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Surry County approves incentive package for ProjectPRESS expansion
Summary
The Surry County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved a cash incentive for ProjectPRESS, a local company proposing a $4 million building expansion expected to double local jobs, with the grant capped at $66,240 over five years.
The Surry County Board of Commissioners on Dec. 2 unanimously approved a cash incentive for ProjectPRESS, an existing local company seeking to build a new manufacturing campus in the county.
ProjectPRESS proposes a building- and facility-only expansion with a newly expected investment of $4,000,000. The company currently employs 30 people locally and told the county it anticipates doubling that workforce over three years if the expansion proceeds. The incentive request was structured as 60% of taxes paid on the new building over five years; county staff said the grant would not exceed $66,240 and that the county anticipates a payback period of approximately three years.
Blake Moyers, president and CEO of the Economic Development Partnership for Surry County, described ProjectPRESS as a locally owned business that has operated in the county for seven years and that has worked with municipalities and chambers locally. Moyers said the incentives under consideration are based on building and facility investments only and do not include equipment purchases.
Commissioners voted after a public hearing was opened and closed during the meeting. Commissioner Bill Goins moved to approve the incentive package; Commissioner Melissa Hyatt seconded. The motion carried without opposition.
County staff told the board the county would use its general fund reserves as the source of funding for the county’s portion of the improvement incentive. Moyers framed the project as the kind of “homegrown” expansion county economic development officials prefer over large recruitment projects, emphasizing local investment and job retention.
The formal action authorizes the county to enter the incentive arrangement described during the hearing; the county did not detail any additional conditions, clawbacks, or performance guarantees in the public record beyond the payment structure and the not-to-exceed amount presented at the hearing.
The board took the vote during its Dec. 2 meeting after the public hearing portion for ProjectPRESS concluded. No public speakers asked to comment during the hearing.
