www.mckinneyedc.com

MEDC President announces retirement

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 20:28:03 GMT

McKINNEY, TEXAS (Dec. 15, 2011) – McKinney Economic Development Corporation President Jim Young has announced plans to retire from the corporation, effective Jan. 31, 2012. Young, 66, served as business development director prior to his appointment as president in May 2011. Before joining MEDC in 2003, Young served as director of marketing and redevelopment for the Plano Economic Development Board for five years.

During his tenure with MEDC, Young has been instrumental in the recruitment of
headquarter companies to McKinney including Torchmark, Traxxas, Blue Mountain, Watson & Chalin, Veneerstone, StatLab, Biscotti and Vector Systems. Young has played a major role in expansions at companies like Emerson, Encore Wire, Raytheon, Manner Plastics and Tong Yang Group. He has negotiated numerous office and healthcare related projects as well as projects in McKinney’s historic downtown and at Collin County Regional Airport.

“Jim is an understated gentleman, but when you take a few moments to reflect, he has amassed a great body of work for McKinney over the years. He has been an asset to the community, and his work will carry over for decades to come. As a McKinney native, he brought a unique hometown perspective and has been a firm hand in helping guide McKinney through phenomenal growth while retaining its charm. We wish him the very best in his well-earned retirement,” said MEDC Chairman Keith Clifton.

Upon retirement, Young will serve in a consulting role to assist in the transition of his role as well overall operations of MEDC.

Young graduated with a Bachelor’s degree from Stanford University and earned his Master’s in public administration from the University of Texas at Dallas. He earned his certification in economic development in 2004 from International Economic Development Council.

MEDC moves to Valliance Bank

Tue, 13 Dec 2011 16:29:00 GMT

The McKinney Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and the McKinney Community Development Corporation (MCDC) will be moving into shared office space in the Valliance Bank building, 5900 Lake Forest Drive, on December 16. The new office will open on Monday, December 19.

Phone numbers and email addresses for both MEDC and MCDC will remain the same although a brief delay of services may occur during the transition.

The move, approved by both boards of directors in September, includes cost-effective measures such as sharing support staff and meeting space.

"We continue to look for ways to optimize our operational budgets while collaborating as economic development allies and partners. We feel like this signifies a major milestone in this important effort," said Keith Clifton, MEDC Board Chair.

Valliance Bank Building is located on the northwest corner of Lake Forest and SH 121. The new address for MEDC and MCDC will be:

5900 Lake Forest Drive
Suite 110
McKinney, TX 75070

John Valencia hired to lead retention, emerging technology

Wed, 16 Nov 2011 18:45:22 GMT

McKINNEY, TEXAS (Nov. 15, 2011) – Today McKinney Economic Development Corporation President Jim Young announced the hiring of John Valencia as Director of Business Retention and Expansion and Emerging Technology.

“I am both pleased and proud to announce that John Valencia has joined MEDC as the Director of Business Retention and Expansion and Emerging Technology. He brings experience in management, manufacturing, distribution, high-tech and international commerce, and just as importantly, knowledge of the McKinney business community to this position. I know that John will hit the ground running,” said Young.

Valencia was employed at Primo Microphones for 27 years, and held positions as General Manager and Vice President, Director of Operations, Plant Manager and Director of Sales, Marketing and New Product Development. Primo sells, distributes and performs assembly services in microphones and small speakers for the telecomm and audio industries. Valencia takes over the position held by Greg Sims, who left to become EDC Director in Greenville, Texas.

He has been active in the community, serving on the boards of the Chamber of Commerce, the McKinney Education Foundation and the Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary. Valencia was honored as an Emeritus Trustee for the McKinney Education Foundation in 2008, named 2002 Outstanding Citizen of McKinney, and also named “21 for the 21st Century” in the class of 1999 by Inside Collin County Business.

Emerson to build division world headquarters in Gateway

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 15:59:16 GMT

McKINNEY, TEXAS (Oct. 18, 2011) – Today, the McKinney City Council and the McKinney Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) announced an agreement with Emerson Process Management to relocate the world headquarters of its Regulator Technologies business to the Gateway development site. The headquarters will include an office building for more than 120 existing Emerson employees in McKinney on a 10-acre site at Gateway, located at the interchange of U.S. 75 and the Sam Rayburn Tollway (SRT).

