Randolph County Focuses on Business Retention and Recruitment
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Recruiting outside business is always important‚ but keeping the home fires burning is a top priority for recruiters in Asheboro and Randolph County.
Today’s “home fires” – the businesses large and small that already populate the area – are an important part of the overall county development plan. “We put more focus on taking care of our existing businesses than most of our counterparts‚” says Bonnie Renfro‚ president of the Randolph County Economic Development Corp.
“ We have to take care of them or lose them‚” she says. “It’s a very smart choice to make.”
The county already offers “a pretty strong home base‚” Renfro says. “It’s fairly diverse‚ and we have retained some of the traditional industries‚ such as furniture and textiles.”
The arrival of new businesses and expansions of existing businesses generated 11‚145 jobs in the county between 1991 and 2000‚ or an increase of 17.2 percent‚ according to Renfro.
Businesses that are part of that home base say they’ve made a good choice in Randolph County.
They can find skilled employees with a strong work ethic‚ a viable manufacturing base‚ a good quality of life‚ transportation access and a community college system that assists in continued development of workers‚ says Gary Endres‚ general manager of the Timken Co.’s Asheboro bearing plant.
With 230 workers and an annual payroll of about $10 million‚ Timken is one of the area’s major employers. Opened in 1994 and expanded by 50 percent in 1997‚ the plant manufactures industrial roller bearings that can be as small as 8 inches or as large as 24 inches in diameter.
Endres says Randolph Community College‚ which offers a variety of training programs for businesses‚ is a big help when it comes to worker training.
And training is especially important in a highly automated plant with sophisticated computerized tools‚ such as Timken’s‚ Endres says.
But smaller‚ less high-tech businesses are equally enthusiastic about the Asheboro location. Jon Richardson‚ who opened Pack & Ship Plus last spring‚ says he’s found the area an excellent location for his new business‚ which packs and ships a variety of items.
Richardson’s enthusiasm for the business is backed by a strong faith. “God does the work‚” he says. “But you can’t just sit on your duff.”
“ What I have done is‚ every time I go out‚ everywhere I go‚ I have something that says Pack & Ship Plus‚” he says. He says he also ran quite a bit of advertising during the early months of operation.
Richardson says he also has taken advantage of the expertise offered by SCORE‚ or the Service Corps of Retired Executives. They work with the Asheboro/Randolph Chamber of Commerce to assist local firms‚ the majority of which are small businesses.
The Chamber also sponsors a “Shop at Home” campaign to move local dollars into local retail businesses and a “Chamber Checks” program‚ in which businesses buy certificates redeemable at local businesses‚ says George Gusler‚ the Chamber’s executive vice president.
That’s contributing to shoppers’ increased local spending‚ he says. Local retail sales have grown by 50 percent over the past 10 years‚ reaching $1.5 billion in 2001.
Story by Candy McCampbell
Photo by Greg Emens
