News

Edgecombe projects move forward despite pandemic

Edgecombe projects move forward despite pandemic

By John H. Walker Staff Writer Dec. 30, 2020 "The coronavirus pandemic hit just as economic indicators were beginning to improve for Edgecombe County. And while those indicators dropped all the way to the bottom of the scale, there was slippage in a number of areas as...

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Mural project highlights city’s rail past

Mural project highlights city’s rail past

By LAWRENCE BIVINS Special to the Telegram December 7, 2020 "The mural seeks to highlight the area’s historical relationship with railroads — and its future. “The history of the Atlantic Coastline Railroad in Rocky Mount goes way back,” said Marion Clark Weathers, an...

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Kingsboro megasite earns statewide recognition

Kingsboro megasite earns statewide recognition

From Contributed Reports "The Kingsboro Business Center has received statewide recognition for its positive impact for job creation and superior transportation infrastructure. The American Council of Engineering Companies of North Carolina recently made the...

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Work on new DMV headquarters to finish soon

Work on new DMV headquarters to finish soon

By WILLIAM F. WEST Staff Writer November 18, 2020 "The DMV headquarters is being shifted in phases from along New Bern Avenue in the capital city to Rocky Mount. That is because the General Assembly required a process for relocating the present headquarters due to...

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Manufacturing company to relocate to area

Manufacturing company to relocate to area

By JOHN H. WALKER Staff Writer November 16, 2020 "If you’ve ever gotten an X-ray and had one of those heavy, protective aprons positioned in front of your body, chances are it was made by a business relocating from New York to Edgecombe County’s Fountain Industrial...

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Manufacturing plant to locate in city

Manufacturing plant to locate in city

From Staff Reports November 11, 2020 "Cornerstone Building Brands Inc., a manufacturer of exterior building products, plans to build a production facility in Rocky Mount. The company plans to invest about $25 million over five years to establish the production...

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Kingsboro megasite earns statewide recognition

Truck service center to locate in Kingsboro

By JOHN H. WALKER Staff Writer Nov 7, 2020 "While trade wars may be impacting the development of what is promised by Triangle Tire to be its first manufacturing facility outside China, economic growth at the Kingsboro Business Park got another boost Monday night....

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Local business reaches finals in state contest

Local business reaches finals in state contest

From Staff Reports "Nashville-based George’s BBQ Sauce is one of four finalists in a statewide contest sponsored by the N.C. Chamber, the state’s leading business advocacy organization. “It is humbling just to be nominated ... We are so thankful for the opportunity to...

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Local airport offers new amenities

Local airport offers new amenities

By AMELIA HARPER Staff Writer "Dion Viventi, director of the Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport, presented an update Monday on recent improvements made to the Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport during a meeting of the Nash County Board of Commissioners. “There has...

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New FFE distribution center takes shape

New FFE distribution center takes shape

By WILLIAM F. WEST Staff Writer "Signage is in place at a North Church Street location that is going to be the retrofitted Rocky Mount distribution facility of a temperature-controlled food products motor carrier — and the building at that location also now has a...

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Duke Energy program to boost area industrial sites

Duke Energy program to boost area industrial sites

From Staff Reports "Future industrial sites in Edgecombe and Nash counties have made a list of six properties Duke Energy has selected in North Carolina for participation in the company’s 2020 Site Readiness Program. The purpose of the program is to identify...

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Progress continues on construction of CSX intermodal terminals

Progress continues on construction of CSX intermodal terminals

Joanna Marsh Friday, August 28, 2020 "Although the COVID-19 pandemic has pushed back construction timelines, Eastern U.S. railroad CSX (NASDAQ: CSX) is forging ahead with the construction of two new intermodal terminals, one in Rocky Mount in eastern North Carolina...

