Kilgore Economic Development Corporation

What Kilgore Economic Development Corporation does

Kilgore Economic Development Corporation (KEDC) is a Texas Type A Economic Development Corporation established in 1990 and funded by a voter-approved sales tax. It is a public-sector entity — not a commercial company — with a four-person staff guided by a five-member board of local industry leaders. KEDC's function is to attract, retain, and expand businesses in Kilgore, Texas by providing free services including site selection, permit coordination, customized workforce training plans, incentive negotiation, infrastructure coordination, and ongoing business retention support. Its primary customer segments are manufacturing companies (representing the bulk of recent wins), logistics and distribution firms, and metalworking operations; site selectors and corporate decision-makers form a secondary persona. Success is measured in retained/created jobs and capital investment rather than revenue.

KEDC's principal product asset is Synergy Park, a 672-acre Class-A campus-style industrial park on Interstate 20 in Kilgore, offering shovel-ready sites from 4 to 100 acres, full utility and fiber infrastructure, Foreign Trade Zone 234 sub-zone designation, and a Virtual Building Program of pre-designed facility templates intended to compress construction timelines. The organization has assembled a dense anchor tenant base — Orgill (914,000 sq. ft., 430+ employees), Communications and Power Industries (satcom antennas), Closure Systems International, Revolution Sustainable Solutions, Drilltools, and Merritt Preferred Components — and has recently added Camfil USA (~$100M, 226+ jobs, groundbreaking Sep 2024), Keeprite Refrigeration ($55M, 60 jobs, closed Apr 2024), Skeeter Boats on the former Halliburton site ($36.76M, 90+ jobs, multi-phase), Composite Piping Technology ($14.3M, 39 jobs), and Wagner Tuning ($6.25M, ~30 jobs).

KEDC does not generate commercial revenue; its go-to-market is a relationship-driven, single-point-of-contact model with corporate leadership and site selectors, supported by a multi-channel presence (website, social, PR, the "Gone to Texas" podcast partnership, and industry events such as TEDC, BREI, and IEDC). Over five years, the organization has facilitated 24 projects producing 2,900+ jobs and nearly $370 million in new and retained capital investment, earning the IEDC Community EDO of the Year (2020), three consecutive BREI Awards of Excellence (2023-2025), and 16 consecutive TEDC Economic Excellence recognitions.

Name

Kilgore Economic Development Corporation

Legal name

Kilgore Economic Development Corporation

Website

https://kilgore-edc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1990

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kilgore Economic Development Corporation (KEDC) is a Type A Economic Development Corporation founded in 1990 that provides free site selection, permitting, workforce, and incentive services to manufacturing, logistics, and metalworking companies seeking to locate or expand in Kilgore, Texas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

NAICS

Administration of Housing Programs, Urban Planning, and Community Development (9251), Administration of Urban Planning and Community and Rural Development (925120), Executive, Legislative, and Other General Government Support (921)

SIC

Real Estate Agents & Managers (For Others) (6531), Land Subdividers & Developers (No Cemeteries) (6552), Non-Operating Establishments (9995)

akta.pro primary industry

Economic Development & Business Licensing (Local) (BPAIACAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Local Entity Setup & Expansion Advisory (Market Entry, Subsidiary Formation) (BPACAHAM), Industrial Park Owners Association Management (BPAJAHAH)

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Industrial site selection
• Business retention expansion
• Workforce development coordination
• Industrial real estate parks

Headquarters

HQ city

Kilgore

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Voter-approved sales tax: As a Type A Economic Development Corporation, KEDC is funded by a voter-approved sales tax. The organization does not generate commercial revenue from clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Kilgore Economic Development Corporation (KEDC) provides free economic development services and industrial real estate to companies seeking to locate, expand, or remain in Kilgore, Texas. Core offerings include Synergy Park (a 672-acre Class-A campus-style industrial park with shovel-ready sites of 4 to 100 acres), the Virtual Building Program (two pre-designed buildings available for fast-track construction), and full-spectrum business development services covering site selection, permitting, workforce training partnerships, incentive negotiation, and ongoing retention support.

