Luling, Texas, a town long associated with its annual Watermelon Thump, is quietly positioning itself as a new frontier for aerospace and advanced manufacturing, and the implications for rural economic development are significant. In an episode of The Building Texas Show, host Justin McKenzie speaks with Ari Arias, executive director of the Luling Economic Development Corporation, about how the community is preparing residents for a new wave of industrial jobs.
Arias, who arrived in Luling in 2014, says the local economy is being reshaped by two companies. X-Bow Systems, a solid rocket manufacturing company, is making Luling its primary site of operations and building workforce and internship programs. Quantum Engineering, which specializes in non-destructive testing (NDT), plans five campuses on its 30 acres and hopes to employ 300 to 400 people within three to five years. "We're not just that little oil town we once were," Arias says.
That shift matters beyond Luling. For small Texas towns, the ability to attract and retain high-tech manufacturers often hinges on whether a local workforce can be trained quickly and affordably. Arias's strategy starts in the schools. After noticing that career and technical education (CTE) advisory meetings had stopped, she reached out to the mayor and to David Smith, CTE director for Luling ISD, to reinstate them. She now chairs the CTE advisory committee for the district.
The EDC has also partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Central Texas on a seven-week Tesla career pathway program for residents ages 18 to 21. Participants are paid during on-the-job training and are guaranteed a job if they want it; the program is entering its second year. Additionally, the EDC has begun exploring an NDT internship path with Quantum Engineering, with Texas State Technical College helping students advance through certification levels, and launched the Luling Investment for Tomorrow (LIFT) grant program for local businesses and small manufacturers.
Arias says the opportunity is about access as much as jobs. With X-Bow nearby, some residents "only have to go eight minutes up the road to go work every day." She also fields steady inquiries from developers about retail sites and utilities and points to about 500 homes planned north of town over the next couple of years. Growth, she says, has to fit the town. "We don't want Luling to lose that small town feel, that downtown charm," Arias says.
McKenzie urges travelers to get off the highway and walk Luling's Main Street. Arias agrees that site selectors are taking notice: "Luling is on the map for sure." The full conversation is available on Is This the Best Paid Job Training in Texas Right Now?.
