annual report

2008-09
Henderson County PartnersHiP for eConomiC develoPment, inC.

15 years of Creating and

retaining Quality Jobs
 Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development, INC.

Board of Directors
2008-09 Officers
Adam Shealy, Chairman
The Van Winkle Law Firm
Sandy Tallant, Past Chair
Duke Energy
Mark Stone, Chair Elect
First Citizens Bank
Nathan Kennedy, Treasurer
BB&T
Chip Gould, Product Development Chair
Cason Companies, Inc.
Kelly Leonard, Marketing Chair
Forest Commercial Bank
Chris Burns, Chamber Chair 2008
Summit Marketing Group, LLC
Greg Burnette, Chamber Chair 2009
First Citizens Bank
Andrew Tate, President & CEO
Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development

Directors
Chairman Ervin Bazzle
Henderson County Board of
Public Education
Gus Campano
Glade Holdings, Inc.
Tom Cooper
Cooper Construction Company
Councilman Hugh Clark
Town of Fletcher
Rob Cranford
Morrow Insurance
Carsten Erkel
Elkamet
Jim Hall
Investors Realty Group
Don Hallingse
PSNC Energy
Lynn Johnson
Dixon-Hughes, PLLC
Mayor Henry Johnson
Town of Laurel Park
Dave Modaff
Friday Staffing Services
Chairman Bill Moyer
Henderson County Board of
Commissioners
Mayor Greg Newman
City of Hendersonville
Dr. Molly Parkhill
Blue Ridge Community College
Mayor Bob Staton
Village of Flat Rock
Mayor Roger Snyder
Town of Mills River
LaVoy Spooner
AT&T
Debbie Wilkinson
Wachovia
letter from the Chairman
2009 marks 15 years of an organized economic
development effort for henderson County, north
Carolina. During those 15 years the henderson
County Partnership for Economic Development
has been highly adaptive in pursuit of quality
jobs; streamlining our offerings, improving
our assets and mitigating our perceived weak-
nesses. all the while, we continue to remain
focused on maintaining our foundation, and
our responsibility to grow and retain quality
jobs in henderson County.
The assets of our County continue to shape the
sectors that we target in our marketing efforts.
Whether the industry involves metals, automo-
tive, aviation or plastics, henderson County
offers an impressive combination of quality
workforce, logistics, infrastructure and govern-
ment support. Deeper into this report, we will
highlight these four sectors and profile some
existing industries within those sectors.
One unwavering foundational element of our
organization is our commitment to those busi-
nesses that already have a presence in hen-
derson County. We continue to listen closely to
the needs of our existing industry and develop
solutions with their direction. Our organization
serves as an advocate for more than 135 manu-
facturers and assemblers in henderson County;
acting on their behalf so that they may focus
on producing their products and running their
businesses.
This past year has shown that our focus on ex-
isting industry is not just the right thing to do
— it is also the smart thing to do. While many
new construction projects have been on hold or
delayed indefinitely, consolidation projects have
made up a significant portion of our project
volume. Of the seven projects that resulted
in job creation, retention and/or investment
over the past year, all involved companies that
already had a presence in henderson County.
in each of these instances, our organization and
partners competed against other communities
across the united states and internationally to
win the projects. When these businesses had to
make difficult decisions about which facilities
were vital to their operations, and which loca-
tions would be included in their future plans,
henderson County came out on top.
The capacity to be adaptive is afforded through
public and private sector investors that recog-
nize the importance of our work and continue
to choose to invest in our efforts. We have been
afforded the opportunity to be proactive in eco-
nomic development thanks to the dedicated
leadership of our Board of Directors and our
Members and investors. i would like to sin-
cerely thank all who have contributed time and
talents to the Partnership during the past 15
years, and assure you that we remain focused
on maintaining our foundation by continuing
our efforts to retain and create quality jobs in
henderson County.
adam l. shealy
The van Winkle law firm
2008-09 Chairman of the Board
4 | hEnDErsOn COunT y Pa rTnErshiP fOr ECOnOMiC DEvElOPMEnT

