As Economic Development Director of the Henderson-Vance County Economic Development Commission, Ferdinand Rouse (CEcD) is happy to share the many assets found in this charming North Carolina county. “I’ve always been drawn to rural communities and helping those communities grow, which is what attracted me to this role and opportunity,” he says. Prior to taking on his current position about two years ago, Rouse served as Small Business Development Programs Coordinator for the City of Raleigh. Many of his responsibilities—such as retaining existing industries, providing growth opportunities, and recruiting new companies—have carried over to Henderson-Vance County.
Today, Rouse regularly meets with companies that are a good fit with the county’s existing businesses, discussing everything from available community resources to workforce development and the area’s many quality-of-life amenities.
Local and state business incentives
Ranked by CNBC in 2025 as America’s Top State for Business, North Carolina is popular with industries of all sizes. Historically, North Carolina, Vance County, and the City of Henderson are known for their state and local incentives and business grants, with added Tier 1 incentives. Statewide, these incentives include loans, exemptions, bonds, building reuse grants, Job Development Investment Grants (JDIG), and more.
Local incentives for businesses expanding or re-locating to Vance County and Henderson range from matching funds and grants from the North Carolina Department of Commerce to expediting permits, reviews, inspections, approvals, and liaising with key community members and agencies. The goal: to get your business up and running as smoothly and quickly as possible.
Founded in 1881, Vance County was named for North Carolina Civil War governor, congressman, and senator Zebulon Baird Vance. The area’s early industries included farming, textile mills, and tobacco, with rail lines coming through the area. Over the decades, major industries coming to the area saw county seat Henderson become a focal point for development. Today, some of Vance County and Henderson’s target industries include light manufacturing, logistics, life sciences, and food and beverage processing.
“Some of our largest employers are manufacturers,” says Rouse of the many companies calling Vance County home. These include molding and trim maker Versatrim and several metal manufacturers and fabricators. “Vance County is a place that has the access, resources, and competitive pricing that can serve any industry. We are open and happy to have new businesses. And if you come to Vance County, we will be partners with you throughout the whole process.”
Natural assets
One of Vance County’s greatest assets is Kerr (pronounced car) Lake. Officially known as the John H. Kerr Reservoir, this 50,000-acre, manmade reservoir has over 800 miles of shoreline along the borders of North Carolina and Virginia. Owing to its massive size and capacity, it remains an excellent water resource for manufacturers and a popular attraction for residents and tourists alike. Owing to this prime water access, the county is home to manufacturers like Henderson-based aluminum and steel dock company, Alumadock.
Popular year-round as a camping ground and recreational area, Kerr Lake is home to fishing tournaments and is where a world-record blue catfish—weighing a whopping 143 pounds—was caught in 2011. This past Fourth of July, marking America’s 250th, saw additional fireworks and events at the Lake.
Another distinct advantage of Vance County is its proximity to Durham County, just 35 to 40 minutes away by car. Part of the Research Triangle region, Durham County is widely considered a life sciences hub, with dozens of companies operating in that space, anchored by Research Triangle Park (RTP). “Our proximity to RTP, our large water resource, and the utility infrastructure in our community is why we choose to focus on certain industries,” Rouse tells us.
For instance, Walmart’s distribution arm remains a key employer in Vance County, along with several wholesalers. Being situated along major highways like Interstate 85, US 1, US 158, and NC 39 makes the county well suited for distribution, logistics, and utilities being built along the Interstate, such as electrical transmission and fiber optic lines, which is earning the area interest from data center developers.
Welcoming business
As a Certified Economic Developer, Rouse has learned many things over the years, including the importance of communities showcasing their strengths and assets and the importance of business retention. “The big thing that we do is, we go out and meet with each arm of the businesses in our community,” he says. “We meet with our largest employers, develop a survey, and talk to them about how their business operates. This includes who their largest customers are, suppliers, target markets, and some complementary industries they work with. Then we try to figure out what their plans are for the future, any pain points they currently have, and ways that we can alleviate those.”
Once Rouse and his team have all the information in hand, they use it to form a strategic plan to determine the most suitable companies to bring to the county to complement existing businesses—and which ones it may be prudent to avoid. Surveying local businesses determines if they are interested in expansion, if they have any questions, or if they need to be put in contact with others in the county.
“If they have questions about workforce, we put them in touch with our community college system,” Rouse says. “And if there’s a large university nearby that has some specialties that can help these businesses grow, I get them in contact with those people. If they are talking about expansion and adding people, there are available resources at the state level that we can tap into to help make that expansion process easier for them.”
Room to grow
Along with robust utilities, a strong workforce, and available land, the area is also home to the Henderson-Vance Industrial Park. With the mission of providing land development and grants stimulating economic development, the park is close to the Raleigh-Durham area and the Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Ideal for manufacturers and distributors, the park has water via the Kerr Lake Regional Water System, natural gas through Enbridge, electricity via Duke Energy, sewer lines, and other assets.
According to the county, “This site is perfect for businesses seeking a customizable development opportunity—whether you’re planning a manufacturing facility or a distribution hub, this property offers the infrastructure and location advantages you need to succeed.” The park and the county have seen companies leave other areas to come to Vance because of its many advantages, business incentives, affordability, large workforce pool, and room to build and expand.
As Rouse says, “Corporations now know about the benefits of coming to North Carolina and our friendly business environment. I want to help even more people understand Vance County in particular, the resources that we have that make us an ideal place where they can locate. We want to be a destination of choice for companies.”
