SUMMER 2018
A GREATER WACO CHAMBER PUBLICATION MAKING THE FUTURE
BRIC HELPS GREATER WACO
BUILDING WACO
HOW WE ARE CREATING A PIPELINE OF FUTURE EMPLOYEES
RIDE THE CREST OF ADVANCED MANUFACTURING WAVE
SUPPORTING THE CITY OF WACO’S HEALTHY GROWTH
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FROM THE PRESIDENT
2018 EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN
VICE CHAIR
Englander DzignPak, LLC
Capstone Mechanical
CHAIR-ELECT
PAST CHAIR
Texas Document Solutions
Extraco Banks
VICE CHAIR
PRESIDENT & CEO
Merrill Lynch Wealth Management
Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce
Hal Whitaker
Alfred Solano
Loren Schwartz
CHAMBER STAFF
Rick Tullis
Mark Reynolds
Matthew T. Meadors
Rachel Alston Jessica Attas Samantha Baker Linda Beasley Jennifer Branch Kris Collins Amber Greenwood Christie Harper Amanda Haygood Keith Kusler
Rachel Martinez Debbie McCutchen Matt Meadors Seth Morris Autumn Outlaw Debbie Sherman Felicia Taylor Ariel Tesch Michelle Williams
EDITOR
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
Autumn Outlaw
Samantha Baker
ART DIRECTOR Keith Kusler
For advertising, contact Autumn Outlaw (254) 757-5603 • aoutlaw@wacochamber.com
ON THE COVER
Photo provided by Texas State Technical College
The Greater Waco Chamber understands our role in growth & development of Advanced Manufacturing in greater Waco. This issue explains what we and our community partners are doing to keep up with a rapidly changing and highly technical industry, and to ensure a flourishing and vibrant business community.
Greater Waco Business is published and distributed to Chamber members and economic development prospects. Digital copies are available online at WacoChamber.com.
This edition of Greater Waco Business explores advanced manufacturing. The citizens of Waco/McLennan County are producers. We make things – oftentimes very sophisticated things – through state-of-the-art advanced manufacturing processes. Our products include pharmaceuticals, automotive components, aerial lifts, medical aid and training devices, confectioneries, noncarbonated beverages, rough terrain vehicles, structural steel and fastening systems, special purpose and heavy haul trailers, modular homes, and more. Our manufacturers have a national as well as global reach. Manufacturing accounts for more than 14 percent of the greater Waco economy, which outpaces both Texas and the United States, and strongly underscores our manufacturing and innovation prowess. Our ability to innovate and build world-class products, coupled with our highly capable and flexible education and workforce development infrastructure, continually places Waco/McLennan County on the radar screens of global manufacturers seeking an outstanding location for new facilities. When manufacturers and other businesses look at the Waco/McLennan County marketplace as a possible site for making an investment, they also look at the state of the community’s physical infrastructure. Having access to a modern and reliable physical infrastructure – roads, water, power, wastewater and more – is not just a nicety… it is a necessity and oftentimes can be a deal maker or deal breaker. Fortunately, our leaders have long understood the important role physical infrastructure plays in strengthening, diversifying, and growing our economy. As we look to the future we have a broad range of coming infrastructure investments that will help Waco/McLennan County remain a force to be reckoned with in the great global competition for securing new manufacturing and other business investment. Some of those physical infrastructure improvements are highlighted below:
2018
2019
2020
$47.2 Million
$52.5 Million
$21.5 Million
Dam Improvements Water Ground Storage Improvements New Water Ground Storage Water System Upgrades Water Tower Upgrades Pumping Facility Upgrades Treatment Plant Improvements
The Greater Waco Chamber reserves the right to reject editorial or advertising content in the Greater Waco Business publication, and via the organization’s full range of communications | SUMMER 2018platforms, at its sole discretion. 4
Chapel Road Water Line Lake Waco Gate and Boom TSTC Tower Improvements Water System Improvements Tower & Ground Storage Improvements Riverside System Improvements Wastewater Plant Improvements Lift Station Improvements
Projects are ongoing with an additional $100 Million planned for the remainder of the Capital Improvement Program As always, thank you for your support of your chamber of commerce. Respectfully,
This publication is printed on FSC-certified paper. © 2018 Greater Waco Chamber 101 S. Third St. Waco TX 76701 • (254) 757-5600
Lake Brazos Dam Erosion Westview Ground Storage Hwy 84 Ground Storage & Pump Improvements Hwy 84 Sewer Line Tower and Ground Storage Rehab Water System Improvements Water Master Plan update Church Road Lift Station WMARSS Plant Improvements Bull Hide Plant Improvements Wastewater System Improvements Wastewater Master Plan
Matthew T. Meadors President & CEO
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CONTENTS
SUMMER 2018 ADVANCED MANUFACTURING MANUFACTURING: WHY IS IT 8 ADVANCED IMPORTANT TO GREATER WACO? A COLLABORATION BY CHAMBER STAFF
10 MAKING THE FUTURE: WHY STUDENTS SHOULD CONSIDER A CAREER IN ADVANCED MANUFACTURING
BY CHRISTINE HOLECEK, EDUCATION SPECIALIST, ESC REGION 12
THE FUTURE: WHY STUDENTS 10 MAKING SHOULD CONSIDER A CAREER IN ADVANCED MANUFACTURING BY CHRISTINE HOLECEK, ESC REGION 12
RESEARCH & INNOVATION 18 BAYLOR COLLABORATIVE HELPS GREATER WACO RIDE
CREST OF ADVANCED MANUFACTURING WAVE BY WHITNEY RICHTER, BRIC
WACO CONTINUES TO SUPPORT THE 24 BUILDING CITY’S HEALTHY GROWTH CONTRIBUTED BY THE CITY OF WACO
COMES TO WACO: AT&T ROLLING OUT 5G 26 5G NETWORK IN OVER 100 MARKETS NATIONWIDE BY DEBBIE KEEL, AT&T INC.
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BRIC HELPS GREATER WACO RIDE CREST OF ADVANCED MANUFACTURING WAVE
BY WHITNEY RICHTER, BRIC
SMALL BIZ SPOTLIGHT
& WORKING WITH A LAWYER FOR 32 HIRING YOUR BUSINESS
BY TERESA SCHILLER, BEARD KULTGEN BROPHY BOSTWICK & DICKSON, PLLC
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ABOUT RECENT ECONOMIC 36 LEARN DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY WITH ON THE MARKET MARKET REPORT ECONOMY IN FOCUS
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BUILDING WACO CONTINUES TO SUPPORT THE CITY’S HEALTHY GROWTH
CONTRIBUTED BY THE CITY OF WACO 6 | SUMMER 2018
MEMBERS & MEMBER NEWS UPDATES FROM THE 42 CHAMBER CHAMBER AND OUR MEMBERS MEMBERS ARE POPPING UP ALL OVER THE 46 NEW GREATER WACO AREA! CUTTINGS A SNAPSHOT OF MEMBER 48 RIBBON BUSINESSES
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What is it? What makes it “advanced?” What are the expectations of the modern manufacturer? Why is it important to Greater Waco? Advanced manufacturing uses innovative technologies to boost workflow, tighten tolerances and produce highly technical components for a range of industries. The use of robotics, additive manufacturing (3D printing) and Computer Numerical Control (CNC) tools has allowed manufacturers to produce products that are higher quality, less expensive, and more versatile than ever before. Automated raw materials and finished goods handling, advanced inventory control systems, and more have further enhanced the advanced manufacturer’s ability to meet the demands of the modern marketplace. Here is a simpler explanation of advanced manufacturing: take a hammer and nail. Company A hires Worker A at a lower wage to hammer nails in place. Worker A spends a few hours hammering the nail that morning, but he needs to take a short break. The nails go un-hammered for a full 20 minutes. Worker A comes back from break and hammers for a few more hours, but
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then he takes an hour for lunch, and the nails again go untouched, this time for a full hour. Meanwhile, Company B hires Worker B, who has a specific, honed skill set and is paid at a higher wage, to run a machine they’ve built to hammer the nails. Worker B comes to work, sets the machine up and gets it running. Worker B is then free to take care of other responsibilities, because the machine will hammer the nails constantly, never stopping for breaks, food or water. The move away from traditional manufacturing in certain markets has led to the need for an increasingly specialized workforce. Typically, the average “advanced manufacturing worker” will require, at a minimum, a certification in machine operation or related field. Often, these workers are expected to have an associate degree and/or years of experience in a cross-trained, mid-skilled occupation. Advanced manufacturing often requires that employees have the capacity to
independently troubleshoot and resolve issues, as well as the expectation that employees be familiar with the entire manufacturing process. Given the demands of these employees, the average wages of these individuals are proportionally higher than those in more traditional manufacturing roles. Not all industries need or benefit from these advancements – in fact, the use of the term “advanced” can often be misleading. For instance, a manufacturer that uses a small team of highly skilled technicians to produce individual, high-margin products may not
be considered advanced manufacturing, even if that product is a rocket engine. Greater Waco is proud to have a concentration of both traditional and advanced manufacturing. A manufacturing community must have a blend of low- and mid-skilled workforce, training partners and population growth to supply that workforce, strong logistical access for inbound-outbound materials and goods, and abundant utilities. An advanced manufacturing community requires these, plus a utilities grid that is not only abundant, but also extremely reliable. Advanced manufacturing communities must focus on developing the future workforce from an earlier age. This often includes exposing students to the manufacturing industry in their freshman or sophomore years in high school, followed by vocational skills training and dual credit coursework. Waco ISD’s Greater Waco Advanced Manufacturing Academy (GWAMA) and Connally ISD’s Career Tech programs provide students opportunities to be certified in many of the manufacturing industry’s highest-demand jobs. These programs focus on STEM, problem-solving, robotics, machine coding, machine operation and a range of mechanical and electrical Sources: TWI Global – “FAQ: What is advanced manufacturing?” https://www.twi-global.com/technical-knowledge/ faqs/faq-what-is-advanced-manufacturing/
systems skills. Additional certifications such as OSHA10, forklift operation, workplace safety and first aid are also standard in these programs. Higher education and continuing education are crucial aspects of the workforce environment. Ideally, a community should have a strong cross section of all skilled positions (low, mid and high). Maintenance, specifically instrumentation technicians and other related jobs, are just as essential to an advanced manufacturer as a talented pool of machine operators. Strong collaboration is needed between advanced
