Cary NC - Real Estate Blog -
Cary Chamber of Commerce – Economic Development Accomplishments 2008-2009
Accomplishments:
• Cary Economic Development continues to be a point of contact for both relocation and expansion projects considering our community. We worked with the North Carolina Department of Commerce, the Research Triangle Regional Partnership, the Wake County Economic Development Program and numerous other allies and consultants during the past year. These projects are benefits for Cary and the
Cary Real Estate market. In addition, we responded to direct inquiries where Cary was under consideration. Last year we provided information and responded to request for 23 projects. Many of these remain active inquiries. During that period the following announcements were made:
1. HCL America announced they will lease 40,000 square feet in 11000 Regency and employ over 500. They are in the financial services business.
2. The Pantry announced they will move their corporate headquarters from Sanford to Cary. Great for
Cary NC Realtors!They purchased a 62,000 square foot building in MacGregor Park and will employ 150. The Pantry owns and operates convenience stores throughout the Southeast.
3. Red Strom Entertainment expanded their space (25,000 square feet) and moved to CentreGreen in the Weston PUD. Red Storm is in the gaming business.
4. Patriot State Bank opened operations in Cary. They leased 3,000 square feet for their management operations and are proceeding to build a branch location.
5. Saffron Technology leased 7,000 square feet of space in CentreGreen V.
Real estate Cary NC. They are in the memory technology business.
6. SAS announced it will build a “cloud computing” operation (approx. 38,000 square feet) on its Cary campus. They will invest approximately $70 million and could add an additional 200 jobs.
7. ABB announced they will move their North American Headquarters from Norwalk, Connecticut to Cary. They expanded their space needs (total approx. 60,000 square feet) in Regency Park and will add 100 jobs over the next year.
8. Carolina Advanced Digital leased 3,500 square feet in Cary and will add approximately 10 new positions. They are located off of James Jackson Avenue.
9. Loparex LLC announced they will move their corporate headquarters from Willowbrook, IL to Cary. They are leasing 20,000 square feet in Crescent Lakeside II and will employ 60.
• We have held our monthly Economic Development Meetings on the first Wednesday of each month or in conjunction with special events throughout the year.
Cary Real Estate Agents. Programs during the year have included the following speakers or organizations: Paul Campion (SAS Championship), David George (Kite Realty – Parkside Commons Project), Ted Abernathy (Business Expo – Cary Report), Todd Zapolski (Waverly Place), Dr. Michael Walden (Economic Forecast), Carl Westerhold and Tim Wilson (Siemens Medical Devices), Tom White (NC State Econ. Dev.), Allan Burchett and Mary Flieller (Presentation on ABB operations).
• Industry Appreciation Day was held May 6th at MacGregor Downs Country Club. The morning forum included presentations from Ed Willingham, President of First Citizens Bank, Town Manager Ben Shivar, County Commission Chair Harold Webb, Skip Hill with Highwoods Properties and Secretary of Commerce Keith Crisco. Lunch was provided and golf for those available in the afternoon. The Economic Development Committee will examine this event in the coming months and determine if another format would encourage a larger participation.
• The Town of Cary Economic Development Commission has met monthly during the past year and we have been present at these meetings. The Commission is provided an update on activity and offers a liaison between the Chamber program and the Town.
Homes for sale in Cary NC. We also meet quarterly to review the economic program with the Mayor directly and several council members and Town staff. Howard Johnson and Sandy Jordan have begun monthly update meetings with Town Manager Ben Shivar and Budget Director, Scott Fogleman.
• The Cary Sports Alliance continues to host quarterly meetings at the Chamber. Meetings have also been held with Raleigh Conventions and Visitors Bureau regarding sport activities within Cary. We have worked with the Alliance, Town and RCVB to attract The Great American Cross Country Race to Cary for 2009 – 2011 and are presently working with the Town and RCVB on a soccer event for 2011. We have also supported the activities of USA Baseball and the Carolina Railhawks. Economic Development hosted receptions for the NCAA Soccer Selection Committee, Division II Baseball Coaches and helped organize a breakfast event for the Black Heritage Swim Event. Cary has some of the area’s premier sports venues and they have a very positive economic impact on the community.
• We met with approximately 50 brokers from throughout the Triangle area in April to talk about Cary’s business climate and activity. The event was hosted by Colliers Pinkard at their new business park on Pleasant Grove Church Road.
• We scheduled a meeting between Town staff and several of the area’s developers to discuss the future “product” needs of Cary (land and buildings).
Real Estate Cary NC. We are seeking ways to promote this public/private partnership and assure that Cary has buildings and sites that can attract relocation and expansion projects going forward.
• We have worked on several incentive projects with the Town Council and Staff and those efforts seem to be going well. We remain conservative in our request for incentives and only pursue projects which have a positive impact on the community. The Town Council seems comfortable with our approach to the incentive issue.
• The Chamber continues to offer consultations with representatives from the Small Business Administration and Wake Tech. These programs are to help with business plans, financial advice and contacts, and exposure to other resources. Through our recruitment efforts, we work with many smaller businesses and startups.
