In November, the message went out to a select audience that the five-county Austin region is abundantly supplied with workforce talent—thanks to a "world-class research university" and more than 100,000 college students to replenish the workforce.

With the location here this year of Qualcomm's chip design center and the decision by Nokia to establish a presence here, Austin's reputation as a center for wireless innovation is leaping ahead. Qualcomm, a pioneer of CDMA (code division multiple access) digital wireless technology and one of the leading enablers of 3G wireless products and services, now has created what it describes as a "world-class digital signal processing design center" in Austin.

Austin was the place to be for key location consultants from across the country between October 3 and October 5, 2004. The three-day long "Take Us for a Spin" themed-event was an invitation-only planned event that showcased the region's attractions and aimed to prove why Austin tops the lists when cities are ranked for business, climate, creativity and quality of life.

Determination, perseverance and a desire to keep its Austin location resulted in a comeback story for GTI Coatings, Inc., a precision metal finishing company hard hit during the national recession several years ago. GTI specializes in plating and metal cleaning for the electronics, semiconductor, aerospace and telecommunications industry.

Construction is underway and interviews have started for the 500 new jobs available at The Home Depot Technology Center. In late July the world's largest home improvement retailer decided to locate its new technology center here.

As Sematech, the international semiconductor research and development consortium, opens an important new chapter, the Austin City Council showed its support with a vote for incentives that will save Sematech's new spin-off company up to $7.3 million over the next 10 years.

Bernard C. Harris Publishing Company, Inc., the market leader in providing customized affinity-based solutions for educational institutions and membership organizations, is expanding its presence in Austin, adding at least 150 new jobs to its current employee base.

The Austin area's emerging wireless industry took a giant leap forward on the global stage with the announcement that the Wi-Fi Alliance is moving its headquarters to Austin from Mountain View, California. Community and business leaders describe the move as a major win for the city and a momentum builder for economic development.

The first business recruited under the Opportunity Austin banner, TASUS Corporation of Bloomington, Ind., has announced that it will locate in Georgetown, providing 100 jobs and an initial investment of $6 million that will grow in later years to $13 million.