Corporate Recruitment

Welcome to San Angelo!

San Angelo’s business and economic development community supports the development of new and existing businesses through a variety of meaningful and practical programs.

The San Angelo Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development Division works in conjunction with our other San Angelo Economic Development Partners, and has a proven record of accomplishment in support of companies that are interested in locating to San Angelo and Tom Green County.

The San Angelo Chamber of Commerce Economic Development Division actively recruits and supports manufacturers, fabricators, energy service companies (oil and gas, wind and solar), industrial mechanical, and industrial service companies including inbound contact centers and financial support centers.

HOW WE DO IT

The San Angelo Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development Division has a unique method of targeting specific companies within desired industrial sectors that are complimentary to the economic ecosystem of San Angelo and the surrounding area.

San Angelo is in the middle of Texas — one of the strongest economies in the world.  San Angelo is a hub trade center that services a massive agricultural, energy, financial services and manufacturing economic ecosystem that is uniquely located as the keystone trade center between the cities along the IH-35 corridor to the east and the energy-rich resources of the Permian Basin to our immediate west.

Since 2014, the Chamber and our affiliated economic development partners have recruited 22 industrial companies that now have permanent operations in San Angelo, producing a conservatively estimated $167,000,000 in provable yield to our economy annually.

In 2017 the San Angelo Chamber of Commerce developed a special program that produces consistent, durable, low-cost, high-yield industrial recruitment.  This program is called the San Angelo Regional Manufactures Alliance (SARMA) Program.  It has become the platform for the growth of San Angelo’s and Tom Green County’s industrial economic sectors.

The San Angelo Regional Manufacturers Alliance (www.SARMA.us) is a program created by the San Angelo Chamber of Commerce that advocates for and constantly supports San Angelo-area manufacturers, fabricators, industrial services and energy companies – the core of our regional economy.  Our mission objective is to promote these sectors and enhance communication among local manufacturing, industrial agricultural, and fabrication companies.  This Alliance fosters a business environment among our regional manufacturers, which increases capital investment and grows high quality careers.

The SARMA members, with a database of over 100 companies, conduct regular SARMA Monthly Roundtable Meetings and quarterly socials hosted at a different regional factory or facility.  The SARMA members also conduct internationally recognized industrial courses with our partner TMAC, manufacturing tours and special industrial-sector Focus Group meetings, in which the members meet to focus on one specific SARMA member company to assist with challenge solutions they are facing.

The trust and unity that has been built among the SARMA member companies has created a platform for both supporting the expansion and market opportunities for existing San Angelo industrial companies, and simultaneously, created a platform for the recruitment of new industrial companies to San Angelo. 

Effectively, the San Angelo Chamber’s Economic Development Department’s SARMA program has “deputized” our local industrial companies into recruitment agents.  This has proven to be highly effective.  The member companies have informed the Chamber of Commerce as to which companies are prime to target for recruitment based on their compatibility with the existing local economic ecosystem.  The SARMA members assist with identification of industrial sectors they work within, identify growth sectors, companies that have established or wish to establish markets in the region, companies that are reliable and solvent, and will bring capital investment and workforce to the Concho Valley.

Our industrial manufacturers provide unmatched insight into the strength of targeted industrial companies and further inform staff on what companies are not compatible with our existing industrial workforce, facilities and infrastructure.  In 2018 the market intelligence provided by our SARMA members has resulted in the direct recruitment of primary-job and capital investing companies such as:

• US Well Services – Oil & Gas – 200 employees – $35,800,000 in annual economic yield
• SMC Global – Chemical Manufacturing and distribution – $18,400,000 in annual economic yield
• Recurrent Energy – Utility-scale solar power plant – $130,000,000 in capital investment

The industrial manufacturers and energy services companies that comprise the SARMA have guided the Chamber Economic Development staff to target the following industries and have directly helped to arrange meetings with these industrial sector decision-makers:

• Steel manufacturers (Coil and plate)
• Solar Power Generation Plants (Utility scale – 150-200 MWac)
• Rail port operator/Development of a first-ever San Angelo-based international multi-modal rail port
• Lifesciences – Recruitment of two life sciences/healthcare facilities
• Chemical Manufacturing – Recruitment of an international chemical production company
• Heavy Haul Transportation – Recruitment and Expansion of two international industrial trucking companies
• Contact center – Assistance with 400-person expansion/retention of an international contact center

The SARMA is a program of the San Angelo Chamber of Commerce and is organized and guided by the San Angelo Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development Advisory Board.

