The Area Development Site and Facility Planning magazine conducts an annual corporate survey of national and regional companies about their plans for expansion and/or relocation of business headquarters’ or operations offices, service operations, R&D; operations, industrial/manufacturing operations or warehousing and distribution centers.
This annual survey measures two groups of site selection factors — Business Operations and Labor factors and Quality of Life factors.
The top 10 Business Operations and Labor factors include highway accessibility, labor costs, occupancy or construction costs, tax exemptions, energy costs, availability of workers, business incentives, available land and buildings and others.
The top 10 Quality of Life factors include, in priority, low crime rate, health facilities, housing costs and availability, ratings of public schools, climate, area colleges and universities and recreational/cultural opportunities.
I want to highlight the top Quality of Life factors Weatherford provides for new businesses and for our existing businesses.
The City of Weatherford provides us with a low crime rate through the services of the police department, which accounts for about 30 percent of the city operations budget. If you add the fire protection services, the two departments account for about 50 percent of the city’s annual budget.
Weatherford Regional Medical Center, managed by Community Health Systems, just completed the $27 million expansion of a new emergency room, with new ICU rooms and new laboratory, radiology and pharmaceutical services and equipment.
The hospital has also recruited more than 19 new physicians in the past two years and continues to recruit needed physician specialties to provide local health care services.
Weatherford ISD provides a quality education with great teachers as a 2008 TEA “Recognized” school district, and the school board and administration was recently recognized as the state’s TASA Outstanding School Board of 2009. The school district also provides many recreational events for our citizens.
Weatherford College is one of the largest and fastest growing community colleges in the state and provides education and training of the adult workforce for our businesses, and the college provides recreational and cultural events for our citizens.
The City of Weatherford provides parks and recreation facilities and programs, the public library, Chandor Gardens and multiple community centers.
Weatherford has an established, growing and affordable new housing industry that has averaged 220 new residential permits per year over the previous 10 years, through 2008, and has averaged more than 230 per year over the immediate past four years, including a peak of 314 per year in 2006. Countywide new residential permits have averaged 350 per year over the previous 10 years with a peak of 514 in 2006.
Weatherford’s population has averaged 4 percent growth per year since 2000, and with the new business growth and on-going business interest during this decade, it is a direct reflection of how well Weatherford satisfies both groups of factors, and especially the Quality of Life factors.
Weatherford is a great place to live and operate an existing and a new business.
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By Dennis Clayton, CEcD is executive director of the Weatherford Economic Development Authority, Inc.
Business
Quality of life factors for business locations in a community
Dennis Clayton, Guest Columnist
- Business
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Heading out
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New Weed Man in town
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Gamer(z) on
t’s a one of a kind facility ... and Weatherford is the first in the Metroplex to have it.
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New vet dentist
Dr. Joseph Cukjati, DVM has joined the practice of Parker County Veterinary Hospital as a certified veterinary dentist.
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Breakfast before business
For new (or existing, longtime) businesses, the Weatherford Chamber of Commerce’s monthly Breakfast Before Business is a great way to get yourself known in the community.
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Get yer equipment
Parker County residents Tina and Tyler Child have operated Northwest Equipment Rentals for 20 years just over the county line in an unincorporated area of Fort Worth.
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50 years in the making
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Spot on saving money
People are always into saving money. A new program gives them a way to gain rewards simply by shopping their favorite stores.
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FNB-Weatherford to mark Werner’s 50 years with institution
The First National Bank of Weatherford will celebrate the 50th anniversary of one of the town’s favorite businessmen – Fred Werner.
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Full Bucket Products
DENNIS — Be good and do good.
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