11-19-2024 Meeting Minutes EDCEDC Minutes for November 19, 2024
Minutes of the PCEDC Regularly Scheduled Meeting
Person County EDC Board Room
303 S. Morgan St., Roxboro, NC 27573
November 19, 2024
Voting Board Members Present:
Dr. Scott McKinney-Vice Chairman Mr. Donald Long
The Honorable Gordon Powell Mr. Phillip Allen-Chairman
The Honorable Merilyn Newell Mr. Kenneth Perry
Mr. Jody Blackwell
Voting Board Members Absent:
Ms. Sherry Clayton
Mr. Jay Poindexter
Ex Officios Present:
Ms. Katherine Cathey, County Manager
Dr. Claudia Berryhill, Agricultural Representative
Ex Officios Absent:
Dr. Rodney Peterson, PCS Superintendent
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. Sherry Wilborn
Ms. Briana Whitt, ED Specialist (Minutes) Mr. Bo Freeman
Ms. Dana Blackwell
Ms. Kim Strickland
Ms. Antoinetta Cash Royster
EDC Welcome and Invocation:
At 4:00 p.m., Chairman Allen called the meeting to order.
Mr. Donald Long gave the invocation.
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Approval of Minutes:
Chairman Allen recognized The Honorable Merilyn Newell for the approval of the September 24,
2024, minutes.
A motion was made and unanimously approved to approve the September 24, 2024 meeting
minutes.
Motion: Mr. Jody Blackwell Second: None
Vice-Chairman Scott McKinney called for a revision to the proposed meeting schedule. The
board met every other month is 2024, however McKinney stated he would like to go back to a
monthly meeting. The board had a brief discussion.
Director Lynch reminded the board of the reasons they had previously changed the schedule:
the large board size, schedules of volunteers, schedules of ex-officios, and staff time.
Vice-Chairman Mckinney called for a vote, the vote to adopt a monthly meeting for the EDC was
unanimously passed.
Director Report:
Ms. Lynch started by handing the floor to Mr. Eatmon to share some good news about one of
our local industries. Mr. Eatmon discusses the company Open Book Extracts, which produces
CBD products. They have recently decided to shift their focus from consumer products to the
extraction of CBD oil. They are in the construction phase right now of building three new
buildings to extract CBD hemp. This will be very good for our agricultural community, but
tobacco farmers, in general, are the best population to grow hemp in because the equipment
translates well. Open Book Extracts is looking to be the number one or number two CBD oil
processing company in the United States. But they're looking to grow 3000 acres total of hemp
production, with 1000 acres here in Person County. Mr. Eatmon expects them to continue
adding more jobs to their facility because they currently employ about 111 folks. Ms. Newell
stated that some of the early challenges were water and getting the water to where it needed to
be. They’re looking for drought-resistant strains of hemp that can grow in the hot and dry North
Carolina summers.
Mr. Powell informed the board of his experience when he could tour the facility, which was a
very impressive high-tech three to $5 million investment.
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Mr. Eatmon commented that the waste coming off it, that biomass, they’re looking to utilize in
the community as green fertilizer for the first year of production when they start doing the
extraction phase. They are planning on making biochar, which is a green fertilizer made through
a low-oxygen burning process. NC State is doing a lot of research right now on biochar, so it
could be an up-and-coming soil amendment.
Mr. Perry made a note to let our representative, especially Representative Jeffers, make sure our
representatives are on point with those transitional, emerging things like that so they can be
aware of what they got we got going on here.
Mr. Blackwell stated that Open Book Extracts is struggling with many people not knowing who
they are, even though they're here. I know they've reached out and spoken with Dana and Mr.
Blackwell about trying to do more in the community and get more involved. So, they want to be
good stewards of the community here, but they're struggling to hire folks because people don’t
know who they are or what they do.
Ms. Lynch stated they have asked the county for no incentives. They have asked us possibly for a
letter for a grant that they're applying for. Mr. Eatmon has been working on a possible grant
opportunity for housing with Kerr-Tar and the City of Roxboro. Our State Our Homes program is
through the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, and it's an 18-month program. Essentially,
it was strategic planning and stakeholder identification to address the community's affordable
housing shortage. The program would bring together interested stakeholders and can provide
meaningful input into figuring out what issues are the root of the problem and how to make
changes or strategies to correct those problems.
