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Workforce Solutions My the Force Be With You

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“May The Workforce Be With You.”
Workforce Solutions of Northeast Texas held their #StarWars themed annual conference at the #MountPleasant Civic Center Wednesday, across the parking lot from our office! Congrats to Dr. Kevin Rose, Mount Pleasant’s & North Texas Community College’s own Skills Development Fund Jedi for winning Board Member of the Year accolades! Psst . . . we have an award-winning training center in Mount Pleasant with more than a $500,000 in company training awards in 2018 alone! If you want your business to succeed, consider Mount Pleasant, TX!

ALDI Coming in Early 2019

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German grocer, ALDI, will be operational early 2019 in Mount Pleasant, TX. The company will be moving into 20,832 SF across from Walmart Supercenter. The facility under retrofit (construction) was formerly occupied by Hastings & is next to Hibbett Sports. ALDI, a 2018 Retailer of the Year awardee, is currently blocked off to the public for safety reasons but we wanted to give y’all a peak inside the hard hat zone. Enjoy! Welcome, ALDI USA!!

Attention Retailers: Did you know Mount Pleasant has a Retail Trade Area of 106,017 people!!! Ask for a copy of our independent retail report & profile.

ALDI Links: https://www.prnewswire.com/…/aldi-named-2018-retailer-of-th…

ALDI Links: https://www.forbes.com/…/aldi-is-focused-on-keeping-it-si…/…

ALDI Links: http://fortune.com/…/09/aldi-us-stores-expansion-new-produ…/

#MountPleasant #TX #Texas #Retail #ALDI

MPEDC Welcomes New Executive Director

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MOUNT PLEASANT, TEXAS (MAY 16, 2018) – The Mount Pleasant Economic Development Corporation (MPEDC) has selected Nathan Tafoya to be its new executive director.

Strategic Government Resources (SGR), a local government executive search firm based in Keller, Texas, conducted the nationwide executive director search. SGR’s recruitment and vetting process produced an impressive field of highly qualified candidates. Finalists interviewed with the MPIDC on May 4, 2018, and Tafoya was selected to fill the position. His proposed start date is June 18. 

Candidate vetting included a comprehensive questionnaire, online interviews, a psychometric assessment, a thorough media search, and a rigorous background investigation.

Tafoya has over a decade of economic development experience and currently serves as the executive director for the Lamesa Economic Development Corporation and Lamesa Economic Alliance Project, a position he has held since 2015. He previously served as manager of the Business Resource Center for the New Mexico Economic Development Department and interim executive director for the Rio Rancho Economic Development Corporation where he also served as vice president of Business Development and research director. Tafoya holds a master’s degree in business administration from the University of New Mexico and a bachelor’s degree in journalism and creative writing from the University of Arizona.

MPEDC WELCOMES NEW BOARD MEMBERS

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The Mount Pleasant City Council appointed two new members, Chris Elliott and Stan Garrett, to the Mount Pleasant Economic Development Corporation Board. Members of the Board are appointed by the City Council and serve a term of two years. Council may, at their discretion, reappoint Board Members for successive terms.

Chris Elliott, Managing Partner of Elliott Auto Group, has over twenty-five years of sales background. Chris is a Mount Pleasant native, graduating from MPHS and later from TCU with a BBA in Management. He currently serves on the Mount Pleasant Airport Advisory Board, as well as the Guaranty Bank & Trust Board. Chris and his wife, Shelly, have two children, Anna and Jacob.

Stan Garrett is the Chief Financial Officer of KRB Investments and has an extensive background in finance. Prior to KRB Investments, Stan was employed for a decade at Big Tex Trailers and almost twenty years at Guaranty Bank & Trust. He has served on the Mount Pleasant Country Club board since 2017. Stan and his wife, Suzan, have two children, Jacob and Katie.

MPEDC Executive Director Announces Retirement

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Charlie Smith, executive director of the Mount Pleasant Economic Development  Corporation, announced his coming retirement at a recent EDC board meeting.

He submitted his resignation, to be effective January 17, after almost 15 years of leading the local economic group in its goal of growing and enhancing the economy of Mount Pleasant and Titus County.

During his tenure here he led the effort to locate Newly Weds Foods in the Cypress Industrial Park in 2007, including the securing of $1.5 million dollars in state funds to add to local incentives to construct  the required rail spur.  Newly Weds has grown to now employ 150 people and is currently expanding to grow the employment number to 179.

Sweet Shop Candies moved its nationwide chocolates operation and 100 jobs to Industrial Road in 2007, where it has grown and currently employs 130.

He also helped to aid the growth of existing local industries through tax abatement and other incentives as they added buildings and jobs, including Diamond C Trailers, Priefert Manufacturing, Dekoron, and Performance Trailers.

“We enjoy a strong local manufacturing base, and Charlie Smith led us in expanding and strengthening many of our new and existing businesses,” EDC President Erman Hensel said.

Hensel also pointed to the Mount Pleasant Business Park along I-30 as an important boost during Smith’s tenure.  “We have to have inventory of ready and available manufacturing sites.   Charlie led an  extensive review  of all available locations before we settled on this 200 acre spot,” he said.  “Already we have PDI Plastics and a 40,000 square foot speculative building there that is drawing attention and will be filled over the course of time.”

The property has concrete roads, plus water, sewer, and electrical service to make it “shovel ready” for any industry, Hensel said.

Hensel said that the Industrial Technology Training Center on I-30 serves Northeast Texas Community College and MPISD students as a premier technical training center and aids new and existing industries as well.  He praised  Smith as the leader in creating this NTCC-led training center.

Smith worked with the state to begin the cleanup of the former Dorchester refinery site in west Mount Pleasant.  “This is land that can and should be brought back to productive use,” Hensel said.

Smith, 65, began his public sector career in 1988 as the executive director of the Castle Rock, Colorado, chamber of commerce.  In 1991 he entered the economic development field as executive director of the McNairy County, Tennessee, Economic Development Commission.  In 1994 he moved to Texas to become director of the Belton EDC, and in 2003 he and his wife Julie moved to Mount Pleasant.

He is a 1974 graduate of Baylor University, where he majored in marketing and management.  He is a native of Roswell, New Mexico.

Hensel said that a search  committee has begun the process of finding a new executive director, and that the process will take several months.

Address- Temporary Office Location

302 North Jefferson Avenue, Suite 140  •  Mount Pleasant, Texas 75455

Phone

Office: 903.572.6602  •  Fax: 903.572.0631

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