RECRUITERS – IF AND WHEN TO USE – By John Casey CEOs have had good and bad experiences with retained and contingent recruiters and often wonder when they should use a recruiter and how to get the best value. Recruiters are best used when it is: a critical position, important to hire the best candidate, [...]

By Mike Rawlings, Mayor – North Texas is the fastest growing economy in the U.S. We are still in a sluggish economy nationwide but the Dallas workforce saw the second largest improvement nationwide over the second half of the last decade. This did not happen by accident; it happened by emphasizing private/public partnerships, leveraging our [...]

By Betsy Price, Mayor – Years ago, when a farmer needed a new barn, he’d gather his neighbors together and turn it into a community project – a “barn-raising.” The premise was simple: Many hands make the work go faster. As important, it brought the community together – everyone had a stake in building something [...]

Vistage Survey Show Highest Quarterly Gain in CEO Confidence in Two Years –  Texas CEOs see both the economy and hiring improving in the coming year. Rafael Pastor, CEO of Vistage International, recently shared the results of the Q4, 2011 Vistage CEO Confidence Index at the Texas CEO Magazine Speaker Series event in Austin. Like [...]

By Lee Leffingwell, Mayor If the topic is the economy, Austin has a good story to tell. We have the distinction of sitting on top of many “best of” lists. Kiplinger’s Best City for the Next Decade. Forbes’ Biggest Boom Town in the U.S. Fox Business’ Best City for Business. ABC News’ Best Place to [...]

By Annise Parker, Mayor These are tough economic times. If you have a job, you are worried about losing it. Those who are out of work are facing tough competition as they try to find new employment. Knowing this, I have made it a priority to highlight job creation and implement new programs that can, [...]

TEXAS CREATED ONE OF EVERY FIVE JOBS IN THE NATION Of all the new jobs in the United States created between June, 2010 and June, 2011, 20 percent of them – one in every five – was created in Texas. The state’s economy is highlighted in “Best Performing Cities, 2011 – Where America’s Jobs Are [...]

G&A PARTNERS’ CEO TONY GRIJALVA SPEAKS TO THE RISE OF PEOS AND JOB TRENDS IN TEXAS In spite of the economy, in spite of the recession, in spite of companies downsizing or right sizing, Tony Grijalva knows it’s good to be in the hiring business in Texas. Grijalva, the Chairman and CEO of G&A Partners, [...]

RECENTLY RELOCATED COMPANY CEOs SHARE WHY AUSTIN TOPPED THEIR LIST AND WHAT TEXAS CAN DO BETTER It’s no secret that Texas continues to do well in job creation, even during our slow emergence from the recession. And the standout city in Texas for luring jobs from elsewhere is, arguably, Austin. With its mix of an [...]

ELITE EXECUTIVES OF DALLAS’ CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY DISCUSS THE CHALLENGES OF BUILDING IN 2012 AND BEYOND The commercial construction market dropped 8.5 percent in Texas between 2009 and 2010, according to Engineering News Record. Permits for single-family homes are down 14 percent in 2011 compared to last year. The construction industry is facing challenges not seen [...]

THE ECONOMY AND POLITICAL CLIMATE ARE LIKELY TO CAST A HARSH LIGHT ON EXECUTIVE PAY DECISIONS By David Bixby Overall, 2011 proved a fairly positive proxy season for public companies holding their first Say on Pay shareholder advisory votes as part of new proxy requirements under The Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act [...]

CEO STEPHEN BROOKS ON WHY AND HOW HE REINVENTED GRAND HOMES For the first 20 years of Stephen Brooks’ tenure, Grand Homes was continually growing to the point of building 1,000 homes in 2003. Five years later the home building business in Dallas hit bottom. Along with the obvious economic pain, Grand Homes found itself [...]