Ms. Lynch announced that Microsoft is coming to Person County. We are excited to have them
here. Ms. Lynch thanked all of the great partners and the directors before her as they helped
pave this path. Currently, she is still under NDA. There have been numerous public records
requests, and the county is replying to what it can, but through the county attorney and his
advice, the NDA is still in place. I know Ms. Strickland has done a few that she could answer, but
we must maintain confidentiality and their trust and go forward working with them.
One of the other questions Ms. Lynch has been asked frequently is about the road closure and
Country Club Road. What are the plans for the permanent turnaround, and how will that work?
Lynch is unable to say as of right now, because there are no final plans. DOT is allowing us to
work off the temporary plans that the county set forth. There's a contractor in place to maintain
that turnaround, the berms, the lights, the signage, and everything DOT has come out and
approved, and they have agreed to let us keep using that until a permanent solution is found.
The Person County Board of Commissioners approved the sale of the North Park site. That
project is still ongoing, and Ms. Lynch is working with them daily to try to close it. A couple of
questions and hurdles have come up, but we are working through them. Hopefully, we'll have
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some better news in the next few weeks, and it will be closed, and we'll have another good
announcement.
Dr. Berryhill questioned who bought it, and Ms. Lynch stated that nobody had bought it yet. The
commissioners had just approved the sale price. There is an interested company. The company
had a few questions regarding the site that are still being worked through.
Ms. Lynch informed the board that there has been no slack in time in the economic
development department; there have been three active projects for a while now.
At the September meeting, Ms. Lynch briefly spoke with the board about the Kerr-Tar summit,
which was attended by Ms. Lynch, Mr. Eatmon, Ms. Whitt, the county manager, Commissioner
Powell, and Commissioner Sims. We had a session about grants, including questions on funding
options and the application process. We were able to interact with the panel to discuss our
issues and inquiries, that was a welcome experience. Also, there was an excellent presentation
from investors who had taken old communities and taken out loans, personal loans, to upfit
their towns. Brave men and women who took on substantial debt to do that, and it's paying off.
Their cities are thriving now. Mr. Blackwell and Ms. Lynch have already attended the round table
discussion to plan the Summit for next year.
Ms. Lynch was happy to announce that Ms. Dana Blackwell is the new Roxboro Area Chamber
Director. But one thing we noticed at Kerr-tar in our meeting about the summit was that there
are a lot of new players at the table, and everybody is doing something different. We have
planned a round table discussion with our Kerr-Tar partners here in Person County on December
4th that morning, and we'll be able to meet each other, talk about ideas, and collaboration.
Mr. Eatmon and Ms. Lynch have met with the SBTC recently about some opportunities they have
with websites for small businesses. SBTC has put us in contact with a professor at North Carolina
Central, and she has given excellent ideas and outstanding opportunities for finding a website
developer and even brought one to Person County. There's one in Granville and one in Durham,
which is astronomical and is out of reach for most small businesses.
Ms. Lynch and Mr. Eatmon had the privilege of attending the NCEDA conference. The
conference was initially scheduled in Asheville, but because of the flood, it was moved to
Greensboro, and the whole program was changed. We were asked to bring donations to the
flood victims in the western part of North Carolina. They adjusted their entire program to focus
on supporting the mountain communities, seeking grant funding for those areas, and learning
from how New Orleans overcame its difficult circumstances.
The Farm City breakfast took place last week. Ms. Lynch could not attend due to scheduling
conflicts but heard positive reviews about the event. The breakfast was held at Unsalted. Mr.
Freeman mentioned that this location was chosen based on the recommendations from our
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advisory committee. We decided to go for it, featuring local ingredients that were prepared by
local restaurants, which formed the basis of our meal.
Ms. Lynch updated the board on the Raleigh Regional Airport terminal planning discussed at the
commissioner's meeting. Proposals for potential expansion and renovation of the terminal are
also available on the county's website.
