Boerne business park aims to fund anti-trafficking efforts

Freedom Place Business Park is rising near San Antonio with 82,000 square feet across seven buildings for trades and small businesses. Developer Ben Briggs plans to direct a large share of profits to organizations fighting human trafficking, with construction expected to wrap by the end of 2027.

Why it matters: - Freedom Place Business Park is designed as both a commercial project and a long-term funding source for anti-trafficking work. - The developer’s goal is to turn recurring real-estate income into steady support for organizations that help survivors. - The project comes as Kendall County’s population has grown more than 20% since 2020, increasing demand for industrial and flex space.

What happened: - Freedom Place Business Park is under construction in Boerne, just outside San Antonio, along Interstate 10. - The project will include seven buildings totaling 82,000 square feet. - The park is being built for tradesmen, small companies and showroom businesses. - Construction is expected to finish around the end of 2027.

The details: - Each unit is planned to combine a front office or showroom with shop and warehouse space. - The layout is aimed at electricians, cabinetmakers and entrepreneurs that need room to work and store inventory. - Valcor Commercial leasing broker Jared Davis said warehouse space with small offices remains in demand because of long-term growth in Boerne and the surrounding Hill Country. - Ben Briggs said he became focused on human trafficking after helping start a ministry in Asia that served women in a red-light district. - Briggs and his wife, Jenny, brought gifts into brothels and hosted gatherings during major holidays. - Some of the women said those were the first gifts they had ever received. - Over time, some of the women left the trade and built safer livelihoods. - Briggs said human trafficking generates $236 billion a year worldwide. - Briggs also said more than 300,000 people are estimated to be victims in Texas alone. - Briggs plans to donate the bulk of his profits to charities fighting human trafficking. - Freedom Place’s team has set a long-term goal of giving $50 million to the cause through future projects. - Briggs’s family has been in real estate for three generations.

Between the lines: - The project pairs a basic market need with a mission-driven pitch, which can help a commercial development stand out in a crowded leasing market. - The anti-trafficking mission appears built into the business model, not treated as a one-time donation campaign. - The project depends on leasing success first, since the charitable funding only grows if the property produces income over time.

What's next: - Leasing will determine how quickly the business park becomes profitable and how much can be directed to anti-trafficking organizations. - As tenants expand, the project’s charitable impact is expected to grow alongside business revenue. - Freedom Place will continue marketing the project to trades, small businesses and showroom users in the Hill Country region.

The bottom line: - Freedom Place is betting that a profitable business park can also bankroll a decades-long fight against human trafficking.