Plano officials (from right, Plano International Business Manager Meelis Anton, Economic Development Director Michael Talley, Deputy City Manager Doug McDonald, City Manager Mark Israelson and Mayor John Muns) meet with Toyota executives (from left, President of Business Planning & Operation Hiroshi Nambu, General Manager of Sales Operation & Planning Div. Koki Yanagisawa and Project Manager Kenichi Kachi) on an economic development trip to Asia in spring of 2026. (Courtesy/City of Plano)
Courtesy/City of Plano
As Plano’s profile as a corporate hub rises, a delegation of five city officials traveled across the Pacific Ocean this spring to Japan, Taiwan and Korea to meet with businesses investing in the city, make their pitch to new companies and build an understanding with corporate executives more than 7,000 miles from home.
The delegation, which travels from Texas to Asia roughly every three years, is meant to build on Plano’s connections with Asian business sectors. The Collin County city is known for attracting corporate relocations and expansions from across the globe, including Japan’s Toyota, Taiwan’s Delta Electronics and Korea’s Samsung.
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For roughly two weeks from March 28 to April 11, Plano Mayor John Muns, City Manager Mark Israelson, Deputy City Manager Doug McDonald, Economic Development Director Michael Talley and International Business Manager Meelis Anton met with leaders from more than a dozen companies across Asia to build relationships with businesses investing in Plano and meet prospective partners.
McDonald said Plano has established a strong network in Asia with companies that have become “critical partners we have here in our community,” and visiting executives in person keeps “the momentum going.”
The trip cost around $90,000, according to city officials, for hotels, airfare, transportation, food and other expenses. The city also sent leaders to Sweden last year to meet with companies in Europe.
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“This is really just to continue building those relationships [with] the Toyotas, the Samsungs, the Deltas of the world, from Taiwan, Korea and Japan that have chosen Plano and continue to choose Plano to expand here,” Talley said.
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At a fireside chat in Taiwan briefing business executives on Plano, Mayor John Muns (center) speaks alongside Sysgration executive T.F. Hsieh (left) and the director of the state of Texas’ Taiwan office Joe Nieh (right) in spring of 2026. (Courtesy/City of Plano)
Courtesy/City of Plano
Plano’s story
People outside of the U.S. have often seen the television show Dallas or know of the Dallas Cowboys, McDonald said. But Plano’s goal in traveling across the globe is to leave people with a better idea of their options in Dallas-Fort Worth if they are looking to expand to Texas — and to sell them on Plano.
“Other companies start getting more and more interested in what we’re doing and then why their competitors and or their friends are investing in the city and the region,” Talley said. “We’re happy to tell that part of the story.”
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City officials updated companies on new developments — like AT&T announcing it’s moving its headquarters to Plano and the Japanese luxury Miyako Hybrid Hotel breaking ground in the city.
They also met with banks in Taiwan and Japan, McDonald said. Financial services are growing in D-FW and the Texas Stock Exchange plans to start trading this year.
“Companies have been looking to get loans to go and actually invest and start a new location in the U.S.,” McDonald said. “It was important for us to make sure the banks know … they’re coming to us and they want to be in Texas.”
The trip to Asia was also meant to build cultural understanding.
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Back home, Plano officials are seeking to “cultivate the diversity of our community through festivals and pep rallies,” McDonald said, to welcome employees from across the globe.
Plano Mayor John Muns, left, speaks with Korea International Trade Association Chairman Jin Sik Yoon, right, during a trip to Asia in spring of 2026 to bolster the city’s economic development. (Courtesy/City of Plano)
Courtesy/City of Plano
Choosing Plano
T.F. Hsieh, general manager of Taiwanese manufacturing company Sysgration, met with Plano officials in Taiwan.
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Sysgration announced its expansion to a 98,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Plano in 2024 with plans to house over 150 employees by 2029. The city offered the company a $2.4 million grant to invest in Plano and bring jobs.
Most of Sysgration’s customers are in the U.S., Hsieh said, which incentivized the company to build a North American headquarters in Texas. D-FW made sense, he said, because of the universities nearby — “we need a lot of brain power,” he said.
Sysgration considered several cities before choosing Plano. Choosing which city to invest in was like picking out a BMW, Hsieh said. Plano, Richardson, Garland and McKinney all were good options.
Plano officials offered the company support and guidance, he said, and stood out from neighbors as “very good sales people.”
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“It’s a lot of effort to come into a market that you’ve never been in,” Talley said. “There are going to be issues…. but the city is going to be right there along with you to make sure you get through those problems.”
Eng Taing, president of Delta Electronics in Plano, said his company chose to expand from Taiwan to D-FW because of the telecom corridor in the region and to “mitigate the risk of supply chain being in Asia.”
Plano was “a natural fit” for Delta, he said — the state is business-friendly and the city government offered a robust incentive package for investing in Plano and creating jobs, including a 10-year, 50% property tax rebate and $5.9 million grant. There is also a talented workforce in the area, he said, and it is centrally located, safe and has a good quality of life.
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The Plano officials’ visit, Taing said, improved their ability to work together in Texas.
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“It hasn’t been perfect,” Taing said. “We’ve had a few bumps in the road, but every time I call the city, they’re more than willing to help. They’ve been a great partner for us.”
Plano officials met with the following companies while traveling to Asia to bolster economic development initiatives.
Japan
Kintetsu
DENSO
Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota Tsusho Corporation
NTT DATA
JETRO
Taisei
Korea
SK Signet
KITA Headquarters
CJ Group
Suwon City Investment Promotion Division
Samsung
Taiwan
Sysgration
Delta Electronics
Lite-On
Email tips on all things Collin County to lilly.kersh@dallasnews.com.