Temple’s major employers thrive

Courtesy of Wes Albanese Photography

City and county officials tour the new KEG 1 O’Neal LLC distribution facility in Temple in 2019.

STAFF REPORT

Temple’s location in Central Texas, coupled with low costs and a skilled workforce, are key strengths for local industries.

Major Temple employers are global and national frontrunners in manufacturing, business support services, health and life sciences, and logistics and distribution, according to the Temple Economic Development Corp.

New to Temple is Niagara Bottling, which invested $90 million and created 70 jobs at a new bottling facility and continues to expand.

Battery maker East Penn Manufacturing Co. has invested $106 million with the plan to create 266 new jobs to expand its Temple facility.

Niagra and East Penn are among the major manufacturing operations that include Acer, Reynolds Consumer Products and Pactiv.

Reynolds Consumer Products opened its Temple facility in 1970 and expanded in 2018 to make room for a new plastic film production line.

Located near the crossroads of Interstate 35 and Interstate 14, Temple’s manufacturing industry offers robust interstate and freight distribution infrastructure via Union Pacific and BNSF railroads, the Temple EDC said.

With about $750 billion in goods traveling along the I-35 corridor through Central Texas, Temple’s strategic location makes it home to food, beverage and grocery distribution centers, including Walmart and H-E-B.

Performance Food Group, the McLane Co. and Wilsonart have called Temple home for years. In addition, R+L Carriers, Tri-Supply, KEG 1 O’Neal and Nortech Lubricant Distribution have invested millions of dollars to bring new or expanded logistics operations to Temple, the Temple EDC said.

“We look forward to a long standing and growing presence in Temple,” Scott O’Neal, KEG 1 O’Neal president and partner, said in a news release. KEG 1 O’Neal’s $11 million investment in 2019 included the creation of 50 new jobs — nearly doubling the company’s Temple workforce.

Logistics and distribution talent in Temple surged by 20% between 2007 and 2017, and is expected to continuing growing by another 8.5% by 2022, according to TEDC.

Medical facilities continue to thrive in Temple.

Baylor Scott & White Health, the largest not-for-profit health care system in Texas, operates

Telegram file The Reynolds Consumer Products expanded its facility on Pegasus Road in Temple in 2018 to make room for a new plastic film production line.

the Baylor Scott & White Medical Center-Temple and McLane Children’s Hospital, the only children’s hospital between Dallas and Austin.

The Central Texas Veterans Health Care System operates the Olin E. Teague Veterans’ Medical Center, which is one of the largest veterans’ facilities in Central Texas.

Everest Rehabilitation Hospitals recently opened a new $23 million state-of-the-art facility on a sixacre campus in Temple.

Jay Quintana, Everest CEO, said Temple’s talented workforce was a key factor in providing care at the new facility. “We are absolutely thrilled to be able to provide a state-of-the-art physical rehabilitation hospital and a remarkably trained staff for the benefit of Central Texans,” Quintana said in a news release.

Support services also are thriving.

TTEC, a business process outsourcing company, recently opened a new customer engagement center in Temple.

The McLane Group, a holding company of industry-spanning ventures, developed The Lakes at Central Pointe, a 165-acre technology and office park in the city’s industrial park. The facility has become home to some of Temple’s key business support service employers, including PDI, McLane Technology Partners and Eye Care Leaders. The facility has room for more with an additional 135 acres available for future development. Draughon-Miller Central Texas Regional Airport, a four-minute drive from Temple’s corporate center, continues to attract corporate clients and has a waiting list for companies or individuals that wish to rent hangar space at the facility. The Temple Health and Bioscience District continues to foster local entrepreneurship with a focus on health and bioscience. THBD is the only organization of its kind in Texas and is publicly funded by the citizens of Temple.

Local colleges and universities are helping to grow the health and life sciences workforce, the Temple EDC said.

The Texas Bioscience Institute at Temple College promotes a skilled medical and biotechnology workforce at the high school level by offering students the opportunity to earn up to 60 college credit hours in science, technology, engineering and math curriculum. Most students earn an associate degree by their high school graduation.

Last year, Houston-based Baylor College of Medicine announced plans to open a new medical school campus in Temple as part of a partnership with Baylor Scott & White Health. The new campus is slated to open in fall 2023 with an inaugural class of 40 medical students, with plans to increase by 40 students per year.

The Texas Bioscience Institute at Temple College promotes a skilled medical and biotechnology workforce at the high school level by offering students the opportunity to earn up to 60 college credit hours in science, technology, engineering and math curriculum. Most students earn an associate degree by their high school graduation.