RICHARDSON ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS TECHNOLOGY-BASED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AWARD

The Richardson Economic Development Partnership (REDP) today received the Technology-Based Economic Development Award from The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) during the IEDC’s Annual Conference in New York City.; This prestigious award recognizes the REDP, a joint effort of the City of Richardson and the Richardson Chamber of Commerce, for major contributions to critical initiatives that have grown the high-tech business community in Richardson.

“We are extremely proud of the far-sighted steps the REDP has undertaken to position Richardson as a global leader in technology and to attract more high-tech leaders to the city,” said Richardson Mayor Gary Slagel. “As a result of those efforts, and the significant community advocacy roles eagerly embraced by Richardson’s technology companies, Richardson today is a city noted for its uncommon vision, inspiring leadership and unwavering devotion to building a model tech-based community.”

Richardson economic development initiatives that contributed to the IEDC’s honoring of the REDP included the following:

• The REDP launched a powerful city brand, the Telecom Corridor®, that has made the Richardson area synonymous with telecom leadership and high-tech innovation.
• In 1995, the Richardson Chamber formed an affiliate known as the Telecom Corridor Technology Business Council, as a trade association for high-tech companies in North Texas to promote high-tech business-to-business networking, leadership and advocacy. Today, the re-named Metroplex Technology Business Council (MTBC) is the largest technology trade association in Texas.
• The REDP was instrumental in the 1997 formation of STARTech Early Ventures, a high-tech business accelerator/incubator designed to institutionalize entrepreneurship in the Richardson area by providing technologists with a “safety net” and a process for turning their innovations into thriving companies. Today, with a group of corporate stakeholders as well as prestigious venture capital partners, STARTech is the focal point for high-tech start-up activity in DFW.
• The REDP also played a vital role in landing for Richardson the largest capital-intensive project announced in the U.S. in 2003 – the recently completed, $3 billion Texas Instruments (TI) semiconductor wafer fabrication facility. This effort also led to the creation of the $200 million Texas Enterprise Fund, out of which TI was awarded $50 million, which it then donated to The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) to spur the creation of a $300 million public/private investment that will help UTD become DFW’s first Tier One research university.
• Most recently, in 2005, Texas created the $200 million Emerging Technology Fund (ETF) when the MTBC helped lead a statewide technology association coalition lobbying for the legislation. The ETF now provides seed capital funding to promising tech start-ups, and it funds and encourages university/private business partnerships to commercialize technology and attracts top-notch university research teams to Texas.

Taken together, these initiatives helped Richardson – a first-ring suburb with a population under 100,000 – develop into an internationally known technology powerhouse and position itself at the forefront of the U.S. high-tech economy, “From localized community projects to large-scale endeavors, activities for the advancement of economic development have an enormous impact on the shoring up of the nation’s economy,” said Joseph A. Marinucci, IEDC chairman. “As our population grows exponentially and as we continue to overcome unexpected challenges, such as those we are still grappling with in the Hurricane Katrina-ravaged Gulf Coast region, these efforts take on an even greater significance. This award serves as a most respectful ‘hats off’ to economic development organizations like the Richardson Economic Development Partnership for leading the charge.”

RICHARDSON ISD AWARDED TEA’S ‘RECOGNIZED’ ACCOUNTABILITY RATING

Texas Education Agency has confirmed that Richardson Independent School District has earned the distinction of being a "Recognized" school district, based on 2005-06 student performance. It marks the first time that the RISD has earned the rating under the current accountability system.

“I’ve never been more proud of, and pleased for, a group of people than I am today,” said Interim Superintendent Patti Kieker. “Our outstanding students, teachers and administrators have made this happen. To have been so close, so many times, and with standards being raised each year, to be able to reach this goal is truly extraordinary.

“Our ultimate goal is to produce exceptionally well-prepared graduates and this achievement is recognition of something our community has known for a long time - RISD is an excellent place to receive an enriching, well-rounded education. On behalf of the district, I'd like to specifically express our gratitude to our elected Board of Trustees for their guidance and support, and to outgoing superintendent Jim Nelson, whose leadership was instrumental in our efforts to reach this point.”

In addition to the district rating, many RISD campuses improved their ratings.

Texas’ accountability system provides for districts and individual campuses to receive one of four annual performance ratings, “Academically Unacceptable,” “Academically Acceptable,” “Recognized” and “Exemplary.” The ratings are based on student performance on the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS), spread across grade levels, subjects, and demographic groups. In all, there are 24 possible rated categories, and campuses and districts must meet specific standards in all 24 to attain higher ratings. The system is designed such that if any student group doesn't meet a categorical standard, their entire campus (or district) rating will be affected, regardless of the performance of other student groups. Thus, mathematically, campuses and districts with more student groups face a tougher task than their counterparts with fewer student groups.