existing industry
T
he henderson County Partnership for Economic Development The primary vehicle to accomplish
continues to operate an aggressive and proactive industrial re- these objectives is face-to-face
tention & Expansion Program (ir&E). The ir&E Program is a visits with industrial executives in
collaborative effort between hCPED, Bill Payne of the nC Department henderson County. The visits are
of Commerce Western Office and Julie Thompson and Shanda Bedoian customized and tailored to each
of Blue ridge Community College. The program is focused on: company’s scope, size, product
and facility needs. visits provide
• Helping Henderson County industry become more competitive
company executives with up-to-
• Removing obstacles that prevent existing industry from remaining date information regarding local
in operation and/or growing in henderson County trends and initiatives, as well as
• Demonstrating that the community appreciates industrial investment connecting industries with local
in henderson County. resources and business opportuni-
ties. ir&E visits also provide an
metrics

outlet for manufacturing executives

Industrial Retention & Expansion Visitations 36 to discuss business developments,
Contact with Industry Stakeholders 122 industry trends and concerns that
may be on the horizon.

Company: Advanced Technical

COMPANY PROFILE

Welding
Industry: Metals + Machinery

Advanced Technical Welding represents a

core cluster of metal fabrication and welding
found throughout Henderson County, NC.
Advanced Technical Welding specializes in
repair welding of injection tooling, hardened
tool steels, exotic materials, USDA, FDA,
FAA and other aviation-related welding.
 2008 –2009 a nnua l rEPOrT | 5

On July 1, 2008, the ir&E

Program advanced to include a
professional business tracking
software license specifically de- Since 1994, the Henderson County Partnership for
signed for economic development
needs. Executive Pulse is an inter- Economic Development has assisted clients resulting
active, web-based tool that allows
hCPED, nC Commerce and Blue
in $481,200,000 of new taxable investment, helping
ridge Community College to con- to create and retain 3,432 jobs. Existing industries
fidentially share information and
assign follow-up responsibilities on
that had a presence in Henderson County account for
henderson County industries. The 91% of that total investment and 85% of all new and
tool ensures we are responsive to
issues impacting our local manu- retained jobs.
facturers in addition to being able
to report on the health of existing
industry in aggregate form.
6 | hEnDErsOn COunT y Pa rTnErshiP fOr ECOnOMiC DEvElOPMEnT

industrial executives forum

O
n february 25, 2009, the Partnership held its 2nd annual indus- The forum included small-group
trial Executives forum designed to bring together local manufac- breakouts and a follow-up survey
turers, key stakeholders and elected officials. John Bell of Excel designed to collect feedback and
Consulting Group and Dan Ostergaard of Western Carolina university’s identify opportunities for hCPED
institute for the Economy and the future delivered remarks centered on to improve the business climate of
the theme of operating a business in a volatile economic climate. Presen- henderson County. forum partici-
tations were based on case study analysis, best practices, and economic pants asked that hCPED assist by:
projections for Western north Carolina and henderson County.
• Better leveraging the buying
power of Western north Caro-
lina on behalf of henderson
County manufacturers
• facilitating and building plat-
forms for connecting manufac-
turers and improving communi-
cation between them and allies
• Developing non-traditional tools
to expose new business opportu-
nities.
as a direct result of this feedback,
hCPED developed an industrial
Products & suppliers Directory,
focused on connecting buyers of
significance in WNC with local
sourcing opportunities in hender-

