Robert Allen is the President and CEO of the Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership (FWEDP). A husband, father, and former Deputy Chief of Staff to Governor Greg Abbott, Allen most recently served as President and CEO of the Texas Economic Development Corporation (TxEDC). His organization’s efforts have helped catapult Texas to a record-breaking number of Governor’s Cups as awarded by Site Selection Magazine. With Texas now home to the most Fortune 500 headquarters in America, Robert launched efforts at TxEDC to showcase all that Texas continues to offer to businesses.
We discuss:
- Building the Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership
- How corporate relocations are negotiated and executed
- Growing the future of Fort Worth
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Links
The Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership
Robert on LinkedIn
Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership Board Members:
Mike Berry - President of Hillwood
John Goff - CEO of Goff Capital
Robert Isom - CEO of American Airlines
Greg Ulmer - Executive Vice President of Lockheed Martin
Dan Berce - President and CEO of GM Financial
Lista Atherton - President & CEO of Bell
David Endicott - CEO of Alcon Laboratories
Katie Farmer - President & CEO of BNSF Railway
Elaine Agather - Managing Director & CEO of J.P. Morgan Private Bank in the Central U.S.
Marianne Auld - Managing Partner of Kelly Hart & Hallman, LLP
Rusty Reid - Chairman and CEO of Higginbotham
Mayor Mattie Parker
Steve Montgomery - President and CEO of the Fort Worth Chamber
Topics
(00:00:00) - Intro
(00:03:22) - Robert’s career in public service
(00:06:58) - What does an AG do?
(00:08:24) - Robert’s roles as deputy chief of staff for the Governor?
(00:09:40) - How does Texas prepare for disasters?
(00:13:36) - Becoming President/CEO of the Texas Economic Development
(00:15:59) - Marketing Texas
(00:19:06) - How does a corporate relocation happen?
(00:22:39) - Robert’s work today growing FWTX
(00:27:24) - The FW Economic Development Program
(00:30:42) - What were your key priorities on day one?
(00:37:44) - Who is Fort Worth?
(00:47:36) - Strengthening the workforce
(00:59:17) - The Election
(01:00:54) - How long do projects typically take?
(01:04:12) - The Great Bones in Fort Worth
(01:07:30) - What do 10k jobs coming in do for a city?
(01:09:53) - Fort Worth’s pipeline
(01:02:22) - 10-year predictions
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