Greensboro on short list for Stone Brewing east coast location

[cityboi]

Charlotte and Wilmington had put in bids but it appears that Greensboro is the only NC city that made a short list of 5 to 6 cities on the east coast for Stone Brewing expansion. 300 plus jobs will come to the city that gets it and it will include a brewery, restaurant, retail shop, outdoor garden and events space. Obvious factors that benefit Greensboro is its central location on the east coast seaboard and its network of interstate highways.

 

http://www.news-record.com/blogs/killian_lehmert_the_inside_scoop/article_cceab95c-edbe-11e3-ac4c-0017a43b2370.html

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/news/2014/06/06/Greensboro-ison-short-list-for-20m-stone-brewing.html

 

 

[zalo]

Charlotte and Wilmington had put in bids but it appears that Greensboro is the only NC city that made a short list of 5 to 6 cities on the east coast for Stone Brewing expansion. 300 plus jobs will come to the city that gets it and it will include a brewery, restaurant, retail shop, outdoor garden and events space. Obvious factors that benefit Greensboro is its central location on the east coast seaboard and its network of interstate highways.

 

http://www.news-record.com/blogs/killian_lehmert_the_inside_scoop/article_cceab95c-edbe-11e3-ac4c-0017a43b2370.html

 

http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/news/2014/06/06/Greensboro-ison-short-list-for-20m-stone-brewing.html

So Charlotte doesn't have the same obvious factors of a central east coast location and 2 completed interstates? Very odd that Gov. McCrory wouldn't be pushing Charlotte as well. Did Stone Brewing not take a look at the hospitality/tourism potential of Charlotte what with Professional Basketball Football & AAA baseball along with NASCAR along with a massive white collar 22 -44 age demographic that is their core customer base?

 

 

However it seems the Greenville (SC) News has other details from today's edition that indicate that Ms. Vaughn may not have the complete details as to what cities are on the list along with how many are on the list:

Those looking for positive signs that Stone Brewing Co. is seriously considering South Carolina for a multimillion-dollar expansion can take heart. The brewery is planning a trip to the Palmetto State — a step that a company rep says is part of narrowing the list of locations Stone is interested in. Stone executives have been on an East Coast swing in recent days to visit potential locations that have shown an interest in the company's $31 million eastward expansion. South Carolina wasn't on the agenda this time around — but look for Stone representatives to make an appearance.

"There are some additional travel opportunities planned," company spokeswoman Sabrina LoPiccolo told GreenvilleOnline.com. "South Carolina is a location they would like to visit." The company — based north of San Diego and the nation's 10th-largest craft brewery — is still narrowing its list, LoPiccolo said. "We are still in the process of narrowing our search for an East Coast brewery location," she said. "Part of that is visiting the cities in which we are interested."

A published report from Norfolk, Va., where Stone executives were visiting earlier this week, said that Stone has narrowed its list to 10 finalists, though LoPiccolo said the company isn't ready to make a public announcement. The report listed Charlotte as a finalist but didn't name any South Carolina community.

Brook Bristow — a Greenville lawyer who represents the South Carolina Brewers Association and was instrumental in a recent change in brewing laws in the state designed to attract Stone — said that he knows for certain that South Carolina is a finalist. The state Legislature last week overwhelmingly approved changes to brewing laws that loosen restrictions on production breweries that want to serve food and more beer on site than is currently allowed.

At the time, Horry County state Sen. Luke Rankin said that representatives from the state Department of Commerce had been in California to discuss the expansion and that with the changes, South Carolina was back in the mix. Several communities in South Carolina, including Greenville, responded to the company's "request for proposals" earlier this spring to build a production brewery and restaurant. Stone wants to expand eastward with a $31 million investment that promises about 400 jobs and more than $100 million in revenue in the fourth year.

Looks like film at eleven. Good Luck.

[cityboi]

zalo the biggest city doesn't always win. Transportation infrastructure is obviously a factor in Greensboro being a finalist. The city has not 2 but 3 major interstates. Greensboro is at the center of it all in the state between Charlotte and Raleigh. Quite frankly none of the three biggest cities in NC are touristy. It would be nice to see it go in downtown Greensboro but I don't see how 15 acres of land can be assembled at this time for a project like this in the central business district.

[zalo]

Never said it did. An uncompleted interstate like I-73, in my estimation will not push the needle in one city's favor. GSO's location is a benefit but Charlotte's can equally match that as well as offer the retail/restaurant operation a bigger customer base. This outfit doesn't give a rat's behind that GSO is in the middle between Charlotte & Raleigh. That's so parochial. This is being considered for the entire East Coast. They're not specifically focused on NC. Other cities on the list are Roanoke, Norfolk, Richmond and Philadelphia. That Greenville News article seems to allude toward Greenville making the cut with the recently changed beer laws along with Myrtle maybe more. Dunno, we'll see.