Company: Skyline Plastic

COMPANY PROFILE

Systems
Industry: Plastics

The development and production of

advanced plastic materials continues
to be a primary industry cluster
in Henderson County and Western
North Carolina. Owners Doc and
Debbie Smithson at Skyline Plastic
Systems specialize in plastic injection
molding.
 2008 –2009 a nnua l rEPOrT | 7

son County. hardcopies of the pub-
lication, in addition to a web-based
version, were developed with the
assistance of manufacturers. The
directory includes basic company
information, detailed description
and product photos. The directo-
ries were distributed to all hen-
derson County manufacturers and
large procurement entities to help
connect our industries with pro-
spective business opportunities.
To better facilitate communica-
tions and problem solving, we
established a linkedin hCPED
group where members can share
information, ask questions and
discuss pertinent issues. hCPED
also actively uses a Twitter account
to share information about our ac-
tivities and opportunities for hen-
derson County manufacturers.
Our keynote speaker for the forum,
Daniel Ostergaard, offered export
plan assistance to henderson
County manufacturers through
his international Trade course at
Western Carolina university. WCu
students held initial interviews
with company officials, and then
began researching international
export opportunities that were spe-
cific to each company and product.
Manual Woodworkers & Weavers,
leisure Craft and Dampp-Chaser
were each presented a complete
export assistance plan and de-
tailed recommendations in how to
move the plan forward.

John Bell, President of Excel Consulting Group,

and Daniel Ostergaard, Executive Director for
Western Carolina University’s Institute for the
Economy and the Future addressed more than 100
participants at the Industrial Executives Forum.
John highlighted a number of key components to
implement when striving to navigate and thrive
in a down economy. Dan presented demographic
data, trends, public policy developments and pro-
jections indicating a vibrant future for the manu-
facturing community in Henderson County.
8 | hEnDErsOn COunT y Pa rTnErshiP fOr ECOnOMiC DEvElOPMEnT

marketing
W
hile the volume of leads generated and identified during the Many of our recruitment-focused
previous year slightly outpaced the previous year, market- call missions and participation in
ing efforts were intensified to reach that level. In late 2008 it trade shows included complementa-
became clear that the standard holiday lead-stall around December was ry visits to out-of-town headquarters
going to extend well into the close of the fiscal year. Closer inspection of existing industry. a late March
led us to learn that the bulk of our activity revolved around consolida- trip to the Detroit, Mi area focused
tion planning. Businesses were liening assets, prioritizing facilities, and on attracting automotive compo-
shifting strategy — and our focus was to get in front of them before deci- nent suppliers that do business with
sions were made. BMW and might also do business
with the nearly completed vW facil-
During the 2008-09 year we con- lishing a linkedin hCPED group ity in Tn. This effort put us in front
tinued traditional marketing efforts for those engaged in our efforts, we of several companies that have high
with our partners like CarolinaWest, also jumped head-first into Twitter. interest in locating a southeastern
advantageWest and the nC Depart- While social media efforts are less us facility, in addition to allowing
ment of Commerce. We also initiated tangible and difficult to measure, us the opportunity to meet with
efforts to connect stakeholders and we can point to several inquiries decision makers at arvinMeritor,
promote our offering through social which we received the early lead on BorgWarner and Continental Teves
media outlets. in addition to estab- because of our engagement. at their headquarters.
During a CarolinaWest call mission
to the Dallas, TX area, primarily
focused on site-location consultants,
Leads Generated/Identified that HCPED Responded To 105 hCPED staff remained in the area
metrics

Participation in Targeted Call Missions or Trade Shows 16 to call on aviation and alternative
Projects: Site Visits to Henderson County by Active Clients 21 energy companies. another Caro-
Unique visitors to www.hcped.org 11,637 linaWest call mission to the new
Jersey and new york area led to a

