McClurg ready for East Texas retirement
By JIMMY GALVAN Managing Editor

Newsboy photo/Jimmy Galvan RETIRING JEDCO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Tom McClurg talks to a gathering at city hall during a reception to honor him.

During his retirement party Thursday, July 26, at the Jasper city hall, Tom Bledsoe likened Tom McClurg to a baseball player taking his cuts at the plate.

"Sometimes he struck out but he was never caught with the bat on his shoulders - he always went down swinging," Bledsoe said. "And sometimes he connected with the ball and drove it out of the park as well."

After seven years as executive director for the Jasper Economic Development Corporation, McClurg tendered his resignation in the midst of Tiger Truck pulling out of Jasper.

At the time, McClurg said Tiger's decision had nothing to do with his retirement, but now admits the decision didn't help issues either.

"Certainly, Tiger Truck encouraged my decision," McClurg said. "I have never been as disappointed with anything as I was with Tiger Truck's decision not to come here. I can't help but believe there are other reasons behind Tiger's decision not to be here."

McClurg had originally set a timetable to retire when he turned 63 in March of 2008.

"I had been working extremely hard trying to do a lot of different things and when the Tiger Truck deal didn't materialize as we had hoped, I was extremely disappointed," McClurg said. "I was hoping to be leaving after Tiger held their grand opening on a high point."

But when that deal fell through, McClurg knew it was time to leave his post with the economic development organization.

"I just felt that it was the time to bring someone else in before the next big venture comes along and I feel one is out there in the wings and will come along rather quickly," McClurg said.

He admits to several highs and lows along his path as director of JEDCO. One high was the successful recruitment of Lowe's to Jasper.

"It really identified Jasper as a regional community and that has proven itself in the amount of shoppers that come into Jasper than we ever had before," McClurg said.

McClurg also played a role in securing an $800,000 grant from the U.S. Commerce Economic Development Agency that will be used to expand the Jasper Learning Center.

"Vocational training is a function of economic development," McClurg said. "It will be an even greater blessing to the community because of it will train our graduates with a skilled certification that is in demand in the area."

And while Lowe's and the securing of a federal grant for the Angelina College Technology Center have been peaks, there have been valleys as well. Valleys for JEDCO and McClurg include Explorer Aircraft and Platinum Silk.

"We have tried to focus on a couple of key industries like timber-related and aircraft related industries," McClurg said. "Even though Explorer Aircraft failed, it wasn't a decision that Jasper failed them. They just didn't have what it took to put their project into full production.

"There are other misses that are skeptical because you take a chance on a startup business like Platinum Silk," McClurg said. "This community took a chance on Platinum Silk because primarily it was a minorityowned business and focused on a minority project. Their business plan looked good but it never panned out.

"We don't know those things when a company comes in," McClurg said. "We didn't know that Tiger Truck wasn't going to fulfill their obligation. We took a chance."

He believes JEDCO has grown in the quality of companies they are drawing attention from.

"We went from a knowledge base of what to do with Explorer to an even greater knowledge base of what was done," McClurg said. "The third time may be the charm when the next serious industry comes here."

He said he leaves knowing JEDCO remains in good standing with Kari Ellis assuming the interim director's post.

"I think the corporation is in good hands," McClurg said. "Keri is a real good person and I think she is qualified and I will assist her as much as I possibly can."

McClurg doesn't plan to completely walk away from economic development in Jasper County. He plans to continue to assist the county with projects, such as the fish hatchery.

"The decision to retire is basically a shift in gears for me," McClurg said. "So it wasn't all that hard to retire. I was able to make this decision, with some regret, but I'm not afraid for what the future has in store for me."

McClurg said he has no plans on leaving Jasper.

"I said when I came down here that this was where I intend to retire and that is how it's going to be," McClurg said.

During his seven years with JEDCO, McClurg has dealt with a board that, at times, didn't see eye to eye on subjects.

"I always had a good working relationship with the board," McClurg said. "I can't say that I always agreed with what they decided to do but my job as an administrator was to carry out what the board of directors decided.

"I've had ups and downs with them but I'm leaving in good graces with them," McClurg said. "And I will continue to assist them in anything I can."

When he came to JEDCO in 2000, McClurg has seen Jasper County change from a non-factor to a viable site for economic development.

"The first two years I was here we had no prospects - no one was coming through the door," McClurg said. "We gradually started getting more contacts and people started looking at us and now we are responding to interviews and contacts on a weekly basis."

He said the area had to overcome the stigma left behind by the James Byrd Jr. murder in order to draw interested business to the area.

"We had to get past the James Byrd event and present Jasper in a positive light," McClurg said. "Everybody in the business world that heard about Jasper only heard about it through James Byrd. And as horrible as that was, there were so many good things about Jasper that we had to get that message out there.

"We made the world aware that there was something good about Jasper and you should come here and see," McClurg said. "The hardest part of my job was convincing somebody to come to Jasper. Once they come here, it was an easy sell."

Through an aggressive marketing campaign, JEDCO set out to change Jasper's media-driven image to the world.

"We have now put ourselves in a position where we are competitive," McClurg said. "We have quite a bit of retail growth here and that's been important to the community."

He admits though that Jasper County still is in search of that industry to revitalize the area.

"We need primary manufacturing jobs," McClurg said. "Any community of any particular note has at least one major industry. That is where we need to keep the focus on trying to bring in a primary major industry here.

"A lot of people think Jasper is too far out of the way and that may have been the case 10 years ago but with Houston and Beaumont's growth, it is more likely that industries could easily come into Jasper County," McClurg said.

McClurg believes the future for Jasper is bright.

"The nickname for Jasper is the jewel of the forest and that is very true for this community," McClurg said. "The Airport Industrial Park is one of the nicest facilities of its kind in all of Texas. The industrial sites available here are some of the best in the United States. It's just a matter of linking up with the right company.

"We get one major industry in here and Jasper will be a young Beaumont," McClurg said. "It will be a growing, strong community."

With a strong push for retirees, McClurg believes Jasper will continue growing in that sector as well.

"People are constantly flocking her for the climate, the lakes and the recreation," McClurg said. "Also, there is no other 8,500 community that offers the medical services that we have. We just have more here than any other community has to offer."

Even though he is retiring from JEDCO, McClurg will not be far removed from economic development in the area with an added twist.

"When I moved out here, I did so for the recreational opportunities that existed out here," McClurg said. "I plan on taking one full day out of the work week to go out and fish and play golf and I don't want anybody saying anything about it.

"The only regret I have is that Tiger Truck didn't stay," McClurg said. "You see the signs that says a community of 2,000 great people and a couple of old grouches and that fits about every town. You have to get past the personalities but look at the big picture and there aren't too many places that can beat Jasper. Too bad the rest of the world doesn't know it and some say thank goodness the rest doesn't know it because we're happy with what we have. I found it and I think there are other people that will find it."