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07-23-2024 Agenda Packet EDC Date: July 23, 2024 Time: 4:00 pm Location: EDC Boardroom, 303 S. Morgan St., Roxboro, NC 27573 Regularly-Scheduled Meeting Agenda Time Item Leader 4:00 Welcome Mr. G. Phillip Allen, Chairman 4:02 Invocation Mr. Scott McKinney, Vice-Chairman 4:03 Consent Agenda • March 26, 2024 Meeting Minutes • May 28, 2024 Meeting Minutes **Request a motion to approve the Consent Agenda as presented Mr. G. Phillip Allen, Chairman 4:03 NCEDA Update Mr. Bryan Eatmon & Ms. Briana Whitt 4:13 Director Report Ms. Brandy Lynch, ED Director 4:30 Next Meeting Set for September 24, 2024, 4:00pm, EDC Boardroom, 303 S. Morgan St., Roxboro, NC 27573 Mr. G. Phillip Allen, Chairman 4:30 **Adjourn Mr. G. Phillip Allen, Chairman **Action Requested Notes: 7 5 8 11 38 48 61 57 2 2 1 1 Permit Activity SFD (Single Family Dwelling)Bldg (No-mods)Modular Homes 0.00% 0.50% 1.00% 1.50% 2.00% 2.50% 3.00% 3.50% 4.00% Caswell County Durham County Granville County North Carolina Orange County Person County April 2024 Unemployment Rates $- $5,000,000.00 $10,000,000.00 $15,000,000.00 $20,000,000.00 $25,000,000.00 March 2023 Net Collections March 2024 Net Collections April 2023 Net Collections April 2024 Net Collections May 2023 Net Collections May 2024 Net Collections Sales Tax Person Caswell Orange Durham Granville February 2023 – June 2024 172 Projects Were Worked Top 3 Reasons Why Projects Were Not Submitted: 1. 5-10 Miles for an Interstate 2. 32ft – 40ft Ceiling Height 3. Close Proximity to a Major Airport $841.00 $1,857.00 $1,108.00 $1,348.00 $1,477.00 $942.00 $854.00 $1,648.00 $1,047.00 $1,198.00 $1,358.00 $901.00 $850.00 $1,741.00 $1,030.00 $1,222.00 $1,421.00 $900.00 $0.00 $1,000.00 $2,000.00 $3,000.00 $4,000.00 $5,000.00 $6,000.00 Caswell County Durham County Granville County North Carolina Orange County Person County Average Weekly Wage 2023 Q1 Q2 Q3 Person County Demographic Report EDC Minutes for March 26, 2024 Minutes of the PCEDC Regularly Scheduled Meeting Person County EDC Board Room 303 S. Morgan St., Roxboro, NC 27573 March 26, 2024 Voting Board Members Present: Mr. Phillip Allen-Chairman Dr. Scott McKinney-Vice Chairman Mr. Donald Long Mr. Kenneth Perry Mr. Jody Blackwell The Honorable Gordon Powell The Honorable Merilyn Newell Mr. Jay Poindexter Voting Board Members Absent: Ms. Sherry Clayton Ex Officios Present: Ms. Katherine Cathey, County Manager Dr. Claudia Berryhill, Agricultural Representative Mr. Brooks Lockhart, City Manager Dr. Pamela Senegal, PCC President Dr. Rodney Peterson, PCS Superintendent Ex Officios Absent: Dr. Rodney Peterson, PCS Superintendent ED Staff Present: Others Present: Ms. Brandy Lynch, Director Mr. George Willoughby Mr. Bryan Eatmon, Existing Industry Specialist Ms. Kim Strickland Mr. Robert E. Hornik, Jr ED Staff Absent: Ms. Briana Whitt, ED Specialist (Minutes) EDC Welcome and Invocation: At 4:01 p.m., Chairman Allen called the meeting to order. Mr. Scott McKinney gave the invocation. EDC Minutes for March 26, 2024 Approval of Minutes: Chairman Allen recognized The Honorable Merilyn Newell for the approval of the November 28, 2023, December 20, 2023, December 22, 2023, and January 23, 2024 minutes. A motion made, seconded, and unanimously approved to approve the November 28, 2023, December 20, 2023, December 22, 2023, and January 23, 2024 meeting minutes. Motion: Mr. Jody Blackwell Second: Mr. Jay Poindexter Ethics Training: Mr. Allen introduced Mr. Horner to provide the board with the Ethics Training. Mr. Horner made the board aware that he did have a PowerPoint presentation that he would use as a guide. The ethics training is something that everyone on the board needs to do and be aware of. Mr. Horner gave a little information about himself, such as he is a member of the Brough Law Firm, filling in for TC Morphis today. But Mr. Horner's wife, who was from Virginia, told me in about 1995 that she was moving south because she was tired of the snow and the rain. She invited me to come along. I did, and I've been grateful to her ever since then. It turns out that Mike Brough, our namesake, the Brough law firm, was from the same hometown I was living in outside Syracuse. That's how we got it. It just turns out that he was doing the same law down here as I was doing up there. Anyway, here I am. We, in our firm, we do almost exclusively local government law. Probably 75% of our work is representing local governments. The other 25 may represent people with issues with other local governments or just some development work. Mr. Horner talked about a few things this afternoon, such as the open meetings law, which as a public body, the EDC is subject to the open meetings law, the Public Records Act, and the statutes involved in those acts. Regarding conflicts of interest, there are some criminal statutes that you need to be aware of. Otherwise, there are general civil statutes and a lot of common sense involved in determining when you might have a conflict of interest and what you should do. The last item we'll talk about is Maybe a subject for quite a bit of discussion if you want it to be, is what do you do when you're not sure? Mr. Horner started out by talking about the open meetings law. Open meetings law is actually found in Section 143, 318 of the general statutes. They are probably looking at 9 and 10 right now, but there are probably about 20 sub-statutes having to do with open meetings. The Economic Development Commission is a public body. It's a body that's been appointed by; it's created by law, appointed by the county commissioners or ex officios because of their positions elsewhere or ex officio members of the board. The closed-session discussion is the exception, not the rule. Section 318.10, are you a public body? Well, yeah, you are because you've been appointed by your respective or by the board of commissioners or your other respective bodies. What does that mean? It just means that all of these rules apply to you and that you've got to be conscious of the fact that you're representing a constituency, not a private EDC Minutes for March 26, 2024 corporation. Therefore, some of the things that private corporations can do, you can't do, or at least can't do through the same process. Talking about official meetings. We run into issues or questions about this fairly frequently because in some communities, in Roxboro, in Person County, and other jurisdictions, we represent. If you're at a public gathering where there's no intention that it's going to be public business discussed, and public business, in fact, is not being discussed by a majority of the board. There's no concern about that being an official meeting. An official meeting really means when there's a quorum or a potential majority of the board together at the meeting, doing the public's business or talking about the public's business. Those meetings need to be held, noticed, and public access given to them in order for them to be valid. But these days, more and more people are more and more conscious of what's going on with public bodies and are more attentive to the business that's being done by public bodies. Meeting minutes need to be kept of all public meetings and public bodies. There are multiple types of meetings: regular scheduled meetings, special called meetings, and emergency called meetings, electronic meetings (mainly used during covid). Mr. Brooks questioned if they have run into a problem where people are actively doing active records management. Mr. Horner responded, " Yeah, that's becoming more common in different jurisdictions. As a matter of fact, I don't think it's as prevalent as it should be. Because it is one way to, within the bounds of the law, kind of reduce your exposure to the 20,000-email kind of request.” Dr. Berryhill asked if it makes a difference whether the communication is only a municipal or public device versus a personal device. Mr. Horner answered the question with, “the record is the content doesn't matter where it's located. You know, when it's on a personal phone, whether it's on your kids’ phone, whether it's on your work, phone, could be your job at your office.” Economic Development Reset: Chairman Allen started off by saying as the Chairman, can do a better job. The first thing was to support Ms. Lynch, director and have her in every way possible and would like to have a general discussion. Mr. McKinney started off the general discussion by stating the reasoning for the topic being added to the agenda today is that there has been talk about the past meeting for various members of the board who didn’t think the meetings were very meaningful. his idea that we will have a little discussion day about what information the commission members find valuable. What can we maybe modify and presented a different way? Is there something you're not getting? That you would like to get? We are asking Ms. Lynch to provide to us doesn't need to be so demanding that it keeps you from doing the more important parts of the job. Ms. Lynch stated “I do try, you know, to get you all the information you need, that doesn't necessarily have to come in at our point. That's for you all to decide that I can verbally say just as well as when I'm reading the PowerPoint.” There is a database that Economic Development keeps which is a Salesforce database that every project that comes in gets logged, whether estimate, I don't submit, and sometimes the reason why I don't EDC Minutes for March 26, 2024 submit is lengthy. Sometimes it's very short. Sometimes it's just that we don't have inventory. There is a ton of projects that I submit for that I never hear anything back from, I don't know who they are, I don't know what they are, I don't know what industry they are. So, it opens the door for a ton of criticism that I can't answer for. I can't answer why my project doesn't go forward. I can't answer why they don't call me back. I can't answer why they may have chosen later on another state. Dr. Senegal questioned if there are any insights about the 50 projects that we weren't able to submit for? Does that give us any insights as Person County about what we should be focusing on to make ourselves more attractive, absolute investment, so what's the true line? Ms. Lynch stated that that one of the things that I have a list to talk to you about but that's one of the things that are taught to the county manager about is I have seen what these projects are asking for what we do not have Ron, and I have already started the process of looking at what is available inventory. Economic development is not just putting a new industry here. It's not, it's about making you want to live here, play here, build a house here, go to college here, open your own business here. Ms. Lynch needs freedom to do what I need to do to make economic development work in this county, because it changes every day, every second. Ms. Newell questioned and asked for clarification on what Ms. Lynch, Mr. Eatmon and Ms. Whitt do just to understand the focus of the department. Ms. Lynch stated that she worked with the HR Department and the county manager to redo the system director position and not have one anymore. And one of the main reasons that did that was it wasn't transparent what that person did. Strategic Plan: Ms. Lynch started off with a brief update on a couple matters, update on GKN because it is a major talking point in the community NCWorks, commerce, Kerr Tar, Jody all went to visit them yesterday. They had a very good visit. From my understanding we are looking at about 82 employees that are displaced, 41 employees declined and 22 chose retirement. The last thing to be share is a small update on WRAL, I'll receive the marketing numbers next week, from the marketing numbers, we got just a tidbit. They were astronomically popular, look forward to sharing. What we have found, and Bryan will attest is that we are seeing a shift from what they call a strategic plan to an action plan. And I told you all about this that a couple of meetings ago, and told you that we had worked with Ted Abernathy to do this great study, and provided our strategic made our strategic plan off of it. But I needed more condensed, I needed it more condensed and one pager kind of thing. Just that it's easy to read more concise, who knows what our plan going forward is what are what we want to focus on. The North Carolina Association of County Commissioners, they have hired strategic project coordinators that they place in local government. So we have one of those resources working with us on the opioid settlement. And they were available to work on this project as well. Ms. Lynch stated what we did is we took the very big strategic plan, we went through it, we can did some items, we added some items to make it more transparent to make it more focused, then we came up with this beautiful sheet that makes it very clear what we're going to, what our purpose is, and what I hope we can focus on retaining the existing industry. Most economic development departments or commissions do this plan for a year or two. EDC Minutes for March 26, 2024 Next Meeting: The next meeting is proposed for Tuesday, May 28, 2024 at 4:00 p.m. in the Person County EDC Board Room 303 S. Morgan St. Roxboro, NC. Adjournment: A motion was made, seconded, and unanimously passed to adjourn the meeting at approximately 