Creek’s Landing Salon and Spa opens doors in historic site. See Business, Page B6
Saturday, October 10, 2009
Inside Today
THOMASVILLE
Find results from Friday night’s prep football games in today’s Sports, Page B1.
Times
119th Year - No. 5 50 Cents
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Purdue responds to Dell closure BY KEVIN REID Times Correspondent
GREENSBORO - N.C. Governor Beverly Perdue said she is determined to make sure that Dell returns all of the money it has received from the state in incentives for locating to a plant in Forsyth County. “I am not the police of Dell, but I can tell you I will go to bed at night focused on getting back every red cent that Dell received from the state,” Perdue told a gathering of reporters at the Marriott Downtown Hotel on Thursday.
‘I am not the police of Dell, but I can tell you I will go to bed at night focused on getting back every red cent that Dell received from the state.’ — Gov. Bev Perdue At the time of the press conference, Perdue had just finished a speech to members of the N.C. Institute of Medicine, who were holding their Prevention Summit. She said that she spoke with unnamed leaders of Dell on Wednesday, when the computer giant announced it
was closing the desktop manufacturing plant and laying off its 905 employees. “The first thing I said to them was that we wanted every dollar of our incentives back, and that they had to ante-up,” Perdue recalled. “They’re very willing to do that, and they’re
willing to give good benefits to the employees who are losing their jobs.” Dell had been offered almost $280 million in incentives, including about $37 million from Forsyth County and WinstonSalem, to locate the 750,000 square-foot manufacturing plant near U.S. 311. At this point, Dell only has received a fraction of that amount. “I asked hard questions,” the governor continued. “I said, ‘Was there anything that North Carolina could have done dif-
See DELL, Page A6
Gun, knife show finds new home in Chair City BY ELIOT DUKE Staff Writer
Thanks to some quick thinking and perfect timing, Thomasville will be the hub for avid gun and knife owners next weekend. Kenneth Cupp and his son, Brandon, have been actively involved in the annual Triad Gun and Knife Show that usually takes place in Lexington. But when problems arose with finding the show a suitable location, the Cupps, who bought the rights to the event two years ago, thought the plug may have to be pulled. That’s when Ken Hepler, Thomasville’s planning and zoning administrator, stepped with an idea — have the show in the Chair City. “It used to be the Lexington Gun Show,” Kenneth Cupp said. “In Lexington, we couldn’t find any place
See SHOW, Page A4
TIMES PHOTO/LARRY MATHIS
GOLDEN HOMECOMING Dustin Sipes and Brittany Smith were named Homecoming King and Queen of East Davidson High School during Friday night’s Homecoming game against Lexington.
Benefits may come to former TFI workers BY ELIOT DUKE Staff Writer
Some workers who have been laid off by Thomasville Furniture Industries may be eligible for addtional assistance from the North Carolina Employment Security Commission. ESC Chairman Moses Carey Jr. announced last month that workers who lost their jobs when TFI closed its satellite warehouse in Winston-Salem have been certified eligible to receive special assistance in finding new jobs or entering
training programs. The U.S. Department of Labor approved a Trade Adjustment Assistance petition that provides special benefits to workers who were laid off or had hours reduced because their employer was adversely affected by increased imports or services from other countries, or if there was a shift in production/supply of services to other countries. “If somebody across the country loses their job from a facility of three or more in size, because of foreign trade, they can file a petition with Department
Community Sponsor
of Labor for trade assistance,” ESC spokesperson Andy James said. “If [DOL] certifies that those jobs were indeed lost due to foreign trade, then the people are eligible for these different types of things.” Eligible recipients may receive benefits that include the cost of up to three years in a training program, including books and fees, up to 156 weeks of weekly unemployment allowances while attending training, job search and relocation
‘If [DOL] certifies that those jobs were indeed lost due to foreign trade, then the people are eligible for these different type of things.’ — Andy James ESC Spokesperson
See BENEFITS, Page A6
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What’s Inside
Incentive figures misleading, Googe says BY KARISSA MINN Staff Writer Dell announced Wednesday that it will close its Winston-Salem plant, laying off 905 employees. About 600 of those workers will be released next week, the company said, and the closure is expected to be completed in January. According to the Associated Press, when Dell came to Forsyth County in 2005, studies estimated that it would employ 1,500 people, generate about 500 more related jobs, and have a $24.5 billion economic impact over 20 years. The combined state and local incentive packages were worth up to $318 million in tax breaks and grants. Steve Googe, executive director of the Davidson County Economic Development Commission said that this figure is misleading. “That’s over 20 years, and it’s paid on items shipped,” he said. “That’s the whole premise of the incentive. If they ship 1,000 units, then they get a certain number of dollars. If they ship 500 units, they get half of that. If they ship nothing, they get nothing.” Dell said it would comply with the terms of incentive agreements, and Googe said that such contracts typically require the company to forfeit the package if set standards are not met. When Davidson County offers incentives to businesses, it is careful to include similar terms. “We do prepare for this type of thing,” Googe said. “That’s why you see that most of our incentives are spread over a five-year period.” He said that the county typically only gives out about 40 to 50 percent of what it announces, either because companies don’t qualify for the incentives in a particular year or they don’t bother applying for them. Most of its incentives also go to existing industries rather than new ones. “Our focus has been on companies in the $5 million to $20 million range in sales, and maybe 50 to 150 employees — privately owned, family-owned businesses,” Googe said. “Clearly, growth from jobs is coming from smaller companies, not larger companies. All the larger companies are downsiz-
See FIGURES, Page A6
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