rowanworks annual report 12-13

RowanWORKS | Annual Report 2012-2013

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The Salisbury-Rowan Economic Development Commission, also known as RowanWORKS, presents an annual report each year to keep its

funders, other stakeholders and the community informed about its projects, activities and results. This year’s annual report provides valuable

information about what the organization has been doing during another challenging economic year.

The mission of RowanWORKS is to keep the jobs we have and get more, through retention and recruitment, to get more investment in our

County and to close the deal. We have an eleven member board made up of diverse individuals from across the county appointed by all of the

municipalities and the County Commissioners. RowanWORKS has four full time employees who respond to the needs and requests of

stakeholders, prospects from outside the community and businesses within the community.

Some of the services that RowanWORKS provides are grant information and assistance, existing industry support and entrepreneurial

support. Any new or expanding business can request grant assistance through the economic development commission. RowanWORKS also

works with existing industries, small businesses and entrepreneurs to be a resource to help with marketing support and business development.

We also have access to the most up-to-date demographics available to business owners and developers. We maintain a database of available

properties to help facilitate product development.

The report includes some information on recently announced projects. These projects include Gildan Activewear’s investment of $43 million

with employment eventually reaching more than 200 people, Henkel’s investment of $28 million while Rowan County retained 81 jobs and

added 108, Boral Composites’ investment of $12.8 million and additional 16 full-time positions in East Spencer and Tuscarora Yarns’

investment of $6.3 million and 124 new jobs in China Grove.

The report also highlights the impact of RowanWORKS’ efforts on the local economy. In fiscal year 2012-2013, total taxes paid from

businesses in Rowan County were $64 million, incentives paid were $8.8 million, net revenue was $54 million, taxes billed were $9 million

and 6,600 people were employed.


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With the addition of our new marketing specialist position, RowanWORKS has focused heavily on marketing throughout the past year. We

have utilized online marketing services such as Facebook and our website to help market our community and have become more involved

with search tools such as Co-Star and Bid Clerk. These tools are used by many industries to locate what businesses are in our area and what

properties are available. Another area of focus has been increased exposure at tradeshows and events to recruit more businesses. One segment

we are trying to attract in particular is retail. We realize that a significant portion of tax revenue is lost to neighboring counties and we want

the tax revenue to stay in Rowan County.

RowanWORKS does all this and more with a budget of $432,780. Our operating budget is the smallest economic development budget in the

region. In 2012 alone, we entertained 32 total visits and added 76 projects. In addition, we announced more than $130 million in investments

and over 400 jobs. We invite you to dig deeper and read more about what we’ve been doing over the past year. We have high hopes for

success to continue in 2013-2014.

Sincerely,

Pete Teague Chairman, RowanWORKS Board of Directors


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I. ABOUT ROWANWORKS

II. SERVICES OVERVIEW

III. RECENTLY ANNOUNCED PROJECTS

IV. EXISTING INDUSTRY SUPPORT

V. RETURN ON INVESTMENT

VI. BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

VII. MARKETING INITIATIVES

VIII. PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

IX. GRANT MANAGEMENT AND OPPORTUNITIES

X. COLLABORATIVE PARTNERSHIPS

XI. FINANCIAL UPDATE

XII. FY 2013-2014 INITIATIVES

XIII. CLOSING


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RowanWORKS was established in August 1984 by the County of Rowan, the City of Salisbury and the incorporated municipalities in Rowan County. Our primary initiatives are to act as a unified force on matters affecting economic development and to serve as the lead agency for “client handling” and product development in Rowan County. Our Mission can be broken down into three basic goals:

• To keep the jobs we have and to get more – through retention and recruitment

• To get more investment in our County • Close the deal

We are funded by Rowan County and all incorporated municipalities of Rowan County.

Mission:

To promote a vital economy to improve the overall quality of life

for residents of Rowan County

RowanWorks’ funding partners include:


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The board is comprised of eleven members who meet on the second Wednesday of every month at 3:30pm in the EDC Board Room unless otherwise posted. All are welcome to attend. Board membership consists of:

Seven members appointed by the County Commission of Rowan County

Two members appointed by the City Council of the City of Salisbury

One member appointed by the governing bodies of the towns of Rowan County

The Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce serves as an ex-officio member

Members are appointed to a three-year term. After one term is completed, the board member may be re-appointed to a second term, but can serve no more than six consecutive years.

