2023-24 Rockingham County Economic Development, Small Business, and Tourism Annual Report

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

ANNUAL 20

REPORT 24

Envision Youth Career Expo

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

INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT

Golden Leaf Grants Fund Industrial Site Readiness

Envision Youth Career Expo

In 2021 and 2022, Economic Development was awarded two Golden Leaf SITE grants to assist in preparing two sites (Reidsville Industrial Park and Eden/Rockingham New Street site) to be cleared and graded for 15 acre pad ready sites. Reidsville Industrial Park was completed this past year and Eden/Rockingham New Street will be completed Fall 2024. These publicly owned sites allow Rockingham County to now offer several shovel-ready site options for industrial companies looking to locate here.

Economic Development, in collaboration with Rockingham Community College and Rockingham County Schools, hosted the first annual Envision Youth Career Expo in October 2023. There were more than 60 business participants showcasing Rockingham County career opportunities through hands-on activities. Approximately 1,500 Rockingham County (public, private, and homeschool) 7th and 10th grade students visited the Expo.

LevelUp Rockingham Created for Workforce Development

Reidsville Industrial Park

Eden/Rockingham New Street Site

Drylock Technologies Announces $26.9M Investment Drylock Technologies, a Belgium-based, hygiene company, announced February 28, 2024 they have selected Rockingham County as their first U.S. Baby Care Manufacturing Site. This announcement brings with it 113 new jobs and more than $26.9M in investment over 3 years and more then $30M and 150 jobs in 5 years.

Nestle Purina Celebrates Grand Opening Nestle Purina celebrated the official grand opening of its Eden location on March 26, 2024. The new Purina factory in Eden has already created more than 350 new positions and is also generating significant commercial tax revenue for the City of Eden and Rockingham County.

Economic Development staff worked with a national marketing firm, Honestly., to create LevelUp Rockingham County. LevelUp Rockingham County aims to bring more awareness to the career pathways and workforce resources available to teenagers and young adults in Rockingham County. This initiative brings an informative website and marketing materials to be used by the Workforce Development Manager to be hired in FY 2024-25.

Paxton Patterson Labs Implemented in RCS Paxton Patterson Labs provide students with hands-on, collaborative experiences in career exploration. Initially piloted at Reidsville and Holmes Middle Schools, this innovative program has now expanded, thanks to funding from the ETWI Grant, Economic Development manages.

Rockingham County Schools has been able to extend the program to Western Rockingham and Rockingham Middle Schools while also adding two new modules to the labs at Reidsville and Holmes Middle Schools.

Golden Leaf Funds Awarded for Workforce Development Farmina Makes Great Strides in Construction of its Facility Farmina Pet Foods announced December 8, 2020 its plans to open their first U.S. facility in Reidsville. The Italian pet food company officially broke ground in November 2022 and has been working tirelessly to build its state-of-the-art facility from the ground up. Today, the 150,000 square foot facility stands prominently in Reidsville Industrial Park, with the majority of its exterior construction complete.

Construction of the facility, including the inside production area and lab, is anticipated to be complete and the plant to be operational in 2025. To date, Farmina has hired 17 of the total 129 jobs they anticipate.

In February 2024, Rockingham Community College received $800,000 in funding from the Golden LEAF Foundation for a collaborative workforce development project with Rockingham County Economic Development & Rockingham County Schools. This project will help Rockingham County Students explore careers at a young age and clearly define pathways to three high-demand career fields including advance manufacturing, construction trades, & healthcare. These funds will cover faculty positions for RCC’s Welding & Construction Trades program as well as the County’s Workforce Development Manager position.

RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT

SMALL BUSINESS

Rockingham County has approved over 2,600 new major single-family homes in subdivisions such as Colly Farm, Jacob’s Creek, and Neal Farm.

Partnered with Rockingham Community College, Small Business Center, to offer current and new entrepreneurs continued learning opportunities including Disney Guy Seminars (3), online seminars (46+), and in-person events (2).

Builders for these new homes include LGI Homes and D. R. Horton.

Business Names Registered

282

July 1, 2023 - June 30 2024

Welcomed Several Small Businesses Including...

