Advocates push for infrastructure of ‘soft landings’
Executives from South Korean high-tech firms and companies know one thing: They love doing business in Central Texas and more are coming.
That was the message delivered to hundreds of local leaders and South Korean business representatives at the Aug. 26 inaugural 2026 Central Texas-Korea Summit in Taylor, organized by the Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce, the Hutto Area Chamber of Commerce and Greater Taylor Chamber of Commerce.
“The trend is clear,” said Kyong-Hoon Kim, director of the Korea International Trade Association-Dallas regional office. “Korean companies are building here. Technology companies are coming here. And Texas keeps giving them reasons to stay.”
The state’s generally friendly business climate, no state income tax, willingness to grant tax incentives and milder temperatures have all been cited as reasons to come to the Lone Star State.
Attendees came prepared to form relationships and talk about the future of Asian-backed enterprises, especially considering recent developments including the growing Samsung Austin Semiconductor facility in Taylor and the ancillary businesses it has attracted.
Held at the Williamson County Exposition Center, 5350 Bill Pickett Trail, organizers said the expectation is the conference will become an annual event.
“We know there’s a lot more business coming here from Korea and some of the surrounding international countries, so we want to be really invested in the culture and how we do business together,” Billie Logiudice, vice president of the Hutto chamber, told the Press. “This event started off with the three chambers coming together and saying, ‘This is impacting our area and what can we do to support the ecosystem?’” Jay Choi, with the Austin Asian chamber, believes thousands more Asian companies are looking for opportunities to come to Williamson County, many of which will support larger industries such as semiconductor chip manufacturing.
Choi, who was one of the conference speakers, later said what is needed is an “infrastructure of soft landings.”
“It’s really hard for foreign companies to come in and hire workers, find office space. They need help in many areas that would have to be assisted by local communities. Developers, community banks, they also need to step up in welcoming them,” he said.
The momentum to work with Asian companies entering Central Texas has already begun, he added.
“I’m getting interest not only from Asia but from local banks and local companies and from foreign companies, from Switzerland. All over the world, they’re coming to Austin and joining our chamber because they want to build a bridge,” Choi said. “They want to be connected to the companies that are coming in and have a partnership.”
The theme of “soft landings” dominated the summit, a reference to guiding foreign businesses through the cultural and governmental differences they will encounter in Central Texas.
Experts spoke about the difficulty foreign companies face in accessing capital and obtaining business loans in a country where they have no credit history.
Some also noted the types and amounts of permitting required are difficult to navigate for foreign investors, many of whom come from an environment where business is more on a trust basis than a contractual one.
Local business delegates recommended cities designate a single point of contact to help take new businesses through the unfamiliar maze of zoning and permitting.
The need for water, transportation and workforce development also took center stage.
Kyung-Eun Lee, with the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Houston, said the partnership between South Korea and Texas should grow in both directions.
“We’ve talked a lot about Korea’s investment in Texas. Going forward, I also hope to see more Texas companies explore new business and investment opportunities in Korea,” she said. “Korea is seeing rapid growth in new markets such as (artificial intelligence), robotics and energy. These areas also offer many new opportunities to Texas companies.”
Samsung Austin Semiconductor played a large part in the summit. President Bon-Young Koo spoke about Samsung’s progress in Central Texas since the company broke ground on the Austin facility 30 years ago.
The second, multibillion- dollar campus in Taylor producing semiconductor chips is expected to go operational this year.
“Since 1996, we have invested $34.8 billion between our two campuses. In 2025, we supported 28,000 jobs and $2 billion in sales,” Koo said.
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. announced in July it is expanding the Taylor site to include a second semiconductor fabrication plant. Company officials plan to break ground late this year and be running the second plant by 2030.
Samsung received a $250 million grant in October 2025 from the Texas Semiconductor Innovation Fund to support the Taylor expansion.
“
“I’m getting interest not only from Asia but from local banks and local companies and from foreign companies, from Switzerland.”
— Jay Choi, Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce
Samsung Austin Semiconductor President Bon-Young Koo discussed the economic impact of the multinational tech giant on Central Texas during the recent summit in Taylor. The company has campuses in Austin and Taylor. Photo by Edie Zuvanich
Hundreds of people participated in networking and learning opportunities at the recent Central Texas-Korea Summit at the Williamson County Expo Center, including Billie Logiudice, (left) Hutto Area Chamber of Commerce; Kyong-Hoon Kim, director of the Korea International Trade Association-Dallas regional office; and Cheney Gamboa, Hutto Economic Development director.
