Rich Industrial Heritage Thrives in Best Southwest Region
The Southwest Dallas Region is attracting more industrial companies.
When Missouri-based idX Corporation was looking for a production plant to establish in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, the city of Cedar Hill was never on their original radar. But after a courtesy meeting with city officials, Cedar Hill was chosen for a new idX Dallas manufacturing facility that opened in 2013.
“The people of Cedar Hill were kind and helpful throughout the entire meeting process, with their city council and economic development board making us feel like Cedar Hill would be a great home for us – and it certainly is,” says Rob McDonald, idX Dallas general manager. “This whole region of Ellis County and Dallas County seems to be a growing hot spot for economic development, and in the case of Cedar Hill, they are very pro-business.”
idX has already expanded its workforce in the region, growing from seven employees to 100, McDonald says.
The company manufactures displays made of wood, metal and acrylics that are primarily used by retailers to best showcase their merchandise in stores.
“Our core business is manufacturing, but we also have designers, engineers and millworkers to help clients through the entire display process,” McDonald says. “We want to make a difference in the Cedar Hill area, bringing jobs and a positive influence to the community. And perhaps most importantly, we are helping bring manufacturing back to the U.S.”
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Good for Business
Dozens of thriving industries are now becoming part of the rich production heritage that has long been integral to the Best Southwest Region. Both Dallas County and Ellis County provide a wealth of competitive advantages for expanding this diverse industrial base. Those advantages include a skilled workforce fed by a strong network of colleges and universities, plentiful industrial sites, a well-connected highway network with easy access to an international airport and a high quality of life for residents who live there.
Besides idX, the city of Cedar Hill also hosts industrial companies like Central States Manufacturing, P&W Quality Machine, PepWear and Woodmont Cabinetry. Other companies experiencing success throughout Dallas County include DIAB and Solar Turbines in DeSoto, and Quality Cabinets and Doors, a MASCO subsidiary, in Duncanville.
Lancaster is home to many industrial operations, including BASF Construction Chemicals, Bentwood Luxury Kitchens, BrassCraft, Oak Creek Homes and Oncor. In Ellis County, Kohler makes its brand-name plumbing products in Wilmer, and Triumph Aerostructures manufactures wings for Bombardier business jets in Red Oak.
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Eager and Hardworking
Aquatic is a California-based company that has established several manufacturing facilities throughout the U.S. in smaller communities, including a plant in Lancaster. The company specializes in the production of bathing products that include soaking tubs, whirlpool baths, hydrotherapy tubs, steam showers, shower doors and several bathtubs designed for the disabled as well as the aging population.
“We purposely choose smaller cities because they appreciate when industries pick them and provide jobs, and Lancaster is a perfect community for us to do business,” says Stuart Leigh, president of Aquatic. “The workforce in Lancaster is eager and hardworking, and the highway system in Dallas and Ellis counties allows our company easy transportation access to several markets.”
Aquatic products are sold only at The Home Depot for the retail customer market, while many of Aquatic’s sales also occur directly to construction contractors. A total of 100 people work at the Lancaster site, and Leigh says the company is proud that all its bath products are designed and made in America.
“The Lancaster manufacturing plant is helping our company continue to set the benchmark for the bathing products industry worldwide,” Leigh says. “I would recommend Dallas County and Ellis County to any company looking to be successful.”
Find more manufacturers in the Southwest Dallas region.