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MADE IN AMERICA: 20 TOP U.S. CITIES FOR MANUFACTURERS

MADE IN AMERICA: 20 TOP U.S. CITIES FOR MANUFACTURERS

August 4th, 2020 | Written by Anthony Pignataro "More than 11 million Americans worked in the manufacturing sector in 2016, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. These are good jobs, too: The average payroll by employee in manufacturing is $57,266. But while...

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10 3PLS KILLING IT WITH DISTRIBUTION LOGISTICS

10 3PLS KILLING IT WITH DISTRIBUTION LOGISTICS

August 11th, 2020 | Written by Anthony Pignataro "The third-party logistics (3PL) industry did more than $200 billion in revenue in the U.S. in 2018, according to Armstrong & Associates. That figure is double what it was just a decade ago. Rising labor costs,...

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City ranked among top 20 in manufacturing

City ranked among top 20 in manufacturing

By WILLIAM F. WEST Staff Writer "Rocky Mount has received another honor in the category of business and industry. Global Trade Magazine, which is based in Dallas and proclaims to be America’s leading publication on the subject of logistics, early this month reported...

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Carolinas Gateway moves into new downtown home

Carolinas Gateway moves into new downtown home

By WILLIAM F. WEST Staff Writer Aug 16, 2020 "The area’s business and industrial recruiter is operating in a new location in the heart of Rocky Mount. The Carolinas Gateway Partnership a few weeks ago moved into space on the second floor of a building abutting the...

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A sleepy North Carolina city flexes its logistics muscle

A sleepy North Carolina city flexes its logistics muscle

Mark Solomon Friday, August 7, 2020 "Nestled in the state’s rural northeast corner, Rocky Mount, North Carolina is known to many travelers as four exits on Interstate 95. Not many would imagine it being a major distribution center (DC) player. They may want to take...

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State grants to help promote businesses

State grants to help promote businesses

From Contributed Reports "The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina has grant resources to help small businesses exhibit in virtual international trade shows at a time when COVID-19 has shut down in-person events and caused many countries to restrict U.S....

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Economic interest Remains High In Edgecombe County

Economic interest Remains High In Edgecombe County

Written By John H. Walker "According to officials with Carolinas Gateway Partnership, there is a great deal of ongoing interest in Tarboro and Edgecombe County. “We’re fielding a great number of inquiries,” explained Gateways CEO Norris Tolson. “The consultants we...

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Trade dispute delays Triangle Tire plans to build new plants

Trade dispute delays Triangle Tire plans to build new plants

By JOHN H. WALKER Staff Writer Jul 23, 2020 Norris Tolson, President and CEO of the Carolinas Gateway Partnership, told the Telegram that Triangle still has plans to build here. “The last time I talked with them, they told me that they are still coming to Kingsboro,”...

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Tarboro shell building starts to take shape

Tarboro shell building starts to take shape

By JOHN H. WALKER Staff Writer Jun 27, 2020 While rain continues to slow progress of the 65,000-square-foot spec building under construction at the Tarboro Commerce Center, work is progressing as the superstructure is now up and workers preparing to erect the siding...

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Work on new DMV headquarters to finish soon

Work continues on new DMV headquarters

William F. West Staff Writer May 8, 2020 Has the coronavirus put on hold the transformation of the former Hardee’s corporate headquarters complex into the future state Division of Motor Vehicles headquarters? If your answer is no, then you are correct. “The work never...

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New pharmaceutical firm set to locate in area

New pharmaceutical firm set to locate in area

By WILLIAM F. WEST Staff Writer A startup nationwide pharmaceutical business has selected a shell building in the West Nashville Commerce Park as a base of operations — and crews are at work readying the location. Joe Cascone, a co-founder of Asterra Labs, told the...

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Golden LEAF loans available to small businesses

Golden LEAF loans available to small businesses

By Travis Fain, WRAL statehouse reporter ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — Small businesses in North Carolina can apply for loans up to $50,000, with no interest and no payments due for six months, to help them stay afloat as the COVID-19 pandemic shuts down large swaths of the...

