Luling, Texas, a town long associated with its annual Watermelon Thump, is quietly repositioning itself as a manufacturing and aerospace center, according to an interview with Ari Arias, executive director of the Luling Economic Development Corporation, on Is This the Best Paid Job Training in Texas Right Now?, an episode of The Building Texas Show. The shift has significant implications for the local workforce and economy, as new employers ramp up operations and seek to fill hundreds of positions in the coming years.
Arias, who arrived in Luling in 2014, said aerospace is changing the local economy. X-Bow Systems, a solid rocket manufacturing company, is making Luling its primary site of operations and building up workforce and internship programs. A second company, Quantum Engineering, which specializes in non-destructive testing (NDT), plans five campuses on its 30 acres and hopes to add 300 to 400 new employees in three to five years. "We're not just that little oil town we once were," Arias said.
To prepare residents for these jobs, Arias said her workforce strategy starts in the schools. After noticing that career and technical education (CTE) advisory meetings had stopped, she reached out to the mayor and to David Smith, CTE director for Luling ISD, to bring them back. She now chairs the CTE advisory committee for Luling ISD. The EDC has also partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of South Central Texas on a seven-week Tesla career pathway program for residents ages 18 to 21, who are paid during on-the-job training and guaranteed a job if they want it; the program is entering its second year. Additionally, the EDC has begun exploring an NDT internship path with Quantum Engineering, with Texas State Technical College helping students advance through certification levels, and launched the Luling Investment for Tomorrow (LIFT) grant program for local businesses and small manufacturers.
Arias said the opportunity is about access as much as jobs. With X-Bow nearby, some residents "only have to go eight minutes up the road to go work every day." She also fields steady inquiries from developers about retail sites and utilities, and pointed to about 500 homes planned north of town over the next couple of years. Growth, she said, has to fit the town. "We don't want Luling to lose that small town feel, that downtown charm," Arias said.
Host Justin McKenzie urged travelers to get off the highway and walk Luling's Main Street. Arias agreed that site selectors are taking notice: "Luling is on the map for sure." The full conversation is available on The Building Texas Show, which publishes new episodes weekly on YouTube and major podcast platforms.