Mr. McKinney inquired about the status of the GKN site. Ms. Lynch reported that she has
submitted the property for several projects but has not yet received any feedback.
Mr. Perry had a few questions regarding the North Park site. He asked if there was any grant
money left and where that grant money went. Ms. Lynch stated we still have a grant with Golden
Leaf for that, and we did not use all the funding. However, we will not be given the extra
funding. That grant will pay for all the clearing and grading. The county will not incur any cost
from that at all.
Ms. Lynch began discussions with Boise Cascade during the spring and summer regarding their
property in Person County. They have had some excellent conversations about it. Boise Cascade
has decided to sell the property, and Ms. Lynch is collaborating with the designated agent. The
marketing materials are awaiting approval, and the property should be on the market within the
next couple of weeks.
Chairman Report:
Mr. Allen congratulated the administration, staff, and PCBIC board on the Mega Park and
Microsoft. Many people have been involved in this for many years. Mr. Allen stated that it's
always appropriate to recognize and find people who are willing to serve, who will volunteer,
and who step up and give back to our community.
Next Meeting:
The next meeting is proposed for Tuesday, January 28, 2025, at 4:00 p.m. in the Person County
EDC Board Room 303 S. Morgan St. Roxboro, NC.
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Date: November 19, 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
•September 24, 2024 Meeting Minutes
•2025 EDC Meeting Schedule**Request a motion to approve theConsent Agenda as presented Mr. G. Phillip Allen, Chairman
4:05 Chairman Report Mr. G. Phillip Allen, Chairman 4:10 Director Report Ms. Brandy Lynch, ED Director 4:20 Next Meeting
TBD Mr. G. Phillip Allen, Chairman 4:20 **Adjourn Mr. G. Phillip Allen, Chairman **Action Requested
Notes:
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$0.00
$5,000,000.00
$10,000,000.00
$15,000,000.00
$20,000,000.00
$25,000,000.00
$30,000,000.00
$35,000,000.00
Jul-23 Jul-24 Aug-23 Aug-24 Sep-23 Sep-24
Sales Tax
Person Caswell Orange Durham Granville
$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
February 2023 – October 2024 219 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
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
September 2024 Unemployment Rates
29
8 11
38
53 54
0
2
3
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
Jul-24 Aug-24 Sep-24
Permit Activity
SFD (Single Family Dwelling)Bldg (No-mods)Modular Homes
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««Notice: For Emergency and/or Special Called Meetings of the EDC, please check
the EDC Meeting Materials section of the EDC website.»»
Upcoming 2025 Meeting Dates for the
Person County Economic Development Commission
Date: Time: Location:
January 28, 2025 4:00 p.m. Person County Transit & Development Building**
March 25, 2025 4:00 p.m. Person County Transit & Development Building**
May 27, 2025 4:00 p.m. Person County Transit & Development Building**
July 22, 2025 4:00 p.m. Person County Transit & Development Building**
September 23, 2025 4:00 p.m. Person County Transit & Development Building**
November 18, 2025 4:00 p.m. Person County Transit & Development Building***
December 2025* TBD TBD
*The EDC meets on 4th Tuesdays of every other month. Because the 4th Tuesday of December 2025
falls on the week of a major holiday, the Commission will determine at its November meeting
whether to hold a December meeting.
**Person County Transit & Development Center is located at 303 S. Morgan St. Roxboro, NC 27573
*** The November meeting will be on the 3rd Tuesday.
For more information, please contact the ED Office at 336.597.1752.
Proposed
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««Notice: For Emergency and/or Special Called Meetings of the EDC, please check
the EDC Meeting Materials section of the EDC website.»»
