What Development Corporation of Abilene does

The Development Corporation of Abilene (DCOA) is a Type A economic development corporation established in 1989 by the Abilene City Council and funded by a one-half cent local sales tax. It operates as the primary economic development driver for the Abilene, Texas region, recruiting companies to relocate or expand within a 19-county area and supporting existing employers through retention and expansion programs. The organization serves enterprise clients, including manufacturers, data center operators, defense contractors, healthcare systems, food manufacturers, and back-office service providers, with a portfolio of named engagements spanning Dyess Air Force Base, Hendrick Health, Amazon, Coca-Cola, Blue Cross Blue Shield, Great Lakes Cheese, Abilene Christian University, and AbiMar Foods (Grupo Nutresa), among others.

DCOA's service portfolio includes site selection assistance, two industrial business parks (Five Points Business Park with a 50 MVA substation and Access Business Park) encompassing more than 400 acres of available land with utilities, business retention and expansion support, workforce development coordination (leveraging a 150,000+ regional labor force and 600 airmen exiting Dyess AFB annually), and facilitation of incentive packages including tax abatements and Texas Enterprise Fund grants. The marketing approach is primarily enterprise field sales, supplemented by participation in national economic development summits (SEDC), international initiatives (SelectUSA, U.S.-Japan Council), and digital channels including a LinkedIn presence and annual reports.

Governance is provided by a Board of Directors appointed by the Abilene City Council, with Misty Mayo serving as President & CEO since 2019. Under her leadership, the organization has facilitated more than 45 company expansion projects representing over $59 billion in committed capital investment. The organization is publicly recognized through awards including the IEDC International Economic Development Organization of the Year (2023) and multiple 2026 Business Facilities Magazine honors.

Name

Development Corporation of Abilene

Legal name

Development Corporation of Abilene, Inc.

Website

https://developabilene.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Development Corporation of Abilene (DCOA) is a Type A economic development corporation, funded by a half-cent sales tax, that recruits and retains enterprise companies in Abilene, Texas through site selection, industrial parks, incentives, and workforce development. It serves manufacturers, data centers, defense contractors, healthcare systems, and food producers across a 19-county region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Abilene

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

Revenue model

1. Half-Cent Sales Tax Revenue: The DCOA leverages a one-half cent sales tax as primary revenue to fund and support economic development efforts in the Abilene area. This Type A corporation funding from taxes is fully controlled at the local level.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Development Corporation of Abilene (DCOA) is a Type A economic development corporation that recruits, retains, and supports companies seeking to locate or expand in the Abilene, Texas region. It provides site selection assistance, offers two industrial business parks (Five Points Business Park and Access Business Park) with available land and utilities, facilitates business incentive negotiations including tax abatements and Texas Enterprise Fund grants, and delivers ongoing business retention and workforce development services. The organization is funded by a local half-cent sales tax.

Product overview

The Development Corporation of Abilene (DCOA) operates as an economic development organization rather than a traditional product company. Its portfolio consists of business parks (Five Points Business Park and Access Business Park) offering industrial sites for manufacturing, distribution, and technology companies, complemented by service programs including Business Retention & Expansion support, Workforce Development Services, and Business Incentives & Tax Abatement Programs. The DCOA facilitates economic growth by providing site selection assistance, utility and permitting support, and access to Texas Enterprise Fund grants to attract and retain companies in the Abilene region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Five Points Business Park An industrial business park located on Interstate 20 offering direct access to the Union Pacific Railroad and proximity to Abilene Regional Airport, with fully equipped utility infrastructure including water, wastewater, natural gas, electric, and telecommunications, and an on-site 50 megawatt electrical substation.
• Access Business Park A premier business park offering high-end industrial development located directly across from Abilene Regional Airport and within 3 miles of I-20, featuring electricity, natural gas, telecommunications, water and wastewater infrastructure.
• Business Retention & Expansion Program An economic development service that provides ongoing support to existing businesses, connecting companies with resources, incentives, and assistance to facilitate growth and expansion in Abilene.
• Workforce Development Services Services connecting employers with a regional labor force of over 140,000 workers, including partnerships with universities, technical colleges, community colleges, and Dyess Air Force Base veteran workforce transitions.
• Business Incentives & Tax Abatement Programs Facilitates access to Texas Enterprise Fund grants, Enterprise Zone Program benefits, tax abatements, and performance agreements to support business investment and job creation.
• Site Selection Assistance Guides companies through the location selection process with access to available properties, infrastructure data, workforce analysis, and customized solutions for unique business needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over $59 billion in capital investment committed by companies since 2019
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and strategic.

