‘Be loud, be proud’: Robert Allen discusses Fort Worth’s economic development strategy
September 16,2025
See full Fort Worth Report article by Eric E. Garcia here.
Robert Allen is telling the story of Fort Worth.
The president and CEO of the Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership continually touts the city’s attributes — its logistics, aviation and defense hubs, advanced manufacturing facilities, available land, emerging skilled workforce and cultural heritage — in his efforts to attract and retain businesses and promote smart, strategic developments.
Allen detailed his work during a Newsmaker Q&A conversation Sept. 16 with Fort Worth Report business editor Bob Francis who covers economic growth.
Allen, a Dallas native, came to Fort Worth after years of working in Austin for John Cornyn and Greg Abbott when each man held the Texas attorney general post. Abbott, as governor, tapped Allen to be his deputy chief of staff for two years and later selected him to lead state economic development efforts for six years.
The independent leadership of the Fort Worth Economic Development Partnership, now almost three years old, allows the team to stay fresh and innovative as they work on attracting businesses, Allen said. His team works hand in hand with others, including the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, which handles more traditional business activities.
“It frees us up to focus on attraction and retention,” he said.
So far this year, the privately funded nonprofit has raised about $4.2 million for its economic development efforts. The group’s goal is $5 million.
The partnership works with C-level executives to get input on where the city should focus its efforts to attract new opportunities. Growth in the manufacturing, aviation, defense and logistical industries are helping drive the city beyond 1 million residents, Allen said.
His goal is to take Fort Worth’s economic development to the next level by securing a Fortune 500 company’s relocation to the city, he said.
Corporate retention is a core tenant of his role. Allen is working to bring businesses to Fort Worth that want to stay 50 years or longer.
His team partners with business executives and city leaders to address challenges to economic growth, such as education.
Allen said his economic team works hard behind the scenes — sometimes up to a year — to promote the city to businesses that are considering a move to Fort Worth.
“That’s when the list of questions begins to develop,” Allen said.
Key wins include a commitment from Bell Textron Inc. for a $632 million investment to produce the Future Long Range Assault Aircraft, also known as the MV-75, he said. Abbott joined Mayor Mattie Parker and Bell president and CEO Lisa Atherton for the Dec. 17 announcement in north Fort Worth.
“This project is obviously transformational for Tarrant County … as well as in Denton County,” Abbott said at the time. “But also, it’s transformative for the future of the state of Texas, our workforce, but maybe most importantly, it’s transformative for our United States military.”
Bell’s contract with the U.S. Army — potentially worth up to $70 billion — “is a tremendous, tremendous opportunity,” Allen said during his conversation with the Report.
He also pointed to the Fort Worth production of Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Lightning II fighter jet as another example of the city’s strong connection to the defense industry. Anything that involves the military, he said, is important to the city.
“That’s something I’m going to support,” he said.
Preparation is important in attracting businesses. In his household, Allen said, the motto “luck favors the prepared” rings true.
More efforts are needed to attract money for research and development in Fort Worth, he said.
The new Texas A&M-Fort Worth campus rising downtown will help as well as redevelopment efforts at Texas Christian University and the building of the UTA West campus near Aledo. Other schools, such as Texas Wesleyan University and Tarleton State University’s Fort Worth campus, are also doing good work growing enrollment and educating students, he said.
Fort Worth’s higher education institutions play a “critical role” in economic development, he said.
Civic engagement in the process to improve literacy among Fort Worth ISD students is also important, Allen said. Many have called for improvements at the school district, which faces a possible state takeover because of poor student academic performance.
Allen said FWISD Superintendent Karen Molinar, who took up the post in March, is up to the challenge.
“We need to do better,” he said.
Turnaround efforts will help to develop a strong workforce that will be qualified for jobs in advanced technology and other emerging industries.
“Workforce (development) for us is No. 1,” Allen said.
Film and television production in Fort Worth is advancing rapidly. “Yellowstone” creator Taylor Sheridan and 101 Studios CEO David Glasser partnered with Hillwood and Paramount Television to open a 450,000-square-foot production facility in the Alliance area.
“The ‘Yellowstone effect’ is real,” Allen said, noting that the production studio will employ hundreds of people who are carpenters, tailors and other skilled workers to support film and television ventures.
The city is often seen as a backdrop in “Yellowstone” and other related shows. Those TV shows and films “put eyeballs on our great city,” Allen said.
Francis noted that the city’s growth will increase transportation needs. Allen said he is optimistic about traffic congestion since the Texas Department of Transportation is planning several projects to improve and expand highways in the Fort Worth area.
Transportation is a regional issue that area leaders must work together on for solutions, he said.
More growth is expected in the city’s booming northern and western areas since Fort Worth has large tracts of land still available for development.
Those areas, he said, “can continue to develop for a long time.”
It’s important that city and regional leaders find ways to overcome challenges in power and water resources so growth isn’t hampered, Allen said. Complacency, he said, will hurt businesses.
Allen’s strategy for economic development is to “be loud and be proud” in promoting Fort Worth.
“Every new job we create is an opportunity for something new,” Allen said.
Eric E. Garcia is a senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org.
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Location Mentioned: Texas A&M Fort Worth