Sampson County presents strategic economic-development plan; commissioners to consider adoption

Chair Allen Clam, chair of the Sampson County Board of Commissioners, opened a public presentation of a new countywide economic development strategic plan and said the effort represents months of community work and steering-committee input. “Economic development is not a sprint. It's a marathon,” Clam said as he introduced the plan and the officials and consultants who helped prepare it.

Crystal Morphis, president of Creative Economic Development Consulting, walked the audience through the plan’s research, goals and recommended next steps. Morphis said more than 400 residents contributed through in-person workshops, one-on-one interviews and online surveys and that a nine-member steering committee guided the work. “This plan is reflective of a wide group of interests across the county,” Morphis said.

The plan frames its analysis with a strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats (SWOT) assessment. Presenters highlighted Sampson County’s East Coast location, transportation access and the presence of Sampson Community College as local strengths. They identified population decline, an aging population and gaps in water and wastewater infrastructure as principal weaknesses that reduce the county’s attractiveness to employers.

Consultants and staff emphasized four primary priorities: diversify the economy beyond a strong agricultural base; strengthen the talent pipeline and workforce training; expand and prepare sites and buildings for business growth; and invest in quality-of-place amenities to retain residents and attract workers. The presentation also stressed supporting existing businesses through a proactive business retention and expansion program as the first near-term action.

Quantitative findings and recommendations cited in the presentation included: more than 400 resident engagements; a five-month steering-committee process; roughly 80% of prospective companies prefer existing buildings; and cost-of-service considerations showing residential development often returns less revenue to local government than commercial or industrial development. The consultants recommended staged investments in staff and capacity — including growing the economic-development office over time to three staff positions — and measuring progress through metrics such as business satisfaction, retained or expanded firms, and marketing reach.

County Manager Alan Van acknowledged he had “inherited a strategic planning process that was already underway,” and called the plan a product of county staff, the advisory board and consulting partners. Ray Jordan, the county’s economic development staff member noted in the presentation, said he currently carries primary implementation responsibility and that additional staff and funding would be required to carry out the plan’s recommendations.

The presentation concluded with a request that, after a question-and-answer period, the Sampson County Board of Commissioners consider formal adoption of the strategic plan. The transcript of the presentation does not record any formal motion or vote on adoption during the event.

If adopted, presenters said the full plan would be posted on the county’s economic development website and the county would begin implementing near-term steps including a business retention and expansion program, targeted site due-diligence and a sequence of marketing and workforce initiatives. Presenters urged that the strategic plan be treated as a dynamic document to be revisited and updated annually.