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Friday, February 14, 2025

Community close-up: Nash, Edgecombe and Wilson Counties

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WORKING SIDE BY SIDE
Edgecombe and Nash counties have welcomed high-dollar business investments. Those and the preparations they’re making to bring more strengthen the region as a whole.

Natron Energy, a global pioneer in research, development and manufacture of sodium-ion batteries, evaluated 70 sites across the United States last year. It chose Edgecombe County’s Kingsboro Business Park megasite, where it’ll build its first U.S. factory, spending $1.4 billion and creating more than 1,000 jobs. “[Natron] started their search back in October of 2023 and narrowed it down very quickly,” says Laura Ashley Lamm, marketing consultant for Carolinas Gateway Partnership, which serves Edgecombe County, Rocky Mount and Tarboro. “Kingsboro is the only shovel-ready megasite in North Carolina, and Natron put us in the global spotlight. We think we’re going to have some great tenants in the next several years.”

Edgecombe officials toured Natron’s manufacturing facility in Holland, Michigan. It opened last year and promotes itself as “an epochal milestone for the entire battery industry” that sources and creates its product entirely stateside. “We were extremely impressed with their technology and their facility,” says Bob Pike, president and CEO of Carolinas Gateway Partnership. “This factory may not be right up there with big pharmaceutical companies, but being [non-flammable] sodium-ion, it’s a lot safer compared with a lithium plant. It will be something the community is very proud of, to have them in our neighborhood.”

Colin Wessells, Natron founder and chief technology and product officer, summarized the camaraderie of the two counties and region when announcing the Kingsboro investment: “North Carolina, with its leadership in clean energy manufacturing and commitment to fostering innovation, is an ideal home for Natron and this groundbreaking facility,” he said. “We look forward to becoming a member of the North Carolina business community for years to come.”

Natron will impact the region, says Nash County Economic Development Director Andy Hagy. But it isn’t the only means for strengthening it. Workforce development efforts, site preparations and varied investments within the city of Rocky Mount are contributing, too.


THE EDGECOMBE SIDE

Edgecombe County has plenty of history. Tarboro, its seat, is the birthplace of Janice Howroyd, founder and CEO of The ActOne Group, the largest privately held, minority woman owned personnel company founded in the U.S. and first African-American woman to build and own a billion-dollar company. Princeville, established by freed slaves after the Civil War, is the first independently governed African-American community chartered in the country. Its Princeville School was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001. “Princeville is part of the whole history in and around Tarboro,” Pike says.

Pike calls Tarboro a gem. “It has all the attributes that people with the major companies want, a small town with a beautiful downtown area along the Tar River,” he says. “If you want to live in a small town as opposed to Rocky Mount or Greenville, this is it.” Its stretch along Interstate 64 is becoming home to large and small business investments.

Amazon spent $512,000 on 77.4 acres at the Tarboro Commerce Center last fall. It has broken ground at the site but hasn’t disclosed its plans. Japan-based automotive and motorcycle parts manufacturer Hitachi Astemo, Prudential Stainless & Alloys, a distributor of stainless steel, nickel alloy and aluminum pipe, and Piedmont Natural Gas are already working at the Commerce Center.

The Partnership is developing shell buildings, creating opportunities for local expansions as well as future projects that require existing buildings. “We continue to recruit and have a lot of interest in all types of projects,” Pike says. “Kingsboro is still the No. 1 site. It started at 2,200 acres, and Natron is taking 440-plus. So, we still have about 1,700 acres that are very attractive for the same reasons.

Pike echoes the importance of a regional approach, such as with engine-maker Cummins, which announced a $580 million, 80-job expansion in Rocky Mount’s Nash County side last year. “We work very closely, and we help each other out,” he says. “It’s been great to work with [Nash County EDC officials] Susan Phelps and Andy Hagy. The same with Wilson County and what they’re doing as part of the BioPharma Crescent. One side of that bookend is Pfizer, right here in Rocky Mount.” It is one of the world’s largest factories for sterile injectables, with more than 1.4 million square feet on 250 acres and an annual production of 200 million units, shipped worldwide.

THE NASH SIDE

While Natron executives searched the country, others were searching the state for potential megasite locations. North Carolina consultants and engineers narrowed their choices to 12, ultimately choosing 1,300 acres in Nash County. They’ll be home to the future Northern Nash Megasite, which will stand near Interstate 95 and intermodal access at CSX Carolina Connector in Rocky Mount.

Northern Nash Megasite should have its $2 million in state funding and due diligence complete by the end of the year. It’s the latest addition to its namesake county’s list of industrial, corporate and business properties. “We have three 1 million square feet building sites, and we have a 300 acre rail site that received a grant in order to complete its readiness,” Hagy says. “Not too many counties can say they have one or two, but we have three, two of them in the [322-acre] Middlesex Corporate Center.”