6:05 p.m. Motion: The Honorable Merilyn Newell Second: Mr. Jay Poindexter _____________________________________ ______________________________________ Date Approved Secretary Person County Demographic Report 4 13 11 61 10 18 7 24 14 6 32 4 27 50 38 37 43 49 63 58 40 36 34 36 3 3 1 1 2 3 1 4 1 4 3 5 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 Permit Activity SFD (Single Family Dwelling)Bldg (No-mods)Modular Homes $- $5,000,000.00 $10,000,000.00 $15,000,000.00 $20,000,000.00 $25,000,000.00 $30,000,000.00 November 2023 Net Collections November 2022 Net Collection December 2023 Net Collections December 2022 Net Collections January 2024 Net Collections January 2023 Net Collections Sales Tax Person Caswell Orange Durham Granville 4.00% 3.10%3.20% 3.60% 2.80% 3.50% 0.00% 0.50% 1.00% 1.50% 2.00% 2.50% 3.00% 3.50% 4.00% 4.50% January 2024 Unemployment Rates Caswell County Durham County Granville County North Carolina Orange County Person County $841.00 $1,857.00 $1,108.00 $1,348.00 $1,477.00 $942.00 $854.00 $1,648.00 $1,047.00 $1,198.00 $1,358.00 $901.00 $850.00 $1,741.00 $1,030.00 $1,222.00 $1,421.00 $900.00 $0.00 $1,000.00 $2,000.00 $3,000.00 $4,000.00 $5,000.00 $6,000.00 Caswell County Durham County Granville County North Carolina Orange County Person County Average Weekly Wage 2023 Q1 Q2 Q3 Person County Economic Development Commission Ethics Training March 26, 2024 Bob Hornik, Attorney Overview of Presentation 1.Open Meetings Law 2.Public Records Act -Overview 3.Public Records Act -Confidentiality in Economic Development 4.Conflicts of Interest 5.Criminal Self-Dealing Statutes 6.What If You Are Unsure? Open Meetings Law § 143-318.9.Public policy. Whereas the public bodies that administer the legislative,policy-making,quasi-judicial,administrative, and advisory functions of North Carolina and its political subdivisions exist solely to conduct the people's business, it is the public policy of North Carolina that the hearings, deliberations,and actions of these bodies be conducted openly. § 143-318.10. …(b). “Public body"means any elected or appointed authority, board, commission,committee, council, or other body of the State,or of one or more counties,cities,school administrative units,constituent institutions of The University of North Carolina, or other political subdivisions or public corporations in the State that (i)is composed of two or more members and (ii)exercises or is authorized to exercise a legislative, policy-making, quasi-judicial, administrative,or advisory function. Open Meetings Law § 143-318.10. …(d)"Official meeting"means a meeting,assembly,or gathering together at any time or placeor the simultaneous communication by conference telephone or other electronic means of a majority of themembersof a public body for the purpose of conducting hearings, participating in deliberations, or voting uponor otherwise transacting the public business within the jurisdiction,real or apparent, of the public body.However,a social meeting or other informal assembly or gathering together of the members of a public bodydoes not constitute an official meeting unless called or held to evade the spirit and purposes of thisArticle. § 143-318.10. …(e)Every public body shall keep full and accurate minutes of all official meetings,includinganyclosedsessionsheld pursuant to G.S. 143-318.11 .Such minutes may be in written form or,at the option ofthe public body,may be in the form of sound or video and sound recordings.When a public body meets inclosedsession,it shall keep a general account of the closed session so that a person not in attendance wouldhave a reasonable understanding of what transpired.Such accounts may be a written narrative, or video or audiorecordings.Such minutes and accounts shall be public records within the meaning of the Public Records Law,G.S. 132-1 et seq.;provided, however, that minutes or an account of a closed session conducted in compliancewithG.S. 143-318.11 may be withheld from public inspection so long as public inspection would frustrate thepurpose of a closed session. Open Meetings Law §143-318.11 .Closed sessions. §143-318.12.Public notice of official meetings. §143-318.13.Electronic meetings;written ballots;acting by reference. §143-318.14.Broadcasting or recording meetings. Public Records Act §132-1. "Public records" defined. (a) "Public record" or "public records" shall mean all documents, papers, letters, maps, books, photographs, films, sound recordings, magnetic or other tapes, electronic data-processing records, artifacts, or other documentary material, regardless of physical form or characteristics, made or received pursuant to law or ordinance in connection with the transaction of public business by any agency of North Carolina government or its subdivisions. Agency of North Carolina government or its subdivisions shall mean and include every public office, public officer or official (State or local, elected or appointed), institution, board, commission, bureau, council, department, authority or other unit of government of the State or of any county, unit, special district or other political subdivision of government. (b) The public records and public information compiled by the agencies of North Carolina government or its subdivisions are the property of the people. … Public Records Act: Confidentiality in Economic Development §132-1.2. Confidential information. Nothing in this Chapter shall be construed to require or authorize a public agency or its subdivision to disclose any information that: (1) Meets all of the following conditions: a. Constitutes a "trade secret" as defined in G.S. 66-152(3). b. Is the property of a private "person" as defined in G.S. 66-152(2). c. Is disclosed or furnished to the public agency in connection with the owner's performance of a public contract or in connection with a bid, application, proposal, industrial development project, or in compliance with laws, regulations, rules, or ordinances of the United States, the State, or political subdivisions of the State. d. Is designated or indicated as "confidential" or as a "trade secret" at the time of its initial disclosure to the public agency. Public Records Act: Economic Development Incentives §132-1.11. Economic development incentives. (a) Assumptions and Methodologies. –Subject to the provisions of this Chapter regarding confidential information and the withholding of public records relating to the proposed expansion or location of specific business or industrial projects when the release of those records would frustrate the purpose for which they were created, whenever a public agency or its subdivision performs a cost-benefit analysis or similar assessment with respect to economic development incentives offered to a specific business or industrial project, theagency or its subdivision must describe in detail the assumptions and methodologies used in completing the analysis or assessment. This description is a public record and is subject to all provisions of this Chapter and other law regarding public records. (b) Disclosure of Public Records Requirements. –Whenever an agency or its subdivision first proposes, negotiates, or accepts an application for economic development incentives with respect to a specific industrial or business project, the agency or subdivision must disclose that any information obtained by the agency or subdivision is subject to laws regarding disclosure of public records. In addition, the agency or subdivision must fully and accurately describe the instances in which confidential information may be withheld from disclosure, the types of information that qualify as confidential information, and the methods for ensuring that confidential information is not disclosed. Conflicts of Interest §153A-44. Members excused from voting. The board may excuse a member from voting, but only upon questions involving the member's own financial interest or official conduct or on matters on which the member is prohibited from voting under G.S. 14-234* or G.S. 160D-109. … G.S. 160D-109(b0: (b) Appointed Boards. –Members of appointed boards shall not vote on any advisory or legislative decision regarding a development regulation adopted pursuant to this Chapter where the outcome of the matter being considered is reasonably likely to have a direct, substantial, and readily identifiable financial impact on the member. An appointed board member shall not vote on any zoning amendment if the landowner of the property subject to a rezoning petition or the applicant for a text amendment is a person with whom the member has a close familial, business, or other associational relationship. *on next slide Criminal “Self-Dealing “Statutes NOTE: EDC members are “public officers.” G.S. §14-234: Public officers benefiting from public contracts[.] G.S. §14-234.1: Misuse of confidential information. G.S. §14-234.2: Public Officer benefitting from public position. G.S. §14-234.3: Nonprofit officials participating in contracts. What if I Am Unsure … What if you are unsure as to whether you should vote? What if you are unsure as to whether you have a conflict of interest? Any Questions? Thank you! EDC Minutes for May 28, 2024 Minutes of the PCEDC Regularly Scheduled Meeting Person County EDC Board Room 303 S. Morgan St., Roxboro, NC 27573 May 28, 2024 Voting Board Members Present: Mr. Phillip Allen-Chairman Dr. Scott McKinney-Vice Chairman Mr. Jay Poindexter The Honorable Gordon Powell The Honorable Merilyn Newell Mr. Kenneth Perry Mr. Jody Blackwell Mr. Donald Long Ms. Sherry Clayton Ex Officios Present: Ms. Katherine Cathey, County Manager Dr. Claudia Berryhill, Agricultural Representative Dr. Rodney Peterson, PCS Superintendent Ex Officios Absent: Mr. Brooks Lockhart, City Manager Dr. Pamela Senegal, PCC President ED Staff Present: Others Present: Ms. Brandy Lynch, Director Mr. George Willoughby Mr. Bryan Eatmon, Existing Industry Specialist Ms. Kim Strickland Ms. Briana Whitt, ED Specialist (Minutes) Mr. Bo Freeman Ms. Mikayla Berryhill Ms. Julie Maybee Ms. Sherry Wilborn EDC Welcome and Invocation: At 4:00 p.m., Chairman Allen called the meeting to order. Mr. Scott McKinney gave the invocation. EDC Minutes for May 28, 2024 Agriculture Presentation: Mr. Allen introduced Mikayla Berryhill and Bo Freeman for their agriculture presentation. Ms. Berryhill started off by providing a little background about herself. Ms. Berryhill stated that she grew up on a small farm in Rowan County, then attended NC State and majored in Agronomy with an Agriculture Business Management minor, then worked in Union County for about a year and a half, once proposed to by her now husband moved closer and is now working as the Field Crops Area Agent of Person and Granville County. Currently, Ms. Berryhill is working on getting her Masters in Crop Science. Ms. Berryhill stated that they were here to extend the research-based information from the universities (NC State and NC A&T) to the citizens of North Carolina. NC Cooperative Extension has over 1,058 professionals and 101 local centers across North Carolina. It is the second largest extension network, and Texas is first. 2% is the percentage of the workforce that produces food for the rest of the population in the United States. In 1840, around 60% of the workforce produced food for the United States; it will continue to go down, and the share of agriculture in total employment is at an all-time low. Ms. Berryhill shared that United States farmers are some of the most valuable workers in the world. North Carolina has almost 43,000 farms, and the market value of their agricultural products sold is around $18.6 billion. NC State is lucky to have a member named Mike Waldon, who came up with the number for the Economic Impact of North Carolina Agriculture and Agribusiness last week, which is $111.1 billion. For Person County, there are about 364 farms, and the market value of products sold is $46.5 million. Person County's highest-ranking product is tobacco, 7th in the state and 8th in the nation for production. Mr. Freeman stated that agriculture is in the background of everything we have, which hints when starting to look at agritourism, the longer ones have been the venues and the wineries. Many farms are now learning how to increase their profits, such as using the land for wedding venues or festivals. Some people even buy land, build a house on the property, and then rent it out as an Airbnb. One of the new trends is bridging; watching the birds will be a big venue, and it's something new to do outside and bring new people in. Existing Industry Report: Mr. Eatmon introduced himself to the board and gave everyone a little background on himself. Education and training are vitally important in economic development. So, he stayed abreast of what was happening in the state and the region. While working in Warren, Mr. Eatmon was involved with the Community Development Academy; I started that with the UNC School of Government. I just started that when he got pulled away here and then finished that up at the beginning of May. That was like a three-and-a-half-month course. That's drawing down on the importance of community development, and a lot of that has to do with housing, but also that interacts with economic growth because, without EDC Minutes for May 28, 2024 housing, you can't have people. Also, I am continuing coursework with a certified economic developer