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ElectriCities of North Carolina,Inc., has designated a Smart Site within Farmville Industrial Park. The designation guarantees the site has met stringent requirements and is shovel-ready for new development.

Located near the intersection of U.S. Highway 264 Alternate and West Marlboro Road, the Smart Site comprises 32 subdivided acres. It is about 2miles from U.S. Highway 264 and about 23 miles from Interstate 795. The site is 18 miles from Pitt-Greenville Airport and less than five miles from Washington-WarrenField Airport. The Town of Farmville provides the site’s electricity, water and waste water services.

ElectriCities Economic Development Manager Brenda Daniels announced the designation to Farmville Town Manager David Hodgkins, along with other town leaders. The site will be marketed to growing businesses as a prime site for development in North Carolina.

About the Smart Sites Program
ElectriCities created the Smart Sites program in 2014 to help member communities prepare shovel-ready sites for economic development.

“In today’s competitive environment, it’s rare for a company to locate on an undeveloped property,” explains Daniels. “New and expanding companies expect existing buildings or a prepared, shovel-ready site to shorten the amount of time needed for construction. We created Smart Sites to expedite economic development in NC Public Power communities.”

Earning the Smart Sites designation is challenging. Potential sites must meet specific requirements and undergo an extensive review process by site selection experts, including Engineering Consulting Services and Creative Economic Development Consulting. Each site must have municipal electric service, have water and sewer access within 500 feet, and be within five miles of an interstate or interstate-quality highway.

ElectriCities markets Smart Sites at trade shows and industry events around the world. Other Smart Sites are located in Statesville, Tarboro,Washington and Wilson.

Learn More
To learn more about Farmville’s new Smart Site, the Smart Sites program, or economic development in NC Public Power communities, contact Brenda Daniels at bdaniels@electricities.org or 919-760-6363, or visit https://www.electricities.com/EconDev.

Along with the hotel, the 2.3-acre site will have two outparcels that could house 4,000 square feet of quick-service restaurant space and about 6,000 square feet for a full-service restaurant. The N.C. Department of Transportation has already approved plans to install a free-range dog park directly across from the hotel.

“Benson has added some really great options for tourists lately, so the timing and location of this new Hampton Inn couldn’t be better,” said Brenda Daniels, ElectriCities economic development manager. “It’s near shopping and several restaurants and less than five miles from GALOT Motorsports Park and Broadslab Distillery.”

The new hotel will also be less than 20 minutes from Campbell University, 45 minutes from Raleigh-Durham International Airport and 25 minutes from Johnston Regional Airport.
The hotel’s builder is Leath Co. LLC, a commercial developer based in Emporia, Virginia, that focuses on hotel and motel development.

For more information, contact Brenda Daniels, Manager, Economic Development at bdaniels@electricities.org or 919-760-6363, or visit https://www.electricities.com/EconDev.

          

ElectriCities of North Carolina announced today that it has named Matthew E. Schull Chief Operating Officer. Schull has more than 25 years’ experience in the energy industry and has served as Vice President of North Carolina Municipal Power Agency Number 1 (NCMPA1) for the past seven years.

“Matt has demonstrated tremendous leadership during his career at ElectriCities and is well suited to help lead North Carolina public power into the future,” said Roy L. Jones, ElectriCities Chief Executive Officer. “He has a strong understanding of all aspects of our business and will be an excellent addition to our leadership team.”

Schull will be responsible for managing the day-to-day operations of North Carolina’s two Power Agencies, North Carolina Municipal Power Agency Number 1 and North Carolina Eastern Municipal Power Agency, which provide wholesale power to 51 public power communities across North Carolina.

“I’m excited about the future of public power and look forward to helping ElectriCities deliver value to public power communities across North Carolina and beyond,” Schull said.
Schull joined ElectriCities in 2003. He served as NCMPA1 Manager of Power Supply before being named Vice President of NCMPA1 in 2009. He previously worked at Progress Energy, Wisconsin Energy Corporation, and Madison Gas & Electric Company.

Schull graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering and is a registered Professional Engineer in North Carolina and Wisconsin. He holds a Master of Business Administration degree in Finance from the University of Wisconsin – Whitewater.

“Racing For Recruitment” introduces Johnston County to potential employers and shows appreciation to existing industries

To showcase all that Johnston County has to offer potential employers, county officials took industry leaders, economic development officials and invited guests for a ride last week – a fast, thrilling ride at the new GALOT Motorsports Park in Benson.

The “Racing for Recruitment” event attracted more than 175 industry representatives and invited guests, including representatives from the NC Department of Commerce, state and local officials, and other economic development dignitaries. Representatives from construction, retail, hotel, foodservice and manufacturing industries were on hand, including officials with companies such as Caterpillar, Lowes and McDonalds.

