International Company Chooses Harnett County for U.S. Headquarters

A new company with international ties has chosen Lillington, N.C., as its U.S. headquarters. ATG Access, Inc., has purchased a division of county employer Boon Edam, Inc., in Lillington. ATG Access has not only retained current employees of the division, it also plans to increase its staff to up to 30 employees over the next three years.

Until this year, a part of Boon Edam’s business portfolio included manufacture of rising vehicle barrier systems including bollards, wedges and beams used to keep vehicles away from at-risk buildings and to protect pedestrians. Beginning Jan. 1, 2009, ATG Access, Inc., a new firm affiliated with ATG Access in Europe, officially took over operations of Boon Edam’s vehicle barrier division.

“We’re committed to entering the U.S. market at a time when not many companies are doing so,” said Ray Barnett, CEO of ATG Access. “With local and international concerns about security, we’re entering a growth market in the U.S. by building upon a quality product and quality staff.”

The Harnett County Economic Development Commission (EDC) began assisting management with the transition early this year.

“We are pleased to have an industry here with plans to grow and to increase the workforce,” said Angie Stewart, Existing Industry Manager for the Harnett County EDC.

ATG Access designs, engineers and manufactures bollards, wedges and beams, the strong barriers used to stop vehicles from accessing certain areas. The high-tech designs are certified by engineers and government agencies to protect pedestrians and to stop large vehicles from reaching critical property.

For example, barriers made at the Lillington facility are currently used at the BB&T football stadium at Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem; at state and federal buildings in North Carolina and other states; at various financial institutions in Phoenix, Houston and New York, for example; and at military installations and embassies worldwide.

In addition to the current team of Lillington management, engineering and production staff, ATG Access can also draw on over 70 engineering, marketing, and financial experts at ATG partners in the United Kingdom, Barnett said.

“Our ATG partners in Europe are known as leaders in the manufacture of these barriers,” Barnett said. “We were pleased to work with Boon Edam to purchase this part of the company last fall and retain the experienced staff.”

As it expands, ATG plans to grow the company in Lillington from its present eight employees to 20 or 30 over the next three years.

“This move is a four-way win, for ATG, Boon Edam, Harnett County workers, and the county as a whole,” said Lee Anne Nance, Director of the Harnett County EDC. “We’re very happy to have another company of such high reputation here in the county, and we’re certainly glad that every employee retains a job.”

“They assure us there’s room for our expansion here in Harnett County,” Barnett said. “That’s certainly part of our plan.”

ATG plans to expand into the U.S. market by focusing on turnkey service.

“Other companies simply sell bollard and barrier products,” said Russell Claybrook, ATG’s Senior Vice President of Sales & Marketing, “and contractors install and service them. ATG Engineering designs custom systems for each client. Our services include being more involved in the integration of our products with a client’s design-build and project management teams.”

This full-service business model is important because of the complexities of some barrier systems, he said, and because they protect people and property that are often in high risk areas.

Some bollards require hydraulic lifts to telescope up to block a road entry, for example. They can be used much like entry gates, moving up and down automatically several times a minute in some cases. Others are designed for manual placement during special events, to direct and separate foot traffic and vehicular traffic. Physical barriers can be a key component to fight terrorism, as well.

“The barriers must work, and they must work well to protect people and property,” Barnett said. “Our team ensures that they do.”

Barnett moved to the area in January from Manchester, England. His wife, Alison, and school-aged son and daughter will join him immediately after the school year ends.

“I already love it here, and I know they will too,” he said.

About Harnett County EDC The Harnett County EDC is a county agency whose mission is to achieve a more balanced economic condition by making extraordinary efforts to compete more effectively for commercial and industrial investments that will enhance the county’s tax base and improve countywide job opportunities for all county citizens. For more information, visit www.harnettedc.org, or call (910) 893-7524.

Census: Johnston, Harnett Among Tops In U.S. Growth

Johnston and Harnett counties were among the fastest-growing counties in the country, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

The report, which was released this morning, ranks Johnston County 31st on the list of top 100 fastest-growing counties with populations more than 10,000 with Harnett County coming in at 75th.

According to the data, Johnston County's population grew by 6,548, or 4.2 percent, from 156,880 to 163,428 between July 1, 2007, and July 1, 2008.

Harnett County had a 3.2 percent population increase of 3,488 from 108,542 to 112,030.

County leaders with both counties attribute much of the growth to location and actions taken in the past by county government to prepare for just such growth.

The location attribution is bolstered by the fact the Raleigh-Cary metropolitan area was listed as the fastest-growing metropolitan area in the country.

"I think the proximity to the Research Triangle caused some of our growth, location I think is one of the keys," Johnston County Commissioner Cookie Pope said. "But I also think good government has to do with it too.

"We've been proactive over the years and we're a friendly customer to deal with; we always court commerce and commercial growth," she said. "And also roof tops, because when you have roof tops coming that also spurs commercial growth."

