EDP: Major employers in South Montgomery County report jobs increase for 2010

THE WOODLANDS, Texas – The South Montgomery County Woodlands Economic Development Partnership (EDP) recently concluded its annual employee count survey of local non-retail employers. Companies with 100 or more employees are surveyed each year to determine job growth trends in the area.

As part of the services the EDP provides to the community, the Partnership compiles an annual report of top non-retail employers in South Montgomery County. In addition to providing information on which companies are growing, the EDP also looks at growth trends in various business sectors including Banking, Distribution/Transportation, Education, Energy, Healthcare, Hospitality, Life Science, Professional/Specialty Services and Public Agencies.

According to Gil Staley, CEO of The Partnership, “This information benefits not only local companies, but it is also the most requested data from employers who are considering relocating to this area. Currently there are close to 50 companies in South Montgomery County who employ more than 100 people. There are 11 companies who now employ more than 500 people.”

The 2010 job count revealed encouraging news for The Woodlands and South Montgomery County. Employee numbers at the larger companies in January of 2011 show to be up by 402 jobs from 2010. This year’s tally shows that over 23,000 people are employed by major, non-retail companies. According to DemographicsNow®, there are 72,240 employed in our area, making South Montgomery County a significant employment destination.

In the second year in a row, we are most pleased to see positive job growth with our major employers,” says Staley. He added, “After evaluating the companies with job gains, we found that Energy and Professional/Specialty Services are our significant growth industries in this community.”

A major contributor to our job growth, was the relocation of a Praxair regional office to South Montgomery County, which represented approximately 150 new jobs. Danbury, Conn.-based Praxair, is a major supplier of atmospheric, process and specialty gases, as well as high-performance coatings.

Staley concluded, “We are fortunate to have great employers that bring high quality jobs to our area. Additionally, we benefit from a diverse group of industry sectors, providing financial stability during economic downturns.”