Chamber President: Clayton on hold, Panda moving forward
A couple of potential new employers in Wichita Falls are having a slow-go getting started.
Councilor Steve Jackson asked about the status of Clayton Homes and Panda Biotech during a City Council meeting Tuesday.
Ron Kitchens, president of the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce, said Clayton Homes is “kind of in a holding pattern” because interest rates have slowed down home sales.
The modular homes manufacturer bought the former ATCO building on Burkburnett Road in 2021 and got a $1,357,000 incentive deal from the city to create 180 new jobs. The incentive included $8,000 per employee in moving allowances to bring in workers.
The ATCO building has been home to several modular home companies over the years. Work toward the Clayton Homes deal began in 2017 but was delayed by environmental problems on the property.
Kitchens said the Panda Biotech project “is moving now.”
The Dallas-based company bought the former Delphi building on Central Expressway with the intent of building a processing plant for industrial hemp.
Kitchen said the company expects the first line to be in operation in November. He said the company is running ads to acquire crops from farmers and has bought some crops from suppliers on the West Coast to get started. He said the company is up to date on paying off a $1 million loan to the city that is part of a $2.8 million dollar incentive package.
“The one issue we will have to address is on the incentive, the hiring times now no longer meet what their hiring times are,” Kitchens said. “COVID and everything conspired against those times.”
The company promised in 2020 to create 50 jobs. Kitchens has said Panda will ask for a three-year extension on that promise. He said about 11 employees are working in the building.
This article originally appeared on Wichita Falls Times Record News: Chamber President: Clayton on hold, Panda moving forward
