[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 8 (Friday, January 12, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E39]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   IN RECOGNITION OF MR. JAMES GANDY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL C. BURGESS

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, January 12, 2018

  Mr. BURGESS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the exemplary 
work of Mr. James Gandy and congratulate him on his retirement. Mr. 
Gandy has served as the President of the Frisco Economic Development 
Corporation (FEDC) for 22 years, and in that time, has witnessed 
firsthand the economic boom that transformed Frisco from a small farm 
town to the economic hub it is today.
  During his tenure, the FEDC facilitated more than 345 projects with 
an economic impact of $31.1 billion to the Dallas-Fort Worth 
Metropolitan area. As a result of his work, more than 27,000 direct on-
site jobs have been created, amounting to one fifth of the jobs in 
Frisco today. Mr. Gandy played a key role in bringing the Stonebriar 
Centre Mall and globally recognized brands--including the Dallas 
Cowboys--to this once-small town. As a direct result of the completion 
of these projects, Frisco is the proud host to more than 6 million 
visitors per year.
  Mr. Gandy's record of achievement does not stop there. This Frisco 
community leader was integral to forging public-private partnerships to 
create sports and entertainment venues, including the Ford Center at 
the Star, the Dr. Pepper Ballpark and Arena, the Toyota Stadium, and 
the Frisco Superdome.
  As a result of his hard work, Mr. Gandy has received attention not 
only at the local level, but also from around our state. Under his 
leadership, the FEDC was awarded the 2017 Economic Development 
Leadership/Innovation award from the North Texas Chapter of CoreNet 
Global. The Dallas Business Journal, in the year 2012 and 2015, ranked 
the FEDC as number one among North Texas economic development agencies, 
and the FEDC was recognized as high performing in both 2013 and 2016 by 
Atlas Advertising.
  He is truly an exemplary North Texas leader. Before serving on the 
FEDC, Mr. Gandy served on the Jackson County Chamber of Commerce as the 
Director of Economic Development for the City of Seguin, and as the 
President of the San Marcos Chamber of Commerce.
  It is clear that Mr. Gandy has worked tirelessly to bolster the 
Frisco economy. Under his leadership at FEDC, the City of Frisco has 
seen an increase of the tax base of 38 times what it was when he took 
office. On behalf of the citizens and businesses of Frisco, I want to 
thank James Gandy for the unparalleled impact he has made on the city 
and wish him a very happy retirement.

                          ____________________