• Abilene Industrial FoundationcoreOthersDCOA partner organization and part of the DevelopAbilene team. Previously served as DCOA's Director of Business Development and Marketing before transitioning to DCOA.
• DevelopAbilene Partner NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic network of partner organizations aligned with DCOA's mission and strategies which drive increased capital investment and primary job creation for the Abilene community. DCOA leads the DevelopAbilene strategies and priorities by contract with their partners in economic development.
• Military Affairs Committee (MAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAffiliate of the Abilene Chamber of Commerce that has created strong ties with the military community at Dyess Air Force Base for over 60 years. Worked to raise close to a million dollars in the early 1950s for installation of permanent military infrastructure.
• Northwest Texas Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC)strategicImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerMain office located in Abilene. Educates and assists local businesses to more effectively compete in the government marketplace. Assists small businesses find, bid and win procurement opportunities with federal, state, and local government entities.
• City of AbilenecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity Council appoints DCOA's Board of Directors. DCOA collaborates with the City of Abilene on expansion projects including the Stargate 1 data center project.
• Taylor CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTaylor County collaborates with DCOA and City of Abilene on economic development projects including the Stargate 1 data center expansion.
• Abilene Chamber of CommercestrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner in economic development ecosystem. The Chamber provides business networking, advocacy, and workforce development support alongside DCOA.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Midland Development Corporation: Type A economic development corporation in West Texas, comparable funding model (sales tax), comparable mid-sized market recruitment playbook, with overlapping exposure to energy/manufacturing industries.
• Amarillo Economic Development Corporation: A Type A sales-tax-funded economic development corporation like DCOA, operating in the Texas Panhandle with similar mid-sized market positioning, workforce development programs, and BRE services.
• Lubbock Economic Development Alliance: West Texas peer EDO with comparable Type B sales-tax funding, university-tied workforce pipeline, and focus on recruiting advanced manufacturing and back-office operations to a mid-sized Texas metro.
• Wichita Falls Economic Development Corporation: North Texas Type A EDO with similar scale, sales-tax funding, and focus on advanced manufacturing and aerospace/defense recruitment in proximity to Sheppard AFB.

Broad incumbents

• Dallas Regional Chamber: DFW's regional economic development body recruiting corporate relocations to North Texas; comparable GTM motion of site selection, incentives, and workforce storytelling, though at a larger metro scale.
• Greater Houston Partnership: Houston's regional economic development organization, comparable to DCOA as a chamber-led EDO that recruits corporate investment and manages large-scale site/incentive programs, but operating at a much larger metro scale.
• San Antonio Economic Development Foundation: San Antonio's primary private-sector economic development nonprofit performing the same attraction/retention and incentive-negotiation functions as DCOA, with overlapping target industries (aerospace, advanced manufacturing, back-office).
• Greater Austin Chamber of Commerce (Economic Development): Austin's regional EDO offering the same site selection, incentive negotiation, and industry-targeting services as DCOA; comparable in GTM but operates in a much larger, faster-growing metro.

Others

• Texas Economic Development Corporation: Public-private partnership that markets Texas as a business destination globally; a partner/ecosystem participant to DCOA rather than a direct competitor, but addresses the same inbound-corporate-investment use case at the state level.

Regional players

• Tulsa's Economic Development Authority: Mid-sized U.S. metro EDO with comparable business-attraction model, military-affiliated workforce (Tulsa Air Force area), and advanced-manufacturing focus; serves as a useful cross-region comparable for DCOA's playbook.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/developabilene
• Facebookfacebook.com/developabilene

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Development Corporation of Abilene