Dallas Mayor Johnson Headed to New York City Next Week

Dallas Mayor Eric L. Johnson is headed to New York City next week as part of a group of city business and civic leaders that hopes to showcase the range of the city's business community.

The city announced the trip in a Thursday press release. Johnson and City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert are part of delegation, which hopes to spotlight the rise of its financial services sector (nicknamed "Y'all Street") and promote Dallas as the country's premier city for financial services, investment, and innovation. The group leaves on Feb. 25.

The delegation will also feature Visit Dallas President & CEO Craig Davis, Dallas Economic Development Corporation Chair Gilbert Gerst, Southern Methodist University President Jay Hartzell, and half a dozen other business leaders.

After arriving in New York City, the delegation will spend the next two days meeting with local business executives to highlight the city's business-friendly climate. "Economic development is a competition," Johnson said. "Dallas is competing with America's other major cities, like New York, for the investment of premier businesses and financial institutions. Every member of this delegation is determined to win that competition."

He added, "When we bring new investment, new businesses, and new jobs to Dallas, it creates genuine economic opportunity for all our residents."

The press release notes that major financial institutions are currently investing in Dallas. For instance, Goldman Sachs' Dallas campus is its largest presence outside of New York City and that footprint is expected to continue to expand.

Not only that, but Scotiabank is also working to open a regional headquarters in Dallas, which will add over 1,000 high-paying jobs to the region.