PRESS RELEASE: RICHARDSON WINS 2017 FDI STRATEGY AWARD RECOGNIZING CITY’S SOFT LANDING SERVICES FOR INTERNATIONAL BUSINESSES

December 15, 2017
 
 
 
Richardson Contact: Ashley Sears
972-580-0662 x19
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
RICHARDSON WINS 2017 FDI STRATEGY AWARD RECOGNIZING
CITY’S SOFT LANDING SERVICES FOR INTERNATIONAL BUSINESSES
 
 
fDi Magazine’s year-end fDi Strategy Awards recognize “best of the best” from
year’s award submissions; Richardson has previously earned honors three times
in magazine’s bi-annual “American Cities of the Future” Awards
 
 
RICHARDSON, Texas – December 15, 2017 – On the heels of being honored earlier
this year, for a third time, with fDi Magazine’s “Top 10 in Small Cities for fDi Strategy”
honor, the City of Richardson has now been named an fDi Strategy Award winner for its
outstanding soft landing services in support of international companies. The fDi Strategy
Awards recognize the previous year’s most exemplary award submissions related to
strategic foreign direct investment (fDi) initiatives, and as such, represent a “best of the
best” commendation.
   “We are proud to earn this distinguished honor for our strategic international
business development program,” said Richardson Mayor Paul Voelker. “Through the
joint efforts of the City, Chamber of Commerce and many business and community
leaders, Richardson has truly become a thriving hub of innovative, internationally
oriented business activity. We salute our partners for their efforts and pledge to continue
positioning Richardson as a top-tier destination for foreign investment.”
   For these prestigious, year-end awards, the fDi Intelligence division of the
Financial Times considered all the submissions ranked between October 2016 and
October 2017 in the fDi Strategy category of fDi Rankings. This totalled 117 locations
worldwide under consideration for additional honors.
   Richardson previously earned recognition earlier this year, and also in 2015, in
fDi Magazine’s “American Cities of the Future” list as “Top 10 in Small Cities for fDi
Strategy.” Richardson also was ranked by the magazine in the overall “Top 10 American
Cities of the Future” in 2013.
   “These repeated honors validate the continued, focused efforts of our Mayor’s
Office of International Business,” said Michael Skelton, vice president for international
business development for the Richardson Economic Development Partnership (REDP),
and director of the Mayor’s Office of International Business. “Today’s recognition of our
soft landing services is particularly attributable to the International Concierge Program
we have created, which provides hands-on support from business and community
leaders to help incoming, foreign companies set up operations in Richardson and jumpstart
their businesses. We look forward to continued fostering of robust inbound and
outbound international business activity.”
   In 2011, the City of Richardson and the Richardson Chamber of Commerce
approved the formation of the Mayor’s Office of International Business through the
REDP, between the two organizations. The City of Richardson has been outsourcing
domestic-focused economic development to the Richardson Chamber of Commerce for
30 years, but wanted to expand its foreign direct investment into the city by leveraging its
position in North Texas as an international destination for foreign technology
companies.
   This started with the development of the Telecom Corridor® Area and extended
to other high-tech industries. Today, Richardson has the U.S. headquarters or regional
offices of more than 60 foreign-based companies. This heavy concentration of foreignbased
companies prompted the Texas Legislature to proclaim Richardson as the
International Business Capital of North Texas in May of 2011.
 
 
About the Richardson Economic Development Partnership
The Richardson Economic Development Partnership (REDP) is a joint effort of the City
of Richardson and the Richardson Chamber of Commerce, dedicated to building a
vibrant and thriving local economy by attracting new investment and jobs through
marketing, recruitment and working with existing employers. The REDP offers numerous
services to companies considering expansion or relocation to the Telecom Corridor®
area, including broker and real estate referrals, cost of business analyses, incentives,
partner and executive introductions, relocation assistance, site selection, tours and city
information. For more information, visit www.telecomcorridor.com.
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