LEDA CEO John Osbourne Discusses How Businesses Grow On State And Local Level [AUDIO]

On the Thursday edition of The Chad Hasty Show, John Osbourne, CEO of the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance (LEDA) spoke with Chad Hasty about business in Texas.

Osbourne said that Governor Perry has been great for economic development in Texas, as he has helped many businesses come to Texas. However, he added that the real draw for businesses to come to Texas must come from not just the state level, but the local level as well.

Osbourne explained that unlike other state, Texas is a "bottom-up" state. This means that businesses can find more incentives at the local level as opposed to the state level. He also added that, without organizations like LEDA, no one else can bring businesses to Lubbock.

"At the local level, here in Lubbock, if we didn't do what we do in terms of trying to get new businesses to our communities and to help our existing companies grow, there's not anybody else doing it. And so, while other cities have looked at that model before of "let's just let everything grow organically," what they find is that they get behind the curve because so many other cities are out there that are fighting for these projects to happen. And that include existing companies growing and new companies coming to town."

Osbourne also commented on Toyota's coming to Plano, saying that while Lubbock was not in the running for Toyota, the business will still be beneficial for not just Lubbock, but all of Texas.

Listen to the full interview with John Osbourne here: