Why Move To Texas???

From the Dallas Business Journal (May 2011):

"Today, though, businesses are leaving that state (California) to seek their fortunes elsewhere: Many of which are either or expanding or relocating in Texas.

Like many businesses, former California residents are happy to reside in the LoneStar State for similar reasons.

“I have no second thoughts, no qualms, no reluctance about what I’ve done and moved to Texas,” said Joe DeInnocentes, a California transplant. “I’m not sure I’d ever go back to California, quite frankly.”

For DeInnocentes, the state economy is stronger here. His whole family is employed, he said. The state’s unemployment rate sits at 8.1 percent compared to California’s 12.3 percent. The national average is 8.7 percent.

“Certainly, California is not a business-friendly state,” said Biff Comte, who is moving his entire corporate headquarters of his home health care business AccentCare to Texas.


The business is currently settling into its North Dallas property, and only brought about 15 workers with it. That means, Comte said, about 80 new jobs for Texans. But why move?

“Everything from the lawsuits, to the taxes too,” he said. “They’re just going to get worse until they fix their problems. So instead of fighting it, we decided, let’s go to a state and a city that really wants business.”

As his company expands coast- to-coast, having a major airport in the center of the country is vital. Executives can be anywhere in North American in just four hours, and being in the Central Time Zone means being able to communicate with both coasts during regular business hours.

But in the California capitol of Sacramento, Gerar Zawaydeh said he struggles to keep his restaurants open because of state bureaucracy.

“Every year, the legislature introduces a lot of regulations as far as small businesses are concerned that could prove to be costly,” he said. “I want to stay in California, but I also have to make a living as well.”

Another part of the allure is that Texas is a right-to-work state with no personal or corporate income tax. The labor force is considered well educated, but perhaps more importantly, it’s considered hungry for work.
“Here’s 25 to 30 companies that are currently looking at moving to North Texas,” John Crawford, president of Downtown Dallas Inc., said, flipping through a list.

Crawford works closely with city officials to lure businesses and residents to Dallas.

“Right now we’ve never had more interest from people all over the country – in fact, all over the world – in terms of looking at Texas and Dallas than we have today,” he said.

There’s a moderate climate in North Texas, as well as plentiful and well-built housing. Energetic downtown areas in Dallas and Fort Worth attract younger residents, and Crawford’s group spear-headed a plan the council approved last month to rejuvenate the downtown Dallas sector, filling it with more public transportation and affordable housing.

And the area already supports major international companies, like Kimberly-Clark.

“(Texans) do a great job of attracting companies,” Comte said.

Businesses must agree: A recent poll of CEOs ranked Texas as the No. 1 state for business, the seventh year in a row. That same poll ranked California as the worst.

Here is the poll: The worse states are those which have been Democratically controlled for decades !

http://chiefexecutive.net/best-worst...s-for-business

If you can't find a third world country to relocate your business then Tx is next best.

I spent almost 2 years in El Paso, hated every single day
But of course my CEO did not live there himself
Only people born there or with family there like it, everyone else is dying to leave
Too hot, too cold or too windy, the worst medical care I've experienced in my life
Many shops where you can't use your credit card ..... only food stamps and cash
Poverty allover and many many people living on charity food baskets
And if you don't speak Spanish ........... (hey I thought I was in America ...........wrong!)

Oh and I almost forgot, my company was bribed with a $4 million tax credit to move some departments to TX

According to IRS records some of the poorest ZIP codes in America are in El Paso

If you can't find a third world country to relocate your business then Tx is next best. Originally Posted by Seeker

Testify, brother, testify...lol - so succinct, so true!

Yeah note that the business guy they quote is a home health care business. One that pays minimum wages to uneducated women to help people with the daily activities of living. What a great job.

Did you do the research on his company, or did you just pull that out of your ass TTH?

I was in El Paso from 2007-2009. I enjoyed my times there, took in the culture and experienced something that was different. The West side of El Paso isn't bad at all and Fort Bliss was expanding. Sounds like you were just a wet rag and wanted to get out.

Good job with the generalizations, both of you.

The West side of El Paso isn't bad Originally Posted by Boltfan

Do you hear yourself? Lol The very very best part of the city "isn't bad"

I'd rather live in a place where "the worst part isn't bad"

Really, is that all you have? The West side of El Paso isn't bad and I made a comment about the eastside as well.

I could also make comments about all the development of the far east (far south, El Paso sometimes is directionally challenged with I-10 going North/South through the area) and Horizon City.

What were you, Army, government? Look, if all you do is bitch about a place instead of choosing to embrace an area and have fun nothing I can do for you. Yes, El Paso had some poor areas. Tell me a metropolitan area of close to 2 million people that doesn't. Cuidad Juarez and El Paso combine to make one of the largest border regions in the country. If you simply hate the mexican culture I suppose we can broach that subject in a different thread.

I was not talking about culture (trying to move away from the subject?), I was talking about poverty which is very visible in EP, and the poor healthcare, the many insufficient homeless shelters. And now the extra problems with expanding military basis which makes home rental rise to a level that many people cannot afford. Elder people that cannot afford airco when the temp is over 100F, the high level of uninsured people, children that go hungry, the beggars and tramps you see at traffic lights, street corners and gas stations. They are everywhere.
That kind of stuff. Of course every big city has those problems but I've never seen it as bad as in EP

I completely disagree with you that those problems are bigger in El Paso with any degree of statistical relevance than other major cities. If you have proof, please cite your references. I have lived in many states in the Western US for my frame of reference.

Perhaps you so easily forget your original post? You brought up the culture of the area. I just elaborated on it from my point of view.

Please cite your sources on the rent claims. I rented there for 2 years during the expansion of Fort Bliss. I saw a rise in rental rates but not to which they were any worse than Lubbock or Dallas at the time (my other areas where my company took me to travel and live). They were a little higher than Lubbock and much lower than Dallas.

I rented a 4 bedroom, 2500 sq ft. house with a pool for $1500 a month in El Paso for the last 18 months I was there. Sorry, not sure how that fits into your claim that rents were too high. The first 6 months I rented an apartment, 3 bedroom, 2 bath for $670 a month.

Bolt would you stop with the facts already...geez.

One of the first things I hear from people that move from other states is how much cheaper things are in Texas. For example the costs of housing is much cheaper than other states and you get more space for your money.

Yes, this is no big mystery regardless of the sniveling and whining from the union bosses. Money, just like EVERYTHING in nature, follows the path of least resistance. There are those that would complain "but, but, but...these are low paying jobs". In fact, there are many well paying engineering, science, construction and medical research positions coming in as well. What is a better alternative....more people working but at lower wages, or those same people drawing unemployment, sitting around not working (or paying taxes) because they think they're too good to take any sort of a pay cut? That's a rhetorical question, btw, but I figured I would ask anyway.

Sorry NotANewbie, I just can't help myself.

He is just pissed off because Texas voted to reign in lawyers sueing innoncent people....TTH has already told us he is leaving for France as soon as he can; that was after he asked everybody he disagrees with to leave. When they said "no", he decided it was time to pack his own bags. TTH just needs to win a couple of more big cases (suiting some innocent doctor or somesuch bystander) then he will have enough euros saved to escape to his socialist utopia called France.....

Yeah note that the business guy they quote is a home health care business. One that pays minimum wages to uneducated women to help people with the daily activities of living. What a great job. Originally Posted by TexTushHog