Erica Learned
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By Erica Learned
Mayor Ivy Taylor said she plans to bring more businesses to the South Side during her Dec. 1 keynote speech at the South Chamber of Commerce’s annual Mayor’s Breakfast.
Taylor spoke to local business leaders across Texas, informing them of the growth and opportunity in the South Side.
She mentioned Toyota, Brooks City-Base and Port San Antonio as some of the more prominent companies currently contributing to the city’s economy, praising Brooks as a ‘success story for the city.’
“These businesses are the anchors of our economy,” Taylor said. “We are a globally competitive city where everyone has a chance to prosper.”
According to Taylor, San Antonio is home to the second-largest cyber community workforce.
In 2014, the city collected over $10 million in cyber security according to San Antonio EDF.
There are over 1,000 registered cyber companies and 34,000 employees in the Alamo City.
The newest addition to this sector is Port San Antonio. Port has created a cluster of employers in sectors that are essential to future growth. According to Taylor, they are currently expanding, adding on a 80,000-square-foot complex that is anticipated to bring more jobs and businesses to the area.
Port San Antonio brought more than 500 jobs with more expected.
“Port is the key to securing the stable high-wage jobs that will help us realize our economic goals for the future” said Mayor Taylor.
Education was also a mentioned as a positive impact for the South Side. Taylor briefly mentioned the initiatives that South Side colleges are taking in order to further education and better the future workforce in the area.
The Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) program hosted through Alamo Colleges is creating a tuition-free way for high schoolers to advance their education. There are 400 students in the program and 94 percent graduate and enter a higher education institution. Mayor Taylor lauding the program as ‘a footprint on the South Side.’
Taylor also acknowledged the general success of Texas A&M-San Antonio, noting its distinctive features, including 75 percent 1st year college goers. Women make up most of the student population.
Mayor Taylor herself was a first generation college student attending both Yale University and later receiving her masters from The University of North Carolina.
She said all students attending Texas A&M-San Antonio are currently “receiving life changing experiences that will make San Antonio a better happier and healthier city as well as a more prosperous one.”
Programs such as SA Works, SA Tomorrow and President Obama’s my brother’s keeper challenge were mentioned as programs helping to improve the social issues San Antonio faces.
“The South Side is booming,” Taylor said. “We certainly recognize the significance of the city as a whole. The South Side continues to be the heart of San Antonio.”
