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EDC director outlines business park option, workforce needs and recovery successes
Summary
The EDC director presented a semiannual report highlighting strategic engagement, a proposed 90-plus-acre business park option under due diligence, a project that currently employs about 169 people with roughly $18.5 million in capital investment, and ongoing workforce and childcare challenges that affect recruitment.
Fields Leibel, introduced as the Economic Development Commission (EDC) director, presented the EDC's semiannual report to the Mitchell County Board of Commissioners, highlighting business recruitment, workforce development, partner engagement and plans for a certified industrial site.
Leibel said the EDC is pursuing due diligence on an option for more than 90 acres from a private owner as a possible business park, and that consultants have been retained to pursue certification as an industrial site under state metrics. He said grant funding has been secured to pay for due-diligence services.
As an example of recent private-sector activity, Leibel described a project he called "Project Thailand," saying the project had about 169 current full-time employees when the project was recorded, with average salaries referenced and a capital investment he described as about $18.5 million; he also said the project is planned in phases with potential further expansion contingent on infrastructure and financing.
Leibel emphasized workforce issues — particularly childcare and childcare-related workforce barriers — as a continuing weakness for local employers and noted partnerships with the Small Business Center, the North Carolina Department of Commerce and other regional groups. He said the EDC has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Maine Small Business Center (as stated in the presentation) and is engaging in small-business and workforce development activities.
The EDC director also reviewed fundraising and chamber activity, noting membership increases and events being planned to offset lost revenue. He invited questions and said the semiannual report will be posted online for public review.
Next steps: Leibel said the EDC will proceed with due diligence on the potential industrial site and return to the county with further updates when consultants complete required work.
