Tyler Economic Development Council Marks 25 Years

TYLER — The Tyler Economic Development Council Thursday looked back on its first quarter-century, holding its 25th Annual Investors and Contributors Appreciation Luncheon. Tom Mullins (pictured) has headed up TEDC from the beginning. He says the economy was under a good deal of stress when his agency started up, and that TEDC supporters are “very pleased” to have been part of the growth and diversification that have occurred since then.

Mullins says last year was a very strong one for primary job generation in Tyler. He points to a pair of major projects. One was the Centene insurance claims center, not quite halfway to hiring a total of 325 people. The other was Distant Lands Coffee’s addition of a new product line for the single-serve market, a $32 million investment due to bring in an additional 200 jobs. Mullins also mentioned about a half-dozen other projects that, when totaled up, will come to about another $20 million of investment and some 225 additional jobs.

Thursday’s celebration was held at the Green Acres Baptist Church Crosswalk Conference Center. Guest speaker was Dr. Jason Saving, senior research economist for the Dallas Federal Reserve. Saving observed that the economic picture in Tyler and around Texas has encountered “some headwinds” and mixed messages about the future. But by and large, he says, the state and local economies are growing at a moderate pace that will apparently continue for the remainder of the year. According to Saving, longer-term challenges include educating the workforce, availability of health care, and having strong infrastructure. And he says the over-arching challenge is addressing those issues while maintaining the friendly local and statewide business environment.