Palestine welcomes new economic development director

Christophe Trahan COURTESY PHTO

The City of Palestine welcomed Christophe Trahan as its new economic development corporation director on Monday.

“Our new PEDC Director, Christophe Trahan, brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and enthusiasm, and is ready to hit the ground running,” said Teressa Herrera, Palestine City Manager. “We are excited he has joined our team; we believe he will be a great asset to our community. We invite you to stop by Monday, Dec. 5 to meet him and welcome him to our community.”

“I’m very excited to have him here leading our EDC,” said Mayor Justin Florence. “The City Council and I look forward to working with him as we continue growing Palestine into the future.”

Trahan said he is excited to have the opportunity to serve the city of Palestine as its economic development director

“Palestine is clearly a community poised for growth that has already undertaken some incredible projects,” Trahan said. “So far, I've been fortunate to meet with some of the EDC board and city leaders and I'm thrilled to get to join such a terrific team of development-minded leaders.”

Trahan was previously employed as the Executive Director of the Wood County Economic Development Commission. He went to Wood County from his hometown of Linden, where he was the Executive Director of the Linden Economic Development Corporation.

Trahan’s experience in economic development extends back to his collegiate career, where he received a bachelor’s degree in business administration with concentrations in both economics and finance from East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Texas.

PEDC board member Dan Bochsler presented the board’s recommendation to the council in October.

According to Bochsler, Trahan was one of six who applied for the position. Four were eliminated based on background and requirements. The remaining two were interviewed in a lengthy and detailed process. Trahan was then presented to the board and city council for approval.

“One important element to recognize is the that key requirement is marketing,” Bochsler said in his presentation to council in October. “Mr. Trahan clearly demonstrated high levels of current knowledge and experience. He clearly possesses a level of knowledge and expertise hasn’t been present at PEDC in the past.”

The community is invited to stop by and meet Trahan from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Monday, Dec. 5 in the Palestine City Hall Council Chambers, 504 N. Queen Street.