START AND WHERE YOU CAN BE TO BE A PART OF IT. REPORTING LIVE DOWNTOWN ALYSSA COLE, KSAT,
12 NEWS.
>> THANK YOU. ALYSSA WILL SAN
ANTONIO UNVEILED THE PLANS FOR
THE 2.5 BILLION DOLLAR AIRPORT
PROJECT ON TOP OF ALL THE
BEAUTIFICATION ASPECTS. LOOK
AT THIS MEAN FOR LOCAL ECONOMY.
SO JOINING US IN TODAY’S
LEADING SA SEGMENT, AS GENESIS
SETTLE AT THE PRESIDENT AND
CEO OF GREATER S A T X. GOOD
MORNING. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR
JOINING US THIS MORNING.
>> GOOD MORNING. A PLEASURE TO
BE HERE.
>> SO, JENNA, WHEN YOU HEARD
OF AND SAW THE AIRPORT PLANS,
WHAT WAS YOUR IMMEDIATE
REACTION?
>> O WELL, AS PROJECT HAS BEEN
A LONG TIME COMING FOR SENATOR
NICK COMMUNITY. SO I’VE SEEN
VARIOUS PLANS ALONG THE WAY.
I WILL TELL YOU, THOUGH, THAT
SEEING THOSE RENDERINGS THAT
WERE UNVEILED LAST WEEK JUST
MAKE IT ALL THE MORE REAL AND I
COULDN’T BE MORE THRILLED ABOUT
THE PROGRESS FOR THE
INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT.
>> SO, JENNA, HOW INVOLVED WAS
GREATER SAT ACTS IN THIS
AIRPORT DISCUSSION.
>> NOW WE’VE BEEN HEAVILY
INVOLVED, AS YOU CAN IMAGINE,
YOU KNOW, AS IT IS THE LARGEST
AIRPORT SERVING ALL OF SOUTH
TEXAS. AND SO IT’S A TOP
PRIORITY FOR BUSINESS LEADERS
AT THE TOP PRIORITY FOR US.
AND SO I SERVED ON THE PLANNING
COMMITTEE ALONG WITH THE
AIRPORT, BUT BEYOND JUST
SUPPORTING TERMINAL
DEVELOPMENT. WE ALSO WORK WITH
THE AIRPORT AND VISIT SAN
ANTONIO TO LAUNCH A PRIVATE
AIR SERVICE ON THIS LAST YEAR.
SO WE’RE HOPING TO SEE SOME
TANGIBLE RESULTS IN 2023.
OKAY. SO TAKE A STEP BACK.
BIG PICTURE.
>> WHAT IS THIS 2.5 BILLION
DOLLAR PLAN MEAN FOR THE FUTURE
OF OUR LOCAL ECONOMY?
>> AND SIGNIFICANT, YOU KNOW,
AS I JUST MENTIONED, IS THE TOP
PRIORITY FOR EXISTING
BUSINESSES HERE IN SAN ANTONIO,
BUT ALSO POTENTIAL NEW
BUSINESSES THAT WERE WORKING
TO RECRUIT. AND SO AS WE
CONTINUE TO INVEST BIG AND SAT
WILL CONTINUE TO SEE REAL
RESULTS. BUT IT’S ALL ABOUT
THAT NONSTOP SERVICE CAPACITY.
AND ALSO, YOU KNOW, CREATING A
MORE INVITING WELCOME FOR
VISITORS THAT ARE COMING TO THE
SAN ANTONIO COMMUNITY. BUT TO
PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE, YOU KNOW,
THE AIRPORT TRAVELED ABOUT
10 MILLION PASSENGERS PER YEAR
AND WORRYING THAT DOUBLE THAT
OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF
DECADES. SO AND THAT’S BEING
THE 2.5 BILLION A LITTLE BIT
HIGHER THAN THAT ACTUALLY HAS
BEEN THE WALL. THE STRONG
SIGNAL THAT AN ATTORNEY IS
RIGHT FOR GROWTH.
>> SO GREAT ARE SAT. X IS
CALLING 2023 THE YEAR OF
WINNING TOGETHER. SO WHAT
EXACTLY DOES THAT MEAN FOR OUR
REGION?
>> I MEAN, SIMPLY THAT A LOT OF
THE EFFORTS AND CONVERSATIONS
WE’VE BEEN HAVING IN RECENT
YEARS WILL COME TO REALITY.
AND I THINK THE AIRPORT IS THE
PRIME EXAMPLE OF THAT. BUT
YOU’LL SEE MORE ABOUT THAT FROM
A CORPORATE ATTRACTION
PERSPECTIVE FROM A TALENT
ATTRACTION, PERSPECTIVE, ALL
OF THE FRUITS OF OUR COLLECTIVE
LABOR AND THE SAN ANTONIO
REGION COMING TO REALITY THIS
YEAR. AND THAT’S CERTAINLY THE
HOPE. AND I TRULY BELIEVE IT
WILL BE THE REALITY.
>> YOU GUYS TALKED ABOUT
DOUBLING THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE
COMING THROUGH OUR AIRPORT.
EVEN ELABORATE 5 YEAR PLAN.
WHAT IS THAT CONSIST OF AN
OTHER THAN THE AIRPORT, WHICH
IS OBVIOUSLY HUGE ENDEAVOR AND
ITSELF. WHAT OTHER STEPS HAVE
BEEN TAKEN TO GO IN THAT
DIRECTION.
>> THE STRATEGY IS VERY SIMPLE.
IF THE LATTER PLAN WITH A LOT
OF DIFFERENT TACTICS AND
INITIATIVES, BUT IT’S ALL ABOUT
INVESTING IN OUR PEOPLE AND
THEN OUR PLACE TO SECURE A TOP
QUALITY JOB FOR SAN ANTONIANS.
SO THE AIRPORT IS AN EXAMPLE OF
THAT LAUNCHING A NATIONAL
ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN ABOUT
LIVING AND WORKING IN SAN
ANTONIO IS ALSO PART OF THAT.
AND, OF COURSE, TALENT
ATTRACTION AND RETENTION AND
THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF WHAT
WE DO, MAKING SURE THAT
BUSINESSES WANT TO BE IN SAN
ANTONIO WANT TO SCALE AND SAN
ANTONIO AND WANT TO INVEST IN
SAN ANTONIO AT THE END OF THE
DAY, IT’S ABOUT JOBS. AND OVER
THE LAST 3 OR 4 YEARS, WE AS AN
ORGANIZATION HAVE SECURED ABOUT
28,000 JOBS FOR THE REGION.
BUT WE NEED MORE AND WE’RE
COMPETING NOT JUST THAT AT A
NATIONAL SCALE, BUT AT A GLOBAL
SCALE FOR THOSE JOBS. AND WE
BELIEVE SAN ANTONIANS ARE IN
THE PERFECT POSITION TO SUPPORT
THAT EMPLOYERS THAT WE’RE
WORKING TOWARD HERE.
>> WELL, GENERAL JENNA, WITH
GREATER SAT X AND Q SO MUCH FOR
JOINING US THIS MORNING.
IN FOR OUR VIEWERS, YOU CAN