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Targeting Business Retention Efforts in Halifax County: Analyses of the Economic Impact of Existing Businesses, Profiles of Major Employers, and Survey Questions Final Report January 2015 Prepared for Cathy Scott, Executive Director Halifax County Economic Development NC Strategic Economic Growth Andrew Trump, Kenan Institute Economic Development Analyst Christina Thomas, Kenan Institute Economic Development Analyst Contributing Research Team: Carolyn Fryberger Ashley Brown NC Strategic Economic Growth The Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, CB #3440 The Kenan-Flagler Business School The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3440 T: (919) 843-6287 www.ncgrowth.unc.edu

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Targeting Business Retention Efforts in Halifax County:

Analyses of the Economic Impact of Existing Businesses,

Profiles of Major Employers, and Survey Questions

Final Report

January 2015

Prepared for

Cathy Scott, Executive Director Halifax County Economic Development

NC Strategic Economic Growth

Andrew Trump, Kenan Institute Economic Development Analyst

Christina Thomas, Kenan Institute Economic Development Analyst

Contributing Research Team: Carolyn Fryberger

Ashley Brown

NC Strategic Economic Growth

The Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise, CB #3440 The Kenan-Flagler Business School

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, NC 27599-3440

T: (919) 843-6287 www.ncgrowth.unc.edu

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NC Strategic Economic Growth is part of the Frank Hawkins Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise and UNC's Kenan-Flagler Business School of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. NC Growth identifies and leverages resources that promote sustainable economic growth and revitalizes economically distressed

communities in North Carolina.

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Table of Contents

Figures .......................................................................................................................................... 2

Acknowledgments .................................................................................................................... 3

Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 4

Industrial Indicators in Halifax County ............................................................................ 6

Economic Impact Analysis .................................................................................................. 11 AAA Carolinas ............................................................................................................................................... 14 Halifax Linen Services ............................................................................................................................... 16 Josey Lumber Company ............................................................................................................................ 17 Kapstone Kraft Paper Company ............................................................................................................ 18 Kennametal .................................................................................................................................................... 19 Patch Rubber Company ............................................................................................................................ 20 Perdue Farms ................................................................................................................................................ 21 Reser’s Fine Foods ...................................................................................................................................... 23 Rightmyer Machine Rental ...................................................................................................................... 24 Safelite Auto Glass ....................................................................................................................................... 25 The Daily Herald .......................................................................................................................................... 26

Business Retention and Expansion Program Recommendations ........................ 27

Appendix A: Questions to Ask Businesses .................................................................... 31

Appendix B: Useful Resources ........................................................................................... 35

Appendix C: Company Fact Sheets ................................................................................... 36

Figures

Figure 1: Halifax County Average Annual Employment by Industry, 1990-2013............. 6 Figure 2: Halifax County Percentage Change in Jobs, 1990-2013 ..................................... 7 Figure 3: Annual Average Pay by Industry in Halifax County, 2013 ................................ 8 Figure 4: Halifax County Industrial Specialization, 1990-2013 ......................................... 9

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Acknowledgments The authors of this report wish to thank their research support team, especially Carolyn Fryberger, for her IMPLAN analysis, and Ashley Brown, for her ready responses to general data and research queries. Also, they wish to thank the NC Growth team for their support and guidance: LaChaun Banks, Elizabeth Basnight, and Mark Little. And they wish to thank Brent Lane for providing direction and resources for parts of this study.

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Introduction This report was prepared for Cathy Scott, executive director of Halifax County Economic Development, to support business retention and expansion efforts in Halifax County.

Existing businesses are critical to a community’s overall health because they create jobs, pay taxes, and invest in the community. The importance of existing businesses for local economies has been well documented, as has the relative return on investment for retention and expansion of existing businesses versus attraction of new businesses.1 Business retention and expansion (BRE) programs are initiatives that aim to keep existing businesses in a community and provide resources that will help those businesses thrive and grow. Business retention efforts aim to prevent businesses from closing or relocating. Business expansion efforts aim to help businesses grow, for example through helping them secure financing, find new property, or hire a qualified workforce. Typically, a team composed of economic developers, service providers and community stakeholders, and business leaders lead a community’s formal BRE efforts.2 The first section of this report presents industrial indicators in Halifax County. This section uses broad classifications of business sectors to assess the relative strengths and weaknesses of the county’s industrial foundation. In the last two decades, job losses in major industries such as manufacturing and the growth of sectors such as education and health services and leisure and hospitality have reshaped the local economy. One consequence that this analysis illuminates is the decline in higher paying jobs and the growth of sectors with lower annual average pay in the county. The second section of this report analyzes the economic impact of 11 local firms. Using the same method that was used to quantify the impact of the Halifax Regional Medical Center in a 2013 report by the Kenan Institute, these analyses show the direct and ripple effects that each business has on the local economy. These effects include the total economic contribution they make to the county as well as the employment they support countywide. Though these individual businesses do not form a fully representative sample of local firms, the analyses highlight similarities that may warrant further investigation by a BRE team. Most notably, few businesses have strong connections with local suppliers or customers, which limits the circulation of money within the Halifax County economy.

1 For a basic literature review, see: Cothran, Henry M. “Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) Programs: Why Existing Businesses are Important.” FE651 Food and Resource Economics Department. Florida Cooperative Extension Service. University of Florida. August 2006. edis.ifas.ufl.edu/fe651.

2 Hackler, Darrene, Christopher Girdwood, and Cathy Katona. “Business Retention and Expansion.” International Economic Development Council. Washington, DC. 2011.

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The third section provides general recommendations for structuring a BRE program. These recommendations are drawn heavily from the BRE manual distributed by the International Economic Development Council (IEDC), as well as from successful programs around the country. These recommendations center on designing a program and process for business retention and expansion in a community that builds relationships between businesses, BRE team members, and local partner organizations, such as workforce training programs and financial institutions. Appendix A contains a bank of questions that the BRE team can use when meeting with decision-makers at businesses. The team does not necessarily need to ask all of these questions of every business; instead, they may use these questions to stimulate conversations on specific topics relevant to the business representative with whom they are meeting. These questions are arranged by topic, including facility information, workforce, and financing. Appendix B contains useful business retention and expansion resources, including links to BRE surveys and more in-depth recommendations for structuring a BRE program. Appendix C contains fact sheets on 37 major employers in Halifax County. These fact sheets provide background for members of the BRE team prior to meeting with decision-makers at local businesses. These sheets can complement an existing database of local business information or serve as templates for such a database; the information they contain is based on third party research and therefore should be confirmed with businesses before informing specific policy decisions. The better that members of the BRE team understand the history of local businesses and specific industry trends, the better they can anticipate and effectively respond to the needs of those businesses and help them remain competitive.

