Community Profile data is collected throughout the year by Kilgore Economic Development staff. The information is used to provide a complete economic, demographic, and cultural overview of the Kilgore area for new and expanding primary employers.
| Company Name | Category | Employment |
| Halliburton Services | Oilfield Services | 705 |
| Kilgore Independent School District | Primary & Secondary Public Education | 606 |
| General Dynamics SATCOM | Satellite Communication Equipment | 550 |
| Kilgore College | Higher Education Institute | 363 |
| Region VII Education Service Center | Regional Public Education Service Provider | 290 |
| Martin Midstream Partners, LP | Mkt. & Transporting of Petroleum/Chemicals | 241 |
| Exterran | Compression Services | 197 |
| Closure Systems International, Inc. | Plastic Containers | 227 |
| Caterpillar | Mining Equipment | 184 |
| Pak-Sher Company | Plastic Bags | 160 |
| Orgill, Inc. | Warehouse Distribution | 178 |
| City of Kilgore | Municipal Government | 155 |
| BJ Services | Oilfield Services | 155 |
| Skeeter Products, Inc. | Recreational | 151 |
| Weatherford International | Oil & Gas Services | 112 |
| Triumph Group, Inc. | Machined Aircraft Parts, Misc. Trans. Equip. | 105 |
| Baker Petrolite | Oil & Gas Services | 105 |
| Allied Waste Services | Solid Waste Management | 92 |
| Cudd Pressure Control | Oilfield Services | 225 |
| Frank's Casing Crew & Rental Tools, Inc. | Oilfield Services | 83 |
| Ana-Lab Corp. | Analytical Services | 68 |
| IESI, TX Corp. | District Headquarters, Waste Collection, Transportation and Disposal | 62 |
KEDC utilizes a number of economic incentives. Funds for direct economic incentives are collected from a dedicated sales tax. The KEDC board of directors oversees the use of these funds and will work with primary employers who are choosing to locate or expand in Kilgore, Texas.
Incentives are based on project investment, number of jobs and payroll. Any proposal for incentives from KEDC is contingent upon the company qualifying for assistance under KEDC’s guidelines for credit worthiness. It is understood that the company must provide KEDC and its credit advisers all the necessary information to make this determination.
KEDC provides access to and assists with the following:
Texas is one of the few states without a state income tax. In 2005, Texas was almost the lowest per capita tax state in the nation, ranking 49th in per capita state taxes, or $1,434 per person. Statistics show state and local taxes consume a smaller proportion of Texans’ incomes - 9.4%. The national average is 10.6%. The franchise tax is imposed on each corporation that is chartered in Texas. Non-Texas corporations doing business in Texas are also liable for the tax. See Franchise Tax Rule 3.546 for a list of some activities considered to be "doing business in Texas."Corporations pay the greater of the tax on net taxable capital or net taxable earned surplus. Taxable capital is a corporation's stated capital (capital stock) plus surplus. Surplus means the net assets of a corporation minus its stated capital. For a limited liability company, surplus means the net assets of the company minus its members' contributions. For more details on surplus, see Rule 3.551. Taxable capital is apportioned using a single gross receipts factor.Taxable capital for an annual report is based on the end of the corporation's last accounting period in the calendar year prior to the calendar year in which the report is due. The tax rate on taxable capital is 0.25 percent per year of privilege period.Earned surplus basically includes the corporation's federal net taxable income, plus compensation paid to officers and directors of the corporation. S corporations and corporations with fewer than 36 shareholders are generally exempt from the compensation add-back. For the earned surplus calculation, unitary income is apportioned using a single gross receipts factor. In addition, non-unitary income is allocated to Texas if Texas is the corporation's commercial domicile. For more information on the computation of earned surplus, see Rule 3.555.Earned surplus for an annual report should be reported beginning with the day after the ending date on the previous franchise tax report and ending with the end of the corporation's last federal accounting period in the calendar year prior to the calendar year in which the report is due. The tax rate on earned surplus is 4.5 percent. Please click on the following link for an Overview of the Texas Tax System. . .
The Skills Development Fund is Texas' premier job training program providing training dollars for Texas businesses and workers. Administered by the Texas Workforce Commission, success is achieved through collaboration among businesses, public Community and Technical Colleges, Local Workforce Development Boards and economic development partners.
The Kilgore community receives services through Kilgore College, Texas State Technical College (TSTC) and East Texas Workforce Board. Kilgore College and TSTC tailor training curriculum to match the needs of each specific company in addition to standard certificate programs/courses. The college will work with companies to prepare the application for state training funds.
The state-funded Skills Development Fund job-training program is available to new or to expanding existing industry through local community or technical colleges. The SDF program assists businesses and trade unions by financing the design and implementation of customized job training projects. It successfully merges business needs and local customized training opportunities to increase the skills level and wages of the Texas workforce. Pre-employment testing and screening are also available.
The average cost for an SDF trainee is approximately $1,500 with a standard length 12 month contract, although the actual cost can be higher or lower. If the cost per trainee for a proposed project is higher than the average, an application may strengthen its proposal by including justification for higher cost.
SSB
Through the Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) Skills for Small Business program, up to $2 million from the Skills Development Fund is dedicated to the backbone of Texas's business community - our more than 433,000 small employers. Small businesses now can apply to TWC for training offered by their local community or technical college, or the Texas Engineering Extension Service (TEEX). TWC processes the applications and works with the college to fund the specific courses selected by businesses for their employees.
For more information on the fund, click HERE.
Kilgore is located within a transportation nucleus 120 miles east of Dallas and 60 miles west of Shreveport. Nestled in the piney woods of East Texas, the community is located just two miles from Interstate 20, linking Kilgore to a major transportation artery where trucks can drive coast to coast without ever seeing a traffic light. US HWY 259 and 59 south to Houston and north to I-30, along with State HWYs 42, 31, and 135, offer other interstate quality roads for easy transportation to additional markets.
The City of Kilgore supplies and distributes water and sewer services. Options are available for natural gas service, and the regulated electric rates in the Kilgore region are some of the lowest in the nation. Please click the "utilities and services" heading or scroll down for a list of providers and rates.
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