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Events Family Fun

Kyle’s Pie in the Sky Day Celebration

What’s that up in the sky? It’s a bird? It’s a plane? It’s a… nope, not Superman. It’s a fleet of hot air balloons! 

 

It’s time for the Kyle Pie in the Sky Hot Air Balloon Festival. Whether you come out to see the hot air balloons or your main focus is eating as much pie as possible, this is one end-of-the-summer event that you’re not going to want to miss!

 

Pie in the Sky 101

If you’re new in town or have simply never heard of this pie-themed hot air balloon festival, allow us to fill you in. The festival has only been around a few years, but since the first festival in 2017, it’s proven to be popular with residents as it gives folks a chance to see more than a dozen hot air balloons inflate and take to the skies, as well as enjoy a variety of pies from the savory to the sweet. 

 

When and Where?

All the pie-eating and balloon action happens on Saturday, September 3 from 12 to 8 PM. While in previous years the event has taken place at Lake Kyle, this year’s festival has been moved to Gregg-Clarke Park (1231 W Center Street) due to construction at Lake Kyle.

 

Entry to the event is completely FREE, and while there is a limited amount of free parking, there will be on-site paid parking available. Free shuttles will also be running to take attendees from nearby St. Anthony’s Church to the event. 

 

An even better alternative may be to leave the car at home and take advantage of UberKyle. The program is available through the City of Kyle phone app and includes a voucher for just $3.14 that allows for a trip anywhere within the Kyle city limits. 

 

Balloons, Pie, and so Much More

A sky full of colorful hot air balloons may be the big draw, but they’re hardly the only reason to mark this event on your calendar. A vendor market will be set up where guests can peruse and purchase local crafts as well as food and drink. And speaking of food, pie is on the menu in a big way at this festival. 

 

Dozens of pies will be available to try and there will even be a pie-baking contest for home bakers who think they might have a blue ribbon-worthy recipe. Previous festivals have included some irresistible pies with names like Rainbow Balloon Pumpkin Pie, Dark Side Chocolate Fudge Pie, and Chinese New Year Pineapple Pie. 

 

There will also be pie-eating contests, live music, and a play area for the kiddos to run around and burn off some energy. For guests who want to get a view of the action from up above, tethered hot air balloon rides will be available. Who knows, maybe you can even have your pie in the sky. 

 

The Pie in the Sky Festival is just one of the many aspects that makes Kyle such a great place to live. If you’re interested in finding a home here, connect with the Crosswinds team today. 

 

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Area Attractions Lifestyle

California Beverage Company Relocating to Kyle, TX

It seems like not a month goes by these days without news headlines announcing another company is planting roots in the Lone Star State. From tech companies such as Oracle and Hewlett Packard to beverage companies like Pabst Brewing, and everything in between, at least 50 Fortune 500 companies and growing have moved operations to Texas. 

 

Another California company is planning a move to Texas, and this time, we’re thrilled to learn Kyle will be home to its corporate headquarters! Gov. Greg Abbott recently shared the news that Sovereign Flavors, a beverage flavoring company, will be relocating its headquarters from Orange County, California to right here in Kyle. 

 

“Sovereign Flavors’ relocation to the Lone Star State is great news for the people of Central Texas…,” Abbot said. “More and more innovative businesses like Sovereign are moving to Texas because of our world-class business climate, diverse workforce, and endless avenues of opportunity for all Texans to succeed.”

 

The flavoring development company has created over 4,000 flavors for beverage brands sold at Target, Kroger, and Publix among other grocery stores. David Ames, president of Sovereign Flavors, said that the company was “honored to join Texas’ strong business climate.” The beverage flavoring company’s move into an 80,000-square-foot facility is only the most recent example of Kyle’s “strong business climate” and upward economic growth. 

 

Being only 7 miles from Austin and 39 miles from San Antonio, Kyle is geographically located perfectly for businesses. And while at one time 80% of Kyle’s population left the city limits for work, that’s rapidly changing as more businesses set up shop within Kyle

 

One of those businesses, for example, is Alsco commercial laundry. The city of Kyle worked with Alsco to provide the right business conditions for a 96,000-square-foot facility. “[The city leaders] were open, honest, and so easy to deal with and responsive to our needs,” Alsco’s general manager Anthony Wessels explained. 

