Williamson County will continue to focus on bringing new South Korean factories and businesses to Central Texas in the coming years, according to the executive director of the Williamson County Economic Development Partnership.
Dave Porter, the head of Wilco EDP, said the county has about 17 leading new South Korean companies that want to open a store here in Texas. This is after Wilco sent 16 delegations to the country to give a seminar on how to conduct business in Williamson County to more than 100 businesses.
The future of Wilco’s Korean business
Porter explained that in April when he visited Samsung in South Korea, the company said it needed between 100 and 200 suppliers to set up in the United States to be closer to its semiconductor plant in Taylor.
After that discussion, the county decided to establish an EDP office in South Korea to provide better access and information for Korean businesses considering opening in the United States.
Porter said that the office is successful. Companies have questions about the cost of opening a factory in the county and the amount of work available to hire locally.
“The great thing about Williamson County is we have a lot of land,” Porter said. “We have a professional business ethic from the county to the local level, so I think it’s a good fit for us.”
Wilco is not just looking at the semiconductor industry. Porter said it is in talks with companies in the automotive, life sciences, software, and solar industries.
Porter said the county will soon make an official announcement about a new South Korean supplier factory opening in Williamson County that will make parts for Tesla. Porter also added that there are early talks with another company to possibly open a US headquarters at Wilco.
