posted on October 28, 2010 20:51
Garcia Construction opened a small, three-person office in North San Antonio this week with plans to add between five and seven more positions within the next 12 months.
The 1,000 square foot office is located at 14607 San Pedro Ave., Suite 110.
Charles “Charlie” Garcia, owner of Indianapolis-based Garcia Construction, says San Antonio was an attractive market for expansion, primarily because of its size.
“San Antonio is the seventh largest and growing city in the country. Additionally, ... San Antonio is very unique and open to people coming in and helping the economy grow,” Garcia says. “San Antonio has one of the most vibrant economic development programs than any other city in the nation.”
Interestingly enough, Garcia says the company doesn’t have any projects yet in San Antonio. But he is positive that the company will find work.
His optimism stems from the city’s diverse population and business environment. San Antonio is home to a number of manufacturing, bioscience and software development companies, which could be a source of construction work for Garcia.
Between 60 percent and 70 percent of the company’s projects are on the industrial and office side. The balance of the company’s work is in health care, education, government and retail. Garcia Construction has 150 employees companywide.
Dan Vela, partner and co-owner of Garcia Construction says he’s excited about the company’s expansion and will be working with established contacts to pursue business opportunities for the company. Vela is a San Antonio native with roots throughout Central and South Texas.
As a way to give back to the community, both Vela and Garcia say they will launch a couple of small and mid-sized business development programs that have worked well in Indiana.
One of these is a mentor protégé program where large corporations are matched with small and mid-sized companies to help them grow operations. Helping with the city’s economic development will lead to business opportunities and growth for Garcia Construction, Garcia says
Richard Perez, president and CEO of the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce, says the company’s decision to expand to San Antonio is a strong indication that the local market is strong.
“I think it’s a positive sign when you have a company like Garcia Construction coming into a market (especially) when nationally there are still some of the cob webs of the recession,” Perez says, adding that the potential job creation would be locally beneficial.
San Antonio Business Journal, Tamarind Phinisee, 10/29/10