LAURINBURG — Rural North Carolina is getting more and more attention for economic development, thanks to a bi-partisan arm of the state’s Department of Commerce.

Gene McLaurin, a Richmond County native who now serves as the vice-chairman of the Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina, visited the Rotary Club on Tuesday and touted the efforts of the organization formed in 2014 under Gov. Pat McCrory.

“The thinking was to create a private-sector entity that would partner with the Department of Commerce to carry out key economic development functions on behalf of the state,” said McLaurin, who has served as a state senator and eight-term Rockingham mayor. “Under the model we created, the EDPNC is able to operate more nimbly and respond to market needs more quickly.”

The core functions of the organization have been business recruiting and expansion, existing industry support, international exporting, business links and tourism.

He added the five-year effort has shown many successes.

According to McLaurin, the statewide performance results from 2019 alone by the EDPNC show 154 projects won, 21,675 new jobs announced and $4.4 billion in announced capital investments.

“That 4$.4 billion is the best by far in North Carolina,” he said.

Since the EDPNC began, North Carolina has realized 684 project wins, 89,566 new jobs announced and $19.25 billion in announced capital investments.

“It’s been working,” McLaurin said. “It’s been a different process, but it’s been working well.”

The EDPNC has a 17-member board appointed by the governor, and McLaurin said Gov. Roy Cooper has added to the group’s success.

“Gov. Cooper has been a real good sales person for North Carolina,” he said. “Our cities are booming, and there is a lot of help for the rural areas of the state.”

McLaurin told the club membership the EDPNC’s thinking for success in rural communities centers around five building blocks: education, infrastructure (roads, sewer and broadband), leadership, workforce and health care.

“Those five areas, especially workforce, are extremely important for rural communities to see success,” he said. “Right now, North Carolina is getting a lot of looks — Charlotte, Raleigh … a lot of building is going on.”

McLaurin gives a lot of the credit for the successes to a partisan atmosphere in both Washington, D.C., and Raleigh.

But there are concerns.

Topping that list is the fact that a ready workforce is challenging in rural communities. It was stated that, within a 25-mile radius if Scotland County, 51% have a high-school education or less.

During a Q&A session, McLaurin addressed the future of Interstate 74, saying that it’s a high priority “but we just need to get everyone on the same page.”

When asked about comparing North Carolina to other states, McLaurin said the state — which is No. 8 or No. 9 in population — “is doing well (and) the numbers are trending up.”

“Incentives are always an issue (when courting new business),” he said. “South Carolina has always been aggressive with incentives, but North Carolina is upping its game.”

W. Curt Vincent can be reached at 910-506-3023 or [email protected].

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W. Curt Vincent

Staff writer