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 in new investment, and while we do not technically consider it an expansion, the new Bojangles is a significant upgrade that is sure to attract more pass-though visitors and add to the county’s sales tax revenues.
On the downside, AnsonEDP’s Existing Industry Coordinator, Megan Sellers, leveraged that wave of successful expansion projects into a position with North Carolina’s Southeast, the 18-county regional economic development organization to which Anson belongs. While I am sorry to see Megan go, this is a tremendous opportunity for her, and I look forward to working together on future recruiting projects in her new capacity as Project Marketing Manager.
Personally, I have always considered unemployment rates a suspect way to gage local economic development efforts, as they are influenced so significantly by regional and national trends. I liken it to a kayaker on the ocean; if you are paddling with the tide you can create tremendous momentum, but against the tide you can paddle twice as hard and make half the progress. That said, the unemployment rate in Anson County fell below 5% for most of the year and reached a low of 4.1% in October, the lowest rate since a 3.9% posting in April 2000, and the first time the county has reported more than three consecutive months below 5% since the Reagan administration.
Finally, as Anson County continues to refine its economic marketing message, more and more people are taking notice. The Charlotte Business Journal ran half a dozen feature stories about the county and our economic development successes last year, with several additional mentions in articles about the Charlotte region. That is a significant achievement in itself for a county that has traditionally had difficulty spreading the word beyond its borders. Every article, every mention, every ribbon-cutting photo puts us front and center in the race for mindshare among the decision-makers in Charlotte, in Raleigh and across the country.
So, what is in store for 2019?
The good news is that several major projects are teed up for 2019, including what may become the county’s first winery*, a potential rail logistics expansion and the possible reuse of a long-vacant industrial building. The 100-acre Westview site on US Highway 74 has also been getting a lot of interest lately and there is a good chance we will see a project land there in the next few months.
The infrastructure improvements at the Wadesboro Industrial Park should also be completed during the next year, making it more attractive to the food and beverage companies we are trying to bring there. The park will also be the site of AnsonEDP’s first speculative shell building, which we hope to break ground on before the end of the year.
In Wadesboro, AnsonEDP is looking to partner with a private-sector investor to open a permanent co-working/incubator space in the Uptown. This space, which will cater to entrepreneurs, small business people, independent contractors and the gig economy, will be a major step in transforming Wadesboro into a more inviting place for the young professionals and knowledge workers that we are losing to our more urbanized neighbors.
In Peachland/Polkton, we continue to talk with retail, commercial and residential developers about opportunities the Monroe Expressway opens for the the western end of the county, but as previously noted the failure of the alcohol referendum in November has likely put the brakes on that... for now.
I am currently working a couple of potential expansion projects near Ansonville and am in the process of developing a more comprehensive growth plan for that part of the county, including the possible creation of a multi-county Norwood/Ansonville/Mt. Gilead “industrial triangle.”
Although the Atlantic Gateway logistics park development just east of Lilesville will not take shape until 2020-21, I am working on the preliminary planning and will be submitting grant requests for infrastructure improvements in late 2019. This park, which will straddle US Highway 74, could one day encompass more than 3 million square feet of warehouse and light industrial space just a few miles from the I-73/74 interchange and 2 Interstate hours from the Port of Wilmington.
I am also working on a comprehensive growth plan for the Morven/McFarland area based on its recent success as a hub for alternative energy projects and its potential for agriculture/food/beverage-related industry.
2019 is sure to be a year of exciting new announcements, innovative new initiatives and yes, a disappointment or two. I invite you to follow all the action on the AnsonEDP.com website, our AnsonEDP Facebook page and @AnsonEDP on Twitter.
Best regards,
John-
* I suspect that at some point in our 268-year history the county had a winery on some scale, but no one I spoke with had any recollection. Let me know if you have any information in that regard.
Comments
Post a Comment