REDP ANNOUNCES 32 EXPANSIONS & RELOCATIONS THROUGH THE THIRD QUARTER

Several projects stand out because of their magnitude: Countrywide has leased more than 150,000 square feet at 2270 Lakeside to make room for at least 700 new workers. Those additional workers will bring the company’s Richardson headcount to over 3,000 just 18 months after the company announced it would be creating a total of 5,000 new Richardson jobs over the next 3 to 5 years.

Hewlett-Packard is beefing up its campus at 3000 Waterview by adding 250 employees from the area. The Waterview facility is headquarters for H-P’s supercomputer research, and it’s on-site; sheer computing power is regarded as #3 in the world behind facilities in Washington, D.C. and India.

The other large employer, bringing over 200 highly-skilled software jobs to Richardson is ARGO Data Resource Corporation. The highly successful ARGO was founded in 1980 by Richardson resident Max Martin. ARGO’s point-of-transaction software is used by most of the major banking institutions in the U.S.

While growth is trending very much towards technology, with 23 of the 32 companies in a technology area, 6 are in the financial services area and 3 are in other fields. Richardson is diversifying its business base and it continues to bolster its technology sector.

Perhaps the two most interesting new additions are Nerve Software and Multigen-Paradigm. Nerve has some all-star video game developers working on cutting-edge gaming software, and similarly, Multigen-Paradigm develops software for simulat real-life events such as ground and aerial combat and maneuvers.

ARGO DATA RESOURCE CORPORATION BRINGS 200 SKILLED JOBS TO THE CORRIDOR

ARGO Data Resource Corporation, a company providing leading technology-based solutions to the financial services industry, today announced that it has leased 55,394 square feet of office space in Richardson, Texas, for a new corporate headquarters. The headquarters, in the Collins Crossing development at 1500 N. Greenville Ave. in Richardson, between Arapaho and Campbell Roads, will house approximately 200 ARGO employees.

ARGO, currently located at 12770 Coit Road (Banner Place), Suite 600 in Dallas, expects to relocate to Richardson in October 2006. The Staubach Company’s Steve Jarvie, senior vice president, and Greg Burns, vice president, served as the brokers representing ARGO in the deal. Randy Shipman, senior vice president of the Trammell Crow Company’s office leasing group, represented the landlord, Franklin Street Partners.

“We are pleased to announce the relocation of our headquarters to Richardson, which will enable us to continue our strong growth and industry leadership,” said David Engebos, President and COO of ARGO. “As one of the U.S. Financial Services Industry’s top-valued software application solutions providers, we felt Richardson was the ideal location for a headquarters, given the city’s comparable cluster of world-class software and information technology companies and its convenient access for our employees to their homes and the region’s airports. Collins Crossing also provides us with a Class A space that reflects our relationship with top-tier financial services firms across the U.S.”

Today’s announcement comes on the heels of other significant activity nearby in Richardson, including the recent signing of a 12,240-square-foot lease at the Granite 190 Center for the headquarters of visual simulation solutions provider MultiGen, and the purchase of a 52,800-square-foot office building at 1250 American Parkway for the new headquarters of printed circuit board designer and manufacturer Automated Circuit Design.

“We are extremely excited about ARGO’s decision to relocate its headquarters to Richardson,” said John Jacobs, senior vice president of the Richardson Economic Development Partnership. “Richardson continues to fill its remaining office space with companies that are innovators in their respective industries, including companies in the technology and financial services sectors. Richardson’s heritage of innovation, strong educational institutions, highly educated workforce and valued community partners have been critical in continuing to attract leading companies to the area.”

SOFTWARE COMPANY MULTIGEN-PARADIGM MOVES HQ TO RICHARDSON

MultiGen-Paradigm, Inc. (MultiGen), a wholly owned subsidiary of Parallax Capital Partners, LLC providing real-time, 3D visual simulation solutions for both civilian and government purposes, today announced that it has leased 12,240 square feet of office space in Richardson, Texas. The new office space, in the Granite 190 Center at 1301 W. President George Bush Turnpike, Suite 120, will serve as the corporate headquarters for MultiGen, effective immediately.

MultiGen also has a West Coast office in Santa Clara, Calif., regional offices in Orlando, Fla., Rochester, N.Y. and Salt Lake City, and an international sales office in Herndon, Va. MultiGen has 43 employees in its new Richardson headquarters, and a total of 66 employees nationwide.

MultiGen, formerly based in Plano, Texas, chose to relocate its headquarters to Richardson in large part due to the proximity of The University of Texas at Dallas’ innovative Motion Capture and Virtual Reality Laboratory. This laboratory, which opened in early 2005, is one of only a handful of facilities in the country employing cutting-edge technologies to facilitate the study of human movement.

“The ability to partner with UTD and take advantage of the intellectual capital and facilities located at the school played a large role in our decision to relocate,” said Sandeep Divekar, president and CEO of MultiGen. “This new facility will be critical to the continued growth and development of MultiGen, as we provide world-class visual simulation solutions to both the private sector and government entities.”

