Southeastern North Carolina has a large number of building product manufacturers and distributors. The region is an ideal location for these companies due to overall population and business growth in the region. The Fayetteville and Wilmington areas are two of the fastest growing areas in North Carolina. Wood products have always been a strong industry sector in the region, and there are over 75 wood products companies located here, making products such as wallboard, trusses, doors, cabinets, lumber, and panels. The port at Wilmington allows for excellent access for importing and exporting of wood and other raw materials.
Building Products Assets
Southeastern NC is growing much faster than most parts of the US. That growth – fueled by baby boomers who want to retire at the coast, the “half-backers” who are leaving the high costs of Florida, the major increases in defense-related personnel at Ft. Bragg (the largest army facility in the US), and the region’s low construction costs – makes for a significant market for building products, despite the temporary downturn of the past year created by stressed financial markets.
And not only do we have the market, but we also have the raw material resources to support that growth – significant timber resources, a major cement production facility (recently announced) and numerous manufacturers of building products supporting both the regional NC and regional US market.
Population Growth
The counties in NC’s Southeast Region are expected to collectively grow to a 2010 population of over 1.1 million people (+18% from 2000 to 2010). These same counties are predicted to grow another 23% from 2010 to 2029, up to almost 1.4 million people. Brunswick, one of the two coastal counties, is predicted to grow more than 50% from 2000 to 2010, making it the 14th fastest growing county in the nation. (NC State Data Center)
Construction Cost - RS Means Index October 2009
| |
Index |
%US av |
| Wilmington |
136.1 |
73.3 |
| Fayetteville |
142.2 |
76.6 |
| |
|
|
| Raleigh |
140.3 |
75.6 |
| Charlotte |
140.1 |
75.5 |
| |
|
|
| Charleston |
147.1 |
79.2 |
| Jacksonville, FL |
155.6 |
83.8 |
| Norfolk |
157.7 |
85.0 |
Wood Raw Material Resources
The Region produces 145 million cf of roundwood timber products (2007 US Forest Service) via 40 logging companies, including the famous “Swamp Loggers” as seen on TV’s Discovery Channel.
NC State University – premier university in the US for wood products studies and research
NCSU’s Department of Wood and Paper Science (www.cnr.ncsu.edu/wps) has evolved since 1929 and has an international reputation across the areas of wood products, paper science and engineering and forest biomaterials.
- The Hodges Wood Products Laboratory and the Wood Extension Service provides technical services involving various aspects of wood chemistry and wood utilization.
- Extensive and groundbreaking research across disciplines in the specific areas of: forest biomaterials, wood chemistry, physics and materials science for multiphase materials, biotechnology and enzymes for new genetic strains and applications, nonwood fiber processing, alternative building materials and methodologies, sustainable wood materials, wood machining and tooling, and value added wood products.
The Department of Wood and Paper Science (WPS) has a long and successful history of partnerships with manufacturing companies, private investors, and government research and economic development organizations.
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NORTH CAROLINA'S SOUTHEAST
The Regional Economic Development Marketing Organization
For Southeastern North Carolina
707 West Broad Street, P.O. Box 2556, Elizabethtown,
NC 28337
Phone: 800-787-1333 Fax: 910-862-1482 |
