Dave Porter, who led a consortium of Williamson County cities’ economic development agencies for four years, is retiring in December after helping to bring thousands of jobs to the area.
Serving as the first executive director of the Wilco Economic Development Partnership, Porter brought together cities across the county in a joint effort to attract South Korean companies catering to Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. Porter then set his sights on diversifying beyond the semiconductor industry.
Porter came on board in October 2022, the year after Samsung announced it would build a massive semiconductor foundry and research facility in Taylor. While that $17 billion project, slated to be operational late this year, will employ about 2,000 people, the county wanted to capitalize on opportunities to create even more jobs by luring Samsung suppliers and service companies.
“My role with the Wilco EDP has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my 40-plus years in economic development,” Porter said in a written statement announcing his retirement. “The collaboration between the nine partner cities and the county has led Williamson County to be one of the top destinations for global advanced manufacturing companies. The future is incredibly bright for Williamson County.”
Consultants for Wilco EPD recently completed a new fiveyear strategic plan for the organization with implementation slated to start next year.
Porter said he felt that it would be a good time for a new leader to come in and execute the next phase of growth.
“My goal was to get a lot of momentum around the Wilco EPD,” Porter said in an interview with the Taylor Press. In 2022, there were economic development corporation directors from the various cities in the county who had never met, he said. Wilco EPD was founded in 2014, but didn’t have staff leadership until Porter’s tenure.
Porter said he hopes his legacy as the organization’s initial executive director was that of a bridge builder. “Now, we kind of have everybody pointed in the same direction.”
That collaboration led to a 2023 South Korea trip, which included a group of 17 economic development and elected leaders from the cities and county presenting to numerous companies about doing business in Williamson County.
Since then, Porter has led more trips to that country and put Williamson County on the map as a location not just for the semiconductor supply chain, but for a variety of industries from Korea, Taiwan and Europe.
“Williamson County would not be the sought-after international destination for companies in advanced manufacturing, high technology and aerospace without Dave Porter,” said County Judge Steve Snell. “His insight, experience and commitment have helped transform our county into one of the nation’s premier locations for business investment and innovation. Dave helped create opportunities that will benefit our residents for generations to come.”
Wilco EPD’s board of directors includes representatives from Williamson County, Cedar Park, Coupland, Georgetown, Hutto, Jarrell, Leander, Liberty Hill, Round Rock and Taylor.
A native of Kansas, Porter started his economic development career in Wichita Falls, worked in Raleigh and Ashville, N.C., and did a 10-year stint at Opportunity Austin before going to Orlando.
Porter said he will continue to call Williamson County home and plans to stay involved in some capacity to ensure the community’s future success.
The board is now accepting applications for a new executive director.
“As we begin the search for our next executive director, we are confident we will find the right leader to build on the strong foundation Dave established and to lead the implementation of our new strategic plan,” said Jordan Robinson, president of the Wilco EDP board and president of the Round Rock Chamber of Commerce.