manufacturers and local institutions of higher learning, such as Texas State Technical College, McLennan Community College, Baylor University and the University Center at MCC. By partnering with employers, these institutions learn first-hand what the modern workplace expects of their graduates. Similarly, industry partners are given the opportunity to influence new curriculum and establish a relationship with the students in those programs. Greater Waco has a diversified industry base, but manufacturing accounts for 14 percent of the local workforce. This equates to approximately one and a half of the State and National average, and many consider Greater Waco the “manufacturing and logistics hub of Central Texas.” Adaptation to the changing demands of consumers, as well as efforts to compete on a global scale, has necessitated change in the manufacturing industry. The Greater Waco community is wellpositioned to respond to the manufacturing industry’s advancement into the future. In this issue of the Greater Waco Business magazine we will leave the hammer and nails behind as we explore what Waco businesses and educators are doing to keep up with this rapidly expanding industry. n EMSI – “Defining Advanced Manufacturing at the Industry Level and Pinpointing Its Growing Hubs” http:// www.economicmodeling.com/2015/10/02/defining-advanced-manufacturing-at-the-industry-level-andpinpointing-its-growing-hubs/
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MAKING THE FUTURE:
Why Students Should Consider a Career in Advanced Manufacturing by Christine Holecek, Education Specialist, Education Service Center Region 12
MANUFACTURING IS MAKING THINGS. The
manufacturing career cluster focuses on planning, managing and performing the processing of materials into intermediate or final products and related professional and technical support activities such as production planning and control, maintenance, and manufacturing/process engineering. Raw materials become products such as cars, computer chips, cell phones, contact lenses, cosmetics, candy, and more. Employees who create those goods range from productionline workers in factories assembling parts to executives in skyscrapers overseeing global operations. Repetitive tasks that
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typically occur in manufacturing are now being performed by robots and the automation process, which requires highly trained employees that can adapt to a variety of situations. Manufacturers today, need people who can understand highly technical information and make complex decisions. Workers are responsible for creative problem solving that ensures companies meet the highest quality standards. If you like building things, can follow detailed instructions, or are good at organizing people and processes, then manufacturing could be the right career cluster for you. Advanced manufacturing is the integration of technology-
based systems and processes in the productions of products. It entails a rapid transfer of science and technology into manufacturing products and processes. These manufacturing process technologies may include computer technologies such as CAD, rapid prototyping, high precision technologies, advanced robotics, automation, control system and sustainable technologies. These organizations will usually have a research and development department on-site, providing a dynamic and constantly changing environment. The Texas Industry Cluster Initiative is building the future economy across the state by focusing on strengthening competitive advantages in six key areas, including Advanced Technologies and Manufacturing. Texas is a global leader in this sector of the economy and is home to all industrial segments, including, computer and electronic products; electrical equipment, appliance, and components; motor vehicles, bodies, trailers, and parts; food and beverage products; textile, apparel and leather products; petroleum, chemical and coal products. Texas and Waco are no strangers to large corporations, especially those specializing in advanced technology and manufacturing. Caterpillar, Allergan, Domtar Personal Care,
Texas Instruments, National Instruments, Samsung, GM, Toyota, Peterbilt, Raytheon, NXP, AMD, Applied Materials, Ericsson, Nokia Siemens Networks, Fujitsu, BAE Systems, and Ultra Electronics Advanced Tactical Systems are just some of the leading companies with headquarters or a significant presence in Texas. Logistically, the central location of Texas is unmatched, with a complete infrastructure, easily allowing companies to import and export products. We have multiple interstate highways, international airports, seaports, railways and international border crossings. With our excellent workforce, fair legal system, low taxes, and high quality of life, it is no wonder so many domestic and international companies have chosen Texas as their home and the best place to do business. The best way for business and industry to thrive in central Texas is to focus on the pipeline of future employees, specifically by investing in the education of our high school students. Advanced Manufacturing is prominently featured at The Greater Waco Advance Manufacturing Academy (GWAMA) in Waco Independent School District. GWAMA is a unique and innovative collaboration between the local business community and the Waco Independent School District.
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY EDUCATION SERVICE CENTER REGION 12
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The advisory board for GWAMA consists of a group of manufacturing businesses, the Waco Business League and the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce. Business partners include: Arconic Fasteners and Rings, Association of General Contractors, Central Texas Iron Works, Capstone Mechanical, Education Service Center Region 12, CMC, Caterpillar, Heart of Texas Builders Association, Packaging Corporation of America, Lochridge Priest, Mazanec Construction, Sturdisteel, Manitou, SpaceX, Matheson Gas, Time Manufacturing, TYMCO, Trane, VANTRAN, TSquared, CPNY, Texas State Technical College and Waco Industrial Manufacturing Foundation. What sets GWAMA apart from the vocational schools of the past is that the program is designed for all students, not just those who may not find success at a traditional school. GWAMA immerses the career and technical education courses of welding, precision metal manufacturing, electronics, and construction into science and mathematics courses. School districts that participate at GWAMA include: Robinson, Riesel, Moody, Midway, Methodist Children’s Home, McGregor, Lorena La Vega, Bruceville Eddy, Marlin, Mexia and Troy. Other McLennan County schools offer Advanced Manufacturing through their Agriculture Programs with an emphasis on Welding, STEM programs with an emphasis on Science, Technology Engineering and Math or an Early College High School partnership with Texas State Technical College and McLennan Community College. These schools include: Axtell, Bosqueville, China Spring, Connally, Crawford, Gholson, Hallsburg, Mart, Moody, and West. Texas Education Agency offers several different courses in the area of manufacturing. The first course is Principles of Manufacturing. Districts can set their focus on five different career paths. The first is Diversified Manufacturing, Manufacturing Engineering Technology, Metal Fabrication and Machining, Precision Metal Manufacturing or Welding. The final course for each pathway is Practicum in Manufacturing. Many of the programs offered in high school can be articulated or dual credit courses. These advanced manufacturing high school courses can transfer to TSTC.
The programs that transition to TSTC include but are not limited to: Building Construction Technology, Precision Metal Technology, Robotics Technology, and Welding Technology. Each of these programs offer opportunities for certificates or associate degrees. Education Service Center (ESC) Region 12 recently sponsored the Construction/Welding Expo at GWAMA. Over 300 students from across the region attended this hands-on event, with 13 school districts participating in the event. The expo was entitled “Build your Future,” and it featured opportunities to see welding, precision metal, construction and electronics/ robotics. This event has evolved from the annual ESC Region 12 Welding Expo, which focused solely on welding. ESC Region 12 joined forces with Waco ISD, Matheson Gas, Association of General Contractors, Heart of Texas Builders Association and Workforce Solutions in the Heart of Texas to make this event bigger and better. Several national vendors were in attendance previewing the latest technology in welding and construction. This expo is dedicated to promoting welding and construction as a viable option for long-lasting and profitable careers. This event was a completely hands-on, demo-style expo. Students and teachers could see and use all of the latest technology in the industry. Area schools and businesses are working to increase student exposure to career opportunities in Advanced Manufacturing. The result of initiatives, such as the “Build The Future” Construction/Welding Expo are moving the needle in a positive direction. Recently surveyed after the expo, students noted the techniques, opportunities for high wages and career options as industry benefits and a desire to pursue additional education. Sixty percent of students surveyed stated that they are highly likely or likely to pursue a particular college, career or consider military enlistment because of this event. Eighty percent of students indicated that they will attend this event next year. Ninety percent of students said that they would recommend this event to a friend. With the success of this new venue, ESC Region 12 is committed to continuing this expo in the future. n
Sources: 1. https://txcte.org/sites/default/files/Manufacturing%20CCPG_1.pdf 2. http://www.twc.state.tx.us/ 3. http://www.twc.state.tx.us/partners/texas-industry-cluster-initiative
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4. http://gwama.wacoisd.org/cms/One.aspx 5. https://txcte.org/resource/manufacturing-career-cluster?binder=190376&delta=12 6. http://www.waco.tstc.edu/programslist/browse
FAST-GROWING CAREERS OCCUPATION
Computer Numerically Controlled Machine Tool Programmers
GROWTH RATE (2012-2022)
55%
Welding, Soldering, & Brazing Machine Setts & Operators
43%
Industrial Machinery Mechanics
41%
Medical Equipment Repairers
40% 38%
Computer-Controlled Machine Tool Operators Machinists General & Operations Managers
31% 22%
Inspectors, Testers, Sorters, Samplers & Weighers
22%
Industrial Engeneers
22%
Sales Representatives, Wholesale / Manufacturing
20%
TOP-PAYING CAREERS OCCUPATION
Industrial Engeneers Mechanical Engeneers
ENTRY-LEVEL WAGE
$30.46 $29.04
Industrial Production Managers
$27.84
General & Operations Managers
$25.34
Materials Engineers
$22.45
Industrial Engineering Technicians
$21.25
Mechanical Engineering Technicians
$21.25
Electrical & Electronic Engineering Technicians
$18.74
First-Line Supervisors of Production
$16.60 WACOCHAMBER.COM
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. s b o j s e t a e r c ring 00 Texans. ,0 8 4 8 n Manufactcu a th re o m turers employ Texas manufa
to a y e k s i g n i r u t Manufac omy. n o c e s a x e T g 14 percent of the stron n a th re o m r fo t n ou Texas acc illion in 2016. b 6 Manufacturers in 2 2 $ n a th re o e state – m total output in th
orts. p x e s d a e l g n i d goods in 2016. r re u tu t c c fa u a n f a u m n in Ma $210 billion cturers exported years running. Texas manufa g state for 14 in rt o p x e 1 # ’s n o e nati Texas has been th
tion. a v o n n i n i s t s inve g n i r . comes from u .S t U c e a th f in u D n & R a r M r ate secto percent of all priv an any other secto More than 75 re innovation th o m g in v ri d r, to c g se the manufacturin in our economy.
