LEE COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION
Southern Base of the Research Triangle Region

NEWS RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, February 21, 2002

Contacts:
Bob Heuts, Director
Jane Haber, Administrative Assistant
919-774-8439 (phone)
919-775-5410 (fax)
info@lcedc.com (e-mail)
http://www.lcedc.com/media/ (media web)


LEE COUNTY RECEIVES GRANT MONEY
TO HELP CERTIFY INDUSTRIAL SITE

SANFORD -- The ongoing effort to attract industry to Lee County got 
a boost today (Feb. 21), when local economic development officials 
received a $4,500 check to help certify an industrial site in 
south Sanford.

The award was part of a larger grant by GoldenLEAF, a Rocky Mount-
based foundation promoting economic advancement, to create jobs and 
enhance economic opportunity in rural counties. The foundation 
awarded $45,000 to the Research Triangle Regional Partnership, 
which used the money to support specific projects in each of 10 
rural counties in its jurisdiction.

Lee County's portion will help pay for the recent project to 
certify the SouthPark industrial site, a mixed-use commercial 
development on Highway 87. When finished, SouthPark will mix 
retail stores, restaurants and entertainment attractions with 
light-industrial plants on a 300-acre site near an intersection 
with the planned U.S. Highway 421 Sanford bypass.

Among other things, the certification process includes conducting 
an environmental survey, developing topographic maps, outlining the 
terms of sale and documenting a substantial array of site 
specifications. Once completed, compiled and reviewed, the 
industrial site is certified by the North Carolina Department of 
Commerce.

While the effort takes plenty of time and money -- often from 
$6,000 to several times that amount -- certification makes the site 
much more attractive to companies wanting to expand or relocate.

"Essentially, it tells a client that the site meets certain 
criteria," said Bob Heuts, director of the Lee County Economic 
Development Corp. "But there are other benefits. It helps speed-up 
the process of finding a site, makes it easier to promote the site 
and helps us from being eliminated from consideration when companies 
look in this region."

Because many companies restrict their search only to certified sites, 
Heuts said, it's important for communities to have some available. 

Mark Sorrells, vice president of programs for GoldenLEAF, presented 
the check to Tommy Mann Jr., president of the Lee County Economic 
Development Corp., in a brief ceremony at the corporation office in 
downtown Sanford. Also participating in the presentation was Charles 
A. Hayes, president and chief executive officer of the Research 
Triangle Regional Partnership.

Sorrells said GoldenLEAF was established by the State of North 
Carolina to fund a variety of economic advancement projects, most 
designed to promote economic vitality in regions once dependent 
on growing tobacco. About 40 percent of the foundation's funding, 
he said, helps farmers pursue alternative crops and maximize the 
income received from what they grow. Other funding supports 
educational programs -- including academic scholarships -- or 
other forms of economic assistance.

With SouthPark now certified, local officials are turning their 
attention north to the Lee County Industrial Park, located off 
U.S. Highway 15-501 and Deep River Road. Planned expansion would 
add even more industrial space along U.S. Highway 1 up to Colon 
Road -- the next Lee County site slated for certification. 

The Lee County Economic Development Corp. is a nonprofit organization 
established to attract industry, enhance job opportunities and promote 
sound planning across Lee County. Funding is provided by the county, 
as well as the City of Sanford and Town of Broadway, the two 
county municipalities.

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