Kerrville economy gets new business booster
As it pushes to increase the area's presence in aerospace manufacturing, the Kerr Economic Development Corp. has created a new position to focus on developing the Kerr County workforce.
The publicly funded economic development group hired Katie Milton Jordan as its manager of business development, workforce development and talent.
Her aim will be building the base of talent available for prospective employers to hire.
“The purpose of this new position at KERREDC is to develop our local workforce, retain our talent and ensure entrepreneurs have the tools they need — all of which will greatly benefit Kerrville and Kerr County residents,” Executive Director Gilberto Salinas said in a statement.
Milton Jordan, a native of Minnesota who has lived in several states and countries, has been in Kerrville since 2016. She was previously a business broker with Texas Business Buyers. Her professional website said she consulted with small business owners looking to sell their companies and others wanting to acquire in order to secure sales.
“I genuinely believe the world would be a better place with more small and mid-sized businesses,” she said in a statement. “I look forward to supporting our local businesses, fostering economic growth for our local economy and helping recruit new industry to Kerrville.”
Salinas said her international experience brings a “much-needed dimension” to the organization. “She is a natural fit now that we’ve started seeing some international prospect activity,” he said.
The position is being created as Kerrville is focused on developing industry clusters, with a renewed focus on aerospace manufacturing.
Last month, Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing, which produces electronic components for the aerospace industry and military, began an $8 million project to develop a manufacturing facility it says will eventually create 400 jobs in Kerrville. The company has created 70 jobs in Kerrville since arriving in December and said it plans to continue growing into the new facility at the Kerrville Airport Commerce Park. The company supplies aerospace giants Boeing, Raytheon and Lockheed Martin.
Kerrville and Kerr County are no strangers to aviation. The area has hosted several manufacturers and aircraft-related companies for decades while fostering “aerospace and aviation clusters,” Salinas said last month.
“Within a one-hour flight of Kerrville are more than 1,500 aircraft owners and operators, which is up to five times the same market breakdown for cities of comparable size to Kerrville,” he said in a statement.
With a workforce of more than 21,000 people, the Kerrville area reported an unemployment rate of 3.4 percent in September, below the statewide jobless rate of 4 percent, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.