Paris Economic Development Corporation Honored with 2024 Community Economic Development Award

Paris, Texas – The Texas Economic Development Council (TEDC) has awarded the Paris Economic Development Corporation (PEDC) with the prestigious Annual Community Economic Development Award (CEDA) for 2024. This accolade recognizes PEDC's outstanding contribution to the economic vitality of Paris, Texas, distinguishing the city among those with populations ranging from 20,001 to 50,000.

The CEDA program celebrates the efforts of TEDC member cities that demonstrate innovation, leadership, and partnerships in achieving business retention, recruitment, and community improvement. This year, thirty-nine applications were evaluated based on criteria such as innovativeness, transferability, community commitment and leverage, measured objectives, and secondary benefits.

Our Community Economic Development Award is one of the ways we honor the excellent work done by our communities, their leaders, and their economic development professionals," said Carlton Schwab, President & CEO of the Texas Economic Development Council. "Each community nominated achieved excellence in economic development and substantially improved the economic base of their respective regions.

The PEDC's success story revolves around the exemplary retention and expansion project of Huhtamaki's Paris facility. Securing this project resulted in the retention of 200 jobs, the creation of 80 new jobs, and a total investment of $85 million. This achievement underscores the PEDC's capacity to forge strategic partnerships and execute innovative solutions to meet the needs of businesses and the community.

With Texas carrying the title of Best State for Business for the last 20 years, we knew the competition for this award would be steep," said Maureen Hammond, Executive Director of the Paris Economic Development Corporation. "The Paris Economic Dev. Corp was presented with the Huhtamaki project, and while each project has its own challenges, we felt the most crucial element to securing their investment would be a successful team—a team that consisted of the right stakeholders who would use an innovative approach and critical thinking to meet the needs of this company.

The PEDC, led by Hammond, coordinated with local stakeholders, including the City of Paris, Lamar County, and various infrastructure partners, to offer a comprehensive incentive package. This package included competitive tax abatements, infrastructure grants, and strategic land acquisitions. Huhtamaki's commitment to the community and its investment in Paris played a pivotal role in this endeavor.

Today, the PEDC accepts this award, but the real winners are the team at Huhtamaki. Without their commitment, investment, and care for our region, we would not be standing here," added Hammond. "Plant manager, Adam Routon fought for this development, and we would not have had the opportunity for their investment in Paris without his leadership.

The Huhtamaki expansion in Paris would not have happened without the PEDC’s leadership and innovative approach to addressing the challenges we faced throughout this competitive site selection," said Plant Director Adam Routon. "Their coordination with stakeholders, seamless communication, and creative solutions were key to the success of this project.

PEDC Chairman Josh Bray added, "The CEDA award is one of the highest levels of acknowledgment an EDC in the State of Texas can receive. We are proud of the team who executed this project with excellence, and I feel this award represents the dedication it takes to make projects like Huhtamaki a reality."

The PEDC's innovative and collaborative approach secured the Huhtamaki expansion and set a transferable model for other communities. This project is positioned to deliver significant economic growth and community benefits, including an estimated $1.45 billion in economic impact over the next ten years.