A Canadian first, Code Red is a chocolate product infused with bioactive ingredients that can support proper muscle function and reduce the symptoms associated with menstruation. The formula utilizes 150 mg of magnesium, 300 mg of calcium, and 38 µg of Vitamin D3 per serving.

Founder Jessica Ulbikas came up with the idea during a group project on functional food during her studies at the University of Guelph, and during her graduate studies in human health and nutritional science, she launched BioSnactive Foods Inc., with Code Red as its flagship product.

The magnesium supports normal muscle function by helping relax the smooth muscles of the uterus which contract during menstruation, while the vitamin D and calcium work to improve deficiencies which can worsen menstrual pain for some.

“Chocolate is great on its own because it already has antioxidants, polyphenols, and heart healthy things,” Ulbikas said. “It’s a lot of playing with the formula and making sure it still tastes really good,” she explains. “Chocolate itself is such a finicky product to make. You have to temper it perfectly.”

Prior to securing a manufacturer, Ulbikas was making the product by hand in 10C’s commercial kitchen. Now, the product is being scaled for sale and new product lines are in development. Currently, it can be found online or in select stores in Ontario.

“Long-term, I’d love to establish different product lines and have it become a women’s health functional food company, and just grow across Canada,” Ulbikas said.

The product is sold in pouches of ten squares or five servings, and customers should ingest no more than two squares a day.

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A traditional shopping mall can be defined as an enclosed site featuring “anchor” retailers such as department stores and a cluster of smaller speciality shops facing inward, not outward toward the street. Shopping malls are often multi-level and highly walkable, and they offer amenities such as food courts, hair salons, and movie theatres.

There were more than 1,500 shopping malls in America in 2005, a figure that dropped to around 1,150 by 2022, according to the Q3 2022 article, The Economic History of the Shopping Mall by the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond. Today, depending on the terminology used, there are perhaps 700 large-scale malls left in the United States.

Shocking as this decline might be, there’s been a recent surge of public interest and spending at shopping malls, albeit mostly at higher-end centres. Social media, new shopping trends, and clever reuse of empty space are also helping rejuvenate a once-revolutionary retail model.

A century ago, downtowns dominated the retail landscape, featuring the grandest department stores and the widest selection of small shops. Retail outlets in urban cores were often quite distant from one another, however, and downtown parking was frequently inadequate or nonexistent.

Austrian émigré and architect Victor Gruen came up with a clever alternative to this arrangement. Gruen designed the Northland Center, a retail mecca that opened in 1954 in Southfield, Michigan, just outside Detroit. According to the Richmond Fed, it was the first shopping centre to pair a department store with smaller retail stores.

Gruen’s innovation was to bring the downtown retail sector to the suburbs but do it better: the Northland Center offered consumers ample parking, a multitude of stores in one place, and the opportunity to perform an array of chores (food, clothing, and hardware shopping, plus a visit to the hairdresser) in the same locale. Gruen would go on to design other malls as the retail concept he championed exploded in popularity.

The rapid expansion of shopping malls has been attributed to shifting demographics, as city dwellers moved to new suburban housing developments after World War II. This is only part of the story, as shopping mall construction was also fuelled by changes to U.S. federal tax laws. In 1954, eager to stimulate postwar building, Congress sped up the depreciation process for new construction projects, allowing developers to write off expenses faster. This coincided with the birth of the modern shopping mall and led to a wave of investment money flowing into new mall construction (accelerated depreciation rules gave investors a great tax break, and they could then sell the property for a profit down the road).

Between 1961 and 1970, some 240 shopping malls were built across America, states the Richmond Fed article.

While department stores served as the initial anchors in enclosed shopping malls, malls also sported eating and entertainment venues. In the process, shopping malls took on cultural as well as economic significance: “For countless Americans—especially those who came of age in the postwar years—malls were the new town square: a place to shop, eat, gather and meander. Envisioned as perfectly pristine, cast against the gritty danger of urban centers, the American mall became the image of suburban consumerism,” states the November 25, 2014, article, The Death and Rebirth of the American Mall in Smithsonian magazine.

By the late 1970s and 1980s, shopping malls were so ingrained in American culture that they served as the backdrop to prominent movies such as Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, and even Dawn of the Dead (in which survivors of a zombie plague hide out in a mall).

From this peak, problems set in. By the mid-1980s, many first-wave malls were showing their age, with creaky infrastructure and a tired ambiance. Another problem was that supply exceeded demand; the forces that drove shopping mall construction produced a glut of such sites. Many communities ended up with multiple malls within a short distance of each other. Bigger and flashier malls survived this intense inter-mall competition at the expense of more low-rent operations.

The Great Recession of the late 2000s hit shopping malls hard. While many U.S. malls had relied on department stores such as Macy’s to serve as lures and anchors, middle-class consumers began patronizing more budget-friendly stores such as Kohl’s and Target, states the Richmond Fed article.

A decade or so later, the world was rocked by COVID-19, which was declared a pandemic in March 2020. Public places, including shopping malls, either closed or instituted regulations such as mandatory masking and social distancing. Mall attendance plummeted.

Economics and illness aside, shopping malls also faced huge challenges in the form of big box outlets and e-commerce.

Unlike shopping malls, big box outlets feature only a handful of mammoth retailers such as Walmart, IKEA, and Home Depot. The big box shopping experience is purely utilitarian: consumers arrive, acquire products, and then depart in their cars. Big box outlets aren’t designed for lingering, and standalone big box stores usually lack food courts and similar amenities.

Spartan as they are, big box outlets and standalone big box stores became hugely popular with the public. Such sites are extremely accessible (customers can park in front of the big box store of their choice and avoid navigating the sometimes maze-like corridors of shopping mall interiors), and prices are low because products are stocked in such massive quantities.

If big box stores offered a physical alternative to traditional malls, the internet opened up a digital shopping option. Back in 1995, American consumers made $2.11 trillion worth of in-store purchases versus $0.05 trillion in online purchases. While in-store spending rose over the decades, e-commerce soared, topping the $1 trillion mark in 2021, according to Capital One Shopping Research. In 2025, in-store spending stood at $6.087 trillion in America, while e-commerce represented $1.431 trillion in spending.

Sales data indicates a sharp generational divide. While 60 percent of Baby Boomers (defined by Capital One Shopping as people born between 1946 and 1964) prefer to shop in-store, this holds true for only 37 percent of Gen Z adults (people born between 1997 and 2012).

Rather than trying to resist e-commerce, shopping malls have learned to embrace it. A new shopping habit has emerged in which consumers discover products online, often on a retailer’s website, but purchase them in a store.

“Online ads and social content have a powerful effect on creating retail desire, but they also provide an incomplete sensory experience that no virtual try-on can match. Following an engaging online interaction with an equally satisfying physical shopping experience, traditional retailers evolve from bricks-and-mortar to ‘clicks-and-mortar,’” reads the article, The Fall and Rise of the American Shopping Mall, published April 22, 2025 in Total Retail magazine.

Influencers on TikTok and Instagram, in particular, frequently post content from shopping malls, highlighting products and discussing their overall retail experience.

Malls can also reinvent themselves by tapping into ethnic diversity with a broader array of stores and food options, and by repurposing space. Some malls have filled the gaps left behind by shuttered department stores with gyms or outlets such as Dave & Buster’s (a blended sports bar, restaurant, and arcade chain), notes the Richmond Fed article.

