Business View Civil Municipal June 2023

19 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 6 ANDREWS , TE XAS Steve Eggleston, City Manager describes the evolution of the thriving community, which was founded on oil and gas. He says, “In its earlier days, Andrews County was the number one oil- producing county in the world, and at that time a lot of the major oil companies had large regional offices here. That happened to be at a time when the city was being established, and these very wise and intelligent executives helped form the city, design the city, set up the city’s bylaws, its charter; establishing an incredible groundwork for the future of Andrews.” He maintains that the vision of these founding members is what has brought Andrews to the well-established and forward- thinking community that it is today, suggesting that their foresight has allowed the city to uphold financial stability without incurring excessive debt, setting it apart from neighboring areas. Andrews may no longer be the largest oil- producing county, but its service industries ensure a resilient economy that isn’t solely dependent on oil prices. Eggleston elaborates, “A lot of the oil and gas service companies are stationed out of Andrews County, so we don’t necessarily see the wide swings that some of our neighbors do. Our economy remains fairly stable for the oil and gas industry, which makes us unique in West Texas.” With a population of just over 14,000 Andrews also has a unique range of other industries, including Kirby Vacuum Cleaners, with one of their two U.S. manufacturing facilities in the city, and a low-level radioactive waste site, which is located in the county. As the sole city in Andrews County, Eggleston notes that Andrews has an outstanding relationship with Andrews County, the Andrews School District, and the local hospital, Permian Regional Medical Center. He admits that having these relationships contributes to the success of Andrews, relaying, “We all get along well, therefore we can get a lot done because we’re not having to fight with other entities to get what we need.” Economic Development Director Morse Haynes shares that the city’s two existing business parks are almost at capacity, and a third park is currently in development. A $1.5 million Morse Haynes Economic Development Director