Owens joins Harnett EDC as new Director

This month, the Harnett County Economic Development Commission (EDC) welcomes Phyllis Owens as the agency’s director. She comes most recently from the Fayetteville-Cumberland Chamber of Commerce, where she served as Senior Vice President of the Economic Development Group. Owens’ track record in economic development spans nearly 20 years and also includes work for economic development associations in Lincoln, Nash and Columbus Counties in North Carolina.

“It’s an exciting time to be in economic development in this part of the state,” she says. “I’ve been very impressed by the work and vision of the leadership in Harnett County, and I look forward to playing a part in the county’s innovative efforts to support our existing industries and attracting new employers.”

In addition to Owens’ vast experience in economic development, she also has a strong interest in and experience with Fort Bragg, from which Harnett County is expecting the greatest amount of growth in the coming years. Interestingly, Owens also worked at Simmons Army Air Field as an air traffic controller in the mili¬tary for six years during the 1970s.

Owens joined the EDC following the resignation of Lee Anne Nance, who has taken a position with the Research Triangle Regional Partnership.

Family-Owned Company Is Industry Of The Year

Named 2009 Industry of the Year in Harnett County is Weathers Manufacturing, Inc. which fabricates components for air pollution cleaning systems near Chalybeate Springs. The family-owned business incepted by the Weathers in their Duncan home in 1973 initially specialized in farm machinery repair.

With the ethics of “quality work delivered on time” as its corporate focus and commitment, the enterprise evolved into a full-fledged fabricator of air pollution cleaning systems, manufacturing engine assemblies, designing, building and testing computerized laser equipment. The manufacturing company, located in northwestern Harnett County, hosts 15 employees.

Angie Stewart, existing industry manager of the Harnett County Economic Development Commission, presented the award on behalf of the county during the annual Industry Appreciation Day held at Chicora Country Club in Erwin. As cited by Ms. Stewart, Weathers “carved a new niche in large scale metal fabrication jobs, a niche that flourished.” In 1997, operations were moved to their current, 16,000 square-foot facility on U.S. 401, which doubled in size in only two years.

Accepting the award were Linda Weathers, owner and president; Phillip Weathers, vice president; and Gwen Weathers, secretarytreasurer.

Following is the citation which Ms. Stewart read in making the award presentation: “In addition to being a valuable resource to larger industry both locally and nationally, while still servicing the occasional walk-in job, they have welcomed me as a representative of the county,” she said. “They continue to support Harnett County not only as a business and employer, but in efforts ranging from industry referrals to hosting local school teachers totours for real-life information to take back to the classroom.”

According to Ms. Stewart, the family tradition continues although the Harnett County business is now led by a female of the second generation of the Weathers family. “When you look in the dictionary for a definition of ‘industry,’ you find energetic devotion to a task or endeavor, diligence,” Ms. Stewart said. “Harnett County is proud to have been home, for more than 35 years, to a family industry which has been diligent in always producing quality work,delivered on time.” Read the Daily Record Article

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.

Read The Daily Record Article