Susan Davenport

What we talked about

Why companies choose the Austin region

Susan Davenport sees Austin's economic strength as a regional effort, not the work of one organization or city. In this Making Names conversation with Aidan Evans, the president and CEO of Opportunity Austin explains how business recruitment, retention and expansion connect with education, workforce development and local leadership. Companies need more than a compelling pitch. They need people with the right skills, communities that fit their operations and partners who can help them succeed. For Davenport, talent and collaboration are central to explaining why the region attracts investment and keeps building on it.

Regional collaboration gives companies choices

The communities around Austin have different assets, and Davenport treats that variety as an advantage. A company can consider several locations while still accessing a wider regional economy. Residents already cross city and county lines for work, shopping and entertainment; business development has to recognize those connections. She recalls an early recruitment process in which community partners gathered around one table and each presented their area. The company later identified that cooperation as a reason it chose the region. Working together did not erase local differences. It made the available choices easier to understand.

Credibility starts with an honest picture

Davenport pairs enthusiasm for Austin with an insistence on credible data. She wants strategy work to show the real conditions, not simply reinforce an attractive story. The same principle applies to relationships with regional partners: knowing what is not working creates an opportunity to improve it. Opportunity Austin's role, as she describes it, is to convene, organize and serve communities fairly while leaving location decisions to companies. Marketing matters, but its value depends on claims that stand up to scrutiny and a willingness to hear uncomfortable feedback.

Resilience requires sustained participation

Looking back on Austin's technology downturn in the early 2000s, Davenport remembers business leaders choosing to invest time, money and energy in rebuilding momentum. They traveled with the economic development team and spoke directly to other business leaders about the community. She describes that personal commitment as a powerful complement to formal marketing. Her account also emphasizes revisiting strategy rather than treating a long-term plan as fixed. In a technology-driven economy, the assumptions behind a plan can change quickly. Resilience depends on continued participation and a readiness to reassess the work.

Turning interest into community involvement

Davenport's invitation to businesses goes beyond celebrating major announcements. She points to investor participation, councils and committee work as ways to contribute, and encourages people to stay informed through Opportunity Austin's public information. The purpose is practical: stronger employment opportunities can matter to a neighbor or family member when they need their next job. She also sees Austin's instinct to ask what comes next as an enduring strength. Keeping that curiosity productive requires businesses, public leaders and regional communities to remain engaged in the same ongoing effort.