San Antonio Express News: San Antonio one of 12 chosen for federal program

By: Richard Webner

July 8, 2015

The San Antonio metro area has won entry into an exclusive federal program that will give it bonus points when applying for grants to promote manufacturing.

The U.S. Department of Commerce has picked a dozen regions, including San Antonio, to join its Investing in Manufacturing Communities Partnership program, U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, announced Wednesday morning in a news release. Membership in the program will make it easier for local agencies to get federal money for academic research, infrastructure improvements and programs to promote international trade.

Local leaders are especially focused on workforce development grants to fight the “skill gap” that limits hiring for some local manufacturers, said John Dewey, an ex-officio director at the San Antonio Manufacturers Association, who worked on the application to the program. Doggett, whose district includes parts of San Antonio, echoed that view in his news release.

“Expanding our skilled workforce is essential to expanding local manufacturing,” Doggett said. “This designation should be helpful in accessing federal funds for successful job training programs like the Alamo Academies to assist in filling well-paying manufacturing jobs.”

The regions joining the program will get preference when applying for $1.3 billion worth of grants from 10 federal agencies, according to the Commerce Department’s website.

San Antonio went through a competitive process to be a part of the partnership; last year, 70 communities applied for the 12 spots, according to a White House news release. Local officials applied last year but didn’t win, Dewey said.

The region will be in the partnership for two years, Dewey said, with an opportunity for extension afterward. “It’s pretty automatic on the extension,” he said.

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