Research and advisory firm Coresight Research is downright giddy about the future of traditional shopping malls. “American malls are entering a structurally stronger phase, with improving occupancy, rents and net operating income (NOI), although this growth is increasingly concentrated in top-tier, well-located assets,” reads the May 2026 Coresight Research report, The American Mall Renaissance. By “top-tier,” the company means malls located in affluent areas that offer luxury retail brands (such as Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and Hermès) and new direct-to-consumer brands.

In-store shopping returned in force once COVID-19 restrictions were lifted, a trend that benefited top-tier malls. Year-over-year visits were up two percent at top-tier U.S. malls in 2025, and down 1.6 percent at their non-top-tier competition.

Thanks to increased visits, occupancy at top-tier malls rose from 92.8 percent in 2021 to 95.5 percent in 2025 (occupancy at non-top-tier malls also increased, from 87.0 percent in 2021 to 90.0 percent in 2025).

In addition to luring shoppers, high-end shopping malls are working hard to reclaim their position as social hubs as well as retail centres.

“While apparel remains a core component of the tenant mix, top-tier mall operators such as Simon are increasingly adding dining, entertainment, wellness, residential, EV showrooms, hotels and, in some cases, office or community spaces to create more diversified consumer destinations and revenue streams,” reads the Coresight Research report.

Given these developments, it looks like “hitting the mall” will remain a popular retail and recreational option long into the future, despite ongoing challenges.

The post The Future of the Traditional Shopping Mall<p class="company">Has the “Death of the Mall” Been Exaggerated?</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

Scenario planning not only allows businesses to discover a variety of potential outcomes, evaluate actions, and plan for any possibilities; it can guide them to be proactive rather than reactive by envisioning prospective risks and prospects, increasing organizational understanding of alternative results, and identifying early warning signs of approaching issues to take necessary actions.

According to The Strategy Institute, the majority of business plans are based on one set of assumptions, such as a single growth trajectory, a single cost estimate, or a single perspective on market dynamics. While it’s a strategy that works well during times of stability, these conditions are rarely sustained over long periods of time.

As market demand changes, interest rates rise, supply chains are disrupted, and regulatory structures develop, any plan based on a single projection will be unable to respond accordingly, says The Strategy Institute. Scenario planning arose to solve this specific issue. Rather than predicting what is most likely to happen, it looks at what could happen across various possible futures and what actions a business might take in each scenario, resulting in a more open and useful method for developing long-term company strategies. It has been used by companies ranging from large multinational energy corporations to independent small and medium-sized business owners.

Scenario planning is essentially a methodical process for creating several internally consistent scenarios, evaluating their financial implications, and determining the appropriate actions for each circumstance. Comprising a baseline scenario, an optimistic scenario, a pessimistic scenario, and sometimes an acute crisis scenario, each is developed from a single set of premises. Created in the 1960s as military strategy and war-gaming procedures for the Pentagon, the practice gained more popular awareness in the 1970s when Shell managed to anticipate shifts in the oil market through scenario planning, placing the business in a position to adjust accordingly when oil prices then fell in the 1980s.

Since then, narrative, quantitative modeling, monitoring dashboards, and predetermined action plans have all been incorporated into what started out as a qualitative exercise in seeing other futures, and because forecasting and scenario planning are intended to address different issues, it’s important to understand their differences. Conventional forecasting is based on a single anticipated result, estimating what is most likely to occur using past data, present trends, and assumptions about future conditions. While a finance team might anticipate operational costs based on current inflation trends, project revenue growth of eight percent for the following year, and create a budget based on those projections, businesses still require goals, budgets, and performance standards, which makes forecasting useful for operational planning.

As forecasts have the downside of often assuming future events are linear and predictable, a single forecast might easily become outdated when conditions drastically shift, and because of this, uncertainty is approached differently in scenario planning. Instead, it investigates multiple conceivable futures simultaneously rather than concentrating on a single anticipated future, understanding how various circumstances would impact the company and what management would do in response. For instance, a forecast can project revenue growth under anticipated market circumstances, and scenario planning poses even more possibilities, such as: what would happen if there was a 20 percent decline in consumer demand? What happens if interest rates stay high for a further two years? What happens if supply chain interruptions cause expenses to rise and sales to decline at the same time?

According to Mike Brown at Small Business Trends, companies often use workforce planning scenarios as a technique for strategic cost control during times of financial restriction. A scenario analysis, for example, examines the consequences of a 10 percent reduction in the sales force and, through a side-by-side waterfall comparison, provides a thorough picture of all compensation costs, including severance payouts, enabling the business to clearly understand the differences.

An employer can also understand how changes in the workforce may impact a company’s operations and budget management by structuring the functions of the sales department and compiling headcount data. Conversely, investigating a hiring freeze scenario allows a company to find ways to reduce costs while maintaining crucial sales activities. Through a variety of headcount adjustments, these workforce planning scenarios make it easier to project future compensation costs, encouraging evidence-based strategic choices during times of financial constraints and allowing for the alignment of human capital resources with institutional goals.

For businesses looking to align organizational resources with both current market conditions and future expansion goals, strategic capacity planning for sales operations is an essential requirement, says Brown, and organizations can improve their readiness for future operational needs by creating sales capacity and quota estimates that correspond with particular role classifications. A thorough grasp of how workforce modifications affect sales performance results is made possible by examining important performance indicators such as Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and Lifetime Value (LTV). The strategic framework allows for the modelling of various personnel management approaches by considering factors such as the length of employee onboarding and recruitment limits.

A business can determine exactly how much sales capacity is required to meet goals by investigating various potential situations, maintaining the organization’s flexibility and readiness to adjust quickly as both customer demands and the competitive landscape change by routinely refining projections using current performance data and new market insights. When it comes to the usefulness of scenario planning, Brown mentions additional possible business scenarios, including a healthcare insurance company increasing the amount of resources it affords to provider network services, using scenario planning frameworks to improve competitive positioning and gain more market share; real estate companies creating proactive plans for potential economic downturns that allow for investment protection and well-informed decision-making; and a media company that prioritizes advanced production techniques and quality standards to maximize financial performance in response to changing industry dynamics. In short, says Brown, various companies in different industries have implemented thorough workforce planning scenarios to effectively balance cost management goals with the use of operational effectiveness during uncertain economic times.

When it comes to real-life uses of scenario planning for small businesses, Toronto-based Geez Louise, a prebiotic carbonated water company co-founded by Carmen Douville and Lauren Jones, was forced to deal with the reality of aluminum pricing in 2025, when Canada imposed a 25 percent retaliatory tariff on aluminum can imports from the United States, as reported by Nickie Shobeiry in The Globe and Mail. Although aluminum had previously been the largest expense component in Geez Louise’s manufacturing operations, the company did manage to keep its pricing structure unchanged via its well-known retail partners including Farm Boy, Longo’s, and Whole Foods. And despite the high costs and financial constraints, Geez Louise was able to mitigate any negative impacts by planning ahead and exercising strategic foresight with the use of scenario planning. In order to avoid the “considerable disruption that numerous competitors have experienced,” the company built comprehensive models that cover a wide range of possible business scenarios and scheduled manufacturing operations well in advance to take advantage of substantial-volume supplier discounts.