course at ECU. Mr. Eatmon has been developing a questionnaire to send to businesses previously. ED has just been going out and meeting with companies and continuing to do that. They were then asked these questions in person. The only problem is that they often need to have this information handy and dig it up from somewhere. Many, "I'll get back to you on that." And they don't ever get back. If you send them a survey and couple it with in-person interviews, we may get better data. Another thing Mr. Eatmon is working on is a business resources brochure. This brochure will serve as a comprehensive guide for our local businesses, especially small businesses, to understand and access the various state, regional, and federal resources available to them. Mr. Eatmon is working diligently on this project, and we believe it will be a valuable addition once we get our website up and running. Having these resources readily available on our economic development website will make it easier for businesses to thrive. Dr. Berryhill and Mr. Eatmon have visited a few places and given him a few new contacts. Bladen County Trip: Ms. Lynch mentioned that she and Mr. Eatmon were invited to the Alexandria Center in May for a meeting to discuss potential collaborations and learn from their successful initiatives. They have taken in an RTP building that they closed down and revamped, putting millions of dollars in greenhouses between two buildings. Ms. Lynch said, "We sat in a glass boardroom and looked down on a restaurant that had fresh food. It had greenery everywhere. So that is a great resource for business, property, and industry." Several months ago, Ms. Lynch attended a class at ECU. In that class, she was privileged to meet Tuck Eustace, a fellow economic development director in Bladen County. He was the guest speaker for the class instructor, Ernie Pearson. Chuck retired from Bladen County as their economic development director. He's also the executive director of Blyton's nonprofit Bladen's Bloomin and a business partner with Ernie Pearson. Ms. Whitt has compiled an information sheet comparing our county, Person County, with Bladen County. This comparison provides valuable insights into our county's economic development status and potential areas for improvement. The sheet is also included in your packet; you can see multiple graphs. Ms. Lynch visited Chuck for a few hours on Wednesday and told him about Person County and our needs and issues. The next day, I was joined by county manager Katherine Cathy and Dr. Berryhill. Bladen County is like Person County, miles away from an interstate which, as you know, can cripple you. They started to think outside the box in the early 2000s. Bladen's bloom and took the lead to bring the county where it is today. The nonprofit participates in revolving loan programs with the county. They also get funding from multiple sources, such as the Golden Leaf Committee of 100, USDA, and other funding. The nonprofit has an industrial park that continues to grow today. EDC Minutes for May 28, 2024 Many startups have grown and expanded, one of which has expanded seven times. One of the latest project openings was in November of 2023 when the nonprofit purchased several downtown build buildings damaged in multiple hurricanes. The nonprofit built a mixed-use facility with low market value rent to help businesses thrive. The next phase has already started, including more parking and buildings. The Industrial Park has grown over the last 20-plus years. It now includes an emergency services facility, an airport, and a Cape Fear winery. The winery has multiple uses, including a distillery cottage, restaurant, Event Center Spa, and a petting zoo with unique animals. The winery has grown so much that there were plans to build seven more cottages, and in recognizing the need of the county or their focus, the needs highlighted were a daycare and health care facilities. Director Report: Ms. Lynch started by discussing the demographic sheet handed out at every meeting. Hopefully, once the website is ready, the information from those forms will be added to it. At the last meeting, questions were raised about how many projects were worked on, so the economic development department came together and completed 159 projects from February 2023 to May 2024. Ms. Lynch and Mr. Eatmon both attended the tourism summit at Unsalted, which also included other counties. They interacted with other counties and discussed how much tourism is a huge part of economic development. Guest speakers touched on the value of tourism, not only the value of it but also the number of dollars it brings in. Ker Tar is funding a property study, and there have been biweekly calls for this project. Ms. Lynch participates in two committees for the 2024 Kerr Tar economic development summit. This year's title is Cultivate 2024. I worked with Duke in Dominion to get sponsorship for the guest speaker. The Person County Economic Development website was designed on a no longer widely available platform. The Economic Development Department will now work with Capital B on a new website and is considering a six-month timeline. All of the economic development departments attended job fairs. Mr. Eatmon attended one in Granville County, Ms. Whitt attended one in Person County, and Ms. Lynch attended a regional one in Vance County because of another meeting that day. Ms. Lynch's whole plan was to launch the website, the logo, and these at the same time countywide, and because of the website and the issues we had with the developer, that didn't happen. We have to go backward from what was planned. The developers were supposed to already be on our website. However, the website developer had multiple issues with them, which, in turn, caused the department to cancel the contract with them and our hosting contract with them. So, the county has now that the IT department has worked to take over posts on our site with GoDaddy, and it's put me far behind them and the very disappointing website. Capital V has promised they will get us up and running quickly. EDC Minutes for May 28, 2024 The architectural and architectural groups have been engaged for the Raleigh Regional Airport. The plans will include the terminal impossible offices and flex space and will allow county departments to use that needs to meet more in private. Person County is home to the district softball Little League International tournament. The budget was presented to the Person County Board of Commissioners. The more ball tournaments that Person County hosts, the bigger the business. Ms. Whitt could not be at our last meeting, so I recorded the meeting, as we typically do to do the minutes. Ms. Whitt went to retrieve the minutes, and they were gone, so Ms. Lynch worked with the IT department. They can see them, but they can't open them. Ms. Lynch spoke to the chairman, the vice chair, and the Secretary, advised them of the issue, and told them she had plans to try to type the minutes from memory. However, before she did that, the IT department returned and said, Hey, let's try one more thing; we found out last week that that would not work. Ms. Lynch will have to work to pull my memory back and do the minutes off that. Lastly, Ms. Lynch got a phone call from Mr. Brooks. His update was that the city got approval to bid out the Western sewer project, which should start this week. The bid packet should go out this week, and the oxidation ditch has now been put into service. Next Meeting: The next meeting is proposed for Tuesday, July 23, 2024, at 4:00 p.m. in the Person County EDC Board Room 303 S. Morgan St. Roxboro, NC. Adjournment: A motion was made, seconded, and unanimously passed to adjourn the meeting at approximately 6:05 p.m. Motion: Mr. Jody Blackwell Second: Mr. Jay Poindexter _____________________________________ ______________________________________ Date Approved Secretary Agriculture in Person County Mikayla Berryhill and Bo Freeman Introduction •From Rowan County, NC •BS Agronomy w/ ABM minor Spring 2020 •Field Crops Agent in Union –June 2020- November 2021 •Field Crops Area Agent in Person/Granville –December 2021 - now • Currently working on an MS Crop Science • Agent in the PSI Agent Network MISSION We extend research-based knowledge to all North Carolinians, helping them transform science into everyday solutions that improve their lives and grow our state. VISION We are the model of excellence in non-formal, research-based education that advances agriculture, the environment, human health and well-being, youth and communities, while creating prosperity for all North Carolinians. 2% The share of agriculture in total employment is at an all time low United States farmers are some of the most valuable workers in the world North Carolina Facts •# of Farms……………………………………..…….42,817 North Carolina Facts •# of Farms……………………………………..…….42,817 •Market Value of Ag Products Sold..…..$18,692,574,000 North Carolina Facts •# of Farms……………………………………..…….42,817 •Market Value of Ag Products Sold..…..$18,692,574,000 –Average Per Farm……………………………$436,569 North Carolina Facts •# of Farms……………………………………..…….42,817 •Market Value of Ag Products Sold..…..$18,692,574,000 –Average Per Farm……………………………$436,569 •# of Farms w/ Hired Farm Labor…………………10,464 North Carolina Facts •# of Farms……………………………………..…….42,817 •Market Value of Ag Products Sold..…..$18,692,574,000 –Average Per Farm……………………………$436,569 •# of Farms w/ Hired Farm Labor…………………10,464 –Payroll……………………………………$932,713,000 North Carolina Facts •# of Farms……………………………………..…….42,817 •Market Value of Ag Products Sold..…..$18,692,574,000 –Average Per Farm……………………………$436,569 •# of Farms w/ Hired Farm Labor…………………10,464 –Payroll……………………………………$932,713,000 •Economic Impact of NC Agriculture and Agribusiness $111.1 BILLION! Data from USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service and NC State University Economist Mike Walden Person County Facts •# of Farms……………………………….………………364 Person County Facts •# of Farms……………………………….………………364 •Market Value of Products Sold……..………$46,525,000 Person County Facts •# of Farms……………………………….………………364 •Market Value of Products Sold……..………$46,525,000 –Average Per Farm………………….….….…$127,816 Person County Facts •# of Farms……………………………….………………364 •Market Value of Products Sold……..………$46,525,000 –Average Per Farm………………….….….…$127,816 •Number of Farms w/ Hired Farm Labor………..…….109 Person County Facts •# of Farms……………………………….………………364 •Market Value of Products Sold……..………$46,525,000 –Average Per Farm………………….….….…$127,816 •Number of Farms w/ Hired Farm Labor………..…….109 –Payroll……………………………………….$8,627,000 Person County Facts •Highest Ranking Product…………………………Tobacco Person County Facts •Highest Ranking Product…………………………Tobacco –7th County in the State –8th County in the NATION Person County Facts •Highest Ranking Product…………………………Tobacco –7th County in the State –8th County in the NATION •Market Value of Tobacco Sales…………….$23,541,000 Over 50% of the total agriculture product Market Value in Person County! Is it sustainable? How long can the 2% keep going? Looking to the future…What is AGRITOURISM? Any activity carried out on a farm or ranch that allows members of the general public, for recreational, entertainment, or educational purposes, to view or enjoy rural activities, including farming, ranching, historic, cultural, harvest-your-own activities, or natural activities and attractions. Any activity is an agritourism activity whether or not the participant paid to participate in the activity. General Assembly of North Carolina - Session Law 2005-236 | House Bill 329 EXAMPLES OF AGRITOURISM IN PERSON CO Examples in Other Counties •Dixon Farms, Granville County - previously a tobacco farm, now a pick-your-own strawberry and produce stand with playground •Baldwin Grass Fed Beef, Caswell County - cattle ranch with a farm store and “open house” farm day for families to visit Why Agritourism? To create success-based opportunities for farms through visitor experiences to ultimately… •Preserve the farmland •Inspire the next generation to farm •Develop community vibrancy •Increase the farm’s bottom line Agritourism is NOT for Every Farm Success requires: •Telling a unique and compelling story –Value of farm as destination –Worthwhile visitor activities –Neighborhood relationships & communication –Focus locally to boost community –Provide experiences of a lifetime to visitors –Excellent staff –Profit for farm –Management of the realities of farming Other ways the 2% is being innovated: NC PSI Vision – Create a healthier, sustainable and more prosperous future through plant science innovation. Mission – To solve grand challenges in agriculture and the environment in North Carolina and beyond through interdisciplinary team-based science, partnerships and talent development. 