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The Heart of Texas Economic Development District (HOTEDD) is helping area businesses by providing several incentive programs to them! HOTEDD is dedicated to helping businesses develop and thrive in this region. This is why we go the extra mile to provide businesses with incentives that will help with this goal...Continue Reading

The Heart of Texas Council of Governments (HOTCOG) has the workforce to help your business succeed! The Heart of Texas region is located in the middle of the “Texas Triangle,” which is formed by Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio. The region is known for great things, including our talente...Continue Reading

The Heart of Texas region has opportunity zones that can benefit your business! Locating your business in an opportunity zone has several benefits while simultaneously helping improve the economy of low-income communities. The Federal Tax Cuts & Jobs Act of 2017 implemented opportunity zones to help improve economic development i...Continue Reading

The city of Waco will partner with Baylor University to fund a $185 million home for the university’s basketball teams on the downtown riverfront, one that would double as a city-run performance venue and anchor a larger development. The Waco City Council will vote Tuesday on an agreement to seek $6...Continue Reading

Why should businesses locate in the Heart of Texas? The Heart of Texas region offers companies several reasons to locate in our growing area! One reason is location advantage! The Heart of Texas is located in the middle of the “Texas Triangle,” which is formed by Dallas/Fort Worth, Houston, an...Continue Reading

The Heart of Texas Economic Development District (EDD) is here to help communities in our region to sustain and achieve economic growth. In addition to completing the regional CEDs, we provide up to data data and information local communities and economic developers can use when planning or working with prospectiv...Continue Reading

The Heart of Texas Council of Governments (HOTCOG) has created and sustained pivotal environmental development programs that are helping the environment here in Texas! HOTCOG’s environmental development programs are designed to use knowledge and apply actions to environmental issues in the state of Texas. These actions can improve air quality...Continue Reading

The Heart of Texas Council of Governments (HOTCOG) partners with the State of Texas Office of the Governor’s  State Homeland Security Program to enhance emergency preparedness in this region! The HOTCOG Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness Program is a program dedicated to building a network between local, state, and federal stakeholder...Continue Reading

Nobody said running a business is cheap, with business owners having to balance a number of payments and procurement processes, integration and costs, such as staff wages, the cost of an internet connection, electricity bills, and taxes. But the costs of running a business can vary quite a lot around th...Continue Reading

The Heart of Texas Council of Governments’ (HOTCOG) 9-1-1 program is here to help people in Texas find access to help immediately for any type of emergency!  The nationwide 9-1-1 program has been up and running successfully since 1968. The purpose of the 9-1-1 program was to provide an eas...Continue Reading

The Heart of Texas Council of Governments (HOTCOG) oversees a Regional Law Enforcement Training Program in the Heart of Texas region! The goal of this program is to increase the education and training level of law enforcement in the HOTCOG region. Another goal of this program is to provide officer...Continue Reading

The Heart of Texas Council of Governments (HOTCOG) Criminal Justice Program works with the six-counties in the Heart of Texas region to identify gaps in services and resources for area law enforcement agencies, at-risk juveniles, and victims of crimes.  Our counties include Bosque County, Falls County, Freestone County, Hill County...Continue Reading

Hollywood actors Kristen Bell and Dax Shepard celebrated the opening of their Hello Bello diaper plant Tuesday in Waco. “We sincerely couldn’t be prouder to have planted a flag here,” Bell said. “We needed a dedicated, hardworking workforce, and our co-founders (co-CEOs Sean Kane and Jay McGraw) are from Texas an...Continue Reading

There are a few opportunities for rural Texas areas to receive funding help. The Community Development Block Grant Program for Rural Texas (TXCDBG) is helping rural cities in Texas with essential funding for growth and expansion! The TXCDBG is designed to help small, rural cities with populations less than 50,00...Continue Reading

A lot has been written and said about companies and people relocating from California to Texas, but I wanted to know what it was really like for a CEO who actually made the move. Recently, I had the opportunity to visit with the leaders of two Fortune 500 companies who di...Continue Reading

The Heart of Texas Rural Transit District (HOTRTD) is here to assist clients with transportation services regionwide! HOTRTD provides rural public transportation to the public, including but not limited to senior citizens and people with disabilities. This transportation service is classified as “origin-to-destination” which means the vehicle stops at th...Continue Reading

The Heart of Texas Council of Governments (HOTCOG) has created an area information center (211) that people can call for a variety of different reasons! Our 211 service is a free social service provided to anyone in the state of Texas. The helpline is answered 24 hours a day, ...Continue Reading

The Heart of Texas’ Aging and Disability Resource Center (ADRC) is helping provide needed services for aging and disabled people in the area! The ADRC provides services and resources to individuals with disabilities, family caregivers, veterans, and families with children with special needs. These services are provided to everyone, n...Continue Reading

The Area Agency on Aging (AAA) of the Heart of Texas is helping the aging population in many ways and winning awards for doing so! The AAA serves residents of McLennan, Bosque, Falls, Freestone, Hill, and Limestone Counties with access to social services providers, effectively screening and accessing individual needs...Continue Reading

HOTEDD has a new economic development website that is dedicated to being your source for economic development news for the region! HOTCOG consists of 80 member organizations that include counties, cities, school districts, community colleges, and special districts in Bosque, Hill, McLennan, Limestone, Falls, and Freestone Counties.  Our economic development websit...Continue Reading

The Heart of Texas Economic Development District (HOTEDD) is providing businesses with a comprehensive development strategy that is designed to be a blueprint for regional economic growth.  HOTEDD is designated as an Economic Development District (EDD) by the U.S. Department of Commerce Economic Development Administration (EDA) and is responsible for servin...Continue Reading

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE INVESTS $2.4 MILLION TO SUPPORT ROADWAY INFRASTRUCTURE IN FAIRFIELD AND CLEBURNE TO BOOST BUSINESS GROWTH IN TEXAS Contact: EDA Public Affairs Department, (202) 482-4085 September 16, 2021 WASHINGTON – Today, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo announced that the Department’s Economic Development Administration (EDA) is investing $2.4 millio...Continue Reading