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Work on new DMV headquarters to finish soon

Crews work on new site for DMV

By WILLIAM F. WEST Staff Writer The entrances to the future state Division of Motor Vehicles headquarters on Church Street are ribboned off from public entry because crews are inside upfitting buildings on the property, more commonly known locally as the former...

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Corning posts jobs ads for new facility

Corning posts jobs ads for new facility

By JOHN H. WALKER Staff Writer Nothing shows up for a Tarboro location yet on the Corning website, but indeed.com has a number of jobs listed for the yet-to-open warehouse facility located directly across from what once was Hart’s Chapel Road on U.S. 64 Alternate....

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Rocky Mount Mills Announces New Corporate Tenants

Rocky Mount Mills Announces New Corporate Tenants

Posted on February 11, 2020 at 11:15 am. Written by Margo Metzger Prominent businesses join ever-evolving campus  February 10, 2019 (Rocky Mount, N.C.) – Several new businesses have recently moved in at Rocky Mount Mills, bringing even more jobs and community...

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City receives high ranking for manufacturing

City receives high ranking for manufacturing

By SPENCER CARNEY Telegram Correspondent Feb 9, 2020 Rocky Mount was named in a recent study as the third-highest city in the United States where manufacturing is thriving. “Manufacturing is a really important part of the American economy,” said Adrian Mak, co-founder...

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MADE IN AMERICA: 20 TOP U.S. CITIES FOR MANUFACTURERS

Manufacturing is thriving in these 5 US cities

By Megan Henney FOXBusiness The U.S. manufacturing sector may have recently contracted to its lowest level since the financial crisis, but the industry is still thriving in certain American cities, according to a new report. Despite a recent slowdown, manufacturing...

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Sara Lee to expand area bakery

Sara Lee to expand area bakery

By WILLIAM F. WEST Staff Writer Sara Lee Frozen Bakery is going to begin a $19.8 million expansion of the company’s plant just off U.S. 258 southwest of Tarboro that is going to create 108 new jobs. “Food manufacturers like Sara Lee Frozen Bakery choose communities...

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CSX rail hub construction remains on track

CSX rail hub construction remains on track

By WILLIAM F. WEST Staff Writer Construction of the future CSX intermodal facility is on schedule to be complete by the end of the year. That is what state Transportation Department spokesman Andrew Barksdale told the Telegram in response to recent written questions...

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Work on new DMV headquarters to finish soon

Crews work on new site for DMV

By WILLIAM F. WEST Staff Writer The entrances to the future state Division of Motor Vehicles headquarters on Church Street are ribboned off from public entry because crews are inside upfitting buildings on the property, more commonly known locally as the former...

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Corning posts jobs ads for new facility

Corning posts jobs ads for new facility

By JOHN H. WALKER Staff Writer Nothing shows up for a Tarboro location yet on the Corning website, but indeed.com has a number of jobs listed for the yet-to-open warehouse facility located directly across from what once was Hart’s Chapel Road on U.S. 64 Alternate....

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Rocky Mount Mills Announces New Corporate Tenants

Rocky Mount Mills Announces New Corporate Tenants

Posted on February 11, 2020 at 11:15 am. Written by Margo Metzger Prominent businesses join ever-evolving campus  February 10, 2019 (Rocky Mount, N.C.) – Several new businesses have recently moved in at Rocky Mount Mills, bringing even more jobs and community...

