Texas a land of opportunity for UK firms - transatlantic chiefs

Texas offers UK firms a great landing base in the US as well as a gateway for cross-border trade opportunities with Mexico, delegates at a Chamber webinar heard, writes Dan Harrison.

The webinar was the latest in the Chapter Chat series hosted by the Greater Birmingham Transatlantic Chamber of Commerce alongside other members of the British American Business Council (BABC) network.

The latest event in the series focused on Texas, the second largest US state in terms of GDP and home to four of the country 's 11 largest cities - Dallas, Houston, Austin and San Antonio.

Boasting strong technology, clean energy, life sciences and healthcare sectors, Texas has also been voted the number one state to do business 16 years in a row.

In 2019, $15bn of bilateral trade took place between Texas and the UK, supporting more than 52,000 jobs.

While its low taxes and competitive cost of living were cited as a good location to set up shop, Jonathan Marrs from the Department for International Trade, based in Houston, said having a Texas base also provides a gateway into Mexico.

“I really want UK companies to look at Texas not just as a landing platform into the US but also to consider cross-border opportunities into Mexico, ” he said.

“We now have the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) that opens up a wealth of opportunities in the whole Texas-Mexico region.

“We 're seeing and forecasting a lot of nearshoring and on-shoring - manufacturers bringing supply chains back to the US and that particular region is very attractive because of the low cost of living and the incentives are there for manufacturing companies.

“We also have, on the border, El Paso. El Paso in itself is a huge city and is just dwarfed by the other four we 've got in the state - but if it was a standalone city anywhere else it would be a significant player. ”

Delegates also heard from Birmingham City Council 's head of international affairs, Lloyd Broad, who spelled out Birmingham 's attractiveness for foreign director investment.

He also highlighted similarities between Birmingham and Texas - namely strengths in life sciences, technology and low carbon energy.

Delegates also heard from Sarah Durbridge, executive director of BABC Texas, who introduced three business figures to share their experiences of transatlantic trade.

David Green is the American boss of Birmingham-based startup creative agency the Mighty Shed, who has worked on both sides of the Atlantic.

Andy Bird, a BABC Texas member and the CEO of digital transformation business Inoapps, discussed his relocation from the UK to Texas.

Issy Drinkall, the marketing and business development director at Texas-based agency Boundless Collection, is another Brit who made the move to the Lone Star State.

She described Texas as “a state known for people who will rally. They get right behind ambition and right behind people who will try something else. ”

For more information on the Transatlantic Chamber - part of the British American Business Council - click here.

Pictured: Dallas, Texas - one of the largest cities in the US