’s important because those targeted industries represent quality rather than quantity, meaning, closing the wage gap,” Snell says. “Historically, Tucson has ranked somewhat below both the state and the national average in wages. So we’re rapidly moving in the right direction to close that gap. To me, that’s a big takeaway.”

Southern Arizona has not been immune to the effects of the housing market collapse and its devastating impact on the construction industry. For example, one of the first companies TREO recruited, window and doormaker Pella Corp., announced in November 2008 that it was idling its  Tucson plant, affecting 65 workers. When Pella first located to Tucson in 2005, company officials said it had plans to employ more than 400 people at its facility.

Still, as Vest points out, since the construction boom was not as great in Southern Arizona as it was in the Phoenix area, the drop has been less precipitous. For example, year-over-year job losses in the construction industry in October 2008 stood at 4,000 in the Tucson metro area, according to figures from the Arizona Department of Commerce. In the Phoenix-Scottsdale-Mesa area, 30,000 construction industry jobs were lost during the same period.

“Commercial (construction) is still in relatively good shape. Vacancy rates are moving up, but they are still fairly low. Tucson didn’t see the construction boom in commercial that you saw in Phoenix, so, commercial construction here in Tucson doesn’t have as far to fall,” Vest says. “For residential, the indicators that I see are pretty comparable to Phoenix, except for the housing price data. I don’t think the declines have been quite as large (in Southern Arizona).”

Snell says that so far, Southern Arizona has managed to hold its own on employment.

“We have losses in construction, but we’re gaining it on biotech, we’re gaining it on solar, we’re gaining it in logistics companies. I think right now we’re sort of a wash,” he says.

Vest, however, expects more job losses across the state as the recession drags on through 2009. In fact, comparisons of unemployment rates from 2007 and 2008 already are startlingly eye opening.

In October 2008, the unemployment rate for the state, the Phoenix metro and the Tucson metro stood at 6.1 percent, 5.5 percent and 5.8 percent, respectively. In October 2007, the state’s unemployment rate was 3.9 percent, Phoenix’s was at 3.4 percent, and Tucson came in at 3.9 percent.

“I think the unemployment rate will likely reach 8 percent before we’re through,” Vest says.

Vest adds that rate is in line with the jobless figures of the last major recession of the early 1980s. Back then, unemployment peaked at 13 percent in the state, 8.9 percent in Phoenix and 10.5 percent in Tucson.

Fortunately for Southern Arizona, Vest says, the region’s economy is considerably more diverse than it was in the early ’80s. But with credit still tight and the housing market stuck in freefall, Vest cautions about being too optimistic on the strength of a recovery.

“I really think this recovery is probably going to be muted. I don’t see us rebounding very strongly. The process is going to take awhile,” he says. “This recession is going to be longer than the recessions of the early ’80s or mid ’70s. If it stretches through 2009 and the recession began in the fourth quarter of 2007, we’re talking about a two-year-long recession. Nationwide, the longest recession has been 16 months.

“It’s been a very long time in this country since we have encountered a very severe recession. The recessions of 2001 and 1991 were both very short and shallow. They barely qualified as recessions, rather than a growth slowdown. It’s only the gray hairs that remember what a severe recession is like,” Vest adds. “This is scary. This is messy. But we’ve been through this before. If you are a business and you can hang on and remain solvent and get through this, there will be plenty of opportunities on the other side. I would also say that it’s during times like this that the seeds are sown for fortunes to be made. Savvy investors will take positions in markets where assets are cheap and will benefit handsomely as the economy recovers —as surely it will. And the deep pockets know that and there is a lot of money on the sidelines waiting for the right opportunity.”

Snell agrees, adding that now is the time for Southern Arizona to stake a claim in future growth and prosperity.

“We’re not going to ride out the recession. I’m a big believer that now is the time to get aggressive,” he says. “I think we have a good head of steam. At this point, I would say Tucson is as competitive as any major city in the country, including Phoenix. That’s a first for us. Are we going to get cooled off by the national economy? Yes, absolutely. But I think we’re in as good a position as anyone coming out of this recession to capitalize, and maybe within this recession to capitalize.” 

www.arizona.edu
www.treoaz.org
www.azcommerce.com

A State, just like a City or County can take steps today that will change the course of their future for generations to come.  Six years ago the legislators in Texas set the state on a new course of action. A number of factors  made a difference, not the least of which were tort reform and a favorable tax environment. Texas is touted as one of the most pro-business climates in the US.  Both  Arizona and Texas have similarities like a strong university system, major quality of life and climate benefits and a diverse workforce. Texas isn’t saddled by our State Land Trust issues which as you look around Arizona is a big hurdle we have to figure out.  With the right leadership in Arizona state government maybe, just maybe we can look back in a few years and see Arizona on top of some of these pro business lists.From Expansion Management

State Continues to Draw Projects

Texas remains at the forefront in attracting expansion and relocation projects primarily because of its pro-business attitude. Another factor is two dozen major universities providing research and development capabilities, as well as training partnerships.

