Community Pulse "Industry"

A SPECIAL PROGRESS EDITION SUPPLEMENT TO THE

MARCH 30, 2014

Industry & Manufacturing

In Our Communities

DON DAVIS, JR. | HPE

Jeanette Frazier completes a piece in the cutting/sewing department at Davis Furniture Industries.

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COMMUNITY PULSE SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014 www.hpe.com

www.hpe.com SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014 COMMUNITY PULSE

BY PAT KIMBROUGH STAFF WRITER

HIGH POINT — The Great Recession didn’t slow down the High Point Economic Development Corp.

A variety of new and existing industries have announced and undertaken major projects in High Point in recent years. The city’s economic development arm had a hand in most, if not all, of them.

One of the biggest has been Ralph Lauren Corp.

The world-famous apparel maker doesn’t manufacture any of its clothing in High Point, but operates several warehouses and distribution centers in the city.

In 2013, the company added 307 jobs as part of a 900-job, multi-year expansion in which it plans to invest $163 million in its High Point facilities.

Ralph Lauren moved to the top of High Point’s largest employers list in 2013, with more than 2,396 full-time-equivalent employees at five locations in the city. Those facilities host three major apparel and home goods distribution facilities, office operations, a technical facility, a customer contact operation and a research and development facility.

Last year brought other good news on the development front, when Volvo Group started work on what experts described as the region’s largest new office construction project in the past decade.

No new jobs are being created, but the three-story,

123,000-square-foot facility at 8003 Piedmont Parkway will house about 700 employees from several divisions of Volvo who will be transferred from nearby in the region.

While the furniture industry has undoubtedly taken many hits, there were some positive developments in High Point over the past few years.

Stanley Furniture moved its corporate headquarters to the city from Virginia, adding 42 jobs in a $6 million project that consolidated its headquarters, corporate office and showroom in one downtown location.

Stanley is a manufacturer and marketer of premium wood residential furniture.

OFS Brands, a furniture and logistics company, is expanding its south High Point facility in a $9.25 million project that will add 188 jobs over five years.

OFS Brands makes casegoods, seating and tables, and the company has a logistics division that delivers furniture across the nation.

Most recently, BuzziSpace announced plans to open 113-job manufacturing facility by renovating a closed 100-year-old mill.

The Belgian firm designs and manufactures furniture and acoustical treatments for work environments.

Many of the city’s largest economic development projects have been in north High Point, particularly in the Piedmont Centre business park between Eastchester Drive and Wendover Avenue. pkimbrough@hpe.com | 888-3531

Point Market. One is the opening of World Market Center in Las Vegas, the HIGH POINT — It’s the other is the purchase three paradox of High Point’s largyears ago of the major showest-single event and industry rooms in High Point and all — the furniture market has showrooms in Las Vegas by been around as a staple in the International Market Cencommunity for so long that ters. Through the purchase, sometimes it can be taken for International Market Centers granted. now owns and operates the But the supporters of the International Home FurnishHigh Point Market never take ings Center, Showplace and its status as the world’s largits related properties, and Laura Greene | HPE est home furnishings show or Market Square and the forRalph Lauren moved to the top of High Point’s largest employers list in 2013, the state’s largest economic with more than 2,396 full-time-equivalent employees at five locations in the mer showroom holdings of city. event each year as a given.

Merchandise Mart Properties During each spring and fall Inc. market, and the 10 months International Market between the trade shows, Centers, which is owned by market backers are looking a group of investors from for ways to draw more furacross the nation, now conniture exhibitors, buyers for trols more than half the retail businesses and designfurniture trade show space in ers to High Point.