Mrs. Pope, who lives in the Cleveland community, points to a number of schools built throughout the county over the last few years as well as job-drawing sites such as an industrial park near Interstate 95 on Keene Road and a pharmaceutical park near Clayton.

"We've been able to recruit and retain good-paying jobs," she said. "It's a great combination.

"Even with the recession, Johnston County continues to see growth, so we're blessed," she said.

Harnett County Board of Commissioners Chairman Tim McNeill said the growth of Fort Bragg as part of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) commission has played a large part in growth in Harnett County, especially in the area of Linden Oaks military subdivision near Spout Springs.

Much of this growth, he said, can be attributed to infrastructure planning such as water lines, water plant and wastewater plant construction.

He said the stability and growth of the county's education system has also played a large role.

Combined with other factors, Mr. McNeill said, people are increasingly seeing Harnett County as a great place to live.

"Our tax rate is good compared to surrounding areas and housing prices are more competitive than other areas," he said. "Also our highway system allows people to go to a lot of different places quickly.

"Because of the number of roof tops, we're going to see more commercial growth so people will spend money in Harnett County instead of going to other places," he said.

"Again, it's a tribute to the planning and the foresight of the board of commissioners for several years past to prepare for what is occurring," he said. "We are positioned very well to accommodate this growth seamlessly and we look forward to the community development that will come."

There are 11 North Carolina counties in all on the top 100 list. In addition to Johnston and Harnett, other N.C. counties making the list are Union, 13th; Wake, 22nd; Brunswick, 28th; Cabarrus, 45th; Chatham, 65th; Franklin, 70th; Pender, 74th; Mecklenburg, 81st; and Hoke, 94th.

The No. 1 fastest-growing county in the U.S. is St. Bernard Parish in Louisiana, the county that was devastated from Hurricane Katrina.

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Champion Home Builders Named Harnett County's Industry Of Year At Appreciation Event

A manufactured home company has won the Harnett County Industry of the year award for 2008.

Champion Home Builders Company of Lillington was presented the award Thursday night during the Harnett County Industry Appreciation Day event.

Sponsored by Harnett County Economic Development at Chicora Country Club in Erwin, the award ceremony came during an awards banquet that followed a day of golf for employees and managers of the county's many industries.

"In the first year, they built, by hand, one or two homes a week," H.C. Economic Development Existing Industry Manager Angie Stewart said. " 'Small but ambitious' are words used in their early marketing material.

"Ambitious has certainly rung true as the company has grown and earned the current distinction of the largest modular home builder in North America," she said.

Champion Homes Human Resource and Safety Manager Elizabeth Carter accepted the award for the company.

"To Harnett County Economic Development and the people who live here and have supported us both in the past and the present, we thank you all," Ms. Carter said. "This is truly an honor."

Champion began its industrial life in Dryden, Mich. in 1953. The company came to Lillington in 1969 to a site at River Road and employed 70 workers. A second plant was built off U.S. 401 between Lillington and Bunnlevel in 1973 and the two sites were consolidated in 1999. The company currently has more than 150 employees and for the past three years has maintained a turnover rate of less than 1 percent.

In 2001, the company was the first manufactured housing company in the country to receive Energy Star certification from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and was named the DOE Energy Start Partner of the year, another first for the manufactured home industry.

In 2005, the company was the first manufactured home company to build privatized modular housing for the military and has provided Federal Emergency Management Agency housing for the victims of Hurricane Katrina.

Champion is also the top-producing modular home manufacturing facility in North and South Carolina, the most profitable modular home manufacturing facility in the country.

The company was also the first manufactured home company to earn the Carolina STAR award for safety presented by the North Carolina Department of Labor.

It is those kinds of successes and innovations, Ms. Stewart said, that makes them a worthy recipient for the 2008 Industry of the Year award.

"In their words, the journey "has not been without mistakes." Ms. Stewart said. "However, by learning from mistakes and fostering change, the company has continued to grow and remains strong. By thinking ahead, they have accomplished more."

Ms. Carter said the company owes a most of their success to their employees.

"I has been a lot of hard work and dedication, not only on our part, but by our employees," Ms. Carter said. "Without them we could not have done it."

Appreciating Industries

Harnett County Economic Development Program Coordinator Penny Drouillard said she felt it was very important to let the county's industries know they're appreciated.

"The main thing is to let industries know how we appreciate what they do and that they're important to our county and its economy," Ms. Drouillard said. "Economic Development is not only about creating new industry, but supporting and retaining our existing industries since most of our growth comes through their expansion."

Harnett County Commissioner Tim McNeill said the fellowship of the event was also important.

"The aim of this is to not only to show our appreciation for our existing industry, but to also foster good, open lines of communication between the industries themselves and county leaders," he said.

A captain's choice golf tournament was held earlier in the afternoon.

The winner of the tournament was a team from New Century Bank made of by Lee Adams, Clark Hales, Jonathan Williams and Pat Marshall.

"We enjoyed it," Eddie Norman of Saab Barracuda in Lillington said of the day. "It's fun to get together with friends and fellow business and have a day out of the office."

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