Schertz EDC

Schertz Businesses Named top 50 in the San Antonio Region

schertz — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 17:13:40 +0000

Schertz, Texas- The San Antonio Business Journal named two Schertz-based companies to the list of San Antonio’s Top 50 Private Companies in 2010. Republic National Distributing Company (RNDC) and Cal-Tex Protective Coatings received the number 2 and 29 spots, respectively.

RNDC is the country’s second-largest distributor of premium wine and spirits and currently has a 366,000 square foot facility in Schertz’s Tri-County Industrial Park. In 2007, Republic Beverage Co. and National Distributing Co. combined their businesses in 17 states and the District of Columbia to form RNDC. With 328 full-time employees locally and 2,122 employees worldwide, Republic has a large impact on the Schertz community and the San Antonio area in general. RNDC also started the RNDC Academy, a “comprehensive online training program for customers and supplier partners that includes courses in wine, spirits, and beer” (SABJ).

Cal-Tex Protective Coatings, Inc. is a aftermarket automotive parts supplier, specializing in automotive sealants. Established in 1983, Cal-Tex has 80 employees and is a vital part of the Schertz business community. Doing business in all 50 states, Cal-Tex “also offers a complete line of automotive theft protection supplies” (SABJ).

The Schertz Economic Development Corporation is proud to be involved with dynamic businesses such as Republic National and Cal-Tex. To learn more about the Schertz Economic Development Corporation or the City of Schertz, please visit our web site at www.SchertzEDC.com.

SPV Ventures to Open Medical/Office Professional Complex in Schertz

schertz — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:22:50 +0000

San Antonio, February 8, 2010 – San Antonio-based real estate developer SPV Ventures, LLC, announced today that it has closed its $2.5 Million construction loan with Schertz Bank & Trust in Schertz, Texas. The proceeds of the loan will allow SPV to immediately commence construction on the first phase of its planned approximately 56,000 square foot medical/professional office complex known as Schertz Parkway Professional Plaza located at 5000 Schertz Parkway and IH-35. This first phase, comprised of 18,000 SF in two adjacent buildings, will house medical offices, including the recently announced Schertz location of Northeast OB/GYN Associates of San Antonio. SPV is currently in negotiations with 4 other tenants for an additional total of 8,000 to 16,000 SF total, which will, at a minimum, fill the first phase and necessitate commencement of design and approval of Phase 2.

Jesse Hellums, President o f SPV Ventures and a resident of Schertz, said “We are extremely pleased to be part of this team of local participants, which of course includes Schertz Bank & Trust and the City, and to launch a project which will serve the residents of the Schertz/Cibolo/Selma area. This demonstrates that a local bank, local City managers, local business tenants, and a local developer can work together to create a much-needed project for citizens, even in these sometimes difficult business climates; localism in no longer limited to farmers’ markets.”

According to Mr. Hellums, The City of Schertz Economic Development Corp. was integral to SPV Ventures’ efforts to secure this construction financing with Schertz Bank & Trust for Phase 1, as well as SPV’s efforts to sign the lease with Northeast OB/GYN. Schertz EDC has participated in the financing package as well. Steve White, President of Schertz EDC, said “The closing of this construction loan is another indication of our commitment at The City of Schertz to provide quality services to our residents. Furthermore, this financing shows how a team of local businesses can partner together and create a project well suited, and needed, by the citizens in this area.”

Roy Richard, Chairman of Schertz Bank & Trust, added further, “Schertz Bank & Trust has been serving customers in the Schertz/Cibolo/Selma area since 1913, and we remain committed to working with local businesses and the City to serve the financial needs of Guadalupe County well into the future. Schertz Parkway Professional Plaza, once completed, will be a welcome addition to our area, and we are excited to be a part of it.”

SPV Ventures, LLC, is a privately owned limited liability company based in San Antonio and has its main offices at 16161 College Oak, S. 100, San Antonio, 78249. Contact Carey G. Birmingham, managing director, for more information at 210-262-8490 or coinvestments@satx.rr.com.

