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03-28-2023 Meeting Minutes EDC EDC Minutes for March 28, 2023 Minutes of the PCEDC Regularly Scheduled Meeting Person County EDC Board Room 303 S. Morgan St., Roxboro, NC 27573 March 28, 2023 Voting Board Members Present: Mr. Phillip Allen-Chairman Mr. Kenneth Perry Dr. Scott McKinney Ms. Sherry Clayton Mr. Jay Poindexter The Honorable Gordon Powell The Honorable Merilyn Newell-Secretary Voting Board Members Absent: Donald Long-Vice President Jody Blackwell Ex Officios Present: Ms. Katherine Cathey, County Manager Dr. Claudia Berryhill, Agricultural Representative Mr. Brooks Lockhart, City Manager Dr. Pamela Senegal, PCC President Ex Officios Absent: Dr. Rodney Peterson, PCS Superintendent ED Staff Present: Others Present: Ms. Brandy Lynch, Director Mr. George Willoughby Mr. Michael Thibault, Asst ED Director (Minutes) Mr. Bo Freeman Ms. Julie Maybee Ms. Samantha Bagby EDC Welcome and Invocation: At 4:00 p.m., Chairman Allen called the meeting to order and asked The Honorable Gordon Powell to give the invocation. Chairman Allen then recognized the passing of three wonderful members of our community, Chris Long, Shirley Hazel and Thomas Long. They were all ambassadors for our community and gave back continuously to make Person County something special. 1 of 16 EDC Minutes for March 28, 2023 Approval of Minutes: Chairman Allen recognized The Honorable Merilyn Newell for the approval of the November 29, 2022 and January 24, 2023 minutes. A motion made, seconded, and unanimously approved to approve the November 29, 2022 and January 24, 2023 meeting minutes Motion: Dr. Scott McKinney Second: Mr. Jay Poindexter Industry Visit Discussion: Assistant Director Thibault provided a brief update regarding the recent Industry Visit at the Roxboro Louisiana Pacific Plant. Assistant Director Thibault reminded the group that the Industry Visits are a directive of the 2023 EDC Strategic Plan and occur on a quarterly basis. The purpose of these visits is, twofold. One is for us to learn from the business about the issues and challenges they face on a daily basis, but more importantly, it is for the business to realize that there are professionals and educators and others in our community that care about them and their continued success and are available to help out in any way we can. In other words, these Visits impress upon the business that they are considered to be a highly valued member of the Person County community. The visit with Louisiana Pacific included good discussion around the conference table as well as a visit to the Wellness Clinic. The clinic is unique to Louisiana Pacific and is considered by all to be an incredibly valuable employee benefit. Unfortunately, the anticipated plant tour that was to follow the clinic tour needed to be postponed to a later date due to an incident at the Plant. On a positive note, it was learned at the Visit that of the roughly 20 different product lines at Louisiana-Pacific, corporate management is looking for a location to produce a line called “FlameBlock”, which is a fire-retardant board used in town home and condo construction for the common walls between units. We learned that LP has narrowed the search to a Plant in Texas and our Roxboro Plant. The expansion would represent about 35-38 new positions. We impressed upon the LP team that we collectively will do all we can on their behalf to assist in their “winning” this expansion and continue to grow and thrive right here in Person County. There will be aggressive follow-up with the Plant Supervisor by the Director and Assistant Director with regard to finding out what he may need from the Department as well as others in the community to assist him in his efforts. The Assistant Director distributed a list of Takeaways, which will be included in these minutes. 