visit with autronic Plastics incor-
porated, parent company of aPi
south in fletcher.
as in years past, hCPED worked
with the north Carolina Depart-
ment of Commerce on a variety
of marketing efforts including the
southeast us / Japan Conference
in raleigh, nC, the national Busi-
ness aviation association meeting
in Orlando, fl, and the industri-
al asset Management Council in
asheville, nC. We continue to im-
plement a collaborative approach
in marketing, focused on strength-
ening our offering while leveraging
limited resources.
2008 –2009 a nnua l rEPOrT | 9
marketing activities, 2008-09
Mission to Atlanta (NC Commerce)
Presentation to NC Commerce (HCPED)
Mission to Charlotte (CarolinaWest)
Southern Environment & Energy Expo (HCPED)
Parade of Pistons (HCPED)
National Business Aviation Association (HCPED)
Southeast US / Japan Conference (NC Commerce)
Mission to Dallas (CarolinaWest and HCPED)
Mission to Detroit (HCPED)
Site Selectors Invitational (NC Commerce)
Industrial Asset Management Council (NC Commerce)
Le Bourget Air Show (NC Commerce)
Skyline Plastic Systems
Final products are
utilized in domestic and
international markets,
ranging from specialty
designed horticultural
products to parts utilized
in the newly released
2010 Chevrolet Camaro.
10 | hEnDErsOn COunT y Pa rTnErshiP fOr ECOnOMiC DEvElOPMEnT

Product development
a
vital component of the Partnership’s economic development strategy Over the past year we were fortu-
involves the preservation and preparation of buildings and property nate to have had the opportunity
suited for industrial development. Our engagement in product de- to participate in the Duke Energy
velopment efforts involves private partners, and infrastructure and support site readiness Program with fern-
allies all with a shared vision. The fletcher Business Park and ferncliff cliff industrial Park. The program
industrial Park illustrate how our public-private partnership works best. consisted of an intensive process to
inventory available infrastructure,
identify challenges in the property’s
development and evaluate the site’s
marketability as client ready. The
process was directed by Duke Ener-
gy’s team and Jeannette Goldsmith
of McCallum sweeney Consulting.
We received significant support
and engagement from land-use, site
planning, infrastructure, environ-
mental and government partners to
successfully complete the program.
With many of the same partners,
we were able to complete a signifi-
cant amount of due diligence to the
property including: geotechnical
soil borings, threatened and en-
dangered species study and field
survey, archaeological and historic
structures survey, water and sewer

Company: Öhlins USA

COMPANY PROFILE

Industry: Automotive Components

Located less than 250 miles from 11 OEM automotive

facilities, professional driving circuits, and industry-
leading engineering and test centers, Henderson
County continues to be an attractive location for
manufacturing and distribution operations related
to the automotive industry. Öhlins USA is the North
American distributor and principal service center
of the world’s leading performance suspension
components for motor vehicles and motorcycles.

design engineering and permit-
ting, and a Phase i Environmental
survey assessment.
hCPED is fortunate to work with a
number of private businesses which
invest their resources into existing
buildings. in December 2006, a team
of local business leaders purchased
the former steelcase building in
fletcher and started the transforma-
tion to fletcher Business Park. The
team has made more than $4 million
in capital improvements to the
900,000-square-foot facility focused
on transitioning the building from
a single-purpose furniture manu-
facturer into a unique, multi-tenant
industrial property. in november
2008, taking the renovation one step
further, vanir Energy (formerly ap-
2008 –2009 a nnua l rEPOrT | 11
palachian Energy) announced that
the 23-acre roof of the fletcher Busi-
ness Park building would house the
world’s largest solar thermal heating
and cooling system. The building is
now home to over a dozen businesses
including Diamond Brand Manufac-
turing, Earthfare and high Gear –
going from empty to 86% capacity in
less than two years.
12 | hEnDErsOn COunT y Pa rTnErshiP fOr ECOnOMiC DEvElOPMEnT

