Our 2026 Annual Report is here. View the flipbook
In the last ten years, companies and business operations have been flocking to Texas Innovation Corridor, as well as the businesses that support those operations. In fact, Lightcast data indicates a 69% increase in new business establishments from 2010 to 2020. This represents a tremendous opportunity for Business Services & Support industry sector. The region has been growing in three major sub-categories of business services and support employment: namely, customer care operations, professional, scientific, and technical services, and data centers.
Considering the affordable talent pool of 2.7 million within 60 miles and the low cost of land and facility space, expanding in Hays County or Caldwell County is less costly than Austin and San Antonio proper.
Here are a few of the companies and employers within the Business Services & Support sector:
Best Buy, a leading provider of technology products, services and solutions, operates its only Texas e-commerce sales operation center in San Marcos.
Bowman Consulting, a national engineering, surveying, landscape architecture, and environmental consulting firm, chose San Marcos for one of its three Texas offices.
Doucet and Associates, a civil engineering design and consulting and surveying firm with local projects including the Red Oak Village retail development, is an Austin-based firm with local presence.
S. Watts Group, a commercial construction firm, offers a wide variety of construction and design services.
tekRESCUE, Inc., an IT consulting firm, is a company that repairs computers, smartphones, and enterprise level servers owned by small and mid-sized businesses, develops and maintains websites, and provides search engine optimization services.
The Whitenton Group is an environmental consulting firm that markets research and public relations services.
Employment growth has been significant over the last 10 years. While business services and support sub-sectors experienced national job growth of 20%, employment in the two-county region has grown at almost 73%. This is a positive sign that the region has the ingredients for a stronger presence of these firms.
Source: Lightcast 2024
Austin Community College’s Hays County Campus offers associate’s and bachelor’s programs in several relevant fields, and Texas State offers several related bachelor’s and graduate degrees to the industry.
In addition to local institutions, the Texas Innovation Corridor benefits from its proximity to the many colleges and universities in Austin and San Antonio. There are 18 public and private, non-profit colleges and universities that grant four-year and/or graduate degrees and three public two-year colleges within a 50-mile radius of the City of San Marcos, where students can receive training in an array of related fields. There are also two law schools within the radius: the School of Law at UT-Austin and St. Mary’s University School of Law in San Antonio.
Broadband access is vital to the viability of the Business Services and Support target. The region has access to 16 broadband providers, including mobile providers. According to Broadband Now, 90% of Hays County and 76% of Caldwell County has access to speeds of approximately 1000 mbps.
When compared to other states, commercial and industrial electricity costs in Texas are competitive. As of 2019, the commercial electricity costs in Texas were $8.06 per kilowatt-hour, tied for 3rd nationally and below the average for the United States ($10.58).
There is ample developable land in the region appropriately zoned for commercial and office uses. This includes sites for data centers. There is more flexibility relative to space for small businesses as they can locate in Class-B and -C properties if necessary and can also launch operations from home, a storefront, or some other type of more readily available space. Land and rental costs are also lower in Hays and Caldwell Counties than in the Austin and San Antonio core counties.