g. n i y a p h g i h e r obs a j g n is more than i r r to u c t se c g n a f ri tu u c n fa Ma the manu exas workers. sation for jobs in ther non-farm T Annual compen o n a th r e h ig h t n 0 perce $82,540, nearly 5 SOURCE: manufacturetexas.org
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AIM Member Business es:
In the 1990s, a group came together and formed the Area Industry Managers (AIM) committee, an amalgamation of greater Waco industry businesses who recognized the rapid development of advanced manufacturing and wanted to work together to keep Waco ahead of the curve. The Economic Development team at the Greater Waco Chamber is committed to making Greater Waco the community of choice for business, and AIM helps support and contribute to that mission by providing a forum for Greater Waco’s major industrial employers to share best practices, discuss relevant legislative policies, and serve as a voice for advanced manufacturers and distributors in the region. Made up of 60 members, AIM’s key objective is to foster open communication between major employers in McLennan County. Quarterly meetings are hosted at different member facilities to provide a peer-group setting that allows for discussion of common issues and trends in the manufacturing sector. Some of the recent meetings have covered topics like Innovation in Business, Employee Recognition Programs, Renewable Incentives, and Work/Life Balance and Importance of Understanding Millennials. n
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Allergan Mars Wrigley Confectionery Arconic Fastening Systems Merrick Engineering, Inc. Associated Hygienic Products Oldcastle Materials, Inc. Axion Structural Innovations Owens-Illinois Behlen Country Packaging Corporation Capstone Mechanical of America Caterpillar Inc. Packless Industries Central Texas Iron Works Patrick Industries, Inc. Clarke Products, Inc. Pilgrim’s Coca-Cola North America Polyglass USA, Inc. Commercial Metals Company Romark Logistics of Texas Croft Automation Sanderson Farms, Inc. Darr Equipment SC2 Services, Inc. Dean Foods Sherwin-Williams Co. Domtar Personal Care Shipp Belting Company Elixir Industries Sonoco Englander dZignPak, LLC SpaceX Evans Enterprises Spectrum Ferguson Enterprises, Inc. Spenco Footwear First Title Company of Waco Sturdisteel Hobbs Bonded Fiber Swan Products, LLC HOTEC (Heart of Texas Time Manufacturing Co. Electric Co-op) Tractor Supply Co. Imperial Woodworks, Inc. Trane Industrial Rigging Service TransTech Fabrication, LLC of Central Texas, Inc. Turner Manufacturing Jobes Company TYMCO, Inc. Kingsdown, Inc. VanTran Industries, Inc. L-3 Technologies Versalift Southwest Lehigh Cement Co. Vossloh Fastening Systems Manitou Americas Waco Composites, Ltd MarathonNorco Aerospace Waco ISD
Allergan Allergan plc, headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, is a bold, global pharmaceutical compan. Allergan is focused on developing, manufacturing and commercializing branded pharmaceutical, device, biologic, surgical and regenerative medicine products for patients around the world. Allergan employs more than 17,000 people around the globe, including at their plant here in Waco. Learn more at Allergan.com.
Domtar Personal Care
©DOMTAR
Domtar makes products that people around the world rely on every day. They transform sustainable wood fibers into a wide variety of everyday products, from copy paper to adult and baby diapers. Domtar is the largest manufacturer of uncoated freesheet in North America and one of the largest producers of absorbent hygiene products in the world. Learn more at DomtarPersonalCare.com.
Manitou Group For over 50 years, Manitou Group has been manufacturing material handling equipment. They employ 170 people in Waco who are involved in the production and modification of forklifts. Recently, a $283,000 grant was awarded by the Texas Workforce Commission’s Skills Development Fund to the Manitou Group and Texas State Technical College. This will not only help improve workers skills, but also help create jobs. Find out more at manitou.com.
Packless Industries Packless Industries is a leading manufacturer of heat transfer and other metal hose products committed to providing the air conditioning, heating and refrigeration industries with the highest quality fluid heat transfer parts in 1933. Based in Waco, Packless products are used across the world, with customers ranging from the giants of American industry to the small, oneman business. Learn more at Packless.com.
TYMCO From small beginnings, TYMCO® now has an international network of dealers with representatives on every major continent. TYMCO employs more than 150 people in a state-of-the-art facility in Waco. They first introduced and perfected the Regenerative Air Sweeper that is the standard by which all air sweepers are measured today. TYMCO maximizes output while minimizing overhead, which translates to economically priced equipment. TYMCO, a family owned and day-to-day managed company, dominates a market traditionally controlled by corporate conglomerates. Learn more at tymco.com.
Versalift Versalift is a leading manufacturer of bucket trucks, digger derricks, cable placers and high reach aerial lifts for power generation, transmission and distribution, telecommunication, sign, light, and traffic and tree care industries. Orders begin as raw material and a build list, and transform into one of the safest, most reliable and highest quality bucket trucks in the world, delivered with the promise that they are safe, reliable and will stand the test of time. Based in Waco, Versalift’s family of distributors spans North America, Latin America and Europe. Learn more at Versalift.com. WACOCHAMBER.COM
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Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative Helps Greater Waco Ride Crest of Advanced Manufacturing Wave by Whitney Richter, Office of the Vice Provost for Research, Baylor University PHOTOS PROVIDED BY THE OFFICE OF THE VICE PROVOST FOR RESEARCH, BAYLOR UNIVERSITY
hen the Great Depression of the 1930s dethroned King Cotton as the powerhouse of the Waco economy, the city’s developing manufacturing industry helped carry it through the lean years that followed. Today, Greater Waco is home to a robust manufacturing sector that spans the aerospace, heavy equipment, structural fastener, glass and composite materials, packaging, housing, transportation, consumer goods, food and beverage industries and numerous others. In Greater Waco, more and more companies are turning toward advanced manufacturing — a business concept that capitalizes on non-traditional, newly developed technologies. While the smartest companies have always kept up with new developments, advanced manufacturing requires a higher level of attention to today’s complex and rapidly changing technological landscape. It can be a difficult, expensive process, but Greater Waco-area companies have something of an advantage: many of the most innovative technologies and processes to support advanced manufacturing are being developed right in their own backyard. 18 | SUMMER 2018
A WELL-SPRING OF NEW PRODUCTS AND IDEAS IN ITS OWN RIGHT, JOHN FITCH’S ELECTRONIC DESIGN COMPANY, BIRKELAND CURRENT, ALSO REPRESENTS A MULTI-FACETED R&D RESOURCE FOR INDUSTRIES BOTH AT THE BRIC AND IN THE COMMUNITY AT-LARGE.
BRIC: An Innovation for Innovation Since its January 2013 opening, the BRIC — Baylor Research and Innovation Collaborative — has provided a uniquely conceived environment for the genesis, cultivation and development of new ideas, technologies and techniques, all underpinned by the BRIC’s five foundational pillars: fundamental and applied research, industry collaboration, business acceleration and incubation, workforce development and STEM educational outreach.
Fundamental and Applied Research BRIC researchers are experts in an array of scientific, technological and mathematical fields of inquiry. And the environment in which they work — with fullfeatured laboratories, microgravity drop tower, clean rooms, testing facilities, and high-performance computing resources — is specifically designed to encourage the interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary
exchange of ideas. One of the natural outcomes of this combination is the discovery of new knowledge, innovative products and improved processes that help support advanced manufacturing. Indeed, the first patent to emerge from BRIC-industry collaborative research was a completely new, fieldable, non-destructive process for determining the integrity of structural aircraft components made of composite materials for aerospace giant L3 Technologies.
Industry Collaboration L3 Technologies was the first company to tap into the BRIC’s unique repository of resources for innovation. In just five years, the list of BRIC industry partners has grown to seven with over 150 other corporations and organizations, both local and national, exploring the possibility of teaming with the BRIC. In addition to WACOCHAMBER.COM
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L3 Technologies, current BRIC research industry partners include technology innovator Birkeland Current, Structural Health Data Systems, Education Service Center Region 12, educational architecture firm Huckabee, Inc., aerospace technology firm Delta G Design, and the most recent addition, ViZiv Technologies, a leader in electrical distribution and management. As they grow in number and diversity, BRIC research industry partners are proving to be synergistic resources themselves, each bringing with them specialized expertise that can provide support to Baylor research or other BRIC industry partners’ research and product innovation. Other companies looking to create a new invention or revolutionize a product or process can do so through sponsored research with Baylor and the BRIC.
THE BRIC’S 1000+ SQ. FT., CLASS 1000 CLEANROOM COMPLEX, WITH ITS CLASS 10,000 GOWNING AREA, BROADENS THE REGION’S TECHNOLOGICAL INFRASTRUCTURE, SERVING TO DRAW ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT IN THE SEMICONDUCTOR, SPACE SCIENCES, NANOTECHNOLOGY AND BIOSCIENCES INDUSTRIES TO THE REGION.
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Business Incubation, Acceleration and Commercialization Offering the resources and expertise of faculty and students from Baylor’s Hankamer School of Business, LAUNCH, the BRIC’s in-house accelerator and incubator for technology-based businesses provides crucial guidance to start-up and existing business owners in moving their companies and products into the marketplace. While LAUNCH’s primary function is commercialization of technologies developed by Baylor researchers, the same resources, infrastructure and services are routinely available to and used by BRIC research industry partners and local entrepreneurs. The BRIC faculty and staff have assisted various companies to develop ideas from inception to formation to commercialization, including equine therapy simulation company, Chariot Innovations, Higher Education Innovation (HEI), Peak Nano Systems, College Choice Today and Birkeland Current’s most recent spin-off company, Sovrin IoT.
Workforce Development According to a report by economic development consulting firm Camoin Associates published in the December 2014 issue of Expansion Solutions magazine,
“One of the most important drivers for advanced manufacturing businesses is the availability of a skilled workforce. In some industries, workers can be trained to perform duties on the job. Generally, advanced manufacturing is not one of those industries. The integration of technology and advanced machinery diminishes the need for “unskilled” workers and increases the reliance on workers with the sophisticated skills required to operate the equipment. Advanced manufacturing training courses and programs in community colleges, technical schools, and even K-12 education systems are essential to supporting growth in the advanced manufacturing sector.” With 45,000-square-feet of dedicated instructional space in the BRIC, Texas State Technical College, the BRIC’s workforce training partner, provides rapid-response, transformative workforce development closely tailored to the needs of Greater Waco and Texas industries. For more than 50 years, TSTC has anticipated the workforce needs of Texas industries with effective training programs for evolving and emerging technologies such as laser electro-optics, robotics, and biomedical and aerospace technologies. The collaboration between TSTC and Baylor in workforce development is clearly having an impact as shown by the number of TSTC graduates who, working with Baylor faculty and graduate student researchers, are initially trained in conducting research for BRIC industry partners and then go on to become full-time employees of those firms.
