Brunswick County’s twin 1,100-acre megasites are becoming perennial bridesmaids. They were passed over by German tire-maker Continental in 2011, then by Peoria, Ill.-based Caterpillar in 2012. Mid-Atlantic Industrial Rail Park and International Logistics Park of North Carolina again got their hopes dashed in August, when divided Republicans in the General Assembly decided against creating a $20 million closing fund for corporate recruitment. The county wanted some of that money to lure an industrial project that might create about 1,000 jobs. Rumors in the General Assembly say the company is Continental again, but Jim Bradshaw, executive director of the Brunswick County Economic Development Commission, declines to name any businesses in contact with his group. Incentives stir political passions, and that’s what Bradshaw would like to take out of the equation. The county lost the tire-maker in 2011 when state lawmakers clashed over a proposed $45 million package. Bradshaw would prefer a committee that helps distribute closing costs without General Assembly interference, which is what Georgia and South Carolina have. Not coincidentally, Brunswick lost Caterpillar to Athens, Ga., and Continental to Sumter, S.C. “You have to understand you’re competing with other very similar sites and communities across the Southeast. That’s when incentives come into play.” Bradshaw hopes that legislators agree on the fund at a special session this fall or during next year’s session. Otherwise, it’s “highly unlikely” Brunswick will don a veil.
The ones that got away
Continental Tire
Where it went: Sumter, S.C.
Investment: $500 million
Jobs: 1,600 by 2021
Incentives: $31 million grant for purchase of site and improvements, plus a $4 million federal Community Development Block Grant
Caterpillar
Where it went: Athens, Ga.
Investment: $200 million
Jobs: 1,400 by 2015
Incentives: About $75 million through a combination of local and state grants that included site purchase and preparation and job-tax credits
PEMBROKE — Dominion Resources will build and operate a 550-mile pipeline to transport natural gas from shale basins in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio through eight Eastern North Carolina counties and ending here. Atlantic Coast Pipeline, estimated to cost from $4.5 billion to $5 billion, is a joint venture of Richmond, Va.-based Dominion, Charlotte-based Duke Energy, Charlotte-based Piedmont Natural Gas and Atlanta-based AGL Resources. Pending regulatory approval, construction will begin in 2016 and be completed by late 2018.
WAGRAM — Cascades Tissue Group, a subsidiary of Quebec-based paper-goods manufacturer Cascades, will invest $62 million over three years in a plant here that will provide 68 jobs. The average annual salary will be about $47,000, higher than Scotland County’s $34,632. Cascades will receive up to $402,000 from the state’s One North Carolina Fund if it meets job-creation and investment goals.
WILMINGTON — Pharmaceutical Product Development named Robert Hureau executive vice president and chief financial officer last month. He served in the same roles for San Antonio-based Centaur Guernsey and its subsidiaries. Hureau replaces Daniel Darazsdi, who became CFO of Woodland Park, N.J.-based Cytec Industries after seven years at PPD, which has about 13,000 employees.
WILSON — Wilson Medical Center named Melissa Packer chief financial officer in September. Packer, who was CFO of 110-bed Person Memorial Hospital in Roxboro, replaces Lynn Lambert, now CFO of Harnett Health in Dunn. Brentwood, Tenn.-based Duke LifePoint Healthcare acquired an 80% stake in the 294-bed Wilson hospital in March.