< PreviousTerrell: The Gateway To East Texas Terrell’s strategic location and proactive approach to development open doors for new opportunities outside of Dallas. by LINDSAY LOPP 86 TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GUIDE INVESTMENT PROFILE: TERRELL, TEXAS O ver the last few years, a wave of growth has swept through the communities surrounding Dallas. Located east of the metro, the City of Terrell knew its time in the sun was coming soon. And rather than wait for opportunity to arrive, Terrell leaders have diligently prepared for the development that is now underway. From housing to site development to infrastructure projects, Terrell’s landscape is changing day by day. With its strategic location and natural logistics capabilities including immediate access to rail and multiple major highways such as Interstate 20, US Hwy 80, SH 34 and SH 205/FM148, Terrell has long attracted companies seeking to benefit from these advantages. “Terrell serves as a major intersection for the region, being just 25 miles east of TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GUIDE 87 downtown Dallas,” said Bill Baumgardner, executive vice president at VanTrust Real Estate, LLC and head of the company’s Texas office, in a statement. “Companies will continue to be drawn to the city’s numerous shovel-ready sites with excellent connectivity to Highway 80 and I-20. The connectivity and Terrell’s strong labor demographics are a winning formula for the industrial market.” VanTrust, Walmart Distribution, NFI Industries, AutoZone, J.S. Helwig & Son and Nucor Building Systems are among the many businesses that call Terrell home. “We have a can-do spirit in Terrell,” says Terrell Economic Development Corporation (EDC) Chairman Bruce Wood. “If we have the opportunity to land an industry or land a business, we work well as a community. And when I say that I’m not only talking about the Economic Development Corporation, but I’m talking about the City of Terrell, Kaufman County, the Terrell Independent School District, and Trinity Valley Community College. We all work together to make good things happen in Terrell, and good things mean growth.” Every Tuesday morning, all the entities Wood mentioned, as well as local Terrell’s historic downtown district is currently undergoing a massive revitalization that will introduce new retail, restaurant, dining, housing and event spaces to the community. Photos courtesy of Terrell Economic Development Corporation Last December, Dallas developer Mehrdad Moayedi announced it will construct 2,390 new homes in Terrell.88 TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GUIDE business leaders and other community officials, gather to update plans and address any roadblocks they’ve encountered. This “all-hands-on-deck” approach to economic development helped foster Kaufman County into the No.1 fastest growing county in the nation. From July 2022 to July 2023, Kaufman County’s population grew by 7.6%, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. “It’s a communication process that has yielded good benefits for us,” says Wood. “And that doesn’t mean that everybody agrees all the time. We may have differences of opinion, but we are able to work through those and make sure that anything that needs to be discussed can be handled and try to get everybody on the same page. We are able to get that accomplished by just keeping mobile channels of communication open.” Closing the Distance One of Terrell’s largest contributions to Kaufman County’s growth is its job creation pipeline. “With a population of about 20,000 people, we have 14,000 jobs and so we’re a regional hub for jobs in Kaufman County,” says Terrell EDC President Carlton Tidwell. Many of those employed at companies in Terrell commute from Dallas or other communities in the county. To increase the opportunities for employees to work closer to home, and for employers to have a more localized workforce, the EDC has been working to grow the city’s housing sector. In 2022, M&D Real Estate’s Property Management division began constructing a new rental community, Woodlands Terrell, located just north of Interstate 20 at Rosehill Road. This development is expected to boast 300 three- and Terrell is home to a robust network of manufacturing and logistics and distribution companies.TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GUIDE 89 THIS INVESTMENT PROFILE WAS PREPARED UNDER THE AUSPICES OF TERRELL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION. FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT CARLTON TIDWELL AT 972-563-5703 OR BY EMAIL AT CARLTON@TERRELLTEXAS.COM. four-bedroom, single- family homes. Last December, Dallas developer Mehrdad Moayedi announced plans for a new development that is expected to add 2,390 new homes as well as 25 acres of multi- family dwellings, 18 acres of retail space, 177 acres of industrial space and 39 acres of arboretum space. There will also be an additional 18 acres designated for school and civic purposes, 18 acres for an open amenity area and 136 acres for nature preservation. “The new rooftops planned for the Terrell area are pretty incredible,” says Tidwell. “What we hope is that it will strengthen our already strong workforce. The EDC’s job in this will be to continue to create more opportunity for those people who are moving into the area and for those that are already working here but commuting.” Bridging the Past and Present While much of the community is ushering in the new, Terrell’s leadership is equally striving to honor the city’s roots. Rather than constructing brand new buildings, the EDC has embarked on a downtown improvement program to revitalize the historic structures and storefronts at the city’s center. “Some of the older buildings