The Crump Group, a Canadian manufacturer of all-natural treats for pets, announced it was investing $13.2 million for its first U.S. manufacturing and distribution center in Nashville, about a dozen miles west of Rocky Mount, in 2021. It released plans for an expansion, which includes more product lines and a dehydration system, three years later. “Just like with the influx of projects we saw coming out of COVID, we saw their timeline shortened,” Phelps says. “So, we’ve been very aggressive the last two years in completing shell buildings and making sure sites are ready.”

North Carolina is the nation’s largest producer of sweet potatoes — 60% of the U.S. supply, according to NC State — which are the main ingredient in most Crump products. “They’ve been shipping sweet potatoes to Canada from Nash County for years, and now they’re announcing an $85 million expansion,” Hagy says.

In November, Nashville Town Council agreed to sell 55 acres at the West Nashville Commerce Center to produce company Ripe Revival for $150,000. The company, which processes excess produce into value-added foods, intends to invest $10 million during the next 10 years, construct a 50,000-square-foot building and create 25 full-time jobs. “Their other phase will be a mixed-use development, so there will be agriculture training, a market and some attractions for agritourism,” Hagy says. “With the Research Triangle Regional Partnership, which we’re a member of, we want to let the partnership participate in marketing and network opportunities. We have the ag; we need the tech.”

Phelps says Nash County developed a Workforce Evaluation and Strategic Action Agenda in response to its abundance of economic commitments. “We see the hurdles that industries have that we’re trying to recruit, so we worked with the economic leadership to look at our future workforce and work with our community partners,” she says. “We looked at things like childcare opportunities, housing, quality of life. How many daycare sites do we have available? How many do we need? We’re looking to get qualified teachers and shift-type employment. We know we won’t solve it overnight, but we’re working together to see what works for our region and our county and where we go from there.”

THE COLLEGES

Edgecombe and Nash share Rocky Mount, a county line and Regional Advanced Manufacturing Pipeline of Eastern North Carolina. RAMP-East was developed in 2018 as a means for Edgecombe Community College, Nash Community College and others to create workforce development for advanced manufacturing. Put on hold during the COVID pandemic, the program is expected to resume this year. “It’s eight community colleges in 10 counties, and 70 industries have agreed to hire its graduates,” Lamm says. “So, it’s a direct pipeline to be qualified and hired by the industries in our region.”

Last spring, Nash County Public Schools and Nash Community College announced their Center for Industry, Technology and Innovation High School was moving to the college’s Rocky Mount campus for the current academic year. CITI High students are dual-enrolled, allowing them to complete an associate degree in one of five career paths — Automotive Systems Technology, Hospitality Management, Industrial Systems Technology, Information Systems Technology or Medical Office Administration — during high school. “Relocating to campus presents CITI High students with many more opportunities for skilled trades training,” NCC President Lew Hunnicutt said in a news release. “I firmly believe that having CITI High on campus will allow its enrollment to grow and even surpass that of the Early College already located here.”

Edgecombe Community College, which has campuses in Rocky Mount and Tarboro, has several pathways to industrial careers: Continuing Education, College & Career readiness, a free certificate program for high school students and direct ECC enrollment. “The city of Rocky Mount is at a turning point, ready to soar with the incredible work being done by our local schools, community colleges and North Carolina Wesleyan University paving the way for progress,” Rocky Mount Mayor Sandy Roberson says. “This is an effort to reduce our unemployment rate while getting ready for new jobs coming to our region. These institutions are not just educating, they’re equipping our workforce with the tools, training and confidence to step into meaningful careers close to home.”

THE MIDDLE

At a December presentation to the Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce, Roberson discussed Project 336, whose name counts the acres across from Nash Community College where a future private investment anticipated at $2 billion could bring 800 jobs to the region. The city’s vision for the property includes a new I-95 exit at Sunset Avenue. “About 100,000 cars pass this site daily, highlighting its strategic importance,” he says. “What makes this site truly remarkable is its potential to become a shining example of multifaceted, multi-use economic development. It’s not just a piece of land — it’s a canvas for opportunity, strategically positioned to drive growth and prosperity for our city and region.”

Rocky Mount community leaders are developing a commuter bus system between the city and Raleigh. “If we can close this gap — if we can connect our talented residents to the abundant opportunities here — it will mean more than just filling jobs,” Roberson says. “It will strengthen families, support businesses and lay the foundation for long-term economic growth in our region.”

