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The EDC Communique - June
2000
EEDC
Hires Dave Cich as New Director
On May 12th, EDC Chairman Arnold Saenz announced that Dave Cich, Executive
Vice President & CEO of the Alice Chamber of Commerce, had been hired
as the new Director of the EDC. Cich was hired unanimously by the EDC's
Executive Committee to replace John Crutchfield, who resigned to accept the
position as President & CEO of the Harlingen Area Chamber of Commerce.
Crutchfield was hired as the first director of the EDC in November 1997.
Cich has been with the Chamber of Commerce since 1993. He officially
assumed his new duties as EDC Director on June 1st.
BJ
Services Opens New Facility in Alice
In April, BJ Services Company opened their new $4.5 million facility in
Harkins Industrial Park. Initially, the company planned to employ 115
people, with 130-140 employees by year-end. The service area will extend
from Houston to the Rio Grande Valley. Alice's central location was the key
factor in their decision to expand here. A second new facility is under
construction in Camargo, Mexico, across the border from Rio Grande City. BJ
Coil Tech will relocate to BJ Services previous location in the Alice
Industrial Park. The EDC has been working closely with BJ Services since
November 1997 to assist in their expansion plans. The City of Alice, the
Alice Industrial Foundation, the Alice Youth Soccer Association, Newell
Atkinson and the Texas Department of Transportation played key roles in
securing the new site for BJ Services expansion.
Canadian
Company Announces New Alice Facility
COMPUTALOG, a Canadian based oilfield service company, has announced plans
to build a new, 10,000 square foot facility in Alice. The company recently
acquired 2-acres in the Harkins Industrial Park, and plans to open their
new facility in July. Initially the company plans to employ 15 people, with
potential expansion up to 40 employees. The company also has facilities in
Edinburg and Refugio. The EDC has been working with COMPUTALOG
representatives since February 2000 to locate a site for their new
facility.
Prospect
Highlights
- The EDC is
working with City staff to develop an application for a federal grant
to extend utilities to the U.S. 281 Relief Route. Harold Aycock,
Aycock Oil Company, has announced plans to build a new Diamond
Shamrock Truck Stop at the intersection of U.S. 281 and FM 1554. He is
negotiating with a developer who plans to build a motel and restaurant
adjacent to the site. The EDC will also be working with other property
owners in the area.
- The EDC is continuing to work
on locating a site for a 30,000 square foot distribution facility. A
decision on the site for the project is expected soon.
Company
Calls
- Pat
Schneider, Operations Manager, Schlumberger (June 2): Schlumberger
currently employs 175 people based in Alice; the Alice District Office
also oversees operations in Victoria (40 employees) and Mission (15
employees), for a total of 230 employees, an increase of 100 employees
in the past year. Additional expansion is expected due to continued
high natural gas prices.
- Gerard Danos, President, Dixie
Iron Works, LTD (June 9): Dixie Iron Works was founded in 1933 and
relocated to Alice in 1942. The company was acquired by Joe Merritt in
1974. Earlier this year, Gerard Danos was promoted as President and
Chief Operating Officer. Dixie currently employs 108 people. The
company's primary markets for its valve products are in South Texas
and Louisiana, with secondary markets including Oklahoma, Colorado,
Alaska, Canada, Scotland, Norway, Kuwait and other countries.
South Texas Spaceport Update
Since the April 27th summit meeting in Sarita, plans are underway to
organize the South Texas Spaceport Consortium in order to promote Kenedy
County as the location for the proposed Spaceport Project. Recently NASA
announced that Space Access LLC will receive a portion of the $15 million
in funding from the first round of NASA's program to develop a next
generation spaceship by 2005, to be fully operational by 2010. Space Access
is one of several aerospace companies that will receive funding. This
initial funding is a small part of NASA's overall $4.5 billion Reusable
Launch Vehicle program. Additional funding is expected in the next federal
budget. The Kenedy County site is competing against other proposed sites in
Brazoria County (Texas) and Florida.
For more information, contact:
Elsa Chavez (elsac@alicetx.org)
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P.O. Box 1609