Industry in Plano, Texas

Industry, in its various forms, is the lynchpin of cities the world over, for without it citizens would have nowhere to work, nothing to buy and no money to buy it with anyway. The absence of the finance industry would cripple New York and Toronto. Event catering businesses would fold up because there would be no swanky parties that needed food. Plano has a crucial economic support pillar as well, but it's not finance, it's headquarters offices. That's right: Plano's industry is controlling industry in other cities. To read more about the companies that make their homes in Plano, just take a ride down Legacy Drive. If you're not currently in Plano, reading this article will do just as well.

Food Services

The kind of food service companies whose headquarters offices you will see lining Legacy Drive in Plano aren't the type you would normally call up to fill your Mississauga wedding venues with stuffed chicken and candy-coated almonds. Plano's food service companies include such world-recognized junk food giants as the Frito Lay Company, known for their potato chips, the Dr Pepper Snapple Group, famed producer of sugary beverages, and the Metromedia Restaurant Group, who are responsible for the proliferation of such restaurants as Bennigan's, Steak and Ale, and Ponderosa.

High-Tech

Electronics and technology are the boom sectors of the current age. No matter where you go, you're practically tripping over iPods, computer peripherals, hotel WiFi networks and keycard pass doors. Plano, of course, has gotten onto the global bandwagon and become the home of a number of corporate offices for technology firms. Shopping search comparison website DealTaker has their headquarters on Legacy Drive, as does Gearbox Software, which participates in the development of popular first-person shooter video games like Half-Life and Halo 3. Nearby Traxxas makes radio-controlled hobby vehicles while other companies like Perot Systems do general information technology work.

Finance and Retail

With so many people in North America currently living beyond their means, taking out second mortgages and third credit cards in order to afford the latest Maggie Sottero bridal gowns, financial services and retail are two other key sectors in global industry. Plano is represented by Capital One Auto Finance, which specializes in car loans, Electronic Data Systems, whose employees help companies outsource overseas, and PFSweb, which focuses on e-commerce. On the retail end there's J.C.Penny, a well-known department store chain, Cinemark Theaters, and the Rent-a-Center furniture company.

Tourism and Conventions

The presence of so many headquarters offices for major multinational companies has created, as a by-product, a thriving tourism industry. You probably wouldn't rush here on your honeymoon after the returning the wedding rental. Brantford might even be a more likely destination in that regard, because 80% of travelers coming to Plano are coming for business meetings or attending a trade convention. Area hotels offer business amenities like wireless internet and shoe shining while the city owns and operates a convention center. Tourism literature does mention entertainment options like the hot air balloon festival, but mostly focuses on promoting the region as the obvious place for business conventions.