2013 Strategic Plan 2014 PSI Economic Study 2017 Launch Director Hired: Stephen Briggs PSI Task Forces Report 2015 Raise $14M in private funding, $85M in NC Bond Package for Building Construction 2016 $45M from Golden LEAF Foundation: Construction Building Planning Begins Strategy Task Forces Created 2021 Executive Director Hired: Adrian Percy NSF: $25M Grant $30.7M USDA-ARS Building 2017-2021 Faculty Hiring Phases 1, 2 and 3 Hired 140 Faculty 2019 Plant Breeding Consortium Director Hired: Carlos Iglesias Initiated GRIP4PSI Program NNF: $32M Grant NC PSI JourneyOur N.C. PSI Journey 33 2022 Building completed 25 scientific programs move in N.C. PSI Strategic Planning exercise launched 2019 Research Platform Directors Hired: Williams Reberg-Horton Sozzani 2022 Engagement Platform Directors Hired: Long & Vann Plant Sciences Building Fostering a holistic view of interdisciplinary research N.C. PSI’s Five Platform Directors Ross Sozzani PLANT IMPROVEMENT Professor of Synthetic and Systems Biology Department of Plant and Microbial Biology Chris Reberg-Horton RESILIENT AGRICULTURE SYSTEMS Professor of Cropping Systems Department of Crop and Soil Sciences Cranos Williams DATA-DRIVEN PLANT SCIENCES Goodnight Distinguished Professor of Ag Analytics Dept. of Electrical & Computer Engineering AND Dept. of Plant & Microbial Biology Terri Long EDUCATION & WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT Associate Professor Department of Plant and Microbial Biology Rachel Vann EXTENSION OUTREACH & ENGAGEMENT Assistant Professor and Soybean Extension Specialist Department of Crop and Soil Sciences We will accomplish the Plant Science Initiative mission through five platforms - breaking down academic and research barriers to cultivate, support and sustain science teams focused on 36 Extension, Outreach, and Engagement Platform Mission Drive N.C. PSI project development by creating collisions from diverse disciplines with applied expertise and effectively connect the science conducted in N.C. PSI with stakeholders https://cals.ncsu.edu/news/nc-plant-sciences-initiative-extension-agent-network/ Come and visit with us! THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME! CONTACT ME: Mikayla Berryhill mikayla_berryhill@ncsu.edu person.ces.ncsu.edu 336-599-1195 granville.ces.ncsu.edu 919-603-1350 North Carolina Cooperative Extension is an equal opportunity provider. 2017 CENSUS OF AGRICULTURE OPERATIONS BY TYPE Family/Individual 85.0% Partnership 6.3% Incorporated 7.3% Other 1.4% OPERATIONS BY SIZE Size of Operation Farms Percent of Total Land in Farms Percent of Total 1–49 Acres 47.9%5.6% 50–99 Acres 19.7%7.5% 100–179 Acres 13.4%9.6% 180–499 Acres 11.5%18.4% 500–999 Acres 3.8%14.1% 1,000+ Acres 3.8%44.7% PRINCIPAL OPERATORS BY AGE GROUP Age of Operator Percent of Operations Under 25 0.7% 25–34 5.2% 35–44 10.0% 45–54 18.5% 55–64 27.2% 65–74 25.6% 75 and Over 12.9% Average Age = 58.1 FARMS BY VALUE OF SALES Dollars Number Less than 2,500 18,113 2,500 to 4,999 5,053 5,000 to 9,999 5,658 10,000 to 24,999 5,645 25,000 to 49,999 2,514 50,000 to 499,999 4,581 500,000 or more 4,854 North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services Agricultural Statistics Division Steve Troxler, Commissioner www.ncagr.gov/stats U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service North Carolina Field Office Tony Dorn, State Statistician www.nass.usda.gov 2 West Edenton Street, Raleigh, NC 27601 Tel: (919) 707-3333 NUMBER OF FARMS AND LAND IN FARMS 1 Year Number of Farms Land in Farms Average Size Sales Class Estimates $1,000 – $9,999 $10,000 – $99,000 $100,000 +$1,000 – $9,999 $10,000 – $99,000 $100,000 + Thousands Thousand Acres Acres Number of Farms Land in Farms Thousand Acres NORTH CAROLINA 2018 46.4 8,400 181 26,100 12,700 7,600 1,500 1,800 5,100 2019 46.2 8,400 182 25,900 12,700 7,600 1,400 1,800 5,200 2020 46.0 8,400 183 25,700 12,700 7,600 1,400 1,800 5,200 2021 45.1 8,300 184 24,800 12,700 7,600 1,350 1,800 5,150 2022 45.0 8,300 184 24,800 12,600 7,600 1,350 1,700 5,250 UNITED STATES 2018 2,029 899,500 443 1,035,690 619,030 374,480 84,370 186,770 628,360 2019 2,023 897,400 444 1,034,540 615,340 373,520 83,940 187,100 628,360 2020 2,019 896,600 444 1,032,240 613,940 372,820 83,540 186,550 626,510 2021 2,012 895,300 445 1,025,090 614,040 372,920 82,900 186,490 625,910 2022 2,003 893,400 446 1,016,820 612,000 373,880 81,770 185,980 625,650 1 A farm is any establishment from which $1,000 or more of agricultural products were sold or would normally be sold during the year. NORTH CAROLINA NUMBER OF FARMS AND LAND IN FARMS 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 8.6 8.7 8.8 44.0 45.0 46.0 47.0 48.0 49.0 50.0 51.0 52.0 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 Million AcresThousand FarmsNumber of Farms Land in Farms • N orth C arolina • S TATISTICS 2023 A G R I C U LTURAL FARM INCOME Cash Receipts from Farming by Commodity NC Rank Commodities 2022 2022% of Total Sales Thousand Dollars Percent 1 Broilers 6,887,125 40.8% 2 Hogs 3,102,394 18.4% 3 Turkeys 1,102,424 6.5% 4 Soybeans 887,955 5.3% 5 Corn 780,345 4.6% 6 Chicken eggs 753,086 4.5% 7 Miscellaneous crops 726,551 4.3% 8 Tobacco 509,407 3.0% 9 Cotton lint, Upland 336,256 2.0% 10 Cattle and calves 303,756 1.8% 11 Dairy products, Milk 239,184 1.4% 12 Sweet potatoes 225,005 1.3% 13 Floriculture 191,390 1.1% 14 Wheat 190,735 1.1% 15 Peanuts 134,469 0.8% 16 All other animals and products 107,067 0.6% 17 Hay 71,352 0.4% 18 Blueberries 69,650 0.4% 19 Cottonseed 62,442 0.4% 20 Watermelon 56,016 0.3% SOURCE: Economic Research Service, USDA data as of August 31, 2023. SOURCE OF FARM CASH RECEIPTS, 2022 $16,863,610,000 All Other Crops, Christmas Trees, Nursery, & others 1 5.9%Vegetables, Fruits, Nuts & Berries 2.6% Cotton 2.4% Peanuts0.8% Wheat 1.1% Corn 4.6% Soybeans 5.3% Tobacco3.0% Hogs 18.4% Chicken Eggs 4.5% Dairy products 1.4% All Other Poultry 0.1% All Other Livestock, 0.8% Cattle and Calves 1.8% Turkeys6.5% Broilers 40.8% Livestock, Dair y & Poultry 74.3%Crops 25.7% 1 All Other Crops includes hay, small grains, sorghum, greenhouse, floriculture, nursery, cut Christmas trees, mushrooms and other miscellaneous crops.5000 copies of this public document were designed and printed at a cost of $757.35 or $0.15 per copy. NORTH CAROLINA’S RANK IN U.S. AGRICULTURE, 2022 1 Rank Item Production NC % of US Top 3 States 1 2 3 1 All Tobacco 249.7 (Mil Lbs)55.8 NC KY TN 1 Flue-cured Tobacco 249.4 (Mil Lbs)82.4 NC VA GA 1 Sweet Potatoes 15,484.5 (000 Cwt)59.7 NC CA MS 1 All Poultry & Egg Cash Receipts 8,753.3 (Mil $)11.4 NC AR GA 2 Annual Pig Crop Dec 21 - Nov 22 18.0 (Mil Hd)13.5 IA NC MN 2 Turkeys 28.0 (Mil Hd)13.3 MN NC AR 2 Trout Sold (foodsize)3.3 (Mil Lbs)7.5 ID NC PA 3 Cucumbers 1,445.0 (000 Cwt)11.0 MI FL NC 3 Hogs & Pigs (12-1-22)8.3 (Mil Hd)11.1 IA MN NC 4 Peanuts 510.4 (Mil Lbs)9.2 GA AL FL 4 Broilers 976.2 (Mil Hd)10.7 GA AL AR 5 Burley Tobacco 0.3 (Mil Lbs)0.5 KY TN PA 5 Upland Cotton 2 1,005.0 (000 Bales)6.9 TX GA AR 1 Ranking commodities of published states only. 2 480-lb. net weight bales. TOP TEN COUNTIES IN TOTAL FARM CASH RECEIPTS, 2022 1 County Thousand Dollars County Thousand Dollars Duplin 1,667,550 Wilkes 542,776 Sampson 1,499,444 Wayne 530,381 Union 723,720 Anson 528,680 Bladen 592,636 Bertie 423,520 Robeson 579,692 Randolph 415,388 1 Includes government payments. COUNTY CASH RECEIPTS FROM FARM MARKETINGS, 2022 Includes Crops, Livestock & Government Payments Under 20.0 20.0 to 49.9 50.0 to 99.9 10 0.0 to 149.9 150.0 to 19 9.9 200.0 and up 䣏䣫䣮䣮䣫䣱䣰䢢䣆䣱䣮䣮䣣䣴䣵 Percent of state agriculture sales Total and Per Farm Overview,2022 and change since 2017 2022 %change since 2017 Number of farms 423 -17 Land in farms (acres)146,195 -19 Average size of farm (acres)346 -2 Total ($) Market value of products sold 615,976,000 +38 Government payments 5,383,000 +69 Farm-related income 6,441,000 -26 Total farm production expenses 377,251,000 +33 Net cash farm income 250,550,000 +43 Per farm average ($) Market value of products sold 1,456,208 +67 Government payments a 49,843 +181 Farm-related income a 31,118 -10 Total farm production expenses 891,846 +61 Net cash farm income 592,316 +73 3 Share of Sales by Type (%) Crops 14 Livestock,poultry,and products 86 Land in Farms by Use (acres) Cropland 53,874 Pastureland 4,033 Woodland 64,429 Other 23,859 Acres irrigated:7,597 5%of land in farms Land Use Practices (%of farms) No till 17 Reduced till 11 Intensive till 25 Cover crop 16 Farms by Value of Sales Farms by Size Number Percent of Total b Number Percent of Total b Less than $2,500 101 24 1 to 9 acres 38 9 $2,500 to $4,999 38 9 10 to 49 acres 111 26 $5,000 to $9,999 40 9 50 to 179 acres 148 35 $10,000 to $24,999 39 9 180 to 499 acres 71 17 $25,000 to $49,999 26 6 500 to 999 acres 28 7 $50,000 to $99,999 14 3 1,000+acres 27 6 $100,000 or more 165 39 Bladen County North Carolina Bladen County North Carolina,2022 Page 2 Market Value of Agricultural Products Sold Sales ($1,000) Rank in State c Counties Producing Item Rank in U.S.c Counties Producing Item Total 615,976 5 100 126 3,078 Crops 86,454 21 100 942 3,074 Grains,oilseeds,dry beans,dry peas 23,450 32 99 1,238 2,917 Tobacco (D)41 56 122 267 Cotton and cottonseed (D)47 52 (D)647 Vegetables,melons,potatoes,sweet potatoes 1,701 44 100 691 2,831 Fruits,tree nuts,berries 51,697 1 95 77 2,711 Nursery,greenhouse,floriculture,sod 4,857 32 97 482 2,660 Cultivated Christmas trees,short rotation woody crops --36 -1,274 Other crops and hay 3,460 21 97 955 3,035 Livestock,poultry,and products 529,522 4 100 70 3,076 Poultry and eggs 226,153 14 100 93 3,027 Cattle and calves 1,570 49 99 2,237 3,047 Milk from cows (D)29 48 (D)1,770 Hogs and pigs 301,528 3 95 13 2,814 Sheep,goats,wool,mohair,milk 8 70 95 2,355 2,967 Horses,ponies,mules,burros,donkeys (D)65 87 (D)2,907 Aquaculture --53 -1,190 Other animals and animal products 13 65 96 1,669 2,909 Producers d 758 Sex Male 539 Female 219 Age <35 35 35 –64 425 65 and older 298 Race American Indian/Alaska Native 8 Asian - Black or African American 77 Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander - White 666 More than one race 7 Other characteristics Hispanic,Latino,Spanish origin 27 With military service 75 New and beginning farmers 221 Percent of farms that: Have internet access 83 Farm organically 1 Sell directly to consumers 9 Hire farm labor 31 Are family farms 94 Top Crops in Acres e Corn for grain 18,477 Soybeans for beans 11,599 Land in berries 6,384 Blueberries,all 6,275 Forage (hay/haylage),all 4,583 Livestock Inventory (Dec 31,2022) Broilers and other meat-type chickens 3,609,896 Cattle and calves 4,358 Goats 168 Hogs and pigs 688,866 Horses and ponies 155 Layers (D) Pullets 107 Sheep and lambs (D) Turkeys 396,541 a Average per farm receiving.b May not add to 100%due to rounding.c Among counties whose rank can be displayed.d Data collected for a maximum of four producers per farm.e Crop commodity names may be shortened;see full names at www.nass.usda.gov/go/cropnames.pdf.f Position below the line does not indicate rank.(D)Withheld to avoid disclosing data for individual operations.(NA)Not available.(Z)Less than half of the unit shown.(-) Represents zero. BLADEN COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVLOPMENT COMMISSION BLADEN’S BLOOMIN’ AGRI -INDUSTRIAL, INC. Bladen’s Bloomin’ Agri-Industrial, Inc. a Non-Profit Real Estate Corporation and Revolving Loan Fund has partnered with Bladen County local governments, Bladen County Committee of 100, Four County EMC (RDLG), Golden Leaf Foundation, NCSE, EDA, USDA and other funding partners to attract and/or grow dozens of businesses. BBAI has built or renovated 29 commercial and industrial facilities. You may recognize some of them. BBAI has constructed or renovated 29 commercial and industrial facilities with over 400,000 sf. since 2001. These projects total real estate investments of over $32M and have leveraged over $25M of investment in machinery and equipment. The 29 projects have created approximately 900 jobs. Cape Fear Vineyard and Winery Recently recognized as #5 in the top 24 North Carolina Wineries, is the centerpiece in the Elizabethtown Airport Industrial Park. The projects range from food processing and manufacturing to warehouse distribution, healthcare, retail/commercial, government services, incubators and downtown revitalization. BBAI Incubator #1 Leased by Aramark Uniform Services Incubator 4 Leased by Delton Machining Incubator 5 Leased by Anthem Displays Person County Spotlight Report January – March 2024 © 2024 Capitol B | CapitolBCreative.com Spotlight Article Metrics © © 2024 Capitol B Creative Studios Start Date End Date Article Placement Impressions Clicks to article CTR Pageviews Avg. Time on Page 1/03/24 1/17/24 Everything's better in Person WRAL.com 398,078 367 .09% 834 3:04 CBC Audience Network(off-site)100,002 756 .76% 1/17/24 1/31/24 The path to success begins early in Person County WRAL.com 400,004 249 .06% 708 2:31 CBC Audience Network (off-site)100,004 679 .68% 1/31/24 2/14/24 Success is sweeter in Person WRAL.com 380,711 566 .13% 1,427 2:18 CBC Audience Network (off-site)100,001 823 .82% Totals 1,478,800 3,440 .31%2,969 2:37 Spotlight Report | Jan-March 2024 | Person County Key Insights •More than 1.4 million impressions during campaign with 3,440 clicks to articles •"Success is sweeter in Person" was top performing headline with most clicks (1,389) to article and overall pageviews (1,427) •Average click-through rate (CTR) across campaign is skewing toward upper end of travel and tourism target CTR range of .25%-35% •Almost 3,000 pageviews across all three articles; pageviews are good measure of engagement once user gets to content •Average time on page across three articles is 2 minutes and 37 seconds; slightly below WRAL.com 2023 average of 2 minutes and 42 seconds Creative © © 2024 Capitol B Creative Studios Content gallery Article example Spotlight Report | Jan-March 2024 | Person County