Product overview

Kilgore Economic Development Corporation (KEDC) is a Type A Economic Development Corporation that provides economic development services rather than a traditional software product. Its core offerings include industrial real estate (Synergy Park, a 672-acre Class-A business park with sites from 4-100 acres), pre-designed virtual building options, and comprehensive business development support services for manufacturing, logistics, metalworking, and other industries. KEDC also offers site selection assistance, workforce development coordination, incentive negotiation, and Foreign Trade Zone access through its services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Synergy Park Kilgore's premier 672-acre Class-A campus-style industrial park with shovel-ready sites ranging from 4 to 100 acres, offering full utility infrastructure, fiber connectivity, and Foreign Trade Zone 234 sub-zone designation to companies seeking to locate or expand manufacturing, logistics, and metalworking operations.
• Virtual Building Program Program offering two pre-designed virtual buildings available in Synergy Park, enabling companies to fast-track facility construction in Kilgore and reduce time to launch.
• Site Selection and Project Support Services Comprehensive, hands-on, free consulting services for businesses evaluating or locating in Kilgore, including site tours, permitting coordination, customized workforce training plans, incentive negotiation, and ongoing business retention support delivered as a single point of contact from initial inquiry through project completion.
• Manufacturing Industry Attraction Services Economic development services specifically targeting manufacturing companies seeking to establish, expand, or relocate operations to Kilgore's Synergy Park — including site selection, workforce development coordination, permit support, and incentive structuring.
• Logistics and Distribution Support Services Comprehensive support services for logistics and distribution companies evaluating or operating in Kilgore, including site selection, workforce planning, permitting coordination, and access to multimodal transportation infrastructure (I-20, U.S. 259/59, rail, ports, and airports).
• Metalworking Industry Support Services Specialized economic development services for metalworking and fabrication companies, including access to Synergy Park's shovel-ready sites, workforce training partnerships, and Foreign Trade Zone benefits.
• Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) Services Ongoing retention and expansion services for existing Kilgore employers, including proactive engagement, problem-solving support, and growth assistance — recognized through three consecutive BREI Awards of Excellence (2023–2025).

Quantifiable outcome

• 24 projects generating 2,900+ jobs and nearly $370 million in capital investment over five years
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Day One ExpertscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 March 2026KEDC partnered with Day One Experts to produce the Kilgore Spotlight Series on the Gone to Texas business podcast, showcasing Kilgore's manufacturing community, workforce development programs, and regional companies including Camfil, CPI, CSI, Kilgore College, and LeTourneau University. The series aims to attract manufacturing investment to East Texas.
• Camfil USAcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerCamfil USA is establishing its largest U.S. manufacturing facility in Kilgore's Synergy Park — a 418,000 sq. ft. facility on 43 acres representing ~$100 million in capital investment and 226+ new jobs. Camfil serves as a flagship anchor tenant and success story that KEDC highlights in its marketing and site selection materials.
• OrgillcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOrgill operates a 914,000 square-foot distribution center in Synergy Park with 430+ employees, serving 2,000+ customers in seven states. The world's largest independent hardlines distributor is a key success story used by KEDC to demonstrate Kilgore's logistics and distribution capabilities.
• Kilgore CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKEDC partners with Kilgore College on workforce development programs including advanced manufacturing, welding, transportation (CDL/forklift training at the new Transportation Institute), and career technical education. KEDC provided land for the college's Transportation Institute. The college is a critical pipeline for talent serving KEDC's employer base.
• LeTourneau UniversitysecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeTourneau University provides engineering, robotics, welding, machine tool, and design programs that support Kilgore's manufacturing workforce needs. Mentioned as a featured partner in the Gone to Texas podcast series and KEDC's workforce ecosystem.
• Texas State Technical CollegesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional training partner providing automation, precision machining, and IT systems programs that support Kilgore's industrial workforce pipeline.
• Northeast Texas Community CollegesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional partner providing career and technical education programs for manufacturing industries in the East Texas region.
• UT Tyler / Tyler Junior CollegesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional higher education partners providing engineering, CAD, machining, industrial management, and additional programs supporting Kilgore's workforce needs.
• Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS)secondaryOthersDPS CDL Testing Office is co-located with Kilgore College's Transportation Institute next to each other, facilitating seamless training and testing for commercial driver's licenses for local logistics and distribution companies.
• Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC)coreOthersKEDC is an active member of TEDC, having served on its Board of Directors. KEDC has won 16 consecutive TEDC Economic Excellence Recognition awards and multiple TEDC Community Economic Development Awards. KEDC Executive Director Lisa Denton was elected to the TEDC Board.
• Business Retention & Expansion International (BREI)coreOthersKEDC has won three consecutive BREI Awards of Excellence (2023, 2024, 2025) and the BREI Impact Award for substantial economic impact, making it the only organization to win three consecutive BREI awards. KEDC Executive Director Lisa Denton holds BREI certification.
• International Economic Development Council (IEDC)coreOthersKEDC received IEDC's Community EDO of the Year Award in 2020 for cities with populations under 25,000. IEDC Excellence in Economic Development Awards are among the most prestigious in the global economic development profession.
• LEDCO (Longview Economic Development Corporation)secondaryOthersKEDC worked collaboratively with LEDCO during the Keeprite Refrigeration site selection process, recognizing the project as a regional retention effort to keep jobs in the broader East Texas area rather than allowing them to relocate to competing regions.

