EVAPCO Inc., the parent company of Bryan manufacturer RVS, has told Brazos County it will not build the manufacturing facility it promised when the county approved an economic development agreement with the company in 2023, and it wants that agreement ended.
Brazos County commissioners are set to consider a mutual termination of the deal on Tuesday, Oct. 20, as a consent agenda item. The county's cover sheet for the item lists no financial impact.
What the company told the county
In a July 16 letter to County Judge Duane Peters and the court, EVAPCO Chief Financial Officer Jeffrey W. Finch wrote that the company had decided against moving forward with the facility after evaluating the site, its operational needs and its long-term business plans. As a result, he wrote, the project milestones and investment commitments in the agreement will not be met.
The letter says EVAPCO still owns the property and is looking at civil improvements that would make the site more attractive for future development. It also says the company expects to explore more investment in Brazos County as its needs change, which could include expanding its existing RVS operations.
What the 2023 deal promised
Commissioners approved the Chapter 381 agreement on Aug. 29, 2023. At the time, KBTX reported that the expansion near the company's Crosswind Drive site off Highway 21 was expected to add $9 million in taxable value and 90 new full-time jobs averaging $65,000 a year by Dec. 31, 2026, with county incentives tied to meeting those milestones.
WTAW reported that the addition was meant to house a Canadian company EVAPCO had acquired.
EVAPCO makes evaporative cooling and industrial refrigeration equipment, and it has operated in the Brazos Valley since buying RVS in 1994, according to KBTX.