As a corporate anchor in one of the most visible development sites in McKinney, Emerson will build a three-story, 132,000-square-foot headquarters and research and development facility. Construction is scheduled to begin in 2012 and should be completed in 2013. Emerson is currently located in a building in northeast McKinney.

“The Emerson facility at Gateway will be a fantastic cornerstone to the 90-acre development that will include completion of the hotel and events center and other mixed-use opportunities. The McKinney City Council looks forward to our continued relationship with Emerson and continued progress on development of the entry gateway to our city,” says Mayor Brian Loughmiller.

Emerson Process Management, a global business of Emerson, delivers automation and process control technologies and services to the oil and gas, power, chemical, refining and other industries. Its Regulator Technologies business offers more pressure regulator and relief valve solutions than any other manufacturer in the world. McKinney and the North Dallas area are home to key oil and gas equipment suppliers that Emerson serves.

“Emerson has been and will continue to be a strong business partner with the City of McKinney,” says Lal Karsanbhai, president of Regulator Technologies, Emerson Process Management. “The new headquarters and research facility illustrate Emerson’s continued investment in regulator technologies and maintaining our worldwide leadership position."

Emerson has been part of the McKinney business community for more than 50 years and is a strong supporter of charitable initiatives. This year alone, the company has made $175,000 in charitable donations to education, community welfare and arts institutions supporting the City of McKinney and Collin County.

Recent events have paved the way for future development at the Gateway site. In December 2010, McKinney announced the global settlement of the city’s two-year dispute with the former developer of the hotel/events center and retail complex on the property. The settlement vested all ownership and control of the 90-acre parcel to the city, making room for rebirth at the key site that serves as McKinney’s southern entryway.

A Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process earlier this year identified Matthews Southwest as the Master Developer to enter into a partnership in the development. The city received bids from several firms and began contract negotiations with Matthews Southwest for development services related to the Gateway Project, including the hotel/events center and the office/retail area.

The North Texas Tollway Authority (NTTA) opened the final direct-connecting ramp of the interchange at the Sam Rayburn Tollway and U.S. 75 in March 2011. The six direct-connecting ramps in the interchange provide non-stop access between both major roadways. Six elevated ramps provide drivers with convenient, access to all of the intersecting roadways at the interchange.

Collin College was the first occupant at Gateway, opening the Higher Education Center in January 2010. Students can take junior and senior-level college classes and earn graduate degrees through five university partners, which offer a variety of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees. The center serves as a multi-purpose facility housing administrative departments and the university programs. It also provides space for meetings for area non-profits and community groups.

Blockbuster moves HQ to McKinney

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 16:47:25 GMT

When the McKinney-based Blockbuster was purchased by Dish Network in April, it moved its headquarters and 171 employees from downtown Dallas to the Blockbuster distribution center in McKinney. Blockbuster now employs some 600 employees at the McKinney location.

"We have long valued Blockbuster as a corporate citizen and have made it a priority to assist them in whatever way we can" said Greg Sims, director of Business Retention Expansion for MEDC. "To lose their presence in McKinney would be a huge blow to the city."

In July, Blockbuster announced that it will maintain operations of more than 1,500 U.S. Blockbuster stores that would have closed under liquidation, as approved in a New York bankruptcy court this week. Blockbuster also will retain more than 15,000 store employees.

Blockbuster recently rolled out an improved Blockbuster Total Access package, which provides benefits Netflix® doesn't offer: availability of many new releases 28 days before Netflix; unlimited in-store exchanges; games for XBOX 360®, Playstation3™, and Nintendo Wii™, and no additional charge for Blu-ray™ movies.

Traxxas HQ expands in scope

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 00:43:49 GMT

The much anticipated Traxxas groundbreaking took place in June and the project has grown much larger than originally planned.

