Triad Business Notes

[krazeeboi]

This thread is for business notes in the Triad, including expansions and relocations, that aren't really big enough (i.e., Honda Jet development) to warrant their own threads.

I'll kick it off with this bit of news. Site Selection magazine named the Greensboro-High Point MSA as the No. 1 second-tier MSA in the nation last year for new and expanded corporate facilities, with 33 such projects in 2006.

[jjasonham]

This thread is for business notes in the Triad, including expansions and relocations, that aren't really big enough (i.e., Honda Jet development) to warrant their own threads.

I'll kick it off with this bit of news. Site Selection magazine named the Greensboro-High Point MSA as the No. 1 second-tier MSA in the nation last year for new and expanded corporate facilities, with 33 such projects in 2006.

This is great news!

[krazeeboi]

On the new Forbes "Best Places for Business and Careers" list, Winston-Salem ranks 24th (up from 62nd last year and 7th overall for the "cost of doing business" category this year) and Greensboro ranks 61st (up from 78th last year and 1st overall for the "cost of doing business" category). I think the cost of doing business indicator in particular bodes very well for the Triad.

[suburban george3]

There is absolutely an large influx of "half-backers", immigrants, and citizens moving to this area. And many of them are bringing/starting their own businesses. The cost of doing business is cheap here, and people who do specialized work are moving here because of this. There was recently a TV news article documenting this trend in the area which featured a business woman who moved her business here from Miami. She specialized in medical drawings and illustration for trial lawyers. Small businesses are going to drive the success of our metro areas here!

[twincity]

Hanes Cos. wants $66,000 in incentives from the city and county to expand operations in W-S at one of its plants on NW Blvd. if approved, the company would create 92 jobs and invest $4 million in upgrades to the 750,000 sf building. County commissioners have scheduled a May 14 public hearing to consider the request.

http://journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pa...s=1037645509099

[krazeeboi]

Greensboro ranked 31st out of 40 in Forbes recent "Best Cities For Young Professionals" list. Even though it didn't rank high when taking into account that only 40 cities were ranked, I think it's great that the city placed period.

[Mr Downtown]

Greensboro ranked 31st out of 40 in Forbes recent "Best Cities For Young Professionals" list. Even though it didn't rank high when taking into account that only 40 cities were ranked, I think it's great that the city placed period.

I know that in the past, the rankings were based only on the largest 40 Metro areas. Im not sure if this has changed, but nontheless.. 31st is an improvement over past years.

[cityboi]

I agree. Greensboro is going through a transition period right now so it will take some time before we see Greensboro rank higher up on the list. The city is definatly going in the right direction. Basically what we are waiting on is time. All the infrastructure has been put in place for a prosperous and growing future for Greensboro. I see the Greensboro market catching up with the Raleigh Market over the next 20 to 30 years

Edited June 25, 2007 by cityboi

[RALNATIVE]

I see the Greensboro market catching up with the Raleigh Market over the next 20 to 30 years

really? it's interesting that you always seem to choose Raleigh and the Triangle in general as the benchmark for your comparisons.

Edited June 25, 2007 by RALNATIVE

[cityboi]

really? it's interesting that you always seem to choose Raleigh and the Triangle in general as the benchmark for your comparisons.

didnt mean anything negative towards Raleigh. just saying what I believe will happen in Greensboro and the whole Triad for that matter over the next 30 years with all the infrastructure put in place such as the FedEx hub, new interstates, downtown rebirth, research parks, Honda Jet, Dell.....ect. Once the Charlotte and Triangle location get too expensive and saturated, companies and developers will be looking at the Triad as an alternative. They'll be looking for "new" territorry that would bridge Charlotte and the Triangle.

I used Raleigh because its alot closer to Greensboro in population than Charlotte and its a big stretch to say Greensboro would catch up with Charlotte which I dont think would happen unless something totally unpredeictable and amazing happened and the Triad landed some huge things. But really I see the Triad and Triangle getting to the point where it could one day be one big metro. I think the commuter and high speed rail will help encourge the commmuting patterns even faster.

Edited June 25, 2007 by cityboi

[krazeeboi]

Here is the Piedmont Triad Region, NC, Metro Spotlight from Business Facilities magazine. Pretty much just a short regional economic summary, but hey, take all of the exposure you can get.

[suburban george3]

Triad home sales are down and probably haven't reached bottom yet. Forsyth Co. appears to be faring a 'little' better than other counties in the region

Forsyth county's existing home sales were down 5% in the second qtr compare to 2006 and Guilford's were down 8.5% in the same period. Local real estate agents are calling the market steady and holding up better than the national average, however the compiler of the report form the MLS says there are signs of weakness in the Triad market.

