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Economic development director details $17M Selah Ethics investment, retail prospects for Stallings
Summary
Union County Economic Development Director Ron Mail told Stallings officials the county is marketing multiple parcels, has recruited a $17 million Selah Ethics office bringing about 85 jobs, launched a food innovation center and contracted Retail Strategies to attract national retailers; staff will share project details once confidentiality allows.
Union County Economic Development Director Ron Mail told the Stallings Town Council on June 22 that the county’s newly formed department is pursuing a mix of recruitment, product development and business retention efforts aimed at bringing higher‑paying jobs and retail options to Stallings.
Mail, who leads a three‑person team that includes assistant director Rachel Holsman and existing‑industry specialist Latoya Billings, said the department’s mission is “to improve the quality of life for all Union County residents through the attraction of new capital investment and the attraction of new well‑paying jobs.” He said staff prioritize municipal engagement, product development (county‑owned sites) and business retention and expansion work.
Mail pointed to several concrete projects he said staff are marketing or supporting. He said the county recruited Selah Ethics to a site at the intersection of Stallings Road and the Monroe Expressway; he described the project as a roughly $17 million investment that will bring about 85 jobs averaging about $85,000 per year. Mail also noted the county broke ground in March on a Food Innovation Center in Wingate with multiple commercial kitchens intended to help roughly 200 small family farms process and market products locally.
On retail, Mail outlined a contract with Retail Strategies, a national advisory firm the county hired to identify and pursue retail prospects. He listed initial retail conversations that, he said, have included a national grocer targeting the Charlotte market, a regional high‑end pet supply chain, fast‑casual and quick‑service restaurants and a regional dental office. Mail said Retail Strategies funnels potential site‑level opportunities to county and municipal staff when retailers identify specific parcels or intersections.
Mail also summarized county‑led marketing for a former John Deere parcel and said the county is nearing a closing on a separate roughly 60‑acre sale to the McGee Corporation; he said a 26‑acre McGee parcel remains to be evaluated for highest‑and‑best reuse and that redevelopment could take years. He said the county tracks opportunities in a CRM system and will share project information with town staff “when the project is no longer confidential.”
Council members pressed for regular, stage‑based updates; one asked for a targeted eight‑week business retention and expansion (BR&E) outreach to Stallings’ largest employers, and Mail said the county can run a concentrated campaign and provide a top‑employers list and contacts.
The presentation closed with staff offering to continue close coordination with Stallings on marketing, available buildings, and potential incentives for projects that meet county thresholds.
What happens next: Council members asked staff to provide periodic updates on active projects and to share non‑confidential CRM summaries the town can use to pursue retail anchors and support local employers.
