Looking ahead into 2014 with new industry, new commercial and residential L construction, and all of the attendant city, county and transportation infrastructure that must accompany a community on the rise, knowing where and how those factors will affect the Brazos Valley is a key question. Add to the future blueprint the growth of Texas A&M University, one of the newest members of the Southeastern Conference, and you have the basis for this year’s annual Bryan/ College Station Chamber of Commerce Economic Outlook Conference.
Presenting two panels representing local governance, commercial and residential research trends as well as a keynote address by SEC Commissioner Mike Slive, the Economic Outlook Conference scheduled for January 22 at the College Station Hilton Hotel will provide insight into how these factors will impact the Brazos Valley economy in 2014.
2014 B/CS Chamber of Commerce Economic Outlook Conference
7:30 a.m. to 8 a.m. — Registration and Coffee
8:10 a.m. to 9:25 a.m. — Session I Panel
- Shannon Overby, President and CEO, B/CS Convention & Visitors Bureau
- Kelly Templin, City Manager, City of College Station
- Kevin Russell, Director of Development Services, City of Bryan
- Frank Clark, Jr., Business/ Development Liaison and Special Project Manager, City of Bryan
- Dr. Brett Giroir, Interim Executive Vice President and CEO, Professor, College of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center
9:25 a.m. to 9:40 a.m. — Break and Coffee Refill
9:40 a.m. to 10:40 a.m. — Session II Panel
- Tom Wilkinson, Executive Director, Brazos Valley Council of Government
- Mike Parks, Assistant Executive Director, Brazos Valley Council of Government
- Catherine Hejl, Bryan District Engineer, Texas Department of Transportation
10:40 a.m. to 10:55 a.m. — Networking Break
10:55 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. — Session III
- Dr. Jim Gaines, Research Economist, Texas A&M Real Estate Center
12:10 p.m. to 12:30 p.m. Break
12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. — Luncheon & Keynote Speaker
- Mike Slive, Commissioner, Southeastern Conference Justin Connolly, Senior Vice President, Programming for College Networks, ESPN
Meet the Speakers
Shannon Overby — President and CEO, B/CS Convention & Visitors Bureau
Attracting visitors and tourism to the Bryan/College Station area is the main goal of the Bryan/ College Station Convention and Visitors Bureau. President and CEO Shannon Overby and her staff attract businesses and visitors by inviting companies to host meetings, conferences and athletic events in the Brazos Valley.
“For a long time, the perception of our community has been rural and agricultural,” says Overby. “But, with the new companies moving in and promising growth due to these companies, we are starting to showcase B/CS as a metropolitan area.
Overby says from a visitor’s point of view, the community is becoming more attractive and welcoming to visitors for a variety of reasons. With Texas A&M University growing and changing rapidly, new hotels under construction and restaurants that are scheduled to open, visitors find Bryan and College Station an appealing place to visit contributing to an increase in the community’s economy.
During the EOC, Overby will present statistics about the significant growth of tourism in the area highlighting details about new hotels and restaurants that are scheduled to open and their impact on the local economy.
Overby is a graduate of Texas A&M (Class of ’91) and has been with the Bryan/College Station Convention and Visitors Bureau for more than 20 years. She has worked in hotel management and international sales and is active in committees within the Destination Marketing Association and Texas Travel Industry Association. Overby is currently working towards her Certified Destination Marketing Executive (CDME) certification.
Kevin Russell — City of Bryan, Director of Development Services
"The economic outlook for this area is looking great this year,” says Kevin Russell. As a resident of the Bryan/College Station community for more than 22 years, Russell can attest to the major growth of the area both by seeing it change over the years and statistically as part of his career with the City of Bryan.
“With regard to existing and future retail establishments in Bryan, our staff uses any tool available to help keep them running successfully and from going out of business,” Russell says. He also says there is constant activity from prospective businesses looking at the area to bring in new businesses. These employers look to the City of Bryan to provide them with census and other data to assist with their decision to base a company here.
