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Hillsboro EDC Recognized With Award From TEDC
The TEDC was celebrating its 60th anniversary at the conference.The Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC) presented its annual Community Economic Development Awards (CEDA) for 2021 at its annual conference in Fort Worth last week.
For the first time in its nearly 30-year history, the Hillsboro Economic Development Corporation (HEDC) was recognized with a CEDA for its recruitment of the new Johns Manville manufacturing facility.
The CEDA program recognizes exceptional contributions of TEDC member cities toward the economic vitality of their communities and the state of Texas through creativity, leadership and partnership in the achievement of business retention, business recruitment and community improvement.
The CEDA committee received 55 applications this year with nominees judged on five criteria: innovativeness, transferability, community commitment and leverage, measured objectives and secondary benefits.
On hand for the award presentation were HEDC board President Natasha Sawyer and board members Bill Siddons III and Kennie Nowlin, HEDC Administrator Art Mann, City Manager Megan Henderson, Jose Palacios with Heart of Texas Workforce Board, Mike Cain with Oncor Electric Delivery and developer Craig Hughes with Hughes Commercial.
In accepting the award, Mann thanked the Johns Manville team for selecting Hillsboro for its latest plant that will produce polyiso insulated roof board.
He noted that the 418,000-square-foot facility is the largest manufacturing plant in Hillsboro and Hill County.
Hillsboro’s central location in the state, the HEDC-owned rail spur and the opportunity to capitalize on New Market Tax Credits were keys to the local selection.
In making the announcement that Hillsboro would be home to the plant, Joe Smith, president of Johns Manville’s Roofing Systems business, said, “There are tremendous growth opportunities in the southwest for polyiso products.
“Three of the 10 largest cities in the country are a short drive from Hillsboro, and some of our largest roofing contractors are located within the service area.”
The company is in the process of securing building occupancy approval, which will allow employees to begin occupying offices on the property.
Work continues on installation of the manufacturing line and environmental abatement equipment while the majority of site work performed by Peinado Construction is nearing completion.
Commissioning of equipment is scheduled to start later this year with production slated for early 2022.
The company is scheduled to employ up to 65 people and invest an estimated $40 million.
The City of Hillsboro, in cooperation with Gary Traylor and Associates of Tyler, was successful in submitting an application to the Texas Department of Agriculture for one of the last $1 million Capital Fund grants awarded by the state agency.
It was used to lengthen Johns Manville Drive on the west side of the plant and extend water and sewer utilities at the site. That project is nearly completed.
Other communities nominated in Hillsboro’s classification of population of 10,000 or less were Brookshire, Crockett, Giddings and Navasota.
The recipients were: Population 10,001 to 20,000: Terrell Economic Development Corporation; Population 20,001 to 50,000: City of Lancaster; Population 50,001 to 100,000: Conroe Economic Development Council; Population 100,001 to 250,000: Odessa Chamber of Commerce; and Population 250,001 and Above: Borderplex Alliance/El Paso.
“Our Community Economic Development Award is one of the ways in which our organization honors the excellent work done by our communities, their leaders and their economic development professionals,” noted Greg Sims, 2021 chair of the Texas Economic Development Council.
“Each community nominated achieved excellence in economic development and substantially improved the economic base of their respective regions.
“The recipient communities in each population category were recognized for extraordinary accomplishments in meeting the criteria set forth in the nomination process.”
The TEDC provides information, education and legislative services to its members to foster the expansion of existing businesses, the location of new firms and the development of strategies that promote a positive business climate in Texas.
With 860 members, the TEDC is the largest state economic development association in the nation.
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