Laserfiche WebLink
709 <br /> <br /> <br />Spencer was selling them through his store and to other convenience stores. <br />Mr. Vest told the Board that Mr. Spencer secured an account with the <br />Choctaw Nation's stores and that they came to him and wanted him to provide <br />peppers to fifty-two stores. There is an opportunity for a local small industry <br />to grow into what could be a major industry. Mr. Vest said he had worked <br />with a company once before that was stuffing cheese in jalapeno peppers and <br />they now have about three hundred employees. It is a tremendous business. <br />Mr. Vest felt that Mr. Spencer has the same potential here in Paris and felt <br />this is an opportunity for the PEDC to help a small homegrown industry to get <br />off the ground. Mr. Vest advised that the PEDC's potential aid would be to <br />build the facility for him, with PEDC owning the facility, and do a lease <br />purchase back to Mr. Spencer. He said as the facility grew there may be a <br />need to expand the building. It will be built in a manner where it can be <br />expanded. The building will have to meet USDA specifications. <br /> <br />Mr. Spencer told the Board that he has two full-time employees at this time. <br />He said he has talked to the Choctaw Nation along with Grocery Supply, who <br />has thirty thousand stores. Mr. Spencer said he also received a telephone call <br />from one of the world's largest food suppliers and he has an appointment to <br />meet with them. He advised that he has gone from selling fifteen dozen <br />stuffed peppers to 175 to 200 dozen. Mr. Spencer informed the Board that <br />they were doing everything by hand, but there is a lot of equipment that he is <br />going to have to purchase. <br /> <br />Mr. Vest advised that the survey has been received on the Northwest <br />Industrial Park. He has the plat and will have the field notes tomorrow. The <br />next step will be the design work and to go out for bids along with the timber <br />cutting and cleaning. <br /> <br />Mr. Vest said on June 6, 2002, staff attended a meeting of the Texas <br />Economic Development Sales Tax Association in Mesquite. There were 94 <br />economic development people in attendance and they debated matters <br />concerning the economic development sales tax as to whether or not they <br />should be doing retail projects. Mr. Vest advised that some people are doing <br /> <br /> <br />