High Point and all the space “Short term, and perhaps at World Market Center. long term, too, we need to “IMC has been a wonderful maintain and grow both the partner for us here,” Conley enthusiasm and the buzz that said. “They bring some real we’ve created of late for the marketing muscle to the market,” said Tom Conley, equation.” president and chief execuThe High Point Market tive officer of the High Point Authority and International Market Authority. “The good Market Centers are collabonews is that we’re a 100-yearrating so they don’t duplicate old market and we’re welleach other’s efforts, Conley established — the bad news said. is that we’re a 100-year-old “We want to leverage the market and we’re well-estabdollars each organization has lished. That’s our challenge to spend,” Conley said. and opportunity as we go The High Point Market forward.” is the largest furnishings Two developments in the industry trade show in the past 10 years have shaped Don Davis Jr. | HPE world, bringing more than Stanley Furniture’s corporate headquarters is shown on N. Hamilton St. The the direction of the High

By Paul B. Johnson STAFF WRITER

company moved to High Point from Virginia in 2012, adding 42 jobs in a $6 million project that consolidated its headquarters, corporate office and showroom in one downtown location.

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SEE MARKET PAGE 6

FILE | HPE

Buyers browse the NOIR showroom at a recent High Point Market.

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COMMUNITY PULSE SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014 www.hpe.com

www.hpe.com SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014 COMMUNITY PULSE

BY PAT KIMBROUGH STAFF WRITER

HIGH POINT — One bright spot of the local economy has been the growth of business and industrial parks as traditional employment sectors like furniture and textiles manufacturing have declined.

The best example in High Point is Piedmont Centre.

Developers in the 1980s looked to rural land north of High Point’s city limits as the next major frontier of growth, and they turned out to be right in their predictions.

They convinced the city to provide water and sewer service to the land, which primed it for rapid development.

Piedmont Centre, the city’s largest industrial park, now covers about 1,100 acres between Eastchester Drive and W. Wendover Avenue.

It’s occupied by more than 170 companies that include distribution and office operations, call centers, pharmaceutical manufacturers and health care

businesses.

Some of High Point’s largest employers have facilities there, including Ralph Lauren Corp., Bank of America, Solstas Lab Partners and Advanced Home Care.

High Point recently has made major investments to foster more business park development.

A group called 350 South led

by Greensboro developer D.H. Griffin Sr. is planning a 500-acre park north of the city off of Sandy Ridge Road. It would be the second-largest industrial park, next to Piedmont Centre, in the city’s history if it pans out.

Developers want to lure office parks, corporate headquarters, light industrial and commercial projects to what is mostly undeveloped land. They received city approval last year to extend sewer service to the site.

So far, nothing has been done with the site, but developers say it’s prime territory because of its proximity to Interstate 40.

A second prospect on the city’s fringes looks like it will bear fruit sooner.

Developer Robin Team plans to build a business park at Interstate 74 and N.C. 66 just outside High Point in Forsyth County.

Team has landed an unnamed tenant — widely believed to be Ralph Lauren Corp. — for the first 100 acres of the proposed park. High Point last year agreed to spend about $5 million to run water and sewer lines to the site, which will be annexed into the city if it develops.

Team has indicated the $50 million project will involve a large number of jobs. He previously has represented Ralph Lauren Corp. in connection with expansions of its distribution and warehousing locations in High Point.

Business parks have been big news in Davidson and Randolph counties, as well.

In Davidson, county leaders and developers are planning I-85 corporate center in the Linwood

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area. The county has agreed to loan up to $7 million in federal funds for the project, which could cover about 500 acres and bring in thousands of jobs.

In Randolph, economic developers want to build a “megasite” in the northeast portion of the county that they hope will draw an auto plant. Officials are trying to acquire about 2,000 acres for the megasite.

Neither project has come to fruition, but both have generated plenty of controversy, with protests from local residents who argue that industrial parks would be incompatible with the rural areas in which they live and that the ventures are too risky because neither has secured any commitments from businesses to locate there.

They also object to the price tags of both projects, which could add up to hundreds of millions of dollars in public land and infrastructure expenditures, plus economic incentives. pkimbrough@hpe.com | 888-3531

Special | HPE

Jorge Lagueruela, president of Trinity Furniture Inc., is leading his company through a 25,000-square-foot expansion.

