2020-2021 Rockingham County Economic Development Annual Report

2020-2021 ANNUAL REPORT

Rockingham County Center for Economic Development, Small Business, and Tourism

www.GoRockinghamCountyNC.com www.VisitRockinghamCountyNC.com 336-342-8138

Economic Developer of the Year!

Congratulations

to Rockingham County's very own,

Leigh Cockram

North Carolina's 2021

Economic Developer of the Year!

A Note from our Director When I arrived at Rockingham County in February 2019, I knew the county was in a great location to win industrial projects. What I didn't expect, to be honest, was a year like we had in FY20-21. In the midst of a pandemic, our office was able to have a record breaking industrial recruitment and expansion year, announcing more than $790 million in new investment and 490 jobs. In addition to the success of our traditional traditional economic development functions, our small business division worked hard to support county businesses in securing grants funds to stay open and expand their online marketing efforts, while tourism worked hard to recover from revenues lost due to a nation and state-wide shut down by promoting the wonderful outdoor recreational opportunities tourist could safely participate in. To say that I am proud of our economic development team for working hard during these challenging times is an understatement. I look forward to seeing what more is in store for this astounding team.

Best,

Leigh

Meet Our Team Leigh Cockram

Kerry Taylor-Pinnix

Tara Martin

Betsy Brame

Director

Deputy Director

Marketing Manager

Small Business & Economic Development Coordinator

Rockingham County at a Glance

827,621

91,077

Labor Force Within A 50-Minutes Commute

32.1%

Population 2021

44.7

Median Age

$43,579 Median Household Income

Of People Within A 50-Minute Commute Have A Bachelor's Degree or Higher Rockingham County's average cost of living is lower than the U.S. average.

13%

Industrial Development 2020-2021: Record Breaking Year

$792,100,000 In New Capital Investments Announced

490 New Jobs Announced Nestle Purina announced its newest dry pet food manufacturing plant in the former Miller-Coors Brewery facility on September 30th, 2020.

This announcement represents the largest economic development win in the county's history with a $750 million investment and 300 jobs. Nestle Purina will begin production in 2023.

Farmina, an Italian based, scientificallydeveloped pet food company, announced its $28.5 million capital investment in Rockingham County on December 8, 2020.

They will be located in Reidsville Industrial Park and will bring with them 129 new jobs.

This announcement was first announcement for Reidsville Industrial Park in two years.

They will begin production in 2023.

On December 10, 2020, the North Carolina Department of Commerce's Rural Infrastructure Authority approved building reuse grants for three Rockingham County existing industry expansions; Blow Molded ($200,000 awarded; 28 new jobs), Night Owl ($100,000 awarded; 18 new jobs), and Sturm, Ruger & Company ($500,000 awarded; 60 new jobs). The combined grant approvals equal $800,000 with a commitment of 106 new jobs collectively.

Small Business Business Names Registered

ASSISTED ROCKINGHAM COUNTY BUSINESSES IN OBTAINING NEARLY

202

$1.5 MILLION THROUGH RESTAURANT REVITILIZATION GRANTS

Worked with Rockingham County Small Business Center along with Zipster to assist small businesses with expanding their market online.

NINE

Assisted Rockingham County Small Business Center with marketing videos for

13

Rockingham County Small Businesses

Fosters Grill Barbour Studio and Gallery The Front Porch Oyster Creek

Welcomed Several Small Businesses Including...

LilyMae Bridal

Reisdville Trading Post

The Hive

Wine Nox

The Thrift Shack

Raye & Co.

Blissful Palette

Pink Poppi

8

Participants

Rockingham County Office Machines BPNC House of Health Clock Tower Herald 241 Events

Launched Icehouse Entrepreneurship Program

Gem Dandy Celebrates 100 Years Congratulations to Gem-Dandy of Madison, for celebrating 100 years in business!

Gem-Dandy, a successor to the Penn Suspender Company, started in downtown Madison, North Carolina by the Penn Family in 1921. Their first major product, the GEMCO Adjustable Garter, was quickly patented patented as the first fully adjustable garter for men, women, and children. The company later entered into the belt business which has landed them with several popular brands such as Greg Norman ®, Pebble Beach ®, John Deere ®, Berne ®, REALTREE ®, Roper ® and Colours by Alexander Julian ® as well as their own proprietary brands including Danbury Golf, Danbury Workwear, Lady Danbury, G-Bar-D Western Outfitters and Cowgirls Rock.

Today, they are one of the country’s leading belt and accessory companies and serve retailers around the globe.

