"We've definitely been seeing companies coming into Texas, not only to establish a new presence here, but existing California headquarters committing to the area here and growing," comments Stream Realty Partners vice president Stewart Lyman, who works out of the Houston office. Adds Dallas-based KDC CEO Steve Van Amburgh: "If you look at our pipeline of prospective new projects, we've always had two or three large groups from California interested in the Dallas-Fort Worth area and Texas" What's of interest, however, Van Amburgh continues, is that the amount of interest is on the rise. "Since last summer, that number has tripled. Instead of seeing two or three groups, we've had nine or ten inquiries," he comments.

Certainly the reasons for the eastward migration have been touted often enough: Lower cost of living, a decent GDP, strong quality of life, the fact that Texas is a right-to-work state, no state income tax and a central location can be appealing to business owners. And it's no secret that the propositions recently passed in California have business owners rethinking whether they want to remain and pick up stakes to move. "Those propositions lit a fire under a lot of decision-makers," Van Amburgh observes. "Whether they're making the move or not, they are studying alternatives and inquiring."

Lyman also points out that Texas' strength in oil and gas has also proved appealing to many Golden State firms. "A lot of companies have seen that there is plenty of skilled labor here for the oil and gas sector," Lyman points out. Speaking of skilled labor, Mendez continues, the workers to be found in the Lone Star State tend to be well-educated and affordable – and many are bilingual as well. "Labor, by far, seems to be the biggest ticket," he comments. "Real estate and intellectual property come in second and third."

There is also the issue of space and time. Colliers International's executive vice presidents Chris Teesdale and Tom Pearson point out that an investor or corporate user can come into the Dallas area, for example, find a decent amount of land at a reasonable price and build on it. What might take a year to 18 months in California for zoning and entitlements might take three to six months in Dallas, the men note.

Given the ongoing interest in Texas from businesses in California (and other states as well), does this mean that Governor Perry's efforts have been wasted? Not necessarily, Lyman says.

"Obviously the larger companies, such as the Chevrons of the world, have groups dedicated to finding the right location to do business," he comments. "But for smaller companies out there that may not have a dedicated real estate group, the governor's campaign is an opportunity to get in front of them and to show them the potential benefits of Texas."