BY ROBYN HANKINS Archdale-Trinity News

RANDOLPH COUNTY — The effects of the Great Recession LAURA GREENE | HPE still linger, but manufacturing Laura Greene | HPE Piedmont Centre, the city’s largest industrial park, covers about 1,100 acres in Randolph County, and particDeveloper Robin Team plans to build a business park at Interstate 74 and N.C. 66, between Eastchester Drive and W. Wendover Avenue. ularly in the Archdale-Trinity just outside High Point in Forsyth County. area, is rebounding.

“Despite suffering through the depths of an historic recesBy Paul B. Johnson, STAFF WRITER sion, our county’s unemployment is declining to 6.3 percent TRIAD — Call center representatives who field the questions of customers — teachers who educate schoolchildren — municipal — good news — and the indusworkers who keep streets clean or fix broken water lines. trial sector is adding jobs,” said These are just some of the employees who work in professions that are among the top employers in the High Point area.

Bonnie Renfro, president of the Randolph County Economic Development Corp. “Our records Top five High Point employers: show that 509 more industrial jobs were added in 2013 than the Ralph Lauren Corp., apparel distribution and customer service, 2,369 employees prior year.”

Wages for private sector jobs in the county increased by 3.1 Bank of America customer service and call center, percent in the last 12 months, 2,283 employees Renfro added.

“We have a strong existing High Point Regional Health System, medical center industry base that is adapting and health care provider, 1,822 employees and thriving,” she said. “In 2013, we reported expansion Guilford County Schools, public school system, and location announcements 1,696 employees from 16 companies that will City of High Point, municipal government, 1,344 employees create 343 new jobs and invest $46,555,000 in our county. We are Source: High Point Economic Development Corp. filling vacant buildings, seeing FILE | HPE Top five Archdale-Trinity employers: companies invest in training for Workers with Ralph Lauren Corp., an apparel distribution and customer service incumbent workers and seeing business, is High Point’s largest employer at 2,369 employees.

Thomas Built Buses, bus manufacturer, 940 employees innovation transform many of our companies.”

United Furniture of N.C., furniture manufacturer, Archdale and Trinity are do500 employees U R T I E N R T U R F ing very well, thanks in large A NS PO STS IN RTA IALI C T part to their access to major E IO Sealy Inc., mattress manufacturer, 320 employees N SP interstates and highways. Archdale has completed engineering Ace/Avant Concrete Construction Co. Inc., building trade, 220 employees studies to extend sewer service transfer inc. along the new Interstate 74 corSINCE 1941 Hafele America Co., cabinet hardware and accessories, ridor, so the city is ready when 200 employees opportunities arise.

“In 2013, Trinity was home (Largest-single Trinity area employer: to growth in advanced manuWright Global Graphics, a packaging and printing company, facturing companies that will with 135 employees.) create quality jobs,” Renfro Source: Randolph County Economic Development Corp. said. “Novamelt, Jowat and Ennis Flint are all high-tech comTop five Thomasville employers: panies that are in one of our targeted industries.”

Old Dominion Freight, trucking company, 600-650 employees The Novamelt project alone Novant Health Thomasville Medical Center, will create 14 jobs over the hospital and health care provider, 500-550 employees next years and add $4 million to the tax base. Jowat’s expansion Thomasville City Schools, public school system, will add 9,000 square feet and 14 500-550 employees new jobs and invest $4.7 million. Ennis-Flint, which will do City of Thomasville, municipal government, 250-300 employees business as Flint Trading Co., is renovating a vacant building Unilin Flooring, flooring manufacturer, 200-250 employees in Turnpike Industrial Park to Source: Davidson County Economic Development Commission house its research and develop-

murrow’s

ment and manufacturing facility.

Nvamelt and Jowat make adhesives. Ennis-Flint produces specialized paints used in traffic solutions. Trinity received a state grant to assist Jowat and has applied for grants to offset the cost of extending sewer to Ennis-Flint.

