KEDC Receives the Texas Economic Development Council Community Economic Development Award for $97M Camfil Project

 Camfil's $97 million venture in Kilgore set a new high bar for the global operation and for Kilgore Economic Development Corporation.

The Texas Economic Development Council recognized those milestone achievements Thursday during the organization's annual conference in San Antonio, presenting Kilgore EDC's leadership with the 2025 Community Economic Development Award among communities with a population between 10,001 and 20,000. The CEDA committee received 49 applications this year in total. Nominees were judged on five criteria: innovativeness, transferability, community commitment and leverage, measured objectives, and secondary benefits.

A few years back, KEDC Board President Alan Pollard told the gathered economic developers, Kilgore’s team met the first group of employees at Camfil's initial, temporary facility in Kilgore.

"One man raised his hand to thank KEDC for their support, and he concluded his comments by saying, 'I needed this job.’ Those words ring loud to us today because it is a reminder of what this work is really about,” Pollard said. “Behind every site plan, every incentive package, and every groundbreaking ceremony are people, individuals, and families whose lives change when new opportunities come to their community."

It's the second year-in-a-row KEDC's ongoing efforts have been recognized with the CEDA accolade. Pollard praised Kilgore EDC Executive Director Lisa Denton and her staff – Stephanie Moore, Katherine Kirkpatrick, and James Wright – alongside board member Tyler Esters as well as key Camfil leadership, including Fredrik Westgard, Camfil President Americas; Shelly Lizyness, VP of Human Resources; Ricardo Viloria, Camfil USA Director of Operations, and Tanya Johnson, Human Resources Manager.

The project underscores Kilgore EDC's ongoing commitment to fostering sustainable economic growth, innovation, and opportunity throughout the community. Camfil’s new facility marks the manufacturer’s largest capital investment to date, encompassing 418,000 square feet on 43 acres in the heart of Kilgore’s Synergy Park.

Camfil is a global leader in crafting clean air solutions, Pollard noted, with 30 manufacturing sites located across the world: "The clean air in hotels, hospitals, airports, as well as data centers, nuclear power plants and other commercial facilities all over the world, is made possible by the engineering and the manufacturing which occurs under the roofs of Camfil's multiple facilities.”

Benefiting Kilgore in particular as well as the entire East Texas area, Camfil's investment creates more than 226 direct jobs.

"Last week we just received the keys to our new factory and have been putting in our production equipment,” Lizyness announced. “So, pretty soon we'll be able to say to our customers that more products from Camfil are 'Made in Texas.'"

Kilgore EDC was instrumental in making that happen, she added, pulling out all the stops to welcome Camfil. Kilgore stood out not only for its strategic location on major transportation corridors but also through the local community and in the grit, attitude, and competency of the can-do workforce KEDC champions.

"It's just very impressive," Lizyness said. As KEDC focuses on both business retention and expansion, "They are still continuing to work with us. They're still owning the whole process. And I think it's because of them that we have been so successful."

"We're happy to be in Texas."