Scale indicators10 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Greater Houston Partnership: Larger regional EDO serving the Houston metro. While not a direct Kilgore competitor on every project, it competes with KEDC for industrial recruitments targeting the Texas Gulf corridor and represents the kind of scaled-up, well-resourced EDO KEDC must differentiate against for larger capex projects.
• San Antonio Economic Development Foundation: Larger Texas EDO competing with KEDC for advanced manufacturing and logistics projects targeting the I-35/I-10 corridor. Same manufacturing-recruitment mission at materially greater scale — useful benchmark for the upper bound of what a successful Texas EDO can deliver.

Direct peers

• Lubbock Economic Development Alliance: Mid-sized Texas EDO comparable in scale to KEDC. Comparable focus on manufacturing and logistics attraction within a single Texas metro, similar Type-A/B legal structure, and similar constraints/opportunities around workforce scale and incentive competition.
• Longview Economic Development Corporation (LEDCO): Adjacent East Texas Type-A EDC that KEDC explicitly collaborated with during the Keeprite Refrigeration site selection. Same legal structure, same funding mechanism, same manufacturing/logistics focus, same regional labor pool, and same competitive set of corporate prospects — making it the closest direct comparable.
• Abilene Industrial Foundation: West Texas economic development entity with a comparable focus on industrial park management, manufacturing recruitment, and workforce-driven site attraction. Operates at a similar community scale to Kilgore, making it a structural and size-class peer.
• Tyler Economic Development Council: Neighboring East Texas EDO serving the Tyler metro area. Comparable Type-B/council structure, overlapping manufacturing target industries, and shared regional workforce draw from the same 12-county labor pool — competing head-to-head for similar mid-sized manufacturing and distribution projects.

Others

• International Economic Development Council (IEDC): Global industry association for the economic development profession. IEDC awarded KEDC its Community EDO of the Year in 2020 and serves as the umbrella organization defining best practices and certifications (e.g., the credentials held by KEDC's Executive Director) that govern how peer EDOs compete.
• Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC): The statewide industry association of which KEDC is an active board member and multiple-time award winner. Not a competing EDO, but the closest ecosystem-level comparable for benchmarking KEDC's recognition cadence, program participation, and policy positioning among Texas EDOs.

Regional players

• McAllen Economic Development Corporation: South Texas Type-A EDC with comparable organizational structure, mission, and industrial park management focus. Differs geographically (border region vs. East Texas) but serves as a direct structural and operational peer for benchmarking how comparable Type-A EDCs deploy sales tax proceeds to drive industrial recruitment.
• Gregg County / City of Longview Partnership: Broader East Texas regional economic development entity covering the Longview-Gregg County area adjacent to Kilgore. Comparable focus on industrial recruitment and retention in the same regional labor market, but functions as a multi-jurisdictional partnership rather than a single-city Type-A EDC.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/kilgoretxedc
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCs6wJvdubiUY8znRqC3eYPw
• Facebookfacebook.com/kilgore.edc
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kilgoreedc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kilgore Economic Development Corporation