COLUMBUS JOBS FOUNDATION

The Columbus County Board of Commissioners tonight will pass a proposed budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 and go behind closed doors for a discussion of economic development matters, said to involve Project Black – the unnamed company that wants to locate on the former Georgia-Pacific site – but before tackling those heavier issues will honor two Whiteville High School athletic teams who distinguished themselves in recent state playoffs. Commissioners had been sched

Rep. Brenden Jones, RColumbus, and Sen. Danny Britt, R-Robeson, Columbus County’s two delegates to the N.C. General Assembly, expressed happiness this week with the success of legislation that they sponsored before the crossover deadline. The crossover deadline is a mandate the General Assembly places on itself which says that bills that have not passed either the House of Representatives or the Senate are dead for the remainder of the session. That deadline this year was las

As the tobacco industry in North Carolina continues to dwindle, farmers continue to search for alternative crops. Commercial hemp production is one of those options, and the local Agriculture Extension office is fielding numerous calls from farmers. Dalton Dockery, the local N.C. Cooperative Extension Director, said, “As long as we stay within the legal means of the law, it has great potential as far as for fiber and seed production.” The North Carolina Department of Agricult

Columbus County commissioners are expected tonight to authorize Economic Developer Gary Lanier to use contract and inmate labor to clean up the county-owned former Georgia-Pacific site between Whiteville and Chadbourn to “enhance its market appeal.” That’s the big item on the agenda for a meeting that gets underway at 6:30 p.m. at the Courthouse Annex at 112 W. Smith St. in Whiteville. Not on the agenda is consideration by the commissioners of bids from four entities, includi

The Columbus County Board of Commissioners didn’t take a formal vote Wednesday night but authorized County Attorney Mike Stephens and Economic Developer Gary Lanier to negotiate a lease with S&A Railroad Ties for part of the county-owned former Georgia-Pacific property. They also discussed possible disposition of scrap metal at the G-P site. The 83-minute closed session almost didn’t happen. The board voted 4-3 to enter closed session. Trent Burroughs, Amon McKenzie, Charles

Greg Lovette shakes hands with Columbus Jobs Chairman Rick Edwards A Columbus County native who has seen success in the information technology industry nationally and internationally and who has ventured back home to establish offices in Tabor City was the keynote speaker Thursday night at the Columbus Jobs Foundation’s annual membership kickoff social at the N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences here. Greg Lovette, 52, is founder and CEO of RadixBay, Inc., which touts itself as a

The end of last week saw a flurry of business and industrial activity in Columbus County, not only centered around the former Georgia-Pacific plant, but also with the announcement of two new business prospects, code-named Project Bridal and Project Medical. The announcements came at the Columbus Jobs Foundation membership kick-off drive Thursday night at the Museum of Natural Sciences at Whiteville. Both business prospects are headed by Columbus County natives who have starte

The Columbus Jobs Foundation will have its membership kick-off event Thursday, Feb. 16 and celebrate the accomplishments of 2016. The speaker will be Greg Lovette, CEO of RadixBay, an internet technology company based in Charlotte. Lovette is a Tabor City native and has opened a computing center branch in the Tabor Industrial Park. Workers finished the renovation of the incubator building in the last two weeks. Lovette hopes to expand ruralbased computing centers, such as the

Ron Gaskins has been named vice president of a new local company that is not yet producing a product, so far as the public knows, but he is thrilled with the opportunities that lie ahead. Marjorie Singley-Hall of Atlanta, chief executive officer of S&A Railroad Ties, LLC, announced last week that Gaskins will serve as president of the company. She said Gaskins is a good fit for the job. “We need someone local, someone who knows the area and knows industry,” she said. Old rail

A revitalized team approach taken by Columbus County economic development groups and the county commissioners paid dividends with the announcement today that a railroad crosstie recycling company, Singley and Associates, will move its operations to a site near the former Georgia-Pacific plant. S&A CEO Marjorie Singley-Hall said the local team and business community “get it” when it comes to industrial recruitment. Wooing S&A started in much the way most deals do: with a simpl

Rick Edwards has a tough time hiding his enthusiasm. “I feel very good about Columbus County,” the president of the Columbus Jobs Foundation (CJF) said Wednesday. “Our time has come. There’s no question.” On the heels of a June 2 annual dinner meeting of the Columbus Jobs Foundation – formerly the Columbus county Committee of 100. Edwards says,
“There was a lot 
of vim and vigor
at that meeting be
cause of the young
er people ages 28 to 
41 who have gotten 
involved. We’ve go

North Carolina State University economist Dr. Michael Walden told about 150 members of the Columbus Jobs Foundation Thursday that, while economic challenges still confront Columbus and other rural counties, opportunities abound. He predicts a continually improving outlook in the future. “There are many challenges,” Walden said, “such as globalization, automation, a movement away from manufacturing jobs to service sector jobs, but with those come many opportunities.” Walden sa