But here is a chance to hear it from someone else! Here is a recent social media post written by one of our Rowan County Commissioners, Greg Edds. It describes the fantastic growth we are seeing in Rowan County....and we couldn't put it better, so here it is:
Greg Rapp
Salisbury Real Estate LLC
704 213 6846 Mobile
GregRappRealtor@gmail.com
www.realestatesalisbury.net
"I had county meetings all morning and was heading back into town. I decided to take the Webb Road exit to take a look at our most recent construction project that is now going vertical, the I-85 Commerce Center. North Point Development, the Chewy developer, is constructing this newest building. It’s always a credit to a community when a developer comes back for additional projects!
I stopped to watch all of the construction activity going on and couldn’t help but reflect on how grateful we are to be in a county that, as the Charlotte Business Journal recently put it, is on an incredible roll.
I decided to drive by just a handful of the companies that have recently chosen to invest heavily into Rowan County.
When I drove up, what I found was full parking lots. The cars I saw are representative of the thousands of individuals who are working inside these buildings and many of those individuals represent families who, for the first time, have access to group health insurance. They are Moms and Dads that now have paid vacation, a solid retirement plan and wages that are far above what they have ever earned. Some are, for the first time, working one full-time job and not three crappy part time jobs with no benefits.
These jobs are responsible for cutting Rowan’s unemployment rate in half. They have helped cut our poverty rate by 20%. They are a source of our large increase in individual and household income.
Hexagon Agility was the first big deal we did. A manufacturer of compressed natural gas fuel systems, they brought a large capital investment to our community and now employ over 200 skilled workers.
We were also informed at our recent forum that these companies will pick up and move to another community once their incentive agreements with the county have expired. Of course this doesn’t make any logical or mathematical sense. But, hey, it’s election season, right?
Hexagon opened their $20 million dollar, 204,000 square foot facility in October of 2015. Their incentive agreement has since expired. But instead of firing their employees and abandoning their building they recently announced that they were going to invest a new $23 million dollars into Rowan County by adding an additional 113,000 square feet to their existing building and planning to hire an additional 75 people. Good for them. Good for Rowan County. Good for our people.
AMREP followed Agility. They build the bodies for municipal garbage trucks. They’re busting at the seams and looking to expand. We’re grateful to have them here in Rowan County employing our people. Good pay. Good benefits.
New York Airbrake is a manufacturer that already had a facility here. We competed with another state on the consolidation of two locations. We won. They built a new state of the art facility and hired more people. Good pay. Good benefits.
Chewy, our first mega project, invested $55 million initially and projected 1,200 employees. They’re already at 1,400 and working toward 1,600. Thank you Chewy.
North Point’s new I-85 Commerce Center (700,000 square feet) on Webb Road will likely house 1,000+ employees paying good wages with full benefits. The market will require that.
Another new project on Peeler Road will bring another 700,000+ square feet class A building, $70 million in capital investment and 1,000+ employees. With good pay and full benefits.
Red Rock Development will invest $200 million in multiple class A buildings and bring additional jobs. With full benefits.
The old Kannapolis baseball stadium is in Rowan County and is being torn down and new construction is already being planned there. More investment and good jobs for the region. With full benefits.
Henderson Grove Church Rd has a large project in the works that the city of Salisbury recently approved. More investment. More good jobs. With full benefits.
And, of course, Macys just announced they will build their U.S. flagship facility in China Grove, investing almost $600 million into Rowan County. Over 30% of every item sold by Macy’s will now pass through Rowan County. They will hire 2800 full time employees, and pour over $100 million dollars of payroll - per year - into our economy.
This project is the 2nd largest project announced in the entire state of NC in the past 12 months. They also anticipate an additional 2500 part-time and seasonal workers. Most understand that seasonal workers mean extra workers being brought in during Christmas and other high retail times throughout the year. “Some” have confused seasonal workers with migratory workers. Macy’s is a global retail establishment, they don’t grow produce. These part time and seasonal jobs are typically occupied by 1) people who only want to work part-time, 2) local college students who need a job to help pay for college and other expenses, and 3) college students that are home for the summer or Christmas and need to work to pay for college and/or Christmas presents for their loved ones.
So, lots of wonderful news for all of us to celebrate. We are grateful for those who have made the decision to invest in Rowan County and our good people." ~ Greg Edds | Rowan County Commissioner
Yes...we are! Hurray for Rowan County, North Carolina!
When you're looking for a home in Rowan County, give Greg Rapp & Salisbury Real Estate LLC a call ~ and we will show you even MORE of the good things happening here! As Greg likes to say, "Here we grow again!" Call 704.213.6846 to make it happen!
Greg Rapp
Salisbury Real Estate LLC
704 213 6846 Mobile
GregRappRealtor@gmail.com
www.realestatesalisbury.net
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