There have been other recent successes. According to the EDC’s annual report for 2013, Trinity Furniture is adding 25,000 square feet and expects to add five new jobs once the expansion is complete. A new Australian bio-tech company, Global Future Solutions, which offers an environmentally friendly, safe option to fracking, moved to Archdale last year as well.

“Right now, we have more vacant industrial buildings in Archdale as a result of company changes,” Renfro said. “The good news is that two of those buildings will soon be home to new companies, and there is strong interest in many of the others.”

One of those companies is Brookline Furniture, which is relocating from High Point to Archdale. It will occupy the former Dar-Ran building.

Archdale is assisting by apply-

ing for a building reuse grant through the N.C. Department of Commerce Rural Division.

“The grant will provide a forgivable loan to a company for renovation of a vacant building in Archdale,” said Lori Nurse, finance director.

The city will commit $5,500 in matching funds if the grant is approved. The funding is based on the company creating 11 new jobs that are kept for at least six months.

There have been other positive changes over the past few years.

Flexible Foam’s High Point manufacturing operation, which is in northwest Randolph County, added 50,000 square feet and expanded production.

NC Upholstery, which does business as Carolina Girl Furniture, expanded, leasing 84,000 square feet in Randleman to consolidate its operations under one roof and have room for future expansion.

United Furniture Industries, with help from the city of Archdale, is completing a $2.2 million sewer project that will enable the company to expand to create 70 full-time jobs. It also will have the secondary effect of opening up the surrounding area to additional development

Paul Brayton Designs, a manufacturer of high-end textiles for the furniture industry, in 2011 chose to relocate from High Point to Archdale. From the former Bobby Labonte building on Interstate Drive, the industry veteran manufactures high-end furniture for the healthcare and hospitality markets.

Style Crest, an Ohio-based company, relocated its Fayetteville operation to Archdale. They now occupy the 220,900-square-foot former Bernard’s building on Archdale Boulevard. The move created eight jobs, relocated another six and added $715,000 to the tax base.

Nutrition 101, which reprocesses dairy products, now leases a 20,000 square foot building on Navaho Drive in Archdale. While a small operation, it added 10 jobs.

Future Foam, an Iowa-based company, relocated its foam fabrication facility from Hickory to Archdale, creating 25 jobs and investing $2.4 million in machinery and equipment.

Stickley Fine Furniture received an incentive from Archdale to expand in 2009. As part of the agreement, Stickley invested $880,000 and added 20 jobs.

PHONE 336-475-6101

BOX 4095 HIGH POINT, N.C. 27263

TOLL FREE 1-800-669-2928

Kathy Stuart | ATN

Jowat’s expansion, an investment of $4.7 million, will add 9,000 square feet and 14 jobs.

The business is located on Uwharrie Road, part of Randolph Industrial Park.

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By Eliot Duke The Thomasville Times

By Eliot Duke The Thomasville Times

THOMASVILLE — Thomasville had no choice but to reinvent itself economically.

Long before the Great Recession started in 2008, Chair City officials were faced with job loss and a dwindling local economy as a result of the furniture industry’s mass exodus overseas.

As the new millennium turned a new decade, Thomasville slowly started showing signs of a recovery. No longer did the city rely on one industry to carry the economic weight.

Through the use of incentive packages and community development block grants, the Chair City now is the home to a wide array of new businesses that see Thomasville as more than just a furniture town.

“Our card had about been played for us,” City Manager Kelly Craver said. “The loss of furniture jobs forced us to look at other manufacturers or commercial uses of buildings here. The furniture jobs that were so plentiful for so many years had been transferred out of the country, and we really didn’t have a choice but to think outside the normal paradigm that we had operated under for 100 years.”

