[{"_1":2,"_122":-5,"_123":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99,111],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6531602,"mediaKeyId","3522284-f954c30a49fce45a4b68f650df8a0d60","parentId",3522284,"title","Committee approves March 25 minutes","audioSeconds",15,"startMs",29000,"endMs",44000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3522284-f954c30a49fce45a4b68f650df8a0d60&start=29&end=44","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3522284-f954c30a49fce45a4b68f650df8a0d60/thumbnail_29000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6531602/San-Antonio/Bexar-County/Texas/Committee-approves-March-25-minutes","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6531602-249a19f0bbd4ef3d3002a46e637ed2ff/orig.mp4?Expires=1770959493&Signature=hqz2972HYCesn~43WBNRl8C8lAmQXU6px-rx-lNUVNtSYlDkepKODZt-aoyaqhnssLFze8h-dBsihd-iglcg9jpBKC4Xfc~calVYzSpIBEYv6wynJaGZtQje6-WJZ3CTOY8B9juTvCZcqtIk3gb5CmHGuHTMLtR03uJnVXE8d8n-AiN0WgBjup~8SOi5wEHzsHatKQu1qttLGm5RePxVlsywFcsWCsN5F1~zBS88qi0HolbXjYZ1hNUDpLFb96mnws8W3ePAYzeVM4EfoGjFBj1Y5CRJZmcC8o2OPWcymXgDRnisEOEyJQY9npZK1CxlNpHGHEWfiyKnnwj57hI7sQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","San Antonio","date","2025-05-27T00:00:00Z","article","At the start of the meeting, Council member Richard Garcia moved to approve the minutes of the March 25 meeting. The item was approved by unanimous voice vote, the chair announced.

No other formal motions or votes were recorded in the public portion of the meeting; the committee recessed into an executive session later and returned reporting no action taken.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","San Antonio - Economic and Workforce Development Committee May 27, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The committee approved the minutes of March 25 by unanimous voice vote at the May 27 meeting.","taxTitle","San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas","taxId",2771,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6531607,"City outlines supplier engagement strategy; Mentor-Protégé and bonding pilot results reviewed",215,3607000,3822000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3522284-f954c30a49fce45a4b68f650df8a0d60&start=3607&end=3822","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3522284-f954c30a49fce45a4b68f650df8a0d60/thumbnail_3607000.jpg","/articles/6531607/San-Antonio/Bexar-County/Texas/City-outlines-supplier-engagement-strategy-Mentor-Protégé-and-bonding-pilot-results-reviewed","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6531607-286c9aad27666f1cf15f8e5a3d5ba8de/orig.mp4?Expires=1770959493&Signature=Bxui0NC5cGRFRwz9ZmUkx31VDaeb2RGs3mfqn4~I0IbbLOwHrhCOYB10iq4Z2iWv7nyARPvgzaqK6W6RuWwXUAbAYFXqLHKbUymRvUizPFjRQYz~5~IpDOtElZyXV0TpXZYmZMR-Q~Gb30IqpdOAPqE~rKHdoyZqJombNFWyXn1Ri0BOA2E97HJvUxg8WdhWzXtGjglHDD6TgvuJdyMWM4Qhzl3yVKVqaogovHLbb9WzRVRVoLjGU5xc-3JtCGqRSFXs~L9lycMV-Pw6gXxamO9Vn95HMPmzP9KMbvYz-HXdpj3ZsinuC6SBBOB5MfsiJ5wlweme5VDgXiyrPaDsRQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Anna Bradshaw, assistant director in the Economic Development Department, briefed the committee on a supplier engagement strategy intended to tie the city's preference programs, mentor-protégé activities and targeted capacity-building into a coordinated approach.

Bradshaw summarized three pillars of the strategy: outreach and engagement, supplier development, and continued use of preference programs (SABETA and veteran/local preference programs). She said the strategy responds to findings in the disparity study and the procurement playbook and aims to \"meet potential vendors where they are,\" increase qualified bidders and improve contracting outcomes for local, minority- and women-owned firms.

Staff reviewed two active programs: the Mentor-Protégé program (operated in partnership with Alamo Colleges, funded through an interlocal agreement) and a capacity-building and bonding assistance pilot run with SAEDC and Alamo Surety Bond.

