BENTONVILLE, Ark. (AP) — U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker says 12 communities across the U.S. will receive special attention and access for federal funding to help attract manufacturing companies and create jobs.
Pritzker made the announcement Wednesday at Wal-Mart’s headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas. The selected communities are in California, Connecticut, Idaho, Illinois, Louisiana, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Washington and Wisconsin.
Each received designations under the Obama administration’s Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership initiative. Pritzker says the designations help potential investors know that the communities are good places to spend their money.
Each community will receive support from 11 federal agencies with more than $1 billion available in federal economic development assistance.
Wednesdays’ announcement marks the second round of designated areas. The first 12 communities were announced in May 2014.
From the Department of Commerce:
In Texas the designated area announced July 8 was in San Antonio:
The Alamo Manufacturing Partnership (AMP) is led by the University of Texas at San
Antonio and is an eight-county region that makes up the San Antonio-New Braunfels
metro area. The AMP Consortium is focused on Transportation and Equipment
manufacturing which has its strengths in three major product lines: aerospace
manufacturing, motor vehicle and parts manufacturing and heavy/industrial vehicle
manufacturing. In San Antonio, transportation equipment manufacturing is strong in the region and represents approximately $8.8 billion in regional economic impact annually, including $2.4 billion worth of local exports and support of over 13,000 jobs. While the region has had a long history in aviation (especially related to the U.S. Air Force) and has always had a strong Tier 2 & 3 automotive supply sector, the establishment of Toyota production facilities in the region has led to an increase in supplier manufacturing presence..
www.utsa.edu/
For more information:
www.commerce.gov/news/press-releases/2015/07/us-secretary-commerce-penny-pritzker-announces-designation-12-new