Tourism

$237,774.49

Collected in Occupancy Tax, 2020-2021

TOURISM LAUNCHES NEW SITE In November 2020, the Rockingham County Tourism Development Authority was awarded $18,000 from the North Carolina Tourism Recovery Committee to upgrade their website to be more COVID friendly. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was apparent changes needed to be made to the previous website in an effort to adhere to C new site was officially launched in December 2020.

COVID-19 precautions. The The look and and functionality of the new site centers around providing more COVID related content and easier ways for users to research and find information to help eliminate face to face contact during their visit to Rockingham County.

QUILT TRAIL ADDS 34TH SQUARE The Rockingham County Quilt Trail added a new location and square this year, for a total of 34 squares since 2015. The newest square is located on the campus of Rockingham Community College and is displayed on the Tobacco Factory of the Historical Village (568 County Home Road).

RIVER ACCESS SIGNS REPLACED TDA staff worked with NCDOT to replace the 19 year old water recreation access signs in the county. The 19 signs around the county were starting to show significant age but now are fresh, vibrant, and consistent as they direct visitors to our numerous river and lake access points.

MADISON RIVER PARK NOW OPEN The Madison River Park (formally the Lindsey Bridge river access) celebrated its ribbon cutting on May 21, 2021. The park was made possible with the discovery of the endangered Roanoke Log Perch (RLP). Because of its endangerment, the RLP opened up several funding streams which brought the park to reality. The park is home to a newly installed weir system which provides river goers with an exciting white water experience while also providing passage for the RLP to swim upstream.

2020 Tourism Impact Report

$2.4 $2.8 LOCAL TAX REVENUE

MILLION

MILLION

TAX REVENUES GENERATED -32.6% FROM 2019

MILLION

$60.6

STATE TAX REVENUE

$18.3

MILLION

-16.3% FROM 2018

IN TOURISM-SUPPORTED LABOR PAYROLL

Source: The Economic Impact of Travel on North Caorlina Counties, Visit North Carolina

Employment Overview TOP INDUSTRIAL EMPLOYERS Company

# of Employees

Product

Country of Origin

Unifi, Inc Sturm, Ruger & Co., Inc Gildan Activewear Eden Inc. Frontier Spinning Mills Dorada Foods Formerly Keystone Foods Albaad USA Henniges Automotive Mabe Trucking Global Textile Alliance Pella Corporation McMichael Mills Weil-McLain Loparex, Inc Southern Finishing Pine Hall Brick Co. Inc. Armor Express Press Glass - Glass Dynamics Amcor Tobacco Packaging Bridgestone Aircraft Tire (USA), Inc. Sans Technical Fibers, LLC

714 593 427 420 404 313 303 300 283 246 192 180 175 164 160 150 145 138 117 101

Nylon & Covered Yarns Gun Manufacturer Warehouse Distribution Knitwear Textile Knitting and Weaving Processed Chicken Baby Wipes Automotive Seals Trucking - Motor Freight Services Textiles Manufactural Window and Door Covered Yarn Industrial and Commercial Boilers Release Paper Custom Molded Bed Rails Clay Brick Pavers Brick Bullet Proof Body Armor Fabricated Flat Glass Tobacco Packaging Aircraft Tires Industrial Nylon Fibers

USA USA Canada USA USA Israel China USA USA USA USA USA Netherlands USA USA USA Poland Switzerland Japan USA

TOP FOUR EMPLOYMENT SECTORS

Rockingham County Unemployment Rate

7.2%

October 2020

4.3%

October 2021

Citizens for Economic Development BOARD OF DIRECTORS Grayson Whitt, Chairman First National Bank Bill Lester, 1st Vice Chair LKC Engineering, PLLC Don Powell, 2nd Vice Chair Powell and Associates Pam Cundiff, Secretary/Treasurer Travel Consultants Dr. Mark Kinlaw, Executive Board Representative Rockingham Community College President Leigh Cockram, Executive Board Representative Center for Economic Development, Small Business & Tourism Director

Eden Area Randy Hunt City of Eden Community and Economic Development Manager Jonathan Jobe HomeTrust Bank Reidsville Area Angie Orth Annie Penn Hospital BJ Case Truist Harold Vaden Retired Jeff Garstka Reidsville Director Economic Development

Wesern Rockingham Micky Silvers Retired Kevin Baughn Madison Town Manager Bert Bennett Bennett Family Farm Lessa Hopper Mayodan Town Manager Greensboro Area John Geib Duke Energy Raul Peralta ECS Carolina, LLP Adam Carroll Timmons Group

Ex-Officio Non-Voting Directors George Murphy Wentworth Town Administrator Perry Webster Stoneville Town Administrator Pleas McMichael Past Chair Retired Rodney Shotwell Superintendent Rockingham County Schools