Business leaders and government officials touted the region's business health and development potential June 27 during the annual Greater San Marcos Economic Outlook event.

"We have about $700 billion and 10,000–12,000 potential jobs looking at Hays and Caldwell counties as we speak," said Hays County Commissioner Will Conley, who is also the chairman of the Greater San Marcos Partnership, a local economic development organization.

Keynote speaker Bob Montgomery, vice president of airport affairs for Southwest Airlines, said the San Marcos Municipal Airport is poised to grow because it is situated between Austin and San Antonio.

"Of course, you know the traffic situation in Austin," Montgomery said. "Time is money for your shippers, [such as FedEx and UPS], and as your population grows here, as more people seek alternatives to the larger cities, I think that's going to bring a lot more vibrancy."

He said he believes the airport's development will come in waves—initially general aviation-related activities followed by cargo flights and ultimately commercial service, especially in the short-haul marketplace.

"There are some really remarkable things going on, some flight training that is unique, and I think that is going to draw some new businesses into the San Marcos area," he said.

He also encouraged public-private partnerships for expansion, citing Southwest Airlines' project to expand and remodel Love Field in Dallas.

"We don't have time to wait, and we need to do it now," Montgomery said. "If the structures can be put in place to allow public-private partnerships to proceed, I would have to believe that is going to end up in San Marcos getting projects that they might not otherwise get, which is going to create those jobs."

Several hundred people attended the luncheon, organized by the Greater San Marcos Partnership, the San Marcos Area Chamber of Commerce, the Texas State University Small Business Development Center and Texas State's McCoy College of Business Administration.