Schertz Unemployment Decreases in December

schertz — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:17:34 +0000

by Brad E. Bailey

(January 22, 2010) San Antonio – The City of Schertz’s unemployment rate decreased in December according to labor market statistics released by Workforce Solutions Alamo. The city’s jobless rate for the month was 5.1 percent, down from 5.3 percent reported for November.
Schertz’s unemployment rate, meanwhile, registered well below the overall jobless rate of 6.8 percent for the 12-county Workforce Solutions area, which includes Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Frio, Gillespie, Guadalupe, Karnes, Kendall, Kerr, Medina and Wilson counties. Gillespie County registered the lowest unemployment rate in the Alamo Area at 4.6 percent.

When the 12-county Workforce Solutions Alamo area is compared to the State and Nation, the Texas unadjusted (actual) unemployment rate increased to 8.0 percent in December, up from 7.9 percent reported in November. The nation’s unemployment rate increased to 9.7 percent, up from 9.4 percent reported in November. Comparatively, the state and the nation released seasonally adjusted unemployment rates, with the state reporting increases to 8.3 percent while the nation remained the same at 10.0 percent for the month of December.

The mission of Workforce Solutions Alamo is to build a premier workforce in America by providing employers and residents with the opportunities, resources and services to develop and gain a competitive edge in the global economy. Workforce Solutions Alamo reaches over 40,000 businesses and more than 2.0 million residents in the City of San Antonio and the counties of Atascosa, Bandera, Bexar, Comal, Frio, Guadalupe, Gillespie, Karnes, Kerr, Kendall, Medina and Wilson counties. For more information on available workforce programs and services, visit our website at www.workforcesolutionsalamo.org.

Note: Only the Actual series unemployment rate estimates for Texas and the US are comparable to sub-state unemployment rates.

Media Contact: Eva Esquivel
Communications Coordinator
Workforce Solutions Alamo
(210) 581-1087

Schertz EDC Adds Property Search Feature

schertz — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:20:35 +0000

Through the TexasOne program, economic development agencies are given the ability to post and update properties on TexasOne’s interactive property search website, www.texassitesearch.com. We have taken full advantage of this feature, and have recently added this capability to the website. Through this interactive map, designed by GIS Planning, visitors to the website can search for available land, industrial, office, and retail space, either for sale or for lease, and modify searches for specific criteria.

The property search can be found under the Site Selectors and Business Resources tabs, on the Available Properties page.

You can also access the Property Search directly by clicking here.

San Antonio #1 in Forty Strongest U.S. Economies

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 20:44:38 +0000

Business Week ranked the San Antonio Metropolitan Area as the #1 overall Strongest Metropolitan economy in the U.S.A.

Congratulations to San Antonio and all the Metropolitan Cities!!

Brad E. Bailey, Director Community & Media Relations

Northeast OB/GYN Heading to Schertz

bgage — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 22:34:51 +0000

Schertz, October 26, 2009 – SPV Ventures, LLC, a San Antonio-based real estate developer with properties in San Antonio and Schertz, Texas announced today the addition of Northeast OB/GYN Associates as the newest tenant to its medical office project, Schertz Parkway Professional Plaza. The project, which is to begin construction as early as November, is located at 5000 Schertz Parkway in Schertz, Texas at the intersection of Schertz Parkway and IH-35.

Northeast OB/GYN Associates are women’s health care specialists and provide all general services Obstetrics and Gynecology to patients throughout the San Antonio metro area. Northeast OB/GYN Associates currently has offices in Live Oak, Stone Oak and Village Drive, all in San Antonio, and it is anticipated that their new office in Schertz will augment these locations to provide a wide range of women’s health services to the Schertz/Cibolo/Selma area. “We are excited about expanding our services into the far northeast communities around and including Schertz. We recognize a need for women’s Obstetrics and Gynecological in these areas,” said Dr. Kent Sadler, Medical Director and CEO of Northeast OB/GYN Associates, “ and we are looking forward to providing our programs as well as welcoming other medical practices as they join in Schertz Parkway Professional Plaza’s continued development.”