Glossary © © 2024 Capitol B Creative Studios •Average time on page:the average amount of time that visitors spend on a page. •Click:The number of times users click on your ad. •Click Through Rate (CTR): The number of clicks divided by the number of impressions. •Impressions: The number of times your ad was served to a device. •Pageviews: The total number of times a page was viewed.Repeated views of a single page are counted. Spotlight Report | Jan-March 2024 | Person County 2 387 PROJECTS CREATED IN 2023 →Business Recruitment Projects –281→Existing Industry Expansions –106 Manufacturing/Assembly –317 projects (82%) Warehouse/Distribution –19 projects (5%) Service/Sales –16 projects (4%) Corporate HQ –15 projects (4%) R&D –9 projects (2%) Back Office/Shared Services –7 projects (2%) Data Center –2 projects (<1%) Call Center –2 projects (<1%) PRIMARY ACTIVITY ALL PROJECTS 82% 5% 4% 4% 3% 2%<1%<1% 3 387 PROJECTS CREATED IN 2023 →New Location Projects –315→On Site Expansions –72 New Location Projects – 81% On Site Expansion Projects – 19% PROJECT TYPE ALL PROJECTS New Location, 81% On Site Expansions, 19% New Location Projects Median Jobs - 147 Median Investment - $45 million Median Wages - $57,426 315 Projects On Site Expansion Projects Median Jobs - 40 Median Investment - $10 million Median Wages - $54,185 72 Projects 4 PRIMARY ACTIVITY NEW LOCATION PROJECTS 83% 4%3% 3% 3% 2%1% 1% *These are projects that include only companies that were considering a new facility to the state. No existing company, same-site expansions are included in this data. 315* PROJECTS CREATED IN 2023 Manufacturing/Assembly – 261 projects (83%) Warehouse/Distribution – 13 projects (4%) Service/Sales – 11 projects (3%) Corporate HQ – 11 projects (3%) R&D – 9 projects (3%) Back Office/Shared Services – 6 projects (2%) Data Center – 2 projects (1%) Call Center – 2 projects (1%) 5 PRIMARY ACTIVITY NEW LOCATION PROJECTS R&D Median Jobs - 20 Median Investment - $15 million Median Wages - $87,406 9 Projects Service/Sales Median Jobs - 79 Median Investment - $43.2 million Median Wages - $74,395 11 Projects Warehouse/Distribution Median Jobs - 50 Median Investment - $19.8 million Median Wages - $45,711 13 Projects 315* PROJECTS CREATED IN 2023 Back Office/ Shared Services Median Jobs - 151 Median Investment - $8.65 million Median Wages - $55,000 6 Projects Corporate HQ Median Jobs – 180 Median Investment - $14.5 million Median Wages - $104,150 11 Projects Manufacturing/Assembly Median Jobs - 170 Median Investment - $50 million Median Wages - $57,210 261 Projects *These are projects that include only companies that were considering a new facility to the state. No existing company, same-site expansions are included in this data. 6 315* PROJECTS CREATED IN 2023 EDPNC Leads & Internal Referrals –113 projects (36%) Site Selection Consultant –110 projects (35%) Direct Call from Company –40 projects (13%) Local/County Developer –36 projects (11%) Statewide Agency/Partner –7 projects (2%) Other –6 projects (2%) Regional E.D. Partnership –3 projects (1%) PROJECT SOURCE NEW LOCATION PROJECTS 36%35% 13% 11% 2% 2%1% *These are projects that include only companies that were considering a new facility to the state. No existing company, same-site expansions are included in this data. 7 315* PROJECTS CREATED IN 2023 Automotive/Motor Vehicles –16% Energy –15% Food, Beverage & Agriculture –9% Chemicals, Plastics & Rubber –7% Construction Materials –7% Biotech, Pharma & Life Sciences –6% Other –6% Aerospace/Aviation –6% Textiles, Apparel & Sporting Goods –5% Unknown –4% Computers & Electronics –4% Waste/Recycling –3% Furniture & Home Furnishings –3% Transportation & Logistics –2% Medical Equipment –2% Information Technology –2% Business & Financial Services –2% Wood/Paper Products –1% Boating & Marine –1%2 3 5 6 6 6 9 9 12 14 16 19 19 20 21 23 29 47 49 Boating & Marine Wood/Paper Products Business & Financial Services Information Technology Medical Equipment Transportation & Logistics Furniture & Home Furnishings Waste/Recycling Computers & Electronics Unknown Textiles, Apparel & Sporting Goods Aerospace/Aviation Other Biotech, Pharma & Life Sciences Construction Materials Chemicals, Plastics & Rubber Food, Beverage & Agriculture Energy Automotive/Motor Vehicles INDUSTRY SECTORS NEW LOCATION PROJECTS *These are projects that include only companies that were considering a new facility to the state. No existing company, same-site expansions are included in this data. 8 TOP INDUSTRY SECTORS NEW LOCATION PROJECTS 315* PROJECTS CREATED IN 2023 Aerospace/Aviation Median Jobs – 100 Median Investment - $42.8 million Median Wages - $65,000 19 Projects Automotive/Motor Vehicles Median Jobs – 250 Median Investment - $150 million Median Wages - $55,000 49 Projects Biotech, Pharma & Life Sciences Median Jobs – 150 Median Investment - $100 million Median Wages - $69,169 20 Projects Chemicals, Plastics, & Rubber Median Jobs - 75 Median Investment - $36 million Median Wages - $60,000 23 Projects Computers and Electronics Median Jobs - 135 Median Investment - $22 million Median Wages - $77,203 12 Projects Construction Materials Median Jobs - 100 Median Investment - $5.3 million Median Wages - $54,439 21 Projects Energy Median Jobs - 265 Median Investment - $138 million Median Wages - $52,184 47 Projects Food, Beverage & Agriculture Median Jobs - 85 Median Investment - $20 million Median Wages - $58,574 29 Projects Furniture & Home Furnishings Median Jobs - 125 Median Investment - $25 million Median Wages - $39,356 9 Projects Information Technology Median Jobs - 80 Median Investment - $2 million Median Wages - $54,265 6 Projects Textiles, Apparels & Sporting Goods Median Jobs - 123 Median Investment - $9 million Median Wages - $44,231 16 Projects Waste/Recycling Median Jobs - 51 Median Investment - $19.8 million Median Wages - $85,490 9 Projects *These are projects that include only companies that were considering a new facility to the state. No existing company, same-site expansions are included in this data. 9 REAL ESTATE REQUESTS IN TOP INDUSTRY SECTORS –NEW LOCATION PROJECTS 2023 Automotive/Motor Vehicles 49 Projects Worked 35 Total Real Estate Assists (71% of projects) o Building or Site – 8 projects (23%) o Building – 8 projects (23%) Average Square Footage Request – 435,884 SF Average Ceiling Height Request – 27 feet o Site – 19 projects (54%) Average Acreage Request – 232 acres Utility Requirements – Sampling of 22 Automotive Projects o Power Needs 14 projects (64%) required over 25 MW 6 projects (27%) required over 150 MW o Water Needs 9 projects (41%) required more than 250,000 gallons/day o Wastewater Needs 6 projects (27%) required more than 250,000 gallons/day o Rail Needs 9 projects (41%) required rail 3 projects (14%) preferred rail Energy 47 Projects Worked 32 Total Real Estate Assists (68% of projects) o Building or Site – 13 projects (41%) o Building – 9 projects (28%) Average Square Footage Request – 395,773 SF Average Ceiling Height Request – 28 feet o Site – 10 projects (31%) Average Acreage Request – 230 acres Utility Requirements – Sampling of 22 Energy Projects o Power Needs 9 projects (41%) required over 25 MW 4 projects (18%) required over 100 MW o Water Needs 8 projects (36%) required more than 250,000 gallons/day o Wastewater Needs 9 projects (41%) required more than 100,000 gallons/day o Rail Needs 3 projects (14%) required rail 2 projects (9%) preferred rail *These are projects that include only companies that were considering a new facility to the state. No existing company, same-site expansions are included in this data. 10 NEW LOCATION PROJECTS CLEAN ENERGY SUB-SECTOR 94* PROJECTS CREATED IN 2023 WERE DESIGNATED AS CLEAN ENERGY OPPORTUNITES ►86 of these projects (92%) were manufacturing operations BY INDUSTRY Energy – 37 projects (39%) Automotive/Motor Vehicles – 26 projects (28%) Waste/Recycling – 6 projects (6%) Food, Beverage & Agriculture – 5 projects (5%) Chemicals, Plastics & Rubber – 5 projects (5%) Aerospace/Aviation – 5 projects (5%) Construction Materials – 2 projects (2%) Computers & Electronics – 2 projects (2%) Other – 6 projects (6%) 39% 28% 6% 5% 5% 5% 2%2% 6% Energy Automotive/Motor Vehicles Waste/Recycling Median Jobs - 282 Median Investment - $150 million Median Wages - $52,532 37 Projects Median Jobs - 400 Median Investment - $500 million Median Wages - $52,630 26 Projects Median Jobs - 79 Median Investment - $25 million Median Wages – N/A 6 Projects TOP CLEAN ENERGY SECTORS *These are projects that include only companies that were considering a new facility to the state. No existing company, same-site expansions are included in this data. 11 315* PROJECTS CREATED IN 2023 International –151 projects (48%) Domestic –119 projects (38%) Unknown –45 projects (14%) o International projects include any project where the parent company is international →International projects continue to increase from 41% in 2022 and 27% in 2021 o Unknown: Project never progressed to the point where the country was disclosed FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT NEW LOCATION PROJECTS Yes, 48% No, 38% Unknown, 14% *These are projects that include only companies that were considering a new facility to the state. No existing company, same-site expansions are included in this data. 12 151* FDI OPPORTUNITIES CREATED IN 2023 China –12% Germany –12% Italy –7% Korea –7% Canada –5% Japan –5% United Kingdom –5% Belgium –4% France –4% Israel –4% Finland –3% India –3% Australia –3% Switzerland –3% Turkey –3% Brazil –2% Netherlands –2% Poland –2% Sweden –2% Austria –1% Spain –1% Ukraine –1% Other –9% Unknown –2%3 14 2 2 2 3 3 3 3 4 4 4 5 5 6 6 6 7 7 8 10 10 16 18 Unknown Other Ukraine Spain Austria Sweden Poland Netherlands Brazil Turkey Switzerland Australia India Finland Israel France Belgium United Kingdom Japan Canada Korea Italy Germany China FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT NEW LOCATION PROJECTS *These are projects that include only companies that were considering a new facility to the state. No existing company, same-site expansions are included in this data. 13 Did EDPNC assist in the company’s real estate search: Yes – 202 projects (64%) No – 112 projects (36%) →92% of the real estate requests EDPNC assisted with in 2023 were for manufacturing locations (185 projects) →This is identical to the breakout in 2022, where EDPNC also assisted with 64% of project real estate searches (92% of those being for manufacturing locations) REAL ESTATE ASSISTANCE NEW LOCATION PROJECTS Yes, 64% No, 36% Manufacturing 92% Other Industries 8% 315* PROJECTS CREATED IN 2023 *These are projects that include only companies that were considering a new facility to the state. No existing company, same-site expansions are included in this data. 14 IN 2023, EDPNC ASSISTED WITH 185* REAL ESTATE REQUESTS FOR MANUFACTURING PROJECTS 2023 Requests for Building or Site: Building –71 projects (38%) Site –68 projects (37%) Building or Site –46 projects (25%) REAL ESTATE REQUESTS MANUFACTURING PROJECTS ONLY –BUILDING v. SITE Building, 38% Site, 37% Building or Site, 25%50% 29% 21% 2021 DATA *These are projects that include only companies that were considering a new facility to the state. No existing company, same-site expansions are included in this data. 34% 49% 17% 2022 DATA 15 REAL ESTATE REQUESTS MANUFACTURING BUILDINGS –SQUARE FOOTAGE 9 20 18 26 14 18 8 4 ≤ 20,000 SF 20,001 - 50,000 SF 50,001 - 100,000 SF 100,001 - 200,000 SF 200,001 - 300,000 SF 300,001 - 500,000 SF 500,001 - 999,999 SF 1,000,000+ SF Square Footage Target SQUARE FOOTAGE REQUESTS: ≤ 20,000 SF: 9 projects (8%) 20,001 – 50,000 SF: 20 projects (17%) 50,001 – 100,000 SF: 18 projects (15%) 100,001 – 200,000 SF: 26 projects (22%) 200,001 – 300,000 SF: 14 projects (12%) 300,001 – 500,000 SF: 18 projects (15%) 500,001 – 999,999 SF: 8 projects (7%) 1,000,000+ SF: 4 projects (3%) IN 2023, EDPNC ASSISTED WITH 185* MANUFACTURING REAL ESTATE REQUESTS ► 117 projects specified need for either a building or were open to both building and site options: *These are projects that include only companies that were considering a new facility to the state. No existing company, same-site expansions are included in this data. 16 REAL ESTATE REQUESTS MANUFACTURING BUILDINGS –CEILING HEIGHT 4 2 13 1 1 2 16 1 2 3 8 8 5 2 5 1 28 5 10 Number of ProjectsClear Ceiling Height IN 2023, EDPNC ASSISTED WITH 185* MANUFACTURING REAL ESTATE REQUESTS ► 117 projects specified need for either a building or were open to both building and site options: *These are projects that include only companies that were considering a new facility to the state. No existing company, same-site expansions are included in this data. 17 REAL ESTATE REQUESTS MANUFACTURING SITES –ACREAGE REQUESTS 10 25 15 17 17 8 14 2 3 3 ≤ 10 11 - 20 21 - 30 31 - 50 51 - 100 101 - 150 151 - 250 251 - 500 501 - 999 1,000+ Acreage Target ACREAGE REQUESTS: ≤ 10 acres: 10 projects (9%) 11 – 20 acres: 25 projects (22%) 20 – 30 acres: 15 projects (13%) 30 – 50 acres: 17 projects (15%) 51 – 100 acres: 17 projects (15%) 101 – 150 acres: 8 projects (7%) 151 – 250 acres: 14 projects (12%) 251 – 500 acres: 2 projects (1%) 501 – 1,000 acres: 3 projects (3%) 1,001+ acres: 3 projects (3%) IN 2023, EDPNC ASSISTED WITH 185* MANUFACTURING REAL ESTATE REQUESTS ► 114 projects specified need for either a site or were open to both building and site options: *These