A. Lee Graham
Reporter
AllianceTexas, an 18,000-acre, mixed-use development in far north Fort Worth, has earned site developer Hillwood the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce’s Vandergriff Award.
The award will be presented at the Sept. 4 State of the County luncheon at the Worthington Renaissance Fort Worth Hotel.
The award is presented annually to a legacy individual or organization whose contributions have positively impacted Tarrant County on an international scale.
Founded in 1988 by H. Ross Perot Jr. and opening in 1989 with the launch of the world’s first industrial airport, AllianceTexas has transformed north Tarrant County prairie into an industrial, logistics, commercial and residential attraction.
The award comes as AllianceTexas celebrates its silver anniversary. It’s made a $50 billion local economic impact and more than $1.3 billion in total paid property taxes to its eight taxing entities, noted Fort Worth Chamber president and CEO Bill Thornton.
“AllianceTexas is half-developed but already home to 37,000 employees working for more than 370 companies,” Thornton said in a news release. “And it’s a premiere example of the level of entrepreneurial success that can be achieved through public-private cooperation.”
In its first five years of operation alone, AllianceTexas saw Fort Worth Alliance Airport open, becoming the nation’s first industrial airport; State Highway 170 open, connecting Fort Worth Alliance Airport to Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport; and FedEx break ground for the massive FedEx Southwest Regional Sort Hub, among other milestones.
Looking forward, AllianceTexas awaits growth in other industries, including the e-commerce fulfillment sector, according to Mike Berry, Hillwood Properties president.
“When you hear about companies like Amazon and Walmart.com positioning to offer same-day delivery service, you know you’re in the midst of a highly competitive and rapidly changing landscape,” Berry said.