North Carolina Pins Hopes
On New Incentives Package

The biggest economic development buzz in the Old North State of late is the anticipated benefit of the N.C. Economic Stimulus and Job Creation Act. Signed into law by Gov. Mike Easley in late October, the legislation allows the state to spend up to $240 million through grants to new and expanding businesses of up to 75 percent of employee withholding taxes for new jobs.
        "This is the most significant economic development legislation that's been passed in the last 20 years," says Terry Orell, group vice president of business growth for the Charlotte Chamber of Commerce.

PCI Wedeco is consolidating its U.S. manufacturing operations into a new facility being built in south Charlotte. The plant, set to open in late March, will employ 160.

        When Dusseldorf, Germany-based PCI Wedeco decided to consolidate manufacturing operations from sites in Vermont and New Jersey, it eyed the Carolinas and Georgia before deciding on Charlotte, which edged out the Raleigh-Durham area. Charlotte won for several reasons, but chiefly because of Charlotte/Douglas International Airport, says John Marrino, Wedeco's U.S. president.
        "We wanted to be near a hub airport for our salespeople to travel and to get customers to us," Marrino says. "Also, the area is very cost-effective in terms of land and labor costs. There's a good availability of skilled and semi-skilled labor."
        The quality-of-life factor was paramount too. Marrino says Charlotte offers a metropolitan feel while remaining close to rural sanctuaries.
        Wedeco, which produces ozone and ultraviolet technology used in water treatment and purification, is leasing space while building a 100,000-sq.-ft. (9,300-sq.-m.) manufacturing and office facility. Target completion date is March 31 with 160 employees initially. Most will be hired locally since just 10 percent transferred from Vermont and 20 percent from New Jersey.

Ford Motor Co.'s new project in Mebane is one of several "high-velocity distribution centers" being developed by the automaker's parts, supplies and logistics division. Kent O'Hara (inset) is North America planning manager for the division.

Mebane Gets Ford DC;
Triad FedEx Hub Progresses

A new 225,000-sq.-ft. (20,900-sq.-m.) high-velocity distribution center for Ford Motor Co. is rising at the new North Carolina Industrial Center, a 600-acre park owned and developed by Samet Corp. in Mebane, just east of Greensboro.
        The facility, slated to open in July, is part of Ford's plan to increase the number of its parts distribution centers from 10 to 21. The idea is to create a nationwide network of specialized parts hubs that will allow dealers to order and receive parts daily, instead of the weekly schedule under the previous system. As of the end of the year, nine facilities were operational.

North Carolina 2003: A Demographic Profile Population: 8,253,592 Pop. growth (1990-2002): 24.51% Households: 3,216,886 Housing Units: 3,609,621 Median Household Size: 2.7 Home Ownership: 63.1% Median Monthly Rent: 420.0 Median Monthly Mortgage: 664.0 Median Household Income: 39,239 Per Capita Income: 24,914 Percent with College Degree: 17.4% Total Work Force: 4,091,313 Total Crime Index (US avg. = 100): 127.0 Annual Avg. Temperature: 59.5° F Annual Spending Per Capita: 16,317.5 Consumer Price Index: 146.2 EASI Quality of Life Index: 108.0 Source: Development Alliance (www.developmentalliance.com)

        Kent O'Hara, Ford's North America planning manager for parts, supplies and logistics, says Mebane was chosen following a technical study on the volume of Ford dealers in the region. Mebane, which will serve dealers in a 225-mile radius, is close to the optimal central location point, he says.
        "From a pure geographical pinpoint, this was the place," O'Hara says. "It's in an industrial park that had previously been identified as a good location for other companies."
        O'Hara says another consideration was North Carolina's assistance with funds for training. The facility will employee 55 to 65.
        In Greensboro, the planned $300-million regional FedEx hub at the Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTIA) passed another hurdle with the signing of a 25-year lease in October. The facility is scheduled to open in 2007, but construction won't start before mid-2006, according to FedEx spokeswoman Pam Roberson, who says the project is in the design phase and a few legal issues also remain to be resolved.
        Don Kirkman, president and CEO of the Piedmont Triad Partnership, says the hub's economic benefits will go far beyond its 1,600 employees. He predicts it will have a $7.5-billion economic impact and create nearly 20,000 jobs in the 14-county area surrounding the airport.