When the high-tech industry took off in Austin, Texas’ capital city, Austin Community College developed a program to train high-tech workers so companies could find a skilled and educated work force, said Patrick Shaughnessy, communications manager for the Texas Department of Economic Development.

That’s why Oracle, the world’s largest provider of database software, recently selected Austin for its high-availability data center.

Oracle looked at all viable options within the United States and short-listed 15 facilities, including ones in Missouri, Colorado, Massachusetts and Arizona, said Oracle spokeswoman Letty Ledbetter.

Oracle’s strategic partnership with Dell Computer, headquartered in Austin, was another major factor in the decision.

Also taking advantage of Austin’s high-tech expertise is PerformanceRetail, which moved its headquarters from Houston in July.

“Austin has a solid record in creating some of the world’s largest and most successful technology companies,” said Gregg Burt, president and CEO of Performance Retail. “This move gives us ready access to the talent we need to continue our leadership position in the development of retail technologies and expand our efforts to better serve our growing client roster of global corporations.”

California’s Bay Area was considered, said Dean Cruse, vice president of marketing.

Location Makes a Difference

The state’s 1,248-mile border with Mexico translates into a large bilingual work force, a contributing factor in Clarke American Checks’ decision to open a second contact center in San Antonio in August.

The new $12 million facility will provide customer service and sales via telephone, e-mail and Web chat for its partners and their customers, which includes more than 4,000 banks, credit unions and other financial institutions nationwide.

With 350 people working at its first facility, Clarke American plans to add another 350 at the new 42,000 square foot facility.

Kaari Swope, Clarke American’svice president and general manager of customer service, said the company considered alternative sites in Kansas, Iowa, Utah and other locations in the Midwest.

“We chose to add a second facility in San Antonio because of the existing infrastructure, the high quality work force available and because of the advantages of being able to hire a bilingual work force,” Swope said.

The state’s other major metropolitan area, Dallas/Fort Worth, recently welcomed two new arrivals.

Safety-Kleen Corp., which helps more than 400,000 companies regulate hazardous and non-hazardous waste, will add 250 employees at its new 120,000 square foot corporate headquarters. In a memo to company employees, company CEO Ronald A. Rittenmeyer said Dallas’ central geographic location, its availability of affordable real estate, and a comparable cost of living were important factors.

Those were the same reasons Washington Mutual, one of the nation’s largest financial services companies, announced in May plans to open a national commercial loan servicing and operations center in the region, bringing 300 new jobs.

“We selected the Dallas area – and Coppell, specifically -because it offers quality real estate options, an abundance of highly skilled workers, and high quality-of-life measures, such as affordability, great schools and access to arts and culture,” said Stuart Miles, senior vice president for Washington Mutual.

Company spokesman Joe Arbona said the company considered Kansas City, Houston and Indianapolis, but felt Dallas offered the best pool of talent to fill the positions.

 

Dan Perkins is a freelance writer based in St. Louis, Mo.

Texas Job Creation Data HERE. and rankings HERE.

Some highlights of how Texas ranks;

Texas: The Business Advantage

Texas has established a worldwide reputation for its open, positive attitude toward the business community. With a low tax burden, low living costs, a Texas-friendly lifestyle and government programs designed to help rather than hinder business, the Lone Star State is the perfect location to build your company.

• If Texas were its own country, its economy would rank 12th in the world, just below Brazil and Russia and higher than India, South Korea and Australia.
• The Tax Foundation ranks Texas 43rd among states for its combined 2007 state and local tax burden. That’s a contest in which first place is no prize!
• According to the Missouri Economic Research and Information Center, Texas had the third-lowest cost of living among all U.S. states in the fourth quarter of 2007, and by far the lowest cost of living among the 10 largest states.
• The Texas Enterprise Fund, created in 2003, gives Texas leaders unique leverage in using incentives to attract jobs and business to the state. The Texas Governor’s Office reports that the fund has brought 51,800 new jobs to the state and generated $15.6 billion in capital investments.
• Since 2005, Texas’ Emerging Technology Fund has been helping early-stage technology companies bring innovative products and services to market.
• Texas has made a substantial and ongoing commitment to upgrading the skills of its workers. The Texas Skills Development Fund, which provides state funding for employee training, awarded $25 million in grants in 2007 that generated nearly 7,100 new jobs and provided training to 13,758 workers in existing jobs.
• Texas emerged as the clear winner in Fortune magazine’s 2007 ranking of the nation’s 100 fastest-growing companies, with 32. California was a distant second, with 11 companies.
• In Chief Executive magazine’s annual nationwide poll of chief executive officers, Texas has been chosen as the best state in which to do business for four consecutive years (2005-2008).

