Richmond County Daily Journal
A tour of the Big Rock East Coast Distribution Center was what the county Economic Development team got Wednesday during their monthly meeting.
A group of about 10 people on the economic development team ventured into the 310,000 square foot distribution center where they got to see the operation in action.
Conveyer belts, shelves as far as the eye could see and bustling employees now fill the warehouse.
The tour was a chance for members of the economic development team to ask Bill Wall, site manager, questions regarding the shipping process and what the company looks for when hiring new employees.
Big Rock now employs about 150 people and will likely stay at that number for while.
Wall said the most important thing a person needs to have to work at Big Rock is computer literacy, because everything is done on wrist scanners and the conveyer belts are all hooked up to a network of computers.
Wall said the employees he’s hired who have gone through courses at Richmond Community College have been an asset.
Prior to the tour Wednesday morning, County Manager Rick Sago told the team that Progress Energy, another large employer in the area now has about 225 workers on the payroll for the construction of their new plant, with about 40 percent of those are Richmond County residents.
Sago said the employment will peak at about 400 around May.
Members of the economic development team as well as commissioners and other individuals have been invited to tour the new Progress Energy facility Sept. 16.
A date for the economic development team’s November meeting has not been set.
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