Relocating a Business

Interested in relocating a business to Chatham County?  When thinking about moving their business, business owners often ask themselves questions like: Is there a space or site that meets my business needs?  Is there an adequate market? Can I get my product out to my existing market?  Are there workers nearby with the right skills and knowledge?  Can I get the money I need to move my business?  Do I want to live in the community? Will my workers? Are there amenities that meet my personal needs? 

A wide variety of resources are available to businesses that are interested in relocating.  Companies in the early stages of relocating should use the resources below to determine if Chatham County is the best place for their business.

Business Climate and Quality of Life

In the Business Climate section, the EDC offers a comprehensive snapshot of doing business in Chatham County.  The Economic Indicators page offers up-to-date information about resident establishments and workforce, wages, and retail demand for the county.  The Primary Industry Sectors page provides an overview of Chatham County's current industrial base, while Targeted Industry Clusters spotlights industry sectors that the EDC is actively recruiting, per recommendations made in the Strategic Economic Development Plan.  The Local Business Directory will be helpful to identify potential business suppliers and synergies.  Business testimonials highlight the EDC's effectiveness in facilitating the relocation process for other businesses.

Chatham County's quality of life is considered a great asset in both the local business community.  Businesses interested in relocating can peruse The People and The Place, to get an idea of the numerous amenities available to companies and residents in the area.  Place-based assets include a strategic location with extensive transportation infrastructure access, a rural atmosphere with unparalleled recreation opportunities, and growing residential centers with attendant retail and commercial opportunities.  Chatham County's people provide a diversified workforce with a wide spectrum of skill and education levels, as well as creative communities and unique cultures.  Up-to-date demographic data supports anecdotal data; to access regularly updated demographic data, visit the Demographics page or use the North Carolina Economic Development Intelligence System (best viewed in Internet Explorer) to create a standard or customized profile of key demographic indicators for Chatham County.

Workforce Development

For the last 10 years, Chatham County has been growing as a bedroom community for the Research Triangle and Piedmont Triad regions.  Increasingly, Chatham County residents are graduates of the excellent educational institutions in the region, including the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, Duke University, and North Carolina Central University.  The growing population of highly educated residents creates unparalleled opportunities for businesses that are looking for a workforce with backgrounds in the biological and physical sciences, business management, computer and information technology, engineering, mathematics, and the health professions.  Together, these acclaimed universities are conferring over 4,500 bachelor degrees, 3,000 master's degrees, 750 doctorate degrees, and 1,750 professional degrees every year in these fields.  For a more detailed breakdown of degrees conferred by regional universities, visit the Workforce page.

Central Carolina Community College provides extensive workforce development opportunities through their occupational extension courses, customized training programs, productivity enhancement training and literacy classes.  These training programs assist area employers with initial training, retraining, and upgrading the skills of their workers.  In Chatham County, CCCC's Pittsboro and Siler City campuses provide occupational training and associate degrees in Biofuels Technology, Early Childhood Care, General Occupational Technology, Medical Assistance, Practical Nursing, Sculpture, and Sustainable Agriculture.  Additional occupational training is available at Central Carolina's campuses in Lee and Harnett Counties, including Bioprocess Manufacturing , Bioquality Technology, Business Administration, Computer Information & Engineering , Electronics Engineering, Machining Technology, and Telecommunications.  Visit CCCC's curriculum page for a full listing of program offerings at Central Carolina's three campuses.  For more information about workforce training, contact Cathy Swindell, Director of Industry Services, at 919-718-7212 or cswindell@cccc.edu.

Tailored workforce training programs are also available through the Department of Commerce's Workforce Services and the Workforce Development Network.  For assistance with industry-specific workforce training, please contact the EDC at info@chathamedc.org.

Sites & Building Resources

From professional office facilities to manufacturing sites to vacant land, Chatham County provides a diverse range of sites and buildings to meet the needs of the growing business community. The EDC works with local realtors, real estate developers, and property owners to help relocating companies find spaces that fit their specific business needs.

The EDC recommends that relocating businesses utilize web tools like Chatham Prospector and NC Site Search in the early stages of their site selection process to look for viable properties. 

