VIEWPOINT -
Dallas needs a new image for new times
01/01/2001
by ALAN STEELMAN
For 100 years, Dallas-Fort Worth prospered on an economic platform of domestic
oil and gas Texas-owned banks and local real estate development.
The financial meltdown of the mid-to-late ‘80s essentially vaporized all three.
Over the past decade, the region’s economy has recovered and migrated to a more
diverse base of companies whose trade and commerce are more technologically and
internationally based.
During the same time, the world economy and political system underwent a
transformation of equally seismic proportions. The past 10 years have seen the
formation of the World Trade Organization, the North American Free Trade Area,
and the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation forum and the European Union. Today,
commerce is the primary driver of U.S. relations with other countries.
Within this new global economic context, the Dallas-Fort Worth area finds itself
in furious competition with other U.S. and overseas cities on a number of
fronts. Unfortunately, we aren’t winning as often as we need to be. In fact,
there are several troubling trends that signal potential trouble ahead.
In collaboration with Bain and Co., a major international management consulting
firm, the Dallas Council on World Affairs recently completed a two-year study on
the region’s strengths and weaknesses as an international city.
The primary finding is that, while Dallas-Fort Worth has many positive
attributes, it faces significant, thought not insurmountable, challenges to
becoming a world-class, international city in the near-to-medium future.
Dallas-Fort Worth is a vibrant “national” center endowed with a dynamic economy
and a significant potential. Yet the region’s limited set of intellectual,
cultural and other related civic assets remains an obstacle to attaining “tier
one” status in the hierarchy of global urban centers.
The region’s lack of international stature is hindering its growth. For
example:
• In the high-tech sector, area firms report a difficulty in recruiting from out
of state and
overseas due to the greater appeal of the San Francisco Bay area
and the Boston area
• A decade ago, the area was a preferred relocation site for corporate
headquarters. Today, it
is primarily attracting back-office relocations.
• There has been a major departure of large oil company headquarters – Caltex to
Singapore,
Fina to Houston, and the international headquarters of ARCO from
Plano to London. (On the
other hand, Irving-based Exxon absorbed Virginia-based
Mobil.)
• The Commission for Labor Cooperation, established under a side accord to the
North
American Free Trade Agreement, moved to Washington, D.C. The labor
secretaries of the
United States, Canada and Mexico felt that Dallas was too far
“off the beaten path” for the
commission’s activities
In spite of a strong, well-financed effort, Dallas-Fort Worth was beaten out by
Seattle for the World Trade Organization ministerial conference two years ago.
In spite of the civil unrest that marked the conference, Seattle is still seen
as a place where serious global policy issues are seriously discussed, a
distinction which is important to the future of any city aspiring to global
prominence.
In comparing the region to other tier-one international cities, Dallas-Fort
Worth is given high marks for “quality of life” and “transportation
infrastructure.” Yet, it lags in culture and diversity, world-class intellectual
assets and image and perception.
The three most important areas to be addressed in any action plan are that the
region continue to build toward economic primacy, develop world-class
intellectual assets and build a more differentiated brand image. Dallas-Fort
Worth has a strong foundation in all three. It is already world-class in
telecommunications equipment and biotechnology, Both Southern Methodist
University and the University of Texas at Dallas are making tremendous strides
in international business and engineering
The committee that is trying to attract the 2012 Summer Olympics to Dallas-Fort
Worth will offer a good opportunity for broadening the perception and image of
the region. Area leaders and organizations are cooperating to move the
initiative forward. Because the economy is increasingly driven by global forces,
the initiative is key to the region’s future economic vitality.
Alan Steelman, a former U.S. representative from North Texas, is president of
the Dallas Council on World Affairs and president of North America for Maxager
Technology Inc.
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