PITTSBORO — Chatham County’s economic gains of the last decade were celebrated at the Chatham Economic Development Corporation’s annual Opportunity Chatham breakfast, a gathering of business, government, and community leaders to discuss growth and trends in Chatham County.
At the 10-year anniversary event, held at the county’s Agricultural & Conference Center, EDC President Alyssa Byrd discussed the first Opportunity Chatham breakfast that took place in an empty manufacturing plant in Siler City. That building was the former Acme McCrary building, which now houses MAS Acme, a distribution center. The site, Byrd noted, was the first designated foreign trade zone in Chatham County.
“A lot can happen in 10 years,” Byrd said. “There has been substantial progress marked by incremental change.”
Byrd credited that progress to successful partnerships. These included Siler City’s Brownfields Assessment grant, a highly competitive grant to support the town’s efforts to redevelop former industrial sites, investment in infrastructure to support economic growth, revenue sharing agreements between municipalities, and Carolina Core, the new marketing collaborative for economic development for the US-421 corridor stretching from the piedmont south to Fayetteville.
“These are things we work for daily,” Byrd said. “We’re here today because we see opportunity.”
Keynote speaker Anthony M. Copeland, the N.C. Department of Commerce Secretary, described how N.C. went from being listed as the second poorest state in the country in the 1960s to being one of the fastest growing today, with half of its population being not native to the state. Copeland noted that growth required investment in housing, roads, and education to keep up.
Copeland further emphasized the need for counties to prepare for growth to attract growth.
“Unless you’re prepared, it’s just real estate,” Copeland said.
Being “prepared,” Copeland said, includes a trained workforce, infrastructure, and property being site-ready — and he praised Chatham for its efforts to be prepared.
“As commissioners and leaders,” Copeland said, speaking of the Chatham County megasites, “I understand when you put in public funding years in advance for something that’s not there yet, it can make you nervous. But you doing it here it’s a kind of long game you’re playing. I commend you for what you’re doing.”
Lisa Chapman, the incoming President for Central County Community College, also spoke briefly about returning to the area after five years working in Raleigh.
“I can’t tell you how excited I am to be here with you and to be coming home,” Chapman said. “I am very grateful for this opportunity and I don’t take it likely.”
Chapman focused her remarks on the importance of a talented workforce and the “talent pipeline” that is critical for economic development.
“We know our role,” Chapman said. “We know how important it is that we be connected to you.”
The event closed with presentations to two retiring members of the EDC board, Dr. T. Eston “Bud” Marchant, the outgoing president of CCCC, and Linda Harris, long-time EDC member and former executive in the agriculture industry.
“You have the most unique place in N.C.” Marchant said. “I am thankful for letting me be a part of it.”