are being preserved and renovated and brought back to life,” says Wood. “Downtown improvement is a big priority for us. People love to go through the rural East Texas towns. We consider ourselves a gateway to the metroplex. If you’re heading west and if you’re headed east, we’ve kind of got you covered both ways.” Even though the project is still in the early stages of development, there are plans for retail, restaurant, offices, housing and more to increase business and recreational opportunities in the city. “We have a store that just opened up, Terrell Coffee Company, right in the middle of downtown,” adds Wood. “We have some facilities that are available for events that are getting quite a bit of use and as more and more people find out about those, I think we’ll see more and more of that kind of traffic.” The buildings aren’t the only aspects of the downtown area that are receiving updates. “The city has worked very hard to find the funding to redo the alleys that run parallel to highway 80 — I call them the old alleys,” says Wood. “The old alleys are now being transferred into new alleys, new paving and new drainage and new construction, and all that goes along with that.” “ Companies will continue to be drawn to the city’s numerous shovel-ready sites with excellent connectivity to Highway 80 and I-20. The connectivity and Terrell’s strong labor demographics are a winning formula for the industrial market. ” — Bill Baumgardner, Executive Vice President, VanTrust Real Estate, LLC.I f there is one thing to know about doing business in Texas, it’s that the state is ready to work. Over the course of 22 years, Texas has seen an influx of 9 million new residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The top five cities — Houston, Austin, Dallas, San Antonio and Fort Worth — account for 263,408 of those moves. So it’s no surprise that the state growing at a higher rate than the rest of the country. These numbers prove that new residents aren’t simply flocking to the state’s largest metros but are landing throughout every region of Texas, sending the message that abundant opportunity and quality of life can be found When economic development is approached as a team sport, Texas scores. by ALEXIS ELMORE Where A Win for One Is A Win for All 90 TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GUIDE REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Photo: Getty Images92 TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GUIDE outside of an urban landscape. According to Site Selection’s 2023 Governor’s Cups, which saw Texas secure the No. 1 ranking for corporate facility investments, the state landed 1,254 projects in 2023. The state also created a staggering 326,700 jobs. This economic growth has been consistent year after year. Who’s to thank? When these projects are broken down on a regional scale, it is clear that the collaborative effort to leverage resources among local economic development organizations has been a critical play. Building Down South Such is the case for Council for South Texas Economic Progress (COSTEP) CEO Adam Gonzalez, who says a win for one area of South Texas is a win for the whole region. COSTEP is a non-profit organization, launched in 2020, that services the Rio South Texas region, encompassing 10 municipalities in Mexico and seven counties in Texas. On a day-to-day basis Gonzalez and his team’s outreach efforts work to connect potential corporate investors with local economic development and governmental entities to find the right fit. “We act more as the tip of the spear and we go back to hunt for new opportunities,” says Gonzalez. A welcomed change as a result of launching during a global pandemic was the increased demand for nearshoring capabilities. For domestic or international companies looking to meet supply chain needs, this region provides a wealth of resources. Talent is no question with a combined 5.2 million workforce concentration in both Texas and Mexico. In addition, the region supports direct access to Interstates, rail, international airports and a deepwater seaport. Those two assets alone provide benefits to the entirety of southern Texas. While a certain level of competition exists between these communities, regardless of where a company decides to locate its site, the economic opportunities created span hundreds of miles. “Everybody wants a project in their community, but everybody benefits from the jobs and the revenue stream that comes from those investments,” says Gonzalez. When a company is ready to invest or expand, the site selection process depends on a number of critical needs. Site readiness, quality infrastructure and incentives play a powerful role in securing the deal. Gonzalez notes that a singular organization can’t do it all, which makes collaborative use of expertise or resources vital to attracting business. “When we try to sell ourselves as one community, bigger organizations might look at us as being too small,” says Gonzalez. “But when they see that the whole region is working together to attract business, they know that we’re going to collaborate, both at the private industry level and at the governmental level, to make that organization a success in the region.” Not only does this team effort aid to expedite these processes for companies but it also demonstrates the attitude of support a COSTEP supports economic development in a number of Mexico municipalities and Texas counties. Map courtesy of COSTEP94 TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GUIDE company can expect while operating here. This approach helped the city of Brownsville, located in Cameron County, attract a $116.5 million expansion from food manufacturer Rich Products. During a signing ceremony for the deal, Plant Manager Eddie