Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/358742
12 AUGUST 6-12, 2014 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM GET A NEW ROOF...KEEP YOUR MONEY! 704-497-5906 Roof Repair & Replacement for All Types of Roofs 15 Year Workmanship Warranty! FREE RIDGE VENT With Roof Installation $150 OFF Any Roof Tune-Up FREE ROOF EVALUATION For Wind & Hail Damage and or Cumberland County economic development agencies are in the midst of high- level negotiations with Sanderson Farms; negotiations, which have ruffled a few feathers. While it is not a fait accompli, Sanderson Farms has piqued the interest of many in the community, both pro and con. As the Fayetteville Regional Chamber of Commerce, the Economic Development Alliance of Fayetteville and Cumberland County, the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners, the City of Fayetteville and other local enti- ties work to bring new businesses and industries to the area, they face many challenges in making sure that the businesses that do come are a good fit for the community and vice versa. Generally speaking, animal processing plants aren't always known for being good neighbors. Proponents of the new plant want the community to take a second look. They acknowledge meat processing may not be pretty, but it is necessary and Sanderson Farms seems to have cracked the code on how to run a clean and efficient operation that will benefit the community and help diversify and grow the local economy to the tune of 1,100 new jobs paying more than $11 dollars an hour. The first time County Commissioner Kenneth Edge heard that Sanderson Farms was looking at Fayetteville as a potential site to locate a chicken processing plant, he was adamantly opposed. At least, before he visited the Kinston, N.C., plant. "I was a naysayer before that visit to their plant," said Edge. "That visit changed my mind. I couldn't find a feather around anywhere and it didn't smell. The whole operation was quite impressive. On the economic side of the equa- tion, we are talking about a large investment in the tax base. It is estimated it would bring $600,000 to the county and $400,000 to the city in property taxes on an annual basis." Founded in 1947, Sanderson Farms is a publicly traded company headquar- tered in Laurel, Miss., and is the third largest chicken producer in the United States. Sanderson stock trades for around $100 a share, which could mean goodness for the county, but everyone needs to keep in mind that the company is in the process of doing its due diligence and hasn't committed to anything yet. According to an Economic Development Alliance report, if things work out it would mean constructing a 170,000 square foot chicken processing plant, a hatchery, live-haul shed and offices in the Cedar Creek Business Park. The capital investment would be about $113 million. The anticipated average hourly wage at the processing plant would be between $11 and $12. In addition, Sanderson Farms pays 75 percent of the costs of the comprehensive benefits package for its employees. It also offers an employee stock ownership plan and profit sharing. The package covers the employees and their families, adding an additional $2.50 per hour to the cost of paying the workers. All perspective employees undergo background checks and all employees of Sanderson Farms are legal U.S. citizens. County Commissioner Charles Evans noted, "We need a variety of types of jobs for the community. Fayetteville has a diverse population and we (leaders) need to look out for all of the people we represent." "My concern was what happened with the waste water," said Edge. "They have their own water processing plant and they use that for the spray fields that were about ½ mile from the plant in Kinston. They seem to be safe from what I have learned so far." That is good news for the local environment. Water that is used to process the chickens is not discharged directly into the river. It is cleaned using ultra-violet light. There are no chemicals involved. The treated water is void of odor or pollutants and is discharged, according to Department of Environment and Natural Resourc- es regulations, onto fields and eventually goes back into the aquifer. Water from the plant that is not related to processing chickens would be disposed of through the city's sewer system. In March 2013, Sanderson set up a similar operation in Texas. What local citizens found was an efficient and environmentally friendly operation according to an article in The Palestine Herald. "Efficiency and sustainability are words one hears frequently when talking to Sanderson Farms personnel as they are constantly searching for methods to make their systems more efficient. The Sanderson Farms methodology is a well- orchestrated, finely honed and extremely clean operation from egg production to the hatchery to the feed mill to the processing plant." According to the article, Sanderson Farms has only full-time positions. Fur- ther, Sanderson Farms strives to be a part of the community on many levels. At the Texas plant, Sanderson Farms matches dollar for dollar the amount donated by its employees to the United Way. It also has an adopt-a-school program and will be an active part of that school. During his visit to the Kinston plant, Edge also noted, "There was a lady there from DENR. It is my understanding that they are inspected almost monthly and have to send water sample to be tested on a regular basis." Those involved in economic development know that we are still in the early stages of this potential partnership. During this period both the host county and the prospective do their due diligence to understand what each brings and takes away from the table. For those in economic development, this is a critical time. Many companies looking at the community do not have this high of a profile and no information is out, but the economic developers have become masters of this dance, and in this particular turn, have won over their critics. Commissioner Edge said, "If they come or if they don't come, as someone who has been outspoken in criticizing the Chamber, as far as economic devel- opment is concerned, they do an awesome job of trying to bring new jobs to Cumberland County." He added, "I wish the people who are so opposed to this project had the opportunity to go visit the Kinston plant. They would feel better like we did after our visit. We don't want to bring anything bad or harmful to the community." Local Leaders Educate Themselves on Sanderson Farms by STEPHANIE CRIDER STEPHANIE CRIDER, Editor COM- MENTS? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 910.484.6200. Inside Update Inside Chamber Page Downtown Developments AUGUST 6-12, 2014 VOLUME 19 ISSUE 32 VOLUME 19 ISSUE 32 Performs at Festival Park Local Artist Brings a Touch of Whimsy to Fayetteville BEST OF FAYETTEVILLE BALLOT INSIDE VOTE TODAY A Good Fit For Fayetteville? A Good Fit For Fayetteville? FAYETTEVILLE'S LOCAL COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER .com