Orange County hires manager for Local First program and regional small business development

Kristie Young, a 25-year professional with experience in economic development, has been hired to manage the supplier and vendor portion of the Local First program created to support local sourcing for the Golden Triangle Polymers Company, a joint venture between Chevron Phillips Chemical and QatarEnergy.

Golden Triangle Polymers Company donated $200,000 to Orange County in March to expand the County’s economic development capabilities in assisting local businesses with applying and competing for work on the $8.5 billion integrated polymers facility currently under construction in Orange County.

Young will work closely with the Orange County Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and Chambers of Commerce located in Orange County to host supplier and vendor fairs that are free and open to the public to connect business owners with representatives of the Golden Triangle Polymers project. Small-business owners will also be able to work directly with Young to understand what qualifies a small business to be an approved vendor or supplier on any major project.

“My primary role for the next few years is to be a resource for Orange County businesses interested in working on large-scale projects. Becoming an approved supplier and navigating the bidding process for these types of projects can be complex. My goal is to help more local businesses understand the process and put their best foot forward when competing for work,” Young said.

Young has worked in various industries in Southeast Texas, including nonprofit management, healthcare, higher education, oil and gas and economic development. She recently launched KMY Consulting which provides workforce development, economic development, government affairs and grant writing consultation services.

One of the highlights of Young’s career was establishing a foundation at Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas where she still serves on the board. She has served on numerous boards and committees including the Rotary Club of Beaumont, Junior League of Beaumont, Press Club of Southeast Texas, the Beaumont Children’s Museum and the Workforce Solutions Southeast Texas Workforce Board, to name a few. A graduate of Texas A&M University, Young is an Aggie Women board president emerita and a Page 2 of 2 past member of the Communications Department advisory board. Young has received awards from numerous agencies including Pioneering Women, Junior League of Beaumont and Beaumont Junior Forum. Kristie and her husband, Rodney, live in Beaumont and have two boys, Haden and Bryce. Young can be reached at [email protected] or 409-920-4052