Based on your feedback, RowanWORKS is in the process of revising the

Municipality Association Appointment Process. After requesting

nominations for approximately two months, a Municipality Meeting

was held on April 25, 2013 to vote for the municipal representative. Dr.

Carol Spalding was re-appointed to represent the municipalities on the

EDC Board.

Paul A. Brown- Chairman, Pete Teague- Vice-Chairman,

Bruce D. Jones- Secretary, James “Jim” C. Greene-

Treasurer, Dianne Y. Greene, James L. Taylor, Dr. John H.

Reeves, Dr. Carol S. Spalding, Gregory E. Philpot, Stephen

Kidd, Cindy Hart- Chairperson, Chamber of Commerce


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Robert Van Geons

Jessica Gaskill

Scott Shelton

Bettina Dickert

Robert Van Geons, Executive Director Robert M. Van Geons has served as Executive Director for the Salisbury-Rowan Economic Development Commission since January of 2008. As Executive Director, his primary purpose is to facilitate the expansion and retention of existing industry while aggressively recruiting new non-residential development. As part of these efforts,

RowanWORKS has reinvigorated a comprehensive business visitation program and

established new lines of communications with the municipalities of Rowan County. Van Geons is a 1997 graduate of Catawba College, holds a Master of Science degree in Economic Development from the University Of Southern Mississippi (USM) and is working toward his Doctorate of Philosophy in International Development at USM. Van Geons is one of 1,500 Economic Development Professionals to achieve certification by the International Economic Development Council. He is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma's Economic Development Institute and earned his certification in city/county management from the University Of North Carolina School Of Government in April 2007.

Scott Shelton, Project Manager Scott has been with RowanWORKS since 2009. As Project Manager, Scott is responsible for the preparation and submittal of completed RFIs for recruitment projects as well as maintaining the RowanWORKS database of available sites. Mr. Shelton also guides available sites in Rowan

County through the process for North Carolina Site Certification. In addition, he works with existing industries to provide information and support as needed. Scott received his bachelor's degree from Elon University and his master's from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.

Bettina Dickert, Office Manager

As Office Manager, Bettina is responsible for

managing all internal financial processes

including bookkeeping, preparation of

financial reports and developing, monitoring

and administering the organization's

operational budget. Mrs. Dickert is also

responsible for the coordination and

recording of Board meetings, directing

administrative staff and providing assistance to the Executive

Director. She is a graduate of Rowan Cabarrus Community

College and has completed the Basic Economic Development Course

(BEDC) through the University of North Carolina.

Jessica Gaskill, Marketing Specialist

Jessica is responsible for developing new and

existing client relationships in target

industries, as well as increasing

communication for current stakeholders and

community leaders. She updates all social

media sites and continuously searches for

ways to increase Rowan County's exposure to

prospective developers. Jessica earned degrees in Business

Administration and Communication Arts from Catawba College.


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Services we provide:

Existing Business Assistance

New Business Recruitment

Marketing of Rowan County and its existing industries

Site identification, development and promotion

Federal and State Grant Information

Promotion of Existing Industry

Fiscal Impact Modeling

Community Demographic Information

RowanWORKS entertained 32 total visits in 2012. There were 76 projects added last year and the team worked 101 projects.

We announced more than $130 million in investments and over 400 jobs.

Gildan Activewear

RowanWORKS

announced in December 2012 that Gildan Activewear Inc.,

along with its subsidiary CanAM Yarns LLC, will open a new

ring-spinning facility in the former PGT Building off of Heilig

Road in Rowan County. The new operation will employ over

200 people. Gildan is investing over $43 million in the

project. Total payroll will exceed $6 million, with an average

annual salary of $36,712. The State Economic Investment

Committee awarded a grant to CanAM to help fund the

project. The company is eligible to receive a grant equal to

65 percent of the state personal income withholding taxes,


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derived from the creation of new jobs for each of the first 10

years of operations in which the company meets annual

performance targets.