Upcoming 2025 Meeting Dates for the
Person County Economic Development Commission
Date: Time: Location:
January 28, 2025 4:00 p.m. Person County Transit & Development Building**
February 25, 2025 4:00 p.m. Person County Transit & Development Building**
March 25, 2025 4:00 p.m. Person County Transit & Development Building**
April 22, 2025 4:00 p.m. Person County Transit & Development Building**
May 27, 2025 4:00 p.m. Person County Transit & Development Building**
June 24, 2025 4:00 p.m. Person County Transit & Development Building**
July 22, 2025 4:00 p.m. Person County Transit & Development Building**
August 26, 2025 4:00 p.m. Person County Transit & Development Building**
September 23, 2025 4:00 p.m. Person County Transit & Development Building**
October 28, 2025 4:00 p.m. Person County Transit & Development Building**
November 18, 2025 4:00 p.m. Person County Transit & Development Building***
December 2025* TBD TBD
*The EDC meets on 4th Tuesdays of every month. Because the 4th Tuesday of December 2025
falls on the week of a major holiday, the Commission will determine at its November meeting
whether to hold a December meeting.
**Person County Transit & Development Center is located at 303 S. Morgan St. Roxboro, NC 27573
*** The November meeting will be on the 3rd Tuesday.
For more information, please contact the ED Office at 336.597.1752.
Approved
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Person County
myFutureNC 2024 Attainment Profiles
Raleigh-Durham
Prosperity Zone Sub-Region
Peer County Type: Rural - Metro
Local Education Agencies: 1 (2023)
Charter Schools: 2 (2023)
Population Spotlight
2020 Census: 39,093
2022 Estimate: 39,386
Change: 293
0.7%County
vs.2.5%State
Growth Rate $61,302
MedianHouseholdIncome (2022)
State: $67,516
78%
Home Owners(2022)
State: 67%
31.1%
Child PovertyRate (2022)
State: 17.2%
17.2%
OpportunityYouth Rate(2022)
State: 10.9%
65%
Households withBroadband (2022)
State: 77%
3.8%
UnemploymentRate (2022)
State: 3.7%
No Degree5,13757.9%
Have Degree orCredential3,73342.1%
Educational Attainment
Person County residents ages 25-44, 2022
Note: Numbers may not add up to 100% due to rounding
Top Opportunities
for Growth
These three areas
represent the biggest
opportunities for Person
County to improve future
attainment outcomes.
Adult Learners
21% of Person County adults 25-44 have some
college, no degree, above the rural - metro
county average of 17%.
High School Graduation
83% of Person County 9th graders complete
high school in 4 years or less, below the rural -
metro county average of 85%.
Reading Performance
24% of Person County 3-8 graders earn
college-and-career-ready scores in Reading,
below the rural - metro county average of 26%.
Promising Attainment Practices
The new Promising Attainment Practices Database is a curated, searchable, and filterable collection of about 250 county, region, and state-level initiatives and programs that
directly address various components of the state’s attainment challenge. The Database allows local and regional initiative leaders and other stakeholders to identify groups across
the state who are developing or operating initiatives designed to boost attainment.
Follow link to discover how Person County has been meeting local needs:
https://dashboard.myfuturenc.org/promising-attainment-practices/?wdt_search=Person
76.5%
of postsecondary degrees
and credentials conferred by
regional institutions are
aligned with labor market
needs.
