Pure Renewables eyes Fort Worth to locate startup textile manufacturing

Pure Renewables USA, a Tulsa based longest-established renewable energy installers in the country has turned its sights to Fort Worth to locate a startup textile manufacturing firm. Joy Nunn, founder and CEO of Pure Renewables is looking to lease a facility in Fort Worth’s Alliance development with more than 800,000 square feet to make fibers used to manufacture such things as wet wipes, coffee filters and bandages.

The company is looking at a 20-year lease on the Fort Worth building, located near the Alliance Intermodal facility, but that lease has not yet been signed.

The Fort Worth facility, which can be expanded to 1.3 million square feet, will have eight manufacturing lines, recycling textile scraps into cotton and rayon yarn, rayon fiber and cotton powder.

The plant will house the company’s corporate offices and warehouse space, in addition to the manufacturing, the council was informed.

The company plans to invest $266.8 million on the plant, including $257.3 million in business personal property and $9.5 million in real property. The company will be required to hire a certain percentage of Fort Worth and central city residents, as well as spend money on supplies and other things with Fort Worth companies and minority and women-owned businesses, according to the incentive.

Brenda Hicks-Sorensen, assistant director of the city’s economic development department, informed the council this week that Nunn is a mechanical engineer and has been in textile manufacturing since 1990. Nunn holds 18 industry patents.

The company would receive a 35 percent rebate on taxes, or about $3.3 million. The city will still receive $6.2 million in taxes during that time. The city council is scheduled to vote on the proposal next week.