Today’s announcement comes on the heels of other significant activity nearby in Richardson, including the recent completion of Texas Instruments’ $3 billion semiconductor fabrication plant, the opening of Phase I of The Shire mixed-use project, the groundbreaking for a new 128-room Hilton Garden Inn on the Bush Turnpike and the recent announcement by Countrywide Financial Corp. of its intention to begin occupying an additional 150,000 square feet of space at the Lakeside Centre I development by July.

“We are extremely excited about MultiGen’s decision to move its headquarters to Richardson,” said John Jacobs, senior vice president of the Richardson Economic Development Partnership. “The addition of a company as innovative as MultiGen demonstrates Richardson’s ability to attract industry-leading companies that employ technology in groundbreaking ways, drawing on the resources of educational institutions such as UTD and Richardson’s highly educated workforce. This relocation, on top of the other activitiy taking place in Richardson, also signals the continued diversification

AUTOMATED CIRCUIT DESIGN EXPANDS IN RICHARDSON

Automated Circuit Design (ACD), which designs and manufactures printed circuit boards, has purchased a 52,800-square-foot building in Richardson, Texas, through a partnership with American Presidential Properties, LP. The new location at 1250 American Parkway, near the intersection of Arapaho Road and Plano Road, will serve as the corporate headquarters for the company, which has 80 employees.

The building is currently under renovation to accommodate expanded high-tech manufacturing space and warehouse space, along with individual offices for designers and executives. The company will move into 30,000 square feet of the new space in mid-September 2006.

Founded in 1984, ACD has been located in Richardson for the last 12 years. When researching new office space, the company elected to stay in Richardson because of the city’s pro-business environment. “It is clear just how important the business community is to the City of Richardson,” said W. Scott Fillebrown, president and CEO of ACD. “The city goes out of its way to support companies that are located, or thinking of relocating, here. Every city official, from top to bottom, is willing to work with companies upfront to help them save money, avoid delays and be successful in their given industries.”

Today’s announcement comes on the heels of other significant activity nearby in Richardson, including the recent completion of Texas Instruments’ $3 billion semiconductor fabrication plant, the opening of Phase I of The Shire mixed-use project, the groundbreaking for a new 128-room Hilton Garden Inn on the Bush Turnpike and the recent announcement by Countrywide Financial Corp. of its intention to begin occupying an additional 150,000 square feet of space at the Lakeside Centre I development by July.

“We are very excited about Automated Circuit Design’s decision to stay in Richardson and invest in a significant piece of commercial property,” said John Jacobs, senior vice president of the Richardson Economic Development Partnership. “The presence of this global industry leader certainly enhances Richardson’s reputation as the center of the high-tech industry in North Texas.”

NEW RESTAURANTS OPENING IN RICHARDSON

Richardson’s list of restaurants continues to grow in both quality and quality. Here are some of the new venues that have opened or will open soon in 2006:

• Dale Wamstad’s The Shire on N. Jupiter at 190/Bush Turnpike:   The Silver Fox Steakhouse, Ye Shire Tavern, Main St. Bistro & Bakery and The Parlour Bistro.
• Richardson Heights Shopping Center:  Frank’s Sports Grill and Texas Palomina’s, a Las Vegas-style buffet.
• II Creeks Plaza on Custer near Lookout Drive: Michael Mark’s Trattoria, an Italian restaurant with both inside and outside dining and Woodstone’s, a catering company serving soups, salads and sandwiches.
• Eastside Shopping Center on N. Plano Road at E. Campbell Road: Joe’s Pizza and Pasta, with salads, soups, sandwiches and burgers.
• Dal-Rich Village on S. Coit at W. Belt Line Road:  Big Shucks, an Oyster bar, Cajun-style seafood restaurant.

RICHARDSON RESIDENTS VOTE YES ON BEER/WINE FOR GROCERY STORES

Richardson Residents for Quality Retail Election PAC, an organization of business and community leaders formed earlier this year, gathered more than 10,000 signatures to enable the city to put the issue of selling beer and wine for off-premise consumption on the November 7, 2006 ballot. Both Plano and Garland had successful beer/wine sales elections in 2005, which has put Richardson’s grocery stores at a huge disadvantage, not to mention the tax dollars that are being lost by the city as a result of residents shopping for groceries outside of Richardson. The initiative passed with a 68% approval rate, 32% against. In addition to the economics, for many it’s a matter of convenience and being able to have all of one’s grocery shopping needs met at our local stores. Supporters of the issue include Richardson’s grocery stores, several convenience stores, a number of retail developers, some homeowner association groups, and many community civic and business leaders.

Richardson Economic Development Partnership ::
411 Belle Grove Drive Richardson, Texas 75080-5297 phone :: 972.792.2800