Brunswick County, North Carolina is a region steeped in history and natural beauty, with awe-inspiring places and vistas. But as rich as its past has been, its future is even brighter thanks in large part to the collaborative efforts of Brunswick Business & Industry Development and its many partners who are doing their part to take advantage of the growth that is taking place.
When it comes to growth, Brunswick County is growing both in terms of its population and its economy. The fastest growing county by percentage in the state and one of the top 10 in the country for growth, major investments are taking place to sustain and grow this impact.
“Our workforce age population is growing faster than the state’s average of 3.7 percent, which is pretty significant growth for our area,” says Brunswick Business & Industry Development Executive Director William (Bill) Early. “Our unique advantages include the fact that we have very heavy infrastructure that can support large industry, but we also have a quality of life here that helps these companies attract and retain key workers. We have an awful lot to offer.”
Part of the value proposition offered is the unmatched quality of life that the beautiful beaches, quaint and idyllic towns, a temperate climate, and a peaceful way of life affords to those who call Brunswick County home. This, paired with a strong business climate and robust local infrastructure, is exactly what Brunswick Business & Industry Development is mandated with leveraging: the goal is to share and showcase all that makes Brunswick County a locale on the radar of many.
Brunswick Business & Industry Development has been mandated by Brunswick County to facilitate economic development, particularly in terms of industrial and manufacturing opportunities that are well suited to its capacity. With this development comes large capital investments and well-paid jobs that further contribute to the area’s quality of life. Seven years in, Brunswick Business & Industry Development has enjoyed great success in this realm. Recently, a massive investment by Epsilon Advanced Materials, a leading manufacturer of graphite which is essential to the production of lithium-ion batteries for electric vehicles, demonstrated the scale of investments the organization is after.
Epsilon, drawn to the region’s rail-served, power- and infrastructure-equipped mega sites, is investing $650 million to establish its first manufacturing site in the United States in Brunswick County. The investment will create around 500 new jobs and will transform the growth of the region from a high-tech industrial standpoint.
Further to creating jobs, Epsilon partnered with Brunswick Community College for a specialized training certificate program to support the plant with essential skills when it commences operations in the first quarter of 2026, which will bring economic benefits to the region long-term, a testament to the work of Brunswick Business & Industry Development and its partners.
Indeed, one of the biggest draws for companies like Epsilon is the robust infrastructure Brunswick County has on offer. It is home to two mega sites (greater than 1,000 acres), the Mid-Atlantic Industrial Rail Park, and the International Logistics Park of North Carolina, which are located adjacent to one another and are investment-ready.
The sites are designated North Carolina Certified Sites, which offer investors a streamlined development process with many of the pre-qualification measures already completed and zoned industrial general (IG), which permits typical manufacturing and industrial uses. They also carry Foreign Trade Zone advantages that can add value for internationally positioned businesses.
The Mid-Atlantic Industrial Rail Park, specifically, offers connectivity and transportation access thanks to its proximity to U.S. Highway 74/76 and what will be the future Interstate 74, offering a connection to Interstate 95. Interstate 140 is also proximate and offers connectivity to Interstate 40. There is also a main CSX rail line that runs through the site and connects directly to the Port of Wilmington, in addition to access to both Wilmington International Airport and Myrtle Beach International Airport.
The International Logistics Park of North Carolina also enjoys the same access to major transportation routes and shipping infrastructure and is equipped with the power and infrastructure needed, including three transmission lines bringing power to the site, water and wastewater capacity, buildings, and a commitment to making the necessary investments to ensure they are development-ready. According to Early, “We put a lot of effort into trying to get those developed with infrastructure access—all the services and utilities that a company would need to be able to move in and begin construction. The International Logistics Park is one where we’ve been fortunate to have investors that have built a 286,000-square-foot spec building. On phase one of this, which was 150,000 square feet, 100 percent of it was leased prior to completion of the construction.”
These kinds of investments position Brunswick County to take full advantage of the fast-growing electric battery market that is gearing up to meet the push in demand for electric vehicles. Located in what has been referred to as the “EV battery belt,” the county is strategically positioning itself for the future for the collective benefit of the region.
Partnership has been paramount to achieving economic growth in Brunswick County and Brunswick Business & Industry Development is the linchpin of many of those relationships. The organization bridges the gap between people and resources and ensures that the area’s many assets are taken full advantage of.
The list of development partners is long and includes the North Carolina Department of Commerce, North Carolina Southeast Regional Partnership, North Carolina Economic Development Partnership, North Carolina Port Authority, North Carolina Railroad, CSX Rail, local utility partners, educational institutions, and many others who work to strengthen the value proposition Brunswick Business & Industry Development can showcase to prospective investors.
Director of Business Development Jason Semple acknowledges, “For a fast-growing county, I’d like to give a plug for our commissioners who have done a really good job of staying ahead and forecasting the needs of our county on the water and sewer side. With our growth, they’ve done a good job of staying ahead of the curve and it’s allowed us, in many respects, to keep growing.”
Though Brunswick Business & Industry Development spearheads many of the local economic development efforts, its greatest strength is the ability to get the right people at the table to leverage their respective strengths to ensure those who are investing in the community have everything they need to be successful in the best interests of regional prosperity.
“That’s part of where we come in: we try to bring all of these resources together to meet the client’s needs,” explains Early. “Our role is to bring the partners together.”
This sentiment is reiterated by Semple who notes, “It takes a large village—not just a village, a large village—to make these things happen.”
That village will be just as important in the future as Brunswick Business & Industry Development makes sure that it has the property inventory, the resources, and the capacity, including water and wastewater, to sustain the future growth that will undoubtedly take place.
Acknowledging that one day the mega sites will be full, Brunswick Business & Industry Development remains focused on ensuring that the evolving needs of the local economy that it is building in the present continue to be met in the future. “I think one of the strongest long-term goals is to always be looking ahead and trying to focus on product development. You know, we’re blessed right now to have these two large mega sites. One day they will be full, so where are we going next? What do we need to be focusing on to develop for future needs?”
Whether those needs are related to infrastructure or workforce development, Brunswick Business & Industry Development will continue to work to address the needs of the economy to ensure that the necessary resources are available and supply chains remain uninterrupted, building bridges and facilitating collaboration between its stakeholder partners and prospective investors to sustain the growth and prosperity the region enjoys.