Bradshaw said the Mentor-Protégé program has been operating about 15 years and has a backlog of proteges and a shortage of mentors; the program needs modernization. The bonding assistance pilot enrolled 27 participants (versus an initial estimate of about 90) and logged almost 120 hours of consultation. Participants' bonding capacity increased from about $2,000,000 to nearly $15,000,000, Bradshaw said, but that increase had not yet translated into proportional COSA contract awards; staff said the pilot is concluding, a final report will be produced and staff will recommend next steps.

Bradshaw outlined year-one implementation items: program reviews completed, targeted outreach rolling out, Mentor-Protégé enhancements with Alamo Colleges and SABETA-related process improvements to go live July 1. She said staff will leverage EDD research to identify pockets of unregistered vendors (for example, auto parts dealers) to target outreach, and the strategy includes events to connect contractors with subcontractors.

Council members asked whether the bonding assistance pilot will be funded in the upcoming fiscal year; Bradshaw said the pilot is concluding and staff will assess next steps after a final data report from Alamo Surety Bond. The SABETA committee provided positive feedback and asked for follow-up on communications and marketing.

Ending note: Bradshaw welcomed Ivan Suarez, a newly hired staff member (formerly USDA), who will help lead implementation; staff requested continued committee feedback as implementation continues.","Economic development staff previewed a holistic supplier engagement strategy that centers outreach, supplier development and preference programs; the bonding assistance pilot had 27 participants and increased bonding capacity for participants but did not yet produce proportionate COSA contract wins.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6531612,"EDD unveils interactive economic performance dashboard; shows veteran-owned firms and sustainable energy GDP",726,2184000,2910000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3522284-f954c30a49fce45a4b68f650df8a0d60&start=2184&end=2910","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3522284-f954c30a49fce45a4b68f650df8a0d60/thumbnail_2184000.jpg","/articles/6531612/San-Antonio/Bexar-County/Texas/EDD-unveils-interactive-economic-performance-dashboard-shows-veteran-owned-firms-and-sustainable-energy-GDP","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6531612-eaa4bd4434cf81885054a9c1e5d2d38d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770959493&Signature=VUAEhTaCdDb1PhbTXp3o0S1-ockdblmtVIqOvtr~RGEme695Ipc~3HycST7mipOV~o7CyJahiPGkGvgVOkWhccDO1R0Im8KiKfGLGBNK6gfK~uWY601WAcRrafmHLOl83ZpHcFtISwhKToBg4tMu6juAtjXld4QEgMCokuvks9OrHI4mxYLsbS3lkCRNAnY3TzPIL6D5MEmgeBolAN1CSFlB51fwhWPNOsxVqHEiRbKRcTuBW33OxVQz7wQ7TydzfhzhqFu2u1zvSxowU6GgesvMJjSJPa2yFSzbxcygTCsz~DjaLsHsoFxvRp0nzwZC0NbxJY~hr2l5OaSAjEZrXQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Benjamin Lisiewicz, research and intelligence manager in the Economic Development Department (EDD), demonstrated the department's economic performance dashboard and said the tool is intended to make complex data transparent and actionable.

Lisiewicz walked the committee through sample queries: ownership demographics (gender, race, Hispanic ownership, veteran status) and strategic-industry cluster metrics. Using U.S. Census and other sources, staff showed veteran-owned firms represent about 10% of businesses in San Antonio and said that aligns with the local veteran share of the labor force (around 8%).

On strategic industries, Lisiewicz used the dashboard to illustrate the sustainable energy cluster. He said San Antonio has roughly 1,000 businesses classified in that cluster, about 30,000 estimated employees, and an industry gross domestic product contribution the presenter reported as $11,000,000,000, representing more than 6% of the region's GDP in the dashboard data.

Lisiewicz said the dashboard splits data into six buckets (EDD outcomes, SABETA, loans and incentives performance, benchmarking, business data and peer-city comparisons) and provides source citations on each page. He noted different data fields refresh on different cadences (some annually via the U.S. Census, some monthly).

