After five years of wooing, Fort Worth's economy will get a major boost, thanks to Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Co. winning a contract for Joint Strike Fighter jets.

Lockheed got the 30-year contract, which calls for the production of 3,000 planes with a total price tag of about $200 billion. As a result, thousands of jobs in Fort Worth will be retained as many workers shift from F-16 and F-22 work to the Joint Strike Fighter jets.

The new Joint Strike Fighter program will employ up to 4,500 people within the next five years and up to 7,000 by the time full production is underway in 2008.

While details weren't released about why Lockheed won, information on the cost of doing business, the tax environment, tax incentives, environmental regulations, and labor market conditions was requested by RAND Corp. researchers for the congressional-mandated study, which compares alternative final assembly and checkout options for the Joint Strike Fighter.

The Dallas-Fort Worth area has welcomed some other substantial projects this year as well.

In early November, Bridgestone/Firestone Inc. leased over 600,000 square feet of build-to-suit space at the AllianceTexas development near Roanoke, Texas. The project represents the largest lease project, in terms of square footage, in the Dallas-Fort Worth region since 1999.

"Alliance is a perfect location for a number of reasons: good access to major freeways, close proximity to the BNSF Inter-modal yard, and the attractive package offered by the city of Roanoke," said Nelson Miller, director of physical distribution for Bridgestone/Firestone. "That, combined with the developer, Hillwood, made AllianceTexas our first choice."

BioNumerik cultures success in San Antonio

In 1992, stellar cities from coast to coast sought the hand of Dr. Frederick Hausheer and his pharmaceutical company. However, after doing some creative homework, he chose San Antonio, Texas, as the home for his start-up pharmaceutical company.

Today, BioNumerik Pharmaceuticals is considered one of the leading biotech firms, especially when it comes to patents, and the company is still located in San Antonio.

After reading hundreds of articles and prospectuses, Hausheer noticed that a number of today's industrial behemoths got their starts in locations that were often considered off the beaten path at the time. He also found that quality of life and low overriding costs played important roles as well.

When he considered those factors in his own project, his decision was not a difficult one: San Antonio was his star location.

So the Texas firm set up shop there and grew into what it is today - a company, with 46 employees, which discovers and develops new drugs for the treatment of patients with cancer.

"This year, Bionumerik was ranked 16th in the pharmaceutical industry for its patents and intellectual property portfolio by Technology Review," said Hausheer, chairman and CEO of Bionumerik. "San Antonio has a great quality of life and it is relatively easy to recruit talented people here. It is a very economically favorable city and it is in a geographically central location."

While San Antonio may be gaining popularity as a biotech hotspot, it is also well suited for manufacturing companies, thanks to KellyUSA.

The ex-military base-turned-business park - located just six minutes from downtown San Antonio - has been drawing all types of firms that are seeking warehouse, manufacturing and office space, as well as interstate access and modern infrastructure.

Business abounds in all corners of the Lone Star State

There's little doubt that the Lone Star State has something for everyone.

For Wells Fargo, the west Texas town of Lubbock held just the right site ingredients for successful operations. The company first set up shop in Lubbock four years ago.

Located in downtown Lubbock, the firm now employs 400 people and is building a new $12.7 million telephone center in the city.

In the southernmost section of the state, in the Rio Grande Valley, McAllen offers companies a location only three miles from the Mexican border. New York-based Symbol Technologies Inc. chose McAllen - one of the fastest growing metropolitan statistical areas in the nation - for its new distribution center.

The 337,000 square foot project will bring an investment of about $16 million along with 285 new jobs.

Just south of Houston, the city of Pearland welcomed new business resident TurboCare. The firm provides parts and services for all types of turbomachinery.

The grand opening of the company's 139,000 square foot facility was held in May. Approximately 200 people will be employed at the site.

"Our new Pearland location gives us excellent access to our Gulf Coast area customers and our international customers via the Port of Houston," said Don Clews, president of TurboCare. "It is also ideally situated for our employees."

Texas Facts & Contacts

DEMOGRAPHY AND ECONOMY

Population: 20.9 million

Capital: Austin

Three Largest Cities: Houston, 1,845,967; San Antonio, 1,147,213; Dallas, 1,076,214

GSP: $687 billion (1999)

Per Capita Income: $26,266 (1999)

Percentage of Private Manufacturing Labor Force Organized: 8.5% (2000)

Right to Work State: yes

Unemployment Rate: 5.0% (Sept. 2001)

Average Hourly Manufacturing Wage: $12.37 (2000)

Population Age 25 And Over With Bachelor's Degree or More: Houston, 25.1%; San Antonio, 17.8%; Dallas, 27.1%

Corporate Income Tax Rate: none (franchise tax of 4.5% of earned surplus

Percentage Employment by Sector: construction, 6.0%; manufacturing, 11.0%; transportation/public utilities, 6.4%; trade, 23.7%; finance, insurance and real estate, 5.5%; services, 29.2%; government, 16.5%

Primary Industries: oil and gas extraction, industrial machinery and equipment, chemical and allied products, electric and electronic products, trade, services

Targeted Industries: plastics and plastics products, microelectronics, telecommunications equipment, automotive industry

BUSINESS ASSISTANCE

Major Financial Incentives: State of Texas Linked Deposit Program; Texas Business Expansion Program; Texas Capital Fund Infrastructure Development Program; Texas Capital Fund Real Estate Development Program; Texas Capital Fund Main Street Improvements Program, State of Texas Industrial Revenue Bond Program

Worker Training Programs: Smart Jobs Fund Program

Technology Transfer Programs: Mid-Continent Technology Transfer Center at Texas A&M University

Environmental Permit Assistance: Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT

Jeff Moseley, Executive Director, Texas Department of Economic Development, P.O. Box 12728 Capitol Station, Austin, TX 78711, (512) 936-0101, fax: (512) 936-0193, Web: www.tded.state.tx.us