are projects that include only companies that were considering a new facility to the state. No existing company, same-site expansions are included in this data. 18 IN 2023, EDPNC ASSISTED WITH 185* MANUFACTURING REAL ESTATE REQUESTS Request for Buy or Lease: Buy – 24 projects (13%) Lease – 28 projects (15%) Buy or Lease – 65 projects (35%) Not Specified – 68 projects (37%) REAL ESTATE REQUESTS MANUFACTURING PROJECTS ONLY –BUY OR LEASE 13%15% 35%37% *These are projects that include only companies that were considering a new facility to the state. No existing company, same-site expansions are included in this data. 19 Building Requests: Requirement for Natural Gas on site: Yes –51 projects (44%) No –47 projects (40%) Preferred –19 projects (16%) REAL ESTATE REQUESTS MANUFACTURING PROJECTS ONLY –NATURAL GAS 59% 26% 15% Site Requests IN 2023, EDPNC ASSISTED WITH 185* MANUFACTURING REAL ESTATE REQUESTS ► 117 projects specified need for either a building or were open to both building and site options ► 114 projects specified need for either a site or were open to both building and site options Sites Requests: requirement for Natural Gas on site: Yes – 67 projects (59%) No – 30 projects (26%) Preferred – 17 projects (15%) 44%40% 16% Building Requests *These are projects that include only companies that were considering a new facility to the state. No existing company, same-site expansions are included in this data. 20 Building Requests: Requirement for Rail Service on site: Yes –10 projects (9%) No –102 projects (87%) Preferred –5 projects (4%) REAL ESTATE REQUESTS MANUFACTURING PROJECTS ONLY –RAIL SERVICE Sites Requests: requirement for Rail Service on site: Yes – 29 projects (26%) No – 72 projects (63%) Preferred – 13 projects (11%) IN 2023, EDPNC ASSISTED WITH 185* MANUFACTURING REAL ESTATE REQUESTS ► 117 projects specified need for either a building or were open to both building and site options ► 114 projects specified need for either a site or were open to both building and site options 9% 87% 4% Building Requests 26% 63%11% Site Requests *These are projects that include only companies that were considering a new facility to the state. No existing company, same-site expansions are included in this data. 21 REAL ESTATE REQUESTS MANUFACTURING PROJECTS ONLY –PORT SERVICE IN 2023, EDPNC ASSISTED WITH 185* MANUFACTURING REAL ESTATE REQUESTS ► 117 projects specified need for either a building or were open to both building and site options ► 114 projects specified need for either a site or were open to both building and site options *These are projects that include only companies that were considering a new facility to the state. No existing company, same-site expansions are included in this data. Building Requests: Requirement for Port Usage: Yes –25 projects (21%) No –92 projects (79%) Sites Requests: requirement for Port Usage: Yes – 27 projects (23%) No – 87 projects (76%) 21% 79% Building Requests 23% 76% Site Requests 22 Was there an initial interest in a site certification or readiness program: Yes –40 projects (35%) No –74 projects (65%) REAL ESTATE REQUESTS MANUFACTURING PROJECTS ONLY –SITE CERTIFICATION INTEREST Yes, 35% No, 65% IN 2023, EDPNC ASSISTED WITH 185* MANUFACTURING REAL ESTATE REQUESTS ► 114 projects specified need for either a site or were open to both building and site options: *These are projects that include only companies that were considering a new facility to the state. No existing company, same-site expansions are included in this data. 23 REAL ESTATE REQUESTS $1 BILLION+ CAPITAL INVESTMENT –MANUFACTURING PROJECTS IN 2023, EDPNC ASSISTED WITH 20* REAL ESTATE REQUESTS FOR MANUFACTURING PROJECTS EXCEEDING $1 BILLION IN CAPITAL INVESTMENT ► This is a 37% decrease from projects of this size EDPNC assisted with in 2022 ► Top industry sectors of projects this size are the same as in 2022 ► All 20 of these large project requests were for sites 45% 30% 10% 5% 5%5% PROJECT INDUSTRY SECTOR Automotive/Motor Vehicles –9 projects (45%) Energy –6 projects (30%) Computers & Electronics –2 project (10%) Aerospace/Aviation –1 project (5%) Biotech, Pharma & Life Sciences –1 project (5%) Chemicals, Plastics & Rubber –1 project (5%) Automotive/Motor Vehicles 9 Projects Average Jobs – 1,355 Average Investment - $1.65 billion Average Acreage Request – 419 acres Average Power Need – 109 MW Average Water Need – 1.65 million gallons/day Average Wastewater Need – 1 million gallons/day Energy 6 Projects Average Jobs – 1,485 Average Investment - $1.73 billion Average Acreage Request – 315 acres Average Power Need – 129 MW Average Water Need – 1.9 million gallons/day Average Wastewater Need – 987,500 gallons/day *These are projects that include only companies that were considering a new facility to the state. No existing company, same-site expansions are included in this data. 24 2023 PROJECT LOSSES REASON GIVEN FOR PROJECTS LOST IN 2023, NORTH CAROLINA LOST 85 PROJECTS TO OTHER LOCATIONS 34% 15%15% 11% 7% 6% 5% 4%4%REASON LOST: Lack of Suitable Building/Site –29 projects (34%) Outside of Search Area –13 projects (15%) Proximity to Supply Chain/Customers –13 projects (15%) Incentives –9 projects (11%) Inadequate Infrastructure –6 projects (7%) Expanded at Current Location –5 projects (6%) Local Issues –4 projects (5%) Excessive Land/Building Costs –3 projects (4%) Other –3 projects (4%) ► As in previous years, the majority (34%) of our projects lost in 2023 were due to lack of suitable real estate options Brooklin Salemi Senior Managing Director E: BROOKLIN.SALEMI@NMRK.COM P: 309-333-7818 Salemi joined Newmark in 2022 as a Consultant with the firm’s Economic Incentive Advisory Team, a practice within the firm’s Global Corporate Services (GCS). In her role, Salemi assists clients in making optimal real estate decisions related to their site selection, new location, and expansion initiatives by providing financial modeling, feasibility analyses, and incentive negotiation services. Salemi is based in Atlanta. Salemi has over seven years of experience providing location advisory and incentive services to major U.S. and international clients in the healthcare, finance, distribution, telecommunications, and IT industries. Collectively, she has provided support on projects resulting in over $900 million in investments, 5,500 jobs, and $260 million in total benefits secured for her clients. Prior to joining Newmark, Salemi was a Consultant at BDO USA, LLP, a public accounting firm; Hickey & Associates, global leader in site selection and location strategy; and Cushman & Wakefield, global commercial real estate firm. Salemi has been published in the Journal of Multistate Taxation and Incentives and frequently participates in other industry events. She speaks at economic development conferences and events offering guidance to state and local economic developers on site selection trends, best practices and the role of credits and incentives. Areas of Specialty • Incentive Negotiation • Statutory Tax Credit Analysis • Location Strategy/Site Selection • Economic and Fiscal Impact Analysis • Financial Modeling • Compliance Management • Project Management Partial Client List • The Stow Company • Proximo Wine & Spirits • Catalent • Aphena Pharmaceuticals • Calgon Carbon Professional Achievements • Speaker, Boise Valley Economic Partnership Economic Summit, 2022 • Secured the Colorado Strategic Fund and Job Growth Incentive Tax Credit on single project for the first time in State’s history, 2021 • Speaker, Michigan Economic Development Association’s Annual Meeting, 2021 • Speaker, Area Development Consultants Forum, 2021 • Co-Author, Idaho’s Tax Reimbursement Incentive article, Journal of Multistate Taxation and Incentives, 2015 Professional Affiliations • Member, Institute of Professionals in Taxation • Member, Council on State Taxation, 2019 - present • Member, Tax Executives Institute, 2019 – present Education Salemi graduated from Western Illinois University with a Bachelor of Business in Economics and a minor in Accounting. Briana Whitt Specialist Briana is an Economic Development Specialist for Person County Economic Development. She is responsible for providing administrative support to the department director. Briana assists in collecting data and research, responding to RFIs, managing the department and non-profit budgets, developing new marketing materials, managing social media, and is responsible for office operations. In addition, Briana oversees the planning and execution of community events. Briana joined the team in May 2023 and has several years of experience working in various industries, such as insurance, hospitality, and administrative support. Briana’s education, combined with her time in the workforce, lends her to be an asset to the department. In her free time, Briana enjoys spending time with family and friends on Hyco Lake (in Person County) and resides in Roxboro with her dogs, Cooper and Mickey. Since our last meeting in March, a lot has been done throughout the Economic Development Department, and I just wanted to talk about a few things that I have been working on. Since I started, I have taken on PCBIC billing responsibilities for Williams Mullen, Duke Energy, and Lawn Services, ensuring accurate and timely invoicing processes. Managing this task has allowed me to streamline the billing system, guaranteeing that all parties receive their quarterly invoices promptly and without errors. On April 25th, I had the opportunity to attend the PCC Job Fair to connect with various employers and understand their specific needs. Engaging in insightful conversations, I spoke with numerous companies to explore potential collaborations and offer assistance. On May 2nd, I had the pleasure of attending the State of the Region event held at Angus Barn. The evening was filled with engaging conversations, delightful food, and enlightening speeches delivered by exceptional speakers such as Travis McCready, His Excellency Jesper Moller Sorensen, and Barbara Stephenson. The event provided valuable insights and networking opportunities in a professional and welcoming setting, making it a truly enriching experience for all attendees. I was also fortunate to participate in the Tri-COG FEEDS Regional Convening on May 14th at the NC Rural Economic Development Center in Raleigh. The event was filled with productive discussions centered around strategizing on our regional food ecosystem infrastructure. It was truly inspiring to be surrounded by like- minded individuals who shared a common goal of fostering growth in our community. The interactive sessions and collaborative efforts showcased during the convening left me feeling motivated and eager to contribute further towards our collective objectives. I recently attended the EDPNC Real Estate Report Webinar where Austin Rouse from the EDPNC took us through the report in great detail. It was a laid- back and informative session that provided valuable insights into the current real estate market trends. Austin navigated through the data effortlessly, making the complex information easy to understand. I have also diligently organized all necessary documents, including the Agendas, Demographic Report, Treasure Report, and any other relevant attachments required for the meeting. #VALUE!General Category of Work Specific Focus Area Detailed Description of Action Type of Project Progress Metrics Target Indicator Evaluation Schedule Notes Lead ED Staff Person Board Support I. Retain Existing Economic Drivers Connect local industry and community institutions Facilitate connections between existing industries and needed resources to encourage retention and growth Routine project # consultations, # resources provided Meet or exceed 2023 numbers Annual I. Retain Existing Economic Drivers Ensure future viability of agriculture and agro-tourism Assess the condition of agricultural interests in the county, support agriculture and agro- tourism interests Routine project # consultations, # resources provided Meet or exceed 2023 numbers Annual I. Retain Existing Economic Drivers Identify and support priority partners and industries Meet with EPIs to discuss challenges, benefits, and opportunities for future community engagement Routine project # meetings (new EPI, existing EPI) 24, at least 8 new/existing each year Annual I. Retain Existing Economic Drivers Identify and support priority partners and industries Conduct survey of existing priority industries to identify issues Routine project % response rate Response rate above 50%Annual I. Retain Existing Economic Drivers Identify and support priority partners and industries Develop a database of existing priority industries; update database annually and distribute to partners Routine project Completion, regular updates Complete project by XX 2024; reevaluate annually Annual II. Strengthen the Local Economic Development Ecosystem Develop infrastructure to meet anticipated needs Secure funds to expand airport infrastructure, develop and execute plans for necessary improvements Completed major effort develop plans XX, RFPs XX, break ground XX, open XX Progress in completing action steps Life of project II. Strengthen the Local Economic Development Ecosystem Develop infrastructure to meet anticipated needs Develop funding mechanisms to expand water and wastewater infrastructure. Consider grants, county funds, state funds, and other