Moore County Economic Development Partnership (MCEDP) recently released its Quarterly Progress Report highlighting its activities and initiatives for the quarter that ended Dec. 31, 2024.
“MCEDP’s focus this quarter spanned a wide range of activities from new business recruitment to existing business expansion and support to continued collaborations with partner organizations to address important community issues,” said Natalie Hawkins, MCEDP president, in a press release on Feb. 13. “Notably, several of these activities focused on advancing development opportunities in northern Moore County.”
Highlighted activities and successes this second quarter of the MCEDP fiscal year included:
*In November, the Moore County Board of Commissioners approved Autoport’s request to rezone 400 acres in northwestern Moore County that will enable the $100 million Uwharrie Motorsports Park and Resort to move forward. This level of capital investment will be transformative for the entire county but especially for the greater Robbins community.
*MCEDP staff participated in a Midwest Recruiting Mission with NC’s Southeast and promoted Moore County as a favorable business location to companies in Illinois and Wisconsin that may be considering relocations or expansions in the near future.
*MCEDP is also exploring an opportunity to attract biomass-based manufacturers and suppliers to Moore County. Successful recruitment of industries such as energy production and wood-based manufacturing could enhance the county’s agricultural economy and particularly benefit northern Moore County, where agricultural activity and biomass resources are concentrated.
*MCEDP helped Reliance Packaging secure local incentives from the Town of Aberdeen and Moore County, collectively totaling $226,000 to support the manufacturer’s $7.5 million expansion in Aberdeen. MCEDP assisted the town and county with preparing the respective performance-based incentive agreements for Reliance.
*MCEDP successfully negotiated a one-year option to purchase with the owners of a 42-acre site on NC Highway 24/27 in Robbins and secured a $30,000 grant from NC’s Southeast to complete due diligence and more fully determine the site’s potential for development as a business park.
*MCEDP hosted two events this quarter aimed at providing essential support and resources to local businesses. The Oct. 6 Manufacturing Day Breakfast brought together more than 40 local manufacturers, support organizations, and elected officials to celebrate National Manufacturing Day. Attendees heard a presentation about “Unlocking the Power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Manufacturing” and toured Bulldog Pipe LLC, a manufacturer of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) pipe that MCEDP recruited to Aberdeen in 2024.
*More than 150 aspiring entrepreneurs, small business owners, and support organizations attended MCEDP’s 2nd annual Moore Entrepreneurial Summit on Nov. 19. The Summit featured two expert panel discussions about how to use AI to market small businesses and how to scale a business. Attendees also engaged in valuable networking and connected one-on-one with more than a dozen resource providers.
*MCEDP continued working with partner organizations on initiatives to address community challenges such as workforce, housing, and child care. MCEDP is an active member of the Moore County Workforce Development Collaborative, a group of community partners led by the Moore County Chamber of Commerce that hosts events and works with employers on strategic initiatives to address workforce issues.
*MCEDP also worked with partners to investigate the Our State: Our Home program and the Housing Supply Accelerator Playbook as resources to help address Moore County’s need for affordable workforce housing. At MCEDP’s March 4 Moore 100 Members Meeting at Sandhills Community College, Patrick Bowen, president of Bowen National Research, will present the results of the Moore County Housing Needs Assessment that was part of a larger 21-county regional housing study his firm conducted in 2024.
*The NC Department of Transportation’s recently released “State of Aviation” report revealed that of North Carolina’s 72 publicly owned airports, Moore County Airport is in the top 16 with its economic output of $135.5 million. In October, MCEDP President Natalie Hawkins; Airport Director Rick Cloutier; and Pinehurst, Southern Pines, Aberdeen Area Convention & Visitors Bureau President & CEO Phil Werz attended the 2024 TakeOff North America conference and met with several airlines that expressed interest in reestablishing commercial air service at Moore County Airport. In February, Hawkins, Cloutier, and Werz will attend the Routes Americas 2025 conference to hold additional meetings with airline representatives to discuss next steps.
*The March 4 Moore 100 Members Meeting is the first of three Members Meetings in 2025, and MCEDP will soon release the dates and speaker topics for the meetings in June and October. Moore 100 Meetups are scheduled on April 1, Sept. 2, and Dec. 3.
For more information, visit www.moorecountyedp.org/moore-100.
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File photo of downtown Southern Pines by Sandhills Sentinel photographer Cow McFarland.
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