The event provided an inside look at the county’s state-of-the-art racetrack. With luxury boxes and a seating capacity of more than 9,000, there is no other racing complex like it in North Carolina or on the East Coast.

Guests had the opportunity to see, touch and smell racing up close and personal at the NHRA track that regularly hosts regional drag racing events. Adrenaline junkies had the opportunity to “ride along” in high performance race cars with professional drivers – an exhilarating ride that left many visitors raving about Johnston County.

“This was an excellent opportunity for Johnston County to express our appreciation to existing industries and allow them to showcase our community to clients and potential customers who we’d like to bring here,” said Chris Johnson, director of the Johnston County Office of Economic Development. “

The industry appreciation event was hosted by Johnston County, its local towns and Chambers of Commerce, and industry partners including ElectriCities of North Carolina and Duke Energy.
“This was a remarkable event that left industry representatives and economic development professionals with a very positive impression of Johnston County,” said Brenda Daniels, Economic Development Manager at ElectriCities of North Carolina. “I’ve been to industry appreciation events across the state and this was one of the most memorable events ever.”

About The Johnston County Economic Development Office
The Johnston County Economic Development Office (JCEDO) facilitates value-added interaction between government, education and the private sector in encouraging and promoting job creation and economic investment in Johnston County. A unit of county government, JCEDO collaborates with local, regional and statewide partners and allies in providing confidential location assistance to businesses and technical support to the county’s 11 municipalities. Its menu of services includes customized digital mapping, labor and wage analysis, site readiness assistance and incentive packaging. For additional information, visit www.jcnced.com.

Washington-Beaufort County Industrial Park has been designated a Smart Site by ElectriCities of North Carolina, Inc. The designation guarantees the site has met stringent requirements and is shovel-ready for new development.

Located at 705 Page Road in Washington, North Carolina, the Smart Site comprises 81 subdivided acres. It is about 1.5 miles from U.S. Highway 264, less than five miles from Washington-Warren Field Airport, and less than 20 miles from Pitt-Greenville Airport. The City of Washington provides the site’s electricity, water and waste water services.

ElectriCities Economic Development Manager Brenda Daniels announced the designation to city officials, and the site will be marketed to growing businesses as a prime site for development in North Carolina.

About the Smart Sites Program
ElectriCities created the Smart Sites program in 2014 to help member communities prepare shovel-ready sites for economic development.

“In today’s competitive environment, it’s rare for a company to locate on an undeveloped property,” explains Daniels. “New and expanding companies expect existing buildings or a prepared, shovel-ready site to shorten the amount of time needed for construction. We created Smart Sites to expedite economic development in NC Public Power communities.”

Earning the Smart Sites designation is challenging. Potential sites must meet specific requirements and undergo an extensive review process by site selection experts, including Engineering Consulting Services and Creative Economic Development Consulting. Each site must have municipal electric service, have water and sewer access within 500 feet, and be within five miles of an interstate or interstate-quality highway.

ElectriCities markets Smart Sites at trade shows and industry events around the world. Other Smart Sites are located in Statesville, Tarboro and Wilson.

Learn More
To learn more about Washington’s new Smart Site, the Smart Sites program, or economic development in NC Public Power communities, contact Carl Rees at crees@electricities.org or 919-760-6315, or visit https://www.electricities.com/EconDev.

Twenty public power communities across the state recently received 2015 Public Power Awards of Excellence. The awards honor outstanding efforts in key areas such as creating a competitive business environment, legislative involvement on public power issues, customer service programs and community energy efficiency promotion. Awards presentations will be made to the local communities this fall.

“We are proud to honor NC Public Power communities through the Awards of Excellence process,” said Graham Edwards, CEO of ElectriCities of North Carolina. “Each day, public power communities strive to bring jobs and investment to their communities, provide superior service to customers and offer highly-reliable electric service. These hard-working employees and leaders are dedicated to the tradition of public power and the 1.2 million citizens we serve in North Carolina.”

Competitive Business Environment
The Competitive Business Environment award recognizes efforts by the city to create a strong business climate, including economic development planning and community/regional partnering, an online economic development presence and focus on key accounts customers.
Farmville, Fayetteville PWC, Granite Falls, Greenville Utilities, High Point, Kings Mountain, Kinston, Lexington, Rocky Mount, Shelby, Tarboro and Wilson.

Energy Efficiency
The Energy Efficiency award recognizes efforts with energy-efficient building programs, energy education, energy audits and weatherization programs.
Concord, Fayetteville PWC, Granite Falls, Greenville Utilities, High Point, Kings Mountain, Kinston, Lexington, Maiden, Newton, Rocky Mount, Shelby, Smithfield, Statesville, Tarboro and Wilson.

