Business View Civil and Municipal | January 2021

61 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL JANUARY 2021 CONVERSE , TEXAS process of being sold. One site will be a Burger King, another a 5,800 sq. ft. commercial building, a multi- tenant commercial building, and their largest parcel, on three acres, will be a proposed office and service-based operations with multiple buildings. The fourth is a smaller, 0.6-acre parcel and will host a commercial space. Some of those properties are on South Seguin Road, where the municipality is trying to create a downtown core by zoning parcels as commercial and updating the streetscape with sidewalks and old-fashioned lamp posts with potted plants and banners. Commercial development has also started along Loop 1604 with two national chains, Marco’s Pizza and Great Clips. As part of its business attraction plan, the EDC is working to bring franchise businesses in to grow the sector. The city has two light industrial parks – one is newer, about two years old with five buildings ranging around 25,000 sq. ft. each with multiple tenants. There are just a few spaces left and the developer has already begun phase two. The second industrial park is older, but very popular. Kuborn boasts, “Every time a space goes open for lease or for purchase, it’s gone immediately. So we really are trying to get out there to make people aware that this is an untapped market. There are huge investments going on with the community, and the city itself is investing exponentially too.” The main employers in Converse are the municipality, the public school system, and construction and the trades. There are also two Walmart stores in town that employ a large number. The EDC does its best to keep in touch with businesses. “It’s a true measurement,” says Kuborn. “Anyone that’s in economic development knows that you can get some of your largest job growth from your existing companies.” A prime example is Northeast Air Conditioning, Heating & Plumbing Services. The company has resided in Converse for about 40 years and was