sources. Completed major effort # applications or requests; sum of granted money New funding should meet or exceed 2023 numbers, ensure access at targeted sites Life of project II. Strengthen the Local Economic Development Ecosystem Develop infrastructure to meet anticipated needs Develop funding mechanisms to expand internet access and increase speeds. Consider grants, county funds, state funds, and other sources. Completed major effort # applications or requests; sum of granted money New funding should meet or exceed 2023 numbers, ensure access at targeted sites Life of project II. Strengthen the Local Economic Development Ecosystem Monitor housing and quality of life indicators Monitor growth in quantity of housing, new housing construction, and housing values Routine project regularly record changes Assess changes at least once per year Annual II. Strengthen the Local Economic Development Ecosystem Monitor housing and quality of life indicators Monitor population levels, income and employment indicators Routine project regularly record changes Assess changes at least once per year Annual II. Strengthen the Local Economic Development Ecosystem Prepare prime development sites for investment Purchase priority section of the Mega Park site. Completed major effort completion Completion of project Life of project II. Strengthen the Local Economic Development Ecosystem Prepare prime development sites for investment Clear and grade portions of the priority section of the Mega Park site Ongoing major effort Completion Completion of project Annual II. Strengthen the Local Economic Development Ecosystem Prepare prime development sites for investment Secure funding to develop the priority section of the Mega Park site. Completed major effort # applications or requests; sum of granted money Meet or exceed 2023 numbers Annual II. Strengthen the Local Economic Development Ecosystem Secure resources for future development Dedicate seed money to incentivize building development by the private sector Future major effort $ dedicated to seed program; # projects affected Meet or exceed 2023 numbers Annual II. Strengthen the Local Economic Development Ecosystem Secure resources for future development Secure funding for future Mega Park site purchases. Completed major effort sum of granted money; amount of land purchased Meet or exceed 2023 numbers Annual III. Foster Opportunity and Growth Advance shared interests with regional economic development organizations Meet with EDPNC and RTRP representatives to share priorities and new targeted industries.Routine project # meetings 4? Annual III. Foster Opportunity and Growth Advance shared interests with regional economic development organizations Increase recruitment efforts to site selection consultants through aggressive participation with EDPNC and RTRP opportunities.Routine project # of events attended Meet or exceed 2023 numbers Annual III. Foster Opportunity and Growth Support funding for improvements at Piedmont Community College Consider viability of a future joint campaign to raise funds for PCC capital needs Future major effort identify and connect with stakeholders; develop assessment and action plan Progress in completing action steps Life of project III. Foster Opportunity and Growth Support funding for improvements at Piedmont Community College Advocate for increased funding for Piedmont Community College to improve and expand training facilites and staffing Ongoing major effort $ investment in significant renovation of existing facilities, $ investment in construction of new facilities Funds accrued for development; funds spent on improvements Annual IV. Improve Organizational Efficacy Build shared understanding and consensus on goals Conduct EDC Board member land and building product tours in Person County to evaluate current stability and future needs.Ongoing major effort # of site visits; # of EDC board members participating At least 1 annually, 50% participation Annual IV. Improve Organizational Efficacy Build shared understanding and consensus on goals Conduct EDC board member visits to learn about competitor offerings in the region. Conduct one of each annually.Ongoing major effort # of site visits; # of EDC board members participating At least 1 annually, 50% participation Annual IV. Improve Organizational Efficacy Collaborate on messaging and external materials Improve the EDC website; provide a dashboard with information on economic development and quality-of-life metrics.Ongoing major effort completion; regular reevaluation Complete project by XX 2024; reevaluate annually Annual IV. Improve Organizational Efficacy Collaborate on messaging and external materials Work with PIO to build and implement a communications plan to promote ED work and messaging; regularly update strategies Ongoing major effort completion; regular reevaluation Complete project by XX 2024; reevaluate annually Quarterly PIO IV. Improve Organizational Efficacy Continue and enhance marketing efforts with WRAL Promote employment opportunities within Person County regionally, especially among commuters Ongoing major effort completion; regular reevaluation Complete project by XX 2024; reevaluate annually Quarterly IV. Improve Organizational Efficacy Continue and enhance marketing efforts with WRAL Promote Mega Park opportunities to regional developers, employers, and investors Routine project completion; regular reevaluation Complete project by XX 2024; reevaluate annually Quarterly Mission statement: “To create opportunities for families & businesses to prosper & compete in a global economy” I. Retain Existing Economic Drivers Goal: Engage existing economic powerhouses to support their success and investment in the county Strategies: Identify and support priority partners and industries Connect local industry and community institutions Ensure future viability of agriculture and agro-tourism Goal: Bolster local assets to enhance viability and visibility to future investors and business growth Strategies: Monitor housing and quality of life indicators Secure resources for future development Develop infrastructure to meet anticipated needs Prepare prime development sites for investment II. Strengthen the Local ED Ecosystem Strategies: Report consistent quality of life and economic metrics Collaborate on messaging and external materials Continue and enhance marketing efforts with WRAL Build shared understanding and consensus on goals IV. Improve Organizational Efficacy Goal: Foster an ED Commission and Department that can fulfill their duties to this community Strategies: Advance shared interests with regional ED orgs Foster new amenities to attract potential residents Cultivate agriculture and agro-tourism capacity Support funding for improvements at PCC III. Foster Opportunity and Growth Goal: Demonstrate the county potential as a place for businesses and for working people to prosper “To create opportunities for families & businesses to prosper & compete in a global economy” Person County, North Carolina 2024 Economic Development Action Plan airport upgrades By Ivey Schofield iveyschofield@borderbelt.org Elizabethtown has plans for four major projects that could help transform the small Bladen County community into a hub for growth and innovation. Home to about 3,200 people in southeastern North Carolina, Elizabethtown is set to get about $20 million in state and federal grants. Town officials say they want to use the money to address a number of issues, including housing, health care, infrastructure, recreation and economic development. To keep up with more news from the Border Belt Independent, sign up here for our weekly newsletter. “I’m so excited. For the first time in a long time, there’s a lot of grant money out there,” Mayor Sylvia Campbell said, referring to the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act signed into law by President Joe Biden in 2021. “Thank goodness we’ve gleaned something out of COVID.” Here’s a breakdown of the projects in Elizabethtown. Airport expansion The town plans to expand the Curtis L. Brown Jr. Field airport in hopes that more businesses and individuals will use the facility. The airport already has an annual economic impact of $21 million, said Rusty Worley, Elizabethtown’s director of planning and code enforcement. In 2021, Elizabethtown received $795,000 from the U.S. Department of Transportation to improve the airport over the next five years. So far, the town has used a portion of the funds to create a 10-year master plan and is currently in the process of finalizing it, said Dane Rideout, the town manager. This year, the town is asking for $2.5 million from the state legislature to create an “incubator” – or hangar and apron space that will eventually offer jobs in manufacturing and aviation maintenance – at the southern end of the airport. Chuck Heustess, Bladen County’s economic development director, said the expansion plan, dubbed Project Samuel, is a really big deal. “I may be as excited about the opportunity to really create an economic development tool out of our airport than anything I’ve seen here in the last 20 years,” Heustess said. Elizabethtown plans to expand the Curtis L. Brown Jr. Field airport, which the town owns. Photo by Ivey Schofield Since October, when the town installed a new computer system at the airport and dropped fuel prices, about 1,000 planes have utilized the air field each month – triple the number previously, Worley said. Planes that use the airport’s hangar as home base generate property taxes. For example, the owner of a plane might owe the county $22,000 and the town $17,000 for one year of use. Meanwhile, Elizabethtown allocates $205,000 a year to the airport, and Bladen County contributes $45,000. “It’s a huge investment by the county and the town, financially, to maintain that, and nobody has been working toward developing the vision and trying to recruit in folks to change that,” Rideout said. “We’re trying to change that.” Starting in April, the town plans to use its partnership with a faith-based aerospace company to create a flight school and offer enrichment opportunities for students in Bladen County Schools and Bladen Community College. This summer, the airport will host camps for middle and high school students interested in learning more about aviation. “I think it will mean a great deal to our future generation. A lot of them don’t realize the opportunity that is at that airport,” Campbell said. “It just opens up a whole new world to them.” Mixed-use project Elizabethtown has plans for a mixed-use project at the Elizabethtown Industrial Park near the airport. The “live, work, play” project would include homes, health care and business offices, a day care center, a hotel and a 5,000-seat amphitheater. The town has invited several developers to build 145 single-family homes ranging from 1,200 to 2,500 square feet for people who qualify for workforce housing by earning between 60% and 120% of the area’s median income. Police officers and teachers typically fall into this category. Town Manager Dane Rideout shows plans for a mixed-use project near the Elizabethtown Industrial Park. Photo by Ivey Schofield Bladen County needs more housing, said Rideout, who has been living in a 900- square-foot condo for the last couple of years because he hasn’t been able to find a home. “We’re leaking our own success and job creation to outside areas because there’s no place to live,” Rideout said. “Our goal is obviously to keep the money in the county.” The town already owns the land, which officials say should help keep costs lower for homebuyers. Rideout, who is a veteran, has been working with the Wounded Warriors Project to reserve five to seven homes for soldiers from Fort Liberty, formerly Fort Bragg, who need temporary housing. Alex Munroe, who owns Cape Fear Vineyard and Winery at the industrial park, said he plans to donate some of his proceeds to the Wounded Warrior Project. Munroe is expanding his business to a new 10,000-square-foot building at the industrial park, which he says will increase onsite sales by 30%. “Our challenge has always been finding help and finding housing for when we find people to help,” Munroe said. “This will kill two birds with one stone.” Rideout said several other businesses have committed to the space, including Cape Fear Distillery, an urgent care, health care specialists including a speech pathologist and eye doctor, a tiny-home manufacturing company and a pharmaceutical company. “We can’t build it fast enough,” Rideout said. Elizabethtown hopes to create a mixed-use project with more than 100 single-family homes near the Elizabethtown Industrial Park. Photo by Ivey Schofield Infrastructure upgrades But first Elizabethtown must expand utility lines to the project site. In 2022, the town received a $365,000 grant from the Golden LEAF Foundation for roads, water, sewer and sidewalks. It is now applying for a $691,000 match from the U.S Economic Development Administration to complete those projects by the end of 2024. The town is also applying for a $2.2 million grant from the N.C. Department of Environmental Quality for a storm water project on King Street and a $2 million Community Development Block Grant for a city-wide sewer collection system. “It’s not a shiny object – water, sewer, stormwater,” Rideout said. “But if it’s broken, you’ll get all kinds