CHARLOTTE, N.C., June 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy has
selected four properties in North
Carolina and South Carolina
for participation in the first half of its 2018 Site Readiness
Program to enhance the readiness of the sites for business and
industrial development.
The Site Readiness Program has helped prepare properties that
have won 29 major projects in the Carolinas since the program
started in 2005, resulting in more than 6,200 new jobs and nearly
$7 billion in capital investment.
Through the program, Duke Energy identifies high-quality
industrial sites and partners with county officials and local
economic development professionals to develop a strategy for
providing water, sewer, natural gas and electricity to the
properties.
"Economic development is a team sport and we are a key position
player – working with many local and regional partners in different
capacities throughout the economic development process to achieve
success," said Stu Heishman, Duke
Energy's vice president of economic development. "We have a
specific focus on site readiness, industrial recruitment and
collaborative efforts with our state and local partners. The Site
Readiness Program has been a uniquely successful tool for
communities across the Carolinas to help close deals."
The locations include:
- Cherokee County, S.C.:
The Revman Site is an 80-acre property in Cherokee County located on visible frontage
along I-85 with easy access to two interchanges. This site has the
potential to accommodate up to a 1,000,000-square-foot industrial
facility and is in a prime location for any company looking for
quick interstate access.
"The Duke Energy Site Readiness Program has helped to take
Cherokee County's site development
program to the next level," said Ken
Moon, deputy director of the Cherokee County Development
Board. "This program has helped us know the strengths and
shortcomings of each of the sites we have evaluated over the last
three years. This has been critical in formulating a plan to ensure
Cherokee County is a viable
contender for new industries looking to locate in the Upstate of
South Carolina."
- Lancaster County, S.C.:
The U.S. 521 Lancaster Site is a 400-acre property located north of
the City of Lancaster. The property offers over 300 acres of
contiguous, developable land with four-lane highway frontage.
A workforce of over 700,000 is located within a 45-minute drive
time of the site. The drive time to Interstate 77 is fifteen
minutes and to Charlotte Douglas International Airport is less than
one hour.
"The Duke Site Readiness program has been a tremendous asset to
Lancaster County's economic
development efforts," said Jamie
Gilbert, director at the Lancaster County Department of
Economic Development. "Several of our existing industrial sites
have been evaluated through the program. Those assessments have
provided us with critical information on the development potential
of these properties and allowed us to better position them for
future industrial development. It's really an excellent
program."
- Guilford County, N.C.:
The Gallimore Dairy site is a 75-acre property located in the city
of High Point. The property offers
approximately 65 acres of developable land with highway access to
Interstates 40, 73 and 85. The site is situated in the desirable
north High Point business market
and is suitable for a variety of industrial applications. Drive
times to the Piedmont
International Airport and Charlotte Douglas airport are 15 minutes
and 90 minutes respectively.
"We greatly appreciate our partner, Duke Energy, for selecting a
High Point industrial park for its
Site Readiness Program," said Loren
Hill, president of the High Point Economic Development
Corporation. "That program will assist our collective efforts to
attract jobs and capital investment to our community."
- Guilford County, N.C.:
The Greensboro Airport site is a 430-acre site that is owned by the
Piedmont Triad Airport Authority. The site's size, run way
adjacency, workforce, and access to interstate and rail make it an
extraordinarily unique opportunity for the right aviation
manufacturer. We are not aware of a similarly situated site
anywhere else in the country, so this tract has wonderful
promise.
"The Duke Site Readiness Program has provided strategic direction
for marketing the Piedmont Triad International Airport's 1000 acre
megasite and has strengthened our position as one of the top
Original Equipment Manufacturer and
Tier 1 aviation sites in the United
States," said Jim McAthur,
senior director of aerospace, Piedmont Triad Region. "The
critical infrastructure at PTIA is now in place and provides the
advantage of speed to market, an invaluable priority in today's
site selection process. We are thankful to Duke Energy and
its team members for their support in this effort."
Duke Energy is working with major site selection firms to
evaluate the four sites. Based on consultant recommendations, Duke
Energy will collaborate with county leaders and local economic
development professionals to develop an improved strategy for
marketing these sites. Additionally, each site is eligible to apply
for a $10,000 matching grant from
Duke Energy to help prepare it to attract projects.
After each site's state of readiness has advanced, Duke Energy's
business recruitment team strategically markets each of them
nationwide to companies looking to expand or relocate their
operations.
Duke Energy's economic development efforts are perennially
recognized by Site Selection magazine in the publication's
annual list of "Top Utilities in Economic Development." Through
these efforts, Duke Energy helped recruit $1.7 billion in capital investment in
South Carolina and more than 2,600
jobs for the state in 2017. In North
Carolina, the company helped recruit $3.5 billion in capital investment and more than
5,200 jobs in 2017.
For more information about Duke Energy's economic development
programs, visit considerthecarolinas.com.
About Duke Energy
Headquartered in Charlotte,
N.C., Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK) is one of the largest energy
holding companies in the U.S., with approximately 29,000 employees
and a generating capacity of 49,500 megawatts. The company is
transforming its customers' experience, modernizing its energy
grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding its natural gas
infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and
communities it serves.
The company's Electric Utilities and Infrastructure unit serves
approximately 7.6 million retail electric customers in six states –
North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio
and Kentucky. Its Gas Utilities
and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to approximately
1.6 million customers in five states – North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. Its Commercial Renewables unit
operates a growing renewable energy portfolio across the U.S.
A Fortune 125 company, Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2018
"World's Most Admired Companies" list and Forbes' 2018 "America's
Best Employers" list.
More information about the company is available at
duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center includes news
releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke
Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations,
community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on
Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.
Contact: Meredith Archie,
Ryan Mosier
24-Hour: 800.559.3853
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SOURCE Duke Energy