Outside of Rowan

Google selects Caldwell County for expansion

The online search company Google announced in January the selection of Caldwell County, NC for an expansion project. The incentive package for the $600 Million, 200 employee computer center planned in Lenior was one of the most generous ever in the state and has been the subject of extensive discussion. Primary factors in the site selection of Caldwell were the abundance of electrical capacity, Tier 1 ranking and close proximity to an Interstate highway. Additionally, Google has selected a site in South Carolina for a similar center drawing further criticism over the incentive package and the selection process.
The Salisbury- Rowan Economic Development Commission is committed to promoting a vital economy to improve the overall quality of life for residents of Rowan County and balancing the demands of a prospective business and the local community.

California Business Mission

Charlotte Regional Partnership business development staff and Randy Harrell, Executive Director of the Salisbury- Rowan Economic Development Commission visited prospective companies in the Northern California area in February. A significant call was made on a major food manufacturer regarding a potential East Coast expansion. The Economic Development Commission is committed to leveraging our relationship with the Charlotte Regional Partnership in working with expanding and relocating businesses and will continue to participate in similar missions as appropriate.

What Makes North Carolina So Competitive?

When it comes to luring large industrial plants to small towns and second- and third- tier metropolitan areas, few states do it better than North Carolina. But what makes North Carolina so competitive?
According to a new study by Illinois-based Pollina Corporate Real Estate Inc., a site-relocation company, North Carolina is a very business-friendly state. The study ranks North Carolina as the fourth-most business-friendly state in the country, behind only Virginia, South Carolina and Florida. The results were based on 28 measurements including taxes, human resources, right-to-work legislation, energy costs and jobs lost or gained.
Veteran site consultant and tax expert Tammy Propst, head of Greenville, S.C.- based Tax Advantage Group says that North Carolina's communities have good self- awareness coupled with good planning. She further states that North Carolina does have  issues but it is transforming regionally with “the solid bio- presence in Raleigh- Durham, the banking center in Charlotte, and the tourism economy in the mountains give people who are not from the South an environment where they can be comfortable." In summing up the state's best advantages, she concludes that "North Carolina has an outstanding quality of life. North Carolina has some level of business predictability, and North Carolina is a Southern state that is not as 'Southern' as Mississippi, Alabama or South Carolina."