Although San Antonio certainly didn’t make it out of the national recession unscathed, it did put the city in a unique position to quickly recover.

The Chamber of Commerce therefore determined areas of growth that are expected in the upcoming year, which include real estate, health care and bioscience, sports tourism, investment, business retention and expansion, and information technology.

• Henry Cisneros, the chairman of BioMed SA, remarked that the medical sector, in particular, will make up nearly 20 percent of the gross domestic product over the next 20 years. The medical sector currently makes up about 12 percent of the GDP in San Antonio.

• The healthcare and bioscience fields are big employers in the city, employing nearly one out of every seven San Antonio workers.

• Even with poor job growth as of late, the economic outlook report showed the local job growth market rebounding by fall 2010.

• Other signs of growth are in the research sector, as the University of Texas at San Antonio and the Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research recently received more than $270 million for research; and research, of course, leads to new jobs.

• The sports industry will also continue to shine in San Antonio throughout 2010, particularly because of the tournament-level golf courses, the new amateur sports complexes and the upgrades to the athletic facilities of the UTSA. The amateur sports facilities of Houston recently received an $80 million expansion.

• The San Antonio commercial real estate market – in particular, San Antonio office space – is expected to hold its own during the upcoming year. In fact, the economic outlook report noted that both the San Antonio office space market and the San Antonio industrial market have held strong, and rents have been left nearly unchanged.

• Unlike the San Antonio office space market, the San Antonio retail market has suffered, and may continue to suffer in the months ahead. Although the larger, regional malls continue to do well, the smaller retail centers are now sitting empty, and will probably remain that way for the next few years.

For tenants leasing San Antonio office space, they may be in a position now to save big on their lease. The trick is figuring out just how to do it.

The following tips can guide you in the right direction so you can begin saving on your San Antonio office space today:

1. There is plenty of empty office space in and around San Antonio; and it’s up to you to take advantage of it as a lessee. Consider subletting from another company that is stuck in a long-term lease but doesn’t need all of the space they are renting. In fact, smart subletting can save you as much as 25 percent off what you would normally pay for the same space. San Antonio office space is varied and widely available, thereby allowing you to cash in on some great subletting deals.

2. Consider the location when searching for San Antonio office space. What sort of incentives are being offered? Could you find San Antonio office space in an economic development zone? There are many areas that offer great amenities to attract tenants, but it is up to you find them.

3. Consider sharing space with another company. Sharing a larger San Antonio office space can be quite lucrative if you partner up with a company in the same situation as you are in. Think of joining forces with another company and save big. You may also be able to share a lobby, a receptionist, office equipment and kitchen areas, just to name a few.

4. Consider bartering for your San Antonio office space. Can you offer your landlord something in return for a break on the rent? A computer service company, for example, recently worked a deal with their landlord to lower their rent for their San Antonio office space in return for servicing the computer systems for the landlord’s other company.

The year 2008 was rung in with the completion of an industrial park. The industrial business center adds 160,000 square feet to valuable pre-existing San Antonio industrial space. The industrial park is located in the north central part of the city.

This is just one venture among many for East Group Properties. East Group Properties has announced the completion of the Westmore Business Center II for the beginning of January. The industrial business center is a “three-building campus” that is a part of the submarket of North Central.

The industrial business center is designed to provide access to the San Antonio International Airport, Wurzbach Parkway and Highway 281. There are plans being drawn up to add a fourth building that will total over one-hundred thousand square feet. It is unclear when construction on the fourth building will begin.

San Antonio commercial real estate is a terrific investment. The leasing of all of the buildings and the management of the property is being handled by Cavender & Hill Properties.

The new industrial business center is a prime opportunity to become a part of the San Antonio real estate market. This is one hot commercial development project that will be completed within the next few weeks. There are other development projects that are currently underway in the city.