Anson Economic Development Corporation

Pee Dee Electric, a leading provider of reliable and affordable electricity in the southern Piedmont region, has been recognized as the Energizing Anson Industry of the Year. This prestigious award acknowledges Pee Dee Electric's outstanding contributions to local industry and its commitment to powering progress and prosperity in the Anson County community. Since 1938, Pee Dee Electric has demonstrated unwavering dedication to delivering high-quality electricity services to its members. Through innovative solutions and a customer-centric approach, the cooperative has played a pivotal role in driving economic growth and improving the quality of life for residents and businesses in the Anson County area. "We are incredibly honored to receive this award, and we see it as a testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire team," said Cathy Page, speaking on behalf of Pee Dee CEO Donnie Spivey. "At Pee Dee Electric, we take great pride in not only providing reliabl...

The Anson Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) is pleased to announce the appointment of Randy Collins as its new Executive Director. With a proven track record driving economic growth and fostering community development, Collins brings a wealth of experience and strategic leadership to propel AEDC's mission forward. In his new role, which he will assume September 1st, Collins will be responsible for spearheading AEDC's efforts to attract new businesses, promote job creation, and enhance the overall economic vitality of the Anson community. He will collaborate with local stakeholders, businesses, and government entities to identify opportunities, develop innovative initiatives, and drive sustainable growth. "We are thrilled to welcome Randy Collins to lead the Anson Economic Development Corporation," said Don Scarborough, Chair of the AEDC Board of Directors. "His diverse background and his passion for community engagement make him the perfect fit to guide our...

A nson Economic Development Corporation is hiring an Executive Director. If you are an economic development professional with at least five years of experience at the county or municipal level, we'd love to talk to you about leading our dynamic organization here in the Charlotte region. Competitive wages and benefits, and a great working environment. Click on he link to view the job posing on LinkedIn. https://lnkd.in/gzAtnP_8

On June 1st, the Anson Economic Development Corporation will be relocating its offices from the current REV Uptown facility at 114 West Wade Street to the Townhouse Office Building at 202 East Wade Street in Wadesboro. The larger office suite will better accommodate the recently increased staff and provide a better overall experience for clients and visitors, with improved access to Wadesboro Town Hall, the town’s new public parking lot, real estate and law offices, and South Piedmont Community College’s Lockhart-Taylor Center.

We are thrilled to introduce our new product development consultant, Thomas Cureton, who will be overseeing all current and ongoing construction projects. With his extensive experience in the industry and proven track record of successful project management, we're confident Thomas will be a valuable addition to our team. Thomas is a graduate of Wingate University and a veteran of the U.S. Army who served with distinction in Vietnam before returning to Wadesboro and working for many years in the textile industry, where he was responsible for building maintenance and construction. He founded Cedar Hill Manufacturing in 1992, and built that facility in Ansonville. We are looking forward to working with Thomas and benefitting from his decades of construction experience in our projects at the Wadesboro Industrial Park, the Atlantic Gateway Logistics Park, and future sites to come.

Anson Economic Development Corporation welcomes Brook Ainsworth to our team. As Business Services Consultant, Brook will be working with our local entrepreneurs and our existing industry. Brook is a lifelong Ansonian, and a graduate of Anson High School and Wingate Univerity. An entrepreneur herself, she started and operated her own business in Uptown Wadesboro for several years and worked with the United Way on several fundraising campaigns. She brings a wealth of practical experience navigating business start-ups and will offer a unique perspective to our existing industry.  You can contact her at Brook@AnsonEDC.com. LinkedIn Profile    

Over the past week, we have begun rolling out a change in our corporate identity. The majority of people likely will not even notice, but those with a keen eye for detail might see we have replaced “Partnership” with “Corporation” on our website and social media accounts.  Technically, this is not a name change. We have been Anson Economic Development Corporation since 1975, and all of our official business transactions have been conducted under that name for nearly fifty years. In 2016, however, we entered into an agreement with Anson County and hired our first full-time executive director. At the time, it seemed like a good idea to highlight this new arrangement by calling the organization “Partnership” as a public-facing identity and creating a separate advisory board with broader government and quasi-government representation. While this unofficial identity has helped positively position the organization in the public eye, the discrepancy in what we call ourselves and our legal...