Since the start of 2013, Thomasville has welcomed an array of new businesses, many of which have found homes in once-vacated buildings. Incentive packages were awarded to companies such as Mill-Chem

Special | HPE

In October, Wright Global Graphics Solutions executives cut the ribbon on a $1.5 million eight-color Mark Andy P5 print station. The company employs 153 people and continues to expand its employee base. Pictured from left are Tom Wright, chairman of the board emeritus; Greg Wright, president; and Ron Wright, executive vice president of international operations.

and SV Plastics, both of which pledged to add jobs and invest millions of dollars.

“I think our incentive packages for investment are very competitive with our neighbors,” Craver said. “We’ve had four companies now to utilize the CDBG building reuse grants to help revitalize buildings that were once empty.”

Local companies like Unilin, Old Dominion and Wright Global Graphics Solutions have invested money into facilities in an effort to expand their operations.

Unilin, the largest supplier of laminate flooring in the U.S., announced in February its plan to expand the Cloniger Road facility. The flooring company currently employs 280 people at

its Thomasville site.

In October, Custom Nonwoven Inc., a Korean-owned global producer of polyester staple fiber, announced a $12.8 million investment in Thomasville that will create 72 jobs.

“I think that is an indication of the upswing in the general economy in the region,” Craver said. “There is money available more readily now to invest, and investors are more optimistic than they were for a number of years. We feel we are blessed with location, lower taxes than our neighbors and good services to provide. I think these are great signs of the economy as a whole, and certainly Thomasville has been fortunate enough to be reaping the benefits of the expansion that these companies

are undertaking.”

While the local economy has yet to completely recover from the furniture exodus of a decade ago, Thomasville Area Chamber of Commerce President Doug Croft said he believes community leaders have a done a great job using incentives and building reuse grants to entice new businesses.

“The leadership of this community, from business leaders to elected officials, has faith in our community, which it may not have always had, but we have it now,” Croft said. “That is manifesting itself in a willingness to help these businesses. Business is business, and it’s about making money, profit margins and net revenues. If you can a build a business here, whether it’s manufacturing or retail, if you’re going to be successful, it’s worth building. Corporations and small businesses have loosened up a little bit, and I think that plays out throughout the economy.”

Croft also credits a focused effort on the community to buy locally. The Chamber of Commerce implemented a Buy Local campaign aimed at keeping Chair City dollars in Thomasville.

According to Chuck George, the city’s planning and zoning administrator, since 2011 Thomasville has approved 59 retail business licenses and 10 manufacturing business licenses. duke@tvilletimes.com | 888-3578

DAVIDSON COUNTY — The Davidson County Economic Development Commission has spent a lot of time in the real estate business over the past several years.

As the economic face of the county shifted away from manufacturing stalwarts such as furniture and textiles, the area was left with a large number of empty, unused buildings that once housed hundreds of employees.

“Some of these buildings had been sitting empty for years,” said Steve Googe, executive director of the Davidson County EDC. Since 2007, the EDC managed to sell or lease more than 40 such facilities across the county, including finding permanent homes for companies such as TIMCO in Wallburg, the site of the former Tyco Electronics building.

Following years of finding successful matches, Googe said the EDC now faces a new dilemma — there aren’t enough empty buildings left to meet the demand.

“I would say that probably the No. 1 one positive was the No. 1 negative, and that is the majority of the buildings we have and the property that was available is not available anymore,” Googe said. “We sold or leased a lot of buildings and assisted people in moving a lot of property.”

This ability to fill unused

File | Thomasville Times

Steve Googe, center, led a tour of empty buildings in Davidson County in July.

Standing left of Googe is Davidson County Commissioner Fred McClure and standing right are Thomasville Councilman Raleigh York and Commissioner Todd Yates.

buildings has helped Davidson County rebound from a trying decade. When furniture and textiles started leaving the area at the turn of millennium, the county lost more than $100 million in total payroll. Googe said the county bounced back over the next four years only to lose it all again when the Great Recession hit in 2008.

As other municipalities struggled to regain an economic foothold, Googe said Davidson County started to flourish.

