DevelopAbilene Brings New Corporate Headquarters to Downtown Abilene

ABILENE, TEXAS (December 3, 2020) – The Development Corporation of Abilene (DCOA) is announcing with its DevelopAbilene partner, the Abilene Industrial Foundation (AIF), that Jacob and Martin is relocating and expanding its corporate headquarters to Downtown Abilene. On Thursday, December 3, 2020, Abilene City Council approved the $525,000 incentive package for the business expansion project.

This expansion project represents a fundamental shift in the operation of both the DCOA and AIF spurred by their recent realignment. Under the new alignment, the DCOA and its partners adopted three Core Pillars: Business Attraction, Business Retention and Expansion, and Entrepreneurial. The Business Retention and Expansion Pillar is managed by the AIF to identify and grow local existing businesses, like Jacob and Martin.

In May of 2020, the AIF identified the opportunity for advancement with Jacob and Martin and immediately brought it to the DCOA. In partnership, the two organizations worked together to identify potential sites in downtown that could serve as the new headquarters for the company.

Established in 1948 in Abilene, Jacob and Martin has provided their services to the community and surrounding area for almost seven decades. Serving both public and private organizations, Jacob and Martin provides a wide variety of professional, engineering, and architectural services.

The firm’s relocation and expansion is bringing an estimated total capital investment of $3.5 million into the community. This project is projected to retain 69 jobs and create an additional 9 jobs, with an average wage of $64,592.

“We are creating the Abilene of the future,” said Misty Mayo, CEO of the DCOA. “This project is one more way DevelopAbilene ensures the viability of the community for years to come – investing for today and the future.”

Successful downtown revitalizations require several types of long-term tenants, from retail and restaurants to daytime offices. The traffic created by these entities helps secure current tenants and drives future development by bringing new investment into the community. Introducing a new corporate headquarters in Downtown Abilene is another prime example of how DevelopAbilene invests sales tax dollars in companies that will benefit the community to generate a positive return on investment.

Growing existing local businesses is essential to fulfilling the DevelopAbilene’s mission of building prosperity for the families of Abilene. To learn more about DevelopAbilene, please visit www.developabilene.com.