Released on: September 23, 2008, 3:03 pm

Press Release Author: CaldwellEDC.org

Industry: Small Business

Press Release Summary: Caldwell Economic Development Commission helps employers take
advantage of state grants from the Building Reuse and Restoration Program to convert
abandoned, stand-alone buildings into new facilities that bring more jobs to
Caldwell County.

Press Release Body: Lenoir, SC -- When Alan Wood sees an empty storefront or
shuttered factory in Caldwell County, NC, he sees the promise of a thriving business
that can bring new jobs to his rural county. As senior development manager of the
Caldwell Economic Development Commission, Wood helps employers take advantage of
state grants from the Building Reuse and Restoration Program to convert abandoned,
stand-alone buildings into new facilities that bring more jobs to Caldwell County.


Since 2006, Caldwell County NC has received four building re-use grants totaling
$525,000 to help prepare vacant buildings for new businesses. The program's NC
relocation incentives and business relocation services have encouraged four
businesses to expand or relocate their operations and have brought 165 new jobs to
the North Carolina employment rolls.


Today new employees are hard at work building furniture frames, circuit boards and
electronic products, wood beams for home building, and machined parts for cabinets
in previously abandoned buildings. A biopharmaceutical company will soon be the
fifth company to join the group.


"The Building Re-use and Restoration Program is one of the best programs I've
encountered," Wood emphasized. "I wish there were other programs that are as attuned
to the needs of rural communities as this one is."


The Caldwell EDC serves to encourage job creation, retention and investment and
establish Caldwell County as a desirable destination for business, industry,
retirement and tourism.
To contact Alan Wood, email awood@caldwelledc.org, or visit Caldwell County’s
Economic Development Commission at http://www.caldwelledc.org for more information.


For more information, please contact:
Caldwell County’s Economic Development Commission
1909 Hickory Blvd.
P.O. Box 2888
Lenoir, NC 28645
Phone: 828-728-0768
Fax: 828-726-8926
Website: http://www.caldwelledc.org
Email: awood@caldwelledc.org
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Web Site: http://www.caldwelledc.org

Contact Details: Caldwell County’s Economic Development Commission
1909 Hickory Blvd.
P.O. Box 2888
Lenoir, NC 28645
Phone: 828-728-0768
Fax: 828-726-8926
Website: http://www.caldwelledc.org
Email: awood@caldwelledc.org