Ribbon-Cutting Marks Provalus’ Growing Investment In Crockett
By Greg Ritchie
Messenger Reporter
CROCKETT — Under a hot September sun, Provalus employees wearing matching red shirts joined corporate leaders, local officials and state representatives Tuesday to celebrate the company’s growing investment in Crockett.
The ribbon-cutting ceremony at 1505 S. Fourth St. marked the formal celebration of a facility that opened in spring 2025 and now employs nearly 100 people.
Will Ruzic, Provalus’ vice president of Facilities and Operations, said the company was founded on a simple belief.
“The talent lives in rural America, and that talent should not have to leave our communities to find meaningful careers,” Ruzic said.
That belief has guided Provalus as it has expanded its technology services into rural communities, he said. The company’s presence in Crockett, Ruzic added, represents more than a renovated building or a new business sign.
“It’s about finding the local leadership that understands the people, that believes in their community, that’s willing to work through the challenges it may take to bring something new and exciting into their communities,” Ruzic said.
Ruzic thanked the local, county, state and regional leaders who helped bring Provalus to Crockett, saying the company’s economic-development model is built around investing in people, strengthening families and creating reasons for talented workers to remain in or return to their hometowns.
“We found that right here in Crockett, Texas,” he said.
Houston County Judge Jim Lovell offered the invocation and welcomed Provalus to the county.
“I hope that Houston County is exactly what they need,” Lovell said. “I know that they are what we need.”
The company’s arrival has been particularly significant in a community where residents have often had to leave home to find specialized employment, Lovell said, describing the jobs created by Provalus as “desperately needed.”
State Rep. Trent Ashby, who represents Houston County in Texas House District 9, said the ceremony demonstrated what can happen when private investment and local leadership come together.
“In my experience, I have found the friendliest people, the hardest working people, are right here in East Texas,” Ashby said.
Ashby congratulated those involved in bringing Provalus to Crockett and said the company’s investment should serve as an example for other rural communities across Texas.
“I want you to know, on behalf of the state of Texas, this is exactly what we need to replicate across our beloved Lone Star State,” he said.
Crockett Mayor Dr. Ianthia Fisher spoke about the effect Provalus has already had on local families.
“You brought people back to our community,” Fisher said. “You brought work, you brought hope, you brought joy.”
Fisher said the company has provided opportunities for multiple generations of local residents and has given young people another reason to imagine their futures in Crockett.
John Angerstein, Crockett’s city administrator, recalled first learning about Provalus at an economic-development gathering several years ago. After hearing about the jobs and opportunities the company had created elsewhere in East Texas, he began working to determine whether Crockett could become another Provalus location.
Angerstein said his initial conversations began in spring 2024, with construction starting soon afterward. Although the building was only about 15 years old, the renovation included numerous surprises and changes along the way.
By spring 2025, employees were being hired and put to work while portions of the facility were still being completed.
Angerstein said the most important part of the project is not the building itself but the people working inside it.
“The greatest thing about Provalus in the city of Crockett is the people in it,” Angerstein said. “And the jobs that you provided, and the new breath you brought to our community.”
As the father of children growing up in Crockett, Angerstein said the project was personal. He said Provalus could help give his kids and other local young people opportunities to build their futures without having to leave home.
Angerstein presented Provalus with a Crockett challenge coin during the ceremony, promising to deliver a key to the city at a later date.
Nancy Windham, president and CEO of the Texas Forest Country Partnership and vice chair of the Texas Commission on the Arts, described Provalus as a company she had followed through its growth in East Texas.
Windham said the company first established an East Texas presence in Jasper before later considering another location. While working with Angerstein on other projects, she said, he asked whether Provalus might consider moving to Crockett.
“Do you think Provalus would consider another move — Crockett?” Windham recalled Angerstein asking.
“Sometimes timing is everything with economic-development pursuits,” Windham said.
She credited the cooperation of local and regional partners, including those working to strengthen workforce development and educational opportunities across East Texas.
Mike Keogh, president of Provalus, said the company’s mission extends beyond opening facilities and providing technology services.
He said Provalus’ first goal is improving the lives of its employees, while its second is making a positive impact in every community where the company operates.
Keogh said Crockett is Provalus’ ninth location in the United States, with the company planning to have 13 locations operating nationwide by the end of next year.
The company’s growth, he said, is based on a belief that rural workers are often underestimated.
Provalus has found talented, committed employees in rural communities, Keogh said, and the company intends to continue investing its resources in those communities.
Dr. Scott Moore, chief of staff to Texas State Board of Education member Dr. Audrey Young, also participated in the ceremony. Moore read a certificate recognizing Provalus for creating technology careers through the recruitment, training and development of workers in rural and veteran-rich communities.
The certificate cited Provalus’ role in building a highly skilled workforce, delivering technology services and helping prepare employees for an evolving industry.
After the speeches, attendees gathered for photographs, refreshments and a tour of the facility.
Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]