2 of 16 EDC Minutes for March 28, 2023 Director’s Report: Director Lynch’s presentation will be included in these minutes. The Director began her portion of the meeting with some examples of the Assistant Director’s activity, which include his continued work on the Person County Business Survey, as well as two Industry Visits with Louisiana-Pacific and Person Memorial Hospital. Both the survey and the visits are part of the of the 2023 Strategic Plan. The Assistant Director also attended the NCEDA Spring Conference at Pinehurst and is also scheduled to attend the 2023 NCEDA Legislative Breakfast in Raleigh on the 29th. He has attended Uptown Roxboro Group meetings, Roxboro Area Chamber of Commerce board meetings and has attended several recent Roxboro Chamber ribbon-cuttings with more planned. In addition, he also just completed a Letter of Support for the City of Roxboro with regard to a DOT grant. The North Park RFP has been completed by the County Attorney and the contract was presented to the Person County Board of Commissioners at their meeting on March 6th and was approved. A meeting with the contractor has been scheduled for March 30th and the Director has asked Ray Fouchee to attend as the property is County owned. Once everything is agreed to with the Contractor, the clearing and grading will commence. Per the final report from the Duke Site Readiness Program last month, one of the conclusions regarding the PCMP is that more recent and easier to interpret maps are recommended. Currently, maps being used with prospective businesses were prepared by the Timmons Group back in 2017 and most refer to a particular Project that never materialized. As such, Director Lynch had requested updated maps from Timmons Group that would reflect boundaries according to the new survey as well as include maps of varying sizes, but unfortunately, the maps that have been received have not met with expectations. Therefore, another request will be made for better maps that align with the original request. The Director attended the Kerr Tar COG Grant writing seminar at Vance-Granville Community College. There were several speakers discussing grant opportunities such as Golden Leaf. In addition to the very informative seminar, the Director was also able to meet other Directors from the surrounding Counties. Director Lynch next updated the group that Tanya Evans of Duke Energy, has accepted a new position (also with Duke) at a Duke office in South Carolina. In addition, Michael Kelly of the KerrTar COG has accepted a position with North Carolina Rural Center. Director Lynch reminded the group that Person County Recreation, Arts & Parks will be holding a public forum regarding the County Farm Green Space on April 5th at 6 p.m. Also, the Director, 3 of 16 EDC Minutes for March 28, 2023 the County Manager and the County Assistant Manager will be meeting tomorrow with the Community Economic Development Planner at NC Commerce. Finally, Director Lynch was contacted by Charles Hayes, a well-known figure in North Carolina Economic Development circles, regrind an Honors Program he offers through his affiliation with ECU. The program offers four hours of customized training for non-practitioners in the Economic Development field. Enrollment is for 20 participants at a place of per choosing in Roxboro and costs $5,000. Both the Director and Assistant Director were able to attend the Kerr Tar COG Innovate 2023 Summit in Littleton on Thursday, March 23rd. Other than the long drive from Person County, the event was well attended in a beautifully renovated facility and gave attendees new perspectives on educating our future workforce. We also enjoyed great networking opportunities as well. Director Lynch informed the group about her recent “speed-dating” experience at EDPNC, which involved our one-quarter of the state in attendance, with area Economic Developers Directors sharing ideas. There were also opportunities to meet with the EDPNC Director as well as many of the Project Managers. The Economic Development Specialist position was posted last week and the Department is looking forward to the additional assistance. With regard to the Mega Park, there are some funds still available and the State has indicated that they would likely go back out and take a look at some smaller sites that did not benefit from the first round. Person County did not make the first cut, but perhaps we’d be in the running for this potential next round. Finally, with several events scheduled for April, continued work with the North Park, a potential involved interviewing process, among other things, Director Lynch is requesting that the next EDC Board meeting be scheduled for May 23rd. Member Comments: Dr. Pamela Senegal updated the group about the status of the Palace Pointe on-screen advertising production by stating that the students have been identified and are pulling together the elements of a draft to be presented to this board by the first week in April. Next, Dr. Senegal mentioned that over the next couple of weeks a group of Community College Presidents will be meeting with Executives of VinFast to identify areas of need for scaling up the new plant when the