Kerrville, TX — The City of Kerrville is pleased to announce that Killdeer Mountain Manufacturing (KMM), a North Dakota-based leading manufacturer of electronic components for military and aerospace industries, is expanding its business to Kerr County.
KMM currently employs several hundred people among four locations in Killdeer, Dickinson, Regent and Hettinger, N.D., and is expected to double their operations with this expansion into Texas. The company plans to expand into Kerrville’s Airport Commerce Park and add 400 employees locally over 25 years with a current annual average wage of more than $42,000.
Founded in 1987, KMM produces commercial and military cables designed for high-grade aircraft that offer an exceptional balance between performance, rugged construction, light weight, and quality. KMM’s circuit card assembly unit delivers high-grade electronic circuit card systems for commercial and military use, and the company also has experience producing fiber optic bundles. KMM’s customers include the United States Department of Defense, Boeing, Raytheon, Lockheed Martin, and other prominent aerospace companies.
KMM is a family business. Founder Don Hedger and wife Patricia are majority shareholders, and the Hedgers’ children, Dan, Patrick and Deb, all work for the company, as do two of their grandchildren, Kristin Hedger and Erika Hedger Bauer. According to Don Hedger, the company’s family ownership structure helps assure continuity of the business.
“I have been excited about this company since I first heard about the possibility of them expanding here from North Dakota,” Kerrville Mayor Bill Blackburn said. “To have this established business expand to Kerrville is a great opportunity, and this company is such a solid, family-owned business that treats their employees well.”
“There is excitement about this aviation manufacturer coming to Kerrville, not only given the jobs it will produce but their work here for commercial airlines and Department of Defense components is exciting in itself,” Blackburn continued. “Also, there is the possibility that some other aviation component manufacturers and even space exploration suppliers could locate here.”
In addition to local incentives offered by the City of Kerrville, EIC, the Kerr Economic Development Corporation, and Kerr County, the significance of this major employment expansion into Texas has also been recognized through incentives provided by Texas Governor Greg Abbott’s office and state agencies. Those incentives include $900,000 from the Texas Enterprise Fund, $360,000 from the Texas Workforce Commission’s Skills Development Fund, and a $3,000 veteran-created job bonus.
“This project will be a vital component to Kerrville’s ongoing efforts to create and maintain a diverse economy, which will help the area sustain and recover from the current Covid-19 crisis,” State Senator Dawn Buckingham said, adding that KMM will have an estimated $25-plus million economic impact in the Texas Hill Country.
State representative Andrew Murr echoed Buckingham’s comments.
“As State Representative, I have seen the direct impact companies have on small communities in my district,” Murr said. “Kerrville is home to one of five Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in the State of Texas, and because of that Kerr County attracts numerous veterans to the area. A manufacturing warehouse in the county could provide job opportunities and security to those veterans, especially those transitioning back into civilian life and into the workforce.”
The City of Kerrville and the Kerrville Economic Improvement Corporation (EIC) will also present local matching economic incentives for KMM at the Aug. 17 EIC meeting.
“The KMM project represents a very significant opportunity to add hundreds of well-paying jobs to the Kerrville market,” EIC President Greg Richards Richards said. “As a tier-one supplier, it is certainly within the realm of possibilities that KMM will attract other clean industry jobs. I expect EIC’s investment in this project to catalyze significant growth in our tax base, helping to bring in quality commercial development that will ease some of the tax burden off of individual taxpayers.”
Further, the number of employees expected to be hired as part of KMM’s expansion will bring significant employment opportunity to our community.”
Kerrville Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Gilberto Salinas thanked all of the individuals who worked together to achieve this success.
“What an historic moment for Kerrville,” Salinas said. “KMM’s investment in Kerrville was truly a team effort which started more than a year ago. We couldn’t have succeeded without the efforts and immense support of our different community leaders and stakeholders. And of course, a heartfelt appreciation for Gov. Greg Abbott and Don Hedger, KMM president and founder. As it pertains to economic development, this project will help us fully develop an industrial cluster in aerospace, aviation and advanced manufacturing. Our efforts in economic development and KMM’s planned investment are derived from the 2050 Comprehensive Plan, which afforded us the blueprint and tools necessary to recruit projects in aerospace.”
For more information contact:
Stuart Cunyus, Public Information Officer
(830) 258-1116; stuart.cunyus@kerrvilletx.gov
