By Jessie Burchette
jburchette@salisburypost.com
While it’s not a sure thing, Rowan County appears to be a finalist for four projects that could bring $400 million in investment and more than 400 jobs to the area.
Robert Van Geons, executive director of the Salisbury-Rowan Economic Development Commission, updated county commissioners on pending projects during the board’s retreat last week.
Commissioners have quietly expressed optimism in recent months that good things may be in the works.
“They’re not kind of, sort of,” Van Geons said. “We’re down to the wire.”
Van Geons was purposely vague about the types of industry. But he also was optimistic.
In the case of a company looking at the county-owned Summit Corporate Center, Van Geons said the field has narrowed to two sites ó Summit and a ” a county in a state to the south.”
While the competition is offering free land or a site at a reduced price, Van Geons said Summit is “aggressively priced at $39,700 an acre.” He suggested some additional negotiating may be needed.
He also referred to other projects, including the re-use of an existing building, and an expansion by a ” North American industry.”
Van Geons and members of the Economic Development Commission met with the N.C. Department Commerce secretary and other staff to make the case for Rowan.
He said one of the stumbling blocks is the recorded average wage for Rowan County ó $669 a week, a wage buoyed by Freightliner at full employment.
Van Geons also outlined the overall program of the agency, using a Clint Eastwood film title for the presentation ó ” The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.”
He said Duke Energy has assisted in marketing the county and municipalities.
In an evolving shift, the focus is now on attracting companies in food processing, consumer products, distribution operations, inbound call centers, regional and super-regional services.
Nearly a decade ago, when the economy was in much better shape, the Economic Development Commission and county commissioners wanted to move away from distribution centers and focus on high-tech, high-wage companies.
Emphasizing the agency’s focus on working with local businesses, Van Geons announced plans for a workshop later this month that will provide training for businesses in how to do business with the federal government. He wants everyone to work on being “first in line for money out of D.C.”
Van Geons displayed a sample of the new marketing effort for Summit and Rowan County. A major element of the message is Rowan County is within a 60-minute drive of 3.7 million people. In the Southeast, only Atlanta has more people and potential workers within that range.
Also on the good side, he cited plans to expand the airport and potential development. He displayed a map showing an 80-acre inside-the-fence industrial site at the airport. Such a site would be ideal for airplane-related companies and what he termed “jobs of tomorrow.”
Under the “Bad” category, Van Geons cited the economy’s impact on NASCAR, which has slowed development in the Toyota business park on Peach Orchard Road.
Under the category of “Ugly,” he displayed an extensive list of local companies that had 5,548 layoffs since Jan. 1, 2006.
Contact Jessie Burchette at 704-797-4254.