When the book is closed, 2018 will likely be seen as a pivotal year in the developing success story of Anson County. From the much-anticipated opening of the Monroe Expressway to historically low unemployment to several nice recruiting and expansion wins, the county arguably saw its best year for economic development in recent memory. The big recruiting wins were Catawba Biogas, an alternative energy company that is building a natural gas plant near the Pee Dee Electric facility east of Lilesville, and Four Branches Sporting Clays, an outdoor recreation venue which is nearing completion in Polkton. Catawba’s investment of $15 million is one of the largest announced in the county in the last decade, while the two projects together will create 25 new jobs for Anson County residents. Several expansion projects also contributed to the job and investment totals. AMI Machining, Southern Fabricators, Oldcastle and Columbus McKinnon combined to create 76 jobs and $15 million i...