Economic development officials in the state have wanted an automotive plant for decades. So much so that they've been preparing several megasites in and near the Triad to attract automakers or other big employers. There's 1,400 acres in Randolph County near Liberty under control by a group led by former Greensboro mayor Jim Melvin. Veteran Triad businessmen Tim Booras and D.H. Griffin own 1,800 acres at another site near Siler City.
Megasites received a boost earlier this year when the state legislature improved the Job Development Investment Grants (JDIG), which give rebates to mega-employers. But it doesn't address the infrastructure costs that are needed to lure a company.
The Triad Business Journal's Kristin Zachary has been reporting on the development sites. For this week's Business Report, she tells WFDD's Emily McCord that actually landing one of these employers is going to take a lot of work.
Interview Highlights:
On what being "ready" for a big employer means:
A mega-employer, like an automaker, is going to expect that once they locate there, they're going to have water, sewer, power, road and rail all up to the site. To be ready, that would need to be ready within 12-18 months. Each site is in a different stage in that process and trying to figure out plans to make that happens.
On how Triad megasites can be prepared:
State experts right now say our sites are not ready. One way we can do that is earning site certification... that the owners have done due diligence as far as getting a plan in place for that infrastructure. However, right now, the state right now doesn't have a site infrastructure or development fund and that's something that other states do have. That, on the front end, would help the site owners get those things in place. Ultimately, [the infrastructure] is the site owners job. So, the site owners will have to determine how to get that funding in place or they'll have to lobby the legislature to get funding.
On how competitive North Carolina is in bringing an automaker here now:
North Carolina has been a bridesmaid several times while other states have been a bride. That's what happened recently with South Carolina landing Volvo and that's going to keep happening unless we are able to get those sites in a position where they're ready.
The Business Report on 88.5 WFDD is a partnership with the Triad Business Journal.