North Carolina Economic Development Guide

2016

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20 North Carolina Economic Development Guide Alamance County and the cities of Mebane and Graham began work on what is North Carolina Commerce Park. They spent $12 million to add infrastructure and utilities to the 1,200-acre property along Interstates 85 and 40. The three each chipped in $100,000 more to have the property N.C. Department of Commerce-certifi ed. That guarantees the land is available at a set price, a master plan is in place and basic environmental concerns have been addressed. Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is the park's fi rst tenant. It began building a 450,000-square-foot distribution center on 186 acres in 2015. Starting this year, it will supply perishable groceries to more than 120 stores in North Carolina and surrounding states. The project will bring 450 jobs and $100 million in capital investment by 2019. In July 2015, Lidl, a unit of privately owned German discount grocer Schwartz Group, announced it was investing $125 million and will employ 200 at the park by 2018. The company, which has more than 10,000 stores in 26 countries, is undertaking an ambitious U.S. expansion. Its 850,000-square-foot regional headquarters and distribution center is expected to open this year, too. North Carolina Commerce Park has attracted $225 million in private investment and 650 jobs from its fi rst two tenants. That has its developers smiling. "We shared costs, and now we're sharing revenue," Williams says. But they didn't come without extra ef ort. The three municipalities of ered nearly $5.4 million in incentives. Those Economic development begins at the local level, but that doesn't mean local governments and organizations should be working in silos." $/$0$1&(,17(567$7(&255,'25 '(9(/230(17=21( :+,7(&7 7851(552$' 1&+:< -,00 <.(5 5 (;,7 (&2120,&'(9(/230(17=21( 1&&200(5&(3$5. :$/0$57 6,7( )8785(52$' (;7(16,2172 *296&277 )$5052$' /,'/ 6,7( 6(1$725 5$/3+ 3$5.:$< (;,7 (;,7 ,17(567$7( &+(55

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