As the director of development services, Russell oversees planning and building in the City of Bryan. During the EOC, Russell will reveal current updates on Axis Pipe and Tube construction in North Bryan, an addition to the economy that will add 285 new manufacture jobs that will ship products both nationally and internationally.
Russell also will speak about current projects underway with Coulter Airfield. Over the next three years, the airfield will see $3 million in improvement projects, one of which is the runway lighting. Russell has held several positions at the City of Bryan including Code Enforcement Officer, Development Manager, Director of Planning and Development and Director of Economic Development. He is a member of the American Planning Association.
Frank Clark, Jr.
Frank Clark, Jr. will be teaming with Kevin Russell to provide information about the City of Bryan’s guidance and assistance to businesses, builders, and developers as they navigate the city’s development process.
During the EOC, Clark will reveal current updates on Axis Pipe and Tube construction in North Bryan, an addition to the economy that will add 285 new manufacturing jobs that will ship products both nationally and internationally. “At the City of Bryan, we try to help businesses move into town as smoothly as possible” says Clark. ” When it comes to new businesses moving to the area, Clark says the City of Bryan realizes “time is money.”
Other areas of Clark’s duties include initiating and maintaining relationships with small and large businesses in the community, providing guidance and assistance as possible to support and grow their business, identifying new businesses, welcoming them on behalf of the city and providing support with “start-up” issues that relate to the city or other public agencies.
Clark also works with the City of Bryan Police and Fire Departments and Brazos County on business support programs to ensure the city has a friendly and streamlined approach.
Kelly Templin — City Manager, College Station
“Good news is coming!” says Kelly Templin, College Station’s city manager. “This is a very exciting and busy time for the City of College Station.” Templin says that he is hoping to unveil exciting specifics at the 2014 Economic Outlook Conference including a sales tax projection. Since 2007, Templin says the hotel tax revenues have risen 47 percent for College Station. Templin will also provide details about Northgate’s 1st Street and Entrance Square, the College Station Medical district, the University Drive “hospitality corridor” and the new College Station Visitor’s Bureau that will be located in the Chimney Hill Shopping Center.
“I am not sure there has ever been a more exciting time for College Station,” Templin says. “We are perfectly positioned to have a great year and promising economic increases. It is up to us to capitalize on this exciting opportunity.”
Templin is a third generation Aggie who has worked in and with municipal governments for more than two decades. He was appointed City Manager of College Station on November 4, 2013. Beginning in 2011, Templin had previously served as city manager for Seabrook.
Dr. Brett Giroir — Interim Executive Vice President and CEO, and Professor, College of Medicine, Texas A&M Health Science Center
Dr. Brett Giroir is an internationally renowned physician-scientist who assumed the role of interim executive vice president for the Texas A&M Health Science Center in October 2013. Giroir plays a major role in the continued development of the biomedical corridor that continues to stimulate new jobs and economic growth in the Brazos Valley.
“I think the economic outlook for the Brazos Valley is extremely bright,” says Giroir. Catalyzed by the potential at Texas A&M University, numerous sectors are attracted to the Brazos Valley as an ideal place for expansion and relocation. “As a citizen, I see a wide diversification of companies wanting to bring their businesses to the community.”
Giroir will discuss the current progress of the Texas A&M Center for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing (CIADM), a public-private partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, designed to enhance the nation’s emergency preparedness against emerging infectious diseases, including pandemic influenza, and chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats. Over a 25-year contract, this facility is projected to have a $42 billion impact and create more than 1,000 jobs in the local area.
Giroir will provide insight into the expansion and growth of the Texas A&M Health Science Center, foreshadow upcoming initiatives of the CIADM, and speak to how our local and state workforce will benefit from this addition to the Brazos Valley. “We have strategic plans in place and have curriculum being developed from the high school level to associates, certificate programs, undergraduate and graduate programs to supply an efficient, trained workforce to support this center,” says Giroir.
