Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings says the city is hot, and he’s not talking about the temperature.
The mayor cited several nationwide ratings in his annual State of the City speech, and announced a big new development for the Inland Port.
Mayor Rawlings says Dallas made the top ten in a lot of surveys this past year.
“Number two on the list of best cities to start a business; number four for job growth, number four on the list of best places for new college graduates. I love that,” Rawlings said.
Rawlings’s address was before the Dallas Regional Chamber.
“The Inland Port is back in business,” he said as he announced that cosmetics giant L’Oreal will build a $50 million distribution center over the next year.
And then there was talk about the importance of the arts. The mayor says companies and top talent locate in cities with a thriving arts and culture scene. He urged his business oriented audience to get involved in the arts, which he called the greatest economic generator for the city. And he invoked the spirit of former Texas oilman Eddie Chiles.
“He said on TV, ‘If you don’t have an oil well, get one.’ I was just amazed,” Rawlings said. “What do you do, go down to 7-Eleven and get an oil well? What do you do? Well, I’m saying to you, if you don’t have an arts organization, get one.”
Rawlings also called for more hands-on help for Dallas schools, mentoring, tailoring programs to prepare students for the workforce.
