The Connect May 2022

Forward Fort Worth: Advancing the Commercialization of Mobility Innovation throughout the Supply Chain

With the growth of Hillwood’s AllianceTexas Mobility Innovation Zone (MIZ) and the continued collaboration between regional and industry leaders, North Texas and Fort Worth have rapidly become the geographic center of seismic changes in the autonomous technology field revolutionizing the supply chain. Today, Texas ranks #1 for tech employment in the U.S., adding 10,851 new jobs in 2021, with the DFW Metroplex charting at #5 for the largest tech talent pool in the U.S., topping markets like Seattle, Boston and Austin. North Texas’ robust infrastructure has become a staging area for some of the biggest companies in the business, including Bell Flight, Wing, BNSF Railway, TuSimple, Aurora, ITS ConGlobal and Gatik, among many others.

It was against this backdrop that Hillwood hosted the inaugural Forward Fort Worth mobility innovation summit on March 2, bringing together many of the world’s most recognized transportation and logistics companies, policymakers, regulators, entrepreneurs and academic institutions. The event, in partnership with Texas A&M University, provided an opportunity for nearly 200 industry thought leaders to network and learn more about the scaling and commercialization of advanced mobility technology systems and their impact on supply chain advancement.”

“Our goal was to convene the world’s foremost mobility innovation leaders and visionaries here in Fort Worth to see how they could collaborate, partner and ultimately do business together in order to move the industry forward,” said Russel Laughlin, executive vice president of Hillwood. “The last few years have brought to light many inefficiencies in our supply chain, and it’s key that we work together to innovate and develop state-of-the-art technologies that propel our world forward.

Throughout the summit, discussions focused on autonomous vehicle tech in the supply chain, electrifying the supply chain, aerial autonomy, attracting the next generation of mobility talent, next-generation supply chain infrastructure and venture investing in autonomy and logistics technology. The event’s success is apparent in the relationships that were formed, growing Fort Worth and the region as an innovation hub.

Watch the Event Recap