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City receives high ranking for manufacturing

City receives high ranking for manufacturing

By SPENCER CARNEY Telegram Correspondent Feb 9, 2020 Rocky Mount was named in a recent study as the third-highest city in the United States where manufacturing is thriving. “Manufacturing is a really important part of the American economy,” said Adrian Mak, co-founder...

read more
MADE IN AMERICA: 20 TOP U.S. CITIES FOR MANUFACTURERS

Manufacturing is thriving in these 5 US cities

By Megan Henney FOXBusiness The U.S. manufacturing sector may have recently contracted to its lowest level since the financial crisis, but the industry is still thriving in certain American cities, according to a new report. Despite a recent slowdown, manufacturing...

read more
Sara Lee to expand area bakery

Sara Lee to expand area bakery

By WILLIAM F. WEST Staff Writer Sara Lee Frozen Bakery is going to begin a $19.8 million expansion of the company’s plant just off U.S. 258 southwest of Tarboro that is going to create 108 new jobs. “Food manufacturers like Sara Lee Frozen Bakery choose communities...

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CSX rail hub construction remains on track

CSX rail hub construction remains on track

By WILLIAM F. WEST Staff Writer Construction of the future CSX intermodal facility is on schedule to be complete by the end of the year. That is what state Transportation Department spokesman Andrew Barksdale told the Telegram in response to recent written questions...

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SITE SELECTION RANKS NORTH CAROLINA AS TOP STATE BUSINESS CLIMATE FOR 2020

Business development boosts economic prospects

By WILLIAM F. WEST Staff Writer Gov. Roy Cooper and scores of other VIPs and residents gathered on a sunny and humid day on April 24 on the lawn of N.C. Wesleyan College for a ceremony signaling the start of construction of the future CSX intermodal rail facility....

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New projects position Edgecombe County for economic gains

New projects position Edgecombe County for economic gains

By JOHN H. WALKER Staff Writer A number of business developments in Edgecombe County in 2019 continue to give credence to speculation the county’s economic and employment situation is headed in the right direction. While the initial announcement of two industries —...

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Carolinas Gateway moves into new downtown home

Carolinas Gateway Partnership to relocate headquarters

By WILLIAM F. WEST Staff Writer The area’s business and industrial recruiter is shifting from a building just northwest of downtown to a location in downtown. Carolinas Gateway Partnership President and CEO Norris Tolson told the Telegram the plan is to bid farewell...

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Local plant to upgrade operations

Local plant to upgrade operations

By WILLIAM F. WEST Staff Writer A combination of Belgian knowhow and innovation and Twin Counties area pride were on display for Belgium’s ambassador to the U.S. on Monday afternoon. Dirk Wouters was in northern Nash County to tour the Belgian-based Poppies dessert...

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Edgecombe projects move forward despite pandemic

Economists provide optimistic forecast

By WILLIAM F. WEST Staff Writer The chief economist for the PNC Financial Group told the Rocky Mount Area Chamber of Commerce’s economic summit his forecast for next year is continued expansion nationwide, although not at the same current pace. “We do not expect to...

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Workforce training ‘created out of necessity’

Workforce training ‘created out of necessity’

By Brie Handgraaf bhandgraaf@wilsontimes.com | 252-265-7821 ROCKY MOUNT — Community leaders from five counties gathered Tuesday night to learn more about an initiative that will equip local residents with the skills to fill advanced manufacturing vacancies with...

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Keihin plant part of merger deal

Keihin plant part of merger deal

BY JOHN H. WALKER Staff Writer Monday, November 4, 2019 Keihin Carolina System Technology LLC, which has operated in Tarboro since 1998 and employs more than 400 people, is one of three Honda-owned businesses that will be merged with Hitachi Automotive Systems to...

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Local plant to expand, add jobs

Local plant to expand, add jobs

BY JOHN H. WALKER Staff Writer Friday, October 25, 2019 “Most people have no idea as to who Babington Technologies is,” Carolinas Gateway Partnership President and CEO Norris Tolson said. Indeed, located at a dead-end street between U.S. 301 and the CSX railroad...

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Economic recruiter makes staff change

Economic recruiter makes staff change

BY JOHN H. WALKER Staff Writer Sunday, October 13, 2019 The Carolinas Gateway Partnership has announced two staff changes. Krista Ikirt, vice president of economic development for Nash County and a 12-year veteran with the partnership, is headed to the Erie County,...