 

Kyle’s business-friendly environment is proving to be attractive to businesses both big and small too. Owners of La Ola Pop Shop, Julian and Paulina Hernandez opened a new location in Kyle because of the visible economic growth. “Kyle is a town that I feel like is booming,” Julian said. “Everywhere you look you see construction, [and there’s] lots of families here.” 

 

It was only a decade ago that Kyle was just a small-town suburb of Austin. Today, however, it’s the fifth fastest growing city in Texas, and it currently has 2.5 million square feet of business space under development. Kyle has clearly evolved from a commuter suburb to a city coming into its own as a place to live, work, and play. 

 

If you’re interested in finding a home in Kyle’s newest planned community, reach out to the Crosswinds team today. 

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Area Attractions

Drone Company Chooses Kyle, TX for Winter Training Site

To no one’s surprise, the city of Kyle is attracting more and more businesses in 2022. Companies love the favorable regulatory environment in Texas, the weather, the people, the cost of living, and the beautiful, historical towns and cities.

Ranitzo is yet another company that discovered Kyle as the ideal location to conduct business. Ranitzo is an Iowa-based drone developer that’s on the cutting edge of the agricultural drone industry, and they recently chose Kyle Texas’ Public Safety Training Center for their winter training operations.

Rantizo’s agricultural drones are the future of large-scale farming and land management in the U.S. These drones are designed to spray liquid or dry solutions onto crops, such as fertilizers, crop seeds, insects, and more. Because this is a newer concept, the technology is still in its developmental stages. Agriculture drone companies are still in the process of overcoming regulatory, technological, and training obstacles to bring drone tech to the forefront of farming, and moving their training program to Kyle is a great step forward for Rantizo.

The Public Safety Training Center in Kyle is a perfect option for Rantizo. Although the training center is best known for its tactical driving school and drone training for law enforcement, the administration at the training center is looking to land more commercial training programs with the successful launch of Rantizo’s winter training program.

Why Kyle is the perfect location:

There are 3 major reasons that a drone developer like Rantizo chose Kyle.

First, it solves the problem of drone complications with cold weather. Drones don’t like the cold. Cold temperatures reduce chemical activity in the Lipo batteries used in drones, and in extreme cold conditions, drones might shut down mid-flight. Considering that each of Rantizo’s T30 drones retail at over $50,000, that’s something they want to avoid.

Rantizo’s HQ in Iowa has temps that are consistently below zero during winter. Training in those temps is impossible (not to mention unpleasant for trainees and trainers alike). But for a majority of the winter months in Kyle, TX have highs in the 60’s and lows in the 40’s. Drone trainers don’t have to worry about fatal shutdowns or reduced battery life, which increases efficiency and  

Second, Kyle, TX already has flight envelopes in place at the training center and clear regulatory guidelines for drone flight. You can’t just fly drones anywhere…the FAA determines what is safe and what isn’t, and they’ve cleared Kyle’s facility for flight training. This solves a big problem for Rantizo.

Third is Kyle itself. The city is located close to two international airports, making it easy for company travel. Plus, it’s a fun city to visit or live in. Kyle is growing and with an average age of 32, it has great offerings for young to middle-aged employees during downtime between training sessions. 

More Growth To Come for Kyle

Like we mentioned above, Kyle is growing fast. Between 2018 and 2019 the population of Kyle, TX grew from 39,857 to 42,706, and its median household income grew from $74,826 to $79,348.

We can only expect this trend to continue as companies like Rantizo take advantage of the incentives and benefits that Kyle offers. 

What will drive the growth trend even further is the fact that it’s also relatively easy to get people to relocate to the Austin, TX area. Its beautiful landscapes, perfect weather, and cost of living are all attractive to employees, and this is especially true in Kyle.