The campus includes a 100,000-square-foot, three-story corporate office facility, a 75,000-square-foot auditorium and car museum and a 90,000-square-foot distribution center on 16 acres of land. The company has also purchased additional acreage for possible future
development.

Traxxas' campus will also include a helipad and test facilities and racetracks with public access. The project is expected to be completed in 2012.

McKinney-based Zynga with Friends wins with Facebook

Fri, 12 Aug 2011 00:42:10 GMT

McKinney-based Zynga with Friends hot game Words With Friends is now the first game from Zynga (FarmVille, CityVille) to migrate from mobile devices to Facebook. Released in 2009, Words With Friends still holds No. 6 on AppData's Top Paid App list. The studio's Hanging With Friends is No. 2 behind list-topping Angry Birds. (USA Today)

In July, Zynga filed an anticipated initial public offering looking to raise as much as $1 billion. In the filing, Zynga said it posted a $100 million profit last year, most of it courtesy of its gaming partnership with Facebook.

MEDC began working with Newtoy prior to the Zynga sale by providing assistance to the company through MEDC's Emerging Technology Program. In April, MEDC and McKinney officials hosted TexasOne members and state officials for a State of the Industry Gaming event featuring Zynga with Friends.

The headquarters for the Zynga with Friends is McKinney's historic Cotton Mill where the company continues to expand. Amazing to think that just a few years ago, Paul and David Bettner were sitting in the McKinney public library brainstorming games like Words with Friends which has now become a world-wide phenomenon.

Director-General of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office visits McKinney

Wed, 23 Mar 2011 17:06:01 GMT

McKINNEY, TEXAS (March 22, 2011) – In partnership with the McKinney Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) and the Chamber of Commerce, McKinney Mayor Brian Loughmiller welcomes Joseph Chen, Director-General of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Houston, to McKinney on Thursday, March 24. The event includes a reception and a keynote speech by Chen. Mayor Loughmiller will present the visiting Director-General with an “Honorary Citizen” award.

The service area of TECO-Houston covers five states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Mississippi. The office, led by the Director-General has a mission to promote trade and investment, culture, education and tourism between Taiwan and the southern U.S.

The reception furthers the efforts of the Mayor’s Council for International Economical Development Partnership (MCIEDP). The council was established in December 2009 to promote McKinney as an international city for trade and economic development. Recently, the MCIEDP selected 12 members to serve on an advisory board, six from local businesses and six from the City of McKinney and the University of Texas at Dallas.

Previously as part of this initiative, China was the first country of outreach. Mayor Loughmiller and the MEDC joined the Texas One delegation with a visit to the Shanghai World Expo in June 2010, hosted a reception for Dr. Gao Yanping, the Consul General of the People’s Republic of China in Houston and were invited on an official visit to the home of Consul General Dr. Gao. Taiwan and other international locations are new areas of focus for efforts from the MCIEDP.

McKinney settles lawsuit with hotel, events and retail center development

Wed, 08 Dec 2010 21:21:49 GMT

McKINNEY, TEXAS (Dec. 7, 2010) — McKinney Mayor Brian Loughmiller announced today the global settlement of the city’s two-year dispute with O&S Holdings, the California developer which defaulted in the development of the hotel/events center and retail complex once known as "Bridge Street" on the McKinney Economic Development Corporation (MEDC) property at U.S. 75 and the Sam Rayburn Tollway (S.H. 121). The dispute involved a lawsuit over the MEDC termination of the development agreement with O&S at Bridge Street (now called "Gateway") and a related entity's bankruptcy that had stalled the construction of the hotel/events center since fall 2008. Mayor Loughmiller explained that the city and the McKinney Community Development Corporation (MCDC) actually obtained control of the hotel site in November 2010.

"The city and MCDC successfully implemented a plan which resulted in full ownership of the hotel site and all of the improvements funded by the bankrupt developer. The acquisition process took a lot of time, evaluation and planning to accomplish. We needed assurance that we had full control of the site," said Mayor Loughmiller.

The Mayor explained, “The settlement vests in the city all ownership and control of the entire 90-acre Gateway parcel.”

