Republic Elite honored for PACE-funded Marshall plant upgrades

Harrison County commissioners and guests recognized Republic Elite on June 17 after the Marshall cabinet manufacturing facility won a national award for a project financed in part through the county's PACE program.

Doug Taylor, chief operating officer at Texas PACE Authority, told the court that the county's PACE program, established by the county last February, enables long-term financing for energy and water improvements and that the Republic Elite project "received what's called the Pacesetter Award, for innovative deal of the year." Taylor said the program is opt-in and allows localities to decide whether PACE financing makes sense for their communities.

Steve Garwood, chief operating officer for Republic Elite, described the Marshall site's improvements, saying the company started the project in 2021 to "improve the working conditions and the business performance of the Republic Elite facility here at Marshall." He said the changes led to dramatic gains in safety and throughput, noting production capacity improvements and energy reductions: "Delivery, we were 35,000 cabinets past due, and now we're capable of doing 1,000,000 cabinets a year." Garwood accepted the award on behalf of his team and thanked county leaders for approving the PACE program that enabled the financing.

County leaders invited Republic Elite and PACE staff to a photo and said they expect other local manufacturers to consider similar upgrades now that the program has a recognized example. The recognition did not involve any formal county action beyond the presentation and remarks.