As Geez Louise continues to grow, its owners have realized that in order to survive and thrive in the face of economic instability, practical approaches must be put in place, necessitating ongoing innovation and thorough system evaluation in challenging circumstances. In fact, businesses throughout Canada are dealing with the possibility of stagflation, shifting trade laws, rising energy costs, and other potential setbacks, and even though it is difficult to predict the future, scenario planning allows companies to remain adaptable and responsive while still taking into account the industry each business works in and looking at the market segment’s perimeter. Additionally, as every company strives to build its own approach to identify and prepare for future developments, many are using artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to make these approaches more efficient.

According to Shobeiry’s article, while AI poses hurdles for businesses, no company should ignore its potential to improve strategic planning. In fact, the use of AI-supported planning is being spearheaded by firms with a track record of success in scenario planning, especially those in the financial sector, while certain creative industries are gradually integrating AI to better their competitive potential, from operational enhancements to wide-ranging strategic efforts.

Although no company can see the future with certainty, scenario planning does manage to offer a workable solution: a methodical way to prepare businesses for a large variety of potential outcomes, allowing owners and entrepreneurs to avoid rushing to deal with emergencies and instead creating well-thought-out, practical solutions that can often provide the very solutions they might have overlooked otherwise by carefully considering realistic options in advance.

Being prepared for any potential scenario is the crucial distinction between businesses that merely respond to changes and those that stay ahead of the competition.

The post Best Laid Plans<p class="company">Betting on the Future With Scenario Planning</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

NCEDA’s roots go back to a core mission of supporting the professionals working to bring jobs and investment to North Carolina. What began as an industrial development group has today grown into a full-fledged professional association supporting economic developers across every corner of the state.

“We’re actually 60 years old this year,” President, André Lennon says. “We celebrated in spring 2026. The association started as an industrial development group with the purpose of supporting economic developers in the state of North Carolina in recruiting industry to this state, helping bring jobs to the state, and supporting our citizens.”

That founding purpose has scaled dramatically. Today NCEDA counts nearly 1,000 members, a mix of economic development practitioners and ally members, professionals who support practitioners through site readiness work and other services that fuel business growth.

The organization itself runs lean. As a not-for-profit membership association, NCEDA is governed by a volunteer Board and led by a three-person staff. “NCEDA is a membership association of economic developers from across the state of North Carolina,” Vice President, Clark Duncan, explains.

The board draws its strength from geographic and professional diversity, helping NCEDA understand and advocate for the differing needs of urban, suburban, and rural communities across the state.

Ask NCEDA’s leadership what’s fueling North Carolina’s economic momentum, and several sectors consistently rise to the top: aviation and aerospace, automotive manufacturing, biotechnology, technology, and data all remain strong performers.

“What’s exciting is that they’re pretty consistent across the state of North Carolina,” Duncan tells us. “We are a state that continues to see a lot of growth and investment in aviation and aerospace, and automotive manufacturing. Biotechnology remains dominant, as does technology and data.” He adds one more sector to the list—food and beverage—which he describes as a consistently strong performer for the state.

For a state routinely ranked among the best places in the country to do business, the reasons go beyond any single factor. Geography plays a foundational role, according to Lennon, who points to the state’s position in the Southeast and on the East Coast as an advantage that simply can’t be replicated.

“North Carolina has been very competitive over the past decade, and our geography is one of our competitive advantages that you can’t make up,” he says. “We have some quality of life advantages that assist us, but also the business climate is one of our strong competitive advantages as well. There’s a tax structure that’s set up that supports and incentivizes business investment.”

Duncan builds on this point, emphasizing the role NCEDA plays in sustaining a favorable long-term cost of doing business through relationships with legislative leaders. “Working with our legislative leaders, reminding them of the importance of having a long-term cost of doing business that’s favorable for companies,” is central to the association’s work, he says.

He also points to infrastructure investment, adding that the state’s interstate and highway network is a major asset, giving companies an efficient way to move products to customers. That, paired with a tax structure designed to let companies reinvest in themselves and in North Carolina over time, rounds out the state’s competitive edge.

The team also highlights a critical piece of the competitiveness puzzle: state investment in project-ready sites. Preparing properties in advance through due diligence and infrastructure investment can reduce risk and shorten speed-to-market for companies evaluating North Carolina. “There’s a lot of investment coming from the state to intentionally help and spur economic development all across North Carolina,” Duncan says, “and that makes for a big competitive advantage, along with our workforce solutions.”

While the North Carolina Department of Commerce and local governments administer most formal incentives and grants, NCEDA’s role is less about the dollars and more about the connective tissue between them. Lennon describes the association as a bridge linking the state’s many resources into a coherent, collaborative whole.

“We want our most rural counties to be as successful as our most urban,” says Lennon. “An association such as ours that represents the entirety of the state really thinks about how we share resources, how we advocate across all of our diverse members, so that we can come together to support project wins in all parts of the state.”

NCEDA connects its members to partner organizations such as the North Carolina Railroad and the Golden LEAF Foundation, which support site readiness and infrastructure funding. “Our association, being a member trade association, is the connector,” Lennon says. “We’re helping provide professional development opportunities on how to apply for those grants where they’re best administered.”

Workforce development runs through nearly every conversation about North Carolina’s competitiveness. NCEDA advocates for workforce policies and investments that respond to employers’ needs while also helping develop the next generation of economic development professionals.

“North Carolina has been a real leader in investing in education and workforce development, which is necessary for effective economic growth in any state,” Lennon says. Through its Foundation, NCEDA supports the next generation of economic development professionals by providing professional development scholarships, internships, and other opportunities that encourage new talent to enter the field.

The connection between workforce policy and successful business recruitment can be seen in Rockingham County’s recent recruitment of TSEA Energia, a Brazilian manufacturer establishing its first U.S. manufacturing facility in the county. TSEA places a strong emphasis on apprenticeships and developing its workforce through hands-on learning—exactly the type of employer need that has shaped NCEDA’s advocacy for greater state investment in apprenticeships, community college programs, and other work-based learning opportunities.

“When we advocate for workforce funding, it’s because we hear directly from companies about what they need to be successful,” says Leigh Cockram, Director of Economic Development and Tourism for Rockingham County. “TSEA is a great example. Apprenticeships are an important part of their workforce model, and our community college and workforce partners are working with the company to help build that pipeline here. At the same time, the state has increasingly recognized the need to invest in apprenticeships and other work-based learning opportunities. That alignment between what employers need and where we invest our workforce resources is critical if North Carolina wants to continue winning projects and, more importantly, help those companies succeed after they get here.”

Through its partnership with the NCEDA Foundation, NCEDA’s flagship talent initiative, Career Trek, introduces promising undergraduate and graduate students to the wide range of career opportunities in economic development. “We’re working to attract and inspire the next generation of economic development leaders,” Lennon says. “Career Trek gives students firsthand exposure to the profession and encourages them to pursue careers where they can help strengthen the economies of all 100 counties across North Carolina.”

That long-term investment extends to mentorship within the profession itself, pairing younger economic developers with senior colleagues to build institutional knowledge and a shared sense of purpose.

Indeed, NCEDA’s programming reflects an intentional effort to support members at every career stage. Alongside Career Trek, the association runs an Emerging Executives group for early-career professionals, offering programming tailored to those just beginning in the field. A mentorship initiative pairs senior members with early-career professionals to encourage knowledge sharing across generations. And the Practitioners Workshop, now in its third year, rounds out the offering for members further along in their careers.

“We have a representative each year on our board who provides insight into their perspective and the key ideas they want to hear at our conferences and other meeting content throughout the year,” Lennon says of the Emerging Executives group.