Cumulative investment since 1994

JOBS JOBS
BUSINESS NAME INVESTMENT ($) NEW SAVED BUSINESS NAME INVESTMENT ($) NEW SAVED
Prince Manufacturing (1) 6,000,000 100 Kyocera 200
Prince Manufacturing (2) 650,000 28 Manual Woodworkers & Weavers 6,000,000 325
Aegis Holdings 1,500,000 22 Morris Broadband 1,800,000 41
ArvinMeritor (1) 21,000,000 30 MTI (Medical Cable Specialist) 750,000 29
ArvinMeritor (2) 32,300,000 11 700 Olympia Moto Sports 500,000 5
Atlas Bolt & Screw 2,000,000 35 Parts Unlimited (Lemans Corp.) 9,000,000 75
Borg-Warner 31,000,000 50 Pepsi-Cola 5,700,000 115
Borg-Warner 12,500,000 28 Printpack 11,000,000 200
Continental Teves (1) 100,000,000 552 Printpack & Kyocera 10,000,000 22
Continental Teves (2) 4,300,000 13 Selee 1,900,000 45
Continental Teves (3) 8,700,000 35 Shorewood Packaging 20,000,000 55
DuraLine Imaging 1,000,000 10 Spearman Foods 1,000,000 4 13
Elkamet 6,700,000 50 The Warm Company (1) 3,000,000 6 16
FedEx 6,000,000 70 The Warm Company (2) 3,200,000 9
First Citizens Bank 17 UPM Raflatac (1) 62,500,000 210
GE Lighting Systems (1) 2,000,000 70 UPM Raflatac (2) 40,000,000 70
GE Lighting Systems (2) 1,000,000 6 UPM Raflatac (3) 24,000,000 110
H. Putsch & Company 6 Vanir Energy 2,400,000
Henderson Produce 1,500,000 12 WilsonArt 1,300,000 17
Kimberly-Clark 39,000,000 20 TOTAL 481,200,000 1,929 1,503

Investments occuring in the 2008-09 fiscal year.

 2008 –2009 a nnua l rEPOrT | 13

On Tuesday, June 23, 2009, business

and government leaders gathered
at the Henderson County Historic
Courthouse to announce three job
creation and investment expansions
for BorgWarner, Warm Company and
Wilsonart. Earlier in the year, the
Henderson County Board of Com-
missioners expressed their support of
the proposed expansion projects and
extended economic development as-
sistance to encourage the projects to
take place in Henderson County. Both
the BorgWarner and Wilsonart proj-
Photos courtesy of the Hendersonville Times-News.

ects received similar assistance from

the Fletcher Town Council. The three
projects resulted in $17 million in new
investment, retention of 28 jobs and
the creation of at least 26 new jobs.

Öhlins USA

Öhlins USA operates

one of the nation’s
leading motion
simulators, which
can be adapted to
reproduce driving and
track conditions for
nearly any road course
throughout the world.
14 | hEnDErsOn COunT y Pa rTnErshiP fOr ECOnOMiC DEvElOPMEnT

advocacy
T
he Partnership was actively engaged in a number of core advocacy
issues and activities over the past year. Our focus was to partici-
pate in the public process, speaking on behalf of business and in-
dustry in henderson County. Our actions have helped to solidify positive
outcomes that ensure continued economic health and opportunity for the
industries that we defend and encourage.

Job development investment Grant (JdiG)

and article 3J Credits
senator apodaca, representative
Justus and representative Guice
all helped to retain and continue
the tools that allow north Caro-
lina to compete to create quality
jobs. They each voted to extend the
sunset of the JDiG program from
2010 to 2016. The unC Center for
Competitive Economies presented
a flawed study to the General As-
sembly recommending elimination
of the article 3J Credits – an im-
portant machinery and equipment
and job creation tool often used for
existing industry expansions, and
the only statutory program that
nC offers. Partnership staff par-
ticipated in a focus group with the
unC Center, in addition to serving
on the nC Economic Developers
association legislative Commit-
tee to successfully retain article
3J Credits, again with the support
of our local legislative delegates.

