Pflugerville development leader steps down,
Pflugerville Community Development Corporation head Floyd Akers is stepping down from his post Aug. 1 after four years of working to bring economic prosperity to the city.
The corporation’s executive director submitted his resignation May 15 and the attorney says he plans to practice law again — only in private practice this time.
“I’ve been working for 20 years in the government sector and I’m ready to do something that’s non-governmental. I want to move from government work into the private sector,” Akers said. “I’ve been here for eightand-a-half years. It’s the longest I’ve been anywhere by like double. I get restless.”
During his tenure, the development corporation, in partnership with the city, has brought in a variety of businesses, large and small, including Hawaiian Falls Pflugerville. Hawaiian Falls, he believes, has been the largest monetary project, bringing in $810,000 in revenue in the past year.
Pflugerville’s first hotel, Best Western Plus, is going up at 130 Commerce Center, and the city is preparing to break ground on a Marriott hotel as well as a civic center.
“They still have to go through site development. For a long time the problem was not having space to put anybody,” Akers said. “We were able to get these huge manufacturing and distribution facilities built and we’ve built two of them, and are preparing to build six more of them for a total of 780,000 square feet of space.”
Most recently, Precision Ammunition, a commercial and high-end ammunition producer, announced plans to move its headquarters to Pflugerville this summer.
Mtech, a subsidiary of Comfort System and employer of 264 people, built its regional headquarters in Pflugerville in 2013.
Akers believes the Pflugerville Community Development Corporation has made progress in helping boost economic growth in the city. He estimates about 2,000 jobs have been created in Pflugerville during the past four years.
“The first thing I was tasked to do was develop the 130 Commerce Center. As you can see, it is a very flourishing development,” Akers said.
One of the proudest accomplishments, he said, was helping a small business become successful.
Lil’ Mama’s Corner Café, he said, grew from a one-person business to one that employs five people. He said he believes small businesses employ the greatest number of employees in the country so it is important for Pflugerville to support them.
Akers attributed economic success to the partnerships and relationships among the city and corporation.
“During Floyd’s leadership, the PCDC has put a spotlight on the city of Pflugerville and attracted attention of numerous companies looking to relocate in Pflugerville,” Mayor Jeff Coleman said. “The 130 Commerce Center is now our business center and Pflugerville’s first hotels are now under construction thanks to the cooperation between the city and the PCDC leadership. From working first as the city’s attorney and then moving over to lead the economic development corporation, Floyd has left a lasting impact on the city of Pflugerville.”