Williamson County Economic Development Partnership announced the opening of its office in Seoul, South Korea, on July 1.

In a nutshell

The main purpose of WilCo EDP’s new office in South Korea is to pinpoint South Korean companies looking to expand in the United States and help and encourage them to locate in Williamson County.

With construction on the new Samsung semiconductor manufacturing facility underway in Taylor, there is a higher demand for a large number of suppliers to locate in the Central Texas region, said Dave Porter, economic development director for WilCo EDP, at the July 25 Commissioners Court meeting.

The new office will target industry sectors such as research, life sciences, automotive and software in addition to semiconductor suppliers.


A closer look
  • The new office in South Korea is colocated with the headquarters of the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency, or KOTRA, which is a South Korean state-funded trade and investment promotion organization, according to the news release.
  • Through a partnership with Global Business Partners for staffing, the South Korean office has already produced two leads for WilCo EDP in the short time it's been open.
  • Porter said it’s a lot less expensive to go the route of partnering with a company for staffing than establishing their own entity.
  • One of WilCo EDP South Korean office’s first projects includes hosting a half-day seminar Sept. 12 that will focus on how to conduct business in Williamson County. Economic development leaders, city managers and others from Williamson County will be in attendance, and they are anticipating to meet with 100 to 150 companies.
Movement on this project began back in April when the county began visiting South Korea and approved its partnership with KOTRA.

What officials are saying

“Korea has become a premier location for generating technology, so this is a great place to invest in an office that not only helps companies in South Korea locate in Williamson County, but is a launching pad for all of Asia,” Porter said.

Judge Bill Gravell also weighed in on WilCo EDP’s Seoul office.


“We have placed a sign in the sky that says Williamson County is open for business,” Gravell said. “This office gives us boots on the ground locally so that when companies come to KOTRA wanting to do business in the U.S., they can walk them down the hall to our offices.”

For more information about WilCo EDP, visit www.wilcoedp.com.