November 4, 2025
TEMPLE, TEXAS (October 4, 2025) — The Texas Economic Development Council has announced the recipients of its annual Community Economic Development Awards (CEDA) for 2025. The awards were presented at the Award Luncheon during the group’s 2025 Annual Conference in San Antonio. The Temple Economic Development Corporation (TEDC) won this year’s CEDA for cities with a population between 50,001 and 100,000.
“This is a significant recognition for Temple EDC,” President & CEO Adrian Cannady said. “It is a recognition not just for us but the countless partners who made this investment possible, including the City of Temple, Temple Reinvestment Zone, Bell County, the state’s Economic Development & Tourism Office, and, of course, the amazing leadership at SeAH.”
Temple’s CEDA celebrated the SeAH Superalloy Technologies company’s decision to invest $110 million in a high-performance metal manufacturing facility in Temple. The city previously received a CEDA in 2022 for securing the deal that brought Meta’s datacenter to Temple.
The Community Economic Development Award program recognizes exceptional contributions of Texas EDC member cities toward the economic vitality of their communities through creativity, leadership, and partnership in the achievement of business retention, business recruitment, and community improvement.
The CEDA committee received forty-nine applications this year. Nominees were judged on five criteria: innovativeness, transferability, community commitment and leverage, measured objectives, and secondary benefits.
Communities nominated included: Population 10,000 and Less – Commerce, Cuero, Farmersville, Kaufman, Marble Falls, Navasota, and Vinton. Population 10,001 to 20,000 –Andrews, Bay City, Brownwood, Buda, Jacksonville, Kilgore, Liberty Hill, Lockhart, Sulphur Springs, Taylor, and Tomball. Population 20,001 to 50,000 – Cibolo, Fate, Forney, Haltom City, Lancaster, Seagoville, Seguin, Socorro, Stephenville, and The Colony. Population 50,001 to 100,000 – Burleson, Harlingen, Pharr, Temple, Victoria, and Waller County. Population 100,001 to 250,000 – Abilene, Allen, Amarillo, Brownsville, Edinburg, Frisco, Georgetown, Grand Prairie, League City, Lewisville, Mesquite, and Richardson. Population 250,001 and Above – Laredo, San Antonio, and Waco/McLennan County.
The 2025 CEDA recipients in population and criteria categories are:
Population 10,000 and Less: Village of Vinton
Population 10,001 to 20,000: Kilgore Economic Development Corporation
Population 20,001 to 50,000: City of Socorro
Population 50,001 to 100,000: Temple Economic Development Corporation
Population 100,001 to 250,000: Development Corporation of Abilene
Population 250,001 and Above: City of Waco/McLennan County
“Our Community Economic Development Award is one of the ways in which our organization honors the excellent work done by our communities, their leaders, and their economic development professionals,” noted Carlton Schwab, President & CEO, Texas Economic Development Council. “Each community nominated achieved excellence in economic development and substantially improved the economic base of their respective regions. The recipient communities in each population category were recognized for extraordinary accomplishments in meeting the criteria set forth in the nomination process.”
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ABOUT TEMPLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
The Temple Economic Development Corporation (Temple EDC) is a nonprofit organization that serves as the contracted economic development entity for the City of Temple, Texas. Temple EDC strengthens relationships, builds partnerships, and provides solutions that cause entities to choose Temple. To learn more about doing business in Temple, visit TempleEDC.com.
The Temple Economic Development Corporation (Temple EDC) is a nonprofit organization that serves as the contracted economic development entity for the City of Temple, Texas. Temple EDC strengthens relationships, builds partnerships, and provides solutions that cause entities to choose Temple. To learn more about doing business in Temple, visit TempleEDC.com.
ABOUT TEXAS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL
The Texas Economic Development Council is governed by a 24-member board and an 8-member Executive Committee.
The Texas Economic Development Council is governed by a 24-member board and an 8-member Executive Committee.
The Texas EDC provides information, education, and legislative services to its members to foster the expansion of existing businesses, the location of new firms and the development of strategies that promote a positive business climate in Texas. With nearly 1,100 members, the TEDC is the largest state economic development association in the nation.