Katy Area Economic Development Council
 Winter 2013
FEATURE STORY

Entrust Inc. Preparing to Bring Corporate HQ into New Katy Area Office Building

 

Entrust Inc., a premier benefit management and consulting firm, is preparing to bring its corporate headquarters to the Fort Bend County section of the Katy area. 

 

Founded in 1975, Entrust handles all areas of benefit management, including human resources consulting, benefit planning and administration management. Entrust is moving into a 34,000-sq. ft., two-story office building being constructed at Westpark Tollway and Grand Parkway 99. The Entrust group of companies is set to occupy 22,500 square feet of the new building and will bring 85 employees to the new facility. Construction of the building and Entrust's presence there amounts to a $6 million investment and is projected to be completed by August 2013. 

 

The Katy Area Economic Development Council and the Greater Fort Bend Economic Development Council worked together in recruiting Entrust to move into the area, and the Fort Bend County Commissioners Court approved a property tax abatement recently in support of the project. 

Entrust Groundbreaking
Pictured from left to right: Dixie Gunning, CFO at Entrust; Randy Wilhelm, President of NAI Houston; Jack McCullough, Senior Vice-President of Allegiance Bank Texas; John Moody, President of Parkside Capital; Dennis Nelson, CEO of Mission Companies; Robyn Jacobson, COO of Entrust; Ed Jacobson, CEO of Entrust; Andy Meyers, Commissioner at Fort Bend County; Lance LaCour, CEO, Katy Area EDC and David Jacobson, Vice-President of Marketing at Entrust.
KATY GROWING!
Leaders Announce Construction of Welltec Americas HQ at General Assembly Meeting 

Eastgroup Properties is constructing a 30,000-square foot build-to-suit headquarters facility for Welltec Americas at Merchants Way and Ravello Drive. 

 

EDC President Lance LaCour joined Welltec Americas Senior Vice President Carl Strubberg and Kevin Sager recently for the groundbreaking at the site. At the EDC meeting, Strubberg provided an overview of Welltec, which is headquartered in Denmark. The Company produced the patented Well Tractor System and has 52 offices and service facilities with 950 employees around the world.

WellTec Rendering
Welltec Americas Rendering
Welltec Construction
Weltec Americas Construction

Welltec Americas (Katy) is currently located at Westgate near Fry Road and I-10. Strubberg noted the new Americas facility will be the headquarters for the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Latin America. It will also be home to the training facility for field engineers and technicians, maintenance and sales associates for the Houston area.  These divisions include commercial, operations, finance, and human resources which will also utilize the training facility. 

BP Building New Commercial Supercomputer Complex in Katy Area 

BP logo-color

BP recently announced it is building a new supercomputing facility at Westlake, which is located in the Katy area. This 110,000-square-foot, three-story facility is part of London-based BP's more than $100 million investment in high-performance computing over the course of the next five years. Much of the facility will be devoted to supercomputers analyzing seismic and geologic data gathered from onshore and offshore sites across the world.

 

 

Construction of the new building started in June 2012, and it is scheduled to open in mid-2013. The new facility will have space for 50 employees. BP will relocate 25 employees from its high-performance computing team and another 15 employees from its upstream computing team to the new facility. BP is a strong supporter and member of the Katy Area EDC Board of Governors. Recently, BP became a Super Package Sponsor which provides support to the Katy Placemaker and Branding Initiatives, economic development marketing and to the Technology Business Incubator.

Igloo Corporation Preparing to Occupy Major Distribution Facility in West Ten Business Park 

Igloo Corporation, a top-ranking company in the cooler industry and headquartered in Katy, recently announced plans to occupy a new distribution facility in the West Ten Business Park. 

 

The new Igloo facility will cover 420,000 square feet. Katy Area EDC President Lance LaCour noted that Igloo is one of the top 10 employers in the Katy area and one of the largest manufacturers in the Greater Houston area.  West Ten Sitemap

 

The EDC assisted Parkside Capital and Panattoni Development Company in recruiting Igloo to locate in the West Ten Business Park. Panattoni will construct the facility and lease it to Igloo. Katy Mayor Don Elder Jr. also welcomed Igloo's decision, saying it was another sign of a rapidly rising regional profile for the City and the Katy business sector. "We enthusiastically welcome and await Igloo's expansion and the new jobs it will bring to the City of Katy."