Prior to joining the Texas A&M Health Science Center, Giroir served as Vice Chancellor for Strategic Initiatives for the Texas A&M University System and Principal Investigator for the Texas A&M Center for Innovation in Advanced Development and Manufacturing. He has also served in the federal government as Deputy Director, then Director, of the Defense Sciences Office of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA).
Giroir is the recipient of the Secretary of Defense Medal for Outstanding Pubic Service; Texas A&M University System Excellence in Innovation Award in 2010; and a finalist for the 2012 Dallas Morning News Texan of the Year Award.
Tom Wilkinson, Jr. — Executive Director, Brazos Valley Council of Governments
Tom Wilkinson will begin panel two of the EOC with a presentation from the Brazos Valley Council of Governments. Wilkinson has served as executive directory of BVCOG since 1993 and will discuss transportation and the future of the workforce in the Brazos Valley.
Wilkinson and the BVCOG want to prepare the local workforce for the new biotech companies coming to the region. “All of the pieces of this expansion and growth are falling into place, but bringing employers such as these in requires us to get the workforce prepared, and not just at the PhD level.” He notes that these companies are attracted to the Brazos Valley because Texas A&M offers both a College of Medicine as well as a College of Veterinary Medicine.
As a hub for biotechnology, having available employees with valuable skill sets and the education necessary to supply biotech-related positions will attract more employers to the B/ CS area.
Wilkinson serves as a board member of the Executive Director’s Advisory Council of the National Association of Regional Councils. He is also the president of the Brazos Valley Affordable Housing Corporation, past president of The Arts Council of Brazos Valley, and an advisory board member of the School of Rural Public Health at Texas A&M University.
Michael Parks — Assistant Executive Director, Brazos Valley Council of Government
Currently serving as the Assistant Executive Director at the Brazos Valley Council of Governments (BVCOG), Michael Parks has years of expertise in the area of transportation. He joined the BVCOG after holding the positions of director of the Bryan/College Station Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) and staff transportation planner for nine years in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
“Brazos Valley is looked at as a ‘logistics hub’ because companies can locate here in the Brazos Valley as it is an area that essentially connects to Dallas, Houston and San Antonio without major freeways and congestion,” Parks says. “Companies can locate here and still provide service to the large metropolitan cities fairly quickly. This attracts companies and gives a positive economic outlook on the community.”
Parks plans to highlight area growth in his presentation, but also address the need for smart choices to fund projects. “It takes money to complete major projects, and we have seen that the funds are drying up. State and federal tax revenue does not have as much purchasing power as it did in the past. Cars are becoming more fuel-efficient and the fuel tax is not generating enough revenue to build projects we need here in Bryan/College Station to handle the growth. As a community, we have to figure out how to compensate for the loss of state and federal funds while allowing our community to grow,” he says.
Parks has been with the Brazos Valley Council of Governments for 11 years. He is certified through the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and works regionally in the seven counties that make up BVCOG in the areas of regional transportation planning, economic development, GIS mapping, homeland security, housing, workforce, health care, broadband development and other regional issues.
Catherine Hejl — Bryan District Engineer, Texas Department of Transportation
Catherine Hejl graduated from Texas A&M University in 1984 and began her career with the Texas Department of Transportation in 1985. As the Bryan District Engineer since October 2009, Hejl works with the cities of Bryan and College Station to oversee transportation needs of the local and surrounding communities.
“My main message and number one priority is safety-first and foremost,” says Hejl. She plans to open her presentation at the EOC with traffic safety as well as presenting information about jobs and projects that will affect Brazos County. “I will discuss the jobs and projects that are coming up that meet the TxDOT goals of relieving traffic congestion and create a safe roadway system to connect our Texas cities,” says Hejl. One of the projects she will highlight is the State Hwy. 249 project that will provide access from Houston to College Station through Grimes County.
