Hands-on Corporate Citizenship

Good corporate citizenship ensures a brighter future for Dallas — and it starts with you

Through Reliant and parent company NRG, last year employees volunteered for more than 200 organizations across Texas.

Photo courtesy of Reliant

Corporate citizenship can be a contact sport when you add a little creativity. For the last two years, the Dallas Cowboys exchanged the 50-yard line for the batter’s box to help Reliant donate to local charities. This Home Run Derby competition raised more than $80,000 for the Salvation Army Youth Education Town and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

We’re hands-on with other giving here in Dallas too: Our holiday lights sponsorship at the AT&T Performing Arts Center last December gave thousands of North Texas residents the opportunity to enjoy a free spectacular lighting display. Then we hosted a tree-decorating contest with Booker T. Washington High School students benefiting the high school and the Salvation Army.

If your workplace isn’t already involved in community events or giving, maybe you can be the catalyst. What a better time to make a difference than now?

NRG and Reliant employees don’t just volunteer around the holidays; we are also at the North Texas Food Bank as part of our Global Giving Day program. And we support Dallas youth by providing T-shirts and planners for students who participate in the PLAY 60 Challenge. The PLAY 60 Challenge is a program created by the NFL and the American Heart Association that motivates kids to get 60 minutes of physical activity a day.

The most important contact in the sport of corporate citizenship is connecting people, lending a hand and getting involved. As good corporate citizens, companies must become part of the community.

I’m passionate about this viewpoint, and I’m thankful to work at a company with a community-focused culture. Through Reliant and our parent company, NRG, last year employees volunteered for more than 200 organizations across Texas, giving 6,000 hours across charitable organizations and projects.

If your workplace isn’t already involved in community events or giving, maybe you can be the catalyst. What a better time to make a difference than now? You can start small, follow your passions and serve as an example for others who may be interested. Not all of our community involvement is monetary. Employees serve on boards, mentor children, donate items and get involved in other ways to make a difference in the communities where we live and work.

The trophy in this contact sport doesn’t go on the mantel; it is displayed through workplace morale, community strength and a stronger future for Dallas and the surrounding area. Next time you recognize an opportunity or need, step up to the plate. We are all here for a reason — and we can each make a difference.

Join me. Let’s create a brighter future for our community and our children. If not us, then who?

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Elizabeth Killinger is president of NRG Texas Retail and Reliant.

As good corporate citizens, companies must become part of the community.

Guys wearing Reliant T-shirts at stadium

Photo courtesy of Reliant

As good corporate citizens, companies must become part of the community.

population explosion

7 booming Dallas neighbors see biggest population growth in U.S.

City of Denton, TX - City Hall/Facebook

Denton had the biggest population growth rate in Dallas-Fort Worth from 2022 to 2023.

Denton, Mansfield, McKinney, and more North Texas cities are among the fastest-growing places in the country, according to a new population growth study by SmartAsset.

The report, "These Cities Saw the Largest Growth in Population – 2024 Study," examined U.S. Census population estimates for 2023, 2022, and 2018 to determine one-year and five-year population changes for 610 U.S. cities with populations of at least 65,000 residents in 2023 (where the most recent data was available).

Silver Spring, Maryland had the No. 1 biggest population boom nationwide from 2022 to 2023, SmartAsset found. The Washington, D.C. suburb grew 12.86 percent year-over-year, bringing the city's total population from 75,313 to 84,996 residents in 2023.

Denton took the lead over all other Dallas-Fort Worth cities with the 16th-largest one-year population growth rate in the U.S., at 5.32 percent. Denton gained over 8,000 residents from 2022 to 2023, bringing the city's total population to 158,361 in 2023.

This should come as no surprise to those who already live in Denton, who may know their hometown was ranked one of the safest suburbs in America.

Mansfield trailed close behind with a 4.16 percent increase in population during that same period, which landed it the No. 26 spot in the one-year population change analysis. The city gained 3,189 new residents in that time, adding up to a total population of 79,775 residents in 2023.

McKinney appeared farther down the list as No. 49 with just a 2.89 percent one-year growth rate from 2022 to 2023, and a total population of 213,504 residents.

Only four other Dallas-Fort Worth cities appeared in the top 100 fastest growing cities in the U.S. from 2022 to 2023:

No. 61 – Frisco (2.48 percent increase)
No. 72 – Rowlett (2.48 percent)
No. 73 – Lewisville (2.17 percent)
No. 99 – Flower Mound (1.73 percent)

The report suggested major population shifts in communities like Denton or Mansfield can result in "a variety of interwoven economic and social impacts."

"The magnitude of the population change can affect demand for businesses and services, which in turn may impact costs – or even the availability of such amenities," the report's author wrote. "Similarly, the relative age of the population can determine the strength or weakness of the local job market, as well as have an impact on local culture, economic trajectory, tax base and more."

Fast-growing cities elsewhere in Texas
Texas cities dominated the top 10 list of cities where population grew the most from 2022 to 2023.

New Braunfels, a San Antonio suburb, ranked No. 2 nationally with an 12.49 percent one-year population boom, and a 29.68 percent growth rate from 2018 to 2023. The city gained 12,318 new residents in that time, adding up to a total population of 110,961 residents in 2023.

Just two spots behind New Braunfels is the North Austin suburb of Georgetown (No. 4), which grew 11.34 percent to 96,317 residents in 2023. According to the report's five-year population change analysis, Georgetown ranked seventh with a 29.85 percent growth rate.

The Houston suburbs of Atascocita and Conroe ranked No. 5 and No. 9, respectively. Atascocita's total population grew to 119,502 residents in 2023, which represented a 11.03 percent growth rate from 2022, and a whopping 38.56 percent population increase since 2018. Conroe's 6.73 percent one-year population increase paled in comparison, but the city grew 23.49 percent during the five-year period from 2018 to 2023.

The top 10 U.S. cities where population grew the most from 2022 to 2023 are:

No. 1 – Silver Spring, Maryland
No. 2 – New Braunfels, Texas
No. 3 – Glen Burnie, Maryland
No. 4 – Georgetown, Texas
No. 5 – Atascocita, Texas
No. 6 – Pine Hills, Florida
No. 7 – Elgin, Illinois
No. 8 – Lehi, Utah
No. 9 – Conroe, Texas
No. 10 – Dale City, Virginia

population growth reports smartasset dallas fort worth denton suburbs mansfield