Two Quarters In, Vulpes Corp.’s Lubbock Bet Is Already Paying Off
It’s no secret that agriculture plays a big role in our local, national, and international economies. But you might not see all the costs, technology, and innovation behind our agribusiness industry unless you head out to what’s now the Reese Technology Center.
Vulpes Corp. is a chemical manufacturer specializing in agrochemical production. The company was founded in St. Louis, Missouri, in 2018, but planted roots in Lubbock, Texas back in 2024. The industry and products Vulpes works with are largely international, but the company’s CEO, Rick Shang, said they want to change that.
“My goal is to bring [fine and specialty chemicals] back to be made in the U.S. with U.S.-based compliance and quality, but [on] a globally competitive cost base,” he explained.
With R&D, creating the product, and sending it out to farmers and distributors, Vulpes Corp. needed a big place for all the in-house production. Shang told us he initially gravitated toward setting up shop in the Midwest, touring several facilities in Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri, but things changed when he connected with the Lubbock Economic Development Alliance. According to Shang, LEDA’s help and expertise played a large role in his decision to come to Lubbock.
“I really did need a lot more help than telling me this factory is empty and could be sold,” he said. “LEDA really was the only one who spent a lot more time telling me what the benefits are, what kind of costs I have, and really helped me to be situated in Lubbock.”
Shang ultimately landed on a building at Reese Air Force Base where pilots used to train in flight simulators. Some saw a lot of space to fill, but Shang saw opportunity and retrofitted the facility to fit the demand of his rapidly growing business.
The vast West Texas agriculture industry and partnership with the Growers Freedom Alliance have helped Vulpes Corp. in that growth. The investment from Billy Tiller and the thousands of farmers who are part of this group is what Shang said got his company off the ground.
It also helped him achieve the huge milestone of being profitable for the first two quarters of 2026, the first official year in business. With most startups taking years to just break even, this was a pleasant surprise for Shang, to say the least. It’s something he widely credits to the quality of his employees and the innovation they bring to supply chain options, especially the R&D department.
“We have productive, intelligent, and well-skilled labor here,” Shang explained. “We also have a very good supply chain here, and if we run the company very efficiently without too much fat, there’s no middle management, we are able to be cost-competitive on a straight dollar basis.”
Vulpes Corp. already has about 30 versatile employees, ranging from engineers to skilled technicians, to whom Shang credits a great deal of his success. That’s why most of his costs go toward employee benefits. He told us the young, talented labor pool in Lubbock has helped him fill the diverse positions needed to run his business. It was something else that influenced his decision to make the Hub City his home base.
“I really benefit a lot from Lubbock ISD’s CTE program, of course, South Plains College, and of course, Texas Tech University for different job requirements,” Shang said.
Although the company is small, Shang has big goals for the future. He told us one of their main focuses is to connect with more distributors to grow their national and international presence. While the focus is serving farmers right now, Shang said he also eventually hopes to expand beyond agrochemicals and into the oil and gas, semiconductor chips, and maybe even pharmaceutical industry.
“I think we are in a position to tell everyone that this is viable. This is doable. And we can have a resilient supply chain here, without compromises,” Shang said in a social media post.