A successful advanced manufacturing floor requires both skilled engineers to establish the necessary systems and highly trained technicians to operate and maintain them. We are thrilled to be a partner within the BRIC where TSTC and Baylor work together to meet these workforce needs.
Mike Reeser TSTC Chancellor & CEO
TSTC-TRAINED TECHNICIANS ENTER THE TECHNOLOGY-BASED INDUSTRIES WORKFORCE WITH THOROUGH EXPERTISE IN ELECTRO-OPTICS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS DISTRIBUTION, NANOTECHNOLOGY, ROBOTICS AND HOST OF OTHER FIELDS CRUCIAL TO ADVANCED MANUFACTURING OPERATIONS.
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IN THE BRIC-BASED CENTER FOR ASTROPHYSICS, SPACE PHYSICS AND ENGINEERING RESEARCH (CASPER), A STUDENT IN THE RESEARCH EXPERIENCES FOR UNDERGRADUATES SUMMER OUTREACH PROGRAM READIES ONE OF THE CENTER’S THREE PLASMA RESEARCH CELLS FOR AN EXPERIMENT.
STEM Educational Outreach Long-term viability and sustainability of any technologybased economy is reliant on cultivating the next generation of students to fill the ranks of scientists, engineers, mathematicians and other professionals essential to the development of new products and processes. The BRIC educational research and outreach programs are designed to encourage students from kindergarten through high school to choose and persist in a career path in a STEM discipline — science, technology, engineering or mathematics. Baylor faculty, staff and graduate students are working with Education Service Center (ESC) Region 12 and school architect and educational environment designer Huckabee, Inc. to evaluate the impact of new classroom furnishings and arrangements on student engagement in the classroom. The success of this collaborative effort is reflected in the professional development that supports teachers as they transition their classrooms into student-centered active learning environments. Education specialists from ESC Region 12, the BRIC-based Center for Astrophysics, Space Physics and Engineering Research (CASPER), and Baylor School of Education engage in research and directly support STEM teachers through the creation of an instructional and professional development program that will introduce local students to the phenomenon of microgravity (1.5 seconds) 22 | SUMMER 2018
using the BRIC’s new stateof-the-art 49-foot, research-grade drop tower. Within the BRIC, students will also get a close-up view of the American space program by touring the BRIC’s $6 million collection of NASA artifacts from the Apollo and Space Shuttle eras. Additionally, each year undergraduate students spend the summer in the BRIC conducting research with Baylor faculty while supported by the National Science Foundation, NASA and other funding agencies. This program places the students alongside Baylor graduate students, where they conduct research, compile data, and reveal their findings in presentations at science conferences.
A Resource of Growing Importance to the Greater Waco Community Beyond its primary function as a 330,000-square-foot research and development facility, with its convenient location, abundant parking, collection of Karl Umlauf industrial-themed art, and attractive, well-equipped meeting rooms, the BRIC has become increasingly valuable as a meeting venue for scientific, professional and civic events of all kinds. In the fiscal year spanning 2016-17, the BRIC hosted
Bright people working alongside other bright people almost always leads to innovation. The BRIC was designed to provide the collaboration and interchange of information on which such outstanding researchers thrive while the BRIC’s foundational pillars — fundamental and applied research, workforce development, industry engagement, business acceleration, and STEM educational outreach — were chosen to support the entrepreneurial innovation necessary for scientific discovery, economic development, and student-led research. This vibrant combination is already benefiting Baylor, TSTC, the region and the state.
Truell Hyde Baylor Vice Provost for Research
TECHNICIANS RECEIVE INSTRUCTION ON TRAINING UNITS THAT CLOSELY RESEMBLE THE EQUIPMENT THEY WILL ENCOUNTER IN THE WORKPLACE. over 750 events and tours and over 15,000 visitors. According to estimates by the Association of University Research Parks the impact of the BRIC to the local economy was over $34 million in 2017 alone, which equates to a 14 percent increase over 2016 and an 82 percent increase since 2014. Through its international speaker series BRIC Foundations: Perspectives from Leaders in Innovation, the BRIC provides a public forum for the presentation of timely ideas of importance to the Greater Waco business and manufacturing community by foremost experts in fields ranging from physics, chemistry and workforce development to artificial intelligence, entrepreneurship and education. In his November 2014 BRIC Foundations presentation, Mr. Paul Evans, P.E., Director of San Antonio-based Southwest Research Institute’s Manufacturing Systems Department, spoke of the continuing and growing importance of manufacturing to the U.S. economy and specifically addressed advanced manufacturing:
“If you’ve been in any U.S. manufacturing facilities recently you’ll find a lot of advanced manufacturing activities going on. Gone are the days when we think about bringing back some of the kinds of highly repetitive manual manufacturing tasks that have been off-shored… Manufacturing has a higher multiplier effect for every dollar invested than any other sector. I don’t think many people realize that. If you want to start generating economic benefits for your region, you want to put in a manufacturing plant.” As new advanced manufacturing companies form locally and corporations already well-versed in the practice come to the area, and as the advanced manufacturing movement continues to expand in established Greater Waco industries, the BRIC’s capacity to foster and facilitate the success of these businesses will keep pace, helping to ensure a flourishing and vibrant community. n WACOCHAMBER.COM
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Building Waco Continues to Support the City’s Healthy Growth
Waco is on its way to becoming a major metropolitan city. The significant growth in recent years has transformed this city into a center of excellence and economic development with dynamic potential.
Boosted by its convenient location along the I-35 corridor between Austin and Dallas, this city with humble beginnings now has the qualities to attract new businesses, prime talent, tourists and future residents. Waco’s attractive business incentives and land availability, the abundance of job opportunities and its excellent quality of life with low cost of living has fueled this transformation. But to continue the momentum, investment in necessary infrastructure improvements are essential.
Growth in Waco is good. Waco is a great place to be!
To meet these growth-related challenges, the city implemented Building Waco, a 10-year Capital Improvement Project aimed to renew and rebuild necessary infrastructure to foster and sustain development. The program includes $131 million in water projects, $139 million in wastewater projects, and $50 million in street improvements. The city of Waco currently serves the water needs of more than 131,000 residents and seeks to serve an additional 40,000 24 | SUMMER 2018
over the next 25 years. Waco has initiated numerous project updates to replace storage tanks, install new water lines (replacing some that are more than 100 years old), constructing new water pump stations and replacing Owen Lane Tower with a larger capacity water tower, among other initiatives.
While the majority of the Building Waco budget has targeted water projects, necessary capital improvement projects go beyond just water. Other investments in traditional infrastructure—such as roads, bridges and buildings—are also vital to foster Waco’s economic development and keep the city attractive. Preserving and modernizing the city’s aesthetics are just as important as keeping it functional. Cities like Waco experience natural ebbs and flows in growth patterns. While there’s evidence the future looks bright, the city can still benefit from fostering economic development and growth now. Waco already offers much for current and future
residents, businesses and tourists to enjoy. For example, Lake Waco was originally designed to deliver a safe water supply to the city’s residents. It now also serves as entertainment, and residents and visitors regularly enjoy boating, fishing and swimming on the lake. Long-term city planning provided a man-made lake to Wacoans with a reliable and ample water supply, treatment capacity (more than twice the amount of Waco’s highest demand day) and modern-day delivery infrastructure to safely transport the water to the customer. Additionally, like other areas in Texas, Waco has a generous supply of low-cost land available for development. Having land available is appealing to companies seeking to relocate and construct headquarters. Recognizing this need as essential for growth, the city, private individuals and non-profits, such as the Waco Industrial Foundation created eleven business parks. Not only will these business parks attract new companies, they will help further the city’s goal to diversify the job force and offer a wide array of jobs. Further, the city of Waco proactively installed utility infrastructure in these industrial parks, which is a great advantage when recruiting a company to a particular site. With the infrastructure in place, the site is construction-ready. Another way to ensure the city’s future economic development is through its excellent educational opportunities. Waco is home to one of Texas’ largest and oldest universities, Baylor University, with more than 16,000 students. The university’s graduate programs—including its law school and business school—are nationally acclaimed. Baylor’s athletics department attracts visitors from across the state to sporting events each weekend, which contributes to tourism revenue. Also, Waco is home to McLennan Community College, with an enrollment of nearly 9,000 students, and Texas State Technical College, which has about 4,000 students enrolled. While attracting new talent is vital for the community to thrive, retaining talented graduates is just as important. With these assets, Waco’s economic outlook is bright. The city is projected to grow at a healthy pace. In fact, based on an economic development report by economist Ray Perryman, the metropolitan area (including McLennan and Falls counties) is projected to expand by some 59,100 residents by 2040, for a total population of 323,000. The economy is likely to double in size as measured by output (real gross product) and could accelerate more through effective planning and strategic investments. Our leaders look forward to diversifying job opportunities and industries, as well as attracting and retaining excellent talent so that current and future residents will continue to experience a great quality of life. All of this will be made possible with a proactive approach toward modernizing and beautifying the city through Building Waco. With many projects underway and more yet to accomplish, Waco is ready to thrive. For more information on Building Waco, please visit www.buildingwaco.com or follow the City of Waco on Facebook and Twitter. n PHOTOS BY MARK RANDOLPH / CITY OF WACO
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5G Comes to Waco: AT&T Rolling Out 5G Network in Over 100 Markets Nationwide AT&T is aiming to be the first U.S. carrier to launch standards-based, mobile 5G services to customers this year. It recently announced Waco as one of the first cities where it will launch 5G by the end of this year. But Waco residents won’t have to wait until 5G gets here to start experiencing faster wireless speeds. AT&T launched the 5G Evolution network in parts of Waco just a few weeks ago. Our 5G Evolution network has a peak theoretical speed of at least 400 Mbps (megabits per second) and it lays the foundation for 5G by enabling faster speeds now, and preparing for upgrades to 5G when it’s here. The investment in the future of connectivity in Waco is bringing real benefits to real customers today.