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Industrial Indicators in Halifax County

In Halifax County in 2013, the industry supersectors3 that employed the most people were trade, transportation, and utilities; education and health services; leisure and hospitality, which includes arts and entertainment businesses as well as accommodation and food service businesses; and manufacturing. Since 1990, the number of jobs in education and health services and the number of jobs in leisure and hospitality has grown steadily. In that same time, the number of jobs in trade, transportation, and utilities and manufacturing has steadily decreased. Between 1990 and 2013, for example, the county lost 65 percent of its manufacturing jobs. These losses occurred in both the 1990s and the 2000s; they were not solely casualties of the recession that began in 2008. Losses in major employment industries are hard to absorb, yet still, growth in some industries during this period was strong: education and health services employment grew by 117 percent and professional and business services by 59 percent. See Figure 1 for average annual employment across industries from 1990 to 2013. See Figure 2 for the percentages of job growth and loss in these industries in this period.

Figure 1: Halifax County Average Annual Employment by Industry, 1990-2013

3 Supersectors are the broadest category of the North American Industry Classification System

(NAICS). Their use in this report highlights the overall character of the local economy. In small counties like Halifax County, finer levels of detail are not available for many industries because of non-disclosure agreements meant to protect the confidentiality of individual firms.

0 2,000 4,000 6,000

Information

Other services

Natural resources and mining

Financial activities

Construction

Professional and business services

Manufacturing

Leisure and hospitality

Education and health services

Trade, transportation, and utilities

Number of Employees

Halifax County Average Annual Employment by Industry, 1990-2013

1990

2000

2010

2013

Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Bureau of Labor Statistics

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Figure 2: Halifax County Percentage Change in Jobs, 1990-2013

In total, the number of jobs in the county decreased by almost 3,500, or 18 percent, between 1990 and 2013, while the county experienced only a slight overall decrease in population. In comparison, the number of jobs in North Carolina increased by 29 percent in that period. The industries that saw the greatest decline in jobs—such as manufacturing and construction—are also those that tend to pay the highest wages. Some of the industries that saw the greatest growth tend to have relatively low wages. For reference, the median household income in 2013 was $32,329, compared to a state median of $46,334.4 For a single adult, the estimated living wage in Halifax County is $16,268; for a family of four, the living wage is $37,626.5 Figure 3 shows average annual wages in 2013 across industries, the county median household income, and local living wages.6 When compared with job growth and loss percentages presented in Figure 2, several trends appear. First, the industries that have traditionally paid the highest wages in Halifax County have been steadily declining. Two of the three industries that currently pay living wages for a family of four—manufacturing and construction—saw dramatic job losses from 1990 to 2013. The other industry that pays a living wage for a family of four—financial activities—has a much more modest impact on the area: the industry lost 44 jobs, or nine percent of its jobs, in this period and currently employs around 400 people, which is less than four percent of the county workforce.

4 US Census 5 MIT Living Wage Calculator. Accessed December 2014. livingwage.mit.edu. 6 The local living wage, calculated using the MIT Living Wage Calculator (livingwage.mit.edu), is a

“minimum estimate of the cost of living for low wage families.”

-100% -50% 0% 50% 100% 150%

Education and health services

Professional and business services

Leisure and hospitality

Financial activities

Other services

Natural resources and mining

Trade, transportation, and utilities

Information

Construction

Manufacturing

Halifax County Percentage Change in Jobs, 1990-2013

Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Bureau of Labor Statistics

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Second, many job gains in Halifax County have been in primarily low-wage industries. The lowest-paying jobs in Halifax County are in leisure and hospitality. These jobs, which include food service and hotel occupations, pay, on average, $12,689 a year—barely three-quarters, or $3,579 short, of the living wage for a single adult. This typically low-paying industry grew 40 percent between 1990 and 2013. While this is one of the fastest-growing industries in Halifax County, its growth is still below the industry’s statewide growth rate during this period, which was 46 percent. The fastest-growing industry in Halifax County between 1990 and 2013 was education and health services. These jobs pay, on average, $28,920, which is below the median household income for the county.

Figure 3: Annual Average Pay by Industry in Halifax County, 2013

Another way to examine the composition and strengths of the local economy, beyond each industry’s average employment and wages, is to consider the county’s relative industrial specialization. Comparisons of the share of local employment in

$-

$10,000.00

$20,000.00

$30,000.00

$40,000.00

$50,000.00

$60,000.00

Annual Average Pay by Industry in Halifax County, 2013

ANNUAL AVERAGEPAY

LIVING WAGE FOR ANADULT

MEDIAN HOUSEHOLDINCOME

LIVING WAGE FORTWO ADULTS ANDTWO CHILDREN

Sources: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages; MIT Living Wage Calculator; US Census

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each industry relative to that industry’s footprint in the state as a whole can highlight the unique character of Halifax County’s economy. Figure 4 shows the location quotient, or relative specialization, of each industry in Halifax County between 1990 and 2013. A location quotient of 1.0 indicates that local employment in the industry is proportional to that of statewide employment in the industry. A location quotient above 1.0 indicates relative specialization; a location quotient above 1.25 may indicate that the area is an exporter, producing more goods than are locally demanded. These industries may have a competitive advantage in Halifax County. A location quotient below 1.0 indicates that an industry employs a smaller share of the local workforce than in the state as a whole. These industries may have an opportunity to further develop locally.

Figure 4: Halifax County Industrial Specialization, 1990-2013

In Halifax County, the only industry that is significantly specialized is natural resources and mining. Though this industry lost 24 percent of its jobs between 1990 and 2013, and only employs about 400 workers, it is highly specialized—it employs three times as many workers relative to the workforce as compared to elsewhere in

0.00 0.50 1.00 1.50 2.00 2.50 3.00 3.50 4.00

Professional and business services

Information

Financial activities

Construction

Education and health services

Other services

Manufacturing

Trade, transportation, and utilities

Leisure and hospitality

Natural resources and mining

Location Quotient (relative to North Carolina)

Halifax County Industrial Specialization, 1990-2013

1990

2000

2010

2013

Source: Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, Bureau of Labor Statistics

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North Carolina. This is due to the local facilities of companies such as Perdue Farms Farms, Roanoke Valley Energy, and Smithfield Premium Genetics. The location quotients of the least-specialized industries in the county have changed little since 1990. These are industries which Halifax County may have an opportunity to develop in order to meet local demand, and they include professional and business services firms such as AAA Carolinas and American Waste Systems; information firms; financial activities firms; and construction firms, including Rightmyer Machine Rental. This analysis suggests, for example, that Halifax County residents have a demand for financial activities that is currently supplied outside of the county. By focusing business retention and expansion efforts on businesses that supply accounting, insurance, and real estate brokerage and sales, the county may be able to tap into the demand that already exists. The long-term stability of these industries’ low concentrations in the area suggests that local firms in these industries may face barriers to expansion. During BRE visits with firms in the professional and business services sector, for example, the BRE team may want to explore potential barriers to expansion that local firms face. The BRE team should also ask businesses in other industries about how they supply their professional and business services needs, financial needs, and information needs. In this way, the BRE team can begin to assess the many ways in which the community can support firms in these industries. In addition, since 1990, the county has become increasingly specialized in education and health services, though this location quotient is still below 1.0. This increased specialization is a result of an increase in county education and health services jobs—from about 950 in 1990 to over 2,000 in 2013—combined with the loss of jobs in other sectors. This may be a sector that continues to grow, and has greater growth potential. Businesses in this sector include primary and secondary schools, post-secondary institutions, hospitals, and nursing care facilities.