If you’re relocating to the Austin area like so many others these days, it’s worth taking a look at Crosswinds in Kyle, TX. Our community has beautiful, affordable homes with vibrant amenities and lifestyles that are built around your needs and wants.

Reach out to Crosswinds today to find out more about how to take advantage of this unique opportunity for you and your family.  

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Lifestyle

Texas Tops Economic Expansion List 10th Year In a Row

Texas is going to need more room in its trophy case… 

For the 10th year in a row, Texas has won the coveted Site Selection Magazine Governor’s Cup. Site Selection awards the Governor’s Cup each year to the state with the most qualified economic development projects. This year, Texas took home the hardware (again). 

 

The Governor’s Cup is considered by many to be the Super Bowl of economic development trophies. Specifically, it’s a recognition for the state that lands the most deals for corporate headquarters projects, manufacturing plants, R&D operations and logistics facilities. 

 

Here’s why it’s a big deal:

Every time a company decides to locate part or all of their operations in Texas, economic activity and growth follows. More companies leads to more jobs, which means more income, resulting in more growth. Economic growth in Texas is projected above 3% for the next decade, at least. That’s quite a bit higher than most states in the country.

 

Texas is crushing the competition. In 2020, Texas landed 781 corporate facilities projects, more than doubling second-place Ohio. New corporate facility projects have a big impact on individual communities and the state economy at large. 

 

Winning the Governor’s Cup for 10 straight years is a sign that Texas’ economy will be growing at a steady rate for the foreseeable future. When a few high-profile names made the move to Texas, other high-profile companies inevitably followed, typically due to the economic benefits of being in Texas, especially with other large corporations. 

 

Austin in particular is seeing an influx of companies. Digital Realty Trust, Rex Teams, and Oracle are just a few of the juggernauts that have chosen to locate in Austin in the past few years.

Why Do So Many Big Companies Want to Relocate to Texas?

Texas is a great place to do business. And we’re not just talking about the cost of living, incentives, fair tax rates, and favorable regulatory environments. We’re also talking about a state government who prioritizes keeping businesses open and a general philosophy of governance that promotes business growth. 

From Texas Governor Abbot in 2020:

“Businesses have almost total freedom to run their company the way they see best. We can’t run their businesses better than they can. We get out of their way and let them do what they do best.”   

 

Texas lawmakers relentlessly continue to look for ways to change the tax and regulatory policy to be more competitive. It’s a big reason that the Governor’s Cup goes to Texas so often.

 

Basically, businesses in Texas can grow quickly while limiting their risk. They can innovate without being shackled. They can expand and iterate faster than anywhere else, and that’s why they are choosing to move to Texas in droves. 

 

From a balance sheet and financial accounting perspective, it makes a lot of sense to locate your business in Texas. But it also makes a lot of sense from a quality of life perspective. Texas offers employees and new arrivals more living for less money. 

 

CEOs, management teams, and employees can live in beautiful communities and take advantage of the same benefits and incentives that brought their company to Texas in the first place. Texas is a great place to live and work, and it’s getting more attractive each year. 

 

Congrats to Texas for 10 years of unrivaled economic expansion! Here’s to 10 more…

Looking for a new home in the Austin area? Crosswinds offers a wonderful place to call home located just south of downtown Austin in Kyle, Texas. Contact the team at Crosswinds to learn more.

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Area Attractions Family Fun

Life in Kyle: EVO Entertainment

EVO Entertainment Kyle is much more than a movie theater and it’s right here in Kyle. You’ll find everything you want in a movie theater and then some. The Kyle location of EVO Entertainment offers the movie theater experience with enhanced viewing, restaurant and bar, bowling, video and redemption games, and more than 50 HDTVs.

Not Your Typical Movie Experience

The enhanced viewing experience, or EVX, contains a massive wall-to-wall, floor-to-ceiling screen. It’s complemented by an immersive Dolby ATMOS moving audio and state-of-the-art projection technology.

EVX takes surround sound to the next level, as it produces sound you can feel. Attendees will find themselves feeling as they are in the action as the film comes to life. Not all EVO venues offer this feature and Kyle is fortunate to be one of them. 

