The Temple Economic Development Corp. and Workforce Solutions of Central Texas have been honored for their partnership on the Santa Fe Business Center, a $9 million office building developed as part of the Santa Fe Plaza.
The two entities — both based in the 34,000-square-foot downtown Temple building — received the Workforce Excellence Award from the Texas Economic Development Council for their partnership on the business center.
“The one-stop shop creates an efficient and easily navigable structure for prospects to maneuver when considering Temple for an expansion or relocation,” Adrian Cannady, president and chief executive officer of Temple EDC, said. “Prospects see the synergy between the partner organizations to serve existing and potential Temple employers and their employees. The center also communicates a message to the community that these organizations see business recruitment and growth as a team effort.”
The Santa Fe Business Center, which also houses the Temple Chamber of Commerce, is part of the $30 million redevelopment of the Santa Fe Plaza, a public-private partnership anchored by the historic Santa Fe Depot.
The Business Center, combined with the new Temple ISD administrative building at the plaza, brought almost 300 jobs to downtown Temple, according to a news release.
The plaza development is a joint effort by the city of Temple, Temple EDC, Reinvestment Zone and Temple Chamber of Commerce, along with a consortium of six local banks that financed the project. The added jobs in downtown Temple have increased traffic to downtown retailers and restaurants, the release said.
The Temple-based regional headquarters of the Workforce Solutions of Central Texas maintains offices as a tenant in the Business Center and pays rent back to the Temple EDC.
The Workforce Excellence Award recognizes exceptional contributions by Texas communities that implement successful work force initiatives and are judged on five criteria: innovativeness, transferability, community commitment and leverage, measured objectives and secondary benefits, the release said.
“Our Texas Economic Development Council’s Workforce Excellence Award is one of the ways in which our organization honors the outstanding work done by our communities and regions, their leaders and their economic development professionals in the area of work force development,” said Carlton Schwab, President/ CEO of the Texas Economic Development Council.