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Economic Impact Analysis To explore more deeply into the Halifax County economy than an industry-level analysis allows, economic impact analyses were performed on 11 individual businesses within the county. Since individual analyses could not be efficiently performed on every business in the county, these 11 were chosen because they represented large employers in major industries. Though economy-wide conclusions should not be drawn from the analysis of a single business, or even 11 businesses, these individual analyses provide insight into the economic impact that various businesses have on the county. These firms were primarily drawn from a list of 37 major employers provided by Cathy Scott, of which almost half were in manufacturing and another third were in wholesale or retail trade. Cathy Scott’s interest in manufacturing and trade, within the context of business retention, is well placed: combined, these sectors employed over 5,000 people in 2013, or almost 45 percent of the county workforce, and both have shrunk dramatically in the last two decades. They are businesses for which strong retention efforts may be valuable. The largest employers that were not included on the list include retailers like Wal-Mart and Food Lion, and public employers such as Halifax County Social Services, municipal governments, and public schools. Businesses on Cathy Scott’s list made up nine of the 11 analyses. Two additional businesses were included—Rightmyer Machine Rental and the Daily Herald newspaper—to explore the impact that other types of businesses, which may not currently be a part of the county’s business retention program, have on the community. The county’s largest employer, the Halifax Regional Medical Center, was the subject of an economic impact analysis performed by Brent Lane and Katherine Dydak for the Kenan Institute in 2013, and was therefore not included though it has a significant impact on the county. Study Area This report estimates the individual economic impact that these 11 businesses each have within Halifax County. It does not estimate the effects these businesses have outside of Halifax County.

Methodology The economic impact of each business’s spending within the county was estimated using IMPLAN economic modeling software, which was used in the analysis of the Halifax Regional Medical Center as well. The software models monetary flows within a local economy based on national inter-industry purchasing data. This industry purchasing data is from 2012 however all results are expressed in 2014 dollars. The resulting model estimates the direct, indirect, and induced effects—in

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terms of jobs, wages and economic growth—of the money that the target business spends locally.

Direct Effects Direct effects are the changes in economic activity created by the activity of the target business.

Indirect Effects Indirect effects are the changes in economic activity that occur due to the inter-industry relationships between the individual business and their suppliers. For example, a lumber company relies on commercial logging companies. An indirect effect of a lumber company in a community may be that local commercial logging companies must hire additional employees to meet increased demand by the lumber company. The software uses county-specific data to estimate how much of a business’s demand can be met by other county businesses and how much is met by businesses outside of the county.

Induced Effects Induced effects are the changes in economic activity due to consumer spending by the business’ employees. For example, the employees of a business use their incomes to purchase groceries, pay rent, and go to the movies. The software estimates how much of this spending occurs within the county and how much occurs outside the county.

Inputs for Analysis This analysis is based on inputs of business data available through the ReferenceUSA database. For each business, the IMPLAN inputs included a NAICS code and a 2013 employment estimate from ReferenceUSA. NAICS codes were then linked to the appropriate IMPLAN sector codes for analysis.

Findings Individual analyses are presented below. For each business, the analysis shows its direct, indirect, and induced effects on the Halifax County economy expressed in terms of the employment, labor income, and value added supported by each business. When taken together, these analyses reveal an opportunity to deepen local supply chain linkages in Halifax County, which would boost the overall impact of the industries analyzed. Many of the businesses are involved in light manufacturing and do not appear to draw much resource material from the local area. Instead, they bring in materials and ship them back out. The list of each business’s most heavily impacted industries show many sectors focused on end consumers, which suggests that each business’s employees are making personal and household purchases locally but that the business itself is not making many local purchases. For example,

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restaurants and doctor’s offices are common to many of these lists. Most of the businesses, meanwhile, link to intermediaries located in the county, which show up in the analysis as wholesale trade businesses. While these are local linkages, they may reflect a reliance on non-local suppliers and consumers for Halifax firms. One notable exception is Perdue Farms, which appears to have a proportionally larger local impact due to its reliance on other local industries. Though this type of analysis can highlight possible dynamics in the local economy, follow-up conversations with decision-makers at local firms will further illuminate how these businesses interact with the local economy and each other, and reveal opportunities for targeted interventions that can increase their local impact over time. For example, more information and data from interviews or surveys to gauge local inter-industry purchasing patterns can verify the findings that point to possible gaps in the local supply chain for some businesses. The top ten employment impacts listed for each firm are drawn from industries that exist in the county; an important element of a BRE strategy may be to identify, through surveys or conversations, the types of industries that are most needed by local firms seeking to localize their supply chains. This survey should include a large number of firms, since those analyzed below do not constitute a representative sample of Halifax County’s businesses. The section of this report following the analyses provides recommendations for maintaining a successful BRE program, and Appendix A contains a bank of questions that can be useful for a BRE team that is exploring how to best support the growth of these firms.

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AAA Carolinas In 2012, AAA Carolinas supported a total of 366 full time jobs and contributed $54.7 million to economic growth in Halifax County. This included the direct employment of 300 fulltime and equivalent employees and the indirect and induced creation of an additional 66 jobs. Employment created and sustained by AAA Carolinas accounted for $36.7 million in total employee and business income. This included $14.7 million in employee income in the county.

AAA Carolinas Annual Economic Impact

Impact Type Employment Labor Income7 Value Added8 Output9

Direct Effect 300 $12,979,000 $32,491,000 $47,678,000

Indirect Effect 59 $1,551,000 $3,729,000 $6,360,000

Induced Effect 7 $188,000 $437,000 $672,000 Total Effect 366 $14,717,000 $36,657,000 $54,711,000 Multiplier 1.2 1.1 1.1 1.1

7 Labor income includes both wages to employees and proprietor income. Proprietor income is

payment to self-employed individuals and unincorporated business owners 8 Value added is the firm’s output minus the cost of raw materials, excluding labor 9 Output is the total value of goods and services provided by impacted industries

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The table below lists the ten industries with the highest employment impact resulting from the presence of AAA Carolinas in Halifax County.