Gildan is the leading active wear brand in the screen print

market in the U.S. and Canada. The brand is continuing to

grow in Europe, Mexico and the Asia-Pacific region. The

Company sells T-shirts, sport shirts and fleece as undecorated

blanks, which are subsequently decorated by screen printers

with designs and logos. The Company is also one of the

world’s largest suppliers of athletic, casual and dress socks

sold to a broad spectrum of retailers in the U.S. Gildan

markets its sock products under a diversified portfolio of

company-owned brands, including Gold Toe®, PowerSox®,

SilverToe®, Auro®, All Pro®, GT®, and the Gildan brand. In

addition, the Company supplies selective national retailer

brands. The Company is also the exclusive U.S. sock licensee

for the Under Armour® and New Balance® brands. In addition

to socks, the Company is pursuing a strategy to grow its sales

of branded underwear and active wear products in the U.S.

retail market.

With approximately 30,000 employees worldwide, Gildan

owns and operates highly efficient, large-scale,

environmentally and socially responsible manufacturing

facilities in Central America and the Caribbean Basin and has

begun the development of a manufacturing hub in

Bangladesh to support its planned growth in Asia and Europe.

Freshouse

Freshouse II, a leading distributor

of fresh produce, announced in

October 2012 it would invest $6.3

million in its operations in

Salisbury to expand. The expansion will add 90 new jobs. The

project was made possible by the One North Carolina Fund.

Freshouse has operated a packaging and distribution

operation in Salisbury for nearly 15 years and now employs

123 people in a leased facility at 216 Julian Road. The

company plans to consolidate operations in Salisbury,

Georgia and Florida and needs a larger location.

Freshouse is a full service distribution and packing facility

located at 311 Long Meadow Drive in Salisbury. The company

provides high-quality produce with benefits such as

consolidation, state of the art repacking, re-grading,

inventory control and just-in time delivery. Freshouse also

features private label packaging to promote customer loyalty

and increase sales.


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INTEGRO Technologies

INTEGRO Technologies has purchased property in the Downtown Salisbury area, at the

300 block of South Main Street.

Founded in 2001, INTEGRO Technologies has become a full service machine vision and ID integrator providing turnkey solutions,

consulting and support services for a wide range of industries. With over 130 accumulative years of machine vision experience and

over 2,000 installations, INTEGRO has become a name to trust in solving the most complex industrial problems.

Over 500 clients worldwide rely on INTEGRO's expertise to solve their most demanding vision applications on-time and within budget.

Application engineers work one-on-one with specific clients to determine their objectives and system requirements through INTEGRO's

project development process that ensures the proper vision platform selection, while avoiding the common costly pitfalls related to such

a project.

INTEGRO Technologies has developed strategic partnerships with

recognized machine vision suppliers that have proven to continuously

provide superior products for the most challenging applications. INTEGRO

is Cognex PSI fully trained, authorized on Cognex's entire product line, and a

certified vision integrator for Keyence, Universal Robotics (3D

systems), Microscan and Intermec.

Rendering of INTEGRO Technologies’ new building in

Downtown Salisbury

http://www.cognex.com/main.aspx?langtype=1033&locale=us

http://www.cognex.com/main.aspx?langtype=1033&locale=us

http://www.keyence.com/usa.php?ad=gaworld0706

http://www.universalrobotics.com/

http://www.microscan.com/en-us/Home.aspx

http://www.intermec.com/?utm&gclid=CKXfr8uzprECFW1j7AodcBNESQ


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Business Incubator

Both the Salisbury City Council and Rowan County Commissioners have agreed to hear ideas concerning a possible business Incubator in Rowan

County. Currently, RowanWORKS is compiling a list of possible options for locations. The project will need long-term support from local leaders.

Although grants are also possible for this project, the EDC cannot start applying for those until specific details have been determined.

RowanWORKS has also consulted with the Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship, a private non-profit corporation that operates a business

incubator in Greensboro, to learn more about what it takes to create a thriving business incubator in the community. Mayor Paul Woodson has

cited this as a top goal for the City Council.

