THE WOODLANDS – (Realty News Report) – SmartDraw Software is relocating to The Woodlands from San Diego, continuing a trend for companies leaving California to set up shop in Texas.
“Texas is a business-friendly state with a reasonable regulatory environment and a cost of living that is vastly lower than found in San Diego,” said Paul Stannard, CEO of SmartDraw said. “We decided to relocate to Texas—and specifically to The Woodlands—for many reasons, including the opportunity for our employees to become homeowners—something that was out of reach for many of them in San Diego. The Woodlands offers an exceptional quality of work-life experience in a beautiful natural setting and it was clear that our employees and our company would thrive in this community which is the ultimate office perk.”
CBRE ALSO LEAVES CALIFORNIA
In a related move, commercial real estate giant CBRE just announced it was relocating its headquarters from Los Angeles to Dallas. That move is especially significant because CBRE has advised countless companies in their corporate office relocations and leasing decisions.
The CBRE relocation from California to Texas isn’t the case of a corporation fleeing from the Golden State to the Lone Star State. The Charles Schwab company, McKesson and the North American headquarters of Toyota have all moved to Dallas from California, which is often criticized for its high taxes.
In The Woodlands, SmartDraw’s new office, totaling approximately 6,500 SF, will be located within the Hughes Landing development along Lake Woodlands. The SmartDraw firm, a creator of sophisticated diagramming and visualization software, is a technology firm with 35 employees.
“We know that once decision makers from organizations such as SmartDraw come to our community and visit our trophy assets, The Woodlands sets itself apart in terms of the work-life balance that has been curated here over the last 46 years,” said Jim Carman, President of the Houston Region for The Howard Hughes Corp, the developer of The Woodlands.
The Woodlands, a 28,000-acre master planned community located about 28 miles north of Houston, has 220 miles of hike and bike trails, 7,665 acres of open green space, and a 1,000-acre commercial town center with office, shopping, dining and entertainment.
The Woodlands, founded by George P. Mitchell, opened in 1974.
Oct. 29, 2020 Realty News Report Copyright 2020
File: California Firm Moves to Texas
Caption: Hughes Landing development along Lake Woodlands. Photo courtesy HHC
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