Top areas of misalignment:
Business Management & Administration
bachelor’s
Health Science below bachelor’s
Information Technology bachelor’s
In Raleigh-Durham Prosperity Zone Sub-Region:
5,347 Individuals served in an ApprenticeshipNC program in
2020
UNC and NC Community College Outcomes:
19,047 graduates in 2020
65%of 2016 graduates were employed in NC in 2021
$50,028 annual average earnings of graduates employed in NC
(includes both part-time and full-time jobs)
54% of adults (ages 25-44) in Person County earned
a family sustaining wage, 2022
Person County is served by:
Kerr-Tar Workforce Development Board
Kerr-Tar Council of Governments
UNC System College Enrollment
Curriculum
Top 3 Five-Star Jobs in
Raleigh-Durham Prosperity Zone
Sub-Region
Job Title Annual Growth
Nurse Practitioners 4%
Data Scientists 4%
Statisticians 4%
Top 3 Employers in
Person County
Employer Employment Range
Person County Schools 500-999
Gkn Driveline Inc.500-999
Poly Wood Llc 250-499
NC Community College Enrollment
Curriculum
First-time Curriculum Enrollments
Basic Skills
Continuing Education
2030 Proposed Person County Attainment Goal: 5,871 (Stretch Goal: 5,952)2030 State Attainment Goal: 2 million
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Updated: Jul 22 2024
3,247 Basic Skills
29,217 Continuing Education
9,377 Curriculum
11% of Person County residents have student loan debt; 9% of
debt holders had student loans in default. 2022
Success of Person County High School Graduates
• 78% of students who enroll persist to their second year versus
79% in peer counties. 2022
• 43% of students who enroll earn a degree or certificate within 6
years versus 56% in peer counties. 2022
Top destinations of all college-goers, Fall 2023
• 1,273 of all college-goers attended Piedmont CC
• 151 of all college-goers attended Durham TCC
• 73 of all college-goers attended Vance-Granville CC
Adult Learners
Raleigh-Durham Sub-Prosperity Zone post-secondary
enrollments in NC Community Colleges, Fall 2022
Degree Credentials Awarded, 2022
5,278 certificate 5,596 associate 16,200 bachelor’s
Postsecondary assets in Raleigh-Durham Prosperity Zone sub-region
Public, 4-year or above
North Carolina Central University, NorthCarolina State University at Raleigh,University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Public, 2-year
Central Carolina Community College,Durham Technical Community College,Johnston Community College, PiedmontCommunity College, Vance-GranvilleCommunity College, Wake TechnicalCommunity College
Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above
Campbell University, Duke University,Heritage Bible College, Meredith College,Saint Augustine’s University, ShawUniversity, Southeastern BaptistTheological Seminary, Southeastern FreeWill Baptist Bible College, Watts School ofNursing, William Peace University
Private not-for-profit, 2-year
Louisburg College
• 60% of seniors completed the FAFSA in 2023, compared to 62%
statewide; 47 more need to complete in 2023 to meet state goal of 80%.
2023
• 64% of graduates reported intentions to enroll in a postsecondary
institution versus 68% in peer counties. 2022
• 51% of graduates enrolled in a postsecondary institution within 12
months versus 51% in peer counties. 2022
55% of Person County students have parents with no college
degree (either 2- or 4-year) versus 55% in peer counties.
Postsecondary Enrollment Rates for Select Groups in Person County, 2022
Note: Outcomes for groups with less than 10 students, <5% or >95% are not displayed.
How students in Person County traditional schools are doing:
• 64% of eligible 4-year-olds enrolled in NC Pre-K program, compared to
53% statewide; 23 more needed to meet state goal of 75%. 2023
• 24% of 3-8 graders are earning college-and-career-ready scores (level 4
or 5) in reading, compared to 30% statewide; 1,262 more needed to meet
state goal of 73%. 2023
• 33% of 3-8 graders are earning college-and-career-ready scores (level 4
or 5) in math, compared to 35% statewide; 1,080 more needed to meet
state goal of 86%. 2023
• 83% of 9th graders graduate within four years, compared to 87%
statewide; 40 more needed to meet state goal of 95%. 2023
• 26% of students are chronically absent from school, compared to 27%
statewide; 698 less needed to meet state goal of 11%. 2023
Person County has a student-to-school counselor ratio of 384:1
versus 362:1 in peer counties. 2023
0% of students drop out of high school (2 total students),
compared to 2% statewide. 2023
School Choice
5,872 total students were
enrolled in K-12 in Person
County in the 2022-23 school
year.
Note: This profile focuses on
outcomes of students enrolled
in district schools.
(18%)
(73%)
(8%)
(2%)
Students in Person County completed 1,915 Career & Technical Education (CTE)
credentials (339 (18%) were industry-valued credentials) and 239 concentrations in
2023. The top three CTE concentrations completed include Architecture and
Construction; Health Science; and Human Services.
73 high school students
took at least one AP test
(6%) versus 8% in peer
counties (2023).
149 high school students
participated in Career & College
Promise programs (52%) versus
43% in peer counties (2023).
Access to Postsecondary Credits
Person County 2024 Attainment Profile
For more information about each indicator, including data sources and methodology, visit:
dashboard.myfuturenc.org/county-data-and-resources/
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