Business View Magazine | November 2020

224 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE NOVEMBER 2020 ROSENBERG, TEXAS hurricane-force winds. Rosenberg grew to become a center of commerce in the 1940s and ‘50s and was known as the “Hub of the Gulf Coast.” Today, the city of 40,500 is experiencing unprecedented growth in commercial and residential development while holding tight to its roots and charm. “We want our growth to be quality growth,” explains Jeremy Heath, Rosenberg’s Director of Economic Development. “We want it to be sustainable growth, and when it comes to long- term sustainability, there are no assets that compare to a strong, highly-skilled workforce. Right now in the economic development world, that’s question number one when someone is looking at a city: ‘Do you have the workforce? Do you have the people skilled enough to create whatever it is that we create to make money?’ And we do.” In order to build and sustain that workforce, the Rosenberg Development Corporation committed about $2.5 million over a ten-year period to bring in Texas State Technical College (TSTC)’s newest campus in the state on an 80- acre tract, right in the heart of the city. Since 2016, TSTC has constructed two buildings and will have seven when it’s fully built out. When complete, the school will have the capacity to accommodate between four and five thousand students. “What’s really exciting about TSTC is the breadth of their curriculum,” notes Heath. “Our students can train in the traditional areas: diesel mechanics, HVAC, electrical line worker technology, welding – and those are huge right now, especially in the fast-growing markets around Houston. But a lot of these younger students are tech-savvy. They can choose cutting edge training in cyber-security, advanced robotics, precision machining, and they get to work on the newest and best training facilities and equipment. It’s an investment that we think is going to shape our future and the entirety of