The nature of work has undergone significant changes over the past few decades, driven by advancements in technology, globalization, and shifting economic conditions. The workplace of today looks vastly different from that of even a generation ago, with new technologies, communication tools, and work arrangements transforming the way we work. One of the most significant changes has been the rise of the gig economy, where workers take on short-term contracts or freelance work rather than being employed by a single company. This trend has been driven by a variety of factors, including the desire for greater flexibility, the growth of online platforms connecting workers with clients, and the increasing availability of work that can be done remotely. While the gig economy has created new opportunities for some workers, it has also raised concerns about job security and access to benefits like health insurance and retirement savings. Another change has been the increasing importance of tech...

AnsonEDP Executive Director John Marek traveled to Chapel Hill yesterday along with management and staff of the Speckled Paw Coffee chain to attend Business North Carolina's 2022 Small Business of the Year awards luncheon. Mt. Gilead's Speckled Paw was one of four small businesses from across the state to be recognized by the publication, the others being Core Technology Molding of Greensboro, Firsthand Foods of Durham, and Seaview Crab of Wilmington.  Specked Paw was lauded for its unique approach to creating “community through coffee” and the integration of an extensive community newsletter into its business model. Marek writes a weekly column for that publication.  Although based in Mt. Gilead in Montgomery County, Speckled Paw operates two stores in Anson County and one in Richmond County. The Wadesboro store was an anchor tenant for the REV Uptown coworking space and business incubator operated jointly by AnsonEDP and the Anson County Chamber of Commerce.  "All the c...

SPCC’s Small Business Center is accepting applications for the second cohort of its Level Up program.  Level Up is a growth-oriented business development program designed to help existing businesses develop a plan for growth. The program will run from Jan 5 – Apr 20 and consist of a total of 11 sessions. The sessions will include peer-to-peer learning, knowledge sharing from guest speakers, and coaching with the Level Up consultants.  Full program details are available at https://spcc.edu/small-business-center/level-up/. To download a PDF flier at https://www.ncsbc.net/DocumentMaster.aspx?doc=6551 The program is offered by South Piedmont Community College’s Small Business Center. It is fully supported and will be no cost to businesses accepted. The inaugural cohort graduated this past June and all participants said they would recommend the program to other business owners. 

Ashley Carter, president of Lobal-Wakol North America, was named the Energizing Anson award winner for 2022 at the Anson County Industry Appreciation Luncheon on September 9th. Ashley worked with AnsonEDP to move the North American headquarters of the German floor care and adhesive products company to Wadesboro in 2019 and has been a strong advocate and tireless volunteer for the community since.  The luncheon, which was the first held in person since the start of COVID, was held at the terminal building of the Anson County Airport. 

A new restaurant, the Ansonia Soup Company, will soon be opening in Uptown Wadesboro. The locally-owned business will offer a variety of soups, salads, and pasta dishes featuring locally and regionally sourced ingredients. The venture is the brainchild of Chef Monica Ann, who has appeared twice on Food Network's "Chopped" cooking contest and was a private chef and caterer in Chicago for 12 years.  The restaurant will open in the old Velvet Creations space on South Greene Street, likely in October, pending renovations and inspections.

Anson County has received three economic development grants, totaling $262,000, from the North Carolina’s Southeast Product Development Fund. The grants, which are part of a $5 million appropriation last year from the North Carolina General Assembly, will boost the development and enhancement of industrial sites and shell buildings across the Southeast’s 18 counties. Support will cover a wide array of engineering, water, and wastewater infrastructure, design work, construction, roadway access, and other needs. “Our region and our organization are moving forward aggressively in applying these funds to meet demand by businesses for industry-ready real estate product,” says Jeff Etheridge, chairman of North Carolina’s Southeast. “Companies reconsidering supply-chains in the wake of the pandemic and geopolitical concerns are seeking resilient, convenient, and reliable destinations for manufacturing, logistics, and other mission-critical operations. The Southeast wants to be ready for them....

