Goldman Sachs exec touts Dallas’ ‘really bright future’ as new campus takes shape

EXCLUSIVE: Goldman Sachs is making progress on its new 800,000-square-foot campus in Dallas as it deepens its presence in the city, which has emerged as a key regional financial hub.

The firm has a longstanding presence in the Dallas metro area, where it has its second-largest base of employees in the U.S. behind only its New York City headquarters, and the new campus will allow Goldman Sachs to combine two offices into one facility where all the firm’s various business units can be situated and collaborate.

Ericka Leslie, chief administrative officer at Goldman Sachs, told FOX Business in an interview after visiting the new campus in Dallas as construction continues that “I can’t say it enough, I think Dallas is a great place to do business, it really is. The building is beautiful.”

“We’re in two buildings now, we’re going to be able to combine everybody into this state-of-the-art space, and it’s right next to the Perot museum, and the city itself is very vibrant. So we’re looking forward to it, and we’re going to grow there,” Leslie said. “It’s a growth opportunity for us inside of the United States, and it’s a really vibrant place to do business.”

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The new campus will include an auditorium as well as a wide range of amenities, including a wellness center, fitness facility, a backup daycare, multiple spaces offering cafeteria or cafeteria-like services, a coffee bar and outdoor spaces with trees and shade.

Employees will be able to park underneath the building and a retail space will be built across the street that offers additional options nearby for those working at the new campus.

“I find people want to leave their desk, so to speak, and go to another place, but maybe they only have 30 minutes free, and they want to grab a coffee or have a conversation with people,” Leslie said.

“There are a lot of places where you can meet up and sit down and be outside or be inside. And I think that’s really important to people because it gets hot there in the summer, people don’t want to have to walk around outside, it’s completely air-conditioned.”

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The new campus will also have a park outside that’s about an acre and a half in size, which Leslie said crews were working on when she visited the site.

“The outside of the building is mostly complete, and they have to do that in order to start fitting out the inside of the building and air conditioning it, so that will begin fairly shortly. We’re looking for a launch around January 2028,” Leslie said.

She noted that stiff competition for work crews amid the construction boom in the Dallas area has contributed to some delays, though the new campus is still expected to open on schedule.

“The project is mostly on time. It’s slightly delayed, there’s quite a bit of development going on in Dallas right now, and so we’re seeing small delays,” she said, adding that the company expects to be occupying the space in January 2028.

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Leslie noted that Goldman Sachs was one of the firms that contributed to the launch of the Texas Stock Exchange in Dallas, which went fully live for the first time in late July, while other companies are looking to move into the area or are considering doing so.

She added that as more companies are attracted to downtown Dallas, she sees the city becoming more of an urban center with people choosing to live within the city rather than commuting in from the suburbs.

Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon told CNBC in an interview this week that the firm’s headcount in New York City has remained at a little less than 10,000 and hasn’t grown in about 20 years, while it has expanded its overall U.S. headcount with growth in places like Dallas and Salt Lake City. Solomon said that “talent plays a role in it – where is talent available – but also policy, taxes, environment.”

Leslie echoed that sentiment, telling FOX Business that “We like to go to places where you can attract young talent, and New York has always been a place where people want to work when they first get out of college.”

“But I was really surprised walking the Katy Trail [in Dallas] and seeing the number of people that are just starting out in their careers and out walking, getting exercise. I can’t emphasize this enough, there were thousands of people – I almost couldn’t make my way, I had to keep going around people,” she said. “It was a really nice thing to see.”

“I think more and more you’re going to end up seeing places where you’ve got really robust talent pools, you have a lot of universities, and it’s going to be a place where we’re going to attract young people,” Leslie added. “I think Dallas has a really bright future.”