The City of Center boasts a number of manufacturing firms, many of which employ working with metals in their processes.
Portacool manufactures one of their product lines in Center, employing nearly 300 people. Also their corporate offices are located in Center.
General Shelters of Texas and Spartan Industries (formerly Ameri-Tech) both manufacture portable metal buildings, primarily for the energy industry. Each firm employs over 100 people in Center.
C&R Refrigeration manufactures industrial-scale refrigeration units, mostly for oil field applications.
The location quotient for manufacturing is one of the strongest in the State of Texas.
Show the chart.
Location Quotient Data
Source: Bureau of Labor Statistics - Shelby County
Manufacturing
2007 - 3.49
2008 - 3.60
2009 - 3.56
2010 - 3.39
2011 - 3.10
2012 - 3.06
2013 - 3.22
2014 - 3.08
2015 - 3.20
Local workforce training is provided by the Shelby Regional Training Center, which offers vocational and technical education courses. The staff of the Shelby Regional Training Center will also customize a workforce development curriculum for a business.