Here Once Was a Tiny Burg Known As Richardson
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RICH IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT RICH IN LEADERSHIP RICHARDSON RICH IN TECHNOLOGY RICH IN INNOVATION RICH IN EDUCATION RICH IN NEIGHBORHOODS RICH IN EXPERIENCED WORKFORCE RICH IN DIVERSITY RICH IN GLOBAL REPUTATION RICH IN LOCATION IN GREEN INITIATIVE RICHJANUARY 20, 2012 • SECTION B This is a special paid advertising supplement. The content was not prepared or reviewed by the news staff of the Dallas Business Journal. For questions or comments about this promotional section, please contact Advertising Director Richard Dixon at 214-706-7132. The UT Dallas Visitor Center welcomes more than 1,500 new visitors to Richardson each week. UT DALLAS AND RICHARDSON \\ The Making of a UniverCity // Today, the city’s business community complements the areas of achieve- ment that are most pronounced at UTD—business, technology, engineer- ing, math and science. One of the prime catalysts for inspiring collaborations is the Naveen Jindal School of Management, which educates students from the undergraduate to the doctoral level and provides top-tier leadership training and certifi- cations for local fast-track executives. The Jindal School is ranked as one of the nation’s premier business schools: • Full-Time MBA: 40th overall and 17th among public universities in U.S. News and World Report • Professional MBA: 36th overall and 20th among U.S. public universities in U.S. News and World Report. • Executive MBA: 27th among U.S.-based executive programs in Financial Times. There once was a tiny burg known as Richardson. Then, courtesy of some big dreamers, a few research grants and lots of bulldozers, it grew into a Over the years, the city and university have changed and grown in both city whose destiny was linked to a fledgling campus in the middle of open size and reputation. What remains the same, however, is a shared history fields on Campbell Road. and a committed partnership to drive prosperity to this UniverCity. After more than 40 years, UT Dallas and Richardson still share a powerful and productive alliance. Together, they’ve created a robust growth engine, bringing jobs and intellectual and cultural capital to the area. jsom.utdallas.edu B2 January 20, 2012 | Dallas Business Journal | dallasbusinessjournal.com WELCOME TO RICHARDSON A Community That’s Innovative and Bold Welcome to the Richardson special section, sponsored by the City of Richardson and the Richardson Economic Development Partnership, a joint initiative of the City and the Richardson Chamber of Commerce. It is an exciting and promising time for Richardson, a vibrant city of nearly 100,000 residents at night, and one whose daytime population surges to 130,000 due to our strategic location and leading international businesses. While other cities have struggled in recent years, Richardson has thrived. We’ve done so by building on the dynamic climate established by the city’s rst pioneers and subsequent generations of high-tech innovators. Richardson Mayor We have even greater expectations for the future, due to the unique culture Bob Townsend of innovation found in our community and the bold, visionary attitude embraced by our leaders and citizens. As you’ll see throughout this special section, those unique attributes have made Richardson what it is today: ■ Home to a world-class business climate that fosters entrepreneurial technology companies and other global business innovators ■ A leader in government, with a well-deserved reputation for collaboration and a constant commitment to service excellence ■ Richardson Economic A community whose future success will be fueled by Development Partnership highly rated educational institutions that train our CEO William C. Sproull leaders and entrepreneurs ■ A vibrant, appealing place to live for young Richardson City Hall professionals, families and corporate executives ■ A leader in environmental management and sustainability initiatives ■ A community with a dynamic future vision that calls for signi cant regeneration plus smart growth in key areas Today, Richardson is reinvesting in itself through implementation of a $66-million bond program approved by voters in 2010. And we’re envisioning what’s next by creating innovative Planned Development Districts at a 143-acre, future transit-oriented development site where two major highways intersect, and by working to bring east-west passenger rail to the Cotton Belt Rail Line. University of Texas at Dallas In other words, Richardson is a dynamic, progressive place where research laboratory exciting things happen today, and where even more exciting things will happen in the future. TABLE OF CONTENTS B4 BUSINESS CLIMATE | A Thriving, World-Class Culture of Innovation B6 CITY GOALS AND SERVICES | A Strong, Supportive, Progressive