Rocky Mount Event Center draws almost 3,500 visitors each week, creating a $22 million annual economic impact. The city’s Downtown Major Investment Program is providing $500,000 for each of three projects. Sixteen upstairs apartments and 8,700 square feet of ground level retail space will be constructed at 201 S. Washington St. Twenty apartments will be above 17,500 square feet of retail space on Southwest Main. And Legacy Lofts will transform 216 S. Washington St. into two commercial spaces totaling about 1,400 square feet on the first floor and 12 luxury studio residential units upstairs. “These projects are expected to invest over $19 million in downtown Rocky Mount,” Roberson says.

Rocky Mount Mills closed in 1996. But the historic cotton mill reopened in 2018 with a new purpose, an 82-acre campus of residential, business, restaurants and breweries on the edge of Rocky Mount, along the Tar River.

Residential units in one-, two- and three-bedroom lofts are fully leased. “We keep a steady waitlist on our residential leases, both Lofts and Village, and we are currently finishing up a set of 10 more Village homes that will be available for lease in 2025,” Evan Covington Chavez, Rocky Mount Mills’ director of real estate, said late last year. “Rocky Mount Mills has served as a point of pride for the community at large and also a necessary stop during recruiting tours with our economic development partners. A dynamic center for business, culture and leisure, [it] offers guests places to dine morning, noon and night; places to live along the Tar River and places to work with soaring views of the Tar River.” 

TRIPLE PLAY
Teamwork makes Wilson County stronger. That includes attracting industrial-sized investments, expanding workforce development and improving quality of life, including a new baseball stadium.

International pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson is investing about $2 billion in an innovative biologics factory in the city of Wilson. The Wilson Corporate Park complex is expected to create 420 jobs over five years with an average which exceeds the Wilson County average of $52,619, and hit the region with a yearly payroll impact of more than $45.7 million, according to N.C. Department of Commerce.

J&J’s commitment in October was one of four multimillion-dollar deals for Wilson County last year. Reckitt, a global health, hygiene and nutrition company, announced a $145.6 million investment; it will produce over-the-counter medicine Mucinex at the former Sandoz building in Wilson Corporate Park, former Sandoz building, employing 289 when it opens in 2027. That’s when Schott Pharma’s $371 million investment will open on 150 acres at Campus at 587 industrial park, putting 401 people to work making glass and polymer syringes, tripling the company’s output in U.S. markets by 2030. And IDEXX Laboratories is investing $147 million at Wilson Corporate Park, where it will make veterinary diagnostic products and create an annual payroll impact of $18 million.

The announcements continue a low-key campaign of creating a welcoming environment for manufacturers and the people they employ. “If you look at the last 20, 30 years, we’ve been attracting $100 million in investments every year,” says Jennifer Lantz, who has served as Wilson Economic Development Council executive director since 1989. “We’ve been growing our industry all this time, but we suddenly had four big announcements in one year, so it looks like everything is going on all at once.”

Lantz says county prosperity is a three-part story. “We’re in the center of Rocky Mount, Greensboro, Goldsboro and Raleigh, so for a small county, we have a population of 2 million in a 30-mile radius and a workforce of 1 million,” she says. “Labor is a critical factor.” Other strengths are infrastructure and land. “Wilson has water, fiber, sewer and natural gas, so we can provide all that,” she says. “Then it comes down to having the right property, and we’ve been developing that through our private nonprofit [Wilson County Properties] since the 1950s.”

The additions of Reckitt and IDEXX bring the number of companies at Campus at 587 to an even dozen. Most are medical related. And they all benefit from being near Interstate 95 and U.S. 264. “Location means so much for us,” Lantz says. “We’re halfway between Florida and New York, and so much of what is made here is shipped out utilizing I-95 with a lot going toward the Northeast.”

Business size doesn’t determine the amount of success. “Obviously, we have a lot of industries coming here, but we also have a lot of smaller ones,” says Lindsay Perry, marketing and events manager for the Wilson Chamber of Commerce. She points to quite a few, including Stephenson Millwork, a third generation family business, and Construct, a fabrication services company founded in 1999. “A lot of those kinds of places bring people into Wilson to work,” she says. She cites Greenlight Community Broadband, a city-owned fiber-optic network, and Wilson being a public power community as “a key factor in our economic revitalization.”

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Johnson & Johnson intends to hire analysts, engineers, microbiologists, scientists, specialists, managers and senior leaders at its recently announced Wilson location. Efforts are underway to ensure it finds workforce locally.

Next door to Campus at 587, Wilson Community College is building a $30 million biologics training center. A regional hub for workforce development, it’s expected to open in June 2026. It will serve the region’s companies by providing workforce development pathways customized to each industry.