Duncan echoes the sentiment, framing NCEDA as a professional home regardless of where a member is in their career or where they’re based in the state. “This organization is the place where, no matter where you are in your career, we’re here for each other; it doesn’t matter where you are in the state, your age, or your demographic,” Duncan says.

One of NCEDA’s most consistent contributions is its legislative advocacy, which channels feedback from economic developers across the state’s 100 counties to lawmakers in Raleigh. That work depends on both strong relationships and NCEDA’s credibility as a statewide voice for the profession. “We have a great relationship with lobbyists and advocates in Raleigh, but we also take the time to understand and know our legislators and make sure they’re aware of what we need,” Cockram says.

NCEDA has consistently advocated for greater and more predictable state investment in site readiness, including due diligence and infrastructure needed to make properties more competitive for projects. “It’s really important that we also maintain a level of prestige and respect from our legislators, so they know that when we’re coming to them, it’s for something that’s truly needed statewide,” Cockram says, “not specific or self-serving for any one sector of our membership.”

Looking ahead, the competitiveness challenge is broader than any single program: North Carolina must continue aligning policy and investment around the full economic development ecosystem—project-ready sites, infrastructure, utilities and energy, workforce and education, housing, transportation, speed-to-market, and a predictable business climate. One area of ongoing advocacy is expanding funding for project-ready sites, where speed to market has become a critical competitive factor.

“We’ve seen additional funding for site readiness, whether that’s due diligence studies for industrial sites or other infrastructure improvements to have these sites ready for projects when they’re relocating to our state,” Lennon shares.

Ultimately, he credits the association’s success to something less tangible than funding or sector strength, and that is collaboration. “Organizations like NCEDA really set the state of North Carolina apart in the very competitive economic development landscape in the United States,” he says. “You have to have great land, products, and sites. You have to have a highly skilled and adaptable workforce. But really, the magic is in collaboration and how you pull together teams across universities, industry, and government to support economic growth. That remains a key priority for NCEDA.”

After 60 years, NCEDA’s next challenge is not simply to celebrate North Carolina’s success, but to help sustain it. With nearly 1,000 members and a statewide network of practitioners and partners, the association is positioned to help ensure that the policies, investments, and collaboration that made North Carolina competitive continue evolving for the next generation of projects and communities.

The post Keeping North Carolina Competitive for 60 Years<p class="company">North Carolina Economic Development Association (NCEDA)</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

The formation of Iredell EDC through the consolidation of existing economic development organizations serving North and South Iredell created a unified strategy focused on jobs, investment, workforce development, and long-term community success.

Eight years later, the results speak for themselves.

Iredell EDC has helped generate more than $3 billion in investment, support over 150 new and expanding projects, and facilitate the creation of more than 6,000 jobs throughout the county. More importantly, it has helped position Iredell County among North Carolina’s most dynamic economies, ranking among the state’s leaders in population growth and average wages.

While the data is certainly meaningful, the real successes are the relationships and collaborations that have formed the underpinning upon which everything else rests. “The greatest accomplishment of Iredell EDC over the last eight years isn’t measured solely in jobs created or dollars invested,” says Jeff Cernuto, Chairman, Iredell County Economic Development Corporation Board of Directors. “It’s measured in the relationships we’ve built and the partnerships we’ve strengthened. Our municipalities, educational institutions, businesses, investors, and community organizations have demonstrated that when Iredell County works together, we all succeed together. Economic development is a team sport, and our collective commitment to a shared vision has made us stronger than any one community could be on its own.”

Driving growth through new and expanding business announcements
One of the clearest measures of economic development success is the ability to attract investment while supporting the growth of existing industries. Since its formation, Iredell EDC has worked closely with businesses, developers, utilities, municipalities, and state partners to help companies establish, expand, and reinvest in Iredell County.

The impact extends far beyond the numbers. New investments generate quality jobs, expand local tax revenues, strengthen infrastructure, and create opportunities for families throughout the community. At the same time, existing industry has remained a central focus of Iredell EDC’s strategy.

Nationally, most new job creation comes from companies already located within a community. Recognizing this reality, Iredell EDC has invested heavily in business retention and expansion efforts through executive visits, industry councils, workforce assistance, and company outreach. By maintaining strong relationships with employers and responding quickly to challenges, the organization has helped local businesses continue growing and investing in Iredell County.

Accuma Corporation, a leader in the manufacture of energy storage components for the battery industry, is just one example of Iredell EDC’s commitment to existing industry. Chris Totherow, Sales Manager for Accuma Corporation, shares, “Iredell EDC has been an invaluable partner to Accuma, providing support that extends far beyond traditional economic development services. Their team has helped us address operational challenges, connect with key local resources for facility improvements, and identify opportunities for future growth and market expansion. The relationships they have facilitated and the practical solutions they have provided have created measurable value for our business. Their responsiveness, hands-on approach, and commitment to our long-term success have made them a trusted extension of our team and an important contributor to Accuma’s continued growth.”

Product development: preparing Iredell County for opportunity
While business announcements generate headlines, successful economic development begins long before a company selects a location.

A critical component of Iredell EDC’s work has been product development, which includes the sites, buildings, infrastructure, utilities, and transportation assets needed to compete for investment. Without market-ready locations, communities struggle to attract new employers or support expanding industries.

Over the last eight years, Iredell EDC has worked closely with local governments, utility providers, property owners, developers, and regional partners to strengthen Iredell County’s inventory of competitive sites and industrial assets. These efforts have included site assessments, infrastructure planning, transportation improvements, utility coordination, and support for industrial development projects.

As industrial demand accelerated throughout the Charlotte region, Iredell County was positioned to capitalize on new opportunities, and during this period, Iredell EDC helped support the development of 17 new industrial parks and sites, representing an industrial pipeline of approximately 15 million square feet. Ryan Beadle, Vice President of Development for Jackson-Shaw, shares his experience: “Iredell EDC has been a true partner on LKN Crossing from day one—through annexation, rezoning, and entitlements, they were responsive at every step and knew how to get to yes. In my experience, that is what separates counties that talk about growth from counties that land it. Jackson-Shaw is proud to be bringing 885,000 square feet of Class A industrial space to the I-77 corridor in Mooresville, and Iredell County made that an easy decision.”

The organization has also leveraged external resources to improve site readiness. In 2025, Iredell EDC secured a Golden LEAF grant supporting road improvements at Mooresville Business Park East. More recently, Iredell County had two sites selected to participate in Duke Energy’s Site Readiness Program. These investments help ensure Iredell County remains competitive for future business recruitment and expansion opportunities.

Creating a talent pipeline through Iredell Ready
If product development creates places for businesses to grow, workforce development ensures they have the talent needed to succeed.

Perhaps no initiative better demonstrates Iredell EDC’s commitment to innovation and collaboration than Iredell Ready, a countywide workforce initiative created to connect education and employment while addressing long-term talent needs.

Launched through a partnership investment of approximately $750,000, Iredell Ready was designed to create a unified workforce strategy that brings together employers, school districts, higher education institutions, workforce agencies, nonprofit organizations, and local governments around a common mission: preparing residents for meaningful careers while helping employers build a skilled workforce.

Rather than functioning as a single program, Iredell Ready serves as a countywide framework that aligns workforce efforts and creates career pathways from education to employment.

