ROOM FOR GROWTH
The number of local IT products—such as computer equipment and accessories—and services, such as programming, design, web hosting, rose from 11,475 in 2000 to 20,718 in 2020. But business and city leaders seek even more local IT jobs, as local worker numbers plateaued since 2015.
Local leaders’ views Leaders of San Antonio-head- quartered tech companies, such as DOCUmation and Boardline Academy, cited various local amenities for their respective organization’s growth. Arthur Clarke, technology solutions director for DOCUmation, a 30-year- old firm based near Shavano Park, said local agencies, businesses and educational institutions focused on cybersecurity have aided his compa- ny’s advancement toward offering software, print document and unified communications solutions. The Tech Bloc study said San Anto- nio has the nation’s highest concen- tration of cybersecurity employees outside of Washington, D.C., a sector that numbers an estimated 16,447 federal employees. “There’s a huge advantage of doing business here in San Antonio,” Clarke said. In Hollywood Park, Boardline Acad-
and Loop 1604; and between Rack- space on the northeast side and [The University of Texas at San Antonio]; [and] USAA and Westover Hills has the biggest concentration of tech workers in the city,” Heard said. Rackspace, a homegrown cloud computing firm with 6,600 employ- ees, announced Oct. 21 it is relocat- ing its 14-year-old headquarters from Windcrest to the RidgeWood Plaza II office building near Loop 1604 and Redland Road. Butler and Stefl said employment clusters outside of downtown, such as the US 281 North corridor, have organically grown despite organized attempts to market and expand such IT employment areas into distinct tech-centric hubs. “Many of these large-employ- er-driven zones are more car-cen- tric and suburban in character, and their growth seems to be driven by affordability, accessibility and con- venience,” the study’s authors said. The authors also said, since March
Tech job numbers and types of jobs for each year provided in the Tech Bloc study:
Products (computer equipment & accessories)
Services (programming, design & web hosting)
3,463
2000
8,012
4,190
2010
10,649
3,482
2015
14,737
5,129
2020
15,589
0
5,000
10,000
15,000
NOTE: DATA FOR 2005 WAS NOT AVAILABLE.
SOURCES: TECH BLOC, TEXAS WORKFORCE COMMISSION/COMMUNITY IMPACT
tech employment number has stayed in the 19,000-20,000 range since 2018 partly due to a shift in local IT activ- ity from the production of products to the provision of services. Local business, political and tech organizations, and business acceler- ators, such as Geekdom and Veloc- ityTX, participating in San Antonio Startup Week promoted programs, such as Bexar County’s $1 million annual innovation fund, which cul- tivates job recruitment, talent devel- opment, business expansion and technical workforce training. Kicking off SASW, Mayor Ron Nire- nberg said such initiatives and orga- nizations that make up the local tech ecosystem allow startups to flourish. “San Antonio is rapidly becoming where opportunities are created for entrepreneurs and startup founders,” he said.
than being in Austin,” Lange said. Workforce challenges Local business and elected leaders said even more skilled tech workers, higher wage jobs and corporate offices are required locally to amplify San Antonio’s reputation as an emerging center of tech activity. Heard said tech professionals— either newcomers or homegrown— want to be well-compensated and have access to a wider variety of busi- ness and cultural amenities that make staying in town worthwhile. “We’ve got to recruit more top tal- ent and develop growing local talent, but if we don’t educate that talent about our community, they might be inclined to move to other cities, and we’ll see more brain drain,” Heard said referring skilled workers moving to more appealing locales. The Tech Bloc study said the num- ber of San Antonio IT products and services employees rose from 11,475 in 2000 to 20,718 in 2020, but the local
emy, a three-year-old startup, provides online training for homeowner associations and man- agement companies nationwide, helping them to navigate risk management, finan- cial administration and legal requirements. Company President Cameron Lange said Boardline is capital- izing on low costs of living and doing busi-
“FROM A COST PERSPECTIVE, IT’S LESS EXPENSIVE TO OPERATE OUT OF SAN ANTONIO WITH SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT BENEFITS THAN BEING IN AUSTIN.” CAMERON LANGE, BOARDLINE PRESIDENT
2020, startups appear to be more distributed across Bexar County due to COVID-19, the rise of remote work and cost management. Cristina Aldrete, North San Antonio Chamber of Commerce CEO and president, told Community Impact
ness, affordable housing, and recre- ational amenities in San Antonio. The 2020 U.S. Census said San Antonio’s median value of owner-occupied housing units is $156,700 compared with $358,600 in Austin, the nearest metropolitan center of IT activity. “From a cost perspective, it’s less expensive to operate out of San Anto- nio with slightly different benefits
that business growth in a specific geo- graphic zone is usually predicated upon available real estate, accessible work- ers, and comparable costs of living and doing business in a certain area. “The [US 281 North] and Westo- ver Hills areas are prime for business growth and development. Our tech industries apparently recognize these opportunities,” Aldrete said.
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
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