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San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones has commissioned a new advisory group made up of local CEOs focused on economic security for the city.
The group is called the “Economic Security Advisory Group" and will look at growing sectors of technology, specifically a strong focus on the AI, quantum technology, biotechnology, and space manufacturing industries in the city. Jones made the announcement at San Antonio City Hall on Monday, just days before she and members of this group will be part of a delegation to Taiwan.
The mayor said this group — which she referred to by the acronym ESAG — is meant to strengthen and unleash San Antonio’s innovation ecosystem.
“These are foundational technologies and growing sectors that will be needed to power the global economy, and San Antonio will lead the way,” she said.
Among the companies participating in this initiative are Port San Antonio, Texas Biomed, Southwest Research institute, and AI companies like Forward Edge AI and unmanned aviation companies like Darkhive. There are also retired members of the Air Force and Navy participating, each with some knowledge in cybersecurity.
Jones says the goal is for this group to meet quarterly and provide updates to the city on skills training and addressing knowledge gaps, attracting companies to the city, and making sure they can be retained in San Antonio as they grow.
“A key thing for me will also be ensuring that we have a good sense of where the current capacity is,” she said. “My fear when I go and visit these great folks, is that they have an understanding that there may be a ceiling at which they hit here in San Antonio.”
The chair of this committee is Jim Perschbach, the CEO of Port San Antonio. He said one of the city’s advantages is that it is full of people who have brilliant capabilities.
“It requires bringing people with a diversity of background together and thinking about how we can connect up these issues to make the world better,” he said. “Whether it's national security, whether it's local and economic development, or whether, frankly, it's just creating jobs and opportunities for our community.”
Part of the charge of this group is being the cheerleader for bringing in new companies but also addressing where workforce training needs to happen.
Dr. Larry Schlesinger, CEO of Texas Biomed, said that training can start with inspiring students.
“I think we need every opportunity to bring our students from the community into these unique environments to learn about what they could be doing, where they grow up, if you will,” he said. “I think exposure of our students is key. But I also think continuing to grow our talent pool that is recruiting from around the country into San Antonio, they become great spokespeople for what the city can offer.”
Starting this weekend Jones, District 9 Councilmember Misty Spears and several members of this group will visit Taiwan to meet with trade groups and members of the Taiwanese government.
“We're going to be working really hard to encourage entities to come plant roots here in San Antonio,” Spears said.
Texas maintains close ties with Taiwan through its State of Texas Taiwan Office. According to the state, Taiwan is the sixth largest economic trading partner with total trade between Taiwan and Texas in 2024 reaching more than $25.6 billion in 2024.
