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Wilkesboro was one of two finalists for a project with an investment of several hundred million dollars and hundreds of new jobs before the company considering this chose the other site, which is in another state, it less than a month ago.
The five-month economic development effort, called Project Flow locally, involved Wilkes Economic Development Corp. (EDC), Economic Development Partnership of NC (EDPNC) and the Wilkesboro and Wilkes County governments.
A few government officials here said in interviews last week that they were optimistic about the Wilkesboro site selection because Wilkes County was a perfect fit for the company’s plans.
Wilkesboro and Wilkes County governing bodies have scheduled public hearings in mid-May, early July, early August and early September to consider incentives for the company based on what it plans to invest and jobs that she planned to create.
When the first three hearings scheduled by the two local governing bodies were postponed, local officials said the company needed more time.
At the September 7 meeting of Wilkes County Commissioners, President Eddie Settle simply said the hearing had been canceled.
As part of this effort, elected officials and other government officials from Wilkesboro and County and Wilkes EDC have agreed to sign non-disclosure agreements with EDC and EDPNC. Local officials said this legally required them not to publicly reveal the company’s name.
Government officials in Wilkes had never signed a nondisclosure agreement before as part of an economic development effort. Talks with Wilkesboro and county officials last week indicated uncertainty and differing views on how long the deal will be.
Wilkes EDC president LeeAnn Nixon, who has represented Wilkesboro and county governments in dealings with the company, said nondisclosure agreements have become the norm for economic development.
“We were able to step into the game by signing the NDA (non-disclosure agreement) and respecting (the company’s) need for confidentiality until the public hearing process.”
Nixon said the name of the company, its plans, and details of Wilkesboro and County’s economic incentives would have been disclosed in public hearings had the company agreed to go ahead with this process here.
After the public hearings, the Wilkesboro and county governing bodies reportedly voted on whether to formally offer the incentives.
“The city and county had not officially made an offer. EDC had only described with the company, following the locally approved guidelines / points system for industrial incentives, what the company could be approved for as incentives and a potential amount, ”Nixon said.
“EDC has let the company know that local governments are welcoming their project and are taking the next formal steps. “
Nixon said company officials “decided after looking at the overall numbers for the project that their best decision was to go elsewhere.” The company considered sites in multiple states and multiple sites in North Carolina.
She said it was an overall positive experience and should leave Wilkes in a better position for future economic development efforts. “I am proud of the way our local governments have come together to work on this.
Nixon added, “They (company officials) praised us here and what we had to offer…. In a situation like this, it is often internal decisions. We were very competitive with our incentives and the state as well.
Nixon also said she doesn’t believe the amount of manpower available at Wilkes is a big factor. “The workforce is a challenge for everyone right now and I don’t think it’s much different in Wilkes than elsewhere in the rural counties. “
Comments from some local officials during interviews indicated that the chosen site could attract workers from North Carolina due to its location in a neighboring state.
Wilkes County Commissioners recently considered, but decided not to purchase a certain tract of undeveloped land in Wilkesboro for economic development. County officials said this property was not involved in the Flow project.
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