Decade of dominance: Texas wins its 10th consecutive Governor’s Cup
Texas is going to need a bigger trophy case.
Sports teams win trophies for accomplishments big and small, but championship trophies are the singular physical representation of a team’s season’s worth of hard work and dedication. Players and coaches who work hard enough to win a championship proudly hoist their trophies high for all to see. In economic development, there are plenty of trophies to go around (and Texas has won many of them). But there is arguably only one championship trophy for economic development —Site Selection Magazine’s Governor’s Cup. Site Selection awards the Governor’s Cup annually to the state with the most qualified economic development projects*.
Since its inception in 1988, only five states have won the Governor’s Cup multiple times — including Michigan (five consecutive), Ohio (four consecutive), Florida (four consecutive), and North Carolina (two overall). Winning a single Governor’s Cup is an amazing accomplishment for a Governor, their economic development team and for their respective state. Winning a Governor’s Cup for 10 years in a row exemplifies being the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT). And that is exactly what Texas just accomplished!
Site Selection Magazine has awarded its annual Governor’s Cup to the state of Texas for an unprecedented 10th year in a row. The Lone Star State’s total projects of 1,123 is up nearly 44% from its 2020 total of 781. Second-place Ohio had 507 projects; Illinois had 480; California had 301; and North Carolina had 282 projects in 2021.
Texas celebrates a decade of dominance
Texans have much to celebrate with this historic recognition. Texas’s decade of dominance means more jobs for more Texans than ever before. More jobs mean more talent, and more talent means business leaders and project consultants will continue to look at Texas for project opportunities. All of this is good news for Texas’s ability to continue our run of dominance.
A decade, 10 years, 3,652 days, 87,648 hours, 5,258,880 minutes. However you calculate it, 10 years is a long time, and winning year after year is certainly no easy task. As Michael Jordan has said, “Talent wins games, but teamwork and intelligence win championships.” The same is true in economic development. Teamwork amongst the Lone Star State’s 25 metropolitan statistical areas, 46 micropolitan statistical areas and everywhere in between is one of the secret ingredients in our recipe of continued success. Add to that our pro-business mindset and steady leadership under Gov. Greg Abbott—who has won the Governor’s Cup seven times for every year he has been Governor—and you begin to understand how strong Texas is in the global economic development game.
Our future will not be without challenge. Whether it is ongoing supply change disruptions, potential new COVID-19 variants, inflationary pressures or something yet to be known, Texas’s decade of dominance will be tested. But, like the great sports figures of past and present, Texas does not rest on its laurels. Instead it charges ahead with its sights set on #11 — a record even Tom Brady would like to have!
*Site Selection’s Conway Projects Database focuses on new corporate facility projects with significant impact, including headquarters, manufacturing plants, R&D operations and logistics
Source: Site Selection Magazine