Projects announced since 2007


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RowanWORKS strives to be a resource to help existing industries in our area expand. We can provide:

• Business Assistance and Support • Leveraged Marketing and PR • Access to technical resources and facilities • Assistance with Grants, Procurement and Legislative Affairs • Employee Recruitment • Market Research and Data • Increased promotion and cross promotion • Value added services and connections within Rowan County within the State and the Region • Proactive, industry centric outreach, events and communications.

Existing Industry Support Initiative

• Creation of a Manufacturer’s Advisory Council • Improved and enhanced manufacturers and major employers directory • Establishment of a local suppliers network – linking existing businesses that may be able to work together • Development of a Rowan Industrial Jobs Network • Value added events and programming • Creation of a streamlined communication network that will allow for the rapid yet unobtrusive communication of potential

opportunities

E3 INITIATIVE

The E3 program represents Economy, Energy and Environment and is a collaboration of resources including local, state and federal partners that

work for the benefit of manufacturers in each of the state’s 7 economic development regions. The E3 Program addresses process improvements,

energy use, carbon footprint analysis, worker safety, and business excellence grants. Mueller Systems, located in Cleveland, NC, and Ei Inc.,

located in Kannapolis, both received a grant and have participated in the E3 program.


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Total Taxes Paid

Incentives

Net Revenue

Taxes Billed in FY ’12-‘13

People Currently Employed

Mueller Systems provides Smart Metering solutions to optimize the delivery and use of energy and water. Municipalities that supply electricity,

water or gas – or any combination of the three services – need innovative ways to increase efficiencies, reduce

costs, conserve energy and water and improve customer service. The Mi.Net® Mueller Infrastructure

Network for Utilities meets that need. Ei Inc. is a product development and manufacturing solutions provider

of prescription, over-the-counter, animal health and therapeutic skin care products. The company currently

employs more than 200 people in North Carolina. Ei is looking to partner with KeraNetics in order to

commercialize research and patents that were developed at the Wake Forest University Institute for

Regenerative Medicine.

Understanding the return on investment means to know what kind of impact our efforts have on the local economy. We want to always make sure our investments are of measurable value to the community. RowanWORKS monitors and updates the economic impact of every major project in the County. The following are the major projects RowanWORKS has completed to bring new jobs and revenue to Rowan County since the year 2000: • Toyota Racing Development – $30 million – 50 Jobs

• Duke Energy – $600 million – Operational November 2011

• Altec – $1.5 million – 15 Jobs

• Henkel Corp – 23.7 million – 103 Jobs

• Southern Power – $400 million – Permitting

• Freightliner – $15.9 million – Military Truck Line Installed

• Magna – $8.0 million – 162 new jobs

• Boral Composites – $14 million – 40 jobs

• Norandal – $7 million – 25 jobs

• Infiltrator – $ 5 million – 36 jobs

• Tuscarora Yarns -- $6.29 million –

120 jobs

• Universal Forest Products -- $1

million – 49 jobs

• Hitachi Metals -- $60 million – 65

jobs

• El Solutions -- $28.8 million – 154

jobs

• Freshouse Foods – $6.3 million –

90 Jobs

• Gildan – $50 million –

200 Jobs

• Hutton Retail Project – TBD

• The Driveshaft Shop –

$1 million – 6 jobs

• Integro – $4 million – 8 jobs


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Entrepreneurial Support – RowanWORKS is committed to working with Community Partners, such as the Chamber of Commerce and Rowan

Cabarrus Community College, to develop and implement an Entrepreneurial Support program. The Board and staff of RowanWORKS has met

with representatives from a number of incubators and the Chamber of Commerce has arranged Erik Pages, a specialist in entrepreneur

strategies, to visit our Community.

Small Business Support – Your local Economic Development Commission seeks to assist small business owners to grow and expand their

businesses in the most efficient and cost-effective way possible. We are happy to provide support such as grant and incentive resources,

marketing initiatives and an array of informational tools and databases to help these businesses find successful locations, lucrative partnerships,

funding assistance and recognition to increase our local economy.

