Tyler Economic Development Council Has Had a Busy Two Years

Martinez reflects on his time at TEDC full of workforce wins and business expansions.

By Kevin Litwin on August 8, 2022

Nathan Lambrecht

Tom Mullins helped to generate economic development in Tyler and Smith County for 31 years prior to Scott Martinez arriving in October 2020, and Martinez says he finds it easy to continue listing positive results about economic development during his first two years.

“Our secret sauce continues to be the availability of workforce training and education,” says Martinez, who serves as president/CEO of the Tyler Economic Development Council (TEDC) as well as CEO of the Tyler Area Chamber of Commerce. “More than 22,000 college students are enrolled in Tyler, and companies notice that. Our grads can pursue career opportunities in areas like health care, IT, energy, advanced manufacturing and many other knowledge-based industries.”

Martinez says the population in Tyler is trending younger, and a big reason is because several college students are staying in the community aft er graduation.

“Tyler has also invested a lot in our public schools and public safety, which I consider two key drivers in economic development,” he says. “Regarding safety, the Tyler Fire Department recently received a Class I Public Protection Rating from the U.S. Insurance Services Offi ce and the Texas Fire Marshal’s Offi ce. Class I is the highest rating available.”

Scott Martinez

TEDC Has a Facebook Page

The Tyler metro area was ranked as the fastest-growing metro area in 2021, outpacing all other major metros in Texas. Tyler is less than an hour outside the major cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, but Martinez says continued growth in Tyler has resulted in the city establishing an economy all its own.

“We are the capital of East Texas – the region’s hub for health care, education and retail, and our att ractive job market causes our daytime population to swell to 250,000 people,” he says. “One more good point – Tyler also has plenty of available land for additional industrial growth.”

Since January 2021, the Tyler Economic Development Council has worked with a handful of local companies that are investing close to $150 million in expansions.

“One of those companies is Trane Technologies, which has manufactured HVAC units here since the 1950s, while Tyler Pipe has done business here since the 1930s,” he says. “Both of those legacy companies continue to prosper and expand their operations in Tyler because they like it here.”

Martinez points out that in October 2022, the TEDC will launch a new five-year economic development strategy, and he suggests that residents and businesses sign up and follow the TEDC Facebook page to keep up with recent and current happenings.

“We post a lot of information, including stats on real estate, infrastructure projects, education numbers, survey results and much more,” he says. “It’s a good way to keep up with what’s happening in this thriving and competitive Tyler economy.”