Business Boom: Nixon welcomes 3 new businesses for expanding populace

As the Eagle Ford Shale galaxy shines brighter every night south of Nixon, it is immediately obvious and imminent that the oilfield’s ever-expanding populace of workers is delivering opportunity to the city’s door while putting increasing demands on the community’s shoulders.

It should come as no surprise that the Nixon community is doing all it can to accommodate the boom, create more jobs for its people and increase the town’s revenue – lighting the way for it to find prosperity of a new kind.

Nixon city administrator George Blanch last week said new businesses, including completed ones, works-in-progress and projects on the horizon, are concrete evidence that the city of Nixon is cementing its future by both accommodating and capitalizing on the oilfield boom.

“NAPA Auto Parts is moving in to the old Bill’s Dollar Store, and it looks like we’re getting a new motel – two things we need bad,” Blanch said.

Blanch said early on, NAPA’s planners had to change horses in midstream.

“NAPA came to me around the middle of last year,” he said. “They were originally going to use a different location, but that didn’t work out. So then they decided to use the old Bill’s Dollar Store instead.”

Blanch said the auto parts store is going to be great for Nixon because until now, people would have to go to Seguin or Gonzales to get auto parts.

“We have the Ford company here, and we can get some parts from them, but not everything,” he said. “When we had ‘City Auto Parts’, they were okay, but they more often than not had to order parts from out of town.”

Jack Couch owns the lot where the NAPA store is being built. “Our crew has been working hard at it,” he said. “Our goal is to have the store ready by March 1.”

Also looming on the Nixon horizon is the building of a motel, another facility Blanch says the city sorely needs.

“Devon Development Group is putting the motel together,” Blanch said. “They have been in contact with us for a while. They will probably send us a site plan for it soon – it will probably consist of 32-40 rooms. They are still trying to decide if it’s going to be a two-story building or if they’re going to spread it out.”

The new motel will be situated at the intersection of U.S. Highway 87 East and North Roosevelt Street, two blocks east of the Dollar General store.

“They came and surveyed the lot, then told us what they needed in terms of sewage and water,” Blanch said. “They were building one in Yorktown, and they finished it up. So now they’re going to build one here.”

Blanch could not speculate as to when the motel will be complete, but is definitely pleased about it coming to town. “We need all we can get to help out people who need a place to spend the night,” he said. “So they won’t have to drive to another town. Oh, and by the way, we’re also getting a big machine where you can by ice by the bulk, and they should be open next month.”

Blanch also mentioned a new barbecue restaurant called Pioneer BBQ, a “gourmet barbecue” establishment whose owner has many accolades in the restaurant business – not to mention his own take on the science and art of perfecting the Holy Trinity of meat, smoke and temperature.