Demographic and Informational Resource – RowanWORKS has access to the best and most up-to-date demographics available to business

owners and developers. We utilize several search tools to stay on top of the latest property listings in our area and maintain a database of all

available properties. We can create and distribute flyers and promotional material on each site, listing out key demographics such as price,

square footage/acreage, drive-time, traffic counts and citizen demographics within any given radius. Additional support and services include

developing public/private partnerships, leveraging marketing and promotion efforts for local community partners, rail focused development and

technological resources.

Objective

Our marketing strategy has two main objectives: • To raise awareness of our community’s strong demand for additional retail and service business; ultimately creating new

revenue and job opportunities. • To successfully attract new retail and service business that will occupy existing vacancies as well as redevelop older sites and

develop new locations.


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Rowan County Airport

Marketing Tools

Our multi-dimensional approach allows RowanWORKS to utilize several tools for marketing the

Rowan-Salisbury area to developers:

• Online Presence

By increasing our online presence, Rowan County becomes more

searchable by interested brokers, developers and other outside

businesses looking to re-locate. All of this activity combined can

get us higher search rankings on Google, which puts us in a prime

position to receive noticeable attention from those who are most

interested in economic development in Rowan County and North

Carolina. We do all this as professionally and efficiently as possible

and are always on the lookout for upcoming trends that can help

leverage our visibility.

• RowanWORKS.com

• Facebook

• Google+

• Twitter

• Opportunity Rowan Blog

• Search Tools

These search tools are used by many in our industry to locate what businesses are making footprints in

our area and what properties are available in the surrounding counties and across the State.

• Co-Star

• Bid Clerk

• Loopnet

• Tradeshows/Events

RowanWORKS maintained an extensive tradeshow schedule for 2012-2013.


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These events cover many industries and offer ample opportunity for networking, potential business

opportunities and professional development.

National Business Aviation Association Schedulers and Dispatchers Conference

GSMI Social Media Summit: Las Vegas

Society of Industrial Realtors Spring Meeting

International Council of Shopping Centers Southeast Retail Connection

NCEDA Conference

IEDC Federal Forum

International Council of Shopping Centers: Recon

Ideas Economy: Information 2013

Touch Screen Kiosk

RowanWORKS is joining forces with several organizations and municipalities in Rowan County to bring a new

touchscreen kiosk to life for all of our visitors. Anyone who uses this kiosk will have access to local information,

attractions, directions and weather.

• Expanded Focus on Retail Marketing

There is a significant amount of tax revenue lost to neighboring counties every day due to retail wants/needs. Current figures

indicate over $271 million leaves Rowan County every year to competing retail businesses in other areas. That is revenue the

Salisbury-Rowan County community could benefit from.

The City of Salisbury charged RowanWORKS, the Tourism Development Authority and Downtown Salisbury Inc. to attract more retail

development to Salisbury and Rowan County. From that decision, RowanWORKS hired Jessica Gaskill to assist in marketing efforts to

recruit new retail development. The increase in tax base is very much needed in our area and this is a type of development the EDC

now has the capacity to focus on, in addition to manufacturing and industrial.

Many large retailers have specific site requirements in place to insure the most success for their businesses. The team at

RowanWORKS has been researching and identifying which retailers would fit within our current demographics and from there, we

are getting our available properties in front of them through tradeshows, industry events and our own external marketing.


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Industry Satisfied Outside RegionSupermarkets and Other Grocery (except Convenience) Stores $24,035,298

Warehouse Clubs and Supercenters $20,122,433

Pharmacies and Drug Stores $19,261,739

Discount Department Stores $16,851,929

Home Centers $12,441,434

Radio, Television and Other Electronics Stores $12,423,073

Gasoline Stations with Convenience Stores $10,815,764

Department Stores (except Discount Department Stores) $9,725,649

Other Direct Selling Establishments $8,215,675

Automotive Parts and Accessories Stores $7,299,975

Family Clothing Stores $6,542,853

Furniture Stores $6,102,194

Sporting Goods Stores $5,199,053

Computer and Software Stores $5,130,724

All Other General Merchandise Stores $107,832,207

Total $272,000,000

RowanWORKS has compiled a database of all current available retail inventory in the immediate Salisbury area. Currently, there are

over 40 available sites for retail development, totaling over 200,000 square feet of space. This working database will be updated

periodically to reflect available property and the RowanWORKS website is always available for developers/brokers to search listings

in our area (RowanWORKS.com). RowanWORKS also works alongside the City of Salisbury’s Planning Department to target new

opportunities, redevelopments and new products.

