Tomball City Council members unanimously approved a tax abatement agreement between the city of Tomball and Hoelscher, a family-owned weatherstripping company, at the Sept. 4 city council meeting. A tax abatement is a reduction of taxes on a business to encourage economic development. This project will bring 119 full-time jobs and a 10-year net benefit of more than $1.1 million for the city of Tomball, said Kelly Violette, executive director of the Tomball Economic Development Corporation, during Tuesday's meeting.

Hoelscher Property Management Ltd. and Hoelscher Weatherstrip Manufacturing Co., Inc.—collectively Hoelscher—will relocate from the Sam Houston Business Park to Tomball and take up 16.9 acres of the almost 100-acre Tomball Business and Technology Park, Violette said. The company, which specializes in custom doors and weatherstripping, will construct an approximate 193,000 square-foot building with a capital investment of $10.6 million.

Hoelscher plans to close on the land sale before the end of this year and construction will begin as soon as possible, Violette said.

"Hoelscher is a really interesting company. They are a family-owned business, starting back in 1958, and they have continued to grow," Violette said. "They’re not just looking for a site; they’re looking for a community that they can be part of. That’s what Tomball has to offer businesses like this. [The businesses] like the small-town feel of this city."

The 10-year, 100-percent tax abatement agreement on this property begins Jan. 1, 2019, and must be reviewed each year to make sure it qualifies for tax abatement, Violette said.

Violette said the TEDC staff's idea for a business and technology park started in 2011 because they wanted to stay competitive with other cities, both in the region and the state. She said the TEDC expects the Tomball Business and Technology Park to bring growth for both the companies inside the park and the city itself.

"We weren’t able to be competitive because other cities had business and technology parks. A lot of these companies are in high-growth mode, so they needed property yesterday; they want a place that is 'shovel-ready,'" Violette said. "There is a time factor there, so the more we could do to set the stage as an asset for these companies for growth, the better."

Other tenants at the park include Packers Plus and SUEZ.