Paris Development Corporation

What Paris Development Corporation does

Paris Development Corporation, doing business as the Paris Economic Development Corporation (PEDC), is a nonprofit Type A economic development corporation established in 1993 and headquartered at 1125 Bonham St, Paris, Texas. It is governed by a Board of Directors chaired by Josh Bray and led since August 2020 by Executive Director Maureen Hammond (CEcD), supported by a small professional staff of 3-5 members. The organization's statutory mandate is to attract and retain primary employers that bring new dollars into Lamar County through exports to regional, statewide, national, or international markets, with priority sectors including advanced manufacturing, warehouse and distribution, agriculture, back-office services, supply chain and logistics, and aerospace and aviation.

PEDC's core service portfolio is non-technological and consists of site selection facilitation, incentive administration, workforce development coordination, and business recruitment. It does not sell software or operate a technology platform; its digital presence (selectparistexas.com, newsletters, social media) is used for content marketing and inbound lead generation rather than product delivery. The organization administers local, state, and national incentive programs—including property tax abatements, Chapter 380-style cash grants, Texas Enterprise Zone refundable payroll credits ($2,500/FTE), Freeport Exemption, and New Markets Tax Credit allocations—on behalf of the City of Paris and Lamar County, and serves as the single point of contact for site selectors and prospective employers.

Operationally, PEDC is funded through governmental allocations tied to local sales tax revenue rather than commercial pricing, and revenue is not publicly disclosed. Its go-to-market is enterprise field sales combined with event-driven engagement: direct outreach to businesses and site selectors, plus ribbon cuttings, groundbreakings, and industry tours that serve as both community relations and demand-generation. The entity is embedded in a core partnership network spanning the City of Paris, Lamar County, the Lamar County Chamber of Commerce, Paris Junior College, Texas A&M University-Commerce, East Texas A&M, and Kiamichi Railroad, which collectively underpin its delivery model.

Name

Paris Development Corporation

Legal name

Paris Economic Development Corporation

Website

https://selectparistexas.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1844

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Paris Development Corporation is a nonprofit Type A economic development corporation that recruits and retains primary employers in Paris, Texas and Lamar County. It administers local, state, and federal incentives, facilitates site selection, and coordinates workforce development for a 3-5 person professional staff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Economic Development Services

NAICS

Educational Support Services (61171)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Workforce Readiness, Career Pathways & Youth Employment Nonprofits (BPAGADAF)

Keywords

• Economic development services
• Site selection assistance
• Business incentive programs
• Workforce development coordination
• Industrial recruitment

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

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

Revenue model

1. Government Funding and Incentives Administration: PEDC operates as a Type A economic development corporation funded through local government allocations and serves as an administrator of various economic incentives including tax abatements, cash incentives, land grants, and infrastructure grants for qualifying businesses.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Paris Development Corporation (Paris Economic Development Corporation, PEDC) is a nonprofit Type A economic development corporation that conducts economic development programs for businesses, manufacturers, and employers seeking to locate, expand, or remain in Paris and Lamar County, Texas. Its core work involves recruiting primary-job employers, packaging local/state/national incentives (tax abatements, cash-for-jobs, land grants, infrastructure grants), facilitating site selection across 500+ acres of available industrial sites, and coordinating workforce development with regional education partners.

Product overview

Paris Economic Development Corporation (PEDC) is an economic development organization that provides services focused on business attraction, retention, and expansion in Paris, Texas and Lamar County. Rather than offering a technology product portfolio, PEDC delivers economic development services including site selection assistance, business recruitment, workforce development programs, and coordination of local, state, and national business incentives. The organization serves as a Type A economic development corporation serving as a bridge between businesses and government entities, with no standalone software products, platforms, or modules.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Site Selection and Business Recruitment Services Concierge service for enterprises evaluating location or expansion in Paris and Lamar County, including site tours, comparison of 500+ acres of available industrial sites across multiple parks, utility and infrastructure data, and customized recruitment support delivered as a single point of contact.
• Business Incentive Coordination and Administration Packaging and administration of local, state, and national economic incentives on behalf of qualifying businesses, including property tax abatements, cash-for-jobs, infrastructure grants, forgivable loans, land grants, Freeport Exemption, Texas Enterprise Zone refund of $2,500 per FTE, and New Markets Tax Credit support.
• Workforce Development Coordination Coordination of workforce training and talent pipeline programs with Paris Junior College, Texas A&M University-Commerce, East Texas A&M, and Rural Development Partners (RDP), including support for TWC Skills Development Fund grant applications and the RDP Community Investment Program.
• Business Retention and Expansion Outreach Retention and expansion engagement with existing Paris and Lamar County employers, including public celebration of expansions and investments through success stories, ribbon cuttings, and ground breaking events to reinforce community support.

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% exemption from Ad Valorem taxes on qualifying inventory leaving Texas within 175 days
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered secondary and core.

• East Texas A&MsecondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 November 2025Partnership for Industry Connect 2025 event bridging education and industry workforce development.
• Rural Development Partners (RDP)secondaryStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 May 2025Partnership for workforce training initiative through RDP Community Investment Program. First two recipients announced for workforce training.
• City of PariscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe PEDC works closely with the City of Paris for economic development initiatives, including property tax abatement recommendations, TIRZ administration, and city development planning.
• Lamar CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with Lamar County on economic development projects, property tax abatement recommendations to County Court, and county-wide development initiatives.
• Lamar County Chamber of CommercecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint marketing and event coordination. The Chamber has extensive membership, activity and engagement, providing leadership training, networking, and growth opportunities.
• Paris Junior CollegecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity college partnership for workforce training. PJC offers associate degrees, certificates, and workforce programs. Can assist with TWC Skills Development Fund grant applications.
• Texas A&M University-CommercesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with working relationship for higher education access. TAMU-Commerce offers 130 unique academic degrees and serves more than 11,000 students with internship and job placement programs.
• Kiamichi Railroad (KRR)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner264-mile short line railroad owned by Genesee & Wyoming. Serves customers five days a week in Lamar County including Campbell's Soup, AMERICAN SpiralWeld, and Wepack. Interchanges with UP, BNSF, and CPKC.
• Texas Economic Development & TourismsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferral partner for business permit assistance and access to Texas Enterprise Fund and Texas Enterprise Zone programs.
• Lamar County Commissioners CourtcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCounty government partnership for economic development initiatives and approvals.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Strengths4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ParisEDC
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/paris-texas-edc

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 Paris Development Corporation