Council members praised the dashboard's functionality and asked about update cadence, links to partner dashboards and potential aesthetic improvements for public-facing appeal. Lisiewicz said EDD staff maintain and update the dashboard in-house; update frequency depends on the underlying data source. Members recommended making the splash page more engaging and linking other departmental dashboards into a central entry point.","The Economic Development Department showed an interactive public dashboard (sa.gov/edd/performancedashboard) highlighting business ownership demographics (about 10% veteran-owned businesses) and industry metrics including sustainable energy's $11 billion GDP contribution and roughly 30,000 jobs.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6531617,"City updates economic development framework, highlights loans, parcel reviews and facade grants",495,1155000,1650000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3522284-f954c30a49fce45a4b68f650df8a0d60&start=1155&end=1650","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3522284-f954c30a49fce45a4b68f650df8a0d60/thumbnail_1155000.jpg","/articles/6531617/San-Antonio/Bexar-County/Texas/City-updates-economic-development-framework-highlights-loans-parcel-reviews-and-facade-grants","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6531617-194e7d122621b29d43a675d77326f10d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770959493&Signature=LWImeoCbmLQm5FdBrFAFym~SFuBDw5fTA4GrCj3EKis8y12xjOJsms4lDS4I-w1XFOWU4utoxAHeWyRsx87IjKMz35D4nY73xcdze2KcH24zcAQhAJ8FoiGo9hUmvzjJIiSIojSZhf4ooPs5bpwlgmX5kbZ2XtEHvyEz6x3nK~-Q~mAROLsX6G77VwRzMiLq8Xj3lmd5uL59HiLa0Zwrwwsa2QcsEaB7nR3szBEEC4SRnNurTQbWoO-LkDvP8VJcSXfD7PfRjcjLnQyQWMNHX7U~otFrUC8lr5GMSQUL2sKB-vRycw-P2DqbbpQ5SclQRMBfYPSkGL76vrFT-hNPeg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Brenda Hicks Lawrence, director of economic development for the City of San Antonio, briefed the committee on the city's economic development strategic framework (accepted by city council in October 2022) and the fiscal year 2025 priority implementation areas.

Hicks Lawrence said the framework's guiding principles include equitable economic opportunity, resilience, investment and placemaking. Fiscal-year priorities include strategic account management, real estate and placemaking, systems and processes improvements, and small-business ecosystem enhancements. Staff noted continued work wrapping up ARPA-funded programs and rolling out the SABETA implementation approved by council in December (adoption targeted by July 1).

On business retention and growth, staff reported outreach and visit targets: a target of 600 outreach visits for the year, with about 363 visits reported through the March 31 reporting period. Staff said conversion from outreach to on-site visits has been about 18% and that internal staffing changes have increased outreach by 64% in the most recent quarter.

Hicks Lawrence described the city's 0% interest loan program, which the presentation said had a fiscal-year target of 70 loans. Through March 31 the city reported providing 85 loans and \"just under 300,000,000 in capital disperse and just over 1,000,000 in interest bought down.\" Staff added that the program balance remaining was low; the presentation reported a remaining balance of about $13,000 as of the prior week. (Staff said applications are still being processed.)

Council members and staff discussed identifying city-owned parcels for redevelopment; staff said the San Antonio Economic Development Corporation has identified about 10 parcels now undergoing due diligence and that staff will provide a district-level list. Council members emphasized continued support for the facade grant program and warned about displacement pressures on small businesses; staff said they will monitor budget decisions and be prepared to respond during the council's budget process.

Staff also summarized work on closing ARPA programs and updating the small-business ecosystem assessment; responses to the solicitation for that assessment were under review at the time of the briefing.