He credits companies such as TIMCO, United Furniture, and the redevelopment of the Sunrise Center in Thomasville as keys to the recovery.

“We lost that $120 million again,” Googe said. “In two years, we added it back. During the downturn, we were actually

increasing our payrolls. It was amazing. The fact that we had some good companies coming online — TIMCO came in with a huge payroll, JKS Motorsports hired more people, United Furniture hired people — has helped us to kind of grow from within.”

For the county to continue its economic redevelopment, Googe said the area needs more buildings to attract prospective companies. A key roadblock is that many existing buildings are former manufacturing facilities, making them harder to sell despite the fact they sit on attractive parcels of land.

Googe has approached the state legislature about possibly creating grants that municipalities can use to demolish some of these buildings in an effort

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to redevelop the property.

“We have recommended this to a number of communities that have these buildings,” Googe said. “It’s a great site because it has infrastructure in place, it’s flat, it’s graded, it has everything you need, but it’s got a building sitting on it.

So maybe the thing to do is take the building away and redevelop the site. Give us a revolving loan or some cash so we can buy these buildings, tear them down, redevelop the site and send you the money back.”

Thomasville City Councilman Neal Grimes supports the idea.

“It would be a great thing,” Grimes said. “These manufacturing buildings are not conducive for rehabilitation. That kind of hurts us. Our problem is many of our buildings that are on decent sites, the value or the cost of demolishing the building to free up the land for further development is not costeffective. If you’ve got more money in taking the building down then you do the value of the land once it’s empty, that is not good economy for companies that want to come in there.

If we could close our eyes and magic all these old empty buildings away, that would be just absolutely wonderful. We do have some really attractive real estate in town with these old empty buildings on it.”

Grimes said the EDC’s plan to establish a business park in Linwood also would be great addition to county. duke@tvilletimes.com | 888-3578

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3

75,000 people to High Point every six months. Pre-Market, which takes place a month before each spring and fall market, brings another couple of thousand furniture industry manufacturers and retailers to the city in advance of each trade show.

The High Point Market covers 11.5 million square feet of showroom space featuring more than 2,000 exhibitors. Business representatives from more than

100 countries attend the trade show, with about 10 percent of market attendees arriving from other nations.

Each market involves tens of thousands of new product introductions. The home furnishings and accessories displayed in the private trade show between exhibitors and buyers in the industry show up in the coming months as products for purchase by customers of retailers and designers.

Manufacturer Unilin Flooring is Thomasville’s top taxpayer.

The Clubhouse of Colonial Country Club in Trinity is shown. The country club is Trinity’s top taxpayer.

The International Home Furnishings Center is one of several showroom properties owned by International Market Centers, High Point’s top taxpayer.

pjohnson@hpe.com | 888-3528

The Sealy headquarters in Archdale is shown. Sealy is Archdale’s top taxpayer.

Photos DON DAVIS JR. | HPE DON DAVIS JR. | HPE

The Sunpan showroom is shown in the Interhall section of the IHFC during a recent High Point Market. International Market Centers, which is owned by a group of investors from across the nation, now controls more than half the furniture trade show space in High Point

TRIAD — High Point’s top 20 taxpayers, which pay 13 percent of all city property taxes, represent a diverse group of industries.

These taxpayers’ property is collectively valued at $1.15 billion, and they will pay $7.7 million in taxes to the city of High Point during the current fiscal year.

The taxpayers include furniture showroom properties, including International Market Centers, which owns the three larg-

est showrooms in High Point. It also includes limited liability corporations — LSOP NC LLC is a partnership between Greenfield Partners and Somerset Properties that purchased 644,000 square feet of space in Mendenhall Corporate Park in 2012 and At Greensboro NC LLC owns the building at 4161 Piedmont Parkway, where Bank of America operates a large customer service center.

