At one time empty storefronts and scarce traffic downtown were the norm in Kilgore. Now, the area is becoming a magnet for shopping, dining and entertainment, with parking sometimes scarce. Kilgore’s Main Street Program gets a lot of the credit. And the City of Kilgore has continued its support. And that’s good.
As I begin my term as President of the North East Texas Economic Developers' Roundtable and set goals for the organization, I am pleased that professional economic developers in East Texas have chosen to work together. While other groups are dedicated to regional marketing, NETEDR remains special because its mission is to equip regional economic developers with the skills necessary to grow our regional economy.
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Posted: 08/04/2010
Author:
Jana Russell
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HR professionals face daily challenges of problem solving, dispute resolution and human capital management - all while ensuring the most productive workplace environment possible. KEDC sponsors quarterly luncheons designed to foster communication with those professionals. Together we can retain the best workforce possible in the best workplace environments possible.
Texas Monthly magazine has called it the ‘Best Shakespeare in Texas,’ and it rivals theater performances in Dallas or Houston. It is the Texas Shakespeare Festival, and it is celebrating its 25th season on the Kilgore College Campus.
Recently the Texas Economic Development Council recognized just 35 communities in the state of Texas and only two in the Northeast Texas region as having excellence in economic development. As honored as we are, attaining this recognition has never been our goal. In reviewing the application, Kilgore Economic Development staff discovered we already exceeded the threshold for what the statewide professional organization considers excellence.
Today is a beautiful day at Synergy Park in Kilgore, Texas with employees and visitors enjoying the trails and lake.
Recently, I spent my first week at at the Texas Community Development Institute in The Woodlands, near Houston. The total program consists of three one-week long training seminars that are endorsed by the Community Development Council, a professional certification organization. Texas CDI offers sessions Year One, Two, Three and Advanced CDI.
The Small Business and Entrepreneurial Council has ranked Texas in the top three states for small business and entrepreneurship in their Small Business Survival Index 2009: Ranking the Policy Environment for Entrepreneurship Across the Nation.
At KEDC our mission is to increase the City of Kilgore tax base and provide jobs for Kilgore citizens. The state of the regional economy is an important component in our ability to accomplish that mission.