De La Rose said the project would’ve been difficult to do without support from the city and the Greater Brownsville Incentives Corporation (GBIC). “This level of collaboration supports Rich Products’ expansion in its operations, creating over 100 new job positions and with our assistance, training for all of them. These jobs benefit their employees and their families and contribute significantly to the local economy, adding more than $4 million in salaries to the community,” says GBIC Deputy Executive Director Jerry Briones. The company was able to receive a 10- year tax rebate, through Chapter 380 of the Texas Local Government Code, on property taxes as a result of the expansion. The Rich Products expansion is just one example of the partnership that translates across all potential projects that come to the city. Briones notes that by leveraging strengths in terms of resources like workforce training, incentives, tax abatement programs and land acquisition assistance allow for a proactive approach to securing investment. “Our collaborative efforts ensure businesses investing in Brownsville receive tailored support and resources to thrive,” says Briones. “Exceptional assistance and proficiency in securing and delivering incentives at both the local and state levels sets us apart.” The Northern Connection Representative of one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the nation, the boom of the Dallas-Fort Worth metro can be attributed to strategic thinking and commitment to a forward-looking vision. For Dallas Regional Chamber Senior Vice President Mike Rosa this approach has been fundamental throughout his 36 years working for the Dallas and Fort Worth Chambers. The Dallas Regional Chamber operates as a marketing group, providing that one-stop-shop for information exchange and distribution of opportunities to secure the perfect site. Regional communities in the area like Arlington, Irving and Frisco may have differing visions from Dallas or Fort Worth or one another due to their respective histories and industry strengths. So through the lens of teamwork, collaboration on matters such as public policy, transportation funding and economic development projects is the approach that has worked in drawing new opportunities. This strategy can best be seen through the creation of the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport back in 1974. “This way of thinking started back with the international airport created by Fort Worth and Dallas,” says Rosa. “Two cities got together and said, ‘Let’s have this one great airport,’ which was sort of a marker of regional cooperation. Ever since then we’ve realized that works pretty well, let’s keep doing that.” Central location in the U.S. provides that initial pull for domestic and global businesses. In combination with direct access to rail, Interstates, an international airport and fiber optics, these assets have served as an accelerant for growth and diversity in landing new project investment and corporate headquarters. That serves as the basis of what Rosa calls a “layered cake” of what the region has to offer. “The next layer would be the tremendous production and talent coming from colleges and universities here in Dallas-Fort Worth. The next layer is the pull for students in the South Central U.S. region drawn here for job opportunity,” says Rosa. “Another layer is when companies relocate here, they know that this is a place where if they want to bring Photo: Getty ImagesTEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT GUIDE 95 employees, the employees will want to be here. We stack these layers up and it is really effective for companies to look at when they consider where they want to go.” For all these ingredients to combine cohesively, communication and understanding of your team is essential for this connection to work. Leadership naturally changes, so for Rosa it is important for healthy relationships to exist among these communities. “When opportunities come knocking, or we generate opportunities, you want your team to know each other. The worst thing I could do is pull together a meeting and nobody knows each other. We can’t even start the project with no understanding or organization. So we established this platform, not in a structured way but rather a network, that keeps us connected and working on projects together.” Focus on this level of relationship building spans beyond just north Texas. It is what helped Dallas secure the headquarters for an Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) Customer Experience Hub in September 2023. A collaborative effort among Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Houston and stakeholders in El Paso and College Station will result in the next generation of R&D capabilities for science and medicine. “The HQ itself is here in Dallas, but it really was a Texas bid. Other metros and leaders from around the state rallied behind that, because they know that wherever the HQ was in Texas it was going to yield tremendous opportunities and benefits,” says Rosa. “It was terrific cooperation at the state level, in addition to the cooperation we’re accustomed to within the region.” As Texas continues to tote the nation’s best business climate, this commitment to viewing economic development as a team sport is a quality that is prevalent across every Texas community. Organizations and leadership that are cognizant of what resources and strengths a location provides, and what would best suit a company’s operations, have cemented trust among businesses and communities alike. Chaos is not in Texas’ vernacular, but streamlined is. If a future in Texas is under consideration, companies know that a network of collaborative expertise is available every step of the way. Next >