Boerne / Kendall County EDC- Prepared to Grow Your Business

Of course, we’ve all heard about Oracle’s relocation from California to Austin or Tesla’s CEO moving to Austin (along with several of his other businesses, including Tesla and Space X) moving to Texas from California, but there are countless other smaller businesses electing to tap into Texas’s many benefits for businesses and their employees. With Central Texas becoming known throughout the country as one of the most desired places to raise a family and escape the stresses of the city, many businesses are exploring relocations to this area.  Historically, quickly moving a business’ operations across the country was fraught with too many impediments; however, given the quality-of-life improvements, business-friendly environment and enormous cost savings that businesses can tap into by relocating to areas like Kendall County, the value-add of moving in today’s climate far exceeds the challenges for many companies.

As noted in the recent San Antonio Business Journal Article titled “The Cost Difference Between California and Texas Explained,” businesses “generally save 20% on overall costs by making the move from California to Texas.”  This doesn’t account for the company’s 15 to 20% payroll savings or the tax savings for its employees along with cost-of-living savings, which could include housing costs at a price tag of half of what they’re incurring in some markets in California.

These are some of the reasons why the luxury patio furniture manufacturer, O.W. Lee, announced in the Fall of 2020 that they would be relocating the 70-year-old family-owned business from Ontario, California to Comfort, Texas, just a few miles west of Boerne.  Their new $24MM headquarters will open in 2021 and employ over 200 people, who will have a little extra change in their pocket to enjoy the quality of life the Texas Hill Country offers.  However, in their endeavor to relocate the company they needed help navigating the process – there would be site selection, incentives evaluation and coordination with local governmental officials at Kendall County, among other steps.  That is where the Boerne /Kendall County Economic Development Corporation (BKCEDC) stepped in to assist. Amy Story, President & CEO of the BKCEDC, was instrumental in the months-long process of helping obtain local approvals and more particularly assisting in securing tax abatements of between 25% and 50% over its first seven years.

“Companies around the country are exploring places that would improve their employees’ quality of life, while also saving the company and its employees money through lower taxes and better cost-of-living,” noted Amy Story.  “Kendall County is absolutely a place that checks all of those boxes and has a renowned school district in Boerne ISD, which is an essential element for company relocations. The BKCEDC is here to help assist companies wanting to tap into these benefits and the region’s rich labor pool, as part of our role is to ensure companies have all the necessary resources in their relocation due diligence.”

Russell Knoll, Executive Managing Director with Transwestern, acted as the real estate broker in the O.W. Lee transaction and coordinated with Amy throughout the process, adding, “If you wanted a case study that showed how the EDC organizes, assists and pulls together collaboration, communication and cooperation in a multi-faceted approach through consultants, private sector, Texas Department of Transportation and others, this would be the case to make.”

So whether you’re exploring a business relocation to central Texas or already in the community and looking to engage with the BKCEDC, reach out to Amy Story and see how they can be a resource.  Amy can be reached at 830.331.9070 or you can learn more about the BKCEDC at https://bkcedc.com.

Read more about the Boerne-Kendall County EDC in Cordillera Ranch Living Magazine. Learn more about the lifestyle at Cordillera Ranch.