Touting it as one of the best in the state, Richmond County Commissioners moved forward with funding a $2 million shell building as part of an ongoing county program.
As part of a federal loan program through Pee Dee Electric, construction will soon get underway with contractors excavating a section of Richmond County’s Highway 74 Industrial Park in anticipation of the project but held off on assembling the building until commissioners approved the loan agreement last week.
“It’s currently under construction at our Highway 74 industrial park. It’s a 40,000 square-foot, pre-engineered building … We have one of the most successful shell-building programs in the state of North Carolina,” said Bryan Lamb, Richmond County manager, during his introduction of the 2024-2025 budget. “That building is 40,000 feet, but it is pre-pad graded and can expand up to 80,000. The terms of that loan are zero percent for 10 years and can be differed for up to 24 months. That’s a great fund that Pee Dee Electric assisted us with.”
While presenting the 2024-2025 budget to commissioners, Land dedicated a significant portion of his time to highlighting the success of manufacturers located inside the county industrial park, which he believes is an indicator of a strong economy.
“We saw several projects come to fruition. Many more prospective new clients visited Richmond County … Nearly all of our industries experience organic growth over the last year, which mirrors that of a strong economy,” Land said. “Most have incrementally increased their jobs and investment throughout the year. Martie Butler, our economic developer and management analyst, and I are cautiously optimistic about what we see in the future as far as economic development. We are both looking forward to a strong 2024-2025 year.”
As previously reported by the Richmond County Daily Journal, the loan agreement came at the behest of Butler. During an interview before last week’s meeting, Butler said the shell building at the industrial park would benefit economic development in Richmond County by attracting outside manufacturers to either relocate to Richmond County or establish themselves in Richmond County. With a building already in place, and not having to spend time to renovate an existing building or go out of pocket to construct a building, companies may put Richmond County higher on their list of potential suitors.
“Having product available is key in economic development. If you do not have any product, then you’re more than likely not going to have any new business or growth. We’ve had existing industries expand into our shell buildings and new businesses move into our shell buildings. We have a mixed bag … We’ve been at this for a while. It’s been a pretty good little program for us,” Butler said.
This will be the sixth building constructed as part of Richmond County’s shell-building program.
“This is a very successful program we’ve had to attract future manufacturers,” said Jeff Smart, chairman of the Richmond County Commission.