Financial Stability
The Financial Stability award recognizes customer options throughout the billing process, including: equal payment programs, alternate payment methods such as online billing and payment, credit card payments and multiple payment locations. This award also recognizes community partnerships to help customers in need and the implementation of new technology within the electric system.
Clayton, Concord, Farmville, Fayetteville PWC, Granite Falls, Greenville Utilities, High Point, Kings Mountain, Kinston, Lexington, Maiden, New Bern, Newton, Rocky Mount, Shelby, Smithfield, Tarboro and Wilson.

Legislative Involvement
The Legislative Involvement award recognizes city staff and officials’ involvement in the legislative process on issues pertaining to public power. The award recognizes city officials actively engaging with their legislative delegation, participation in ElectriCities-sponsored events and involvement in the Public Power Grassroots Network.
Fayetteville PWC, Granite Falls, Greenville Utilities, High Point, Kings Mountain, Rocky Mount, Tarboro and Wilson.

Service Excellence
The Service Excellence award recognizes outstanding efforts by the city to communicate with customers through advertisements, online resources, social media or other community-based methods. The award also addresses emergency communications and community public power celebrations.
Benson, Concord, Farmville, Fayetteville PWC, Granite Falls, Greenville Utilities, High Point, Kings Mountain, Kinston, Lexington, Newton, Rocky Mount, Shelby, Smithfield, Tarboro and Wilson.

Roy L. Jones has been named the new Chief Executive Officer of ElectriCities of North Carolina, effective Nov. 1, 2015. The Board of Directors unanimously voted to appoint Jones to replace outgoing CEO Graham Edwards, who announced his retirement in August.

Jones joined ElectriCities in 2009 and has served in numerous leadership roles, including Chief Operating Officer since 2011. Jones brings more than 35 years of experience in the electric power industry, including both public power and investor-owned utility experience. Jones has extensive experience in operation of generating plants, transmission and energy markets.

“The ElectriCities Board of Directors has tremendous confidence in Roy’s ability to carry on North Carolina’s strong tradition of public power,” said Ron Hovis, chairman of the ElectriCities Board of Directors. “Roy played an instrumental role in helping us close the NCEMPA Asset Sale quickly and smoothly. He is extremely familiar with ElectriCities’ operations, has significant experience in public power and investor-owned utilities, and is well positioned to guide our organization into the future. We are thrilled that he has been named our new CEO.”

In determining the next CEO, the Board wished to build on the recent achievements in rate competitiveness for both Power Agencies and to provide continuity among the membership to address the many opportunities in the evolving electric utility industry.

“It’s my honor to lead North Carolina’s public power communities,” Jones said. “We will remain focused on providing safe, reliable and affordable power, while working with our members to take advantage of emerging technologies and develop strategies to attract jobs and growth to North Carolina. This is an exciting time for ElectriCities and our public power communities.”

The ElectriCities Board of Directors conducted an extensive nationwide search to find the organization’s next leader, interviewing many capable candidates before choosing Jones as the next CEO.
Jones began his career with Entergy in 1981, rising to the rank of Senior Director/Vice President of Capital Risk Management and Portfolio Strategy. Following his time with Entergy, he joined Midwest ISO in Indiana, where he was ultimately responsible for the design and implementation of its Energy and Ancillary Service Market and Balancing Authority consolidation. That action created one of the largest energy markets in the world with net benefits of nearly $3 billion annually. Jones then joined ElectriCities in 2009 as Senior Vice President of Corporate and Power Supply Planning.

Jones holds a bachelor of science in electric engineering from LaSalle University. Jones and his wife, Cindy, have two adult sons and one grandson.

Sites in Statesville, Tarboro and Wilson named prime locations for development

Three sites in NC Public Power communities were recently named Smart Sites by ElectriCities of North Carolina. The Smart Site designation guarantees the site has met stringent requirements and is shovel-ready for new development. The designation was announced to city officials by Brenda Daniels, ElectriCities Economic Development Manager. The site will now be marketed to growing businesses as a prime site for development in North Carolina.

The Smart Sites program was created by ElectriCities in 2014 to assist member communities in preparing shovel-ready sites for economic development. The 2015 Smart Sites include the Tarboro Commerce Center, Statesville Business Park and Wilson Corporate Park.

“In today’s competitive environment, it’s rare for a company to locate on an undeveloped property,” said Daniels. “New and expanding companies expect existing buildings or a prepared, shovel-ready site to shorten the amount of time needed for construction. We created Smart Sites to help offer more shovel-ready property for economic development growth in NC Public Power communities.”

Achieving the Smart Sites designation is very competitive. Potential sites must meet specific requirements and undergo an extensive review process by site selection experts, including ECS Engineering and Creative EDC. Each site must have municipal electric service, water and sewer access within 500 feet and be within five miles of an interstate or interstate-quality highway.

Smart Sites are then marketed internationally by ElectriCities at numerous trade shows and industry events.

For more information on the program and sites, visit www.electricities.com/ecodev.