From household names such as DuPont and OxyChem to lesser known firms making everything from components for the burgeoning wind energy industry to food items for America’s dinner tables, manufacturing is a durable and growing economic sector in the Coasta Bend of Texas.

The benefits of investing in the region are clear, says Josephine Miller, executive director of the San Patricio County Economic Development Council.

Clean air, excellent transportation, available land, top-notch education, training programs that certify skilled workers and a climate that doesn’t interrupt production schedules are just some of the reasons firms choose the 12-county region for new investment or expansion. Access to Union Pacific, BNSF and KCS rail providers, the presence of the deep-water Port Corpus Christi and load-bearing soil (no pilings needed) round out the picture, Miller says.

Robert C. Blair, vice president of Bay Ltd., one of the region’s largest employers, says the region’s residents are also a key asset.
“The quality of the people goes beyond their significant skill level – there is a genuine concern for one another and a real focus on improving every aspect of our community, including welcoming new business partners to the community,” Blair says.

Education Gives the Edge

Blair also cites the “significant continuing education support” from regional institutions, and Miller agrees.

“We niche target our workforce training,” she says. “We do our research and identify the needs of our industries and then develop the programs to produce workers with those specific skills. We don’t tailor programs to whatever grant happens to be available and then end up with people trained for jobs that don’t exist.”

Cooperation among the area high schools is producing graduates who hold certifications for entry level jobs. Welding at Ingleside High School is just such a program. After high school, a network of training centers, colleges and universities including Del Mar College, Coastal Bend College, Texas A&M-Kingsville, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and the Craft Training Center offer programs that equip students with the skill sets needed to earn competitive pay in area manufacturing plants.

Many of these students find employment in the major companies in the region that build some of the world's largest off-shore drilling platforms or manufacture intricate components for the aerospace industry.

Strong Manufacturing Foundation

Bay Ltd. has more than 50 years of growth and success in the Coastal Bend. Bay is an industrial services company that, among other things, performs vessel, pipe and structural fabrication for companies that include refineries, chemical and petrochemical manufacturers and offshore exploration.

Two other firms with more than 50 years of history in the region are:

Corpus Christi-based Horton Automatics developed the first automatic sliding door in America in 1960 and gave birth to an industry. Horton’s products are installed worldwide at restaurants, airports, hospitals, hotels, casinos, offices and convenience stores, as well as at some unique locations, such as at the Back to the Future Ride at Universal Studios, Star Trek Ride at the Hilton Hotel Las Vegas and the Tower of Terror Ride at Disney World.

Sherwin Alumina remains one of the key manufacturing employers in the Coastal Bend. Located in Gregory, the company produces in excess of 4,000 metric tons of alumina products per day, most of which is exported and converted into aluminum.