Ending note: Council members asked for district-level data on program outcomes and emphasized retention work and continued investment in facade and place-making programs as the budget process approaches.","City economic development staff briefed the committee on the strategic framework priorities (adopted 2022), ARPA program closeouts, supplier engagement work and several active programs including a 0% interest loan program that has exceeded loan targets through March 31.",{"_33":112,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":113,"_41":114,"_43":115,"_45":115,"_47":116,"_49":117,"_51":118,"_53":119,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":120,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":121,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6531621,"LaunchSA says relaunch drew thousands, plans Waypoint program and more funding events",0,4052000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3522284-f954c30a49fce45a4b68f650df8a0d60&start=4052&end=4052","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3522284-f954c30a49fce45a4b68f650df8a0d60/thumbnail_4052000.jpg","/articles/6531621/San-Antonio/Bexar-County/Texas/LaunchSA-says-relaunch-drew-thousands-plans-Waypoint-program-and-more-funding-events","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6531621-fed9205c53164fad0fbd60cea14e40be/orig.mp4?Expires=1770959493&Signature=AF32swIHKyzOn7qbSLC~Z6LPN3v34r7EikOnQNF0zBuXY8X-gY7XlBvyE1OJ14s9YCxVKYghAABngxWfNUmQEFAM6iUu6FDkVKjnkW9qO~Oy-~TydgVfCq4ynm1TyPChHXIOAaw7iOyuYFv73ePv9TkGfquoXijq~Lo0ueQRZg81jJgTFfa9RNs-hIc9eQMqNoWWpOymlOus7poHnDEerTOrCKwSNOzA-M4eQ1tCNDraXNAf~lAsaBCJL0wGACVLpq08QEZJD5W~26qn6SFVLEVa3tisy21vLXU1N4Q2bJCWoPfmYqHfe9gca3~buAKwVgNu8eNEb9qZd12q94iFLA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Matthew, a representative of Geekdom and the contractor operating LaunchSA, told the City of San Antonio committee that the relaunch of LaunchSA (October 2023'024 year) produced a refreshed space, new branding and renewed outreach to the small-business community. \"We really see ourselves as an ecosystem hub between the partner organizations, resources, and the small business owners and entrepreneurs here in San Antonio,\" Matthew said.

LaunchSA provides one-on-one advising, workshops and partner-led programming from its location at the central library and through off-site events. Geekdom reported 200 events since the relaunch, roughly 4,000 attendees at those events, and more than 1,100 businesses and entrepreneurs supported through its one-on-one assistance process. About half of requesters are new entrepreneurs and the other half are existing businesses, the presenter said.

The program directs clients through an assistance request form and internal research to referrals or a meeting with a business adviser. Matthew said business planning, strategy and access to funding are among the most common requests. LaunchSA also launched LaunchSA Link, a public directory of partner organizations; the presenter said 61 partners are listed.

Looking ahead, Geekdom outlined a set of initiatives: applications opening soon for the Waypoint program (an eight-week, 0-to-1 cohort for people starting businesses); a return of a culinary accelerator in the fall; and a funding resource fair planned for next month to connect banks and funding partners with business owners. The Business Chronicle series of district events will continue, and staff said the organization is considering elevating the district event model into a conference/summit.

Council members asked how business owners find LaunchSA. Matthew pointed to community outreach, library partnerships and referrals among business owners and said LaunchSA has been working to build relationships with banks; the presenter said bankers have engaged with LaunchSA during the access-to-capital fair and have referred clients for business planning assistance. Council members recommended further outreach to lawyers who form LLCs and to bar and restaurant associations; Matthew welcomed introductions.

Council members also asked for more granular data by council district and program-level breakdowns of technical assistance and funding outcomes. Director Brenda Hicks Lawrence, director of economic development for the city, said LaunchSA is a city initiative managed through a contract (up to five years) and that the city will continue to solicit and review performance as part of regular contract oversight.

The presentation included a small-business example: the presenter highlighted Lava Lopez, owner of Capet, as a local owner who re-engaged LaunchSA advising for growth and funding work.

Staff said they will provide district-level client counts and more detailed breakdowns on services and funding outcomes on request. Several council members encouraged continued partner outreach, more events inside neighborhoods and tracking of the sources of capital clients pursue.

Ending note: Council members said they were generally pleased with the relaunch metrics and urged continued outreach and measurement; staff said they expect to brief council roughly every six months and will provide the requested program-level data.","Geekdom, the city's LaunchSA contractor, reported 200 events, about 4,000 attendees and more than 1,100 businesses served since its relaunch and outlined new programs including an eight-week Waypoint starter cohort and a funding resource fair next month.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee approves March 25 minutes

City outlines supplier engagement strategy; Mentor-Protégé and bonding pilot results reviewed

EDD unveils interactive economic performance dashboard; shows veteran-owned firms and sustainable energy GDP

City updates economic development framework, highlights loans, parcel reviews and facade grants

LaunchSA says relaunch drew thousands, plans Waypoint program and more funding events