The results have been significant, with more than 150 businesses and community organizations participating in Iredell Ready initiatives. Career fairs, industry tours, internships, apprenticeships, classroom engagement, and work-based learning opportunities have helped thousands of students and job seekers gain exposure to careers available right here in Iredell County.

The initiative has also garnered recognition far beyond county lines. Iredell Ready received an Award of Excellence from the International Economic Development Council, highlighting its innovative and collaborative approach to workforce development.

Most importantly, Iredell Ready has transformed how workforce development is viewed locally. Workforce readiness is no longer considered the responsibility of any one institution. Instead, employers, educators, workforce partners, government agencies, and community organizations work together to build a stronger talent pipeline for future generations.

Advancing educational attainment and economic mobility
The success of Iredell Ready has helped fuel another significant achievement: advancing educational attainment across the county.

As North Carolina’s economy becomes increasingly skills-based, communities must create pathways that help residents earn credentials, certifications, and degrees aligned with workforce demands. Educational attainment is directly tied to workforce competitiveness, income growth, economic mobility, and business attraction.

Through strong partnerships among education, workforce, and economic development leaders, Iredell County has made measurable progress in preparing students for careers available in the local and regional economy. Participation in Career & College Promise programs has expanded, allowing more students to earn college credit while still in high school. Enrollment growth at Mitchell Community College and increased engagement in career-connected learning opportunities further demonstrate the county’s commitment to workforce readiness.

These accomplishments have been recognized at the state level. In 2026, MyFutureNC selected Iredell Ready to participate in its Attainment NC Cohort, providing $200,000 in grant funding to support continued expansion of workforce and attainment initiatives.

This recognition reflects the success of a community-wide effort to connect education and industry while ensuring residents have access to quality career opportunities. As employers continue seeking workers with specialized skills and credentials, these attainment initiatives help prepare students and job seekers for long-term success.

“North Carolina’s 2 Million by 2030 goal is state-led but it will only be achieved through local action and cross-sector collaboration,” states The Honorable John Fraley, Chairman, myFutureNC. “Programs like Iredell Ready connect students, families, educators, and employers to ensure every individual has a pathway to a meaningful credential, a rewarding career, and long-term economic mobility. When we invest in educational attainment and workforce readiness locally, we not only transform individual lives—we strengthen the future of our community, region, and state.”

The power of regional and statewide partnerships
A defining characteristic of Iredell EDC’s success has been its understanding that economic development extends beyond county boundaries.

Many of the organization’s accomplishments have been made possible through strong relationships with regional and statewide partners committed to economic growth, workforce development, and community advancement.

The partnership with the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina (EDPNC) has helped connect Iredell County to business recruitment opportunities from across the nation and internationally. Through collaboration on project leads, site selection efforts, and marketing initiatives, Iredell County has expanded its visibility and competitiveness. “As a key partner for EDPNC, Iredell County brings great value to North Carolina,” says Abbie Currens, Business Recruitment Manager for EDPNC. “New companies considering the region find an established manufacturing industry, strong industrial workforce, logistics advantages with the I-40/I-77 intersection, and significant utility access across a wide range of sites and product. Additionally, their economic development team brings a depth of knowledge, open spirit, and willingness to adapt to each company’s unique needs that is appreciated by both EDPNC and its clients.”

Workforce and talent development efforts have been strengthened through collaboration with the Centralina Regional Council, which has recognized Iredell Ready as a model for workforce collaboration and supported efforts that align education and workforce priorities throughout the region.

In addition, participation in the North Carolina Economic Development Association (NCEDA) allows Iredell EDC to engage with economic development professionals across the state, share best practices, advocate for economic development priorities, and bring innovative ideas back to the community.

Together, these partnerships have expanded resources, strengthened collaboration, and amplified Iredell County’s ability to compete for investment and opportunity.

Collaboration as the foundation of success
While investment figures, workforce milestones, and development projects are important measures of success, Iredell EDC’s greatest accomplishment over the past eight years has been creating a culture of collaboration.

From its beginning, the organization was founded on the belief that communities are stronger when they work together. That philosophy continues to guide partnerships among municipalities, school districts, higher education institutions, employers, workforce organizations, nonprofit agencies, investors, and economic development partners throughout the county.

The success of Iredell Ready, the county’s attainment initiatives, major business announcements, product development investments, and infrastructure projects all share one common thread: collaboration.

As Iredell EDC celebrates eight years of service, it can point to impressive accomplishments in investment, workforce development, educational attainment, product development, and business growth. More importantly, it has established a framework for continued success.

The story of Iredell EDC is ultimately a story about partnership. By bringing together business, education, government, and community leadership around a shared vision, Iredell County has created a stronger economy, expanded opportunity for residents, and positioned itself for a prosperous future.

The post Eight Years of Impact: How Iredell EDC Helped Transform Economic Development in Iredell County<p class="company">Iredell Economic Development Corporation</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

“We have a rich history that dates back to 1760 that makes itself apparent just by walking downtown and through our historic district. Hosting one of two original Town Commons in the United States, you can walk seven blocks from our Riverfront Park to the Town Common and feel right at home.”

One of Tarboro’s greatest strengths is the ability to maintain a genuine small-town sense of community, agrees Troy R. Lewis, Town Manager.

“People know their neighbors, local businesses know their customers, and there’s still a strong connection between our residents, our schools, our churches, our businesses, and local government,” Lewis says. “That creates a quality of life that is increasingly difficult to find. For residents, it means being part of a community where people are invested in one another.”

Tarboro’s economic history has long been tied to transportation and trade, developing along the Tar River and becoming an important river port during the 18^th and 19^th centuries. In many ways, transportation helped create Tarboro.

“Tarboro has a long history of trade dating back to colonial times when we utilized the river for trade,” says Mayo. “We were the furthest upriver port on the Tar-Roanoke River. With the advent of rail, the decline of river trade began and caused a greater shift to trade by rail.”

Today, a rail line that runs through town serves the town’s industries, with all rail capabilities greatly augmented in 2021 with the opening of CSX’s Carolina Connector Intermodal Terminal, allowing for goods to leave the town and make it to an inland port less than 20 miles away to be easily and speedily transferred to trucks or shipped by rail to the ports of Savannah, Norfolk, Wilmington, and Morehead City.

The Carolina Connector, located locally in Edgecombe County, allows containers to be transferred efficiently between trucks and trains. The facility was designed to improve connections to domestic and international markets and North Carolina’s ports. “For industry, that is a tremendous advantage. A manufacturer does not just look at the cost of land or a building anymore; they look at the entire supply chain,” Lewis adds. “They want to know how quickly raw materials can arrive and how efficiently finished products can reach customers and ports.”

Having that intermodal capability in the immediate region gives Tarboro and Edgecombe County a logistical advantage that many rural communities simply don’t have. There’s also a very strong industrial location within Tarboro itself at the Tarboro Commerce Center, a park that is home to Astemo, Prudential Stainless & Alloys, Piedmont Natural Gas, and Amazon, along with approximately 45 acres of pad-ready industrial property remain available for development. The Commerce Center is adjacent to U.S. 64, the future I-87 corridor, and is served by town water, sewer, and electric utilities. The Carolina Connector is within a short drive, giving Tarboro an immediately available site for companies that may not require the scale of the Kingsboro Business Park—rated by consulting firm Jones Lang LaSalle as the only shovel-ready and competitive megasite in the state of North Carolina—but still want excellent infrastructure and access to multiple modes of transportation.