What will mobile 5G mean for Waco? AT&T anticipates 5G will eventually deliver data much faster than the current LTE network. Customers may also see much lower latency with 5G. Latency impacts things like the time between pressing play and seeing a video start to stream or hitting a web link and seeing a webpage begin to load. For context, MIT researchers discovered the human brain “latency” is 13 milliseconds. 5G could ultimately help change the way Waco residents work, play and enjoy entertainment at home or on the go. It will accelerate the delivery of entertainment at home and on the go, and many more consumer and business experiences. It will enable new experiences like virtual reality, telemedicine, self-driving cars, robotics, smart cities and more. One of the coolest entertainment opportunities with tomorrow’s 5G could be augmented reality and virtual reality, often called AR/VR. Users need the kind of ultra-low latency rates 5G is expected to eventually provide to really enjoy these technologies. 5G could also enhance future self-driving cars using live maps for near real-time navigation. Ultra-low latency – anticipated to be delivered by 5G – will be an essential part of making live maps effective. 26 | SUMMER 2018
by Debbie Keel, Regional Director, AT&T Inc.
A hospital could respond faster to changes in patients’ vital signs with edge computing inside and outside the hospital. Doctors could employ telemedicine and robotics-assisted surgery because of 5G’s latency benefits. Or, think of a manufacturer that operates fast-moving machinery. 5G can allow them to identify and fix mechanical failures in record time. The capabilities of 5G could save time and money by helping to identify machine defects sooner. AT&T thinks the 5G opportunities will be endless – whether you’re a mobile consumer, small-and medium-sized business owner, or large enterprise in Waco. AT&T expects 5G will also help manage the surge in mobile data usage on their network. Since the end of 2011, data traffic crossing the network on an average business day has increased from 30 petabytes to now more than 206 petabytes. It was 114 petabytes a day as recently as 2015. In fact, data traffic on the mobile network has grown more than 360,000 percent since 2007.
AT&T 5G Trials in Waco Waco has also been a city where AT&T has been conducting its 5G trials, most notably at Magnolia Market at the Silos. Here are some key findings AT&T learned about 5G fixed wireless during its Waco trial:
• Observed wireless speeds of approximately 1.2 Gbps in a 400 MHz channel. • Observed RAN latency rates at 9-12 milliseconds.
• Supported hundreds of simultaneous users on a network that was using a 5G data connection.
5G is getting closer to reality and we’re excited to see how people and businesses in Waco will use this ground-breaking technology starting later this year. n
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PRESENTING SPONSOR
Waco's most inspiring women and men will come together for the Leading Waco Women Summit on
Thursday, Nov. 1, 2018.
The summit will kick-off with a half-day conference and luncheon. This will also include the inaugural presentation of the prestigious ATHENA Leadership Award to a single outstanding leader from the Waco community. The ATHENA Award is presented to leaders across professional sectors. The ATHENA Leadership Award’s rich history, international scope and mentorship distinguish it as one of the most prestigious leadership awards one can receive.
Information about how to nominate individuals for the ATHENA Award will be announced soon. For more information please contact Amanda Haygood at 254.757.5611 or ahaygood@wacochamber.com
A GREATER WACO CHAMBER EVENT WACOCHAMBER.COM
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LOOKING FOR ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES?
WE CAN HELP! Printed advertising space is available in the Greater Waco Chamber quarterly magazine and in the annual Waco Community and Referral Guide. Plus, ads in the Waco Chamber Weekly eNewsletter and digital ads on the WacoChamber.com website are great ways to get noticed.
For more information and pricing, contact Autumn Outlaw at aoutlaw@wacochamber.com or 254-757-5603.
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SMALL BIZ SPOTLIGHT
by Teresa Schiller, Beard Kultgen Brophy Bostwick & Dickson, PLLC
B
usinesses are seizing opportunities in Waco at an exciting time. As the city increasingly attracts attention, demand is growing. Major employers and educational institutions provide stability in the area and increase demand for other businesses. To maximize these opportunities, it’s important for your business to leverage strategic legal options, and also to comply with minimum legal standards. Here are some tips for hiring and working with a lawyer for your business. 1. Find an experienced lawyer. Look online for local lawyers who specialize in relevant practice areas, such as business, real estate, litigation, or employment law. Professionals who serve your business -- such as accountants and insurance agents -- may have recommendations. Business associations and their members may be able to provide referrals. Other groups you belong to may be able to supply helpful information as well. Finally, consider contacting the Lawyer Referral & Information Service, featured on the State Bar of Texas’ website. 2. Meet with the lawyer to discuss your needs. Be ready to provide a clear summary of your legal needs and business goals. Does the lawyer listen to you and appear to understand your legal problem? Does he or she teach you about the law and its effect on your business? Does the lawyer outline a possible solution? Although the information he or she provides at such a meeting is preliminary, your discussion will help you to get a sense of the lawyer’s competence, communication skills, trustworthiness, and ability to relate to you and your colleagues. 3. Hire the lawyer with agreed-upon terms. Your business will be forming an attorney-client relationship, which provides certain rights and responsibilities. To clarify the terms of the relationship, the lawyer may provide a written engagement letter for signature. The engagement letter may describe the scope of work, legal fees and expenses, and staffing. Legal fees may be charged at an hourly rate, or in some other form, such as a flat fee or contingency fee. If you have any questions, discuss them with the lawyer before hiring.
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4. Work with the lawyer to maximize efficiency. Provide requested documents and other business information as needed. Discuss the legal plan, any alternatives, and the range of possible outcomes. Make sure you understand the next steps, and keep the lines of communication open. In conclusion, these tips for hiring and working with a lawyer can help your business to leverage options and comply with minimum standards. Most importantly, having a lawyer on your team can enhance your peace of mind, allowing you to focus on what you do best – seizing the next business opportunity.
Teresa is a business and employment lawyer at Beard Kultgen Brophy Bostwick & Dickson, PLLC in Waco and Dallas. She is a former in-house lawyer and teacher. Teresa can be reached at schiller@thetexasfirm.com.
INTERESTED IN AN ADVERTISING INSERT? Please contact Autumn Outlaw (254) 757-5603 • aoutlaw@wacochamber.com
SPRINT TRI
400m open-water swim 12 mile ride through the country 5k run along the Brazos River Relay option available
OLYMPIC TRI
ADDED FOR 2018
5K AND 10K RUN
1500m open-water swim OPTION 25 mile ride through the country 10k run along the Brazos River in Cameron Park Relay option available PACKET PICKUP & EXPO Saturday, Noon - 7p.m. Waco Convention Center
TRI-NOW FREE TRANSITION CLINIC See TRIWACO.ORG for details
PRESENTING SPONSOR
WACO TRI CLUB PRACTICE SWIM Saturday at 2p.m.
TRIWACO is within walking distance to TRIWACO Shopping, Dining, Hotelsisandwithin walking distance to Shopping, Entertainment. Dining, Hotels and Entertainment. RACE PRODUCED BY:
A GREATER WACO CHAMBER EVENT
For information about becoming a member of the Greater Waco Chamber contact Christie Harper at (254) 757-5617 or charper@wacochamber.com WACOCHAMBER.COM
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This quarterly luncheon event at the Greater Waco Chamber is designed specifically for local business professionals and provides an update on “our economy in one hour.� Recent economic development news and data is also presented that attendees can use in their business. Visit web.WacoChamber.com/events to view details of the next Hour Economy luncheon.
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PROVIDENCE FOUNDATION is celebrating its Silver Jubilee—
The 25th Anniversary of serving the greater Waco community. Established in 1993, Providence Foundation has granted more than $20 million to Ascension Providence to enhance the health and wellness of the Waco community.
Providence Foundation is proud to serve the greater Waco community and help provide state-of-the-art medical equipment and technology, and programs to help Ascension Providence provide premiere, advanced healthcare services to the Heart of Texas, in its second century of service.
Annually, Providence Foundation grants an average of $300,000 in funding to the divisions and departments of Providence. During its 25 years of service, through philanthropy from the Waco community, Providence Foundation has provided funding to support some of Waco’s most advanced healthcare services, including: The FM & Gloria Young Tower
The Bill & Patricia Watson Women & Newborns Center
The Providence Breast Health Center
The DePaul Center Renovation
Waco’s First 3D Mammogram Technology
Waco’s First Advanced MRI Center WACOCHAMBER.COM
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All Providence Foundation proceeds benefit the health and wellness of the greater Waco community. Annual Giving
Providence Golf Classic
Long Term Care Endowment Fund
Affinity Groups
Providence Foundation Gala
Nursing Scholarship Fund
Champagne Luncheon & Style Show
1905 Fund
Agape Fund
Pink Partner Fund
Women & Newborns Fund
Partner with Providence. Build a Healthier Waco. Giving to Providence Foundation supports the Foundation's mission of providing premiere healthcare services to the greater Waco community. Ways to invest in the health and wellness of the greater Waco community include: Major Giving
Private and Corporate Foundations
Annual Giving-Affinity Groups
Planned Giving
Event Sponsorships
Providence Foundation Forum
To learn more about how you can Partner with Providence, please contact the Foundation:
(254) 751-4762
36 | SUMMER 2018
phnfoundation@ascension.org
A GREATER WACO CHAMBER EVENT
The Tenth Annual TriWaco Triathlon will be on Sunday, July 15, 2018. The race starts with a 1500-meter open water swim in the Brazos River followed by a mostly flat and fast 25-mile bike ride on country roads north and west of Waco. The race finishes out with a hilly 10-kilometer run along the Brazos River that leads to the oldest suspension bridge in Texas. The Sprint distance event includes a 400-meter swim in the Brazos River, a 12-mile bike ride along the same country roads and a 3.5-mile run finishing on the suspension bridge. We look forward to seeing you in 2018! PRESENTING SPONSOR
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ON THE MARKET
Commerce Park Hewitt, Texas 76643 Mixed Use Development
Specifications: • Direct access to North and South-bound Interstate 35 • 2,200’ of Interstate 35 frontage (110,000+ VPD) • B-P (Business Park) zoning, fully-utility served • Over 20 acres of restaurant, retail and hotel sites • Office and industrial tracts from 1 to 5 acres • Multi-family housing and hospitality sites available
For more information visit www.WacoProspector.com. PA I D A D V E R T I S E M E N T
Commerce Park (10 Mi Radius) Value Population (Total; 2017)
177,488
# of Households
67,250
Median Age
32.3 years
Average Household Income
$50,188
Labor Force
83,066
Employed
79,652
Unemployment Rate
4.06%
Educational Attainment
%
#
Graduate Degree
8.44%
8,984
Bachelor Degree
24.42%
25,987
Associate Degree
33.19%
35,319
Some College (No Degree)
54.87%
58,386
High School/Equivalency Degree
82.58%
87,863
No Degree
17.41%
18,520
Top Consumer Expenditures
$/House Total (in $000’s)
Shelter
10,222 687,432
Transportation
9,427 633,972
Food and Beverage
7,360
494,975
Health Care
4,040
271,705
Entertainment
2,764 185,885
Source: Info USA, May 2017
For more information on available properties, including demographic reports and surrounding businesses in Greater Waco, visit WacoProspector.com or call (254) 757-5627
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MARKET REPORT Client: Swan Products Industry: Manufacturing Market: International Swan Products, international manufacturer of lawn and garden watering products, has announced a 294,000 square foot expansion of its facility on Jewell Drive. The $14.3 million project includes $11.1 million in real property improvements and over $3 million in new production equipment. Approximately 60 new jobs will be created as a result of this expansion.