The Mayor went on to state, “I appreciate the confidence of the City Council in our negotiating team that included me along with our MEDC liaison Councilmember David Brooks, representatives of the MEDC Board and representatives of our MCDC Board and our legal counsel. The settlement has been ratified by both Boards as well as the City Council as of Dec. 7, 2010.”

Mayor Loughmiller addressed the project’s future with these remarks.

“The economy, the U.S. 75 interchange construction and the retail/hotel market have all impacted this project over the last two years. But the McKinney City Council remains fully committed to the Gateway site, and to that end, the City Council, MEDC and MCDC will continue to refine the project's plans over the next few months, and when ready, will bring to the citizens details on its scope and when activity will again commence at Gateway. This was a total team effort that will enable us to begin a positive new chapter in the economic development of our city as we continue to move forward on our City Council priorities in 2011."

Zynga acquires "Words with Friends" developer Newtoy

Thu, 02 Dec 2010 21:04:18 GMT

Social Game Leader Bolsters World Class Mobile Games Group With
"The Zynga With Friends Studio"

SAN FRANCISCO – December 2, 2010 - Zynga Inc.
today announced it has acquired Texas-based mobile game development company Newtoy, Inc., makers of the popular Games With Friends franchise that includes mobile games such as Words With Friends and Chess With Friends. The Newtoy headquarters in McKinney, Texas will become The Zynga With Friends Studio, a new game studio that leverages the popular franchise and builds new games for the Zynga network. Terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.

"The Games With Friends franchise is the best social game experience available on mobile today and we are excited to welcome the Newtoy team to the Zynga family," said Mark Pincus, founder and CEO of Zynga. "The Zynga With Friends Studio will continue to invent great mobile social game experiences for Zynga users everywhere."

Newtoy CEO and co-founder Paul Bettner immediately assumes the role of VP and GM of The Zynga With Friends Studio, reporting to David Ko, senior vice president of mobile at Zynga. Bettner will lead the team to develop new mobile social games for the Zynga network that leverage the company’s rich experience and creative game development environment.

"We're reinventing the way people are social on their mobile devices," said Paul Bettner, VP and GM of The Zynga With Friends Studio. "The Zynga With Friends Studio will build on the Newtoy legacy of creating approachable, highly social games that are accessible to anyone from anywhere."

This acquisition continues to extend Zynga’s global footprint, creating more opportunities for Zynga to connect the world through games. Today's announcement follows on the heels of the recent release of Zynga's Mafia Wars and FishVille games onto the Yahoo! platform. Zynga's most popular game, FarmVille, recently launched on both the iPhone and the iPad and Zynga Poker will be the first Zynga game launched on Android. The company also recently announced its next game, CityVille, which is available now on Facebook in French, Italian, German, Spanish and English.

Founded in 2008 by brothers Paul and David Bettner, alongside chief operating officer Michael Chow, Newtoy has been focused on building high-quality entertainment experiences on mobile platforms. Newtoy has developed some of the most popular mobile social games in the world and its Games With Friends franchise is the most popular gaming platform on the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, with millions of monthly active users playing more than an hour each day.

“Zynga is committed to providing the best of breed mobile game experience and we expect The Zynga With Friends Studio to deepen our bench of seasoned veterans and broaden our scope of mobile game development," said Ko. "The mobile industry is still in its infancy and we're excited about the opportunity ahead of us."

About Zynga Inc.

Zynga Inc. is the world’s largest social game developer with more than 215 million monthly active users playing their games which include FarmVille, FrontierVille, Mafia Wars, Zynga Poker, Café World, Treasure Isle, YoVille, FishVille and PetVille. Zynga Inc. games are available on a number of global platforms including Facebook, MySpace, Yahoo, the iPad and iPhone. Through Zynga.org, Zynga players have raised more than $5 million for world social causes. Zynga Inc. is headquartered in San Francisco. For more information, visit www.zynga.com or www.zynga.org.

Contacts:

Zynga
Dani Dudeck
(415) 646-3133
dani@zynga.com

Tracy Akselrud
(310) 709-1560
tracy@brewpr.com