DON DAVIS JR. | HPE

A mid-morning crowd gathers at the Commerce Wing registration desk at the IHFC during a recent High Point Market. The trade show covers 11.5 million square feet of showroom space featuring more than 2,000 exhibitors.

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TOTAL VALUATION OF LARGEST HIGH POINT TAXPAYERS 1. International Market Centers, L.P. $307,995,183

11. Walmart $37,852,790

2. Ralph Lauren Corp. $112,146,043

12. At Greensboro NC LLC $37,227,100

3. TE Connectivity $62,874,485

13. The Carroll Companies $36,124,675

4. North State Communications $59,710,017

14. Solstas Lab Partners $33,385,839

5. Blue Ridge Companies $58,752,184

15. Carolina Investment Properties $32,223,300

6. Liberty Property Trust $55,342,645

16. Mannington Mills $31,554,593

7. LSOP NC LLC $47,476,690

17. MarketPlace Management $31,498,100

8. Thomas Built Buses/Daimler Trucks $46,229,995

18. Kao Specialties Americas $31,225,539

9. Patheon (formerly Banner Pharmacaps) $38,199,715

19. Piedmont Natural Gas $24,568,054

10. Samson Marketing $38,020,325

20. Duke Energy Corp. $23,932,704 Source: Guilford County Tax Department, City of High Point

TOTAL VALUATION OF THOMASVILLE’S TOP FIVE TAXPAYERS

TOTAL VALUATION OF TRINITY’S TOP FIVE TAXPAYERS

1. Unilin Flooring NC LLC $57,419,902

1. Colonial Country Club $6,476,290

2. Duke Power Co. $30,425,256

2. Jowat Corporation $6,279,630

3. TFI Inc. $24,177,258

3. Kyle Petty $5,695,290

4. Old Dominion Freight Lines Inc. $17,818,967

4. Duke Energy Corp. $5,133,272

5. Wal-Mart Stores East LP $15,024,009

5. ALH Randolph LLC $4,767,430

Source: City of Thomasville

Source: City of Trinity

TOTAL VALUATION OF ARCHDALE’S TOP FIVE TAXPAYERS 1. Sealy Inc. $33,545,411 2. J.L. Darr & Son $16,158,098 3. Thomas Built Buses $12,741,613

4. Hafele America Co. $11,399,956 5. BMA Brookwood Apartments LLC $8,413,890

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industry

www.hpe.com SUNDAY, MARCH 30, 2014 COMMUNITY PULSE

DON DAVIS, JR. | HPE

It’s about

Industry & Manufacturing

In Our Communities AND IN OUR STATE

Douglas Centeno works on a piece in upholstery department in the Davis Furniture Industries plant.

COMMUNITY PULSE Business/Retail Industry & Manufacturing Health Education

Some of the key industries that are thriving here include advanced manufacturing, aerospace and aviation, agribusiness, automotive, biopharmaceuticals, defense, energy, financial services, software and information technology as well as textiles.

Over the past 20 years, North Carolina has transitioned from a traditional economy based on tobacco, furniture and textiles to a global economy that is driven by knowledge-based enterprises.

Many of our traditional industry sectors showcase the economic transition.

For example, agriculture remains vital with a shift in focus from tobacco to livestock, poultry, and new crops that fuel such areas as wine-making and biotechnology. Our textile manufacturers have evolved by producing high-tech innovations in the area of nonwoven textiles and engineered fabrics.

These industries, along with our universities, community colleges and training programs, provide a continuous stream of workers equipped with the skills that are in demand globally.

North Carolina workers are not only highly trained, but also more productive. In fact, North Carolina workers are 36 percent more productive than the average U.S. worker (PDF). That’s because the quality of life here helps people to flourish. And when people are happy and more productive, the companies they work for gain a competitive advantage.

North Carolina’s labor force of more than 4.7 million has earned the nation’s highest productivity ranking in manufacturing.

Cited on March 24, 2014, from“About North Carolina”www.ncgov.com/aboutnc.aspx

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