of attention, and that affects property values.” Elizabethtown is already working to double its sewer capacity, a $13.6 million project funded by the American Rescue Plan Act. The plan is to create a regional wastewater system that will treat waste from Bladenboro, Dublin and potentially White Lake. Related: Elizabethtown’s sewer upgrades could help Bladen County grow In the last two years, the town has allocated $100,000 of its own budget to fixing its geographic information systems, which companies use to determine water and sewer capacity. Worley said Elizabethtown was a finalist for a drone manufacturer because of its GIS system. Ultimately, the company chose not to move to North Carolina, he said. New Town Past the Cape Fear Farmer’s Market on Martin Luther King Jr. Drive is New Town, a small community where most residents are Black. Elizabethtown officials admit the neighborhood has been neglected for years. “It’s very clear that New Town has taken a backseat to a lot of initiatives in this area,” Riedeout said. “One of the town council’s top priorities was to get after New Town from a holistic perspective.” In 2021, Elizabethtown received $950,000 in federal money from Community Development Block Grants to rebuild three dilapidated homes and install new sidewalks and lighting.The town is partnering with Habitat for Humanity to replace more homes. Last year, Elizabethtown got nearly $2.6 million from the block grant program to create a community center – an 11,000-square-foot building with a playground, indoor event space, office space, tutoring services and a small- business development center. The town invested $135,000 for the project, which is expected to open in 2024. Related: Bladen County town hopes to revitalize Black neighborhood with new community center This year, Rideout said, Elizabethtown is a finalist for a $1 billion grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to revitalize the New Town area. The plan addresses infrastructure, including sidewalks, bicycle lanes, street lighting and greenspaces, and economic development opportunities like the creation of a business incubator for minority-owned companies. Heustess said he hopes all of the projects will just be the beginning. “If Bladen County is going to succeed and grow, the easiest place to have it happen first is Elizabethtown,” he said. “Then from there, we want to take the success we have and recreate it in other towns.” Highlights March-May • Attended Person County Tourism Summit at Unsalted. o Very good attendance for a rainy day, other counties attended as well o Guest speakers touched on the value of tourism in Economic Development • Kerr-Tar is funding a property study, there have been bi-weekly calls for this project • Participated in two committees for the 2024 Kerr-Tar Economic Development Summit. The title this year is Cultivate 2024. Worked with Duke and Dominion to gain sponsorship for the guest speaker. • The Person County Economic Development website was designed on a platform that is no longer widely available. The Economic Development Department will now work with Cap B for a new website. • Worked on multiple public records requests. • In March Person County hosted Ryan Combs with RTRP. The county was able to discuss the future of economic development within the county with Mr. Combs. • Attended Good Morning Coffee Hour, hosted by the Roxboro Area Chamber of Commerce. Dominion Energy presented information on their safety measures and other topics. • Attended two courses for the North Carolina Certified Economic Developer certification. • RTRP hosted Brooklin Salemi, Senior Marketing Director for Newmark. o Attended dinner with Ryan Combs, Brooklin Salemi, and representatives from Orange and Durham County. o Bryan and I also attended a round table with Brooklin Salemi. Multiple topics were covered:  Triangle North  Person County Mega Park  Incentives  Issues in economic development today • Person County had two calls with Hilary Sherman, EDA NC Representative. Discussed future opportunities, including a possible funding opportunity for Piedmont Community College. • Budget work continued • North Park now has a new sign • Attended regional job fair in Henderson • Worked with staff to review CRM • New Marketing material • Met with local industries with specific needs • Representatives from Tom Tillis's office met with the Kerr-Tar region to hear about economic development needs/challenges. o Infrastructure o Work Force o Turnover in economic development o Lack of information and understanding of educational opportunities to the public o Supply and demand o EV grants Information for the EDC Advisory Board  Person County needs inventory, advise on going forward.  Federal funding changes  Action Plan adoption  Architecture group engaged-Raleigh Regional Airport o Terminal o Offices o Flex Space  Marketing Analysis  Person County updates o Mayo Park is planning to expand RV sites o Carver Dr-239 homes in the pipeline o Person County is hosting the district softball Little League International tournament o Budget was presented to the Person County Board of Commissioners Several months ago, I attended a class at ECU, at that class I had the privilege of meeting Chuck Heustess. He is a fellow Economic Developer in Bladen County, NC. He was a guest speaker for the instructor of the class Ernie Pearson. Chuck retired from Bladen County as their Economic Developer. Currently he also is the Executive Director of Bladen County’s non-profit Bladen’s Blooming and business partner with Ernie Pearson. They have partnered to help non-profits succeed. During the brief time I was able to meet him I was intrigued at the changes he noted he was making in the county. Bladen County was really Blooming. I had some knowledge about Bladen County prior to meeting Chuck, I wondered if we were talking about the same county, but I had the pleasure of talking to him over lunch and I knew we were talking about the same county, I knew before the end of his presentation that I had to go see all the changes and talk more with Chuck. As you know things are busy but I made a promise to myself that as soon as I got fully staffed I was taking a trip to Bladen County. Bryan’s first day in the office I had a meeting with him. Within the first few minutes of our meeting we both said that we wanted to go meet Chuck and learn more. Believe it or not the counties have some commonalities. Bri has put together information on both counties for more perspective. As questions have been raised lately about the need for non-profits in economic development and funding nonprofits, I thought now would be the best time to meet with him. Schedules are tight but I wanted to make sure I got to Bladen County before this meeting, A couple of weeks ago I headed to Bladen County for a few days, all I can say is wow and I can’t wait to go back! I was able to go visit for a few hours with Chuck on Wednesday and tell him a little about Person County and some of our needs and issues at hand. The next day I was joined by Person County Manager and Katherine Cathey. We were able to spend most of the day learning more about Economic Development in Person County, I did stay the next day to look around and bring some ideas back to Person County. I was able to do some; however, the day didn’t happen the way I planned. Let’s just say I have learned that everyday is different and one of the main qualities you need to be in economic development is to be flexible and adjust. I was able to do some and I plan to meet with other county departments to share some of the information I found out. I have every intent on going back soon. I did not even get half of what I wanted done. I plan to go back very soon and to learn more. Bladen County, like Person County is miles away from an interstate, which as you know can cripple you. They started to think outside the box. In the early 2000’s Bladen’s Bloomin took the lead to bring the county where it is today. The non profit participates in a revolving loan program with the county. They also get funding from multiple other sources. Golden Leaf, Committee of 100, USDA, and other funding sources. The non-profit has an industrial park, that continues to grow today. Some of the businesses in their business park are Delton, Aramark and the State DMV call center. They have come up with a building designs that can be changed and expanded which is important in today world. Many start ups have grown and expanded, one of which has expanded 7 times. One of the latest projects opened in November 2023. The non-profit purchased several downtown buildings that were damaged in multiple hurricanes. The non- profit built a mix use facility, with below market value rent, to help businesses thrive. The next phase has already started which includes more parking and more buildings. The industrial park has grown over the last twenty plus years. It now includes an emergency services facility, airport and Cape Fear Winery. The winery has multiple uses. That include a distillery, cottages, restaurant, event center, spa, and event center. The absolute best part is a petting zoo, with unique animals. The winery has grown so much there are plans to build 7 more cottages and a inn. Recognizing the needs of the county are their focus. Two of the needs highlighted was a daycare and healthcare facilities. Some if the needs are being met by the non-profit now. They are in the process of building a medical facility and a daycare. As a side note, to get your child in a daycare in Bladen County, there is a two year wait list. The non-profit understands they will take a loss on the daycare but the need is there and it is a benefit to businesses in the area. Business are now starting to realize that childcare is a huge benefit and an attraction tool for workforce. There model is unique, the one advantage they have is 2 of the staff members for Bladen Blooming are retired from the ED department of Bladen County. Therefore, they do not need benefits. There non profit board does not have terms, it is a mentor system. Younger members are trained by the seasoned members before they leave the board. Chuck noted the non-profit board was too large at this time but some members would soon be exiting. The by-laws are included for you to understand more about the board make up. They are able to act as a private board and do not have to follow open meetings law. He noted his non-profit board was more important than an EDC advisory board. A EDC advisory board cannot act as quickly as a private board. The ED director needs to have immediate contact with the Chairman of the BOC and the County Manager. He noted the EDC board only met a few times a year. The EDC board does not have the time or confidentiality on their side. I have hit some high points and plan to talk more about Bladen County in the future. I would also like to take a moment for Dr. Berryhill and the county manager, Katherine Cathey to add their takeaways. We are still looking at options for non profits, this is just one that we have studied. Bladenboro celebrates town square grand opening By Stephanie Meador, posted Mar 1, 2024 on BizFayetteville.com Today, March 1, community members, local leaders and business owners all gathered together for the official ribbon cutting ceremony marking the opening of Bladenboro’s new town square. This project is the result of years of hard work and was made possible through many partnerships including the Town of Bladenboro, County of Bladen, Boost the Boro, Bladen’s Bloomin’ and many others. “This all started with Boost the Boro… I remember when the first article in Bladen Online came out that there was a group of people, [a] grassroots effort, that was going to revitalize Bladenboro. We thought, well, that'll last a couple years. Six, seven, eight years later, that group was still working, putting out benches and doing facade improvements. And I think that's what gave us the desire to come in and do something that they didn’t quite have the capacity to do. But I can tell you that in my mind and in our office, this entire project started with the fortitude and persistence of the Boost the Boro organization,” shared Chuck Heustess with the Bladen County Economic Development Commission. Photos provided by GFBJ Heustess recalled that putting together enough property downtown for a development like this, especially after the damage done by hurricanes Matthew and Florence, seemed like an impossible task, but with the support of Bladen County Commissioners and trusting in God’s timing, the project came to fruition. The new town square is home to locally owned businesses such as Things I Love Gifts and More, Lash & Mane Salon, Market on Main, Over Yonder Coffee, Teas, and Creamery, Sweet Tea Boutique and more. “One thing that I've learned is that Bladenboro may be small, but it is mighty. This town square project is an example of a town that wants to survive,” remarked Town Administrator Shanelle Harris. The opening of the new town square is just the beginning of what’s in store for the revitalization of Bladenboro. Copyright © 2024 Enhanced Media Management Inc. dba Greater Fayetteville Business Journal This story may be displayed, reformatted and printed for your personal, noncommercial use only and in accordance with our Terms of Service located at https://bizfayetteville.com/useragreement.