AAA Carolinas Top Ten Employment Impacts

Sector10 Description Employment Labor Income Value Added Output

383 Travel arrangement and reservation services

300 $12,979,000 $32,491,000 $47,678,000

413 Food services and drinking places

15 $274,000 $403,000 $802,000

382 Employment services 6 $75,000 $97,000 $136,000

358 Insurance agencies, brokerages, and related activities

3 $137,000 $180,000 $323,000

425 Civic, social, professional, and similar organizations

3 $71,000 $51,000 $99,000

339 Couriers and messengers

3 $39,000 $116,000 $199,000

377 Advertising and related services

2 $38,000 $164,000 $259,000

368

Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll services

2 $36,000 $101,000 $146,000

388 Services to buildings and dwellings

2 $28,000 $43,000 $99,000

351 Telecommunications 2 $76,000 $379,000 $832,000

10 Information on IMPLAN sectoring and its relation to the NAICS is available from the IMPLAN site:

implan.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=633:633&catid=241:KB23

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Halifax Linen Services In 2012, Halifax Linen Services supported a total of 160 full time jobs and contributed $24.4 million to economic growth in Halifax County. This included the direct employment of 102 fulltime and equivalent employees and the indirect and induced creation of an additional 58 jobs. Employment created and sustained by Halifax Linen Services accounted for $15.1 million in total employee and business income. This included $7.8 million in employee income in the county.

Halifax Linen Services Annual Economic Impact

Impact Type Employment Labor Income Value Added Output

Direct Effect 102 $6,141,000 $11,439,000 $18,604,000

Indirect Effect 28 $798,000 $1,667,000 $2,814,000

Induced Effect 29 $836,000 $1,946,000 $2,996,000

Total Effect 160 $7,775,000 $15,052,000 $24,414,000

Multiplier 1.6 1.3 1.3 1.3 The table below lists the ten industries with the highest employment impact resulting from the presence of Halifax Linen Services in Halifax County.

Halifax Linen Services Top Ten Employment Impacts

Sector Description Employment Labor Income Value Added Output

319 Wholesale trade businesses

105 $6,300,000 $11,735,000 $19,086,000

413 Food services and drinking places

6 $114,000 $168,000 $334,000

339 Couriers and messengers

5 $77,000 $231,000 $396,000

382 Employment services 4 $45,000 $58,000 $81,000

340 Warehousing and storage

3 $70,000 $103,000 $158,000

426 Private household operations

2 $7,000 $7,000 $7,000

394 Offices of physicians, dentists, and other health practitioners

2 $148,000 $155,000 $246,000

329 Retail Stores - General merchandise

2 $45,000 $71,000 $90,000

427 US Postal Service 2 $122,000 $114,000 $140,000

425 Civic, social, professional, and similar organizations

2 $42,000 $30,000 $59,000

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Josey Lumber Company In 2012, Josey Lumber Company supported a total of 50 full time jobs and contributed $11.1 million to economic growth in Halifax County. This included the direct employment of 30 fulltime and equivalent employees and the indirect and induced creation of an additional 20 jobs. Employment created and sustained by Josey Lumber Company accounted for $3.5 million in total employee and business income. This included $2.6 million in employee income in the county.

Josey Lumber Company Annual Economic Impact

Impact Type Employment Labor Income Value Added Output

Direct Effect 30 $1,810,000 $2,045,000 $8,516,000

Indirect Effect 10 $497,000 $843,000 $1,592,000

Induced Effect 10 $277,000 $645,000 $992,000

Total Effect 50 $2,583,000 $3,533,000 $11,100,000

Multiplier 1.7 1.4 1.7 1.3

The table below lists the ten industries with the highest employment impact resulting from the presence of Josey Lumber Company in Halifax County.

Josey Lumber Company Top Ten Employment Impacts

Sector Description Employment Labor Income Value Added Output

95 Sawmills and wood preservation

30.6 $1,845,000 $2,086,000 $8,684,000

413 Food services and drinking places

2.3 $42,000 $61,000 $122,000

16 Commercial logging 2.1 $167,000 $156,000 $262,000

319 Wholesale trade businesses

1.4 $85,000 $158,000 $258,000

388 Services to buildings and dwellings

0.8 $10,000 $16,000 $36,000

426 Private household operations

0.7 $2,000 $2,000 $2,000

425 Civic, social, professional, and similar organizations

0.7 $19,000 $14,000 $27,000

394 Offices of physicians, dentists, and other health practitioners

0.7 $49,000 $51,000 $81,000

39 Maintenance and repair construction of nonresidential structures

0.6 $19,000 $24,000 $75,000

414 Automotive repair and maintenance, except car washes

0.6 $16,000 $17,000 $35,000

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Kapstone Kraft Paper Company In 2012, Kapstone Kraft Paper Company supported a total of 782 full time jobs and contributed $119.7 million to economic growth in Halifax County. This included the direct employment of 500 fulltime and equivalent employees and the indirect and induced creation of an additional 282 jobs. Employment created and sustained by Kapstone Kraft Paper Company accounted for $73.8 million in total employee and business income. This included $38.1 million in employee income in the county.

Kapstone Kraft Paper Company Annual Economic Impact

Impact Type Employment Labor Income Value Added Output

Direct Effect 500 $30,101,000 $56,072,000 $91,196,000

Indirect Effect 139 $3,914,000 $8,172,000 $13,795,000

Induced Effect 143 $4,099,000 $9,541,000 $14,686,000

Total Effect 782 $38,114,000 $73,786,000 $119,677,000

Multiplier 1.6 1.3 1.3 1.3

The table below lists the ten industries with the highest employment impact resulting from the presence of Kapstone Kraft Paper Company in Halifax County.

Kapstone Kraft Paper Company Top Ten Employment Impacts

Sector Description Employment Labor Income Value Added Output

319 Wholesale trade businesses

513 $30,880,000 $57,525,000 $93,559,000

413 Food services and drinking places

31 $560,000 $824,000 $1,638,000

339 Couriers and messengers

24.2 $376,000 $1,133,000 $1,941,000

382 Employment services 17.1 $220,000 $283,000 $398,000

340 Warehousing and storage

12.6 $341,000 $506,000 $776,000

426 Private household operations

10.7 $34,000 $34,000 $34,000

394 Offices of physicians, dentists, and other health practitioners

9.9 $727,000 $761,000 $1,204,000

329 Retail Stores - General merchandise

8.3 $219,000 $347,000 $441,000

427 US Postal Service 7.8 $596,000 $559,000 $684,000

425 Civic, social, professional, and similar organizations

7.7 $208,000 $148,000 $290,000

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Kennametal In 2012, Kennametal supported a total of 172 full time jobs and contributed $48.4 million to economic growth in Halifax County. This included the direct employment of 172 fulltime and equivalent employees and the indirect and induced creation of an additional 82 jobs. Employment created and sustained by Kennametal accounted for $27.9 million in total employee and business income. This included $15 million in employee income in the county.

Kennametal Annual Economic Impact

Impact Type Employment Labor Income Value Added Output

Direct Effect 172 $12,380,000 $21,894,000 $38,796,000

Indirect Effect 26 $941,000 $2,255,000 $3,888,000

Induced Effect 56 $1,598,000 $3,719,000 $5,724,000

Total Effect 254 $14,919,000 $27,868,000 $48,407,000

Multiplier 1.5 1.2 1.3 1.2

The table below lists the ten industries with the highest employment impact resulting from the presence of Kennametal in Halifax County.

