4 | City of Victoria, Tx would create the most vital of any colony it had ever established in its effort to rule the Republic of Texas. Named for General Guadalupe Victoria (the first president of independent Mexico), Victoria once served as the very government headquarters of The Republic of the Rio Grande. This is a community with a wealth of history, yet when it comes to Victoria’s fiscal prosperity in the future, there are even more significant historical milestones whose relevance in the modern era merits recognition. Dale Fowler, the Certified Economic Developer who serves as President of the Victoria Economic Development Corporation, explains that 15 years ago, community leaders came together with corporate stakeholders and representatives from other community organizations to reevaluate what was being done to not only attract new business to the region, but also what was being done to make the community more conducive for business already there. For more than 8 months, strategies were discussed and anaVEDC Staff City of Victoria, Tx | 5 lyzed for impact, even as challenges and opportunities were identified. In terms of challenges, Fowler says, “We quickly realized we didn’t have ready sites. When you’re trying to recruit new business, it will be difficult if you don’t have a place ready to go with infrastructure.” Among the EDC’s earliest successes was developing an industrial park encompassing 320-acres of land within City limits. Approximately $3.4 million was spent by the community for land and the EDC secured a $1.6 million EDA grant for upgrading the road, putting in streetlights as well as storm water retention and drainage systems. When all was done, the community had what appeared to be four-lanes of beautiful paved boulevard winding between two pastures. It sat like this for the next several years, necessitating upkeep of landscaping and road maintenance, while Fowler’s EDC was diligently working behind the scenes to market that real estate to industrial prospects. For all his meetings and negotiations in other markets, over time, there would be certain challenges also confronted in his home market. People had begun to speculate about the rationale behind that industrial park. It became a poKANSAS CITY SOUTHERN AND VICTORIA, TEXAS. PARTNERS FOR THE FUTURE. Large Enough To Go Anywhere. Small Enough To Care. Kansas City Southern is your link to intermodal hubs, to transload centers, to ports on the Gulf of Mexico, to the international Pacific port of Lazaro Cárdenas, to the world. Bring your business aboard and we’ll find the best way to get it where it needs to go. Our cross-border network between the United States and Mexico sets us apart from any other railway in North America. From any location along the Kansas City Southern route, your shipment is never more than an interchange away from any market in North America. www.KCSouthern.com Contact us at 800-GO-TO-KCS or customer_solutions@kcsouthern.com DECEMBER 2023 THE CONSTRUCTION SOURCE AMERICA - SOUTH
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