Mesquite Turns Up The Heat

Mesquite’s decade of steady growth is starting to show. In the last year alone, Mesquite announced the relocation and expansion of nine new companies including a deal with Canadian Solar that won the Dallas Business Journal’s best industrial real estate deal award. The city is also buzzing with anticipation as government contractor General Dynamics begins operations later this summer.

For those who have been paying attention, the fact that Mesquite now finds itself as an emerging landing spot for domestic and international companies seeking to expand their global operations is not surprising. For those interested in the state’s clean technology sector, perhaps it is time to start paying attention. Governor Greg Abbott certainly is. The fanfare surrounding the Canadian Solar deal includes mentions by the Governor’s Office which is keeping a close eye on all clean tech activity within the state.

In many ways, Mesquite is a paradox. Like many of the cities in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area, it has benefitted from the advantages provided by the state and region’s business-friendly climate and explosive growth. However, despite the growth, Mesquite has persistently retained the ethos of a small town even if its 150,000 population technically classifies it as an emerging mid-sized city. Never one to jump on a trend, Mesquite built its economy by focusing on companies that were reliable tenants and provided jobs to its working-class residents.

The city’s measured approach to growth paid off. Thanks to its reputation as a steadfast partner, Mesquite is bringing in companies willing to invest in significant infrastructure improvements which will help to attract more investment and business. Its commitment to affordability has allowed the community to retain the workforce needed to supply these new companies and has created an opportunity for residential development across all price tiers, including luxury.

Then there is the retail. Mesquite’s East Town Center shopping district has long been a retail powerhouse. Sales from its corporate tenants consistently outperform other locations across the country. From Macy’s to Target to Wingstop, chances are that if a franchise location is in Mesquite, it will find itself on its corporate parent’s list of top 10 locations. Like its business attraction strategy, now that the city has a secure retail base, Mesquite is focused on the next stage of its retail strategy which will include improvements to East Town Center, diversifying and providing more retail, dining, and entertainment opportunities, especially in its more affluent mid-town district, and preparing for the 20% population growth that is expected over the next five years in its Trinity Point at the south end of the city.

As far as Mesquite is concerned, slow and steady, may not make for a glamourous strategy, but it has proven to be a profitable strategy.