Brownwood City Council approved incentives to be offered by the Brownwood Economic Development Council to help bring new business to town and another to strengthen an existing business.
The industrial area will soon see a new business, Wright Asphalt, at 1505 Custer Road.With infrastructure reimbursement incentives of $250,000 paid out over 3 years, the BEDC will help the company bring eight full time jobs and seasonal laborer positions to the area.
The incentives are dependent upon the completion of at least a $3 million plant being built in Brownwood and the company meeting job creation requirements, according to BEDC director Emily Crawford.The entire project will be approximately $8,750,000 said Crawford.
Wright Asphalt has a 10-acre property under contract in the industrial area and plans to build an asphalt terminal, tanks, rail spur and infrastructure necessary to supply local, city, and statewide projects.The plant will be located across the street from where Coke Industries was once located in the late 1990s.
President Doug Goodson stated that the company is excited to come to Brownwood, where the company felt was geographically the best location for their expansion. Cities of Temple, Corsicana and Snyder were also considered. “We spent the last couple of years on site selection. We liked the geographical location and the fact that Brownwood had an asphalt plant before, some history with the industry,” said Goodson. “Brownwood is a great fit for us and our people. It suits our personality.”
Randy Christian, Wright Asphalt Director of Business Development/Supply stated that the company is also very environmentally friendly.
“We are a green company. We get old tires and turn them into asphalt. If a client wants a green project, we can help with a 90-95% green product,” said Christian. “Using recycled material, we make a recyclable product.”
Goodson also explained that asphalt has a distinct smell, due to the tar component involved, and that this smell will be minimized by an exterior vapor recovery system which minimizes the vapors that escape the plant.He stated that the plant will be very technologically advanced, that the company is making a substantial investment in the plant and plans are to have it up and running by the end of this year. He explained that the company plans to hire local people for strong paying jobs that are technical in nature.
“We have the property under contract now and are moving ahead full speed,” said Goodson.
Wright Asphalt is based out of Houston.The company has manufacturing process agreements in 26 states in the US for asphalt and paving materials. Having an asphalt plant in Brownwood has the potential of providing great benefit to local cities, counties, TxDOT and contractors as the closest asphalt plant currently is in Waco.
Crawford stated that she is pleased of the company’s decision to expand with a location in Brownwood.
“Wright Asphalt has been looking for a plant site for a few years and considered several Texas cities. We are pleased that they chose Brownwood to invest in a new asphalt plant. Our geographic location will enable them to cover the West and Central Texas markets,” said Crawford.“The asphalt product that they will be making in Brownwood uses recycled tire rubber, so it will be an environmentally friendly product.”
Ingram Concrete will also be receiving an incentive from the BEDC in the form of a business loan for business retention/expansion of the company.
Ingram Concrete in Brownwood is the regional headquarters of the company’s West Texas division. The headquarters office manages the regional territory, which employs 375 people, with 47 employees in Brownwood. Ingram moved into the Industrial Park in 1998 and has nearly tripled their workforce since that time. The company needs to expand to accommodate for more growth.
The company will receive a business expansion/retention loan of $300,000 for an 8 year term, depending on the company completing a 4,000 sq. ft. expansion and annual reporting of 45 jobs and total sales of $2.5 million annually according to Crawford.
“Ingram has been in Brownwood for over 50 years and has continued to grow and add good jobs in our community,” Crawford stated.“A major role of the BEDC is to support local companies who are growing. We are pleased to have the regional office located in Brownwood and look forward to its continued growth.”
Pictured above are Randy Christian, Wright Asphalt Director of Business Development/Supply (left), and Wright Asphalt President Doug Goodson (right).