Wells Fargo’s new campus in Irving is the latest sign of the finance industry’s growing investment in North Texas.
The $570 million campus has two 10-story buildings with 850,000 square feet of space overlooking Lake Carolyn in the Las Colinas neighborhood by the Toyota Music Factory, Irving Convention Center and about 15 minutes from the D-FW International Airport. It will hold about 4,500 workers.
“By bringing our Dallas-Fort Worth area employees together in this dynamic environment, we’re better positioned to support our clients and customers across Texas and the U.S.,” Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf said in a statement
The company celebrated the opening Tuesday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and panel discussion between Scharf, TV personality Mike Rowe, and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott.
“When you look at the addition of Wells Fargo and their growing footprint in the state of Texas, we are growing leaps and bounds ahead of any other state,” Abbott told a crowd of about 130 people during the panel discussion.
He touted the region’s growing finance sector as an example of how the Texas economy has diversified and become less reliant on the oil and gas industry, making the state’s economy more stable.
The Dallas-Fort Worth metro area is second only to New York City when it comes to the number of financial sector employees. The growth has been largely attributed to the area's relative affordability and business-friendly politicians.
“The word welcoming doesn't do justice to what the governor has done for us,” Scharf said at the event. “How many cell phone numbers of different governors do you think I have across the country? The answer is one. And it's this governor.”
Rowe spoke at the discussion panel about the need for more workers in trade and construction jobs to build out large facilities like the Irving campus. Wells Fargo is funding his Work Ethic Scholarship Program, which helps people pay for trade school.
Rowe told KERA anybody can capitalize on the region’s growing financial sector because of how many buildings are under construction.
“Anybody who's ever dreamt of being in a corner office is gonna need somebody who can build a corner office,” Rowe said.
The Wells Fargo location opened as Goldman Sachs is still building out its $500 million campus in Uptown Dallas, which will be 800,000 square feet.
“The D-FW area truly is the epicenter of finance in the United States,” Abbott said.
Dylan Duke is KERA's Fall news intern. Got a tip? Email Dylan Duke at dduke@kera.org.
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