Saturday, November 15, 2008

Are Texas Web Designers living in the New Silicon Valley?

By Jordan FeRoss

Texas Web Designers are worrying whether or not there will be any business left for them if the national economy continues to decline. Unemployment rates are rising at alarming rates. The cost of living is soaring. So is it any question that we are in a recession? Well, that depends on where you live. There are some nooks and crannies where the economy has remained fairly stable. Texas is one of them. Fortunately, the real estate bubble hasn't burst here, yet. We've also benefited from the dramatic increase in oil prices. Discoveries like the Barnet Shale have put Texas back on the map, at least in terms of oil discovery and refining.

But another advantage we have is our booming technology sector, especially in major metropolitan, a fact that has led many to describe it as the New Silicon Valley. And Texas Web Designers stand to profit greatly if they play their cards right.

A number of legislative and tort reforms have allowed small and large businesses alike to thrive in the DFW, Houston and Austin metroplex. One of the bills that will greatly affect Texas Web Designers is the Texas Emerging Technology Fund, created in 2005, which will devote more than $200 Million to high-tech businesses, creating jobs and growth in the Texas economy.

Year over year, the technology sector has held stronger than almost any other sector in the state. This is no news to Texas Web Designers. The information industry (ISPs, web search portals, broadcasting and telecom) have only lost 100 jobs from May 2007 to May 2008. Compare that to the manufacturing industry or agriculture, and it becomes clear why Texas is quickly becoming the New Silicon Valley. Many even refer to Austin as "Silicon Hills", and the N. Dallas area as "Silicon Prairie", due to the large population of high-tech companies like EDS and Texas Instruments.

Surprisingly, the construction industry has also held quite strong in Texas. In fact, it has witnessed almost a 4% increase from May 2007, adding an additional 25K jobs. Likewise, the state's leisure and hospitality as well as education and health services industries experienced similar growth, adding over 70K jobs altogether. The upshot of all this is that Texas Web Designers have had more work than they can handle in some cases. But the question remains, is this good for all Texas businesses? Well, yes and no.

With any luck, these figures will continue to increase and we will see more and more businesses move to the Texas area. Of course, if we do not, we can still predict that the Texas economy will hold strong, in part due to our state's wealth from oil and housing. Nevertheless, be patient when choosing a web design firm. Choose Texas Web Designers that have been around for a while and can navigate the capricious terrain of IT and high-tech safely and securely. You DON'T want to have to switch companies six months after a site is launched and start the process of teaching a design firm all about you - all over again. Consultants do best when they're allowed to become intimately familiar with your business and its common practices.

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