Hejl has received the TxDOT Greer award as well as the Greater Brazos Valley Transportation Excellence Award. One of the highlights of her career was leading the contra flow of 113 miles of Interstate 45 in 2005 through Walker, Madison, Leon and Freestone Counties as Hurricane Rita approached the Texas coast. She worked with employees across her district and the two neighboring districts, Houston and Dallas, to successfully complete the contra flow from Houston to Dallas.
Jim Gaines — Research Economist, Texas A&M Research Center
At his fifth annual invitation to present at the EOC, Jim Gaines will give his “thousand-foot view” of the 2014 Bryan/College Station economy from the perspective of the area’s real estate industry. His presentation will provide real estate trends and the impact they have on the economy of the B/ CS area.
“The Bryan/College Station community is a vibrant, active community that is going through growth and expansion, says Gaines. “The outlook for 2014 is a little better than previous years.” One of those factors will be the remodel and expansion of Texas A&M’s Kyle Field with more tickets sold for games and increasing visitor numbers flooding into the Bryan/College Station area on Aggie home football game weekends.
Overall, Gaines sees a positive outlook as new commercial development is occurring around the Bryan/College Station community. “As Texas A&M keeps expanding, student dorms are full. This keeps the demand for student rental properties high. We see several coming up quickly around the campus,” says Gaines. He will provide statistics and his insight to the growth of the B/CS area.
Gaines has more than 35 years experience in a broad array of professional real estate activities and has provided consulting services to numerous businesses, institutions, developers, and all levels of government organizations. He served as President of Rice Center, an urban research center affiliated with Rice University, and was an associate professor of real estate and finance at the University of South Carolina.
Mike Slive — Commissioner, Southeastern Conference
The 2014 Brazos Valley Economic Outlook Conference will conclude with Commissioner Mike Slive of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and Justin Connolly of ESPN giving the keynote address during the luncheon. Slive will provide background and discuss the growth of the SEC brand, which includes the addition of Texas A&M University and the University of Missouri in 2012.
Slive, named the seventh commissioner of the SEC in July 2002, has more than 40 years of legal and athletic administrative experience. Since his arrival at the SEC, he has developed initiatives designed to maintain and improve the SEC’s position as one of the top intercollegiate athletic conferences in the nation both on and off the fields of play.
On the playing fields during Slive’s tenure, the SEC has won 62 national championships, including eight Bowl Championship Series crowns and the last seven in a row. The SEC has won national titles in 15 of its 21 sponsored sports during Slive’s 11 years as SEC Commissioner.
Slive is a native of Utica, N.Y. He graduated from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1962. He earned a Juris Doctor from the University of Virginia Law School in 1965 and an LLM from the Georgetown University Law Center in 1966.
Justin Connolly — Senior Vice President, Programming for College Networks, ESPN
Justin Connolly joined ESPN in 2003 and leads ESPN’s college networks. Connolly will join Commissioner Slive as a keynote speaker during the EOC luncheon.
“We look forward to the Brazos Valley Economic Outlook Conference and see it as an opportunity to get out in front of a passionate group,” says Connolly. “I attended Manziel’s last home football game of this season, and the atmosphere in the Brazos Valley is incredible – off the charts!” says Connolly.
Connolly will focus his part of the presentation on the new SEC Network that will launch in August 2014. He will explain how this network can play a role in expanding and opening up economic opportunities.
The SEC Network will be run by ESPN but co-branded and focused on the SEC. Built in collaboration with the conference, the first game that will be aired on the SEC Network will be the Texas A&M at South Carolina game and will be exclusive to the SEC Network. The SEC Network will be based out of ESPN studios in Charlotte, N.C. and will create more jobs within ESPN.
Prior to his new post, Connolly served as senior vice president, national accounts for Disney and ESPN media networks. He was responsible for all domestic distribution and licensing efforts for The Walt Disney Company’s linear networks, broadband and VOD content within the Media Networks Group. Prior to joining ESPN, Connolly worked in the corporate finance group for The Walt Disney Company’s corporate treasury department in Burbank, Calif.
Connolly is a native of Boston. He graduated from Harvard University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics in 1998 and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in 2003.
