Success Stories

Soules Foods is a Tyler-based food manufacturer specializing in value-added meat products for retail, foodservice and institutional customers. The company has operated in Tyler since 1975 and has grown into a nationally recognized producer serving customers across the country.

As demand increased, Soules Foods continued investing in its Tyler operation rather than expanding elsewhere. The company opened an 83,000-square-foot processing facility on 67 acres north of Tyler in 1996 and has expanded the operation several times since. Today, the facility encompasses approximately 266,000 square feet.

Since 2014 alone, the company's expansion projects have generated approximately $67 million in capital investment and created 525 new jobs in Tyler and Smith County.

The company's continued growth demonstrates the value of providing existing employers with the land, infrastructure and business environment needed to expand over time. What began as a local operation has become a major food manufacturer with a significant and growing presence in the community. 

Sanderson Farms selected the Smith County area for a major poultry production complex after an extensive site-selection process. The project required large development sites, transportation access, and proximity to the agricultural resources needed to support a regional poultry operation.

The company ultimately developed a processing facility, hatchery and administrative offices in Smith County, along with a feed mill and supporting operations in neighboring Wood County.

The project represented approximately $200 million in direct company investment, while contract growers were expected to invest another $135 million in poultry-production facilities throughout the region. At full production, the complex was projected to employ approximately 1,700 people and work with roughly 80 contract growers.

Tyler Economic Development Council and local partners helped secure the project through site-selection assistance and tax-abatement agreements. The result was one of the largest job-creation projects in the organization's history and a major new food-production operation with economic impacts extending throughout the region.

TarpWorx is a family-owned Henderson manufacturer producing custom tarp and covering systems for agriculture, freight, transportation, oil and gas, industrial operations and other markets.

The company, formerly known as Henderson Canvas Products, has operated since 1993 and designs, engineers and manufactures its products in-house. From its Henderson facility, TarpWorx serves customers throughout the United States and internationally.

Henderson's location provides the company with access to major industrial activity along the Gulf Coast, energy markets in West Texas and transportation connections serving customers across the state and beyond.

The company's continued growth in Henderson demonstrates how a smaller community can support a specialized manufacturer with a customer base far beyond the local market. TarpWorx has remained locally operated while expanding its products, capabilities and geographic reach from its Henderson headquarters. 

West Fraser is one of North America's largest lumber producers, with manufacturing operations throughout the United States and Canada. Its Henderson operation is part of the company's extensive forest-products network and benefits from its location within the timber-rich East Texas region.

The company chose to make an additional $10 million investment in Henderson, expanding its operations in Henderson Industrial Park near its existing lumber mill.

The project reinforced Henderson's position within West Fraser's manufacturing network while supporting continued industrial activity in the community. Access to timber resources, infrastructure, transportation and an experienced workforce all contribute to the long-term competitiveness of the local operation.

West Fraser's continued investment represents an important business-retention and expansion success, demonstrating that established manufacturers continue to see Henderson as a competitive location for capital investment. 

AR-TX Regional Economic Development Inc. developed the REDI…Set…Move initiative to recruit remote workers and professionals who have flexibility in choosing where they live.

The program markets Texarkana's affordability, schools, higher education resources, transportation connectivity and distinctive position along the Texas-Arkansas state line. Prospective residents are also connected directly with community leaders, businesses and organizations to help them quickly establish personal and professional relationships.

The strategy attracted thousands of applications from prospective residents across the country and helped Texarkana earn recognition from MakeMyMove as one of America's Most Welcoming Places in 2024.

The initiative demonstrates a broader approach to economic development in which communities compete not only for companies, but also for talent. By recruiting remote workers who bring jobs and household income with them, Texarkana is growing its workforce, consumer base and community connections through a highly personalized relocation strategy. 

Communications & Power Industries operates a highly specialized communications and defense manufacturing facility in Kilgore. The operation traces its history to 1973 and has evolved into a producer of sophisticated satellite communication antennas serving commercial, military and government customers.

The Kilgore campus includes manufacturing and office facilities along with a 58-acre testing range that allows the company to evaluate specialized antenna systems before deployment.

Following CPI's acquisition of the operation in 2020, the company began the facility's largest expansion in decades. New buildings were added to accommodate additional product lines and a dedicated paint operation.

Kilgore Economic Development Corporation supported the company's growth through economic development performance agreements tied to expansion projects. The continued investment helps retain advanced manufacturing capabilities, technical employment and a globally competitive operation with deep roots in Kilgore. 

Merritt Preferred Components has been part of Kilgore's manufacturing economy for generations. Originally founded in 1928 as an agricultural equipment manufacturer, the company later transitioned into oilfield equipment and eventually diversified into aerospace and other advanced manufacturing markets.

Kilgore Economic Development Corporation has worked with the company for decades, supporting expansions and investments as Merritt entered new markets and upgraded its manufacturing capabilities.

When a later corporate owner announced plans that threatened much of the Kilgore operation, local ownership stepped in to reacquire the business. KEDC worked with the new ownership team to help preserve the operation and support its continued production in Kilgore.

Today, Merritt manufactures precision components for aerospace, maritime, energy and commercial customers. Its story demonstrates the value of long-term business-retention efforts and the role an economic development organization can play in preserving jobs, supporting local ownership and helping a legacy manufacturer adapt to new markets.

Eastman has operated in Longview since 1949 and currently employs around 1,400 people at its Longview location. Today, the site produces over 40 different products used in automobile interiors, food preservatives, cosmetics, toys, paint and personal care items.

The Eastman plant is like a small city with its own wastewater treatment plant, landfill, fire department, medical department, cafeteria, park, and nature center (with an observation beehive).

Eastman has continued to be a valued corporate partner for Longview and the surrounding region for nearly eight decades and LEDCO is grateful for the many wonderful things they do for our community

AAON has manufactured commercial HVAC equipment in Longview since 1991. Continued sales growth and increased production needs led the company to evaluate additional capacity for its expanding product lines.

AAON chose to invest approximately $40 million in its existing Longview operation, adding roughly 230,000 square feet of production space. The expansion was designed to increase production capacity, support new products and expand the company's coil-manufacturing capabilities.

The project is expected to create approximately 250 new full-time jobs.

Longview Economic Development Corporation worked with AAON to support the expansion and help keep the company's next phase of growth in the community. The project builds on decades of manufacturing activity in Longview and demonstrates how strong relationships with existing employers can translate into additional jobs, facilities and capital investment.