Fall 2007

Welcome to The Southeast Compass!
Welcome to North Carolina’s Southeast’s premiere edition of The Southeast Compass, a quarterly newsletter highlighting activities and accomplishments of our organization. Times are busy and productive in 11 counties of Southeastern North Carolina, and our primary mission of conducting economic development marketing for the region is in full gear. In the past quarter, North Carolina’s Southeast has assisted three companies in locating in the region, all of which are highlighted in this newsletter. The remainder of the calendar year looks exciting with the potential of more announcements for the region. Thank you for perusing our newsletter, and if we can ever assist you, please let us know.

Advanced Recovery Unveils Plans in Robeson County
America’s environmental concerns are yielding job opportunities in Robeson County. In August, Advanced Recovery, Inc., announced plans to convert a vacant building there into a recycling center that will ultimately employ 30 workers. Positions at the new site will include metal processors, electronics technicians, warehouse personnel, sales professionals and managers, and come with average hourly wages that will reach $15. Advanced Recovery will invest $175,000 in upgrades and capital equipment at the Town of Fairmont’s Badger Building.

The presence of lead and other potentially hazardous materials in outdated computer and electronic gear requires owners to exercise caution in how they discard unwanted equipment. “Green audits” of businesses by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency can result in hefty fines when regulators find used equipment has been improperly disposed of. New Jersey-based Advanced Recovery works with corporations, government agencies and educational facilities in breaking down unwanted equipment into components, many of which can be recycled. Unusable parts are discarded pursuant to EPA-approved methods. Advanced Recovery’s Fairmont operations will complement its existing recycling centers in Pennsylvania, Illinois, New York and New Jersey.

Advanced Recovery made its way to Fairmont after an Internet search took it to North Carolina’s Southeast’s Web site. High on the company’s wish list was a site close to a major port (much of its product will be exported to Asia) and a ready-to-go building that was at least 25,000 square-feet. Working with the Southeast Commission and the N.C. Department of Commerce, the firm considered 10 possibilities in the region before zeroing-in on the Badger Building. Robeson County Economic Development Commission ushered the project to its successful conclusion over the course of five months.

Boatbuilding Legend Makes a Splash in Brunswick County
Occasionally in economic development, things just sound right. Like the creation of 800+ manufacturing jobs in Southeastern North Carolina in a single day. Or the fact that Chicago-based Brunswick Corporation is heading to Brunswick County, N.C., to create those jobs.

Brunswick Corporation’s announcement that it will acquire Rampage Yachts and its sizable presence in Navassa was made on July 13th in the presence of state, local and regional officials. The company is investing $51.2 million at the site, which will produce its Meridian, Bayliner and Maxum lines of yachts and cruisers. The company is shifting production of those products from an existing facility in Maryland that will close. Employment at the Navassa facility will come with an average annual salary of $31,293 and includes benefits.

Abundant production space along with close proximity to the deep waters of the Cape Fear River were pivotal in driving Brunswick Corp’s decision, explained Dustin McCoy, the company’s chairman and CEO, who also cited other important factors. “With its maritime heritage, skilled marine workforce and hospitable business climate, our partnership and presence in North Carolina are highly valued by Brunswick,” he said. The move from Maryland reflects the firm’s need for “more efficient and cost effective manufacturing,” Mr. McCoy added.

Supporting the establishment of the company’s presence in Navassa are financial incentives that include a Job Development and Investment Grant (JDIG) from the state and $25,000 in flexible cash assistance from The Southeastern Partnership, North Carolina’s Southeast Commission’s private non-profit adjunct.

Pender County to be Home to Lee’s Tackle, Inc.
Southeastern North Carolina’s marine trades and services cluster, already humming with growth and new activity, was able to reel in a major new name in June when Lee’s Tackle, Inc., announced plans to relocate all its operations to Burgaw from Miami, where it has been based since its founding in 1920. The move brings an investment of at least $3 million to Pender County and as many as 65 new jobs. The firm, which makes and markets a variety of commercial and recreational fishing equipment, plans to break ground on a 5.2-acre parcel at Pender Progress Industrial Park by the end of 2007.

“Our partners at North Carolina’s Southeast Commission had quite a bit to do with making this announcement happen,” said Scott Satterfield, chief executive officer of Wilmington Industrial Development, which directs economic development activities for Pender County. An Internet search brought Lee Tackle officials to the Commission’s Web site, getting them hooked on the idea of coming to Southeastern North Carolina. “Support from the Commission was also key on the back end of this project,” Satterfield added. Financial assistance through the Commission’s private arm, The Southeastern Partnership, Inc., provided evidence that regional authorities also would be eager to support the firm’s success.

Roswell Lee, Jr., third-generation owner of Lee’s Tackle, called leaving the firm’s longtime Miami home “a hard decision.” But competitive pressures brought on by spiraling property taxes, utility rates and insurance premiums led the privately-held company to explore other locations. “It simply didn’t make sense to be there anymore,” he said. Lower overhead costs, proximity to customers and quality of life considerations were factors that led the company to Burgaw, where it will relocate as many as 15 key employees. “We’re very impressed with the Wilmington area and with Burgaw,” says Mr. Lee, who will be moving his family from their current home in Coral Gables.

A Global Honor for Chairman Jane Smith
The International Economic Development Council (IEDC), the world’s largest association of economic development professionals, is recognizing North Carolina’s Southeast Chairman Jane W. Smith with its 2007 Citizen Leader of the Year Award. The award will be presented at IEDC’s annual meeting on September 17 in Phoenix.

Ms. Smith, who has chaired the Commission since 2001, is a founding board member of the organization. Her tenure has included many hours of volunteer service to the region. As chairman, Ms. Smith oversees all strategic and operational aspects of the state-created Commission and its two private, non-profit adjunct corporations.

But the award also acknowledges Ms. Smith’s key leadership of the North Carolina Partnership for Economic Development (NCPED), whose board of directors she chaired from 2005 until July of this year. NCPED pulls together all seven of the state’s regional partnerships and commissions, serving as a venue for coordination, collaboration and sharing of best practices. “Under Jane’s dedicated leadership, NCPED has enjoyed a focus, clarity and credibility that might otherwise have been missing,” said Jim Roberson, past chairman of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership, who served with Ms. Smith on the NCPED board.