SAN ANTONIO – San Antonio’s South Side will soon be home to a 400-acre facility for JCB, the world’s largest privately-owned construction and agricultural equipment manufacturing company.
JCB’s expansion is expected to have a $30 billion economic impact over the next 10 years and bring more than 1,500 jobs to San Antonio.
Sarah Carabias Rush, with greater:SATX Regional Economic Partnership, joined Leading SA on Sunday to explain our community’s implications and other exciting news.
“This is big news... We just couldn’t be more thrilled to be helping this UK-based company establish a second North American manufacturing facility,” Rush said.
With the significant investment, there is an obvious parallel to the Toyota plant, as is the next biggest announcement of a single job-creating investment.
“It’s also similar in that it will be creating a new ecosystem of companies that are coming to service. Toyota has created around it a large campus with many companies working to help produce those vehicles every day. And JCB Manufacturing Facility will be exactly the same with a similar impact,” Rush said.
Rush noted that JCB isn’t the only exciting investment our community can benefit from. She went on to share how the airport’s growth has continued to help appeal to business developments, all while providing more travel opportunities for the community.
“Investments in the airport are crucial. Without them, we will not continue to win these big projects like JCB announcement. So what we should expect to see out of SAIC is more flights internationally and domestically that are ready to serve. And the residents here of San Antonio, we should see continued growth and opportunity for more airlines to be able to service this market through these enhancements at the airport and excited to see what this airport will be in the next five years or so,” Rush said.
Looking at the macroeconomic environment, there are questions, but the confidence in San Antonio is unwavering for companies and workers.
Rush detailed the many job opportunities in the Alamo City and the many people eager to join and grow within such a workforce.
“You will see lots and lots of job opportunities within the manufacturing sector here in San Antonio for years and years to come. But, of course, not only that, healthcare jobs, and technology jobs are on the rise. Certainly, cybersecurity is a critical element for the workforce here within this region and will continue to be really important for all kinds of businesses moving forward,” Rush said.