BTW the Brewery/distribution will be at a separate location from the retail/restaurant portion. It's not one complex.

[cityboi]

Never said it did. An uncompleted interstate like I-73, in my estimation will not push the needle in one city's favor. GSO's location is a benefit but Charlotte's can equally match that as well as offer the retail/restaurant operation a bigger customer base. Other cities on the list are Roanoke, Norfolk, Richmond and Philadelphia. That Greenville News article seems to allude toward Greenville making the cut with the recently changed beer laws along with Myrtle. So along with Roanoke it does appear that small cities are being considered. Dunno, we'll see.

BTW the Brewery/distribution will be at a separate location from the retail/restaurant portion.

 

Any city on the list could get this so I'm not saying Greensboro has the best chance. But yes Greensboro would draw a customer base from the Triad and Charlotte and Raleigh. Apparently its a pretty big draw. As far as I-73 goes, its not completed from Myrtle Beach to Michigan but just maybe Stone Brewing is looking at long term growth not what is or isn't completed today. If Greensboro is the only city in NC that made the cut, we should all be rooting for it no matter where we live in the state.

[zalo]

I don't think people are going to make 200 mile roundtrips to visit a brewery/restaurant operation. It's essentially a very hyped up version of Foothills or Natty Green's Heck, you'd be hard pressed to get a sizable crowd out of Winston. I lived in San Diego. Their operation is up in Escondido 30 miles out from San Diego. Their customer base was mostly North County. San Diego County has 3 million people to give you some perspective. Apparently they've opened one down at Point Loma in S.D. to capture the city trade.

You're hilarious, the Federal Highway Trust Fund has been on the news for months about running out of money, no consensus about trying to raise more with ever increasing needs. If they're considering I-73 as a must have conduit, the long term projections will probably be 30 plus years. Again, I don't see how that's a factor.

[DCB]

This is beyond ridiculous. Every single topic in the triad forum has turned into this. Cityboi is from Greensboro, he's boosting Greensboro. Yeah, boosting can be annoying sometimes, but this is a forum about CITIES it's to be expected. Hell, it's why most of us are here to begin with. And on top of that, at least he's not starting flame wars in every topic on the forum about the most minute stuff.

 

Zalo, grow up. All you do is harass every single post Cityboi makes because you despise Greensboro for some utterly bizarre reason (seriously, who the fudge holds a grudge against an entire city?). Greensboro did not kill your puppy when you were a child, it didn't make your mom leave your dad when you were 12, and it didn't steal your Playstation 3 when you were 14. Greensboro and Winston-Salem are both nice cities with their own positives and negatives and it'd be nice if everyone could actually have constructive discussions about them instead of arguing about stupid bullcrap.

 

In regards to the brewery: It's be great if they decided to locate in the area, but we have to be realistic about the odds. It's so common to hear news about potential economic developments for the region that don't end up panning out that I've just started ignoring them until an official announcement is made.

[toast002]

DCB  just wanted to back you up and say you make great points about some posters on this board harassing others over the silliest things. I noticed the same thing happening and its pathetic.  Can some of you please stop with the constant negativity, it serves no purpose. 

 

 Yes Charlotte does have two major interstates 77 and 85.  But if you have ever been to Charlotte and traveled on either interstate during any time of the day or any day of the week then you know they are more like parking lots than interstates.  Traffic in Charlotte is brutal to say the least.  I don't see how Stone Brewery could look at Charlotte's interstate system as plus for an East Coast Distribution facility.  Almost every time I go to Charlotte I am stuck in horrible traffic on the highways and not because there is an accident just because traffic is that bad.  This is why I believe Greensboro made the short list of cities because of its great interstate system.  For a project like Stone Brewery you would think that would be a major plus for possible landing this facility.     

[zalo]

This is beyond ridiculous. Every single topic in the triad forum has turned into this. Cityboi is from Greensboro, he's boosting Greensboro. Yeah, boosting can be annoying sometimes, but this is a forum about CITIES it's to be expected. Hell, it's why most of us are here to begin with. And on top of that, at least he's not starting flame wars in every topic on the forum about the most minute stuff.

 

Zalo, grow up. All you do is harass every single post Cityboi makes because you despise Greensboro for some utterly bizarre reason (seriously, who the fudge holds a grudge against an entire city?). Greensboro did not kill your puppy when you were a child, it didn't make your mom leave your dad when you were 12, and it didn't steal your Playstation 3 when you were 14. Greensboro and Winston-Salem are both nice cities with their own positives and negatives and it'd be nice if everyone could actually have constructive discussions about them instead of arguing about stupid bullcrap.

