CUERO DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION WELCOMES STIMSON FURNITURE

The Cuero Development Corporation is happy to announce that Stimson Furniture is moving their corporate office and distribution operations to Cuero. Stimson's has purchased a 56,000 square foot building that was owned and marketed by the Cuero Development Corporation. The building, located on a 6-acre site, will provide a central location for the furniture store's distribution. It will house the company operations director, inventory specialist, information specialist, receiving supervisor, delivery specialist, customer service specialist and four distribution specialists along with a receptionist. The resulting move by Stimson's corporate and distribution operation to Cuero will have a significant impact on the local economy now as well as in the future. Stimson has furniture store location in six Texas cities including Cuero, Victoria, Beeville, Kenedy, Karnes City and Yoakum. The Cuero Development Corporation welcomes Ken Stimson and his family to this new location in Cuero.

PUBLIC RESTROOM UPDATE

The property at 128 East Main Street has been purchased by the Cuero Development Corporation as a site for downtown public restrooms. The former tenants have moved on and demolition of the building will begin very soon. A design for the new building is being completed at this time that will fit in with the historical downtown architecture. The need for this type of facility has been discussed extensively and should be a convenience for downtown shoppers and tourists. Keep your eye on the progress of this project.

COMMUNITY LEADERS MEETING

The Cuero Development Corporation (CDC) sponsors a monthly breakfast meeting for local community leaders. These meetings provide a setting that allows various organizations the opportunity to meet and discuss any programs or issues. In addition to the roundtable discussion, the CDC provides speakers for these monthly events. Our speaker for the month of December was Dr. David Summers, Assistant Professor of Management, School of Business Administration, the University of Houston/Victoria, Victoria, Texas. Dr. Summers spoke of the new programs that are available through the University. In January the CDC had Ms. Dorothy D. Aupperle, Rural Development Manager, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development. Ms. Aupperle discussed the various programs which are available through her organization. The February agenda will have Dr. Craig Follins, Vice President, Workforce and Economic Development at The Victoria College.

PARK CHANGES

Christmas in the Park is again a fond memory. It was a very successful season with 11,515 vehicles coming through the park to view the beautiful displays, so an estimated 35,000 visitors or more came to our community this past holiday season. Cuero can be very proud of this attraction and we sincerely thank everyone who was involved this year. Now for another very attractive change! Enter the park from the Main Street entrance and check out the wonderful split rail fence constructed with funding provided by the Cuero Development Corporation. This is part of the ongoing Park Beautification project that is just one of CDC's planned efforts for this year.

SMALL BUSINESS LOAN POOL
"A loan program for Small Businesses in Cuero"

The Cuero Development Corporation Small Business Loan Pool continues to support local businesses. Since the program was initiated, it has provided a total of 16 loans, 14 of which remain active. The program contains many features such as:

• Amount of Loans: $2,000 to $25,000
• Types of Loans: working capital, leasehold improvements, real estate, machinery, construction, computers and furniture and fixtures.
• Business must be located within the city limits.

Interested businesses can pick up an application form at the CDC office, 207 E. Main, Cuero, Texas 77954.