Chatham Prospector is the EDC's web-based real estate database that combines GIS mapping capabilities with proprietary market data to provide comprehensive profiles of potential properties.  Users can search by property type, minimum and maximum size, properties for sale or lease, and city.  For businesses with a specific site in mind, Chatham Prospector's GIS capabilities allow users to map nearby businesses and create demographic and market ring studies.  Use Chatham Prospector's fully customizable search tool to search for available office, retail, industrial, warehouse buildings and vacant land that meets your business' specific needs.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce offers the NC Site Search database to locate business-ready sites and buildings. Certified sites have undergone rigorous tests, including Phase I environmental audits, geo-technical studies, and topographic analyses, to assure that they are ready for development.  NC Site Search helps businesses simplify the site selection process by featuring aerial photography, public utilities availability, industrial quality power capacity, engineered site development plans, a detailed analysis of development cost, and competitive prices in their site listings.

The EDC staff is available to show potential sites to businesses interested in relocating to Chatham County.  For more information about available properties, please contact Dianne Reid at 919.542.8275 or dreid@chathamedc.org.

Infrastructure

Due to its strategic location between the Piedmont and Research Triangle regions, Chatham County has developed a high quality transportation infrastructure network that makes accessing local, regional, and global markets a snap.  U.S. routes 15-501, 421, 64, 1, and NC-87 provide businesses in Chatham County with easy access to I-85, I-40, and I-95 and connect to the Research Triangle Park, Charlotte, Richmond, and points all along the Atlantic seaboard. Air service and rail lines are also readily available to serve businesses in Chatham County. Both the Raleigh Durham and Piedmont Triad International Airports provide commercial and cargo service within an hour's drive of Chatham County, while the Siler City Municipal Airport is available to serve businesses locally with a 5,000 foot runway.

Rail service to distant markets is also available in Goldston and Siler City from Norfolk Southern and in Moncure through the CSX rail system.  Businesses interested in reaching global markets can use rail lines and truck transportation to reach seaports at Morehead City, Wilmington, and Norfolk, as well as the future North Carolina International Terminal in Brunswick County.

The Chatham County Public Works and Utilities provides water and waste water infrastructure outside of the Pittsboro and Siler City city limits; the County manages water projects throughout the county, including construction of waterlines and water towers, extensions of lines and provision of service to new developments.  The Siler City Public Works Department maintains the municipal water supply and waste water treatment facility for residences and businesses within city limits; the water treatment plant was built in 1983 and has a rated capacity of 4 million gallons per day.  In Pittsboro, the town's Public Works Department oversees the water and wastewater systems for businesses and residents within town limits.

Electricity is available from Progress Energy, Randolph Electric Membership Corporation, and Central Electric Membership Corporation.  Natural gas is provided by PSNC Energy.  Communication infrastructure, including phone service, internet, and cable, are available from Embarq, Charter Communications, Time Warner Cable, and Chatham Wireless, a local internet provider.

Local Incentive Policies

Businesses that meet benchmarks for job creation and investment may qualify for local incentive benefits when they relocate to Chatham County.  The EDC works with the North Carolina Department of Commerce, Chatham County, and the Town of Siler City to administer local incentive packages for new and existing business investments.

The North Carolina Department of Commerce offers targeted, performance-based incentive programs that lessen the tax burden and lower the overall costs for companies who are locating and doing business in Chatham County.  Companies that meet certain requirements can take advantage of tax credits and other incentives including sales and use tax discounts, exemptions and refunds, discretionary programs, and other cost-saving programs.
For more information about the Department of Commerce's incentive policies, please visit their website.

The Chatham County Board of Commissioners also works with the EDC to provide financial incentive grants to new and expanding businesses that meet certain criteria for project investment and job creation. Projects are reviewed on a case-by-case basis; for more information about the Chatham County incentive policy, please review the guidelines.

The Town of Siler City is currently working with the EDC and UNC-Competitive Center for Competitive Economies on a Golden LEAF-funded initiative to review and update Siler City's incentive policy. For more information about the strategic initiative, which will be completed in late 2009, please see the press release. For more information about the current policy, view the Town of Siler City Incentive Guidelines.

Individualized Relocation Assistance

The EDC can provide individualized assistance with the site selection process, market viability studies, navigating the planning and permitting process, and seeking incentive financing for companies with local investment and job creation prospects.  To schedule an initial consultation, please contact Dianne Reid at 919.542.8275 or dreid@chathamedc.org.