L-3 Integrated Systems broke ground on December 3 for a new 87,000 sq ft, $10 million hangar. The company, located in the Waco International Aviation Park, is Waco’s largest industrial employer. The expansion will create 100 new jobs in Waco and be complete late spring 2009.

White Plains, N.Y.-based Seavest has broken ground for the construction of two medical office buildings on the campus of Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center in Waco. Hillcrest Community Medical Office Building, is a three-story, 107,000-square-foot facility that will serve the adjacent Hillcrest Community Hospital. Hillcrest Women’s & Children’s Medical Office building is a two-story, 59,000-square-foot medical office building that will serve the adjacent Hillcrest Women’s & Children’s Hospital. Seavest is partnering with Lillibridge Health Care Services for the project, and will develop and own both properties. Completion is scheduled for summer 2009.

Environmental Quality Management Associates (EQMA) in Waco, TX, received a pre-seed award of $250,000 from the Texas Emerging Technology Fund (ETF). EQMA received the award for the commercialization of its proprietary processes that transform waste from agriculture and other industry operations to fermentable sugars, which may be used to generate a variety of products, including alternative fuels. Baylor University is creating the business plan and Texas A&M and Tarleton State Universities will be responsible for assessing the efficacy of the program. EQMA is currently building their first research and pilot production plant in McGregor.

PK Capital and Clearview, a data management firm, announced plans to locate a data center in downtown Waco. Renovation of a 42,000 sq. ft. building will include approximately 20,000 sq. ft. of raised floor space. The project brings an estimated $28 million in new investment to downtown Waco. The project anticipates creating half a dozen technology jobs and providing a new resource for businesses.

SC2, a supply chain company, opened in Waco in August. The company located in approximately 60,000 sq. ft. at 600 General Parkway. Initial operations include painting and woodworking capabilities, with the ability to expand into other supply chain services.

Sandy Creek Energy Associates LP began construction in August that it would begin construction of a 900-megawatt Sandy Creek Power Plant in Riesel at a cost of over $1 billion. The plant is expected to begin operation in 2012 and will generate electricity for over 100,000 Texas homes and businesses. Sandy Creek Energy is a joint venture between Houston-based Dynegy Inc. and New Jersey-based LS Power group.

RTLC broke ground August 15 on a wind tower plant in McGregor, Texas. Expected to open in January, the factory will start with 75 employees and could expand to 250. The company plans to make towers used to support the turbines and blades in West Texas wind farms. By shipping in raw steel by rail and transporting the towers by truck to West Texas via Highway 84, company officials believe they can compete with products produced in the Asia. The plant will manufacture one 225-ton tower a day.

Associated Hygienic Products LLC (AHP) announced in August plans to build and operate a new 250,000 sq. ft disposable baby diaper manufacturing and distribution facility in Waco. The facility, to be located in Texas Central Park, represents at $41 million investment and will begin operations with 115 employees.

Allergan announced in April plans to spend $50 million to $200 million on technological improvements at its Waco plant over the next three to five years. Allergan is an international maker of health-care products that employs more than 500 at its Mars Drive facility. Locally, the company produces an array of eye- and skin-care products for prescription and over-the-counter sales. The new technology improvements will not create many new jobs. The company may need to enlarge the plant to make room for the new equipment.

Texas Machine-Tool International broke ground March 2008 on a new 24,000 square foot manufacturing facility in the Bellmead Industrial Park in the Town of Bellmead. TMI designs, manufactures and refurbishes machine tool equipment. The company with invest $1.83 million and hire ten new employees in addition to the current twelve.

Dakota Hardwoods established a new 20,000 square foot office and distribution facility in Waco in March. The company will sell and distribute premium hardwood products to fabricators and builders. The company invested over $500,000 and expects to employ 8 people in the operation.

Austin Avenue Flats broke ground March 5 in Waco Town Square. The Austin Avenue Flats at Waco Town Square will consist of 45 single-story loft residences. Waco Town Square is a 17-acre, $60 million mixed-use development to help revitalize downtown at Heritage Square.

Tractor Supply Company broke ground February 6 on the expansion of its distribution center on Interstate 35, more than doubling the size of its current facility. The $10.2-million project will substantially increase their workforce and bring the size of the center at 2801 Corporation Parkway from 305,000 square feet to 654,221 square feet. The Tractor Supply Distribution Center has been located in Waco for 10 years and relocated to its current center in 2003.

Geochemical Technologies Corporation relocated to Waco from Denver, Colorado in January 2008. GTC is a technical consulting firm that specializes in projects requiring expertise in aqueous and isotopic geochemistry. Geochemical focus areas include environmental chemistry, contamination impacts of the minerals and energy industries, surface water recharge, ground water migration, solute transport, and water source investigations. The principal, R.L. Bassett, Ph.D., has research and project consulting experience with clients in industry; federal, state, and county governments; universities and national laboratories. The firm has its office and isotope laboratory in Waco, Texas.

Caterpillar Logistics Services, Inc. (Cat Logistics), a wholly owned subsidiary of Caterpillar Inc., announced plans January 28 to open a new parts distribution center in Waco, Texas. The new facility marks the beginning of a multiyear expansion and enhancement of the Caterpillar service parts distribution network throughout North America. The more than 750,000-square-foot facility will employ between 140 and 180 people, increase network capacity and provide primary aftermarket parts support to six Caterpillar dealers in North America. Once operational, the new facility will replace the smaller regional distribution centers in Dallas, Texas, and Kansas City, Missouri, while increasing total warehouse capacity.