The state on Friday gave Cat Logistics $195,556 to train the people who will work in Caterpillar’s massive new parts distribution center in Waco.

Hiring for that center has begun and will continue through the summer, manager Darin Suarez said Friday. He won’t stop until he has about 175 to 200 employees on the payroll. Workers will earn an average hourly wage of $13.82 after they complete their training.

Cat Logistics, which is part of the Caterpillar equipment company, built its plant on Bagby Avenue in Texas Central Park at a cost of $38.9 million. It will stock replacement parts for Cat dealers.

The training money is not the first financial help Cat has received. About $720,000 in incentive money was made available by the Waco-McLennan County Economic Development Corp.

McLennan Community College helped secure the training funds for Cat from the Texas Workforce Commission.

‘Green’ mobile homes

Clayton Homes has come up with a “green” manufactured home that the company hopes shatters mobile home stereotypes.

It calls its creation the “i house,” because it features a long “core” house and a separate box-shaped guestroom-office.

This causes it to resemble the letter i, though Clayton officials say the i also stands for innovation, inspiration, intelligence and integration.

The Energy Star-rated design features heavy insulation, six-inch thick exterior walls, energy-efficient appliances, a tankless water heater, dual-flush toilets and lots of glazed windows.

A 1,000-square-foot prototype unveiled at a Clayton show in Knoxville a few months ago was priced at around $140,000.

For now, the homes are being built only at plants in Oregon, Tennessee, California and New Mexico.

But if demand takes off, spokesman Chris Nicely said, Clayton will look at production sites in other states.

Clayton has two plants in Waco. Would it look here?

“Absolutely,” Nicely said.

Sno cones in Hewitt

Bahama Buck’s, which specializes in frozen treats, will open a store at 913 N. Hewitt Drive on May 19.

Owners of the new location are Mike and Cathy Burbidge.

Bakery thriving

The new Collin Street Bakery in Bellmead opened last week, and general manager David Baca said business has been so good “you could almost call it overwhelming.”

Bellmead’s Collin Street store is the first to open outside the company’s hometown of Corsicana, which has two locations.

“We sell a full line of baked goods: cookies, fruit squares, 10 different kinds of bread, pies, and we will be doing cakes,” Baca said, adding that the menu also includes cheesecake, pastries, rolls, sandwiches, soups, salads and scones.

“We don’t sell kolaches, so we’re not competing with West,” he said.

Located at Bellmead Drive and Interstate 35, Collin Street Bakery employs 35 and will hire a handful more.

It is open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sundays.

L-3 positioned for funds

Waco’s L-3 Communications plant could get part of the $100 million Congress is likely to approve for repairs to P-3 surveillance planes, says U.S. Rep. Chet Edwards, D-Waco.

Edwards joined other members of the House Appropriations Committee last week in supporting a supplemental appropriations bill allocating $100 million for this work on P-3 planes.

It now moves to the full House for a vote.

“Given their history of quality work on the P-3 project, there is a reasonable possibility that a portion of these funds could go to L-3 for wing repair, and that would mean additional jobs and increased economic development in Waco,” Edwards said.

mcopeland@wacotrib.com

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