The CNBC financial news network ranked Texas as America’s Top State for Business in 2008 and best all-around economy in the United States.

Craddick: Texas’ pro-business moves will help weather economic turmoil

By Mella McEwen
Oil Editor

Published: Thursday, October 16, 2008 6:11 PM CDT

Amid the economic turmoil roiling the country and spreading across the globe, the state of Texas is an island of economic calm, according to Texas House Speaker Tom Craddick….

The state also is an island “created six years ago when we consolidated agencies and cut spending and made the government work like every other business,”Craddick added. “We had people who made the hard decisions and did what needed to be done.”

The Midlander told his audience that “We have $12 billion in our rainy day fund and $5 billion to $6 billion surplus funds in our general revenue” as the Texas Legislature prepares to meet in January.

“If you’ve been following what’s going on, California is facing a $19 billion budget deficit and has asked the federal government for a loan,” he said. “When I was elected speaker, we were facing a $5 billion deficit. When

I was sworn in, it was a $10 billion deficit. We didn’t ask the federal government for a loan, we formed a new appropriations committee and cut spending.” He cited as an example the Health and Human Services, where 13 agencies were combined into three, saving approximately $1.5 billion a year.

Tort reform passing at the same time also helped, he said, stressing that legislation was not passed just to benefit doctors, though it has attracted 11,000 new doctors to the state in the last four years.

“Everyone across the board has benefited from tort reform,” he said. “We got rid of most frivolous lawsuits” and companies looking to move to Texas have told him one reason is tort reform…

He predicted education funding will be a major focus of the session, telling the audience that “In my opinion, we’ve got to find another way to fund education and move away from property taxes.”

He also wants to update the school formula he said dates back to the 1960s and make sure good teachers are rewarded for their efforts.

 

Transportation will be another focus, Craddick said, noting that the Transportation Commission recently announced it cannot locate $1 billion in funds.

“We’re sending in an audit committee and we will find that $1 billion,” he said. “You won’t recognize TxDOTwhen we get through. Here, about 1 percent of you are concerned about transportation. In Dallas, 99 percent are concerned about transportation. The gasoline tax is not raising enough to keep up with our infrastructure. We need to look at options on funding transportation.”

Health care will be another issue, he said, saying he wants to find ways to let small companies band together in larger groups so they can find healthcare insurance that offers better coverage at better rates.

Mella McEwen can be reached at casell@mrt.com.

“Austin offered a lower cost of living, a great lifestyle, inexpensive services and access to a large, talented pool of technology professionals,” Cruse said.

By Patrick Finley

Arizona Daily Star

Tucson, Arizona | Published: 07.22.2007

When he served as the UA’s athletic director, Cedric Dempsey had a nickname for Tucson.

“We used to call it the biggest college town in America,” he said.

Some would say he’s still correct.

Pima County has passed 1 million residents — more than enough to support a minor-league sports team — yet the area is littered with gravestones of franchises that have failed to turn a profit, or survive, in Tucson.

For many reasons — our demographics, our transient nature and the business market, to name a few — minor-league sports franchises have failed to find a foothold here.

The unsuccessful past impacts the future of pro sports in Tucson.

“It’s a proven statistic that it’s not working,” Pima County Supervisor Ray Carroll said.

Does the area need a pro sports franchise? Some say it improves the quality of life and instills community pride, while others believe the University of Arizona serves as the town’s main point of interest.

At least 18 franchises or sporting events have folded or left Tucson in the last three decades.

That number will grow in the next two years. The Triple-A Sidewinders are being sold to a group that will likely move them to Reno, Nev., for the 2009 season. The Chicago White Sox want to move their spring training operations to Glendale in 2009, but first need to find a replacement team to move to Tucson Electric Park or pay a buyout.

With the Sidewinders’ departure, Tucson will become the second-largest city in America without a big-league team in one of the four major sports or a Triple-A baseball team. On that list, only El Paso is bigger.

According to 2006 U.S. Census figures, Tucson is the 32nd-largest city and the sixth-largest without a major pro sports team. Louisville, Ky., Las Vegas, Oklahoma City and the Austin area all have Triple-A baseball.

On paper, Pima County seems ripe for a minor-league team.

It is home to world-class events during temperate months in the fall, winter and spring — the WGC-Accenture World Match Play Championships, spring training, UA football and basketball and La Fiesta de los Vaqueros, to name a few.