By Shelley Kofler, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-904107.mp3
Dallas, TX – Tuesday, executives with one of China's largest manufacturers of wind turbines took a break from the international wind energy conference taking place in Dallas. They walked a few blocks to City Hall to announce they'll open their first overseas office in Dallas. KERA's Shelley Kofler has more on how that may lead to hundreds of new jobs in the city's southern sector.
At Dallas City Hall the managing director of Mingyang Wind Power posed for photos with Councilmember Ron Natinsky as they signed a memo of understanding.
The City of Dallas has agreed to help Mingyang with possible tax abatements, employee training and community relations as it opens its first international sales and consulting office.
In return Councilmember Ron Natinsky expects Mingyang to eventually build a manufacturing facility in Dallas. That could increase the company's Texas workforce from the initial half dozen to as many as 400.
Natinsky: The offices they've selected are in the Uptown area. The manufacturing has a good possibility of being in the Inland Port area or the southern sector industrial parks where you have an adequate supply of jobs and rail connections. You got the highway intersections which are all important.
Mingyang is China's third largest producer of equipment and services used to generate wind energy. The company, which is not owned by the Chinese government, has grown to 2,000 employees in just four years. It's $1.5 billion in revenue this year will more than double last year's revenue.
Mingyang Managing Director Wang Song says locating in Dallas puts his company close to the action.
Wang: We know the state of Texas has the biggest installation of wind power in the United States. One of our business philosophies is we put our manufacturing facilities in places close to our customers. Not only does it save costs but we are doing that to better service our customers.
Wang says Dallas will be the company's base for serving customers in North and South America. He says the many direct flights from DFW International Airport was a selling point.