Kennametal Top Ten Employment Impacts

Sector Description Employment Labor Income Value Added Output

220 Cutting tool and machine tool accessory manufacturing

173.7 $12,501,000 $22,108,000 $39,176,000

413 Food services and drinking places

11.3 $204,000 $300,000 $596,000

426 Private household operations

4.2 $13,000 $13,000 $13,000

394 Offices of physicians, dentists, and other health practitioners

3.9 $284,000 $297,000 $470,000

319 Wholesale trade businesses

3.6 $215,000 $401,000 $652,000

329 Retail Stores - General merchandise

3.1 $83,000 $131,000 $167,000

398 Nursing and residential care facilities

2.8 $83,000 $102,000 $159,000

324 Retail Stores - Food and beverage

2.8 $58,000 $77,000 $123,000

425 Civic, social, professional, and similar organizations

2.6 $70,000 $50,000 $97,000

395 Home health care services

2.5 $31,000 $37,000 $73,000

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Patch Rubber Company In 2012, Patch Rubber Company supported a total of 294 full time jobs and contributed $107.2 million to economic growth in Halifax County. This included the direct employment of 201 fulltime and equivalent employees and the indirect and induced creation of an additional 93 jobs. Employment created and sustained by Patch Rubber Company accounted for $37.4 million in total employee and business income. This included $18.5 million in employee income in the county.

Patch Rubber Company Annual Economic Impact

Impact Type Employment Labor Income Value Added Output

Direct Effect 201 $15,078,000 $29,109,000 $90,706,000

Indirect Effect 80 $3,054,000 $7,419,000 $15,194,000

Induced Effect 13 $369,000 $858,000 $1,321,000

Total Effect 294 $18,500,000 $37,387,000 $107,221,000

Multiplier 1.5 1.2 1.3 1.2

The table below lists the ten industries with the highest employment impact resulting from the presence of Patch Rubber Company in Halifax County.

Patch Rubber Company Top Ten Employment Impacts

Sector Description Employment Labor Income

Value Added Output

150 Tire manufacturing 201 $15,078,000 $29,109,000 $90,706,000

413 Food services and drinking places

9.6 $173,000 $254,000 $505,000

319 Wholesale trade businesses

8.4 $508,000 $946,000 $1,539,000

78 Nonwoven fabric mills 6.2 $313,000 $892,000 $3,495,000

388 Services to buildings and dwellings

5.9 $78,000 $119,000 $271,000

39 Maintenance and repair construction of nonresidential structures

5.4 $162,000 $202,000 $623,000

414 Automotive repair and maintenance, except car washes

3.6 $96,000 $106,000 $211,000

390 Waste management and remediation services

3.5 $198,000 $356,000 $712,000

425 Civic, social, professional, and similar organizations

3.5 $94,000 $67,000 $131,000

368 Accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll services

3.1 $49,000 $139,000 $202,000

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Perdue Farms In 2012, Perdue Farms supported a total of 157 full time jobs and contributed $67.3 million to economic growth in Halifax County. This included the direct employment of 27 fulltime and equivalent employees and the indirect and induced creation of an additional 130 jobs. Employment created and sustained by Perdue Farms accounted for $18.5 million in total employee and business income. This included $12.9 million in employee income in the county.

Perdue Farms Annual Economic Impact

Impact Type Employment Labor Income Value Added Output

Direct Effect 27 $8,836,000 $10,797,000 $52,409,000

Indirect Effect 81 $2,642,000 $4,409,000 $9,844,000

Induced Effect 49 $1,410,000 $3,291,000 $5,062,000

Total Effect 157 $12,888,000 $18,497,000 $67,315,000

Multiplier 5.8 1.5 1.7 1.3

Perdue Farms’ employment multiplier of 5.8 is much higher than that of other businesses included in this report (the next highest employment multiplier is 1.7). This multiplier suggests that for every job at the Purdue facility, 5.8 additional jobs are supported elsewhere in Halifax County. While labor income is high in this analysis, it includes both wages to employees and proprietor income. For Perdue Farms, proprietor income makes up 59 percent of labor income (the next highest in this study is Rightmyer Machine Rental, for which proprietor income makes up just 29 percent of total labor income). Using these numbers, the average annual employee wage at Perdue Farms is estimated to be $134,176, which is strikingly higher than the county’s median wage. Looking more closely at the data, the Halifax County poultry industry has much higher wages and output per employee than national averages for the industry. A second analysis of Perdue Farms based instead on national averages for the poultry and egg production industry was run for comparison and is presented below:

Perdue Farms Annual Economic Impact – Based on National-level Data

Impact Type Employment Labor Income Value Added Output

Direct Effect 27 $2,398,000 $2,971,000 $15,315,000

Indirect Effect 23 $772,000 $1,288,000 $2,876,000

Induced Effect 14 $390,000 $912,000 $1,402,000

Total Effect 64 $3,560,000 $5,171,000 $19,593,000

Multiplier 2.4 1.5 1.7 1.3

In this analysis, in 2012, Perdue Farms supported a total of 64 full time jobs and contributed $19.6 million to economic growth in Halifax County. This included the direct employment of 27 fulltime and equivalent employees and the indirect and induced creation of an additional 37 jobs. Employment created and sustained by

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Perdue Farms accounted for $5.2 million in total employee and business income. This included $3.6 million in employee income in the county. In this analysis, the average annual wage of a Perdue Farms employee in Halifax County is $36,412, which is much closer to the county’s median wage. Still, even with national-level data, Perdue Farms has the highest employment multiplier of the businesses in this study. The model based on national industry data could be used as an estimate of the low end of the range for Perdue Farms’ impact in the county, and the county model could be used as the high end of the range. Both the low and high ends of this range are high relative to other businesses in this study, in part due to the local supply chain linkages in the poultry industry. While many of the businesses studied have impacts due largely to the consumer behavior of their employees, Perdue Farms likely has more connections to local businesses in industries such as grain farming and veterinary services. The table below lists the ten industries with the highest employment impact resulting from the presence of Perdue Farms in Halifax County, based on the county-level data.

Perdue Farms Top Ten Employment Impacts

Sector Description Employment Labor Income

Value Added Output

2 Grain farming 34 $655,000 $1,038,000 $4,457,000

13 Poultry and egg production

27 $8,844,00

0 $10,806,000 $52,457,000

19 Support activities for agriculture and forestry

19.6 $931,000 $795,000 $927,000

413 Food services and drinking places

8.9 $160,000 $236,000 $469,000

379 Veterinary services 6.4 $114,000 $151,000 $306,000

319 Wholesale trade businesses

6 $359,000 $668,000 $1,086,000

426 Private household operations

3.8 $12,000 $12,000 $12,000

394 Offices of physicians, dentists, and other health practitioners

3.3 $246,000 $257,000 $407,000

39 Maintenance and repair construction of nonresidential structures

2.9 $88,000 $110,000 $338,000

329 Retail Stores - General merchandise

2.8 $76,000 $120,000 $152,000

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Reser’s Fine Foods In 2012, Reser’s Fine Foods supported a total of 330 full time jobs and contributed $90.9 million to economic growth in Halifax County. This included the direct employment of 199 fulltime and equivalent employees and the indirect and induced creation of an additional 131 jobs. Employment created and sustained by Reser’s Fine Foods accounted for $32.4 million in total employee and business income. This included $12.8 million in employee income in the county.

