TEMPLE, Texas — Friday afternoon on North 7th Street in Temple, FoxDog held it's grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony. The beer garden had previously been hoping to open last fall, but even with several waves of COVID-19 they were able to get it done. FoxDog will now be open every Friday.
That's not the only business coming to downtown Temple. Bubble tea shop Cha Community already has a location in Waco but CEO Devin Li is excited to bring a new location to 7 N. Main in Temple. The company started out in 2018 and graduated from a booth to a food truck to a brick and mortar location. In around two weeks the will have a second.
"Not only did we survive the pandemic but we continued to expand and grow as a team and a company," Li said. "We had a plan to grow into the Temple area."
So how is it that Texas businesses are still able to expand during a pandemic?
Workforce Solutions of Central Texas Director Charley Ayres told 6 News there are several factors that have kept Texas going strong during the pandemic starting with the many people moving to Texas.
"We continue to see the population grow and that population grow and much of that population is migration from the Midwest the Northeast and the West coast," Ayres said.
More people mean larger markets for companies and more employees. As Texas cities get more diverse, so does the demand for diverse cuisine.
Ayres said Texas continues to be seen as a pro-business environment and the legislation and tax code in the state are attractive to small and large businesses.
"That's one reason why you see that Tesla factory being built outside of Austin. Originally that factory was supposed to be built in California but a lot of the regulations are different in Texas than in California so it provides opportunity for those companies," Ayres said.
It's also possible that people who may have lost jobs during the pandemic could have used that opportunity to go into business for themselves.
Finally, Ayres said businesses go where they most talented employees are available and population growth in Texas means more talent as well. Ayres told 6 news retiring Fort Hood soldiers also provide a new pool of talented professionals.
"At the end of the day, he who has the most talent wins," Ayres said.
And while some businesses have more jobs open than there are people to fill them right now, Li said they have had no trouble finding talent so far.
"We are still finding people, just not as fast as we wanted. But we are getting people on a weekly basis," Li said.