Tesla dominated the headlines last year when it came to companies expanding or moving to the Austin area. But even with the car company’s expansion that is bringing 5,000 new jobs to the region, it still only accounts for a little more than one-fifth of all the new jobs coming to the Austin area.
According to the Austin Chamber of Commerce, 97 companies announced expansions in the Austin area from January through November and another 84 companies were new to the region. Combined, new and expanded companies accounted for 24,439 new jobs to the Austin area.
Some of these companies and jobs were local. The Cangshan Cutlery knife manufacturing company is opening up new offices in Leander that will employ 300. New to Cedar Park are the Perfect Game professional baseball talent development company with 127 expected to be employed at its headquarters and 240 Tech, a high-speed garment printing company that will employ 35.
Also in Cedar Park, Firefly Aerospace — a satellite launch vehicle engineering/research and development firm — is bringing 682 local jobs through its expansion. Expanding its headquarters and bringing 500 new jobs to the Cedar Park area is Shop LC, a TV channel and online jewelry auction site. Iodine Software, a hospital software leveraging artificial intelligence and machine learning, is creating 12 new jobs with the expansion of its headquarters.
Unsurprisingly, many of the companies opening new offices or expanding current ones in the Austin area are primarily technology firms. However, there are a few that veer away from the expected path. Those with a sweet tooth would probably enjoy working at the new Hershey Creamery or Museum of Ice Cream. Anheuser-Busch opened a regional marketing hub and Fast Friends Beer Co. expanded its operations. Zox is manufacturing wristbands and Dear Media is producing podcasts and digital programs. Telemedicine services, online financing of home improvement projects and digital marketing firms also expanded during 2021.
We already know the continued influx of companies expanding or opening in Austin will continue into this year and beyond, with Amazon announcing Dec. 20 that it will create more than 2,000 jobs in the area over the next few years. This all points to how business-friendly the region is — and the wonderful pool of talent available in the Austin area. Another draw? The enviable lifestyle found in Austin and the many wonderful places to live (such as Bryson!).
If you’d like to see the full list of companies who announced they were expanding or opening in the Austin area, you can see it here.