Parkside Capital Sells 56-acre Tract in West Ten Business Park to Medline Industries, Inc. 

Medline Rendering Parkside Capital recently announced the sale of a 56-acre tract in West Ten Business Park to Medline Industries, Inc. for construction of a 500,000-square-foot facility. West Ten Business Park is a 470-acre master-planned business park located on the north side of Interstate 10, between FM 1463 and Pederson Road. Parkside Capital assembled the land in 2008. 

 

Based in Mundelein, Illinois, Medline is the largest privately-held manufacturer and distributor of medical and surgical supplies in the United States. The company has 35 regional distribution facilities in the nation, including two in Texas, and the new facility will enable Medline to expand its presence in Houston and throughout the region. Medline's other Texas distribution centers are in Dallas and San Antonio. The new Houston facility is targeted for completion in June 2013. 

 

Catherine Morrison, Sr. Vice President of Real Estate Operations for Medline, said Medline considered several sites in Houston, but chose West Ten and Katy due to its location, access, amenities and sponsorship.

KATY READY!
Ten West Crossing Project Announced at Katy Area EDC General Assembly Meeting

EastGroup Properties recently announced a joint economic development project with its leasing partner, InSite Realty about the construction of Ten West Crossing, a new, 40-acre development located on Merchants Way near I-10 and Mason Road. Kevin Sager, Vice President of EastGroup Properties, made the announcement at a recent Katy Area Economic Development Council General Assembly. Sager said that EastGroup purchased the tract in 2012 and will soon be constructing two buildings: a 45,000 square foot flex facility, and a 67,000-square foot light industrial building. These buildings are the first group of seven that are planned for a total of 552,000-square feet at Ten West Crossing. 

Sager noted that the buildings will be constructed of the highest quality with high-end architectural finishes and glass. Sager, a Katy resident, said he looks forward to partnering with the EDC to recruit high-quality companies to Ten West Crossing and the Katy area.


Ten West Crossing Building Rendering, Phase I 
Ten West Buildings

Update on the Mason Creek Office Center-135,716 SF; Construction Progress (February 1, 2013)
Mason Creek

KATY PROGRESS!
Weatherford Facility (February 2013)
City of Katy logo

 

The City of Katy held a public hearing to approve the establishment of a Reinvestment Zone and approve property tax abatement incentives for Medline Industries.  The City's approval also paved the way for Waller County and the West Ten MUD to approve property tax abatement for Medline. Katy Area EDC helped facilitate these incentive program approvals. 

 

 

 

KISD logo 

Katy ISD also approved incentives in December for Weatherford Artificial Lift Systems at 28900 US HWY 90, Katy, Texas. Katy ISD approved Chapter 313 incentives which may amount to over $2.9 million in benefit to Weatherford. The new Weatherford facility, shown below will encompass nearly 500,000 sq. ft. with an investment of nearly $100 million, and employ 425 people.


Weatherford
Weatherford Facility

 

KATY LIVING!
Growth with Groceries and Road Improvements

Whole Foods opened on January 30, 2013 at Fry Road and Grand Parkway and Sprouts will be opening at Cinco Ranch and Peek Road soon as well. 

 

METRO logo

In November 2012, the Metro General Mobility Plan was approved by the voters of the City of Houston. This program will allow Metro to continue to provide funding to municipalities and counties in our area for road improvement projects. Katy Area EDC supported this initiative by resolution, which is highly important with all of the growth being experienced by the Katy Area.

 

In This Issue
New Entrust Inc. HQ
Welltec America HQ
BP Supercomputer Complex
Igloo Coming to West Ten
Medline Industries to Build
Ten West Crossing Project
Katy Living!

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About Us
Founded in 2003, the Katy Area Economic Development Council's (Katy Area EDC) mission is to establish the Katy area as the premiere location for families and businesses through planned economic growth and economic development. Since its inception, the Katy Area EDC has grown to 160 members, has a budget of $700,000 and has assisted in the creation of nearly 10,000 jobs and more than $1.3 billion in capital investment. Katy Area EDC is a full-service private, non-profit, 501 (c) 6 economic development corporation.

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