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NEW CALL CENTER OPENS IN SPRING HOPE

BY WILLIAM F. WEST   SPRING HOPE — A Raleigh-based call center company is now operating a facility in a former textile plant on the south side of Spring Hope and is anticipating employing more than 270 people in the future. The company, Millennia, had been...

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FEMALE BREWERS TO MOVE INTO THE ROCKY MOUNT MILLS

A couple of craft brewers are bringing a female touch and diverse presence to the Rocky Mount Mills. Briana Brake, founder of Spaceway Brewery, and Celeste Beatty, founder of Harlem Brewing, have formed a collaboration to establish Rocky Mount Brewery that will occupy...

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TWIN COUNTIES RECOGNIZED IN BUSINESS NORTH CAROLINA

We are very excited for the Twin Counties to be recognized in the latest edition of the Business North Carolina magazine for one of the Top Economic Development Projects. Triangle Tyre ranked 3rd for largest new jobs and 1st for largest investment! The Twin Counties...

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CSX INTERMODAL FACILITY COMING TO EDGECOMBE COUNTY

RALEIGH –  A new intermodal transportation facility will be built in Edgecombe County to help industry get products to customers and spur growth in the region, officials with the N.C. Department of Transportation announced today. NCDOT has reached an agreement with...

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CiCi Corporate Investment Awards

Corporate investment in the United States is going strong. The 15 projects included in Trade & Industry Development’s 13th annual Corporate Investment CiCi Awards are derived from corporate development projects announced in 2017 and represent the commitment of...

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DEFENSE CONTRACTORS SEEK NON-MILITARY GROWTH PATH

By COREY DAVIS Staff Writer, Rocky Mount Telegram Friday, March 16, 2018 With cutbacks in the federal defense budget, small businesses dependent on military contracts must find different ways to bring in revenue. A strategy created last year called the North Carolina...

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INSIDE THE CHEESECAKE FACTORY’S ROCKY MOUNT FACTORY

By Lawrence Bivins Nothing puts the special in special occasions like a slice of Oreo® Dream Extreme from The Cheesecake Factory. Just ask Abbey Shaffer, a proud mom of three young over-achievers who recently brought home good grades and high honors to close out the...

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DISTRIBUTOR TO EXPAND OPERATIONS

By Cory Davis Staff Writer, Rocky Mount Telegram   An agriculture equipment distributor is expanding operations in Nash County by investing more than $11 million and adding more than 30 jobs at its facility in the Battleboro community. Gov. Roy Cooper announced...

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CIFI SUCCEEDS WITH FOCUS ON HEALTHY EATING TRENDS

While North Carolina leads the nation in sweet potato cultivation, the crop has been something of an unsung hero in the state’s agribusiness community. That perception is changing thanks in part to a Nash County company now promoting food and beverage ingredients that...

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AT POPPIES, SUCCESS IS A FAMILY AFFAIR

When Bobby Davis meets with Belgium-based owners of Poppies International NV, he knows what their initial question will be. “It’s the first thing they ask about: ‘the employees – are they happy’,” says Davis, who is controller at Poppies’ 85-worker operation in Nash...

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CROWN LSP BUILDS ON ITS REPUTATION FOR RESPONSIVENESS

By Lawrence Bivins Though much about the logistics business has changed in the 30 years since Deborah and Greg Hodges founded Crown LSP Group, the same fundamentals apply to the company’s value proposition: quality, flexibility, and responsiveness to both customer and...

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KEIHIN CAROLINA SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY EXPANDS IN EDGECOMBE COUNTY

RALEIGH Feb 2, 2017 Keihin Carolina System Technology will expand its automotive assembly operations in Edgecombe County, adding 42 jobs over the coming three years, Governor Roy Cooper announced today. The company plans to invest more than $13 million at its Tarboro...

