Business/Economic Development Reporter

Business/economic development reporter Fort Worth is growing by 20,000 people a year and is home to major employers such as Lockheed Martin, Bell helicopter, American Airlines and a number of hospital systems. Yet the burden of property taxes falls disproportionately on residential property owners and our economy is heavily driven by lower-paying retail, entertainment and service industries. Some fear it’s only a matter of time until Fort Worth and Tarrant County are merely considered bedroom communities for Dallas. The business/economic development reporter tracks our major industries and our community’s efforts to bring more high-paying jobs and tax-paying industries to Fort Worth and Tarrant County. This includes news about new or potential economic development projects, our community’s strategies to attract and retain high-paying jobs, what businesses are growing, who is hiring or laying off, who is benefitting from the development and who is not, and issues regarding workforce development/preparedness. The beat includes downtown development and redevelopment, as well. The businesses/economic development reporter is a part of the Star-Telegram’s Crossroads Lab, a group of reporters funded through philanthropic partnerships to examine our community’s challenges and opportunities with a goal of raising awareness and engagement around matters key to the success of our community and the entirety of its diverse population, with an emphasis on solutions-based reporting.