In an interview with Fox 7 News, Laura Huffman, the president and CEO of the Austin Chamber of Commerce says:

“This is huge news not just for Austin but for the whole region, and in addition to the 5,000 jobs Tesla will be creating directly, we estimate that the innovation that this decision brings on the ground in Austin will bring another 4,000 jobs.”

Additionally, Teslarati highlighted Laura's thoughts on Tesla's community partnerships for workforce development:

“We’re looking at construction, engineering, manufacturing, operations, information technology and design. And one of the things that I think is most beneficial to our community about Tesla coming to Austin is that, not only are they going to look for workforce from our community, from people that we have right here, right now, but they’re going be partnering with local educators to make sure that the job training is in place. So, we’re going to be building skills in these areas as they build the site and as they hire their teams.”

Charisse Bodisch, senior vice president of economic development at the Chamber spoke to Community Impact Newspaper to add:

“It's exciting to see Tesla’s rapid pace of construction on their new Gigafactory in Austin’s Eastern Crescent. We look forward to the variety of new jobs that will be created ongoing as the project develops and the impact that will be realized in Travis County, Del Valle and our region.”

In the latest Business Facilities' 2020 report, Austin ranks #2 in Tech Leaders and #3 Best Business Climate (Large Metros)

Austin’s consistent placement at the top of business rankings is no accident. Our economic development team has worked to create over 464,000 jobs since 2004, and they are now working even harder to drive Austin’s economic growth. They provide support for relocation and expansion projects, including real estate research, and the facilitation of all aspects of the site selection process.

In this Austin American Statesman article, real estate experts share how the Austin housing market is booming, buoyed by low interest rates and the fact that the Austin region remains a highly desirable place to live and work.

Laura Huffman, the Chamber's president and CEO is quoted as saying:

“Recent economic development successes in the region—notably from Tesla and BAE Systems—will bring thousands of jobs to the region and contribute to our ongoing population growth. Our region has a long way to go in its recovery from the brunt of this pandemic, but economic indicators show the Central Texas economy will weather this storm.”

In this deep dive by KUT’s Mose Buchele, we learn the true history of where our beloved – and accurate – moniker came from. (Hint: The Chamber of Commerce had something to do with it!)