Grapevine, Inc: Why Corporate Headquarters Choose Grapevine

For a quarter-century, the City of Grapevine labored to become a premier destination in Texas; attracting world-class hotels and one-of-a-kind attractions that could draw millions of visitors to the heart of North Texas every year. By any metric, City leaders have succeeded in that aim: Grapevine saw an estimated 7 million visitors in 2021, nearly 140x its resident population. While that success is impressive in its own right, it should be noted that visitors alone don’t tell the Grapevine story. The same infrastructure that made the City a potent destination also makes it an incredible place to do business. 

So much so that multi-billion dollar companies have turned to Grapevine in the search for a new home. 

To get a full picture of the components that draw major corporations toward the developed suburbs of Dallas-Fort Worth, we sat down with three of Grapevine’s biggest (and most recent) employers. 

Going the Way of Kubota 

Kubota Tractor Corporation isn’t the longest-tenured large employer in Grapevine, but construction of their North American Headquarters kicked off a new wave of investment that will define the next era of economics in Grapevine. The multi-billion-dollar AgTech company opened the doors of its state-of-the-art office in 2017, becoming the lone development on a stretch of 185 untouched acres in northeast Grapevine. In accordance with tradition, they even got to name the road at the center of what is now a booming business park: Kubota Way. 

All the usual elements played into Kubota’s decision to relocate from California to North Texas: DFW International Airport puts the world on their doorstep, the area’s burgeoning population means plenty of talent for growing companies, and a being in the Central timezone makes it easier to coordinate with clients and partners on both coastlines as well as executives in Japan.

But what sticks out to Todd Stucke, Kubota’s VP of Operations here in the US, is something a little more difficult to quantify. 

“It’s probably one of the best places we ever lived,” Stucke said. “There’s things outside of work to do, there are great restaurants, there’s art; you name it, you can find it in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The local school systems are fantastic, and when you relocate your employees in here and the children go to school, they can go right into the public schools and get the best educations. When the family’s happy, the employee is happy and it’s easy to move here.” 

He isn’t alone in that opinion. In today’s competitive hiring environment, employers need a strong pitch to attract new hires. The relatively low cost of living in Grapevine, combined with a high quality of public services, afford local businesses just that. Companies with 50 or more employees make up a small-but-important segment of the Grapevine portfolio, but they’re growing in number every year thanks to the City’s accessibility and business-friendly climate. 

Southland Strikes Gold in North Grapevine 

Just a few minutes east of Kubota sits another ornate-but-unassuming headquarters: Southland Holdings. Boasting over 4,000 global employees and six subsidiaries, Southland has a prolific resume that includes work on the Empire State Building and several history-making public works contracts. Their relocation to Grapevine required significantly fewer miles logged, but they jumped at the chance to shift down the road from the exurbs of North Texas to the heart of the metroplex in 2020. 
 
They, too, needed a home base with quick-and-easy access to the rest of the world. They found that and more with a ten-minute drive to and from the region’s largest airport, and have made the most of the booming Hospitality and Food Service industries in Grapevine, as well. 

“When we do have a meeting, we’re calling folks in from the West coast. We’re calling folks in from the East coast. Or, for that matter, from Europe or even the Middle East. You know, you want to set a good example with these folks,” said Jim Moldovan, Director of Business Development at Southland. “You want to show a sense of professionalism, and we take everything into account; from how we present ourselves and how we present our building and our employees to where we take them for dinner and where we put them up in a hotel.” 

With several world-renowned hotels in their backyard and a wealth of dining options that include both award-winning steakhouses and crowd-pleasing cuisine, the team at Southland is poised to play the perfect host to discerning clients from all over the world.  

As for talent recruitment and retention? Same song, different verse. 

“Asking them to relocate to Grapevine is just a real easy sell,” Moldovan said. 

Paycom’s Headquarters Project Pays Off 

The most recent company looking to take advantage of that “easy sell” is Paycom, an HR software company that aims to employ a minimum of 1,000 people here in Grapevine soon. Their new campus opened just a few months ago, and leadership couldn’t have been more thrilled. 

“Next to our Oklahoma City Headquarters, this is our largest home to our most talented workforce,” President and CEO Chad Richeson told the crowd gathered for the building’s opening ceremony. “We’ve invested heavily in Grapevine, and plan to grow our roots here for decades to come. Paycom is one of the fastest-growing companies in America and it makes sense for us to expand here given the talented candidate pool that exists in this area.” 

A.J. Griffin, the Director of Government and Community Affairs at Paycom’s Oklahoma City Headquarters, was even more explicit: 
 
“Personally, Grapevine is a great place to visit. And we really think that our employees who have an opportunity to live in the area are going to like it. It’s a great town that has a lot to offer; there’s a lot of culture, it fits really well with the culture of our company, and it’s really an exciting choice for us,” she said.  

“Our goal was to create some geographic diversity in our company. It was just a great place to be because it provides a high standard of living for our employees, access to an international airport so that we can get across the country and service our clients all across the country... just a great place to call our Texas hometown.”  

For a closer look at the talent and companies that make Grapevine a great hometown for people and businesses alike, listen to the latest episode of ‘Growing Grapevine,’ our monthly podcast about the people and policies that shaped this unique community.