“Kingsboro is one of the most important economic development assets in our region because one of the biggest factors in industrial recruitment today is speed to market,” Lewis explains. “Companies considering major investments don’t necessarily have several years to assemble property, extend infrastructure, complete environmental studies, and work through all of the other issues associated with developing a large industrial site. They want to know that a community has done its homework and is ready to move.”

That is where Kingsboro distinguishes itself, he adds. The Kingsboro Business Park is a CSX-served industrial site between Tarboro and Rocky Mount with infrastructure including water, sewer, electricity, natural gas, and telecommunications. Significant due diligence on the site has already been completed, and the site has highway, rail, and intermodal access.

For Tarboro, landing a major employer at Kingsboro would have impacts well beyond the site itself. It can create employment opportunities, increase demand for housing, support restaurants and retailers, create opportunities for suppliers and contractors, and strengthen the tax base throughout the region. Like many small communities, one of Tarboro’s biggest challenges is maintaining and replacing aging infrastructure while keeping services affordable for residents—water, sewer, electricity, roads, stormwater, parks, and public facilities all require continued investment. Construction costs have increased substantially, so communities must be increasingly strategic about how they prioritize projects and leverage state, federal, and grant funding.

“Housing is another significant challenge and one that is increasingly connected to our economic development efforts,” Lewis shares. “Tarboro has seen tremendous growth through infill development in recent years, which has been very positive for the community. However, a recent housing assessment identified a significant need for additional housing. We need to continue improving and expanding our housing stock at a variety of price points.” As the town continues to recruit businesses and industries and create new employment opportunities, having quality housing available for the people who will fill those jobs becomes an important part of the overall economic development strategy.

The greatest challenge is the perception of workforce availability, adds the Mayor. “Our workforce is here and very close around us, but this is a constant talking point around the tables of development. We draw a workforce from 11 counties here in Tarboro. If there is work to be had, there will be people to work those jobs.”

He explains that the Town of Tarboro is continually able to keep taxes, electricity, water, and sewer rates lower than any other community in proximity to it.

“One of our accomplishments has been continuing to invest rather than simply maintaining the status quo,” adds Lewis. “We have made significant public investments in our downtown and riverfront, including improvements designed to better connect Main Street with the Tar River.”

Those public investments complement significant private investment that has occurred downtown through projects such as Taps on Main, Granville Lofts, Riverview Lofts, the former Cherry Inn property, and other historic rehabilitation projects.

“I’m proud that we continue to look beyond individual projects and think about what Tarboro should be 10, 20, or 30 years from now,” says Lewis. “The challenge for a community like ours is to pursue progress without losing our identity. We have been successful in recognizing that historic preservation, quality of life, housing, infrastructure, and economic development can support one another rather than compete with one another.”

The town’s economic development in particular has been impressive, and the past two years have seen a number of developments, creating significant jobs and investment: from Amazon, a $15 million investment and 100 jobs; from Prudential Stainless & Alloy, a $10 million investment with 30 jobs; expansions including that of LS Cable & System, a $50 million investment and 85 jobs; Astemo’s $44 million investment with 52 jobs; and Madem-Moorecraft’s $2 million investment, bringing 37 jobs. “$96 million—or approximately 80 percent of this investment—has come from existing industries, highlighting that Tarboro is a great place for business and industry to be successful,” says Lewis.

Tarboro is also currently making “very active headway” into finding more developable land to establish a new industrial park. The town has seen a massive boom in housing supply, expanding the housing stock by around 300 units in the past few years, with over 300 more currently on the books to be constructed.

“We’re also currently placing a great amount of attention into revitalizing the downtown,” Mayo adds. “This includes a bulkhead at Riverfront Park, revitalizing the Courthouse Square, and currently, using grants to help businesses downtown revitalize their storefronts.”

The town also plans to continue improving and expanding its housing stock; a good example is a recently approved 191-unit single-family and multifamily subdivision.

Another major milestone is continuing to improve recreational facilities and public spaces and move forward with projects such as a new farmers market.

“Those may seem like smaller projects when compared with a megasite, but quality-of-life investments are increasingly part of economic development,” Lewis says. “When companies recruit employees, those employees want good parks, recreation, restaurants, housing, events, and attractive public spaces.”

Ultimately, the milestones he wants to see are sustainable growth, additional jobs, new housing, continued downtown investment, additional industrial development, and a stronger tax base, while Tarboro remains recognizably Tarboro.

As for special events and activities, the town has many to share, including its “huge” football culture. “Our Tarboro High School Vikings have won 10 state championships, and the people of our town are very proud of our school and team,” says the Mayor.

The town also hosts a great number of events downtown throughout the year, including a summer concert series, a bluegrass festival at Riverfront Park, carriage rides at Christmas, pop-up markets, and pickleball courts on the Town Common; there are an endless number of events for all interests in Tarboro, and the Christmas season in particular is a special time, with the Christmas Parade and the Downtown Christmas Crawl along with numerous other community activities, while the year begins with the New Year’s Ball Drop. As the weather warms, events such as SpringFest, Blue Ribbon Kids Day, and Happening on the Common bring residents and visitors together on the historic Town Common. The Tarborough Faire is a free, family-friendly Renaissance Faire, while the Downtown Summer Music Series provides live music and another reason for people to come downtown, visit local businesses, and spend time together.

“These events are very different from one another, and that variety says something about Tarboro,” Lewis says. “There are opportunities for families, music lovers, history enthusiasts, outdoor recreation, and people who simply enjoy getting together with their neighbors.”

The Tar River itself provides opportunities for fishing, boating, and paddling, and parks and recreational facilities provide year-round activities. “Taken together, these festivals, sports, traditions, and community gatherings are more than entertainment; they’re part of what creates a sense of place,” says Lewis.

The goal, he stresses, is not to become something different simply for the sake of growth, but to promote economic development and new investment while also preserving the qualities that make people want to live, work, and raise a family in Tarboro in the first place. “That really gets back to what makes Tarboro special,” he says. “We have a remarkable history, but we’re not interested in simply being a historic town that looks backward. We want to use that history and our sense of community as the foundation for what comes next.”

Tarboro can offer a company sophisticated infrastructure, rail and intermodal access, and proximity to major markets, while still offering employees the quality of life and personal connections of a small town. “That combination of historic character, community, quality of life, and modern economic opportunity is the story we want to continue telling about Tarboro.”

The post A Sense of Place<p class="company">Town of Tarboro, North Carolina</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

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 250^th, 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.”

The post Small-Town Charm, Big-City Access<p class="company">Vance County, North Carolina</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

This year marks 20 years since that transition, and the organization is marking the milestone by reflecting on how its mission has evolved, growing from a Chamber committee into a dedicated economic development engine that now supports more than 130 manufacturers across the county.

“We became our own entity laser-focused on job creation—the creation and the retention of quality jobs in Henderson County,” says President and CEO, Brittany Brady. She explains that doing so helps to offset taxes and expenses for the county’s residents, a dynamic that has shaped HCPED’s priorities from the start. “We’ve always been focused on strong job creation and strong capital investment because it offsets taxes and expenses for our citizens,” she says. “Having that strong tax base is important, and obviously, having great jobs for our citizens is important.”

Over the past 20 years, though, HCPED’s role in the community has broadened well beyond chasing individual projects. Brady describes the organization today as a strategic development partner, one that has built out more robust workforce programming and product development efforts alongside its traditional recruitment work.

