Transforming Port San Antonio: Officials hope tech, aerospace hub redevelopment project will launch economic growth

Jim Perschbach, president and CEO of Port San Antonio, is working to redevelop the port's Southwest San Antonio campus into a world-class space for aerospace, cybersecurity and defense companies.

With an aim of transforming the former Kelly Air Force Base into a developed research campus that also lifts the fortune of the nearby residents, campus development projects include the Innovation Tower, a defense campus, a military campus, a child development center, a vertiport, grocers, retail and dining options.

"The goal here is to raise the economic attainment of the community," Perschbach said. "If your wages go up and your property value goes up, that leads to generational wealth and community wealth."

Joe Sanchez, creator and executive director of CyberTexas Foundation, said Perschbach has transformed Port SA into a major tech hub that will guarantee future jobs for residents.

There are over 80 companies currently on campus. Industries include aeronautics, robotics, national defense and space exploration.

The conditions

Perschbach said the port's current economic impact seems improbable because the campus mostly consists of buildings in need of repairs, with the aim of future revitalization.

"I am blue in the face, telling people there's $20 billion of economic impact [down here]," Perschbach said. " ... [But] there's that cognitive dissonance, because you come down and you see broken down streets and [buildings]."

District 9 council member Misty Spears said the port's desire to cultivate talent from the local community is crucial to the city long-term. "You'll have people that care about San Antonio because they're from here, and that's a different kind of employee than someone who is a transplant," Spears said.

The outlook

Perschbach's vision for the campus is inspired by Walt Disney World's EPCOT. The campus will showcase the past, present and future through its architectural design.

"We're trying to build a skeleton that is functional and operational and financially viable and can be maintained," Perschbach said.

Perschbach said diversity is the foundation of the project.

"What we are trying to do at our core is attract a diversity of populations to this campus ... being able to also bring the people who like food, who like art, those different things, really becomes like a good theme park," Perschbach said.

Spears said the future design will revitalize the area. "They want to be able to have child care and really sustain themselves ... with their own local restaurants and local businesses all throughout the port," Spears said.

Zooming in

North East ISD Superintendent Sean Maika said the district has over 50 industry-based certifica- tion pathways, including programs at the district's magnet schools and the Institute of CyberSecurity & Innovation, or ICSI, which gives students the tools to enter high-paying industries at Port SA.

"When we were conceptualizing IGSI, we co-produced that program with industry," Maika said. "And so by co-producing it together, we created a really true, one-of-a-kind facility."

Deborah Ruel-Schaefer, the career and technical director at Northside ISD, said the district has technical programs beginning in fifth grade.

"If we wait until kids start their first day in ninth grade in high school to talk about what they're going to be, we've missed the boat on so much," Ruel-Schaefer said.

Port SA offers educational opportunities such as CyberPatriot competitions, a LAN gaming center, a museum and a variety of internships and summer programs in aerospace, cybersecurity and robotics.

Looking ahead

Innovation Tower, Port SA's first major development, is estimated to begin construction in 2026 and be completed in 2028. Sanchez said the development will continue to attract diverse employers.

"I think the diversity probably out- shines any economic impact in terms of numbers and dollars," Sanchez said.