Reser’s Fine Foods Annual Economic Impact

Impact Type Employment Labor Income Value Added Output

Direct Effect 199 $8,413,000 $22,227,000 $73,270,000

Indirect Effect 83 $2,999,000 $6,927,000 $12,660,000

Induced Effect 48 $1,376,000 $3,205,000 $4,932,000

Total Effect 330 $12,788,000 $32,358,000 $90,862,000

Multiplier 1.7 1.5 1.5 1.2

The table below lists the ten industries with the highest employment impact resulting from the presence of Reser’s Fine Foods in Halifax County.

Reser’s Fine Foods Top Ten Employment Impacts

Sector Description Employment Labor Income Value Added Output

69 All other food manufacturing

199.3 $8,424,000 $22,255,000 $73,364,000

413 Food services and drinking places

13 $235,000 $345,000 $686,000

319 Wholesale trade businesses

11.3 $679,000 $1,264,000 $2,056,000

2 Grain farming 9.7 $188,000 $297,000 $1,277,000

425 Civic, social, professional, and similar organizations

8.2 $223,000 $159,000 $311,000

381 Management of companies and enterprises

3.9 $137,000 $236,000 $556,000

382 Employment services 3.7 $48,000 $62,000 $87,000

388 Services to buildings and dwellings

3.7 $49,000 $75,000 $171,000

14 Animal production, except cattle and poultry and eggs

3.6 $41,000 $152,000 $249,000

426 Private household operations

3.6 $11,000 $11,000 $11,000

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Rightmyer Machine Rental In 2012, Rightmyer Machine Rental supported a total of 67 full time jobs and contributed $8.5 million to economic growth in Halifax County. This included the direct employment of 50 fulltime and equivalent employees and the indirect and induced creation of an additional 67 jobs. Employment created and sustained by Rightmyer Machine Rental accounted for $3 million in total employee and business income. This included $2 million in employee income in the county.

Rightmyer Machine Rental Annual Economic Impact

Impact Type Employment Labor Income Value Added Output

Direct Effect 50 $1,467,000 $1,824,000 $6,632,000

Indirect Effect 10 $311,000 $660,000 $1,125,000

Induced Effect 8 $216,000 $504,000 $775,000

Total Effect 67 $1,995,000 $2,988,000 $8,531,000

Multiplier 1.3 1.4 1.6 1.3

The table below lists the ten industries with the highest employment impact resulting from the presence of Rightmyer Machine Rental in Halifax County.

Rightmyer Machine Rental Top Ten Employment Impacts

Sector Description Employment Labor Income Value Added Output

36 Construction of other new nonresidential structures

50 $1,467,000 $1,824,000 $6,632,000

413 Food services and drinking places

1.6 $30,000 $44,000 $87,000

414 Automotive repair and maintenance, except car washes

1.1 $30,000 $33,000 $65,000

382 Employment services 0.9 $11,000 $14,000 $20,000

319 Wholesale trade businesses

0.8 $50,000 $93,000 $151,000

425 Civic, social, professional, and similar organizations

0.8 $22,000 $15,000 $30,000

329 Retail Stores - General merchandise

0.7 $20,000 $31,000 $40,000

369 Architectural, engineering, and related services

0.7 $22,000 $23,000 $56,000

324 Retail Stores - Food and beverage

0.7 $14,000 $19,000 $30,000

426 Private household operations

0.6 $2,000 $2,000 $2,000

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Safelite Auto Glass In 2012, Safelite Auto Glass supported a total of 447 full time jobs and contributed $33.9 million to economic growth in Halifax County. This included the direct employment of 365 fulltime and equivalent employees and the indirect and induced creation of an additional 82 jobs. Employment created and sustained by Safelite Auto Glass accounted for $22.3 million in total employee and business income. This included $13.4 million in employee income in the county.

Safelite Auto Glass Annual Economic Impact

Impact Type Employment Labor Income Value Added Output

Direct Effect 365 $11,058,000 $16,682,000 $25,117,000

Indirect Effect 32 $926,000 $2,245,000 $3,592,000

Induced Effect 50 $1,439,000 $3,349,000 $5,155,000

Total Effect 447 $13,422,000 $22,276,000 $33,864,000

Multiplier 1.2 1.2 1.3 1.3

The table below lists the ten industries with the highest employment impact resulting from the presence of Safelite Auto Glass in Halifax County.

Safelite Auto Glass Top Ten Employment Impacts

Sector Description Employment Labor Income

Value Added Output

323 Retail Stores - Building material and garden supply

366.7 $11,109,000 $16,759,000 $25,233,000

413 Food services and drinking places

10.4 $188,000 $276,000 $548,000

426 Private household operations

3.8 $12,000 $12,000 $12,000

382 Employment services 3.6 $47,000 $60,000 $85,000

340 Warehousing and storage

3.5 $95,000 $142,000 $217,000

394 Offices of physicians, dentists, and other health practitioners

3.5 $255,000 $267,000 $422,000

339 Couriers and messengers 2.9 $45,000 $135,000 $232,000

329 Retail Stores - General merchandise

2.8 $75,000 $118,000 $150,000

425 Civic, social, professional, and similar organizations

2.8 $76,000 $54,000 $105,000

398 Nursing and residential care facilities

2.5 $75,000 $91,000 $143,000

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The Daily Herald In 2012, The Daily Herald supported a total of 59 full time jobs and contributed $5 million to economic growth in Halifax County. This included the direct employment of 50 fulltime and equivalent employees and the indirect and induced creation of an additional 9 jobs. Employment created and sustained by The Daily Herald accounted for $3.6 million in total employee and business income. This included $1.6 million in employee income in the county.

The Daily Herald Annual Economic Impact

Impact Type Employment Labor Income Value Added Output

Direct Effect 50 $1,286,000 $2,994,000 $3,962,000

Indirect Effect 4 $105,000 $256,000 $410,000

Induced Effect 6 $167,000 $389,000 $599,000

Total Effect 59 $1,558,000 $3,640,000 $4,972,000

Multiplier 1.2 1.2 1.2 1.3

The table below lists the ten industries with the highest employment impact resulting from the presence of The Daily Herald in Halifax County.

