Brownwood Industry

3M Facilities in Brownwood Even big-city companies choose to make Brownwood home, and who can blame 'em?

More than 3,000 jobs from a variety of manufacturing companies make up Brownwood's industrial work force. Of those, Kohler, 3M and Superior Essex are major employers in Brownwood, each with large manufacturing facilities just south of downtown.

photo by R. Levesque

Brownwood has long been committed to building an industrial presence in the Heart of Texas. During World War II, the U.S. government located Camp Bowie, a major army training facility, in Brownwood. After the war the camp was shut down and prime portions were bought by the Brownwood Industrial Foundation. It in turn converted prime portions of the existing infrastructure into a new industrial park. During the 1960s and 1970s, today's major industrial firms moved in to take advantage of Brownwood's abundant natural resources, able work force and access to major highways.

Kohler is a world leader in products for the kitchen and bath, and one of the oldest and largest privately held companies in the United States. Even if you've never heard of Superior Essex, chances are you've used their products. Their wire and cable products are found in automobiles, TVs, computers, telephones, home appliances, motors, generators and hundreds of other items we use every day. 3M is a global giant, a leading manufacturer in electronics, telecommunications, industrial, consumer and office, healthcare, safety and other markets. Its Brownwood manufacturing facility produces state-of-the-art reflective sheeting that's used in road marking, signs and consumer products to be seen at dawn, dusk or night, in all weather conditions. These and our many other fine industrial businesses help Brownwood play a vital role in Texas' booming industrial economy.