The location also has Flashback Cinema where you can catch old favorites on the big screen. You can even host your own private screening party and choose from any film currently showing at the Kyle EVO Entertainment or bring your own movie on Blu-Ray.

More Fun Things to Do at EVO Entertainment

The bowling center is also not your typical bowling alley as it offers an extraordinary bowling experience. The bowling lanes use the latest bowling technology with sleek audio and visuals, lane-side food and drink service from the kitchen, and a modern aesthetic. 

If you go bowling there, be sure to watch for hidden orange pins! If the orange pin shows up in the kingpin position (the front), contact a team member to watch you bowl. If you bowl a strike with the orange pin in front, you’ll score a $100 game card!

You can experience virtual reality in a new way in the OMNI VR Arena. It’s a four-person virtual reality gaming and e-sports experience. Players can safely walk and run in the virtual landscape. The arena has a vast library of multiplayer games including non-violent ones. EVO has weekly and monthly e-sports tournaments where players can try to win prizes.

There’s a room full of all kinds of video games. And all day every Wednesday, they have half-price games. If that’s not enough, there’s free WiFi and more than 50 HDTVs!

They plenty of delicious grub to keep you satisfied. Once again, this isn’t your ordinary entertainment food with plain burgers and pizza. No, they have things like honey sriracha tacos, chicken pesto flatbread, pulled pork nachos, and more. They even have bottomless popcorn. You can go with traditional butter or add a flavor like garlic parmesan or spicy ranch. Beer, wine, cocktails, and margaritas are available for those of appropriate age.

It’s definitely a place for all ages. For the latest, check out the EVO Entertainment Kyle Facebook page.

To stay on top of great resources from Kyle and nearby, connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Looking to move? Meet the Kyle home builders or contact our Crosswinds team.

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Lifestyle

ENF Technology Announces Plans to Build U.S. Headquarters in Kyle

The city of Kyle is known across the state of Texas for its business-friendly environment, affordable housing and high-quality schools, all of which continue to attract new business in Kyle, TX. ENF Technology, based in South Korea, is the latest company to see the great opportunities Kyle can provide. The company has decided to build its first U.S. headquarters and advanced manufacturing facility in Kyle, TX.

Who is ENF Technology?

South Korea-based ENF Technology is a leading global company in the electronic materials market and provides many of these materials to the U.S. high-tech market. Founded in 2000, the company has been a frontrunner in the field of electronic materials with the development of new technology through continual research and development.

Why Kyle, TX?

ENF Technology has decided to open its first U.S. headquarters in Kyle, TX for a variety of reasons. Most notably, ENF provides electronic materials to Texas companies like Samsung, GlobalFoundries, Micro, Texas Instruments and Intel. This new location is expected to primarily serve Samsung Austin Semiconductor, which has been operating in Austin since 1997. ENF also sees the business-friendly environment and great workforce the city of Kyle is known for. Additionally, ENF Technology recognizes the affordable cost of living, award-winning schools and outstanding quality of life available in Kyle, TX for future employees.

Effects of This New Business in Kyle

The City of Kyle and Hays County Commissioners have approved a performance-based economic development agreement with ENF Technology for a five-year property tax rebate, beginning at 75% and declining by 10% each year. The investment ENF Technology is making in the Kyle community is expected to generate nearly $600,000 to the City of Kyle, over $400,000 to Hays County and more than $700,000 to Hays CISD by the end of the five-year agreement. Additionally, ENF Technology is expected to hire 45-50 people to operate the new headquarters, but the company could eventually employ 80.

Hays County officials and the city of Kyle are thrilled to welcome this new business to Kyle, TX! ENF Technology’s U.S. headquarters is expected to break ground in mid-2019 and open in 2020. With all the developments taking place in Kyle, TX, there’s little wonder why Kyle is Austin’s next in-demand suburb. Now is the perfect time to make the move to Kyle, and Crosswinds has a variety of new homes available from the $200s. Contact us today to learn more and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to see what life is like at Crosswinds!