Statesville and Mooresville teamed up once again to achieve the honor of being ranked as America’s No. 1 Micropolitan community in 2009 for new and expanding facilities by Site Selection magazine, the official publication of the Industrial Asset Management Council.
“If a (race) driver were as dominant in NASCAR as Statesville-Mooresville is in economic development, the officials who run the sport would likely start building more challenging tracks,” according to Site Selection magazine’s Ron Starner. “For the second year in a row, Statesville-Mooresville has been named the No. 1 Micropolitan in the U.S. by Site Selection for capturing more corporate facilities expansion projects than any other small-town area in the country.”
The Iredell County communities recorded 20 projects with an investment of at least $1 million in 2009. The next closest Micropolitan communities, Wooster, Ohio and Pottsville, Pennsylvania, each reported 13 projects..
How dominant are these Iredell County communities in economic development among small cities? Consider that they have won the top ranking seven of the last eight years and have finished lower than second place only once since 1999. No other Micropolitan area in the nation has achieved the honor even twice during that period.
Statesville-Mooresville is a key employment center in the Charlotte region for industrial, headquarters/back office and motorsports. The area has seen tremendous population growth over the past decade, providing new and expanding companies with a large, skilled workforce and positive business climate. The area also boasts one of the lowest combined tax rates in the state, along with an unmatched quality of life, outstanding educational system, and excellent transportation infrastructure.
“Iredell County has worked hard alongside Statesville and Mooresville to create a pro-business environment that serves us well,” said Steve Johnson, Iredell County Commissioner. “This recession has hit the country hard and Iredell County is no exception. However, we have kept our focus on adding companies, assisting existing expansions and private sector investment and job creation. Achieving the number one ranking proves that we continue to move in the right direction.”
Existing business expansion investment led the way for Statesville-Mooresville in 2009. Although each corporate expansion is important, the following examples show the investments made by existing companies:
- Commercial Vehicle Group invested $1.7 million
- Piedmont Rubber Recycling invested $2.3 million General
- Microcircuits invested $2 million
- BestSweets invested $6 million
- Yates Precision Machining invested $2 million
- Detroit Speed and Engineering invested $2 million
“As the newly elected Mayor, I appreciate the history and tradition of growth that our community has experienced,” said Chris Montgomery, Town of Mooresville Mayor. “To me it is about people and we have some of the best working to grow Mooresville – that includes our companies who continue to invest in our future.”
The No. 1 Micropolitan community also brought in new companies from near and far in 2009. Statesville was successful in locating Talon Systems from Canada with a $3.5 million investment. Liburdi Dimetrics moved its operations to Mooresville with an investment of $3 million.
“The City of Statesville is proud of the efforts of the Greater Statesville Development Corporation’s (GSDC) role in achieving this prestigious award….again,” said Costi Kutteh, Mayor of Statesville. “Together, we have learned that economic development efforts are a 24-7-365 process to handle the ebbs and flows of our economy.”
The GSDC and the Mooresville South Iredell Economic Development Corporation (MSIEDC) are the economic development organizations responsible for attracting new business and assisting existing businesses in Iredell County.
“This level of achievement is reached only through a strong collaborative effort among the public and private sectors,” said Ron Johnson, Chairman of the MSIEDC. “That is the foundation of the MSIEDC.”
The MSIEDC is a private/public partnership that receives support from the Town of Mooresville and Iredell County. In addition, MSIEDC’s Partners in Progress represents a high level of private sector involvement, both financially and through its volunteer efforts.
“We are very proud of winning the award for the seventh year out of the past eight, particularly considering the economy the past eighteen months.” GSDC Board of Directors Chairman Bill Leach said.
The GSDC is also a private/public partnership that receives support from the City of Statesville, Town of Troutman and Iredell County. Its private sector support is led through the Greater Statesville Area Committee of 100 that provides private sector financial support as well as volunteer support.
While most communities experienced a decline in projects last year, Statesville-Mooresville actually increased their activity from 17 deals in 2008, according to Site Selection magazine.
Statesville and Mooresville are considered a single Micropolitan area by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), which determines Metropolitan and Micropolitan area designations. There are 576 official Micropolitan areas in the country. OMB defines a Micropolitan area as an urbanized area in the United States based around a core city or town with a population of 10,000 to 50,000. The official micropolitan area designation was created in 2003. Prior to that year, Site Selection magazine ranked these communities in its annual “Top Small Towns” category.