• Retail Development at Summit Corporate Center

• In January 2013, County Commissioners approved to give Hutton

Growth One an 18-month option to purchase County-owned land for

retail development. Hutton plans to use that time to secure tenants.

The project is expected to create 250 new jobs and increase the tax

base by $20 million.

• A representative from Hutton Growth One assures Rowan County

Commissioners and the EDC there are several national tenants already

interested in the development.

The team at RowanWORKS is actively engaged with property owners to develop two new economic development sites in Northern and Southern

Rowan County. In 2012, there was over 1,014,528 square feet of large building space occupied. The majority of large building space in Rowan

County has now been occupied. This means our community must now develop new property in creative ways, with new industries.

Additional developments include:

• Soon to be Certified Trevy Site • Recertification Summit Corporate Park • Recertification Performance Technology Park • NC Certified Site Platinum Site • NC Certified Site Rowan County Airport • Sowers Farm Site Readiness Program


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We are also scanning the County for underutilized properties for quick revitalization and redevelopment. We are looking to expedite the process of development as quickly as possible. Our goal is to maximize on the available inventory we already have in the County, while pursuing additional new development opportunities.

Any new or expanding business can request grant assistance through the EDC. The Investment Grant Program is intended to provide an inducement for

new businesses to locate in Rowan County and the City of Salisbury, as well as encourage existing business to expand. Incentives to qualifying businesses

include One North Carolina Fund, Article 3J Credits, Industrial Revenue Bonds, North Carolina Small Cities Community Development Block Grant

Program, Industrial Development Fund, Job Development Investment Grant, Industrial Access/Road Access Fund, and the Rail Industrial Access Program.

There are also several tax credits available.

RowanWORKS has helped many organizations find grants for assistance in growing their projects in the community. Tuscarora Yarns developed a facility

in China Grove with the assistance of the One North Carolina Fund, receiving $146,000, with stipulation of the creation of 124 jobs and a $6.3 million

investment over a three-year period. The One NC Fund provides financial assistance, through local governments, to attract business projects that will

stimulate economic activity and create new jobs in the state. Companies receive no money up front and must meet job creation and investment

performance standards to qualify for grant funds.

Most recently, Gildan Activewear was awarded a Job Development Investment Grant for its new facility in Rowan County. Under the terms of the JDIG,

Gildan Activewear is eligible to receive a grant equal to 65 percent of the state personal income withholding taxes derived from the creation of new jobs

for each of the first 10 years of operations in which the company meets annual performance targets. If CanAm Yarns (Gildan’s subsidiary) meets the

targets under the agreement and maintains them for 10 years, the grant could yield $1.55 million in benefits for the company.

• Cash Flow Positive • Require an increase of the existing tax base • Performance Based • Designed to limit risk to the County – specific provisions regarding discovery of personal business property and undocumented workers


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Calculations of Incentives

1. X Assessed New Property – Old Property = Increase in Property Value 2. Increase in Property Value x County Tax Rate x .75 = Grant 3. Grant x 5 years = Total Grant

RowanWORKS partners with:

• Tourism Development Authority • North Carolina Research Campus • North Carolina Biotechnology Center • Rowan County Airport • Rowan-Cabarrus Community College • United Way • Charlotte Regional Partnership • Fibrant • Rowan County Chamber of Commerce • Duke Energy • Cabarrus Economic Development Corporation

Funding contributions for RowanWORKS are as follows:

Rowan County: 67%

City of Salisbury: 14%

Private Funds: 14%

Nine Municipalities: 5%

(Municipalities include China Grove, Cleveland, East Spencer,

Faith, Granite Quarry, Kannapolis, Landis, Rockwell, and Spencer)


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For this fiscal year, RowanWORKS has received all of its public funding so far, and received quarterly payments in April. RowanWORKS anticipates

receiving its private funding before this Fiscal Year is complete. We are working hard to return to the original 2004 funding formula.

