First $1B deal in Texas Innovation Corridor brings jobs for local residents, including veterans

I am ecstatic to share our organization’s first announcement of FY 2022, which is by far the largest economic development win (by capital investment) in the history of the Texas Innovation Corridor.

Chem-Energy, a leader in the petroleum products industry, has selected Caldwell County as the location to invest more than $1 billion in the development of two innovative solar and battery power plant facilities.

The 3,500+ acre facility in Caldwell Valley Ranch will serve as the company’s flagship operations in Texas, bringing 400 good-paying jobs to our region. Those jobs will have an average salary of $53,200 a year — plus benefits — and include on-the-job training. Initial hiring is expected in April 2022 and a state-of-the-art job training facility is expected to be opened in late spring 2022.

In addition, thanks to a partnership with Austin Community College Hays Campus, the Caldwell Valley facility will also be home to the country’s first standardized solar PV and battery storage training facility. GSMP facilitated the collaboration between Chem-Energy and ACC to create a training program at the Hays Campus, which will train the first class of 75 to 100 technicians for the site.

Chem-Energy is focused on recruiting locally for their positions, including the purposeful recruitment of veterans, minorities, and other underserved groups in our region. With nearly 10% of our two-county footprint identifying as veterans, a great opportunity is available to connect good paying jobs with those who have graciously served our country. 

In the coming months, I fully anticipate continued outreach to our veterans and collaboration with workforce development partners thanks to this new investment. Non-profits such as Hire Our Heroes and programs like Just for Veterans (utilized by the Texas Workforce Commission) will undoubtedly play a large role in facilitating connections to help improve the quality of life for our veterans in Hays and Caldwell Counties.

An economic development win of this magnitude is a prime example of what can be done here in the Texas Innovation Corridor. It is also a prime example of a win-win-win between the public sector, private sector, and workforce development sector.

Under this deal, which became official last Friday during a special session of Caldwell County Commissioner’s Court, Chem-Energy will be providing the county with a projected $22.4 million in added total net tax revenue over the next ten years. This new revenue will allow the county to fund initiatives and programs that serve its residents.

I am pleased to also tell you that GSMP is working on several more collaborations that will bear fruit in the near future. Many more announcements are to come in the coming weeks that will benefit our veterans and everyone else in the Texas Innovation Corridor.

If you have questions about these announcements or what it means for our region, my door is open for questions. I can be reached at jasong@greatersanmarcostx.com.