WAYNE COUNTY, NC — A regional economic development initiative backed by $7.5 million in state funding is paying dividends across southeastern North Carolina, including right here in Wayne County.
According to North Carolina’s Southeast (NCSE), a product development initiative launched in 2022 has helped support industrial growth throughout its 20-county service region, contributing to major company announcements totaling more than 2,100 new jobs and over $1.2 billion in capital investment.
For Wayne County, the investment helped support the development of two shell buildings that quickly attracted a major international manufacturer.
The North Carolina Global TransPark Economic Development Region (NCGTPEDR), which includes Wayne and Lenoir counties, used a portion of the funding to assist with the construction of the industrial buildings that are now being occupied by Turkish textile manufacturer Pelsan Tekstil.
“We’d barely put the finishing touch on those buildings before Pelsan took them down,” said Mark Pope, president of the North Carolina Global TransPark Economic Development Region. “We wouldn’t have accomplished that if it weren’t for the partnerships we had in bringing that idea to life — and that includes our partnership with NC’s Southeast and their investment into those buildings.”
Pope said the success of the project demonstrates the importance of having move-in-ready industrial space available for companies seeking to expand or relocate.
“Economic development is a fast-moving business,” Pope said. “If we can offer companies a piece of property that they can move into tomorrow, it gives us a real edge on other states going after the same project.”
NCSE President Steve Yost said the organization’s product development initiative has focused heavily on helping rural communities prepare industrial sites and buildings that can attract new employers.
Since receiving an initial $5 million appropriation from the North Carolina General Assembly in 2021, followed by an additional $2.5 million in 2023, NCSE has invested funding into 26 industrial site development projects and 10 industrial building projects throughout the region.
The organization reports that those investments have leveraged more than $64 million in additional funding, helped create more than 150 acres of pad-ready industrial sites, and identified 17 potential new industrial locations.
Yost credited state lawmakers for making the initiative possible.
“None of this would be possible if it weren’t for the continued support by our state legislators,” Yost said. “Without their support, our region wouldn’t have been able to make the strides it’s made in the last few years in terms of economic growth.”
Across the region, eight companies have announced new facilities or expansions tied to projects supported by the initiative. Those announcements have generated 2,163 jobs and more than $1.25 billion in capital investment.
Local economic development leaders believe Wayne County’s success with Pelsan Tekstil demonstrates how strategic investments in industrial infrastructure can position rural communities to compete for future economic opportunities.
With the Pelsan project now underway, Pope said regional partners are already looking ahead to the next opportunity.
“Now, we’re looking forward to building two more just like them so we can land the next project, too,” he said.
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