Client: Jessup Manufactured Housing Industry: Manufacturing Market: National Jessup Manufactured Housing has selected Waco for a new lowcost manufactured homes operation. Located on West Loop 340 in approximately 80,000 square feet, Jessup Housing plans to create 180 new positions over a two-year period. Positions will be skilled and includes tradesmen such as carpenters, plumbers and those with electrical certifications.
Client: Look Trailers Industry: Manufacturing Market: National Look Trailers, manufacturer of LOOK, Pace American and Cargo Express enclosed cargo trailers, has selected an 80,000 square foot industrial facility in McGregor for its newest manufacturing plant. Look will hire approximately 75 manufacturing positions by year-end 2019.
Client: Brazos Iron Works Industry: Manufacturing Market: National Brazos Iron Works has located in 48,000 to 60,000 square feet of an industrial facility on West Loop 340 near Interstate 35. The manufacturer of pressure vessels for the oil and gas industry anticipates creating 45 new jobs over a two year period, primarily consisting of skilled trades such as welding and machine operators.
Client: Arconic Fastening Systems Industry: Manufacturing Market: International Arconic Fastening Systems (formerly Alcoa) announced a $45 million investment into its current operation on Imperial Drive in Waco. These improvements will be completed over a five-year period and include building overhaul and an expansion of production capacity.
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New Downtown Businesses Opened
Greater Downtown Waco is booming! With more than $600 million invested in recent years and more than 2.5 million visitors, annually, Waco has become a destination city. Through implementation of a strategic vision, Waco is attracting great companies, talented people and continued interest to our distinct community.
Restaurants/Eateries Milo 1020 Franklin Ave. MiloWaco.com Milo represents a collaboration between southern comfort food and local farmers, with a changing menu crafted with the freshest ingredients. Milo guarantees top-of-the-line tastes and smells every time you visit.
Brotherwell Brewing Company 400 E. Bridge St. Brotherwell.com Born in Waco, Brotherwell Brewing serves central Texas with locally crafted, high quality beer with the belief that great beer can bring people together. They are currently renovating their space to create room for their 15 barrel brewhouse.
Luna Juice Bar 1516 Austin Ave. LunaJuiceBar.com Luna Juice Bar began their operations from a food truck at Magnolia Market and recently celebrated the opening of their brick-and-mortar shop. In partnership with local organization Jesus Said Love (JSL), Luna Juice Bar works to provide employment for clients of JSL, give monitarily and volunteer.
Downtown Living/Shopping Bicycle World 112 Mary Ave. VisitBicycleWorld.com/locations/waco Specialty: Multiple Sports Retail
WacoWork 600 Columbus Ave. WacoWork.com Specialty: Coworking Space
Paper Crown Scrapbook and Paper Artistry 601 Franklin Ave. PaperCrown.net Specialty: Crafts and Instruction
Hinge 1518 Austin Ave. Facebook.com/HingeWaco Specialty: Home DĂŠcor, Clothing, Accessories WACOCHAMBER.COM
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ECONOMY IN FOCUS
APRIL
2017 Retail Spending
APRIL
2018 1.1% change
$15,948,574
Single Family Residence Permits
199
215
Existing Home Sales
754
809
11.3% change
Source: Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER)
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APRIL
2018
Payroll Employment 120,500 120,975 Unemployment Rate 3.9 3.7
8.0% change 7.3% change
Economic Outlook U.S. Average Composite: 100 WACO COST OF LIVING First Quarter 2018
2017
$3,458,038,724 $1,161,582,549 $14,330,950
Hotel Motel Spending
APRIL
Waco Composite: 88.5
PURCHASING POWER
COMPARISON CITIES
Housing:
84.6
Chattanooga, TN:
95.5
Groceries:
78.4
Albuquerque, NM:
96.8
Utilities:
96.4
Greenville, SC:
95.8
Transportation:
95.7
Richmond, VA
95.3
Health Care:
92.4
Colorado Springs, CO:
97.7
Misc. Goods & Services:
90.9
Charlotte, NC :
97.3
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CHAMBER NEWS
LEADERSHIP WACO CLASS XXXIV GRADUATION
We are excited to announce the Leadership Waco Class XXXIV graduation was held May 22, 2018. We were privileged to work with the 25 graduates as they toured various civic, cultural and service organizations throughout Greater Waco. Please join us in congratulating our recent graduating class! n
Standing (left to right): Cody Messerall, John Calaway, Nick Deaver, Christopher Dahman, Keith Maynard, Clint Savage, Jacob Cates, Clinton Dennard, Tony Acosta, Joel Shields, Keith Kusler, Greg Shropshire, Sonny Lopez, Joe Rivera, Clark McCormack Seated (left to right): Lynsey Castillo, Jill Clements, Becca McCormack, Angela Ragan, Eva Gergely, Lori Young, Rene’ Duffy Not pictured: Sydney Cox , Timothy Payne
MEET THE CHAMBER INTERNS
Interns are an asset to any business, and the Chamber is no exception! Meet our summer interns, Brittany, Rebecca and Savannah, each of whom are vital additions to their respective teams. Be sure to say hello if you get the chance to meet them! Brittany Knight Joined the Chamber of Commerce in November as a Marketing and Communications Intern. She recently graduated from Baylor University in May with a Bachelor of Arts in Corporate Communication and NonProfit Marketing. Since joining the Waco community, Brittany has become a true Wacoan and does not plan to leave anytime soon. Her future includes using her marketing skills to further contribute to Waco as she has a passion for community outreach and non-profit work. Brittany aspires to build a career in volunteer/event coordination and/or marketing and is currently looking for full-time positions in Waco. 44 | SUMMER 2018
KNIGHT
DIEBOLD
Savannah Diebold has been working as the Total Resource Campaign Intern under Amber Greenwood since March of this year. She has gone full time this summer to help raise money for the Chamber. She is a senior Corporate Communications major and Leadership Development minor at Baylor University. Even though she is originally from Dallas, Texas, Savannah wants to stay in Waco. Following her graduation in December, Savannah plans to work with Teach for America for two years with inner-city, underprivileged children. Ultimately, she plans on coming back to Waco and pursuing one of her many creative business ideas or becoming an event planner.
SHEEHY
Rebecca Sheehy has recently joined the Chamber working as the Sports and Special Events Intern. Rebecca is currently a senior at Texas Tech University studying Advertising and Marketing and will graduate in December of this year. She is a native Wacoan and is a graduate of Reicher Catholic High School. She is the granddaughter of former Chamber advocate John Sheehy, Jr. and the greatgranddaughter of former Chamber President John Sheehy, Sr. Throughout the summer, Rebecca is excited to assist with all things special events related, meet new people, and become more actively involved in the Waco community. n
LEAD PROGRAM AWARDS $57,000 IN SCHOLARSHIPS High school students in the Greater Waco Chamber’s LEAD (Leadership, Education and Development) program attended their year-end recognition banquet on May 23, where $57,000 in scholarships were awarded to ten students. The annual $20,000 Bradley Ray Hulse Memorial Scholarship was awarded to Amaya Martinez, a Waco High senior student who will be attending the Texas State to study athletic training. The remaining $37,000 was awarded to nine other scholarship recipients. Since 2010, scholarships totaling $221,000 have been awarded to students, and this is the first year that more than $55,000 will be awarded in a single year.
Other scholarships awarded include: • $10,000 Distinction Scholarship, presented to Waco High School student Samayim Davis. • $7,500 No Boundaries Scholarship, presented to La Vega High School student Kandice Graves. • $7,500 No Boundaries Scholarship, presented to University High School student Rachel McCullough. • $5,000 LEAD Scholarship, presented to Waco High School student Kenisha Huitt. • $2,000 Alton Davis Memorial Scholarship, presented to La Vega High School student Ramon Gonzalez. • $1,500 LEAD Merit Scholarship, presented to Harmony Science Academy student Sara McMullin. • $1,500 LEAD Merit Scholarship, presented to Harmony Science Academy student Alan Espinosa. • $1,000 LEAD Persistence Scholarship, presented to Midway High School student Shantavia Staples.
