New ‘Economic Gardening’ Program In San Marcos Focused On Assisting Small Business

The Greater San Marcos Economic Gardening Initiative (EGI) is designed to support second stage companies that have moved beyond startup but haven’t yet reached maturity…

The Greater San Marcos Partnership (GSMP) and the City of San Marcos are proud to announce the implementation of a new program to provide direct assistance to existing small businesses.

The Greater San Marcos Economic Gardening Initiative (EGI) is designed to support second stage companies that have moved beyond startup but haven’t yet reached maturity.

Starting with companies headquartered in the City of San Marcos, the new initiative assists in the following four areas: strategic market research, geographic information services, search engine optimization, and social media marketing.

It is administered by the Edward Lowe Foundation as a service to local economic development organizations.

“It is estimated that 80 percent of a community’s job growth comes from their existing companies. We are excited to partner with the city and the Edward Lowe Foundation on the Economic Gardening Initiative to take our local second stage companies to the next level in their development,” said Adriana Cruz, President of the Greater San Marcos Partnership.

“Supporting the growth of San Marcos’ existing local businesses is important to our community and our economy,” said Kevin Burke, the City’s Economic Development Administrator. “The resources offered through the Economic Gardening Initiative are often out of reach for companies at this stage of growth. This initiative will allow the City and GSMP to assist our most promising companies by providing access to the tools they need to grow.”

Interested companies must meet the following criteria to qualify for the EGI:

1. Be a for-profit, privately held company headquartered in the City of San Marcos or Hays and Caldwell Counties.
2. Have between $750,000 and $50 million in annual revenue.
3. Employ 6 to 99 full-time equivalent W-2 employees, including the owner.
4. Potential growth in revenue over the next three years must exceed $1 million.
5. Demonstrated growth in either revenue or employees of 2 to 5 years.
6. Provide product(s) and/or services to regional and/or international markets.

Qualifying companies can submit an application which will be verified and reviewed by the Greater San Marcos Partnership. To find more information and apply, visit https://gsmp.nationalcentereg.org.