Objectives

• Create a unified voice that enhances the overall manufacturing community in the San Angelo area
• Proactively monitor and report on manufacturing related issues and participate in local government, ensuring city and regional officials and policy makers understand those issues that help manufacturers succeed
• Promote manufacturing to enhance its perception by the public, schools, community and region
• Examine workforce and economic development issues with the goal of sustaining local manufacturing companies by helping to provide solutions to barriers
• Host events that provide relevant information on key issues necessary to support growth in our manufacturing sector
• Host an annual San Angelo Regional Manufacturers Trade show and conference
• Lead the West Texas Training Center facility expansion, teaching equipment expansion, and fabrication training instructors. Additionally, we provide educational opportunities to benefit SARMA members, their employees and ensure the future labor pool will have the skills necessary to support growth in the San Angelo manufacturing sector. The SARMA will facilitate the growth, retention and recruitment of future workforce by supporting manufacturing training and job skills enhancement
• The SARMA shall investigate private industry investment in training and education programs which can be delivered to local educational institutions – Angelo State College of Business, Angelo State College of Engineering, Howard College West Texas Training Center and the San Angelo Independent School District (SAISD)
• Promotion of the DRC – the City of San Angelo Development Review Committee meetings that are available at no charge to companies in the planning stages of facility expansion or construction

SARMA Outreach Goals

• The SARMA conducts monthly meetings for members and we will publish a monthly newsletter
• Provide Business to Business networking opportunities
• Host and arrange San Angelo Manufacturing Days in collaboration with local schools and manufacturing companies
• Organize continuing education programs
• Create and support student-to-company apprenticeship program

State and National Affiliates

• Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center (TMAC)
• National Manufacturers Association (NMA)
• Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME)
• American Welding Society (AWS)

Local Economic Development Affiliates

• City of San Angelo Development Corporation
• Concho Valley Workforce Board
• South-West Texas Border Small Business Development Center (SBDC)
• Howard College – West Texas Training Center
• Angelo State University – David L. Hirschfeld Department of Engineering
• San Angelo Independent School District

POTENTIAL BUSINESS LOCATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS

(All potential incentives are subject to both the City of San Angelo Development Corporation Board of Directors and the San Angelo City Council approval.  Incentives are not automatic and are based on specific North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes and may not be available to all companies.)

Tax Abatements

The City of San Angelo and Tom Green County may provide personal property and real estate tax abatements for periods of up to 5 years.  Abatement levels range from 10% to 100% and are determined by the number of new jobs created and/or the amount of new capital investment in the community.  All companies receiving the abatements must meet the minimum job creation level of 5 new jobs and no less than $250,000 in new valuation in either real estate and/or personal property.  Businesses eligible for the tax abatements include manufacturing, warehousing/distribution centers, and telecommunications services.

Freeport Exemptions

All four taxing districts within San Angelo (City, County the San Angelo Independent School District and Veribest ISD) may provide 100% tax exemptions for inventory and work-in-process that will be shipped outside of the State of Texas and kept on site for less than 175 days.  San Angelo is one of the few cities in Texas where all three taxing districts provide this incentive.

Tom Green County/San Angelo Enterprise Zone – The Zone was created by the Texas Department of Economic Development in 2003.  Unlike the local tax abatement program, all businesses are eligible for designation as a “project”.  However, there are a limited number of projects selected statewide, so job creation and quality are important considerations for each project.  Companies that are approved as designated projects within the zone are eligible for sales tax refunds of up to $2,000 per new employee over the 5-year period.  The total amount of tax refunds is capped at $1,250,000 per company over the 5 years.  The company receiving the benefits of the program must agree to hire 25% of their new employees from within the zone.

Sales Tax for Economic Development

San Angelo voters approved a ½ cent increase in the sales tax for community and economic development projects.  The City of San Angelo Development Corporation (COSADC) has established priorities for manufacturing, warehousing/distribution, telecommunications services, data processing and home or regional offices.  Loans and grants are available for buildings, land, equipment, training, site infrastructure, moving expenses, lease subsidies, and other expansion costs.  Minimum job and investment thresholds are required to qualify.  Job retention may also be considered.  The project must meet state mandates NAICS codes and “a definition of primary employees.” Payroll guidelines are also considered.

Depending upon the wages and types of jobs created, the San Angelo Development Corporation (COSADC) may provide assistance from $1,000 to $5,000 per new job.  High-skill/high-wage jobs may carry a higher incentive level.  New and existing companies are eligible.

Industrial District Designation

A company that wishes to locate outside of the city limits of San Angelo and still avail themselves to the city services may apply to the City of San Angelo for designation as an industrial district, with the expectation that they will be annexed at some future date.  These agreements typically last for 7 years, but may be extended.  During this period of time, they are outside of the city limits, the company does not pay city personal property tax (inventory and equipment), but they do pay a negotiated percentage of real estate tax they would normally pay.  Past agreements were 10% in year one, 20% in year two, etc.  The costs of services that the company wishes to obtain from the City are negotiated.

Other Assistance

San Angelo’s public and private sectors work together to help create an environment for new job creation, capital investment with a goal of helping industrial companies succeed and thrive.  The San Angelo Chamber of Commerce can provide coordination of services such as incentives, training, financing arrangements, find available land and facilities, and refer business owners to helpful services provided by Angelo State University, Concho Valley Workforce Solutions, Howard College West Texas Training Center, Downtown San Angelo, Inc., the Small Business Development Center and the Business Factory startup incubator.