FORT WORTH, Texas (March 31, 2009) — Q-Edge, a growing company in the North American electronics assembly and distribution industry, has selected the Alliance Global Logistics Hub in Fort Worth as the site of its newest strategic assembly and distribution center. The company will lease 365,440 square feet from Hillwood in the Alliance Gateway 2 building.
“Now, more than ever, businesses are looking to Texas as the best state to live, work and raise a family because of our reasonable regulations, low taxes and skilled workforce,” Texas Governor Rick Perry said. “Q-Edge’s expansion is evidence of our strong economic footing compared to the rest of the nation during these uncertain economic times, and I look forward to the contributions they will make within Fort Worth and across the state.”
“This environmentally-friendly electronics assembly and distribution center will create jobs and contribute to our city’s economic vitality. It will also enhance the quality of life for our businesses and residents,” said Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief. “This is a tremendous vote of confidence for our city’s role in the global economy.”
District 2 City Councilman Sal Espino, in whose district Q-Edge will be located, added: “We are extremely pleased that Q-Edge has selected Fort Worth and, in particular, the Alliance area, for its new facility. Our world-class logistics hub and pro-business environment continue to attract successful multinational companies and further position us as the premier business address in the region.”
Q-Edge’s investment in Fort Worth is expected to bring up to 500 jobs and result in an economic impact of more than $700 million for the region. The company will join more than 60 other major global industry leaders, including Motorola, General Motors, Lockheed Martin, AT&T and Bell Helicopter, in the 17,000-acre AllianceTexas development, which generates more than $2.5 billion annually for the local economy and is home to more than 200 companies, 28,000 employees and 7,000 single-family homes.
Q-Edge spokesperson Wen Ren indicated that Fort Worth’s business climate and geographic location were primary factors in its investment decision.
“We appreciate all that Fort Worth has to offer and look forward to being in this community a long time,” said Ren. “We believe that many competitive traits of Fort Worth, namely its central location within the United States, advanced transportation infrastructure, low cost of living and doing business, and ready access to a highly educated and skilled workforce, will help us achieve significant competitive advantages and lead to long-term success for our company.”
The Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce’s Economic Development Division, the City of Fort Worth, the Governor’s office and Hillwood worked closely with Q-Edge before the investment.
“This was truly a team effort of many partner organizations, elected officials and business leaders,” said David Berzina, executive vice president for economic development at the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce. “By drawing on these resources, Fort Worth has been able to offer superior competitive advantages to corporations, resulting in significant new revenues and jobs for our city, despite the economic slowdown.”
Tarrant County College and Workforce Solutions, in cooperation with the state of Texas, are working to secure federal funding to provide skills development training for Q-Edge. In addition, Workforce Solutions will host a job fair to help recruit highly skilled computer assembly and distribution professionals for Q-Edge.
Including those created by Q-Edge, more than 3,500 jobs have been added at AllianceTexas since 2007. Many of those jobs are with global industry leaders, such as Q-Edge, Daimler Financial Services Americas, Health Care Services Corp. (Blue Cross), Deloitte, DynCorp International, Galderma, and ATC Logistics & Electronics.
“Hillwood is pleased to welcome Q-Edge’s assembly and distribution center to Alliance,” said Tony Creme, vice president of Hillwood Properties, the developer of AllianceTexas. “As the top-ranked foreign trade zone in the country, Alliance offers tremendous value-added amenities for companies involved in national and international logistics and distribution. We expect that the recent capital improvements to Fort Worth Alliance Airport, the BNSF Intermodal Facility and the network of interstate freeways will serve Q-Edge’s needs well and contribute to the company’s export success and longevity in our community.”
The 445,870 square-foot Alliance Gateway 2 building is located at 5650 Alliance Gateway Freeway in the Fort Worth section of the Alliance Global Logistics Hub.
BNSF Railway recently completed major improvements that include new high-speed automatic entry and exit gates, close to nine miles of new track and two new bridges at its Alliance intermodal facility, which already is one of the country’s largest intermodal hubs. Fort Worth Alliance Airport is in the midst of an expansion project that will take the runways from 9,600 feet to 11,000 feet.
Trace Elrod and Reggie Beavan of Jackson Cooksey represented Q-Edge in the transaction. Hillwood was represented in-house by Bill Burton and Tony Creme.
In addition to the Alliance Global Logistics Hub, the 17,000-acre AllianceTexas development includes the Monterra Village apartment home community, Alliance Town Center, the corporate campuses and golf courses of Circle T Ranch, and the Heritage and Saratoga residential communities.
About the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce
The Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, with more than 2,500 member businesses, is the largest chamber in the Tarrant County area. Through networking events, educational seminars, economic development, workforce development and government advocacy, the Fort Worth Chamber assumes a leadership role in making Fort Worth, the 17th largest city in the U.S., an excellent place in which to live, work and do business. For more information, please contact the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce at (817) 336-2491 or visit http://www.fortworthchamber.com/.
About Hillwood
Hillwood, (www.hillwood.com) a Perot company, is ranked as one of the top commercial real estate developers in the country and the top residential developer in Dallas-Fort Worth. The company’s developments currently house facilities for close to 90 companies listed on either the Fortune 500, Global 500 or Forbes List of Top Private firms. In addition to AllianceTexas, Hillwood is best known for its development of AllianceCalifornia near Los Angeles and the $420-million American Airlines Center and Victory district near downtown Dallas.
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