Still Standing: A Year of Extreme Challenges Draws to a Close

Over the nearly 20 years I have been writing these annual wrap-ups in one economic development capacity or another, my reports have been overwhelmingly upbeat and positive. Even during the most challenging years of the Great Recession, it was easy to find a silver lining. 2020 was a difficult year for Anson County, and while there were a few positives to be found, it would come across as tone-deaf not to acknowledge that fact.

In addition to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has driven many of our businesses to the brink, our Walmart's shuttering was an unexpected blow to our local economy. Whether you are a proponent of the Walmart way of doing things or not, anything that decreases the retail options for Anson County is negative. 

Early in the pandemic, the county seemed to be faring better than the surrounding area. Our case count was relatively low; our industries were not announcing the massive layoffs occurring elsewhere; subsequently, our unemployment rate did not spike to nearly the extent seen in neighboring counties. However, as COVID-19 has worn on, we have "caught up" in all three areas, becoming one of the last counties in the state to be categorized as "critical" in mid-December.  

Although none of our largest employers have shut down for an extended period, they are all struggling to various extents, with reports of business being down by anywhere from 15% to 40%. At least one has suggested that they would likely have suffered significant layoffs over the summer without PPP assistance.

Beyond the financial toll, the human toll of the pandemic in Anson County has been devastating. Some of the county's best and brightest people have been incapacitated for lengthy periods or lost. As of this writing, more than 1,500 have been sickened, and 31 have died. The impact on their families and the community will be felt for years to come.

In terms of economic development, our office's business activity is down about 25% from previous years. Although the number of inquires and active projects is off some, the real impact has come in prospect visits. We typically host two or three prospects each month but have had only a half-dozen visits, total, since March, and most of those have been companies from the Charlotte region out "kicking tires." International visits, which have been a significant factor in our industrial growth over the past four years, have been zero due to travel restrictions.   

On the positive side, the Pee Dee Electric Cooperative announcement was the highlight of the year. In addition to the $20 million headquarters project, the cooperative is partnering with AnsonEDP and NCSE to develop the land around their new campus as a logistics park, which will bring hundreds of jobs and tens of millions of dollars investment to the eastern side of the county over the next 20 years.

Another positive, at least so far, has been sales tax revenue. When the Walmart closed, there was concern among county leaders that our sales tax revenue, which is used to fund everything from education to economic development, would be substantially decreased. Some estimated we could lose as much as 15 to 20 percent. Sales tax revenues are actually UP slightly for the year. It appears residents have mostly continued spending their money here in the county. Anecdotally, businesses like H.W. Little, Parson's Drugs, Roses, TSC, Food Lion, IGA, and others have taken up much of the slack. That trend, however, may have been influenced by people's reluctance to travel during the pandemic, as well as the stimulus checks, so it is still a concern that bears monitoring, long-term.    

Looking ahead, the future of the Walmart building is one of our most critical issues for 2021. We have been very active in marketing that property and have had interest from a variety of different companies for a variety of different uses. The best-case scenario would be another large retail operation, but a distribution center or manufacturing facility would similarly benefit the community. We will also be focussing on development in the Peachland-Polkton corridor and ramping up marketing efforts for Atlantic Gateway.

In lieu of face-to-face meetings and prospect visits, AnsonEDP is investing additional effort in our online and virtual presence. We have already upgraded the site and building search capability on our website, and will be rolling out a general "freshening" of the look and feel of that website over the next month.   

As COVID-19 vaccines are made available across the country, we see some light at the end of the tunnel. Realistically, it will probably be June or July before any semblance of normalcy returns to economic development. Until then, AnsonEDP will continue fighting the good fight, in whatever ways we can, for Anson County citizens.