Left to Right: Ramon Gonzalez, Kandice Graves, Shantavia Staples, Kenisha Huitt, Amaya Martinez, Samayim Davis, Sara McMullin, Alan Espinosa
Check out the LEAD Year In Review at YouTube.com/GreaterWacoChamber
Not pictured: Rachel McCullough and Alyssa Seybert
COMMUNITY AND BUSINESS LEADERS MEET WITH WASHINGTON D.C. OFFICIALS
From May 7 to May 10, the Waco Chamber lead a group of local community and business leaders on our annual Washington D.C. Fly-In. Held in conjunction with the Bryan-College Station Chamber of Commerce, together representing the 17th Congressional District for Texas, this trip provides an opportunity for local leadership to discuss our issues and priorities with elected officials and federal leadership. The group enjoyed a Congressional Leadership Briefing, coordinated through Congressman Bill Flores’ office, where they heard legislative updates from Senators Cornyn and Cruz, Representative Flores, Secretary Betsy DeVos, House Speaker Ryan, and numerous committee chairs, such as Representatives Brady, Scalise, Hensarling, Foxx, and more. They also met with officials from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce for briefings on tax and regulatory reform, small business policy, and fiscal policy. One day was spent in small-group meetings, where seven groups of individuals met with over 50 congressional offices to advocate for Waco as related to specific legislative issues unfolding. The group also enjoyed opportunities for fellowship and networking during a VIP Tour of the Supreme Court, a Night Tour of the Capitol, a Rooftop Reception – where they were surprised to welcome Congressman Beto O’Rourke – a group dinner at the prestigious Capitol Hill Club, and a closing breakfast with Transportation & Infrastructure experts. n
• $1,000 LEAD Persistence Scholarship, presented to La Vega High School student Alyssa Seybert. The Bradley Ray Hulse Memorial Scholarship is sponsored by Central National Bank and First National Bank of Central Texas. Additional scholarship sponsors include: The Magnolia Foundation; 1519 Surveying & Engineering; LEAD; Brazos Masonry; and BKD, LLP. Learn more about the LEAD program at WacoChamber.com. n WACOCHAMBER.COM
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MEMBER NEWS
DOUG DWYER APPOINTED TO TITUS CENTER ADVISORY BOARD
LA FIESTA CELEBRATES 55 YEAR ANNIVERSARY
After returning home from war in 1963, Samuel Castillo Sr. opened La Fiesta Restaurant & Cantina with only $700. Fifty-five years later, the third and fourth generation owners, Sam Castillo Jr. and his daughter Lynsey, continue the La Fiesta tradition of serving real authentic Tex-Mex food. Without the customers and the longtime support of Waco, La Fiesta believes they would not be a part of such a rich history. 2018 marks the 55th anniversary of La Fiesta Restaurant & Cantina in Waco and they are inviting all of Waco to celebrate with them. Dine in for lunch between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. and get 55-cent iced tea with your meal, topped off with free dessert, because every anniversary lunch should end in something sweet! Also celebrate La Fiesta’s 55th anniversary by participating in the La Fiesta photo contest. Send your favorite La Fiesta memories (new or old) to photomemories@lafiesta.com for the chance to win great prizes. Tag your photos with the hashtag #LaFaLove on social media. n
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Doug Dwyer will join nearly four dozen franchising experts on the Advisory Board of the Titus Center for Franchising, a Presidential Center of Excellence at Palm Beach Atlantic University in West Palm Beach, Florida. DWYER The Titus Center offers coursework leading to a bachelor’s degree in business with a concentration in franchising. The only academic center of its kind in Florida, the Titus Center facilitates internships, job shadowing and training at area franchises. Doug Dwyer is President and Chief Stewarding Officer of DreamMaker Bath & Kitchen and has led the company since 1997. His management expertise includes overseeing operations, franchise development and support, marketing development, national accounts and warehousing. During their two-year terms, Advisory Board members will attend steering meetings, evaluate Titus Center programming, speak to undergraduate students, and advocate for the program. They will also have the opportunity to participate in Titus Center Mastermind events dedicated to collecting knowledge and solving business challenges. n
BIRD-KULTGEN NAMES MARK STEWART TO MANAGEMENT TEAM
Bird-Kultgen Ford is proud to announce the hiring of Mark Stewart as a member of their management team. Stewart comes to Bird-Kultgen with 19 years of dealership experience in sales, finance and insurance, STEWART advertising and dealership management. Stewart is a fourth-generation Wacoan and a graduate of Midway High School. He attended Baylor University, graduating with a BBA in Finance degree in 1999. n
WACO ISD NEW TURF BASEBALL FIELD DEDICATION
On April 27, the Waco ISD Athletic Department held a ribbon cutting ceremony in celebration of the new infield turf on Veterans Field #1. This makes Waco ISD one of just a few Central Texas schools to have a turf baseball field, specifically, a Matrix synthetic turf system.
HILL & WILKINSON ANNOUNCEMENT
Hill & Wilkinson General Contractors recently announced it has completed construction on a $4 million, 22,000-square-foot renovation of the Harker Heights Central Fire Station, located at 401 Indian Trail. The Central Fire Station, originally constructed in 1985, has a new front entrance on the south side of the building, additional office and storage space, a new training room that will also be used as the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) and an expanded kitchen and dining area. A fitness center was also added for firefighters and all city employees. “I have been directly involved in a number of construction projects valued at hundreds of thousands to multi-millions,” shares Paul D. Sims, City of Harker Heights Fire Chief. “I know it pays to have a team like Hill & Wilkinson that can provide ongoing direction and insight as the process moves along.” With 50 years in the construction business and 10 years serving Austin, Texas and the surrounding areas, Hill & Wilkinson (www.hill-wilkinson.com) consistently ranks among the top 400 contractors in the U.S., according to Engineering News-Record.
Baseball players from both Waco High School and University High School, along with WISD administration, were in attendance as superintendent Dr. A. Marcus Nelson cut the ribbon on the new all-weather infield before the final regular season game. n
The firm, known for its culture, has been named a Best Place to Work by the Dallas Business Journal and Austin Business Journal in multiple years. Hill & Wilkinson is a diversified general contractor overseeing all facets of ground-up and renovation construction and is headquartered in Richardson, Texas with an additional office in Austin, Texas. n
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NEW MEMBERS 9th Division 3900 Austin Ave. • Waco, TX 76710 (254) 744-3860 A-1 Banner & Sign Co., Inc./ Authentic Granite & Marble 805 N. Valley Mills Dr. • Waco TX 76710 (254) 776-0024 A1Banner.com • AuthenticGranite.com Adam Heath Construction LLC 2000 W. Loop 340, Ste. 304 • Waco, TX 76712 (254) 829-0974 • AHCwaco.com Blue Scout Media 7543 Bosque Blvd., Ste. A • Waco, TX 76712 (254) 732-0185 • BlueScoutMedia.com Boys & Girls Club of Waco 2700 N. 21st St. • Waco, TX 76708 (254) 752-6443 • BGCWaco.org Brazos Air Conditioning Waco, TX 76711 (254) 863-2480 • BrazosAirConditioning.com ClearVista Financial LLC 1600 Lake Air Dr., Ste. 125 • Waco, TX 76710 (254) 265-6763 • ClearVistaFinancial.com Small Business - Silver Comfort Suites 810 N. IH-35 • Waco, TX 76705 (254) 799-7272 • WacoComfortSuites.com Computers N’ Stuff of Waco 700 N. 33rd St. • Waco, TX 76707 (254) 296-8200 • ComputersNStuffWaco.com
PRESENTED BY Ironhorse Roof Systems 414 N. Robinson Dr., Ste. C Robinson TX 76706 • (254) 733-8645 Facebook.com/pg/Ironhorse-RoofSystems-937380929768943/about Knoxville Ranch 4899 Leroy Pkwy. • Elm Mott, TX 76640 (254) 214-5955 • KnoxvilleRanch.com Lawn Doctor of Greater Waco 7725 Central Park Dr., Ste. 5 Woodway, TX 76712 (254) 424-9090 • LawnDoctor.com/waco-tx Luna Juice Bar 1516 Austin Ave., Ste. 3 • Waco, TX 76701 (254) 498-5122 • LunaJuiceBar.com Move Waco Waco, TX 76712 (254) 366-9795 • MoveWaco.com NAMI Waco 4112 Memorial Dr., Ste. 102 • Waco, TX 76711 (254) 717-9552 • NAMIWaco.com Small Business - Silver Office Depot 4626 S. Jack Kultgen Fwy. • Waco, TX 76706 (254) 662-0936 • OfficeDepot.com Painting With A Twist 1621 N. Valley Mills Dr. • Waco, TX 76710 (254) 304-4727 • PaintingWithATwist.com/waco PHD Quilts, LLC 921A Lake Air Dr. • Waco, TX 76710 (254) 741-6988 • PHDQuilts.com
CycleBar 2324 Marketplace Dr. • Waco, TX 76711 (817) 919-2561 • Waco.CycleBar.com
Phoenix Ballroom 401 S. 3rd St. • Waco, TX 76706 (254) 754-0099 • ThePhoenixBallroom.com
dex • yp Waco, TX 76703 (254) 624-6010 • Dexyp.com
Pineco Tractor & Equipment 6186 IH-35 S. • Waco, TX 76706 (254) 420-2990 • PinecoTractorEquipment.com
Five Star Painting of Waco P.O. Box 5776 • Waco, TX 76708 (254) 206-3699 • FiveStarPainting.com/Waco
Small Business - Silver Southwest International Trucks 3920 IH-35 S. • Waco, TX 76706 (254) 340-6700 • SouthwestInternational.com
Gift Horse 2056 N. Valley Mills Dr. • Waco, TX 76710 (254) 752-2501 • WacoGiftHorse.com Half Price Books 4318 W. Waco Dr. • Waco, TX 76710 (254) 399-6409 • HPB.com/224 Small Business - Silver Hill & Wilkinson General Contractors 5810 Trade Center Dr., Bldg. 1, Ste. 200 Austin, TX 78744 (512) 287-6292 • Austin.HWGC.com I-35 RV Park and Resort 15131 N. IH-35 • Elm Mott, TX 76640 (254) 829-0698 • I35RVPark.com
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Spectrum Reach 215 Factory Dr. • Waco, TX 76710 (254) 761-3957 • SpectrumReach.com Strattmont Group 3131F E. 29th St. • Bryan, TX 77802 (979) 314-9644 • StrattmontGroup.com Texas Snow Waco Waco, TX 76712 (254) 855-2051 • TexasSnow.net The Little Gym of Waco 5144 W. Waco Dr. • Waco, TX 76710 (254) 981-3547 • TLGwacotx.com The Whistlin’ Willow 222 N. Main St. • West, TX 76691 (254) 655-8099 • TheWhistlinWillow.com Tinsley Place 715 Cleveland Ave. • Waco, TX 76706 (254) 235-7002 • CityGatePropertyGroup.com Union Home Mortgage 1512 Lake Air Dr., Ste. 117 • Waco, TX 76710 (254) 232-0143 UnionHomeMortgage.com/ddicorte VIBE Main Street Market 216 S. Main St. • McGregor, TX 76657 (254) 236-4167 • TheVibeMarket.com Village Condominiums 1300 S. 11th St. • Waco, TX 76706 (254) 754-6442 • VillageCondos.com Willow Film Co 1920 S. 15th St. • Waco, TX 76706 (480) 528-6889 • WillowFilmOo.com Wings of Waco 415 Owen Ln., Ste. 1003 • Waco, TX 76710 (254) 577-9844 • WingsOfWaco.com WP Waco Waco, TX 76710 (254) 307-2027 • WPWaco.com
SMALL BUSINESSES
ARE THE ENGINE OF OUR ECONOMY IN THE GREATER WACO COMMUNITY. More than 70 percent of our membership is considered “small business.” The Chamber is the leading source for access to all the tools and resources needed to grow your business and impact the prosperity of our region. We are excited to announce a section of our website dedicated to providing information for opportunities to support this segment of our membership. For more information, please visit
Wacochamber.com/ community/sbs or contact Christie Harper at charper@wacochamber.com or 254-757-5617.