time comes. In addition, Dr. Senegal shared that the College is experiencing enrollment growth, but that growth is meeting a tipping point where that growth will be “capped” by the lack of funding with regard to their facilities. Next, she mentioned the organization of an upcoming trip, in connection with the Roxboro Chamber, to try and leverage some of her connections in Sanford. The trip is called “See It – Dream-It” and will focus on some of the initiatives that have worked for that community to foster economic growth and 4 of 16 EDC Minutes for March 28, 2023 prosperity. Lastly, Dr. Senegal noted that North Carolina’s Poet Laureate will be on the PCC Campus on April 18th and encouraged everyone to attend at the public portion beginning at 1 PM. Scott McKinney noted a recent study regarding the impact of rural United Methodist Churches, which highlighted the economic value of these churches to the community. Dr. McKinney pointed out that there were three of our Person County Methodist Churches that were included in the survey and that overall, it was found that these religious entities have a tremendous impact upon both urban and rural economies. Dr. Berryhill reminded everyone that the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association is holding a 31- Farm, Piedmont Farm Tour on April 22nd and 23rd. Dr. Berryhill highlighted that our Person County Sunset Ridge Buffalo Farm will be participating and will be one of the kick-off farms. There will be wagon tours as well as discussions about bison husbandry and food available, including Bison Burgers. Next, Dr. Berryhill mentioned a TV special that highlighted the economic impact of local community hospitals such as our own Personal Memorial Hospital. Finally, Dr. Berryhill, in conjunction with her role with Person County Tourism, mentioned the important efforts of the organization, VisitNC. She shared that the organization studies both the attributes of the person(s) that choose to visit North Carolina as well as the attributes of the state that draws them here. It is not surprising to note that the draws to the State of North Carolina are related to the outdoors, including the beautiful scenery, the state’s Southern charm and she noted that North Carolina is the fifth most visited state and that all of those attributes contribute to successful business recruitment as well as tourism. She reminded everyone that 2023 is the “Year of the Trail” and that we are now considered the “Great Trail State”, which will have a huge impact upon our outdoor economy. As she also gathered from a Main Street Conference that she recently attended, “Jobs follow people that go to quality of life locations”. Ms. Katherine Cathey, County Manager updated the group with regard to recent broadband developments. Namely, that she has received word from the state that we should be soon receiving the Agreement pertaining to the Great Grant, which will be brought before the Board of Commissioners at their next meeting for their approval. Zytel is the company that has been approved for the work which should begin sometime in early May. Subsequent to that, it is expected that there will be another round of Great Grant funding sometime in the month of May. All-in-all, there are very positive developments with regard to broadband in Person County. Mr. Brooks Lockhart, City Manager mentioned a recent meeting with both Representative Jeffers and Senator Meyer with regard to funding the Western Sewer Project and anticipated costs at the Water Treatment Plant as well as a meeting with the USDA to discuss what the City’s funding would look like. Additionally, with the assistance of the Army Corps of Engineers, Yanceyville and Person County, an appropriations request was submitted to Senator Tillis’ office for additional permitting fees and construction funds for the Dan River intake as well as an 5 of 16 EDC Minutes for March 28, 2023 appropriation request for the Western Sewer Project. While there may be a small amount of grant money involved in these appropriations requests, the majority of the funding will be in the form of loans. Next, Chairman Allen opened the floor to the other board members. The Honorable Gordon Powell mentioned the unfortunate loss of Tanya Evans to another Duke Energy office in South Carolina. On a positive note, Chairman Powell, did want to highlight from his many meetings with regard to Duke Energy’s future plans in Person County, that the discussions have been positive and that (long range), Person