Dallas, Fort Worth Partner With London To Grow Business Ties

(From City of Dallas) London and the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex announced this week a city-to-city partnership intended to strengthen trade and investment ties between the two regions.

With support from the Dallas Regional Chamber, representing Dallas-Fort Worth and the other cities of North Texas, and London & Partners, the agreement intends to link the two economies more closely together and help high growth companies looking to expand from one region to another.

Following a meeting yesterday in London between London’s Deputy Mayor for Business, Rajesh Agrawal and the Mayors of Dallas and Fort Worth, the two regions have agreed to work together to provide greater assistance to companies looking to scale their operations in each market. Through the partnership, companies will receive support in finding office space, introductions into each ecosystem including advisers, funding sources, accelerator programs and other relevant contacts

The two cities will also connect the innovation scenes through trade missions, signature events and other opportunities over the next several years.

Deputy Mayor for Business, Rajesh Agrawal, said, “London is a truly global business centre and we see lots of opportunities to work with US cities such as Fort Worth and Dallas. We share strengths in entrepreneurship, technology and innovation and we look forward to building stronger city-to-city partnerships to help businesses grow and expand in both regions. London is a leading destination for US businesses, and equally cities such as Dallas and Fort Worth can offer a range of opportunities for London companies looking to grow their footprint in the US market. Today’s partnership agreement between the regions demonstrates that London remains open to investment and collaboration.”

Mayor of Dallas, Mike Rawlings, commented, “Through this partnership, we hope to demonstrate to Londoners what the rest of the US knows - the Texas economy is leading the nation and the DFW region is the engine behind it. With over 140 corporate relocations to our region in the last 8 years, we are a business-friendly location, entrepreneurial in spirit, committed to research, and poised for growth in new and cutting-edge areas. The Dallas business and innovation ecosystem fosters the relationships and support network for companies of all sizes to succeed.”

Mayor of Fort Worth, Betsy Price, added, “We’re delighted to have the opportunity to expand our business connections and talent pool through this partnership. In today’s rapidly changing economy, there’s great strength in sharing opportunities and resources between our cities on an international stage within the technology, innovation, entrepreneurship and startup spaces.”

Dallas-Fort Worth is now the 4th largest region in the U.S. and is adding more jobs than any other U.S. metro area with one of the fastest growing population centres and offering a dynamic, growth-oriented business climate.

London is Europe’s largest technology hub and a leading global financial centre. The UK capital’s thriving tech sector is home to 47,000 enterprises, contributing 242,000 jobs across the city. The United States is the largest overseas market for foreign direct investment into London over the past 10 years.

Image via Payton Potter, Patch staff