The Greater Austin Chamber unveiled the next 5 year phase of its Opportunity Austin strategy, 2014-2018. Business and community leaders joined the Chamber and its regional partners as it announced the new program of work and the funding campaign to support it on December 12, 2012.

Opportunity Austin 3.0 focused on initiatives for the Economy, Talent, and Place. Top priorities included boosting economic diversification to proactively strengthen the economy, deepening the talent pool through development and attraction, and keeping the Greater Austin region attractive to entrepreneurs, business leaders and site selectors through expanded advocacy on issues such as a comprehensive regional transportation system and regional collaboration.

Opportunity Austin 3.0 targeted over eight key industries for future economic development, including: advanced manufacturing, creative and digital media technology, clean energy and power technology, life sciences, data management, space technology, and corporate headquarters and regional offices.

The goal of Opportunity Austin 3.0 was to work toward measurable and impactful goals through a set of metrics which include Total Private Employment, Average Annual Wages, Per Capita Income, Poverty Rate, Child Poverty Rate, Educational Attainment (BA or higher), Commuters Who Drive Alone, and Congestion Index.

The most competitive communities are those with a steadfast commitment to improving their work force, quality of life and business climate through aggressive, proactive programming. The professional staff at the Austin Chamber of Commerce knows that boosting the greater Austin economy is our number one priority and our Opportunity Austin 2.0 (2009-2013) action plan works aggressively to ensure the economic prosperity for Central Texas through job growth and creation.

Working with Market Street, an independent firm focusing solely on community and economic development issues, we are specifically targeting five industries for growth: convergence technologies, creative media, green industries, corporate/professional headquarters/offices, healthcare and life sciences.

Among the target-related infrastructure developments we are actively supporting: prioritizing the funding, development and construction of a top-tier medical school in Austin and securing the development of the TxAN research lab in Central Texas.