Tim Smith, At Large Board Member for BREI, presents KEDC Executive Director Lisa Denton the 2025 Award of Excellence for the KeepRite Refrigeration Project in Synergy Park.
Kilgore [Texas] Economic Development Corporation set the high bar in June 2024 with its second-in-a-row Award of Excellence from Business Retention and Expansion International. Last month, KEDC made history again with a third consecutive win during BREI's 2025 Annual Conference in Cheyenne, Wyoming.
At the heart of the award is KeepRite Refrigeration's expansion into Synergy Park, an effort that began long before company leaders broke ground a little more than one year ago. BREI's competitive awards process includes programs from across the United States and Canada that demonstrate outstanding leadership, innovation and results to retain and grow businesses. Applicants submit detailed project narratives for consideration by a professional awards committee, with key factors in the initiative's effectiveness, community impact and alignment with best practices in business retention and expansion.
According to Kilgore Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Lisa Denton, a core element in facilitating KeepRite’s growth here was healthy collaboration between Kilgore EDC and Longview Economic Development Corporation. The two organizations share a 'No Poaching' mantra. Working together, they ensured a company landlocked in Longview (and considering a move to Mesquite) could manifest renewed success in East Texas through a new, larger footprint in Kilgore.
"Poaching and moving companies from one community to another doesn't gain anything for the region," Denton said. "Collaboration between communities in the region is vitally important for economic development because we all share the same labor shed and the amenities that make our region attractive. "It makes us stronger when we present as a region. To be able to partner with our neighbors is critical in attracting quality companies and advancing economic development."
The same KeepRite project earned a 2024 Community Economic Development Award from the Texas Economic Development Council last Fall. Last month saw Denton highlight the KeepRite expansion during a TEDC panel at the organization's 2025 Mid-Year Conference in Rockwall.
"We want to make sure that Kilgore has a lower operating cost with a higher profit margin and the best workforce to ensure we're collaborating and meeting companies' goals so they continue moving here and continue to expand here." KeepRite was a cornerstone company, Denton added, and one whose leaders explicitly pursued a space large enough to facilitate a 10-acre green space for employees.
"Not all employers put that first in their project plans," Denton said, deferring employee amenities until other priorities are accomplished. It was a key element for KeepRite: "The whole building design centered around having these benefits for their employees. "I think that speaks to the quality of employer they are, and that's exactly the type of employers we want to target and attract into our community. It makes our community stronger as a whole and more inviting for the workforce."
KEDC previously earned international recognition from BREI in 2009 and 2016, followed by awards in 2023 (spotlighting the Halliburton Property Redevelopment and Skeeter Boats Expansion) then again in 2024, a project that highlighted KEDC's ongoing partnership with Kilgore College to equip and empower the East Texas workforce for a wide array of high-skilled jobs.
"They've not had a community win it two consecutive years and now we have three,” Denton said. “We've made
history twice."
Often pitted against larger communities internationally, "To be able to compete and win – and win consecutive years – shows that we have a strong business retention program and a strong focus on collaborating with our companies, and neighboring communities, to ensure they are able to operate and grow in our area."
For more information about Kilgore’s business-friendly environment and KEDC’s award-winning initiatives visit www.kilgore-edc.com.