Committed to growing its tech workforce in Texas, H-E-B is announcing preliminary plans to construct a state-of-the-art tech center at its San Antonio headquarters that will house up to 1,000 H-E-B Partners.
Starting next year, the company will begin construction on approximately 170,000-square-foot (updated), 5-story building located in the heart of the Arsenal campus in downtown San Antonio, further expanding its technology base in the Alamo City. Construction is scheduled to begin by summer 2020 and is tentatively set for completion by summer 2022.
As part of this expansion, H-E-B will add 500 new jobs in San Antonio and relocate its digital Partners from other locations in the city to house its digital teams closer together. With the growth of H-E-B Digital, which includes its product, design, technology and e-commerce teams, the company strengthens its position as a leading digital retailer and brick-and-mortar business.
“Our success starts with our people, who provide exceptional hospitality to deliver world-class shopping and digital experiences,” said Craig Boyan, H-E-B President. “We’re committed to hiring more people, adding the necessary skills to become both a better tech company and even stronger brick-and-mortar retailer.”
For the H-E-B Digital team, there are currently more than 1,000 Partners in San Antonio and another several hundred at its Eastside Tech Hub in Austin, which opened in June. Companywide, there are more than 5,500 e-commerce Partners who are part of the retailer’s H-E-B Curbside and Home Delivery teams.
“H-E-B continues to have an outsized impact on our community. One of our region’s greatest strengths is our willingness and eagerness to serve others, and H-E-B consistently leads the way in this respect,” said Graham Weston, co-founder of Rackspace and Geekdom. “These 1,000 Partners will be digitally innovating from right here in downtown San Antonio, serving Texans everywhere. Another thing we do exceptionally well as a region is celebrate. Today, we should all celebrate H-E-B. 500 new tech jobs in our community is the type of commitment that sets us on an entirely new path.”
Like its sister facility in Austin, the new workspace will offer a variety of dynamic work areas spread throughout the floor plan, including open collaboration areas, individual work spaces and meeting rooms equipped with advanced technology and video conferencing capabilities. San Antonio-based Lake Flato Architects will design the project, which will boast modern amenities and cutting-edge features while incorporating design elements found throughout the Arsenal campus.
“The San Antonio tech center will be become part of the new front door to our Arsenal campus, just as H-E-B Digital is creating a new front door for our customers online and via mobile shopping experiences,” said Jag Bath, H-E-B Chief Digital Officer.
As the company accelerates its path toward becoming a technology leader in Texas, these efforts support H-E-B’s strong commitment to grow its digital team in San Antonio while it continues to invest in the city, state and its overall workforce.
“H-E-B’s service to customers, commitment to community and drive for innovation are why they are so much more than a store, and why the City of San Antonio is honored and proud of this incredible growth of 500 highly-skilled jobs,” said San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg. “Just as no store does more than our H-E-B, no city achieves more than San Antonio because of H-E-B.”
“The H-E-B tech center employing 1,000 people will be a quantum step in making San Antonio a center for technology,” said Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff.
For H-E-B, this growth is part of a companywide push to integrate more innovative technology-based services into its digital lineup. Along with the acquisition of Favor, H-E-B continues to expand its e-commerce offerings such as H-E-B Curbside and H-E-B Home Delivery, which are expected to be at over 200 locations by year’s end, and H-E-B Go, a mobile solution that allows people to scan and pay for their items with their phones.
As the largest privately-held employer in Texas, H-E-B Digital, in San Antonio and Austin, and Favor are actively hiring across all areas of expertise, including product management, product design and software engineering. Career opportunities can be found on the H-E-B Careers and Favor websites.