Summers Charm Emerge Ortho

OH Sugar

The Birch

Turtle Creek Bakery

Carolina Quick Care Briggs Family Kitchen

The Fenix

Jersey Mike’s

54

Small Business Clients Counseled

$93.86

million

TOURISM

total in total visitor spending 2022-2023 Tourism Unveils Visit RoCo Branding In December 2022, Rockingham County Tourism Development Authority unveiled their new brand, Visit RoCo. The new brand was put in place to give Rockingham County Tourism its own, distinguished identity. Since the launch, Visit RoCo staff have worked diligently to promote the Visit RoCo brand through various media outlets including print, radio, and television, as well as through highly sought after RoCo swag.

New RoCo Quilt Trail Guide Visit RoCo announced the release of the completely revamped RoCo Quilt Trail Guide. The RoCo Quilt Trail Guide replaces the previous Rockingham County Quilt Trail Road Trip guide with a fresh new look, layout, and suggestions for must-visit locations along the way. The new guide is designed to allow followers to experience more of Rockingham County, including places to eat, sip, shop, and play, while exploring the Quilt Trail.

Visit RoCo Celebrates Year of the Trail Rockingham County was excited to participate in the largest statewide celebration of trails and outdoor recreation in North Carolina history. The Board of Commissioners signed a proclamation during the Dec 5th, 2022 commissioners meeting. RoCo partnered with municipalities, local organizations, and trail champions to host events and programs that highlighted our local trails and outdoor spaces. Rockingham County hosted over 40 events out on the trails, and was 1 of 20 counties to hit that milestone.

Blueway Signs Mark RoCo Blueway Access Points Blueway signage was placed this year, under the existing brown, NCDOT water access recreation signs within Rockingham County. Placement of the Blueway Signs is an integral port of phase II of the Blueway Branding initiative, which is centered on strengthening brand awareness and most importantly, ensuring blueway goers can easily identify when they are utilizing a RoCo Blueway river or lake access point.

2023 TOURISM IMPACT REPORT

$ 3 7 3 , 2 1 0 . 1 8 collected in occupancy TAX REVENUES GENERATED MILLION

MILLION

$3.1 $3.8

LOCAL TAX REVENUE

STATE TAX REVENUE

VISITOR SPENDING BY SECTOR Food & Drink

Transportation

Retail

Recreation

Lodging

$33.6 M

$22.6M

$6.7M

$11.4M

$19.6M

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

NOTE FROM OUR DIRECTOR

EMPLOYMENT AND ECONOMIC OVERVIEW

FY23-24 was a pivotal year for our office, as we remained committed to diversifying Rockingham County’s economy through targeted efforts in industrial recruitment, small business support, and tourism promotion. Key initiatives included infrastructure and site enhancements, active recruitment of new industries, and fostering strategic public-private partnerships to drive business growth and bolster workforce development.

Our success is reflected in the expansion of new residential developments and a strengthened industrial base, both of which have contributed to population growth and an expanded tax base. Beyond recruitment, we continue to collaborate with existing industries, ensuring they have access to a skilled workforce. By working closely with Rockingham Community College and Rockingham County Schools, we are aligning career pathways with industry needs to meet future workforce demands.

Tourism remains a cornerstone of our economic strategy. Leveraging Rockingham's outdoor recreational assets and natural attractions has resulted in record occupancy tax revenue and generated over $3 million in local sales tax revenue, underscoring the economic value of these efforts.

These collective achievements demonstrate robust economic growth and lay the foundation for continued success in the years ahead.

REGIONAL RECOGNITIONS

Top Industrial Employers Company

# of Employees Product

Country of Origin

Unifi, Inc Gildan Activewear Eden, Inc Sturm, Ruger & Co, Inc Dorada Foods Formally Keystone Foods Nestle Purina Gildan Yarns (2 locations) Formally Frontier Henniges Automotive Mabe Trucking Southern Finishing McMichael Mills Ontex Pine Hall Brick Co. Inc Press Glass - Glass Dynamics Weil McLain Amcor Tobacco Packaging Milliken (Former Frontier) Armor Express Bridgestone Aircraft Tire (USA), Inc. Guy & O’Neill Pella Corporation Sans Technical Fibers, LLC Global Textile Alliance Beta Fueling Systems

656 651 634 418 330 319 315 300 239 205 201 185 183 180 177 160 155 140 130 129 101 95 72

USA Canada USA USA USA USA China USA USA USA Belgium USA Poland USA USA USA USA Japan USA USA USA USA USA

RoCo at a Glance WORKFORCE AND WAGES

POPULATION & DEMOGRAPHICS

DIVERSE LABOR POOL OF

42,151

Congratulations to our Director, Leigh Cockram, for being named one of the Triad Business Journal's Power Players in November and Outstanding Women in Business in February.