City B8 EDUCATION | Highly Rated Public Education Fuels Continued Success B10 LIFESTYLE | Options for Living Well Abound B11 ENVIRONMENT | Partnering for Green Leadership B12 ENTREPRENEURSHIP | A Wealth of Resources for Start-Ups, Emerging Businesses B15 FUTURE | Boldly Envisioning Strategic Reinvestment, Dynamic Growth B15 RICHARDSON AT A GLANCE | Vital Statistics/Contacts dallasbusinessjournal.com | Dallas Business Journal | January 20, 2012 B3 SPECIAL REPORT A Thriving, World-Class Culture of Innovation Richardson’s Telecom Corridor Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas Park data center, Ericsson occupied half- son also offers plentiful blocks of space that ■ Unsurpassed business climate for innovation a-million square feet in the former Nortel are perfectly suited for nearly any business ■ International Business Capital of North Texas campus, and TriQuint Semiconductor an- – from Class A offi ce locations to ample ■ Best access to skilled workforce in North Texas nounced major expansion plans that will fl ex space and industrial facilities. Unlike in bring more jobs and high-tech investment many cities, businesses don’t have to build ■ Plentiful commercial real estate options to Richardson. Beyond the technology their facilities from the ground up in order to ■ Supportive environment includes Chamber resources, various meeting and event sector, last year witnessed the opening of fi nd the right location in Richardson. facilities, city-organized Corporate Challenge a new headquarters for Blue Cross Blue Even though leasing activity has been Shield of Texas and the relocation of Fossil, unusually strong in Richardson com- For decades, Richardson has led the ness-friendly climate, Richardson is leading Inc.’s headquarters, breathing new life into pared to other submarkets, there is still a way in business innovation. And that cul- the way in the emerging cloud comput- the former BCBS facility at Richardson’s supply of great facilities, including more ture continues today, with the city provid- ing and data center industry, as well as in southern gateway. Just this past week, large, contiguous blocks of offi ce space ing the ideal climate for companies ranging rapidly growing high-tech sectors such as Safety-Kleen Systems Inc. announced (90,000-square-foot or more) than in any from entrepreneurial, start-up ventures to wireless communications, semiconduc- plans to move its corporate headquarters other Dallas suburb. Thus, Richardson re- well-established, global leaders in a variety tors, software and gaming, IT services, life to Richardson later this year. mains poised to attract even more major of business sectors. sciences and nanotechnology. Best Access to Skilled Workforce corporate headquarters. In fact, it wouldn’t be a stretch to de- Richardson is also a leader in an array of in North Texas Strong Ecosystem Supporting scribe Richardson as the Innovation Capi- non-tech industry sectors, ranging from fi - Businesses such as these attract an in- Business Growth tal of North Texas. It’s already been named nancial services to healthcare. credible array of talent. Richardson has one Richardson companies also benefi t the International Business Capital of North It all adds up to a synergistic concen- of the most highly educated workforces in signifi cantly from the support, network- Texas (see sidebar). tration of industry-leading enterprises that the entire North Texas region, with 50 per- ing and advocacy services offered by the Richardson’s Unique Culture of feed off of one another to create a dynam- cent of the adult workforce boasting an Richardson Chamber of Commerce and Innovation ic, rapidly evolving business climate that undergraduate or advanced degree. The the unique partnership between the City Richardson began cultivating its reputa- few other cities in the U.S. can offer. city’s world-renowned high-tech compa- and the Chamber known as the Richard- tion as a center for innovation, particularly Major Global Corporations, Re- nies have trained and spun off countless son Economic Development Partnership in the high-tech sector, in the 1950s. In cent Growth Activity professionals into new ventures and cre- (REDP). The REDP was one of the fi rst 1956, Texas Instruments established its Today, Richardson boasts global or re- ated a fertile ground for other corporate such outsourced, municipal economic corporate campus just north of I-635, and gional headquarters or major operations for enterprises seeking white-collar, technical development initiatives in Texas, and it in 1957, Collins Radio built the fi rst of sev- many well-known corporations, including workers. stands as strong evidence of the city’s eral buildings it would eventually occupy AT&T, Bank of America, Blue Cross Blue With its strategic location and superb forward-thinking approach to collaboration