ASHEBORO — Members of the Randolph County Economic Development Corp. (EDC) honored two industry leaders Thursday from business sectors that have seen their share of difficult times and still endure. JB Davis of Klaussner Furniture Industries and Bill Redding of Acme McCrary were each recognized as Partners in Progress at the 25th anniversary of EDC’s annual meeting. Bonnie Renfro, EDC president, said Davis and Redding led their companies through good times and bad, providing stability in the local economy. In accepting his award, Davis said he appreciated the acknowledgment of his 40 years of service in the furniture industry. Redding, former Acme McCrary president, noted both he and Davis “have been here a long time.” He thanked EDC members for the honor, adding much of the credit should go to Acme McCrary’s employees. The meeting was kicked of with a few words from Asheboro businessman and current state Secretary of Commerce Keith Crisco. Crisco said surviving the current economic climate will take bold, risk-taking leadership of the sort he could see in the room that morning. Dale Lambert, current EDC chair; Greg Spainhour, past chair; and Laura Wilson, incoming EDC chair, presented information from a recently completed competitive assessment and target industry study. On the plus side, Lambert said the study reported the county has a dedicated workforce, eager to be trained for the jobs of the future. Randolph Community College is a ready and willing partner in that effort, researchers said. Lambert said the study showed the county has abundant rail access, excellent highway access, lots of water and a business climate where local governments are interested in helping business succeed. On the other hand, he said, the county has plenty of available buildings but few modern properties that today’s industries need in order to commit to this area. Even with abundant water supplies, sewer access is limited, he said. So is the infrastructure to deliver that water. With these qualities and limitations in place, Spainhour said the study found a number of industry sectors that might find Randolph County especially appealing. Two top sectors are medical equipment/supply manufacturing and food manufacturing. Other industries that show promise are the pharmaceutical/medical manufacturing sector and waste management/recycling. Wilson said to take advantage of the county’s inherent possibilities, EDC needs to work to expand the West Randleman Business Park and encourage the development of business parks in Asheboro and on Interstate 85. Wilson said the county needs a prioritized property list. EDC partners decided an effort should be launched to rebrand the Liberty Business Park as a prime site for the green industry. She also advocated for a targeted marketing plan. She especially noted the need to mobilize all EDC members, providing them with a quick 30-second marketing presentation so that they would all be ready at a moment’s notice to help spread the word about the benefits and advantages to doing business in Randolph County.

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