Kickapoo Kolache

The phones at the Chandler Economic Development Corporation office keep ringing.

In one hour, they rang at least six times, and folks kept walking in to ask about booth spots. Chandler is buzzing about this Saturday’s Pow Wow, a gathering true to its name, plus new businesses, a new Chamber leader and much more, including something with a strange name: Chapter 11.

Relax. Nobody is going broke.

Chapter 11 Stream, LLC, doing business as “Heart of Chandler,” is the company behind a big new development headed for town: around 50 acres on the south side of Hwy 31 on Chandler’s east side, across from Meadow Lane and about three-quarters of a mile east of Brookshire’s. Plans include a 12-acre lake shaped roughly like a heart. The name is not a bankruptcy. It is a page count. According to EDC Director Rick Ford, this is the 11th project for One Rock Development out of Tyler.

Chris Wiesinger, the manager for the LLC, is a garden author, and the worst thing that he ever encountered was writer’s block. Each new business is like a chapter in a new book, so he decided to name each new LLC as a chapter in a long story.

In Chandler, Chapter 11 Stream is a beginning, not an ending. Wiesinger prefers to refer to it by its DBA name, “Heart of Chandler.”

A town worth the work

Ford has led the Chandler Economic Development Corporation since 2016.

“Love Chandler, want Chandler to prosper and do well!” Ford said.

Ford is a Baylor graduate who worked in the oil business and later helped his father at Lakeview Rose Nursery in Tyler. He has lived in Chandler since around 1998. Then-Mayor Joy Rains asked him to serve on the Planning and Zoning Board, and that turned into 10 years. A one-year term as Chamber chairman turned into three. Then came the director’s job.

He said Chandler’s willing, helpful citizens make his job easy, and he wants to give back to a town that has given him so many opportunities.

How Heart of Chandler got started

The Heart of Chandler story started with a cup of coffee, sort of. Wiesinger, a developer with One Rock, brokered the deal for the Starbucks on Hwy 31. He asked Ford about other opportunities in Chandler, and Ford helped coordinate on the land. Wiesinger saw a vision.

Two years of studies, and the EDC never let go

Then came the hard part, and it is where the EDC shined.

Before a single shovel could turn, the project had to clear a long list of reviews. Over two years, it worked through environmental studies, an endangered species study, Native American cultural studies, soil testing and a wetlands study.

For a small town, getting all of that approved seemed like an impossible feat, and without the Chandler EDC’s help, it would have been. The EDC stayed with the project for two years, study after study, until the answers came back yes.

At the end of those two years, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers approved the development, including the 12-acre lake and lake access to Lake Palestine.

Ford said Chandler is fortunate to have two men come alongside to help: Wiesinger and Tom Mullins, who led the Tyler Economic Development Council as president and CEO for more than 30 years and now serves as a consultant for the Chandler EDC.

“This project has tremendous potential for Chandler,” Mullins said.

Ford sees more than good business in it. “God has his hand in this,” he said.

A lake, an amphitheater and reasons to stay in town

Along with several commercial and retail sites, the vision includes the heart-shaped lake, an amphitheater on the lake, a walking trail, places for bird watching and the potential for fishing. The goal is nature-friendly, walkable space with outdoor fun for young families. A heart-shaped lake seems fitting for a town whose city letterhead calls it the “City With A Heart.”

State records show the company is officially Chapter XI Stream, LLC, Roman numerals and all, formed in December 2025 and based at One Rock’s Tyler office address. Also on file with the secretary of state is its DBA, “Heart of Chandler.”

Ford said the project means local jobs and places to eat, shop and work without driving to Tyler. Growing the sales tax base also helps keep the city from having to raise the sales tax. And because Chandler is landlocked, he said, it can only grow so much, so good projects matter.

What’s happening now

Here is a quick look at the work underway and what is coming.

This Saturday: the Pow Wow

First, the reason for all those booth calls.

The Chandler Pow Wow is this Saturday, Oct. 10, at Winchester Park, and it is expected to draw about 5,000 visitors to about 150 booths. This year’s theme is “Road Trippin’ Through the USA!” and the title sponsor is Texas Farm Bureau Insurance. Look for vendors, food trucks, a parade, entertainment and family fun.

The Pow Wow is now in its 38th year. In the early days it was strictly a gathering, Ford said, and neighbors donated cakes and pies to sell, sometimes sparking bidding wars.

That spirit still shows. Funds from the event helped build the community center.

And yes, there will be egg rolls. Kong Duncan, who manages the gas station next to Whataburger, personally made 5,000 egg rolls last year, and folks line up at 7:30 a.m. to get them.

Want to be part of it? The Chamber needs parking volunteers on Saturday. To lend a hand, contact the Chandler Area Chamber of Commerce. Volunteers make the Pow Wow happen.

On the Heart of Chandler site

• Crews are laying drainage and doing utility and infrastructure work. A deceleration lane and three entrances are planned. Ford called it a five-year project. More details will be released next month, and Kickapoo Kolache readers will hear them here first.

City and EDC infrastructure

• Water and sewer: The city’s 2026-27 budget, adopted Sept. 29, sets aside $500,000 for water utility capital projects, $100,000 for sewer plant repair and $30,000 for water well repair, and expects about $943,000 in grant revenue for the water system. The EDC has helped with city water projects, too.
• EDC investment: The same budget includes about $477,000 for EDC projects, $40,000 for facade grants, $40,000 for small business development grants and $125,000 in other grants, which the EDC allocates for assistance with city projects.
• Winchester Park: The EDC built the pavilion, a disc golf course and Field 5, and helped with a soccer field.

New business projects

• Sawmill Road: The EDC bought two acres behind Brookshire’s and sold them to a developer out of Lindale for a 20,000-square-foot office and retail complex.
• Chandler Tire Store: The business is coming to the storage unit property the EDC purchased near Pop’s.

Ford said he gets a call every week from a business wanting to come to Chandler.

Ford was quick to credit the support of the Chandler EDC board and the Chandler City Council, who approve all projects and have helped them come to fruition.

How the EDC can help your business

The EDC and the Chamber of Commerce work hand in hand, but they have different jobs, Ford said. The Chamber promotes the town. The EDC helps businesses grow.

The EDC is funded by a half-cent sales tax. That money has gone toward grants, infrastructure, equipment and land. Ford said it is the reason the hotel is here, and it helped bring Ace Hardware. The EDC has also helped with grants for Los Hermanos, Pizza Hut and Val’s Italian restaurant, to name a few.

Homegrown businesses benefit, too. Brave Hawk Sports received EDC grant money for equipment.

“The support of our local EDC has played an important role in the growth of Brave Hawk Sports. As a locally owned small business, having an organization that believes in what we’re building and is willing to invest in our growth has helped us expand, improve our facility, and better serve the teams and families in our community. We’re incredibly thankful to have that kind of support right here at home,” said Bryan Justice, one of the owners of Brave Hawk Sports.

For existing businesses, the EDC offers facade and sign grants. Its published Business Improvement Grant Program lists matching grants of up to 50 percent for storefront facades, signs, property improvements such as landscaping, lighting and parking lots, and demolition. The key rule: get written approval before work begins.

Ford’s advice is simple. Visit the website, or call Rick.

Passing the torch

Ford is also building the next generation of leaders. At Thursday’s Chamber luncheon, he announced that Kayla Goodson, the Chamber’s assistant executive director, will succeed him as executive director of the Chandler Area Chamber of Commerce. He will mentor her for a year, and he believes she will take it to the next level.

Chandler’s next chapter, it seems, is in good hands.