Nacogdoches, Texas – Deep East Texas Council of Governments (DETCOG) and Nacogdoches officials presented a $200,000.00 check to an Endura Products Executive Wednesday. The funds facilitate Endura in keeping its thirty-plus employees working at its Nacogdoches Plant. Endura Vice-President of Operations Kevin MacDonald told those gathered that where they acquire the wood used in their door frames has shifted from South America to North Carolina and Virginia. The additional cost of the wood, and shipping it to Nacogdoches, has significantly raised the cost of the products produced in Nacogdoches, making them less competitive in the market. At one time Endura considered shifting the production from Nacogdoches to plants located nearer the wood supply. The $200,000.00 in funds from the DETCOG Forgivable Loan program is meant to facilitate keeping the thirty-plus jobs at Endura in Nacogdoches. If the company maintains those jobs for two years, the Forgivable Loan becomes a grant.
Assisting DETCOG Executive Director Walter Diggles with the presentation were Nacogdoches Mayor Roger Van Horn; DETCOG First Vice President, Nacogdoches Commissioner, Roy Bolden; Nacogdoches City Commissioner Mike Keller and Nacogdoches Economic Development Corporation President and CEO Nancy Windham.
DETCOG is projected to make eleven Forgivable Loans totaling over $ 3.74 Million Dollars in the twelve county region. The loans are expected to create or retain over two-hundred seventy jobs.
