TEXARKANA, Texas – Rep. John Ratcliffe (R-Texas) announced a major economic development win for the greater Texarkana region at a ceremony Thursday in New Boston, Texas.
The TexAmericas Center will receive a designation by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) as a Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone), which will bolster its ability to attract new businesses and create jobs.
“I’m incredibly pleased that my congressional staff and I were able to secure HUBZone designation for TexAmericas through our work with the Department of Defense and the Small Business Administration over the past year,” Ratcliffe said.
“Given the enormous potential for increased job creation in this region, I’m very optimistic about the bolstered economic growth this HUBZone designation will bring.”
Through its HUBZone status, tenants at the TexAmericas Center will have preference for award of federal contracts to small businesses. They will also gain access to federal set-aside contracts and sole source contracts, as well as a price evaluation preference in full and open contract competitions.
TexAmericas Center’s CEO and executive director, Scott Norton, said he is looking forward to the HUBZone designation’s impact on growing the Texarkana region’s small business community.
“TexAmericas Center is thrilled to offer our tenants and business prospects the opportunity to become certified participants in the U.S. SBA HUBZone Program,” Norton said.
“This is a big deal for the region. We are approached, on average, twice a year by companies looking to locate into a HUBZone; this designation will ultimately help with business attraction and job growth for the region.”
