TexAmericas Center has been converting former military land to commercial properties for more than a decade.
The end of the Cold War led Congress to engage in a series of Base Realignment and Closure operations. Locally, Texamericas Center was created to take the next step-recruiting and offering a home for businesses.
"The trick in economic development is recognizing the sound of opportunity walking down the hallway," said Eric Voyles, executive vice president and chief economic development officer for TexAmericas. "That is part of our job, not only making this place an attractive place to set up business, but to get the word out. We are walking down the hallway of American business and knocking on doors, and we think those opportunities are knocking on our door, too."
TexAmericas has steadily filled the spaces as they became available for tenants. Central Campus, the first 765 acres they had to fill, is now at 100 percent occupation in available, usable buildings.
"The fact that we have gotten this far with just Central Campus shows we are doing something right," said Scott Norton, executive director and CEO of TexAmericas. "We are in touch with organizations like ours who also are working to repurpose former military land. There are ones who have far smaller land for businesses who aren't anywhere close to 100 percent in use."
"But each organization in the same business we are has all unique challenges," Norton said. "We just happen to have a good set of advantages which has been bringing us a steady line of businesses ready to go to work."
Among the companies now operating on Central Campus is Renewable Energy Group.
"They deal in biodiesel," Norton said. "They convert various kinds of organic matter into diesel fuel. Some of the more exotic materials they convert to this use include liquified chicken parts."
REG began operations in 2007 with 20 acres. They now occupy more than 22 acres and own their own land and facilities.
W.W. Williams also operates on the Central Campus. Red River Army Depot's mission in supporting military logistics, especially in dealing with military vehicles, made it ideal for W.W. Williams.
"They are a defense contractor and support Red River's mission," Norton said. "They also own their own land and building. When business increases in tempo, they can surge into rental warehouses on the footprint."
M2 Services also works with military vehicles but deals with agencies other than RRAD.
"They've worked with all kinds of clients," Norton said. "One of their bigger jobs had them doing conversion work on Israeli Defense Force Humvees."
Quail Tools manufactures natural gas pipelines and owns their buildings and property.
"They stay very busy," Norton said.
Various smaller contractors and businesses are also on the campus, and the Army rents some of the remaining property from TexAmericas, most notably RRAD's headquarters building and the commander's residence.
"The old RRAD Golf Course is now under private ownership," Norton said. "Oak Grove Golf Course is now a full 18 holes, with a clubhouse they plan on expanding."
Texarkana College has opened up a branch on the property, as well.
"Texarkana College got a grant through the Texas Military Preparedness Commission to set up a training school," Norton said. "Originally, the training was to get workers ready to support RRAD's activities. Since then, their training has expanded to include diesel mechanics, welding, as well as dual-credit courses (for high school students)."
About 10 percent of the newly opened East Campus is occupied. A few smaller businesses are there, including an RRAD contractor as well as a business that stores and refurbishes railcars. Expal USA, an American subsidiary of a Spanish arms company, is the biggest occupant.
"Expal is in the process of adapting some of the former ammunition manufacturing facilities to their needs," Norton said. "They will specialize in energetics, and at first, their eventual 67-plus employees will be recycling American military ammunition."
Finally, there is West Campus.
"West Campus is brand new," Norton said. "Right now, it is mostly a few buildings and wetlands. It is a long way from being ready for occupancy, but it offers plenty of potential when the time comes."
One option TexAmericas offers is customization.
"A business comes to us with a set of requirements," Norton says. "Using their specifications, we can build a package highlighting buildings, resources and whatever else they need to set up shop-along with a lease agreement-completely customized to their needs."
The concept has attracted interest. To support it, one of the next steps for TexAmericas is to build a huge warehouse space, "around 100,000 to 200,000 square feet," Norton said. "Eventually, a half-million square feet. Increased storage space on our footprint will increase what we can offer that much more."
"Planning has gotten us to where we are now," Norton said. "We've experienced more and faster success than we initially anticipated, but we don't want to slow down."
Since then, TexAmericas officials have participated in conferences with similar agencies, as well as bases still run by military management. Norton noted their challenges, including spaces smaller than RRAD that are struggling with being far from population centers and transportation networks. Others, such as the former Fort McPherson in Georgia, have had successes.
"Tyler Perry, the actor and producer, purchased the property," Norton said. "It is now the new home of Tyler Perry Studios."
TexAmericas Center is a work in progress. So far, that work is bearing fruit, as businesses continue to set up shop on former RRAD land.
"Our success is the region's success, and vice versa," Norton said.