CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — According to data and marketing company, HubScore, the state of Texas is the best state in the country to start a business and Corpus Christi's business scene may very well be contributing to the state's success.
President and CEO of Visit Corpus Christi, Brett Oetting, said that his organization's data shows that there are over 10 million visitors coming to the Coastal Bend on an annual basis.
He said if those visitors have a positive experience, Corpus Christi might be the place they come back to for business opportunities.
"The way our organization looks at that, is that those are potential residents for the community. They might have a great experience and decide that they want to come back and open a second business or relocate their business or simply just move here to find a job. "
Corpus Christi being able to offer city life, beaches, state parks and farmland are all things that Oetting says are unique to this area and could bring potential business owners to the Coastal Bend.
"If you think about all the natural environment that we have here and the good quality of life and the quality of place and the things to do, that's one of the reasons why if we can attract businesses, those businesses, and I do as well, believe that we can bring people to the community because this is community that has a lot going for it,"
Local shop owner and Corpus Christi native, Carlos Cooper started his business, Hybrid Records in 2015 when he realized that he couldn't find the records that he was looking for locally.
Now eight years later, his business is thriving and contributing to the local economy.
"Starting it was hectic and it was a big learning curve. You know, you learn as you grow in my experience and you just kind of refine your methods over time," Cooper said.
In 2014, Elena Flores from Eagle Pass started her business, Sew Bonita as an online brand. When it came to locating her first brick and mortar store, she says choosing Corpus Christi was a no brainer.
"We noticed that there were a lot of people visiting Corpus because it offers so much like the beach, like fishing, good food and good culture. That's what we wanted to do was create a space that could create a culture and community," Flores said.