County is in the realm of being a central part of their consideration. As a result, Chairman Powell is encouraged with regard to the long-range prospects for Duke Energy and Person County. Chairman’s Report: Chairman Allen acknowledged the previous comments made by Chairman Powell with regard to Duke Energy and the loss of Tanya Evans, but is also optimistic about the long-range prospects of Duke Energy’s association with Person County. Along those lines, Chairman Allen reinforced the need for everyone to be supportive of Duke Energy in every way possible to send the message that they are wanted and needed here in the County. Chairman Allen next reminded the group that the next meeting of the EDC Board is scheduled for May 23rd, unless there is a need to call a special meeting. Dr. Scott McKinney then pointed out a recent news item that Representative Jeffers has posted a House Bill 461 with the appropriations committee requesting $17 million dollars for the Person County Mega Park. The Honorable Merilyn Newell next shared with the group that Roxboro Savings Bank was invited to a legislative session this month as they are celebrating their 100th anniversary where Representative Jeffers read a statement from the floor acknowledging their Centennial Milestone. Next Meeting: The next meeting is noted for Tuesday, May 23, 2023 at 4:00 p.m. in the Person County EDC Board Room 303 S. Morgan St. Roxboro, NC. 6 of 16 303 S. Morgan St. Roxboro, NC 27573 336.597.1752 Takeaways from the Louisiana-Pacific Industry Visit March 16, 2023 Facts about the Roxboro Plant: -The Plant opened in 1995. -They currently have 350,000 SF under roof. -The entire site is 249 acres. -It was built for $57.7 M. -They perform between $5M to $10M in annual maintenance on building and equipment. -Each semi-truck entering the Plant carries about 10 cords of unprocessed logs. -The average “haul-distance” for each truck is about 75 miles. -The Plant processes about 350,000 cords per year, so that means a lot of trucks in and out of the Roxboro Plant every day! -Of all the wood processed, about 90% is softwood and 10% hardwood. -The processing allows for 100% of each log to be utilized. -The Plant currently employs 158 Full Time. -Roxboro LP donated about $10,000 in gifts to our community last year. News of Note: Of the roughly 20 different product lines at Louisiana-Pacific, corporate management is looking for a location to produce a line called “FlameBlock”, which is a fire-retardant board used in town home and condo construction for the common walls between units. We learned that LP has narrowed the search to a Plant in Texas and our Roxboro Plant. The expansion would represent about 35-38 new positions. We impressed upon the LP team that we collectively will do all we can on their behalf to assist in their “winning” this expansion and continue to grow and thrive right here in Person County! Michael D. Thibault Assistant Director Person County Economic Development 303 S. Morgan St. (Physical) PO Box 1581 (Mailing) Roxboro, NC 27573 336.597.1752 (O) 336.583.2423 (C) mthibault@personcountync.gov 8 of 16 EDC Regularly-Scheduled Meeting March 28, 2023 9 of 16 Directors Report 10 of 16 Assistant Director • Strategic Plan-Business Survey • Industry Visits with LP and PMH • NCEDA’s 2023 Legislative Breakfast • Several Chamber Ribbon Cuttings • Letter of Support for a Grant Opportunity for the City of Roxboro • Attended the NCEDA Conference in Pinehurst 11 of 16 Updates and Info • North Park contract was signed, pre-construction meeting is March 30th • Timmons Group Map-Other Options • Attended the Kerr Tar Grant Resource Workshop on March 8th • Tanya Evans is taking a new role with Duke Energy is South Carolina. Janet Silvers and Jimmy Flythe will assist on a interim basis • Michael Kelly has left Kerr-Tar for the North Carolina Rural Center 12 of 16 Updates and Info • Person County Parks and Recreation Arts and Parks will hold a public information meeting on the county farm greenspace. It will be Wednesday, April 5, 2023 at the Kirby Cultural Art Complex. • County Manager, Assistant County, Manager and ED Director will meet with the Community Economic Development Planner with NC Commerce tomorrow • Honors Seminar in Economic Development-ECU-Charles Hayes 13 of 16 14 of 16 Updates and Info • Recommended CIP will be presented at the April 3, PCBOC meeting • Budget and Pay Study will be presented at the April 17, PCBOC Meeting • ED Specialist Position Posted • April Meeting 15 of 16 Thank You! 16 of 16