Unemployment Rate Has Decreased from

4.2%

in 2022

43,847

Population Growth

total housing units

92,455

$193,470

90.5 89

median home value

‘19

‘20

‘21

‘22

4,000+

‘23

approved new single-family homes

1.2% in population growth over 5 years

3.5%

COST OF LIVING

in 2024

Outstanding Women in Business: This honor recognizes 25 talented Triad leaders in education, health care nonprofits, banking, and professional services.

HOUSING

92

COUNTY-WIDE

Power Player: Leigh was one of 80 leaders across the region to be recognized for being the most influential individuals responsible for moving the Triad’s economy forward.

Nylon & Covered Yarns Warehouse Distribution Knitwear Gun Manufacturer Processed Chicken Pet Food Yarn for knitting & weaving trades Automotive Seals Trucking - Motor Freight Services Custom Molded Bed Rails Covered Yarn Mfg Diapers Clay Brick Pavers Brick Fabricated Flat Glass Industrial & Commercial Boilers Printing of Tobacco Packaging Yarn for knitting & weaving trades Bullet Proof Body Armor Aircraft Tires Wet Wipes Window and Door Manufacturer Industrial Nylon 6-6 Fibers Textiles Aircraft Grnd Support Equipment

ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, NC

Annual Average Wage has Increased 44%

NORTH CAROLINA

92,455

total population

44.56

USA

median age

Congratulations Leigh! We are so very proud of you!

RATE

Congratulations to The Rockingham County Tourism Development Authority on being presented the Dan River Basin Partnership Award.

The Partnership Award is presented to an organization, municipality, or state organization that has shown dedication to DRBA’s mission through collaboration, participation, and collective action. TDA has been a long-time partner of DRBA and provided significant resources, including funding, to help promote recreation in Rockingham County.

Congratulations Rockingham County TDA.

$38,563 $43,892 to in 2022 in 2024

Bill Lester, Chairman LKC Engineering, PLLC

Pam Cundiff, Secretary/Treasurer Travel Consultants Dr. Mark Kinlaw, Executive Board Representative Rockingham Community College President

Kerry Taylor-Pinnix

Lindsay Pegg

Betsy Brame

Director

Deputy Director

Tourism Manager

Small Business & Economic Development Coordinator

Tara Martin Marketing Manager

.5801 $100

Board of Directors

Amy Brown, 2nd Vice Chair First National Bank

Leigh Cockram

48.57% MALE

CITIZENS ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Don Powell, 1st Vice Chair Powell and Associates

MEET OUR TEAM

51.43% FEMALE

94% 94.4% 100%

Leigh Cockram, Executive Board Representative Center for Economic Development, Small Business & Tourism Director

Eden Area Kelly Stultz City of Eden Jonathan Jobe HomeTrust Bank Reidsville Area John Morrison New Atlantic Mac Williams Reidsville Interim Director of Economic Development Western Rockingham Micky Silvers Retired Amy Roberts Madison Town Manager

Bert Bennett Bennett Family Farm

Ex-Officio Non-Voting Directors Yvonne Russell Wentworth Town Representative

Regional Area Hank Henning Duke Energy

Barbara Hollerand Stoneville Town Administrator

Sun Breza ECS Carolina, LLP

Grayson Whitt Past Chair Retired

Melody Shuler Mayodan Town Manager

Adam Carroll Timmons Group Josh Cleveland Energy United Steven Ziglar APAC - Atlantic Inc (Thompson-Author Division)

John Stover Superintendent Rockingham County Schools Kevin Berger Rockingham County Board of Commissioner's