Remarkably, all of this is accomplished by a lean team. HCPED typically employs between three and four people. “We are small and mighty,” Brady says of her staff.

HCPED operates as a 501(c)(6) entity and describes itself as a public-private partnership. Elected officials and public bodies fund much of its work, effectively contracting HCPED to recruit and retain quality jobs on the county’s behalf. Private investors also contribute, having recognized the return that comes when new industry moves to town. “When industry comes to town, it benefits everyone,” Brady says, “and so they have invested in the work that we do.”

Balancing those public and private interests, she says, comes down to listening to what public partners find important and to what the industry itself needs. “It’s listening to what our public partners find important, what industry sectors are a good fit for our community, how they’re developing their land code and where we can work with them,” Brady explains. “The other element is understanding what industry needs, understanding if there’s an opportunity to become more business-friendly, if there are opportunities to collaborate.”

That approach, Brady says, has paid off in an unexpected way by helping both public officials and private companies better understand why economic development matters in the first place.

Part of what sets Henderson County apart, believes Brady, is the strength of its relationships with elected officials, relationships HCPED has worked deliberately to build. “They have bought into economic development, and that isn’t by chance. That is us really working with them, having meetings, educating them again on the importance of manufacturing investment in our community and how great manufacturing is—it’s really clean jobs, great jobs, strong investment.” The result is a business-friendly environment where companies know they can pick up the phone and get the answers they need. “They feel welcome here,” she says.

HCPED’s work is overwhelmingly concentrated in one sector. Roughly 95 percent of its office’s focus is on advanced manufacturing, and its location plays directly into that specialty. Henderson County sits south of Asheville, North Carolina and north of Greenville, South Carolina, a position that lends itself naturally to transportation components manufacturing. “We can serve the automotive industry in upstate South Carolina and even further south, as well as the growing aviation and aerospace cluster that has been established in western North Carolina,” Brady says.

Beyond transportation, the county’s industry base spans several sectors shaped by its mountain setting and its growing population. Outdoor products manufacturing, healthcare and healthcare manufacturing, food and beverage manufacturing, general machining, advanced materials, and professional and technical services all feature prominently. “More and more people want to live in western North Carolina, and those headquarters-type jobs and technical jobs are finding their way to the mountains as well,” Brady says.

When it comes to the investors HCPED is actively courting, the target list mirrors its existing strengths in aerospace, automotive, outdoor products, healthcare products, food and beverage, machinery, advanced materials, and professional and technical services.

Ask Brady what she shows prospective investors first, and location tops the list. Henderson County sits on Interstate 26, within a day’s drive of most major East Coast markets, and benefits from connectivity to Interstates 40, 81, 77, and 85. “That is huge because we have this opportunity to get along the Eastern Seaboard.”

The county is also just an hour from an inland port, with access to multiple deep-water ports across North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia. Several of its premier industrial sites sit minutes from Asheville Regional Airport, and Charlotte International Airport is less than two hours away. “There’s just an abundance of location advantages to being here in Henderson County,” Brady says, noting how critical that combination becomes for companies looking to shorten supply chains and diversify freight options.

For companies weighing where to land, HCPED points to its Economic Development Assistance Grant, a performance-based incentive tied directly to job creation, wages, and capital investment. Companies that qualify can recoup a percentage of their ad valorem taxes on both real and personal property. “Our program is pretty aggressive, and we go up to 120 percent of those ad valorem taxes based on jobs, wages, and investment,” Brady says. Companies that bring high job counts, strong wages, and substantial investment stand to see that full 120 percent return through the performance-based grant, a significant draw for manufacturers evaluating sites across the region.

Beyond recruitment and retention, HCPED has invested heavily in workforce development through its Made in Henderson County program, launched in 2012 to introduce local students to manufacturing careers.

The program began with a video, then expanded to include facility tours, educator visits, classroom presentations, and eventually a children’s book. Brady describes it as a cradle-to-career pipeline. Elementary school students in Henderson County Public Schools receive a picture book about local manufacturing. Middle schoolers go on plant tours. By high school, students are encouraged to consider an apprenticeship program run in partnership with Blue Ridge Community College, or to pursue manufacturing-focused training at the college directly.

“We know that many of these students do want to go to a traditional four-year university, and so for those students who are seeking a four-year degree, we do want to remind them that they can come back to Henderson County and there are great jobs,” Brady says.

Local manufacturers function almost like small cities in themselves, employing far more than production-line workers. “Whether you have an engineering degree, an HR degree, a marketing degree, or anything in between, there’s a good chance that a manufacturer in Henderson County will have a good job opportunity for you,” she says.

The children’s book at the center of the program, titled You Can Make It, grew out of Brady’s own experience as a parent. As the mother of two school-age children, she has seen firsthand how important reading is, both at home and in the school system. “Students are always finding new facts and new stories from reading. And as a parent, helping a child read, you’re also learning these things,” she says.

That observation became the seed for a book aimed specifically at first-grade students in Henderson County Public Schools, designed so children and their parents could learn about manufacturing together. “We want students to know that you can make it. You can be successful in your hometown, and you can make products here through manufacturing. And for those parents who are reading the book, you too can make it. You can also make products here in Henderson County,” says Brady.

Asked about HCPED’s priorities for the next three to five years, Brady points to a 101-acre tract adjacent to Asheville Regional Airport known as Ferncliff Industrial Park, purchased jointly by Henderson County and HCPED a couple of years ago.

“These 101 acres and its location by the airport, its proximity to Interstate 26, make it a prime manufacturing site,” Brady says. The site requires LEED certification, supporting clean manufacturing operations, and its direct access to the airport runway is a rarity in western North Carolina and across the state more broadly.

“We would love to capture aerospace manufacturing there at Ferncliff Park,” Brady shares. “That would be a win for us personally as an organization, but also for our community and as the state, getting back to our roots as being first in flight.”

For HCPED, the relationship with a new manufacturer doesn’t end once a deal closes. Brady describes a hands-on approach that begins the moment a company begins its site search and continues long after it opens its doors. “When a company comes to Henderson County, we’re with them 100 percent of the way. When they’re starting their search, we want to make sure that we’re finding the right location for them and removing any hurdles that are with them in that startup phase. But also once they get established, we stay with them.”

HCPED positions itself as a connector within the broader community, linking companies to the local leaders, partners, and resources they need to put down roots. “We like to say we’re a jack of all trades, where we know so many different people in the community and we’ll connect you with those leaders,” Brady says.

As a membership-based organization, HCPED also hosts a range of events for its investors and for the broader manufacturing community, alongside a members-only portal that lets manufacturers connect with one another. Regular retention visits help HCPED’s small team stay attuned to what existing companies need, whether that means help securing a grant, expanding infrastructure, connecting with another manufacturer, or linking up with a utility partner.

With its next chapter centered on aerospace ambitions at Ferncliff Industrial Park and a workforce pipeline already reaching the county’s youngest residents, HCPED’s message to prospective manufacturers is straightforward. As Brady puts it, Henderson County is open for business.

The post Small and Mighty: Turning Geography into Growth for Western North Carolina Manufacturers<p class="company">Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development (HCPED)</p> appeared first on Business In Focus Magazine.

With a strong sense of all this area has to offer, Crisp says that knowing Gastonia’s history and raising a family here provide a valuable perspective on the ins and outs of the area. “Bringing that perspective into the position of economic development helps with understanding how to increase our overall jobs and investment in the community,” she says.