While the center’s scope will be similar to Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center in Raleigh, it will be tuned to local workforce needs. “The community college system is doing a regional approach to training centers, so we’re working to have everything that is needed here in our area rather than reproducing what is taught elsewhere,” says Melissa Vandemark, WCC’s dean of applied technologies. “This hub will allow us to support all the new biologics and life sciences coming to our county without them having to use BTEC. [The center] will be not only for WCC students but will train through NCEdge. When NCEdge has a customized package approved, we will do that training here at the biologics training center.”

WCC also works with Wilson Academy of Applied Technology early-college route. “It’s for students who want to complete high school and attend college at the same time,” Vandemark says. “They stay for five years, and when they graduate with a high school diploma, they also have an associate degree or credential in their field. One of the major benefits we have in Wilson County is our collaboration. We work in partnership with the school system and have innovative programs to make students as successful as they can be.”

Lantz says economic development is a team activity. “So, while the Economic Development Council gets the accolades, in reality the city, the business community and the education community all work together to get these projects,” she says. “It’s really everyone across Wilson working together.”


QUALITY OF LIFE

More than two dozen wind-driven sculptures — crafted from reflective highway signs, ball bearings, steel rods, ceiling-fans parts, mirrors, stovepipes and other metallic items — clatter and spin 50 feet above the ground in Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park. The colorful 2-acre display in downtown Wilson attracts national and international visitors. Simpson, a local farmer born in 1919 who served in World War II, built his concoctions on his farm before plans for a park were announced in 2010. He saw the first of his whirligigs installed there before his death in 2013.

Wilson is synonymous with the arts. Wilson Arts Center and Edna Boykin Cultural Center are hubs for instruction in visual and performing arts, hosting youth workshops, community theater groups and concerts. “Wilson Arts has a very nice facility,” Perry says. “Our job in all of this is to support projects that are doing good for Wilson and make sure the business community is adequately prepared for this growth. I think that Wilson County’s location has been the draw for a while, that you can live in Wilson and go other places. But now, with everything going on, you can come to Wilson and have everything you need in jobs and activities. It’s definitely a fun place to live. There are tons of things going on here all the time. We have big industries, but we also have a lot of smaller industries as well as art galleries that are very unique for the size of our town. It shows how big our arts community is.”

A November ceremony at the Wilson Industrial Air Center celebrated the future $63.6 million downtown baseball stadium, which will go up adjacent to Whirligig Park. It will welcome the Milwaukee Brewers’ Single-A affiliate, which currently plays in Zebulon, for the 2026 season. The team will rebrand as Wilson Warbirds, honoring the city’s former role as a World War II naval aviation training center. Professional baseball adds to a sports destination that includes several soccer tournaments, amateur baseball and Miracle Field, which opened in 2023. It’s a specially designed baseball field for children with intellectual and physical disabilities.

Wilson’s history is rooted in tobacco. The Wilson Tobacco Market, known as the world’s greatest, was established in 1890. The city’s historic downtown is home to Artisan Leaf, which crafts custom surfaces and furniture from tobacco leaves. “You may have seen some of their work across the state in various restaurants and buildings and not know that it was made right here in Wilson,” Perry says.

Wilson’s reputation for arts, sports and culture attracts visitors. They spent $143.7 million in 2023, up 6.3% from the year prior. A new app, Come See Wilson, and printed visitor’s guide show them around. “The Come See Wilson app has been very successful so far,” says Brandt Harrell, Wilson County Tourism Development Authority’s executive director. “It allows us to have tours like the Christmas Light home tour, which is called Christmas Cheer Challenge. The app also gives valuable information about hotels and restaurant menus and has a link to our new community events calendar and allows us to pull data for location usage and mapping for the users as well.”

A hotelier tax supports Wilson’s tourism efforts. Harrell says it collected more than $1.6 million last year. “That allows us to fund projects like the baseball stadium and the pickleball courts as capital projects in partnership with the city,” he says. “We also give out about $300,000 in local grants for events and in support of tourism and art-related entities.”

Harrell has watched Wilson evolve. “As someone who grew up in Wilson and saw the whirligigs in the ‘wild,’ before they were in the park and were around a pond out in the county, it has been transformative to have the park and museum in downtown,” he says. “The kinetic sculptures created by Vollis Simpson are truly unique, and the identity of Wilson will forever be linked to the whirligigs.”

While there’s plenty that makes Wilson unique, Harrell says its people are the best. “I am truly blessed to be able to come back to the town I grew up in and be able to have a job where I get to share all the wonderful things I loved about
my community.”

— Kathy Blake is a writer from eastern North Carolina.

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