RowanWORKS is at year two of its five year program to return to the 2004 funding formula. The unrestricted fund balance has been eliminated. The

team is also working hard to reduce the operating budget by $25,000, coming from operations and personnel costs. RowanWORKS has proposed the

following budget for the 2013-2014 fiscal year. The proposed budget is contingent on receiving all funds from the 10 municipalities and other funding

partners. The proposed budget was approved by the RowanWORKS Board of Directors on March 21, 2013.

In order to stay under budget, the team at RowanWORKS is utilizing several cost-cutting measures.

Here are some of the ways the team has been able to save on costs:

• Partner with other organizations on tradeshow appearances

• Research all travel options to find most affordable method

• Continue to use Fibrant for all communication resources

• Perform as much printing in-house, as possible

• Use more social media/online advertising and marketing to cut down on hard-copy printing and advertising

• Work with the other organizations at the Gateway Building to share resources and utilize shared workspaces (forthcoming)

Our budget is reviewed at monthly board meetings to ensure all decisions regarding the budget are efficient and to provide feedback on any other ways

to save on costs related to the EDC.

The following charts and graphs portray the EDC’s funding scenario for the 2012-2013 fiscal year and what RowanWORKS has proposed for the 2013-

2014 fiscal year.


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The graph below displays the proposed municipality funding request for the 2013-2014 fiscal year.

$318,191 $331,403 $331,403

$67,856 $73,164 $73,164

$4,104 $4,446 $4,446

$2,667 $2,842 $2,842

$886 $980 $980

$3,015 $3,294 $3,294

$2,592 $2,714 $2,714

$3,341 $3,529 $3,529

$3,064 $3,491 $3,490

$1,302 $1,474 $1,474

$4,222 $5,444 $5,444

$411,240 $432,780 $432,780


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RowanWORKS strives to maximize efficiency with the funds provided. We hope you agree our efforts provide good return.

Below are the funding comparisons between Rowan County and other counties in our region:

206,086 $4.61 $950,000 $1.1 Million

201,292 $1.99 $400,000 $700,000

178,011 $1.47 $262,000 $600,868

159,437 $1.47 $234,050 $773,228

154,358 $2.27 $350,000 $700,000

78,265 $8.18 $639,958 $723,358

138,428 $2.30 $318,191 $555,011


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• Community Competitiveness Assessment - in order to successfully grow our local economy, we need to understand the advantages, challenges and

perspectives that drive our business community’s growth decisions. As a general concept, a structured conversation with private sector business leaders

will be organized to assess our competitiveness as a business friendly community. Committee would consist of 21 private sector representatives:

• 5 top private sector businesses

• 6 appointed by the County

• 10 appointed by municipalities

The goal is 4 meetings over six months- estimated report to public in January.

• Entrepreneurship - RowanWORKS wants to help those who strive to establish new businesses in Rowan County, large and small. RowanWORKS has many

available business tools for these start-up companies to utilize, including a dedicated section of our website providing a plethora of information and

contacts about starting a business in North Carolina.

• Existing Businesses

• New Buildings

• Continue Retail Recruitment Efforts

• Support the continued development of the Rowan County Airport

• Enhance partnerships with Livingstone, Catawba, RCCC and RS Schools with regards to internships, apprenticeships, workforce skill development and

STEM education

• Increase the “film readiness” of our community


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There are a lot of exciting new developments forming in Rowan County. The annual report presents a good overall picture of our mission statement

in action; however, our work is never complete. RowanWORKS will continue to work with community leaders, its municipalities and partners to

ensure Rowan County is seen as a place not only to do business but to create business that is successful.

If there are any questions about the contents of this report, please contact:

Robert Van Geons (704) 637-5526

Robert @RowanWORKS.com

“Every day, our goal is to support our existing

employers, maintaining the jobs we have, as

well as attracting new opportunities for the

Citizens of Rowan County.

Our job is never done.”


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rowanworks annual report 12-13

Documents

rowanworks annual report

mission of rowanworks

rowan county

impact of rowanworks

years annual report

business development

marketing support

county commissioners