Businesses and industries interested in Gastonia benefit from Crisp’s serving as a single point of contact. Working in tandem with partners like the Gaston County Economic Development Commission, the Gaston Business Association, and others means companies don’t have to keep calling around for information. Having just one contact point means less red tape, faster responses, and less aggravation.

“As we know, extra time often translates into extra dollars that it takes for a business to get up and running, so we’re able to help them move a little bit faster. And that’s what we really are here to do: to help them get up and running as soon as possible,” Crisp says. Incoming and prospective businesses appreciate this streamlined approach.

There are several financial incentives in place for larger industrial customers coming to the area, including equivalent grants, which are provided as a partial refund of the property taxes businesses pay. This is especially valuable for new industries which are already facing startup costs. For Gastonia itself, this means governmental entities are never losing money. “It certainly keeps us both in alignment and on track,” comments Crisp. “Knowing that, our businesses are committed to the community and to being here for the long term.”

When businesses show an interest in moving to Gastonia or expanding into the area, Crisp acts as a liaison to help them navigate the permitting and development processes. Additionally, the city can put together incentive packages for projects in redevelopment areas, such as façade grants. “New and existing businesses respect these efforts,” Crisp says. “We help with retention, finding information on resources, coordinating businesses through small business centers, and working with the Gaston Business Association and the county.”

For industries and residents alike, Gastonia’s business-friendly environment and ideal location make it a great place to work and live. Just 22 miles west of Charlotte—the most populous city in North Carolina—Gastonia is in the center of the state’s Piedmont region and easily accessible by Interstate 85 and US Highway 321, by rail, and via the Charlotte Douglas International Airport, just a half-hour’s drive away.

Widely known for its many amenities, Gastonia has been recognized as an All-America City three times and is a recipient of the U.S. Conference of Mayors top Livability Award. Halfway between Atlanta and North Carolina’s world-famous Research Triangle Park, Gastonia continues drawing industries looking for accessibility, a strong local workforce, and supportive government and business partners.

Much like Crisp, Tony Pasour has extremely strong ties to Gastonia. Assistant Director at the Schiele Museum of Natural History, Pasour is a lifelong resident, and his family has been in the area since Colonial days, about 250 years ago. “As a museum professional and cultural historian, I’ve got an insider view of this community and a long view in a historical context,” he says. “That helps with the framing of what this place is, who these people are, and the underpinnings of the community’s identity.”

Hundreds of years ago, the area was inhabited by Indigenous peoples of the Eastern Woodlands. Pre-contact, they were the Catawba. Today, the Catawba River—which flows into South Carolina and becomes the Wateree River—remains a major transportation hub. Around 1740, settlers with European origins, mainly Germans, Irish, and Scots, started moving in from the North via Pennsylvania, down through Virginia, and through the Carolinas along the Great Wagon Road. More settlers arrived, many of them taking on the area’s first industry, agriculture.

“It was mainly subsistence agriculture,” says Pasour. “People were living two or three days from the nearest town traveling by horse or wagon, and they had to produce food or get what they could from the wild land to survive, except for a few basic things you would go to town for maybe once or twice a year.” Over time, crops such as corn, cotton, and tobacco took hold in the area. Industrialization saw the rise of textile mills in the late 1800s, with more families coming to the area to live and work. By the 1980s, industry began shifting as textile production moved to South America and overseas.

“We’re in the midst of, I would say, a 40-year change, and the region is now finding its identity again,” says Pasour. “There are a lot of people—and there is a lot of growth—coming in; I think it’s up to about 157 people a day,” he shares.

Over the decades, Gaston County has shifted from farming and textiles to other industries, buoyed by the area’s business-friendly practices, strong government, and access to land, water, and other resources. Honoring its past through areas like the Loray Mill Historic District, Gastonia is welcoming new industries such as health care, advanced manufacturing in plastics and machinery, food services, and other areas.

Working with the Gaston County Economic Development Commission on developing commercial and industrial commerce parks, Crisp says available land is another local advantage. “Because of our diversification, we’re always open to accommodate different industries who want to locate here,” she says, “and we see a lot of interest based on our proximity to the Charlotte Douglas Airport; in fact, we are probably closer to the international airport than some folks in Charlotte are, and being that close gives us a lot of advantages when working with international customers.”

On the residential side, the City of Gastonia boasts affordability and development that aims to keep pace with demand. Kuester Management Group was behind a recent major project called Center City Crossing. At six stories and 90 units, this multi-family apartment complex offers downtown living at market rates while other projects, like Trenton Mill Lofts, are also meeting the demand for local housing.

“We have a lot of great projects going on, commercially but also in multi-family,” says Crisp. On the business side, Gastonia is home to Durty Bull Brewing Company and will be welcoming Sugar Creek Brewing Company in a few months. “We want to be the destination for people to live here, work here, and obviously have fun here as well,” she says.

As Gastonia continues to evolve, its focus remains on creating a community where businesses can grow, residents can put down roots, and people can enjoy a high quality of life. From its historic industrial foundations to its growing mix of advanced manufacturing, health care, commercial development, and downtown housing, the city is embracing change while preserving the character that makes it distinctive. Its strategic location, available land, and collaborative approach to economic development provide a strong foundation for continued investment, while new residential and recreational amenities are helping ensure that growth benefits the wider community.

For Kristy Ratchford Crisp, the goal is not simply to attract new businesses, but to make Gastonia a place where people want to build their futures. As the region continues to redefine itself, the city’s combination of historical identity, economic opportunity, and community commitment positions it to welcome what comes next, affording it the potential to grow without losing sight of what makes it home.

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McCain has invested heavily in India, including a recent $135 million CAD expansion of its Gujarat operations, which created 110 full-time jobs and 150 contract positions.

“McCain has been part of India’s food and agriculture sector for nearly 30 years and we remain committed to its continued growth,” said Aditya Krishna, Managing Director, McCain Foods India. “Our success in India has been built alongside our people, growers, customers and communities. We look forward to welcoming Falcon employees and growers to the McCain network and continuing to create local employment opportunities and support regional industrial development as we enter the next phase of our long-term growth in India.”

The completion of the transaction will be subject to closing conditions, but once the deal closes it will expand McCain’s ability to address growing demand and support future growth.

“India continues to be a priority growth market for McCain Foods,” said Pierre Danet, Regional President, Asia Pacific and South Africa at McCain. “This acquisition reflects our confidence in the Indian market and builds on nearly three decades of continued investment in our people, local operations and agricultural partnerships. By strengthening our manufacturing network, we will be better positioned to grow alongside our customers, growers and communities for the long term.”

McCain launched in India in 1998 with a team of three, which has now grown to more than 940 people and built relationships with more than 2,500 farmers India-wide. Falcon Agrifriz employs 450 people and enjoys relationships with more than 1,000 farmers in the area.

“We are proud of the modern, fully automated processing facility we have built at Falcon Agrifriz in less than two years, and especially proud of the talented employees and growers who have helped bring it to life,” said Parthajeet Patnaik, Vice Chairman, Falcon Agrifriz.

“McCain shares our values and our confidence in the growth potential of India’s frozen food market,” said Manish Tibrewal, Director and CEO, Falcon Agrifriz. “As a global leader in frozen potato products, McCain is the right company to build on the strong foundation we have established at Falcon Agrifriz and take the business forward.”

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