SAN MARCOS, Texas — Over the weekend, Gov. Greg Abbott and his delegation returned from Taiwan, South Korea and Japan, hoping to bring more businesses and investments to Texas.
Representing Hays and Caldwell counties on the trip was Mike Kamerlander, CEO and president of the nonprofit Greater San Marcos Partnership.
Kamerlander said he participated in the Korea and Japan portion of the trip. He said with more companies from those areas, like Samsung, moving to Central Texas, it was the perfect opportunity to let them know what Hays and Caldwell counties have to offer. That includes the 500-acre Caldwell County mega site, which Micron Technology was looking at a few years ago before the deal fell through.
"We're still working on projects on that site and expect something large to eventually land there in Caldwell County," Kamerlander said. "So any of these foreign direct investments, especially from Korea and Japan – that have made these large investments in the past in this state and have connections to the state of Texas – are good opportunities for the Caldwell County mega site as well."
During the visit, they also met with Toyota executives and toured the Toyota Commemorative Museum of Industry and Technology. Kamerlander said Toyota has a supplier in San Marcos and hopes to see more expansion there as well. Just last month, the company announced a $531 million investment and expansion at its manufacturing plant in San Antonio.
When asked if officials are looking into creating a foreign office for Hays and Caldwell counties, similar to the one Williamson County has in Korea, Kamerlander said not at the moment, but there could be an opportunity depending on what happens with the mega site.
"Right now, we just enjoy a wonderful partnership with the state and our local regional efforts here through Opportunity Austin and working with the Wilco Partnership to help make sure they're successful by having suppliers down here that can still service the fabs and any other company around," Kamerlander said.