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RIBBON CUTTINGS
CLEAR SPRINGS RANCH
Member since September 8, 2017 • Ribbon Cutting April 7, 2018
SPONSORED BY
HALF PRICE BOOKS OUTLET
Member since March 12, 2018 • Ribbon Cutting April 13, 2018
3662 Patton Lake Rd. • Aquilla, TX 76622 (469) 209-6200 • ClearSpringsRanch.com
4318 W. Waco Dr. • Waco, TX 76710 (254) 399-6409 • HPB.com/224
Alaina Lanier, Director of Human Resources
Caroline Ruggles, District Manager
Clear Springs Ranch, established in 2012, offers hope and healing for adults suffering with addiction. Situated on a beautiful 200acre property in Aquilla, the program utilizes a 12-step philosophy, in addition to individual and group counseling, equine therapy, physical fitness, healthy eating, spiritual counseling, and family programming. Through addressing both emotional and spiritual needs, individuals are given the tools to create sustainable recovery. Clear Springs Ranch is JCAHO accredited and accepts most insurance plans.
HOBBYTOWN
Member since January 5, 2018 • Ribbon Cutting March 15, 2018
The Waco Half Price Books Outlet features a great selection of books, music, movies and games. We restock weekly from our retail locations across Texas. Plus, since we honor the Half Price Books Educator Discount Card, your HPB Outlet is the best resource for teachers on a budget! We accept Half Price Books Gift Cards, eGift Cards and other Half Price Books coupons.
MUSIC & ARTS
Member since January 17, 2018 • Ribbon Cutting May 4, 2018
4316 W. Waco Dr. • Waco, TX 76710 (325) 201-6971 • hobbytown.com
2808 W. Loop 340, Ste. H14 • Waco, TX 76711 (254) 662-9150 • Stores.MusicArts.com/waco
Rossana Costa, Owner
Danielle Honeycutt, Waco Store Manager
Come to HobbyTown for a shopping and entertainment experience that goes beyond the ordinary. HobbyTown is the leading specialty toy, radio control and hobby retailer in North America with locations in 41 states supporting hobbyists of all ages and making free time awesome! You will discover your passion at Waco’s newest family fun destination.
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Since we opened our first store back in 1952, we’ve been owned and operated by the same family. With over 150 locations nationwide, we’ve grown and changed quite a bit since our humble beginning, but we’ve never lost focus on the many local communities we serve. Now the nation’s leading provider of instruments, rentals and repairs, we’ve built our growth and success on the unshakable relationships we’ve formed with parents, students, music educators and musicians over the past six decades. Come visit our Waco location today! We can’t wait to meet you!
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RIBBON CUTTINGS
PHD QUILTS
Member since February 28, 2018 • Ribbon Cutting April 3, 2018
SPONSORED BY
SHEARER SUPPLY, INC
Member since February 9, 2018 • Ribbon Cutting February 15, 2018
921A Lake Air Dr. • Waco, TX 76710 (254) 741-6988 • PHDQuilts.com
1000 Schroeder Dr. Ste. 201 • Waco, TX 76710 (254) 265-6565 • ShearerSupply.com
Angela Ragan, Owner
Philip Rodriguez, Vice Pres. of Sales Central & East Texas
PHD Quilts is a full service quilt shop offering fabrics from all the top manufacturers. We are a Koala Showcase dealer, carrying a full lineup of Koala cabinets. In addition we carry Janome sewing machines and a full line of Handi Quilter quilting and sewing machines. Our motto is, “Where Projects Half Done become Quilts, and Friends Become Family.” Our friendly staff wants to help you complete your projects!
RAPOPORT ACADEMY’S NORTH ELEMENTARY STEAM
Member since January 25, 2007 • Ribbon Cutting April 19, 2018.
Shearer Supply, Inc. is an HVAC wholesale distributor founded in 1983 and headquartered in Carrollton, TX. Shearer Supply is family-owned and is proud to have many Baylor Bears in its family. As an HVAC distributor, Shearer Supply distributes American Standard residential and commercial heating and air conditioning equipment. Shearer Supply has built a reputation over 35 years for being a great partner to heating and air conditioning contractors over its seven-state region by offering quality lines of HVAC equipment, supplies, parts as well as delivery, training, marketing and product support. The Waco store is Shearer Supplies thirteenth store and is happy to be in Waco to serve the Waco heating and air conditioning contractors.
POSTAL ANNEX
Member since January 17, 2018 • Ribbon Cutting March 13, 2018
2200 MacArthur Dr. • Waco, TX 76712 (254) 754-8000 • RapoportAcademy.org
180 N. New Road • Waco, TX 76710 (254) 732-5002 • PostalAnnex.com/17018
Bridget Heins, Director of Community Relations
Jani & Manny Rodriguez, Owners
Rapoport Academy’s North Elementary STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math) lab is a 2,000 square-foot addition that includes dedicated areas for technology, art, and science experimentation, while offering quick access to design, prototyping, and research materials in a space intended for students to get messy as they paint, build, and create. Cross-curricular, collaborative learning amongst STEM subjects prepares students to think critically about the world around them while building confident problem solving skills.
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Postal Annex is a locally owned small business specializing in services for small businesses and consumers. The services offered include shipping via Fed Ex, UPS, USPS and DHL, packaging, private mailbox rentals, notary services, self-serve copies, full serve copies, color copies, printing, faxing, laminating, binding, office supplies, greeting cards, gifts, key cutting, passport photos and more.
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RIBBON CUTTINGS
TEXAS SNOW WACO
Member since April 11, 2018 • Ribbon Cutting April 20, 2018
SPONSORED BY
UNITED WAY OF WACO-MCLENNAN COUNTY
Member since July 1, 1985 • Ribbon Cutting April 12, 2018
Waco, TX 76712 (254) 855-2051 • TexasSnow.net
1516 Austin Ave., Ste. 2 • Waco, TX 76701 (254) 752-2753 • UnitedWayWaco.org
Marshall Adams, Owner
Mary Beth Kauk, Director of Campaigns and Community Engagement
Texas Snow Waco started with an idea to make the best shaved ice in Waco. Before summer started in 2017, owner Marshall Adams turned 16 and his parents encouraged him to get a job. Marshall has an entrepreneurial spirit, and thought working for himself would be fun. After researching snow cones and shaved ice, he realized there weren’t many local options for flaky, smooth, melt-in-your-mouth shaved ice. With the help of his parents, lots of research and hard work, Texas Snow was born.
P & E MECHANICAL CONTRACTORS
Member since October 10, 2017 • Ribbon Cutting January 30, 2018
United Way of Waco-McLennan County moved to its new location on Austin Avenue. The United Way strengthens the community by mobilizing resources to measurably improve lives and envisions a community where all people have the education, health, and financial stability needed to achieve their full potential.
MAGNOLIA TABLE
Member since July 18, 2017 • Ribbon Cutting February 12, 2018
5279 N. St. Hwy. 6 • Waco, TX 76712 (254) 218-2665 • PandEMechanical.com
2132 S. Valley Mills Dr. • Waco, TX 76706 (254) 235-0603 • Magnolia.com/table
Paul & Elizabeth Barbieri, Owners
Chip and Joanna Gaines, Owners
P & E Mechanical Contractors, a family-owned and operated business, of Waco provides heating and air conditioning repair, service, installation, and maintenance for all of McLennan County and surrounding areas. We are not happy until you are.
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It has taken many years of dreaming and a full year of renovation and preparation to get Magnolia Table ready to serve you, and we are so excited that it’s finally time. Whether you come to share a meal with your friends and family, to pick something up to-go, or just to check the place out, we hope you’ll stop in. We can’t wait to host you. See you at the Table!
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CHAMBER CALENDAR Want to know what’s coming up at the Chamber? Then visit web.WacoChamber.com/events to view and register for upcoming events. Here are just a few signature events you don’t want to miss: Small Business PowerHour WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27 | NOON – 1 P.M.
Our new Business PowerHour series provides valuable business development resources and programs to maximize the professional growth of Chamber investors to ensure they succeed and thrive at work. Our next PowerHour will feature guest speaker Cynthia Cunningham, executive director of NAMI Waco, who will discuss mental health in the workplace and how a workplace can support those whose lives are affected by mental health conditions.
10th Annual TriWaco Triathlon SUNDAY, JULY 15 | 7 A.M. – 5 P.M.
On Sunday, July 15, the tenth annual TriWaco Triathlon will take place in Indian Springs Park. The race starts with a 1500-meter open water swim in the Brazos River, followed by a flat, fast 25-mile bike ride north and west of Waco. The race finishes out with a hilly 10-kilometer run along the Brazos.
Networking Forum THURSDAY, AUGUST 2 | 11:30 A.M. – 1 P.M.
This is our popular member networking lunch event. Bring your business cards and be prepared to give a 45-second pitch about your business or service. Our August forum will be held at The Hall at Diamondback’s Restaurant & Bar. Seating is limited, so RSVP at WacoChamber.com.
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Technology Business Briefing THURSDAY, AUGUST 9 | 7:45 – 9 A.M.
Join us at the Baylor Research & Innovation Collaborative (BRIC) at 100 Research Parkway for Technology Business Briefing! Businesses from around greater Waco gather together to learn about the area’s technology sector. Breakfast included!
30th Annual Kick Off Luncheon THURSDAY, AUGUST 23 | 11:30 A.M. – 1 P.M.
Join us for the 30th annual Kick Off Luncheon! This annual event helps rally the community behind local high school and college football and kick off this year’s football season. Prior speakers have included Gary Baxter, Charles Davis, Bill Hancock, Bobby Bowden, Gene Stallings and Grant Teaff.
Hour Economy THURSDAY, AUGUST 23 | NOON – 1 P.M.
This popular quarterly luncheon event is designed specifically for local business professionals to receive an update on the local economy in just one hour. Recent economic development news and data is also presented that attendees are encouraged to use in their business.
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PRSRT STD US POSTAGE PAID PERMIT NO. 30 Waco, Texas P.O. Box 1220 Waco TX 76703-1220
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