One interesting tidbit was the comparison of new building permits:

The number of permits declined 18.8 percent in Guilford County but rose 22.7 percent in Forsyth County. Permits increased 71.4 percent in Winston-Salem but were down 65 percent in Kernersville.

Builders seem to be a bit more optimistic in Forsyth County as of late.

WSJ article about Triad Home Sales

[suburban george3]

Red Hot and Blue Restaurants is moving its franchising operations to Winston-Salem from Arlington, VA. More of the chains restaurants are probably in the cards for the NC area.

Red Hot and Blue Restaurant's Website

WSJ Article about Restaurant Chain moving operations to WS

[JerseyBoy]

I happened to walk by this place this afternoon and had no idea it had come so far along with the renovations. For those who don't know this is the building that the Wildfire Advertising Design Agency moved into on Main Street in Winston.

Update 7-21-07

[JerseyBoy]

GMAC is evaluating all of its Winston-Salem operations. Some are speculating that they are planning some layoffs here in the near-future.

http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellit...d=1173352123072

[suburban george3]

GMAC is evaluating all of its Winston-Salem operations. Some are speculating that they are planning some layoffs here in the near-future.

http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellit...d=1173352123072

Sounds like they may be shipping jobs offshore, from what I've read and heard. Typical in this day and age....

[suburban george3]

A SC Developer, Johnson Development Associates, is planning on building 1,000,000 square feet of spec space near the Dell Plant at the intersection of Union Cross and Temple School Rds. While these buildings are not geared specifically for a Dell supplier, the developer believes with the 'pro-business' climate of W-S/FC and the upcoming FedEx hub that these 'class of the field' buildings will be in high demand from companies needing spec space.

WSJ article about Spec Buildings near Dell

Also, Smurfit-Stone Container has started expansion of it's W-S facility. The expansion is 10,000 sq ft more than previously announced. High-tech equipment is also being added and five additional jobs should be created. Incentive money from W-S is also in play here.

WSJ Article about Smurfit-Stone Expansion

Edited August 11, 2007 by suburban george3

[blburton]

Forbes ranks Greensboro's housing market as 8th Most Affordable in US.

[JerseyBoy]

I didn't see an existing thread for this project, but here's a photo of the Red Oak Brewery near 40/85 that has FINALLY been constructed. I don't know how many years I've passed by that site and seen the "Coming Soon" signs while going to the Triangle or driving back up north.

[cityboi]

I didn't see an existing thread for this project, but here's a photo of the Red Oak Brewery near 40/85 that has FINALLY been constructed. I don't know how many years I've passed by that site and seen the "Coming Soon" signs while going to the Triangle or driving back up north.

It was said that Red Oak's goal is to one day compete with the big boys Busch, Budweiser, ect

[cityboi]

Greensboro based RF Micro Devices aquires competitor Sirenza. The merger would create the world's largest company dealing with radio frequency components for cell phones and other wireless devices. RF Micro Devices was founded in Greensboro and has manufacturing facilities in the city as well. RF has operations all across the country including international locations. The aquisition will allow RF Micro to manufacturer wireless components for broadband, cable television, wireless infrastructure, WiMAX and aerospace and defense applications. Two guys started RF Micro Devices in 1991 in a small design shop in Greensboro and have grown to become a global leader in wireless technology and component supplier.

U.S. locations:

Greensboro (Corporate headquarters)

Charlotte

Cedar Rapids, IA

Irvine, CA

Billerica, MA

Chandler, AZ

Scotts Valley, CA

Carlsbad, CA

Broomfield, CO

International locations:

China

Taiwan

Denmark

France

Bijing

Shenzhen

Korea

United Kingdom

Japan

Germany

Shanghai

http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...EC0101/70813010

http://www.bizjournals.com/triad/stories/2...tml?jst=b_ln_hl

Edited August 13, 2007 by cityboi

[cityboi]

RF Micro Devices announced it could build another plant in Greensboro with 300 jobs that pay about $52,000 per yer

http://www.news-record.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a...EC0101/70813021

RF Micro Devices is really becoming a fixture in Greensboro.

Edited August 14, 2007 by cityboi

[krazeeboi]

It's always good when local companies expand and become more prominent.

[JerseyBoy]

Wow, that's great to hear! This will definitely help RF Micro become a bigger player in the wireless industry. Not too shabby jobs either I might add.

[JerseyBoy]

BB&T buys commercial mortgage firm:

http://triad.bizjournals.com/triad/stories...tml?jst=b_ln_hl

Wish the new office was moving to Winston, but we never seem to be on the positive side of any BB&T news.