City Celebrates Groundbreaking for New Manufacturing Facility in Crockett
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
CROCKETT – The flags flew in the cool breeze as the line of shovels and hard hats sat ready in long line for the local dignitaries to break ground and make it official. A&A Texas Capital is ready to begin construction on their logistics and manufacturing facility in Crockett, after an extensive search through Texas, looking for a home for their unique technology of wood treatments.
The company is the result of many years of work by Wes Wall, from Alberta, Canada and his company Genics. Wall’s children, Amber Nelson and Adam Wall had already found their way to Texas and the time was right for them to get involved in the family business. Wall traveled all over the state, looking for the right community to launch the American counterpart. Wall needed a place that understood wood, a place friendly and open to a new business, a place his children and their families would feel comfortable living and a place that matched the family and company values.
“We looked at many different communities, but the City of Crockett won not only our hearts, but intellectually, with the reasons for locating there,” Wall told The Messenger before the ceremony. “The hub of our manufacturing plant in Canada is in forest country and our motto is, ‘Wherever wood is used.’ So, it just makes sense to be in the heart of Piney Woods. The local values align extremely well with our values and our Crockett operation will grow as we have made commitments in terms of jobs we will create.”
Wall explained what the company does and how their unique technology is taking wood to a new level.
“The two key pieces of our core technology are dissolvable glass that has no silica and is just copper and boron made into glass that dissolves inside of wood when it’s wet,” Wall explained. “It stops termite decay and all sorts of pests. Our fire mesh technology won’t be here at day one, but down the road it will be in the U.S.”
Crockett Mayor Dr. Ianthia Fisher told the crowd this opening was the end of a long road of working to attract new businesses to the city – one that had finally paid off.
“There were times when we had a nibble. There’s were times when we had a bite. But this is the first time we’ve been able to reel it in. We’re so excited to welcome this company. And we’re not going to let them off the hook!” Fisher said. As a community, we’re so grateful they have the same vision, the same attitudes, the same lifestyles. Give God the glory that He sent us the right people that don’t have to fake it or make ourselves into something that we aren’t and we’re going to be here to give all the support we can.”
City Administrator John Angerstein had related to The Messenger this project was one of the reasons city council took the steps it did to reconvene the Crockett Economic and Industrial Development Corporation (CEIDC), as this was the entity best suited to get the deal with A&A Texas Capital completed.
“I want to thank John Angerstein, who accommodated me in some very difficult circumstances in terms of timing and scheduling,” Wall said. “I want to thank the mayor, the city council members we’ve met with numbers of times, as well as the county judge and the commissioners. If you think they did something willy nilly, they did not. They were meticulous. They asked a lot of questions. They expected good answers. They expected commitments and we will do our best to uphold those commitments.”
Son Adam Wall will be the CEO of the new venture, with sister Amber Nelson serving as the COO. Nelson and her family have already purchased a home in Crockett as they begin the supervision of the first phase of the multi-year project. The first part will be to complete construction, then Crockett will serve as the American logistical hub for the company until the full manufacturing facility and operations can be completed.
Adam Wall, born and raised in Canada, found a special bond in America, and specifically in Texas, leading him to move his family here and, eventually, the beginning of this new project in the city.
“My family moved to America two years ago. Sometimes, we can be a little leery when people come to our country. And traveling here over the years in America, I always felt like I was at home. Not that I wasn’t grateful for where I was raised and how I was raised. But America is just something very special, which is why I moved my family here. And when dad came down and found Crockett, he told us all about it, but we’ve got to experience it now,” Adam Wall said. “We’re happy to be involved in the community – you’ll be seeing my sister and I around here a lot and thank you for welcoming us with open arms.”
As the ceremony finished and the ground was broken on the new construction, it was an important evening in Crockett. A new venture with people in line with the local community and its values, here to build their business and generate some badly-needed jobs.
Attendees made their way to their cars, many saying they hoped this would prove to be the first of many more to come.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