By the very nature of what we do, economic developers have access to inside information about new and potential business and development projects. Maintaining the confidentiality of the companies and individuals involved is crucial to the process but can sometimes be interpreted as overly secretive or even slightly suspect by the general public.  Here at AnsonEDP, we strive to be as open and transparent as possible. In that spirit, we share with you today a piece of inside information that could make you and your family a pretty penny over the next few years; think very seriously about the construction trades .  If you are a high school student, run, do not walk, to the CTE department and ask what you can do to get on the construction track. Whether your interest is in electrical, plumbing, HVAC, or general construction technology, good jobs will be waiting for you when you graduate with experience and certifications. And those jobs will be here in Anson County, so you w...

Anson Economic Development Partnership (AnsonEDP) is pleased to announce that Raleigh-based McGill Environmental Systems has chosen Anson County for its new state-of-the-art composting facility. Upon completion, the facility will represent a capital investment of more than $16 million and employ 20 at an average annual wage of $71,000. The new facility will allow the company to better serve its existing customers in the Charlotte metro area and position it for future expansion in Southeast U.S. markets. The facility will be McGill's ninth, joining two in North Carolina, one in South Carolina, one in New Jersey, one in Florida, and two in Ireland. Organizations like municipalities, industrial companies, and agricultural businesses around the world depend on McGill’s state-of-the-art technologies and proven processes for their organic compost manufacturing needs. Homeowners, landscapers, and anyone managing turf and earth rely on McGill’s premium compost to serve as a strong and hea...

  It’s been a while since any new second-story story residential has been developed in Uptown Wadesboro, but we are pleased to report that the 124/126 West Wade studio apartments project is moving along and should be ready to lease by summer. Second-story residential is a difficult nut to crack due to all of the federal and state regulations, but kudos to Chipper and Mike for their determination to make it work.

Exciting morning at the new Dunkin ribbon-cutting in Wadesboro. Folks were lined up around the block to be one of the first 50 cars to go through the drive-through and win free coffee for a year.

This morning, AnsonEDP participated in the ribbon-cutting for the new Centralina NextGen Services office in Burnsville. NextGen provides workforce development programming for youth and young adults. Under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) it outlines a broader youth vision that supports an integrated service delivery system and provides a framework through which states and local areas can leverage other Federal, state, local and philanthropic resources to support In-School Youth (ISY) and Out-of-School Youth (OSY). Notably, WIOA shifts the primary program focus of the youth formula programs to support the educational and career success of OSY.

For all of us at AnsonEDP, the ongoing and ever-changing pandemic has played a significant role in the past 12 months, and likely will in the coming year as well. 2021 was a year of both concern and determination. While we have learned to adjust and change, one thing has remained constant: our commitment to improving the quality of life for the residents of Anson County.  So much has happened at AnsonEDP since last December that it would be impossible to recap it all in one email—so let me focus on three major things I believe will have a lasting impact on the Anson Economy: Product Development: When Big Toys Direct acquired the former Walmart building in July, we celebrated a major win for the community, but we also lost our last marketable industrial building of more than 25,000 square feet. In fact, the day that deal closed, our active projects list decreased by nearly half because those projects were also considering that building. In today's world, a community without a viable...

Over the past 18 months, AnsonEDP has announced nine new projects in the county, creating 114 new jobs and more than $33 million in new capital investment. As we approach the end of the year, let's take a look at the current status of some of those projects: The Pee Dee Electric Cooperative HQ at Atlantic Gateway is finished and open for business. All employees from the former Wadesboro and Rockingham facilities are now in place.  The new Dunkin/T-Mobile/PNC at Anson Station was originally targeting a November opening, but delays in equipment and signage have pushed that back until early 2022. The building is finished and the PNC drive-up is operating. Both Dunkin and T-Mobile are currently hiring. This is Big Toys Direct' s busy season, so all hands are on deck at their California facility and progress has slowed somewhat on renovations at the new Wadesboro facility. There are still contractors there every day and the company expects to begin hiring in early 2022, with logis...