During a tour of the campus, USAA officials highlighted the company’s long-standing ties to the military community and San Antonio’s development.
SAN ANTONIO — Half a century after opening its current San Antonio headquarters, USAA says its military roots remain central to its mission and growth.
The Fortune 500 financial services company, founded in 1922 by Army officers in San Antonio, is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its primary campus near Interstate 10 and Fredericksburg Road. Today, the nearly 300-acre property employs about 17,000 people locally.
During a tour of the campus, USAA officials highlighted the company’s long-standing ties to the military community and San Antonio’s development.
“We exist to take care of military families,” said Jenna Saucedo-Herrera, head of corporate impact at USAA. “As we walk through these halls, it feels like a museum of sorts. You can’t take a step without seeing something that commemorates or honors a military service member. For me as a USAA employee, it puts the work into perspective.”
When the current headquarters opened in 1976, company leaders envisioned future growth but could not fully imagine what USAA would become decades later. Archive footage from the dedication ceremony included remarks about the company’s future in 2022, which was then far in the distance. The campus now spans roughly 5 million square feet and includes interconnected office buildings linked by what employees call “the spine.” Officials said the facility has more usable office space than the Pentagon.
“If you start from Building H and go all the way down to Building A, it is about 1.8 miles, “Saucedo-Herrera said during the tour. “We do a lot of walking here at USAA.”
The headquarters has its own ZIP code and resembles a self-contained city. Employees have access to cafes, fitness centers, wellness clinics, shops, a pharmacy and three Starbucks locations.
Saucedo-Herrera said the company’s presence helped spur development across Northwest San Antonio.
“At the time when General McDermott thought up this facility, there was nothing else out here,” she said. “You insert USAA’s headquarters facility and now see how this area of Northwest San Antonio has developed.”
USAA’s origins date back to a meeting of Army officers at the Gunter Hotel in downtown San Antonio in the 1920s. The officers created the organization so military members could obtain auto insurance when many companies considered them too risky to insure.
Today, USAA employs more than 37,000 people across the company. According to USAA, about one in four employees is a military affiliate, including veterans, military spouses and reservists.
Saucedo-Herrera said San Antonio’s strong military presence continues to make the city a natural fit.
“You think about JBSA, one of the largest joint bases in the country, and over 80,000 active-duty personnel in San Antonio,” she said. “There is a reason USAA is here, and there is a reason why we continue to flourish under the Military City USA banner.”
Beyond its business operations, USAA reports it has invested heavily in the community through philanthropy and volunteer work. Saucedo-Herrera said employees have contributed more than $140 million to over 20 nonprofits during the past decade.
“We know that what we mean for San Antonians matters,” she said. “We volunteer. We give back.”
Looking back at the company’s opening ceremony in 1976 also serves as a reminder of its longstanding relationship with San Antonio.
“We’re thrilled that many San Antonians have had a part in it,” then-Mayor Lila Cockrell said during the dedication ceremony. “And that persons have come here from all over the world to help it grow and to become a dynamic part of our community life.”