Company: Higher Source Aviation

COMPANY PROFILE

Industry: Aviation + Aerospace

Aerospace and aviation-related companies

continue to play a significant role in Henderson
County’s long-term economic development
strategy. Higher Source Aviation is an
international leader in the production of
refurbished components used in commercial and
military grade aircraft.
 2008 –2009 a nnua l rEPOrT | 15

Henderson County
Water supply and
distribution task force
in response to the onset of re-
gional drought conditions and
growing demands for a stable
supply of public water, hender-
son County along with each mu-
nicipality formed this task force.
hCPED staff was appointed to
the task force to represent the
business community. The group
was designed to identify areas in
which water resources could be
improved or secured for long-term
access. The Partnership continues
to advocate for access to water
resources to support the expan-
sion of existing industry and to
improve accessibility and service
to industrial property.
16 | hEnDErsOn COunT y Pa rTnErshiP fOr ECOnOMiC DEvElOPMEnT

City of Hendersonville enhanced access to Western Carolina university Programming

Comprehensive Planning
Process
hCPED staff were asked to present
to the steering Committee as they
gathered input to create a newly
revised comprehensive plan. The
Partnership’s presentation included
tax and employment data, mapping
of property suitable for industrial
development and a request that the
committee continue to incorporate
healthy economic development into
City plans. in addition to making a
formal presentation, hCPED staff
attended public workshops and
sessions to advocate for economic
development.
in late 2008, the Partnership dis-
tributed an electronic survey to the
industrial executives in hender-
son County focused on assessing
program needs that could be met
by WCu. an overwhelming 72% of
respondents indicated that a Bs
in Engineering Technology degree
program would be the most benefi-
cial offering to their workforce. The
second highest response was 25%
for a Masters in Business adminis-
tration. The data indicating a strong
need for enhanced access to engi-
neering and engineering technology
programs was further underlined
by visits to six henderson County
manufacturers with hCPED staff
and Dean of WCu’s Kimmel school,
Dr. robert McMahan.