The Daily Herald Top Ten Employment Impacts

Sector Description Employment Labor Income Value Added Output

331 Retail Nonstores - Direct and electronic sales

50.1 $1,288,000 $2,998,000 $3,968,000

413 Food services and drinking places

1.2 $22,000 $32,000 $64,000

426 Private household operations

0.4 $1,000 $1,000 $1,000

382 Employment services 0.4 $5,000 $7,000 $10,000

340 Warehousing and storage 0.4 $11,000 $16,000 $25,000

394 Offices of physicians, dentists, and other health practitioners

0.4 $30,000 $31,000 $49,000

339 Couriers and messengers 0.3 $5,000 $16,000 $27,000

329 Retail Stores - General merchandise

0.3 $9,000 $14,000 $17,000

425 Civic, social, professional, and similar organizations

0.3 $9,000 $6,000 $12,000

398 Nursing and residential care facilities

0.3 $9,000 $11,000 $17,000

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Business Retention and Expansion Program Recommendations11 Since Halifax County already has a BRE program, much of this report can be analyzed in the context of its current strategies. This section provides a concise review of practices used successfully by other BRE programs, which may be useful to Halifax County’s efforts. A formal BRE program starts with a team composed of economic developers and community stakeholders. Stakeholders include service providers, such as representatives of local governments, Chambers of Commerce, and educational institutions. Business leaders should also be included in this group, as they can serve as peer ambassadors connecting the BRE team to local businesses and informing outreach strategy. Ideally, “paid staff”—economic developers, for example—are responsible for ensuring continuous engagement with businesses and therefore lead the team. The IEDC recommends that stakeholders perform an analysis of community strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) prior to designing a BRE program. The SWOT analysis can highlight the resources that the community has, as well as challenges that are likely to surface in conversations with business leaders. In a sense, this SWOT analysis identifies issues that are important to business leaders: the local workforce, public services, educational infrastructure, quality of life, transportation, access to markets, and economic trends. The SWOT analysis helps the BRE team set goals and target its resources for maximum benefit. While information gained from individual business leaders will be invaluable, stakeholders from around the community are likely to understand many of the local assets and challenges. Addressing challenges—for example, poorly performing public schools—will be as important to local business retention and expansion as responding to individual business concerns. A critical part of any BRE program is providing referrals for technical assistance from partners and community organizations, and the BRE team must identify those partners and define the roles they are willing and able to play in a BRE program. The BRE team and each partner organization must determine how, when, and which businesses will take advantage of technical assistance, including whether the businesses will pay for the services they receive. This should happen before the team performs outreach to businesses.

11 The information in this section was adapted from the IEDC’s “Business Retention and Expansion”

manual, the IEDC “Business Retention and Expansion” professional development course, and the University of Florida IFAS Extension’s “Business Retention and Expansion” series. More information on these resources can be found in Appendix B.

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Some local organizations can prove to be invaluable assets. Halifax Community College (HCC) should have a large role in a BRE program. HCC’s existing occupational extension programs, which offer skills training and skills upgrading in response to requests from employers, have the potential to play a role in meeting the demand for skilled workers in many of the fields in which businesses have trouble attracting talent. Important lessons can be learned from other community colleges in the state: Randolph Community College, for example, created a successful program that trained cut-and-sew workers to use CAD technology, which met the emerging workforce needs of the county’s largest private employer, Klaussner Home Furnishings. This type of strategic partnership has the potential to greatly enhance the competiveness of existing businesses and industries. In addition to HCC, locally based financial institutions, such as Roanoke Rapids Savings Bank and New Republic Savings Bank, can be powerful BRE program partners due to their existing connections and investments in Halifax County. Both banks offer a range of business loan and checking services. Partnerships should also be formed with regional financial institutions and nonprofits, such as Self Help Credit Union, which offers a wide range of small business services; The Rural Center, which provides entrepreneurial assistance and access to capital to rural businesses; and The Support Center, a North Carolina community development financial institution which runs a small business revolving loan fund. Other natural business and workforce development partners will include:

o Turning Point Workforce Development Board o The Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce, which represents over 600 area

businesses o Halifax County local governments o The Upper Coastal Plain Council of Governments, which links entrepreneurs

with various regional service providers through its Rural Entrepreneurial Network

o The NCEast Alliance o The Choanoke Public Transportation Authority, which provides rides to work

for residents of Halifax and surrounding counties o The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina o The US Small Business Administration o The US Department of Commerce

After creating the foundation for the BRE program, a community must market the program. This is an important step, and one that will increase the chances that business leaders understand the importance of their participation and the intended return on their investment of time. Marketing can include press releases, social media content, and partnerships with organizations that already have relationships with local businesses, such as the Roanoke Valley Chamber of Commerce. After this preparation, a BRE team performs outreach with local businesses. The form of outreach will depend on the BRE strategy for each business. While not every

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business in a community needs to be visited regularly, some do, and the BRE team must evaluate how their goals and resources best align. They must not only be careful with their own time; the BRE team must respect the time commitment for which they ask busy business leaders. Whatever the approach to outreach, the BRE team should strive to build relationships with decision-makers, such as owners or managers, at the most strategically important firms in the county. In some communities, community volunteers—not members of a BRE team—perform BRE outreach. While volunteer teams can be successful survey administrators in many communities, single visits by volunteers do not build relationships and ensure continuous communication as strongly as unscripted conversations with teams composed of representatives from other businesses, local governments, and economic development organizations. Because of the importance of relationship building between decision-makers at firms and well-connected BRE teams, outreach is often best done in person and over time. The bank of questions in Appendix A can be a valuable resource as BRE team members plan conversations with business leaders. The company fact sheets in Appendix C can prepare BRE team members for meetings with business leaders by providing basic background on the firm, its local history, and industry trends by which the local business may be affected. The BRE team, in addition to building relationships that can improve communication in the future, uses outreach as a way to gather data. After speaking with business leaders, the team must analyze data gathered both formally and informally. By viewing information through the diverse lenses of different team members, the BRE team can identify red flags—signals that a business is in danger of failing and closing or relocating—as well as issues that are common among businesses in the community. Then, the BRE team can design specific interventions and create programs and services to meet common needs. Much of this work involves connecting businesses with resources that may already exist in the community, such as those available through the partners listed above. Some trends that the team identifies may require resources that do not currently exist in the community. Regardless of the immediate result of outreach, follow-up is an important part of a BRE program. In addition to thanking the individuals and firms with which a BRE team met, the team should create a file for the company and then code or tabulate responses to questions. Each company file can be created on a program such as Microsoft Access or a more specialized database such as Executive Pulse. At the same time, company fact sheets should be updated and corrected for future contact. Creating records of businesses and the BRE team’s contact with them is essential for a community to retain and expand businesses even if the BRE team changes or there is turnover in economic development staff. In addition to this data management, the BRE team must ensure that the resource partners to whom the BRE team referred

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them have contacted businesses and the businesses are updated on the BRE team’s work to address larger community issues that were discussed. The IEDC lists a number of red flags that may indicate a firm is at risk of closing or relocating. Response to these red flags is critical, even if the BRE team is unable to fully address the business’s needs. Red flags include:12

Declining sales/declining employment Larger, non-local corporate ownership Recent ownership change Lease of property/expiring leases Other facilities producing the same product or service Negative attitudes about the community High regulatory burdens Union contract expirations Expanding employment/expanding sales Facility and site expansion plans Obsolete or land-locked facility Location in a problem neighborhood Older product lines or production technology Contentious labor-management relationships Lack of export/international focus Family-owned firms with aging owner and no succession plan Gradual corporate downsizing over time Relocation of top managers and corporate officers to another location Loss of longstanding supplier contracts/relationship (e.g., losing contracts to

supply parts to an automaker) Though BRE programs range in size and scope, relationships between the community and its businesses must be at the heart of any effort to keep those business’s healthy and growing. For a small community like Halifax, with limited economic development resources, a BRE program will need significant time and commitment from community leaders to develop into a robust, powerful resource. Along the way, the keys to success will be creating and maintaining open lines of communication with business leaders and growing a capable network of partner organizations ready to assist them.

