IESI Corporation, a Canada-based waste management and recycling company, is establishing a new operation in Whitesboro, Texas. It intends to collect and dispose of waste and recyclables for residential, commercial and industrial customers. The company is investing $200,000, creating 20 jobs in a community that has a population of just 4,200.
In 2000, with limited resources, the Whitesboro Industrial Development Corporation (WIDCO) took smart risks and purchased disused land just inside Whitesboro’s city limits. The property contained only broken vehicles and a couple of empty buildings. After a thorough clean up, including asbestos removal, the property was able to meet state environmental regulations. WIDCO then divided the tract into two lots and marketed them for development under the new name Whitesboro Industrial Park.
Soon thereafter, IESI noticed the city’s marketing and expressed interest in the former brownfield property. WIDCO located and negotiated a price with a developer from Justin, Texas to purchase the property and construct the facility to IESI specifications. Through the sale, WIDCO recouped its original purchase and clean-up costs. Incentives offered to IESI included permit cost and installation of utilities to the site. The deal was sealed and IESI was on its way to its new home in North Texas.
According to Whitesboro Economic Development Director Janis Crawley, “The IESI project illustrates the potentially big results that small communities can achieve through economic development initiatives. With little upfront investment and no involvement of state incentives, the industrial development corporation of Whitesboro was able to transform an abandoned property into a job creation opportunity.”