 

In regards to the brewery: It's be great if they decided to locate in the area, but we have to be realistic about the odds. It's so common to hear news about potential economic developments for the region that don't end up panning out that I've just started ignoring them until an official announcement is made.

My, DCB you were up late (last night, this morning)at 1:39 a.m., couldn't sleep and decided to check on U.P. to make you drowsy? Sorry it apparently didn't turn out that way. Your response is well taken. Touting retail stores that only Greensboro has gives boi a lot of pleasure. It is small minded of me to take that from him. I will move on from that topic & let read as it reads.

Your ad hominem responses regarding dead puppies, divorce and video game thefts were funny. I do pick a writing style similar to the boi's. Do you share some degree of DNA? BTW, my vocabulary including such words as ad hominem and askance should ascertain my age if not my maturity. I regret if my posts annoyed you. I am sorry. For the record, I do not "despise" GSO as there is nothing there to "despise" Your plea for constructive discussions is one worthy of striving for. I hope EVERYONE takes your advice. I will certainly refrain from bringing the sanctity of one's dead parents' marriage into the discussion.

And Toast, I apologize to you for any perceived negativity on your part and will work on spreading positivity in my wake. I was under the impression that forums such as this were the venue of back/forth dialogue respectfully if not sometimes kiddingly done. One has the tendency to forget that some people's feelings are much more sensitive that others. The key is (myself included) to do a better job of picking up on that.

I guess that I read boi's posts differently than you and was merely responding with my own thoughts on the discussion. To indicate that GSO made the "short" list and deducing it had to be because of GSO's central location and interstate highway "network", my response was one of wondering how Charlotte wouldn't have made the list, considering it is widely acknowledged that it is one of the largest distribution hubs for products/services not only on the East Coast, but the nation as well. The two cities are only about 100 miles apart. And since it was reported that Governor McCrory, was involved in GSO's efforts, I was befuddled that he would not also put in a good word for Charlotte, considering he was Mayor of that city for 14 years. But now that it has been discovered the list is actually 10 cities and Charlotte is on it, it's much clearer now.

Rest assured that I will self police my responses more closely now that I have a good indication of the sensitivity of the forum. Hope everyone has a great weekend & God Bless.

[Neo]

I'm not going to spend much time dickering around so I'll get to the point of this reply...

 

We are all adults here, so let's take note of what we're about to say and how it may be taken BEFORE we hit post.

 

There is however, an easy way to hide someone from ever showing up when you view the site (http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.php?app=core&module=usercp&tab=core&area=ignoredusers). I realize that comments can step on toes or go against everything you believe in. That is never an excuse for one to make comments without thought however. Having said that, everyone (EVERYONE) is welcome to his or her opinions on this site so long as rules are followed. It's what makes this site great (IMO) as folks are (usually) self limiting and adhere to the sensitivity of others on this site. There are occasions where one can still follow by the rules but still step on toes and for this we offer the ability to 'ignore' certain users from ever showing up. It isn't ideal in every circumstance, but it certainly helps when other avenues have been exhausted.

 

I'm not here to offer up a communistic rule and because of that, there will always be situations where disagreements abound. Take the tools provided and apply them so that your experience here is the best it can be.

[zalo]

Although the ferocity of DCB's response, seemingly out of nowhere, came down very hard on a conversation that didn't appear to be that tense, I would loathe to utilize an ignore poster feature on anyone regardless of how much I disagree with their statements. Everyone here indeed are adults discussing topics that are very light in substance. I would hope no one would preclude hearing the comments from anyone and would welcome the opportunity to attempt to understand their point of view. Self evaluation is very healthy and from my comments above I hope is evident that I am currently practicing it. I trust others are as well

Censorship is indeed a chilling consequence for actions so self-evidently benign. Your reference to communism is spot on NEO. I take your comments seriously and to heart.

[cityboi]

here are the cities according to Stone Brewing. I will say of the five cities, Greensboro has the best interstate network and connections (I-85, I-40, I-73/74) and is more centrally located along the east coast. Those two factors are big reasons FedEx chose Greensboro for its air hub btw. Stone Brewing looking for 15 acres and close access to interstate highways according to the mayor. Greensboro city officials showed the company 7 sites around the city.

 

Greensboro

Richmond

Norfolk

Cincinnati

Greenville, SC

 

on the topic of breweries, most people don't realize that Greensboro was first choice for a Busch Brewery and theme park (Busch Gardens). It was to be located where the Grandover Resort is located today. Unfortunately the land deal went bad and the company chose Williamsburg, VA instead. If it had been built in Greensboro, the brewery and theme park would have been located about a mile a way from Wet'n Wild Emerald Pointe water park which was ironically called "Aqua Gardens" when it opened in 1984. The name almost immediately changed to Water Country USA before changing to Emerald Pointe and Wet'n Wild Emerald Pointe.

