Begining on Tuesday afternoon, Dave Quinn, Executive Director of the Levelland Economic Development Corporation will be joining 16 other High Ground members at this years Renewable Energy Technology conference & Exposition (RETECH) in Las Vegas, NV.
RETECH is the largest all-renewable energy industry gathering in 2009 in the United States. Exhibitors at RETCH are the leaders in the industry:forward-thinking, focused organizations with a global view.
The show offers unparalleled opportunities to engage with other leaders in the renewable energy industry, exposure to markets in wind,solar, hydro, ocean, geothermal, biomass, waste energy, biodiesel, bio-based products, hydrogen and other renewable, green and sustainable technologies, and maximize the exposure of opportunities that exist in Levelland and in the High Ground of Texas.
Levelland will be showcasing the new Industrial Rail Park and industrial sites located around the Levelland/Hockley County Ethanol Plant rail loop both of which can accomdate the loading and unloading of unit car trains.
Levelland is betting that thier access to rail will prove to be a lucrative econnomic development tool as the renewable energy sector expands in the United States.
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Levelland Economic Devleopment Corporation is expected to close on a deal with Eco Blue, a cotton fiber insulation manufacturer that will create more than 40 jobs in the community located just west of Lubbock, Texas.
Officials with Eco Blue have accepted the incentive package offered by the Levelland EDC. Eco Blue could begin manufacturing cotton fiber insulation by the second quater of 2009. The company previously produced the cotton insulation in Post, Texas but decided to relocate to Levelland to take advantage of land, infrastructure and workforce assets.
Under the agreement Eco Blue will purchase an existing 40,000 sq. ft facility located on Industrial drive in Levelland. The Levelland EDC offered Eco Blue a corporate incentive equal to $5000 per job and applied it toward the over all purchase price of the building. Eco Blue will pay the Levelland EDC $550,000 for the building and the LEDC will carry the note on the building for a 10 year period at a reduced interest rate. "This is a win/win for Levelland and Eco Blue," said Elgin Conner the LEDC chairman. "It allows Eco Blue to begin operating immediately while putting the building back on the tax roles for the community of Levelland and Hockley County."
The Levelland EDC has sites available in the new Levelland Industrial Rail Park that offers full city utilities, rail access and employees can be easily drawn from the Lubbock South Plains Workforce Development Area, with a pool of over 200,000 employees in the surrounding area.