According to Jesse Hellums, President o f SPV Ventures, “We are also extremely pleased to welcome Northeast OB/GYN Associates as the lead tenant for our project. This project has been in the works for some time, and we are now ready to begin, with plans already drawn and our financing underway.” Mr. Hellums added, “Schertz Parkway Professional Plaza will be comprised of a first phase of 18,000 square feet, which will of course include Northeast OB/GYN, and we plan to eventually construct up to 82,000 square feet of professional-use office space, as well as flex-space, as needed.” Mr. Harry Whitney, Vice President of the Schertz Economic Development Corporation, was integral to SPV Ventures’ efforts to secure Northeast OB/GYN for the Schertz Parkway Professional Plaza project, according to Mr. Hellums. Mr. Whitney, having formally served 30 years as a hospital executive including president CEO of a Los Angeles facility, said “the City of Schertz and Schertz EDC is committed to providing the broadest range of services to our citizens and our neighboring communities, particularly in the medical field. The inclusion of Northeast OB/GYN into Schertz Parkway Professional Plaza is further confirmation of that commitment. Schertz EDC, along with Northeast OB/GYN and certainly SPV Ventures, is excited by the prospects of such a project for growth in our area.”

Providence Title Opens Office in Schertz

schertz — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 20:34:43 +0000

Friday, June 19, 2009

Providence Title extends footprint to Schertz

with new office

San Antonio Business Journal – by Tricia Lynn Silva

Some three months after officially entering the local real estate scene, an up-and-coming title company is on the move again.

Earlier this month, Providence Title Co. opened a second office in the greater San Antonio area — at 171656 IH-35 North, in the city of Schertz, on the far Northeast Side.

The office has opened for business with a staff of eight — including escrow officers Dinah Heilmann, Donnetta Dobbs and Dedra Stark. The professionals hail from competing firms, including Independence Title and Mission Title Co.

“They are already successful to begin with,” says Denise M. Smith, area vice president and an escrow officer for Arlington-based Providence.

Why are they moving to Providence? According to Smith, who oversees the new Schertz office, it’s because of the title company’s culture — its commitment to support employees who are making the day-to-day decisions in the specific markets they serve.

“Our philosophy: We hire successful people, and give them the support to be more successful,” Smith explains.

A title company acts as a middle party in collecting the information related to a real estate deal, and assures the proper transfer of the title.

It was Smith who initially brought Providence Title to the local market. This past March, she re-aligned her company — formerly a franchise office for LandAmerica Lawyers Title — with Providence. Her office is located at 700 E. Sonterra Blvd., in far North San Antonio.

Local leadership

Smith and Providence founder Dan Foster talked with the Business Journal this past March, when the firm made its debut in the Alamo City.

Like Smith, Foster also previously hailed from LandAmerica. A fee attorney by profession, he founded Providence in May 2008.

As Foster explained to the Business Journal, the decision-making power afforded to Providence’s employees has been crucial in a state like Texas — which has fared much better during the housing slump than much of the country.

By comparison, that freedom is often lost in larger firms — which may be more focused on the bottom line than on the individual markets or on the escrow officers that serve those markets, Smith contends.

Case in point is a city like Schertz. The professionals who make up the new Providence Title office already have good market share within the city.

“Schertz is a unique community — with its own customers, its own clientele,” Smith says. “It’s a fairly young market, but a relatively explosive market.”

“Providence Title’s move into Schertz is an affirmation of something that we’ve known in the community for a long while now — Schertz and the entire area northeast of San Antonio continues to be in a strong growth position,” says George Antuna Jr., executive director of the city of Schertz Economic Development department. “Providence’s new office is a clear indication that the real estate market is starting to gain more confidence in Schertz … .”

And as a city like Schertz grows, having professionals in place who know that market is going to be the key to Providence’s success, Smith says.

Of the new professionals who have joined the firm, she adds: “I am so proud, and so honored (to have them at Providence). They are just that good.”

More to offer

Another advantage that Providence brings to this industry: Choice. For example, as an officer with LandAmerica, Smith was limited to selling that firm’s title insurance products. With Providence, she has been able to shop a myriad of underwriters. The company is currently licensed to sell insurance products by major underwriters Lawyers Title, First American, Title Resources and Stewart Title.

With the Schertz office, Providence Title’s coverage now spans eight Texas counties: Bexar, Guadalupe, Kendall, Comal, Tarrant, Denton, Johnson and Parker County.

Statewide, the firm has nine offices. In addition to the two local offices and the Arlington headquarters, Providence Title also has a presence in north Texas counties Weatherford, Burleson, Colleyville, Mansfield and Southlake.

Here in San Antonio, Smith is intent on expanding Providence’s presence.

“I won’t stop until I have everybody,” she says.