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TCDA director reports SelectUSA outreach, cites international leads including a tissue converting firm
Summary
TCDA director Bob Kate updated council on SelectUSA, saying TCDA was among a small set of rural delegations, described meetings with international companies and a potential Turkish tissue-converting firm interested in locating in Taylor County near Perry, and summarized Opportunity Zone 2.0 nominations and six active projects.
Bob Kate, presenting a routine TCDA quarterly update, told the City of Perry council that he attended SelectUSA and that Taylor County Development Authority (TCDA) was among a small group of rural and tribal organizations included in a new 'invest in rural America' initiative. He said the conference put TCDA in front of hundreds of international delegates and economic development officials.
Kate recounted meetings with businesses from countries including Turkey, Korea, France, Japan and the United Kingdom and described several business types that showed interest, including defense contractors, health-care suppliers, and a converting-machine manufacturer. He said he met a Turkish company that makes converting equipment and that the firm has expressed interest in opening a tissue converting operation near Perry in order to serve markets in Atlanta, Jacksonville and Mobile.
Kate also summarized TCDA's Opportunity Zone 2.0 nominations, noting four census tracts submitted and six active local projects the authority considers realistic for near-term investment. He said TCDA is communicating regularly with state commerce officials and local industry leads and will continue follow-up.
Kate framed SelectUSA as a useful venue for bringing potential investors to Taylor County; he quoted an attendee line from the conference organizing message that "Select USA is the front door for foreign investment in the United States." He stressed that some figures mentioned in his recap (including a large project figure mentioned in a phone call) were preliminary and that conversations and due diligence are ongoing.
What happens next: TCDA will continue follow-ups and report subsequent firm commitments to the council when negotiations or site-selection decisions progress.