nC department of Commerce raleigh Presentation
in July 2008, eight members of the
hCPED Board of Directors and
staff traveled to raleigh to meet
with nC Department of Com-
merce staff in an effort to raise
awareness of our offering. hCPED
presented to nCDOC’s Business
& industry Developers team of
staff covering current demograph-
ics, local assistance programs,
sites and buildings and product
development efforts. following the
presentation, we hosted a lunch,
sponsored by PsnC Energy, which
offered a more casual opportunity
for hCPED to network with Com-
merce staff and discuss economic
development opportunities in hen-
derson County.
2008 –2009 a nnua l rEPOrT | 17
federal Card Check
legislation
The hCPED Board of Directors
voted unanimously to adopt a res-
olution in opposition to then house
Bill 800, the Employee free Choice
act. north Carolina has long been
recognized as the least unionized
state in the nation, and henderson
County has no unionized manu-
facturing labor, a characteristic
which is vital to the success our
local businesses and a direct link
to our region’s ability to compete
in the global marketplace. Card
Check legislative compromises
continue to threaten the secret
ballot process currently in place.
Higher Source Aviation
The company is a FAA-licensed
service center for overhaul and
repairable assemblies for parts
ranging from engines, propellers,
expendables, ground support
equipment, landing gear, avionics,
and rotables.
18  |  henderson count y pa rtnership for economic development
Members & Investors
Presidential
Cason Companies, Inc.
City of Hendersonville
Cooper Construction Co., Inc.
Dixon Hughes, PLLC
Duke Energy
First Citizens Bank
Henderson County
Executive
AT&T
BB&T
Carolina Specialties Construction,
Inc.
Egolf Motors
Elkamet
Flavor 1st Growers & Packers
Fletcher Business Park
General
APAC Carolina, Inc. – Asheville
Division
Advanced Business Equipment
Advanced Technical Welding, Inc.
Alljuice Food & Beverage, LLC
Ameriprise Financial Services,
Inc.
ArvinMeritor Automotive, Inc.
Atlas Bolt & Screw, Inc.
Bazzle & Carr, PA
Beverly-Hanks & Associates
Blue Ridge Community College
Blue Ridge Metals Corporation
Blue Star Camps, Inc.
Brown & Bigelow
Carl E. Shaw, CPA, PLLC
Carolina First
CoveStar Investment Realty
Advisors
Earle Insurance
Excel Consulting Group, LLC
Flat Rock Playhouse
Forest Commercial Bank
Henderson County Chamber
of Commerce
Henderson County Public Schools
HomeTrust Bank
Kimberly-Clark, Berkeley Mills
Moore & Son Site Contractors
Morrow Insurance Agency, Inc.
Mountain 1st Bank & Trust
PSNC Energy
SELEE Corporation
Friday Services Inc.
Glade Holdings, Inc.
Henderson Oil Company
Hunter Automotive Group
IMOCO, Inc.
Investors Realty Group
McCarroll Construction
Progress Energy
Henderson County Travel
& Tourism
Hendersonville Board of Realtors,
Inc.
Hendersonville Country Club, Inc.
Hendersonville Home Builders
Association
Hendersonville Printing Company
Highland Lake Inn
Holiday Inn Express
IPM Corporation
Kanuga Conferences, Inc.
Keen Impressions, Inc.
Kelso Advertising
Kenmure Properties, Ltd.
Kenneth R. Youngblood
King Street Professional Center
Lewis Real Estate
Macon Bank
Margaret R. Pardee Memorial
Hospital
McDonald’s — Edwards Group
McNutt Service Group, Inc.
Miller Brothers
Miller’s Laundry & Cleaners, Inc.
Monarch Property Group
SunTrust
The Times-News
Town of Fletcher
Town of Mills River
UPM Raflatac, Inc.
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. #1242
Western Carolina University
RBC Bank
Reaben Oil Company
Southern Alarm & Security
The Van Winkle Law Firm
The Waverly Inn
Thos. Shepherd & Son Inc.
Town of Laurel Park
William G. Lapsley & Assoc.
Morosani & Associates
Nappier & Turner Construction
Co., Inc.
National Technical Honor Society
Norm’s Minit Marts
Oates Realty ERA
Park Ridge Hospital
Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co.
of Asheville
S&ME
Southeastern Sureties Group, Inc.
Southern Concrete Materials
Standard Tytape Company
Successful Financial Strategies
Summit Marketing Group
The Manual Woodworkers
& Weavers, Inc.
Turf Mountain Sod
United Community Bank
United Way of Henderson County
Village of Flat Rock
Vocational Solutions of
Henderson County
Wachovia Bank
Wachovia Securities
 2008 –2009 a nnua l rEPOrT | 19

focused on Quality Job Creation

& retention for 15 years
2009 marks 15 years of an organized eco-
nomic development effort for henderson
County, north Carolina. We continue to
benefit from the support of our Members
and investors, and want to say “Thank
you” to all who have contributed time,
talents and resources to the Partnership
during the past 15 years!

1994 The Committee of 100 of the

Greater hendersonville Chamber
of Commerce was formed.

1998 Private funds were first incorpo-

rated into revenue sources, re-
sulting in a budget that reflected
equitable participation through 2008-09 Chair of the Board, Adam L. Shealy,
public and private sources. thanks 2007-08 Chair Sandy Tallant for out-
standing service, guiding the Partnership with
2002 The lockwood Greene Economic
Development Master Plan was
steady and strategic leadership.

released. The plan included an

extensive labor study, a target
industry analysis, and a market-
ing plan.

2003 The transition from the Com-

mittee of 100 to the henderson
County Partnership for Eco-
nomic Development took place,
giving the organization a name
that more clearly identified its
scope and mission.

2006 The Partnership for Economic

Development adopted articles of
incorporation and By laws, and
was approved for tax-exempt
status as an independent entity.
 828-692-6373 ■ www.strategiclocation.com

mission statement
The Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development, Inc. is the
professional economic development entity for Henderson County. It works
to: attract and retain quality jobs; solicit new business compatible with
the assets and values of Henderson County; promote Henderson County’s
business image; assist expansion of existing companies; and enhance
Henderson County’s overall quality of life.