12 Many of these originated with the Oakland Commerce Corporation and are included in the IEDC

BRE manual.

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Appendix A: Questions to Ask Businesses

While BRE programs once relied heavily on questionnaires, many practitioners now favor face-to-face conversations with company decision-makers. These conversations have the potential to be much more informative and valuable for both the BRE team and the business, since the discussion can be tailored to the specific company. Additionally, when a BRE team meets with a decision-maker at a business, the team sends a clear signal that the decision-maker’s time is valued. The BRE team, in addition to having some background knowledge of the business and its industry, can rely on a pool of questions to ensure they prompt conversations that reveal the business’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. With this information, the BRE team can tailor an appropriate response. Responses to these questions can also be used to update and maintain the company fact sheets in Appendix A or the county’s existing BRE database. The questions below were adapted from BRE programs around the country.13 COMPANY

Who is the firm’s principal contact for purposes of seeking assistance through the BRE program?

What are this company’s products? Who are your company’s competitors? What occurs at this facility (services, manufacturing, distribution,

warehousing, R&D)? How recently has ownership of this facility changed? How recently has

management changed? Do you have a succession plan?

FACILITY AND EQUIPMENT

What are this facility’s products? Is the facility able to support your operation in the next five years? Do you own or lease this facility? Do you have sister facilities? How much of this facility’s space are you currently using? Do you have room to expand at this location? Do you have plans to expand or move?

WORKFORCE

How many full-time and part-time employees work at this facility? In the past year, has the number of jobs at this facility increased, decreased,

or remained the same? What changes in employment do you expect at this facility in the near future?

13 See Appendix C for a list of useful resources, including links to some of the surveys and resources

from which these questions were gathered and adapted

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What does the workforce availability look like in your industry? What does the workforce availability look like in Halifax County? What are your recruitment challenges? What skills do you seek in job applicants? What specific skills will you

require of employees and applicants in the next five years? Is there a skills mismatch? Do you have a formal recruiting program for prospective employees? How do you promote the area when prospective employees visit? Do you

partner with the community to promote the area when prospective employees visit?

Do you have a formal employee-training program for new hires? What are your talent retention challenges? Which workforce problems significantly impact this facility (attendance,

discipline, substance abuse, low literacy, low skill levels, interpersonal relations)?

How does the wage scale at this facility compare with other local firms? What is the average age of the workforce in the industry and at your

location? What benefits do you offer employees? What percentage of your workforce live in Halifax County? Warren?

Franklin? Nash? Edgecombe? Martin? Bertie? Northampton? Virginia? SALES

What are your annual sales? Over the past year, have sales increased, decreased, been relatively stable, or

fluctuated widely? What are next year’s sales projections? What are the location and names of your primary customers? What are the location and names of your primary suppliers? Do you export? If so, to where?

FINANCING

What capital needs have you had/do you have? Have you had trouble securing capital? What are your sources of capital and credit?

E-COMMERCE For what do you use the Internet?

o Email o Website o Market research o Sell products/services o Buy products/services o Exchange data internally/externally

Don’t use

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o What type of Internet connection do you have? o Do you have IT staff or do you use a third party IT service? o Where are you going as far as technology investment?

BUSINESS CLIMATE AND PUBLIC SERVICES

What advantages do you gain from being located in Halifax County? What disadvantages do you experience?

If you were making a site location decision today, would you select Halifax County? Why or why not?

What critical support industries are lacking in the county that would improve the business environment?

What do you consider to be major barriers to growth? (For example, lack of available land, unqualified workforce, punitive regulation, tax rates, labor costs, transportation network, crime, cost of living, energy costs, distance from customers of suppliers, condition of production facilities)

How would you rate the following public services? o Primary schools o Secondary schools o Community college/vocational school o Parks and other recreational opportunities o Cultural amenities o Streets and highways o Police protection o Fire protection o Emergency medical services o Water quality (if publicly supplied) o Water costs (if publicly supplied) o Sewage disposal costs (if publicly supplied) o Solid waste disposal costs (if publicly supplied)

OTHER

Do you see value in local business roundtables?

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Appendix B: Useful Resources

The International Economic Development Council’s “Business Retention and Expansion” manual, written by Darrene Hackler, Christopher Girdwood, and Cathy Katona. (2011).

The Central Utah Business Expansion and Retention Program (BEAR) Survey

www.carbon.utah.gov/Portals/0/DocsEconDev/BEAR Survey.pdf

Publications in the Business Retention and Expansion (BRE) Series from the University of Florida IFAS Extension: edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_series_bre Topics in the series include:

Responding to Business Concerns Approaches to BRE Programs Conducting Successful Business Retention and Expansion Visits Developing a Business Retention and Expansion Survey Characteristics of Successful BRE Programs Measuring Success in Your BRE Program Preparing a Community Assessment Preparing a Written Report of Survey Findings and

Recommendations Why Existing Businesses Are Important

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Appendix C: Company Fact Sheets

AAA Carolinas 37 Aunt Ruby’s Peanuts 38 American Waste Systems 39 Americap Incorporated 40 Autoverters 41 Coca-Cola Bottling Company 42 Don Pancho Authentic Mexican Foods 43 Driver Trucking 44 Eastern Petroleum 45 Halifax Fertilizer 46 Halifax Linen Service 47 Halifax Regional Medical Center 48 Josey Lumber Company 49 Kapstone Kraft Paper and Packaging 50 Kennametal 51 LSA America 52 McPherson Beverages 53 Meherrin River Forest Products 54 Nash Brick Company 55 NC Fibers 56 New Dixie Oil Com 57 Newsom Oil Company 58 Patch Rubber Company 59 PCB Piezotronics of North Carolina 60 Pelican Packaging 61 Perdue Farms 62 Reser’s Fine Foods 63 Rightmyer Machine Rentals 64 Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald 65 Roanoke Valley Ice Company 66 Safelite Auto Glass 67 Scotland Neck Heart Pine 68 Shenandoah Wood Preservers 69 Smithfield Premium Genetics 70 Weldon Steel Company 71 Wiggins Design and Fabrication 72

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