Creating an environment for businesses to thrive in Nash County

The Nash County Economic Development Alliance is a new partnership between the Nash County Board of Commissioners and the towns in Nash County to promote job growth and investment in the area. "The Alliance is a structured, organized method of enhancing the relationship with our towns and working with them on a consistent basis to help them advance, encourage, and sustain new and established businesses. [The focus will be] especially on small businesses, entrepreneurial ventures, and redevelopment and revitalization efforts of the downtowns, which are the heartbeat of our towns,” said Andy Hagy, Director of Nash County Economic Development.

The Alliance will also be a true collaboration between the public and private sectors. The makeup of the group includes the county’s Board of Commissioners and an appointed member from each commissioner’s district, which would include town representatives, small business leaders, or representatives from national and international companies with operations within Nash County. The goal is to create a diverse group that can accurately represent the interests of all businesses within the county.

Additionally, the Nash County Economic Development Alliance helps create a unified, cohesive vision for the county. Rather than each town having its own goals and vision for its future, Nash County’s eleven towns can work together in a concerted effort to improve economic vitality and create an attractive place for businesses to grow and prosper. “Together, the county and its towns can set priorities and leverage the county’s assets to become a competitive force in the global marketplace,” added Hagy.

This alliance will have a greater impact than just on the businesses themselves. Hagy explained, "The Alliance is going to help generate new jobs and capital investments, which creates tax revenue for the county to go towards education and public services." County officials recently met with the president of Nash Community College (NCC) and discussed how NCC could interact with this new alliance. While there is already a close working relationship, the goal is to see how the Alliance and NCC can leverage this relationship to recruit new jobs and businesses to the county through the college’s workforce development programs. Hagy envisions potentially bringing the president of NCC and the superintendent of the Nash County school system to some of the Alliance’s meetings for additional dialogue and discussion.

Two and a half years ago, Nash County sought to re-ignite economic development started by the previous board nearly two decades ago. After redeveloping the county’s economic development department, Robbie Davis, Chairman of the Nash County Board of Commissioners, views this as an incredible opportunity for the county. "We hope to achieve a lot of success in bringing new jobs and investments into Nash County like we did in the '70s and '80s. We had a lot of success back then, brought in all of our major industries, and I believe we can expand that effort going forward," said Davis.

"Our number one goal is to bring more good paying jobs," said Davis. "We are strategically located close to the Wake County, Durham, [and] Chapel Hill areas, and not too far from the Triad area as well." The Alliance has a lot of potential for the future, and with the right mix of cooperation, private sector involvement, and education, Nash County could become an economic powerhouse in the state. "I think we will see a lot of distribution centers because we are located on I-95 and currently US 64, which will become I-87. We are also located within a couple of hours of three ports on the coast and recently opened CSX intermodal adjoining Nash County railroad tracks, which makes us a prime location for distribution centers " said Davis. Additionally, food processing, pharmaceutical companies, advanced manufacturing and other industries already call the region home.

The Nash County Board of Commissioners has always focused on the economic development of the county and its citizens. With the Nash County Economic Development Alliance having its first official meeting in October 2022, it is already working to establish the area as a place for businesses to relocate, invest, and ultimately thrive. With big plans for the future, the Alliance looks to impact Nash County positively. "The goal is that working together, we can bring more jobs and opportunities to our citizens," said Davis. "We want to show off what we have to offer here in Nash County."

This article was written for our sponsor, Nash County Economic Development