[zalo]

Apparently this wasn't an official visit by the Governor for this specific event. More like a drop by during a private visit.

"A couple of attendees recalled the gathering as "sad" and borderline "embarrassing"... Our Governor was actually in town for a birthday party and received very little notice. It was also noted that most guests were older white folks wearing Greensboro' unofficial uniform, nostalgically styled with golf polo shirts and pleated khakis."


http://how-do-you-say.blogspot.com/2014/06/we-must-be-in-good-handsright.html

[toast002]

These "bloggers" that you like to refer to are down right nuts.  These are people that some how would find a way to  beotch and Complain about the second coming of Jesus Christ. Sorry but true.  There is no substance in what they say, they don't live in reality.

[RichardC]

This all sounds intriquing.  The former mayor up there....what was his name?....was booted and constantly in the news for more about his personal problems, like not being able to make his mortgage payment or pay his alimony. The former mayor here in Charlotte was jailed for accepting bribes and extortion.  Now the new mayor up there is having walk up meetings with the real elite, and the drop in Governor, to try to recruit jobs at a brewery.  Maybe we should start a reality show?

[zalo]

One down, looks like they are getting closer to a decision:

“We received word yesterday from a representative from the South Carolina Department of Commerce that the Myrtle Beach area is not among the final locations selected by Stone Brewing Company for their East Coast expansion,” the post reads. “While we are disappointed that we did not win the project, we couldn’t be more proud of the effort that was put forth by this community.”

http://triad-city-beat.com/myrtle-beach-out-of-running-for-stone-brewing/
 

These "bloggers" that you like to refer to are down right nuts.  These are people that some how would find a way to  beotch and Complain about the second coming of Jesus Christ. Sorry but true.  There is no substance in what they say, they don't live in reality.

BTW, Wow Toast, you respond in EXACTLY the same fashion in terms of inflection, phrasing & demeanor as Cityboi. It's almost like you are one in the same!  Could it be true?
 
So you think Eric Robert (the writer of the blog-DANG), downtown Greensboro property owner/stakeholder of the building that Prospect Brands, makers of Duckhead will be moving into later this year is Nuts? The same Eric Robert that is on the Board of DGI and while passionate about his beliefs and how transparency, fair play for all and  the banishment of insider dealings of a well-connected clique should be the standard operating procedure for the downtown has no substance and is not connected to reality? Hmm, interesting. I would say that gentleman has plenty on the ball.

[zalo]

While there are some bloggers in GSO that one could call  "unorthodox", it cannot be denied that many of the stories they have flushed out into the open in many cases have turned out to be true. Should really cause the reporting staff of the N&R to hold their heads in embarrassment. 

[RALNATIVE]

 

BTW, Wow Toast, you respond in EXACTLY the same fashion in terms of inflection, phrasing & demeanor as Cityboi. It's almost like you are one in the same!  Could it be true?

 

 

Cityboi needs someone other than himself that posts in the Greensboro threads consistently. Maybe he has split personalities?

[zalo]

Either that or I hope Citiboi has a 3 bedroom at CityView. With DCB & Toast one would think it would be pretty crowded in there.

[DanRNC]

Conspiracies abound on this board. 

[RALNATIVE]

Well after a certain period of time everything starts to become intuitively obvious...

[RALNATIVE]

Conspiracies abound on this board. 

 

In the Triad threads any conspiracies seem to always involve "the boi's"...

[zalo]

The Crickets are really loud tonight

[DanRNC]

In the Triad threads any conspiracies seem to always involve "the boi's"...

Wow!

[Urbanity]

Seems Greensboro's mayor may have jumped the gun with her public comments about Greensboro being on a shortlist according to an article that came out today. 

 

"Columbus is apparently in the running for a $30 million brewery, restaurant and distribution hub  ....   Mayor Michael Coleman and city development director Steve Schoeny returned from California late last night. Coleman’s spokesman said the mayor met with the owners of Stone, but would not comment on the specifics of any development deals."  Source: Columbus, OH Dispatch

 

Seems to me that the Columbus article mentions the most details yet on what the brewery and restaurant requirements are which makes me wonder if they are having the more significant discussions particularly since Stone specifically asked for a complete chemical analysis of the local water which would obviously be used for brewing.   That's kind of an interesting request that I didn't hear them ask of Greensboro.

 

The Columbus Business Journal has an article as well on the matter.   Seems Columbus sent a whole delegation which I imagine scored some points.

 

On a related note, There was a Greenville. SC article that quoted a Stone Brewing Co rep that had a chilling quote as well "And contrary to published reports in other media, the nation’s 10th-largest craft brewer hasn't selected a list of finalists, Selby said."

 

I honestly wonder if Greensboro hurt their chances with declaring themselves a finalist before Stone Brewing Co said there were any.