Kerrville lands a deal with global impact

For Bernardo Zambrano and his family, Thursday’s announcement that their company would build a new concrete materials plant was years in the making.

It was no accident that the Zambrano family picked Kerrville as the headquarters for Megaacrete in Texas. Based in Monterrey, Mexico, the family frequently visited San Antonio and explored the Texas Hill Country.

“I’m a huge, huge fan,” Zambrano said. “I would come with my dad and he loved exploring the area. I’m very familiar with Kerrville.”

It also speaks to the longstanding connection between Monterrey and San Antonio, a tie dating back to when Texas was still part of Mexico. On Thursday at Arcadia Live, the Zambranos and their partners formally introduced themselves to Kerr County and their business venture.

Megaacrete produces concrete products utilizing a European technology called autoclaved aerated concrete, which helps create lightweight products for cladding, flooring, and firewalls. Megaacrete’s came through a partnership of the U.S-based AERCON and the Mexico-based Litecrete.

Zambrano said Kerrville is a prime location due to its proximity to Interstates 10 and 35. The company can quickly ship its products to destinations east and west.

“It’s advanced technology, and it’s green technology,” said Gil Salinas, the Kerr Economic Development Corp’s executive director, who helped attract the company to Kerrville.

The reality of the project is significant in scale, with the company set to construct a 120,000-square-foot building just northwest of the Kerrville-Kerr County Airport on land owned by Kerrville’s Economic Improvement Corp. The company expects to have its operations running by 2025.

The event at Arcadia featured Kerrville Mayor Judy Eychner, Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly and a host of community leaders, who praised the company’s arrival.

“It took a lot of convincing, because we had some stiff competition,” Eychner said during her prepared remarks. “If it not for the countless hours of our own Gil Salinas and his team, I’m not sure we would be here today.”

The Kerrville City Council signed off on the deal in December. The EIC purchased the land more than 20 years ago as a potential home for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s research station, which ultimately stayed at its campus north of Interstate 10.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and other state leaders lauded the deal. The Zambranos are co-owners with Chicago-based Thomas Herb. The project involved several international partners, including CEMEX, Mexico’s cement-making giant. Among the wealthiest families in Mexico, the Zambranos are also founders of CEMEX.

The company said it will initially employ 40 people, which will grow as the plant expedites production. The average worker’s salary could top $54,000 per year. However, the company does not know how much sales tax the products will generate in the coming years.