The McKinney Economic Development Corporation welcomed Danny Chavez as Senior Vice President on May 28, 2019. Chavez comes to this new role with a great deal of experience and passion. Prior to working with McKinney Economic Development Corporation, Chavez was Vice President of Business Development for the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation. 

We wanted to take the time to get to know him a little better, please see below for a quick question and answer with Danny Chavez, our new Vice President. 

Where did you grow up?

I am a military brat and moved around quite a lot when I was younger, I was born in Ft. Walton Beach, Florida at Eglin AFB and proceeded to live in Wichita Falls, TX, Lincoln, NE and Schertz, TX. I would say growing up in a military family, you take little pieces of everywhere you lived and or went to school with you, so I grew up between each of those places. However, I would say home is between San Antonio and Austin, in Cibolo, TX where I went to high school and where my parents still live.

Where did you go to school?

I went to college at Angelo State University, in San Angelo, TX. I graduated with a degree in political science with a focus on economics and a minor in business management.

Tell us about your prior work experience?

Prior to joining the MEDC, I traveled the domestic U.S. extensively & pitched the region to executives in major U.S. markets, representing the San Antonio region to many high-profile companies and corporate leaders. I focused on place-making for startups and tech companies, working with capital partners and real estate developers to enhance San Antonio’s urban core for the San Antonio Economic Development Foundation (SAEDF). During my tenure, I closed 22 economic development projects, creating over 2,300 new jobs & $46.9M in capital investment for the region, a majority of which were in the cybersecurity & tech industries and recruited nearly 700,000 RSF in new leased or expanded office & industrial tenancy for the region.

What makes you excited to be a part of the new team/role?

Professionally, it was the opportunity to work in the Dallas metro, to learn and be a part of the business culture here, while representing an amazing community in McKinney, where all of the assets and ingredients are coming together to drive extremely positive economic change in the city. To be a part of that and to lead a team to help drive that growth and change was an extremely attractive offer and I think with what we are working on to implement best practices, everyday gets more exciting as we close in on making that growth potential a reality.   

 What do you hope to accomplish in your new role at McKinney Economic Development Corporation?

One of my high-level goals for the MEDC is to make sure that we are not only competing amongst the Dallas-Fort Worth metro but converting deals… as well as making McKinney a destination for Fortune 500 headquarters. McKinney has the assets to compete and win large economic development projects. With our MEDC land holdings, City planned growth corridors and urban core, we can really help companies from diverse industries find their new home in McKinney.

I also hope to help build out the technology ecosystem, which will take time. However, there are great corporate partners already in our backyard, like Raytheon and Playful, that we can expand upon, along with a fast-growing tech workforce that already lives in McKinney. We think there are synergies between attracting that type of employer and pairing it with the existing residential workforce to also work in McKinney.

 Tell us something fun about yourself?

I am a die-hard soccer and basketball fan, I never miss a San Antonio Spurs game and I love world football. In my spare time, I love to play basketball and soccer as well!