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AT GLENOIT FABRICS CORP, BIG LEAGUE PLANS TAKE SHAPE

By Lawrence Bivins When temperatures drop at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium, many of the 75,000+ Carolina Panther fans there proudly wrap themselves in branded all-weather blankets. The 50” x 60” throws are double-layered and water resistant. They come with the...

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AT BABINGTON TECHNOLOGY, FEEDING PEOPLE IS A GLOBAL INDUSTRY

By Lawrence Bivins   Bob Kaczorowski has been a satisfied customer of Babington Technology LLC since 2006. As program director for the Air National Guard’s Disaster Relief Mobile Kitchen Trailer program, he oversees efforts to provide hot meals to large numbers...

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WRAL: CSX FINALLY FINDS HOME FOR CARGO HUB IN ROCKY MOUNT

ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. — After months of discussion and debate, CSX announced Tuesday that it will build its massive Carolina Connector cargo terminal in Edgecombe County. The $270 million hub, which is expected to open in 2020, will be built across U.S. Highway 301 from...

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THINKING GLOBALLY. PARTNERING LOCALLY

For Rocky Mount Manufacturer, Community Support Spurs Growth It’s a company with Dutch roots and Italian parents. And its products are critical to the functioning of the world’s most breathtaking trophy properties – like 154-story Burj Khalifa in Dubai, currently the...

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CELEBRATION OF THE LIFE OF JOHN GESSAMAN

The Carolinas Gateway Partnership celebrates the life of former CEO/President, John Gessaman who peacefully passed away on April 18, 2016, surrounded by his wonderful family as he went home to join his Lord. John was the first President/CEO of the Carolinas Gateway...

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MOSSY OAK® PARTNERS WITH THE ORIGINAL LOG CABIN HOMES

ROCKY MOUNT, NC - Two legendary brands, Mossy Oak and The Original Log Cabin Homes are bringing together their combined fire power to introduce the "Mossy Oak® Nativ Living™ Edition" of cabins, homes and structures that will be manufactured and distributed by The...

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TOLSON LOOKS TO HELP BOOST EXISTING COMPANIES

As the Carolinas Gateway Partnership works diligently to recruit new companies to the area, new President and Chief Executive Officer Norris Tolson also understands the significance of helping grow the industries already operating in the Twin Counties.    ...

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INCENTIVES SEAL DRAKA’S EXPANSION PLANS

A company in Rocky Mount that manufactures elevator products is planning to add 34 full-time jobs over the next five years as part of an expansion. The Nash County Board of Commissioners approved an inducement agreement Monday for Draka Elevator Products to expand...

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ECONOMIC SUMMIT EXPLORES BUSINESS RECRUITMENT EFFORTS

“We’re doing a better job of telling our story that we have something for you to come to and hopefully that will help stop that migration.” Oppie Jordan Carolinas Gateway Partnership vice president, Edgecombe County recruiter By COREY DAVIS Staff Writer WILSON – A...

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NASH COUNTY IN TOP TEN FOR JOBS, RANKS FIFTH IN MANUFACTURING

By COREY DAVIS Manufacturing continuously has been a leading industry in the local area.  In Nash County, Carolina Gateway Partnership Vice President Krista Ikirt said, the labor force roughly is about 44,000. She added manufacturing jobs make up as much as 18 percent...

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PARTNERSHIP GETS NEW CHAIRMAN

Changes are taking place within the hierarchy of the Carolinas Gateway Partnership. As the partnership continues its search for a new president and chief executive officer, another move was recently made at the top by the local public-private industrial recruitment...

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GOOD LEADERSHIP DRIVES CAROLINAS GATEWAY CAPITAL CAMPAIGN

Thanks to the legacy of John Gessaman and the leadership of Frank Harrison, once again, the Carolinas Gateway Partnership has completed another record capital campaign. Even though John Gessaman has retired as the first, and only chief executive officer of the...

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