Williamson County, Taylor officials court Korean businesses through agreement, trip

As Samsung continues its buildout of a $17 billion semiconductor facility in Taylor, Central Texas officials are working to strengthen relations with South Korean business leaders in hope that more tech companies will consider building here.

This week, Williamson County entered into an agreement with Korean trade promotion group Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, or KOTRA, to establish an Austin-based office called the KOTRA Global Partnering Center. Officials on Thursday held a grand opening for the center, which will be geared toward assisting Korea’s small and middle market companies that are considering expanding into Central Texas.

The announcement comes just a week after elected officials, representatives and economic development executives from Williamson County and the city of Taylor visited the South Korean cities of Seoul, Hwaseong and Pyeongtaek, including a tour of Samsung’s massive semiconductor manufacturing plant in Pyeongtaek.

With Samsung’s buildout continuing, officials said they hope the trip and the establishment of the partnering center will help bring even more investment, including the potential for Samsung suppliers and other related companies.

In Taylor, Samsung continues to build a massive semiconductor manufacturing plant it first announced in 2021 and that is expected to be the company’s most advanced to date. The facility is anticipated to transform Taylor, which is about 25 miles northeast of Austin and counts Walmart among its top private employers. Once complete, Samsung's Taylor facility it is expected to directly employ 1,800 workers. The company also has a facility in Northeast Austin.

Excitement for the Taylor project has been apparent even amid the continued buildout. The county renamed a street, thanks to Williamson Commissioner Russ Boles, who, according to County Judge Bill Gravell, had the idea when the county finished its agreement with Samsung to rename the street outside Samsung’s new location to “Samsung Highway."

For Gravell, it was a surprise to see a road sign for the highway hanging on display in a backlit case last week at Samsung headquarters.

“Nothing will take my breath away more than to be on the highest floor of the headquarters and walking into the lobby,” said Gravell. "I never thought I would see a county road sign in a foreign country,” Gravell said.

Gravell, along with Boles and Taylor Mayor Brandt Rydell, toured the Korean facility and met with officials as part of their visit.

More: How did tiny Taylor win Samsung's $17 billion chip plant? Incentives helped

Support for Korean companies

Yu Jeon Yeol, CEO of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, said on Thursday at a grand opening ceremony for the partnering center that the agreement with Texas and Williamson County will better support Korean companies, smooth the consultation process, promote both nation’s economies and strengthen relations.

“Due to the recent trend and changes in the U.S., many Korean companies such as Samsung are planning their investment in the U.S. We expect new investment projects and various forms of cooperation." he said, adding the agreement will allow processes to be streamlined.

The agreement comes as semiconductor investment in the United States is expected to grow at unprecedented levels, thanks to the Chips and Science Act, which passed in July. The federal bill is designed to encourage companies to expand and build facilities that make semiconductors, which are used in everything from cellphones to car. Central Texas, already a hotbed of semiconductor manufacturing, is expected to be one of a handful of regions where companies are likely to build out new facilities in the coming years.

The partnering center in Austin is expected to help provide entry programs for Korean companies looking to expand to the state that include support for shared office occupancy costs and professional consulting.

Dave Porter, the executive director of the Williamson County Economic Development Partnership, who was part of the Williamson County delegation to South Korea, said on Tuesday that county leaders discovered by talking to 15 other businesses on that trip that they didn’t know how to do business in the United States. The new Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency center will help with that issue, he said.

“Having a presence here will help connect the dots,” he said. The agency also has offices in Dallas and Atlanta, “but expanding into Central Texas is huge,” Porter said.

Rydell, Taylor's mayor, also hopes the center's opening will help continue to pave the path for more companies to join Samsung in Central Texas, including suppliers for Samsung.

“I think that's critically important for them for KOTRA to have a presence here in Central Texas and for us to be able to have that conduit to the business community in Korea and they to us here in Central Texas, because I think a lot of barriers and obstacles will fall by the wayside as we as we engage directly,” Rydell said.

He said Taylor wants to remove any obstacles the city can in filling out the Samsung ecosystem. That means if Samsung feels it's critical for any vendor or supplier to be in close proximity, he wants to see them in Taylor. For those that don’t need to be within a few miles of the massive facility, Rydell said he would still want to see them in Williamson County.

More: ‘Golden age’ or 'kind of scary'? Taylor residents grapple with idea of huge Samsung expansion

What did Texas officials see on their trip?

Rydell said the trip was a packed week filled with meetings with Samsung officials, a tour of Samsung’s largest and most advanced facility, and meetings with other Korean companies.

“By virtue of this trip to Korea, I think we've made it widely known to the Korean business community that the city of Taylor and Williamson County, and the Greater Austin area, are open and welcoming to their businesses,” Rydell said. “We want them to be here and they should not be dissuaded by any perceived complications or any obstacles

Michele Glaze, a spokesperson for Samsung, did not comment on the potential for suppliers to expand into the Central Texas region but said the company values the partnership it has developed with Williamson County and Taylor.

“It was our honor to host them at our semiconductor headquarters in Hwaseong, Korea, and we hope it provided a better understanding of our proven capabilities," Glaze said.

More: Texas aims to attract semiconductor investment amid national boom

What could this growth mean for Taylor?

For Rydell, the trip also meant a peek into what Taylor could look like once Samsung’s buildout is complete and what challenges it might face, both through touring the Korean facility and his conversations with local officials, including the mayor of Pyeongtaek.

Rydell said he is very aware that the growth and development will bring a lot of change, but that instead of being frightened he is embracing the challenges. During his meeting with the mayor, he discussed issues that could come to Taylor such as transportation, affordable housing, workforce and infrastructure to ensure Samsung is accessible as the buildout continues.

“We're halfway around the world, but we're dealing with the same issues. … It did give me a glimpse into the various challenges that having something on this scale is going to pose for Taylor and the region,” Rydell said. “It is also very exciting with the opportunities it creates, and the benefits it provides. It is a really great time to be in Central Texas, and to be part of all of this dynamic change.”

American-Statesman reporter Claire Osborn contributed to this report.

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Williamson, Taylor officials court Korean firms with agreement, trip