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TEDC outlines $600 million pipeline for Smith County; Amazon and Yellowwood projects highlighted
Summary
Scott Martinez of the Tyler Economic Development Council told the Smith County Commissioner's Court that the TEDC has seven active projects that could bring more than $600 million in capital investment and roughly 1,000 jobs to Smith County, and reviewed completed and pending site-development work.
Scott Martinez, CEO of the Tyler Economic Development Council, updated the Smith County Commissioner's Court on Feb. 25 about local business attraction efforts, active projects and recent property development.
Martinez said the TEDC’s current pipeline included seven projects that together could represent roughly $600 million in potential capital investment and more than 1,000 jobs. He described typical project averages in the pipeline as about 200 jobs and a $50 million capital investment per project with median starting wages of about $65,000, and noted many prospects seek 40 acres and 150,000 square feet of building space.
He provided two specific project updates. First, Martinez said Amazon is building a roughly 40,000-square-foot “last-mile” delivery station near County Road 334 and State Highway 155 and expected completion by September. Martinez said the Amazon site did not receive public incentives, bought property, and paid for required traffic improvements including signals and turn lanes. Second, he described Yellowwood’s new wood-treatment facility in the Tyler Interstate Commerce Park and noted it had signed a supply partnership with Home Depot; Martinez showed images of newly paved public roadways that opened access to the park.
Martinez described how the TEDC acquired and marketed land — including a 119-acre parcel initially purchased in 1999 and repositioned as the North Tyler Commerce Park — and a recent 1,981-acre acquisition available for large industrial users near State Highways 14 and 271 that he said has already yielded acreage under contract for a Fortune 50 company with more than $40 million in planned investment. He emphasized that TEDC frequently seeks development without leading with tax abatements; Martinez said both Amazon and Yellowwood proceeded without Smith County tax abatements.
Martinez also presented labor-market and population data: a December 2024 civilian labor force of about 119,203 (up from about 114,884 in December 2023) and an employment growth rate of roughly 3.6 percent that year. He said a new job was added in Smith County “every 2.03 hours” during 2024 and cited a 2025 population estimate of about 252,000 with a projection above 270,000 by 2030.
Judge Neil Franklin and commissioners thanked Martinez and said the county’s role in public infrastructure (roads, water, electricity) was an important partnership in enabling economic development. Martinez said TEDC finances many land-preparation and marketing activities as a private organization funded by members rather than a public half-cent sales tax model.
Ending
No formal vote was required. Commissioners expressed support for continuing public-private partnerships to prepare shovel-ready property and to attract employers.
