The North Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority has awarded the Town of Mocksville a $450,000 grant from the Industrial Development Fund to install a new road and bridge on Quality Drive in the Southpoint Business Park. This bridge and road infrastructure will open up approximately 85 acres of land for future development.
There are immediate plans to develop three of the new parcels of land with buildings that could total over 400,000 square feet of industrial space available for new businesses, potentially providing hundreds of jobs over the next five years. For the right project, one of the buildings could be expanded to 800,000 square feet.
How Infrastructure Investment Leads to New Job Creation
While some communities have used public funds to compete with other developers, Davie County has taken the opposite approach of supporting private sector efforts by partnering with private developers rather than competing with them. SouthPoint Business Park, located just north of Interstate 40 on US Highway 601 is an example of this approach.
Owned and developed by site-selection expert Joe Hollingsworth and the Hollingsworth Companies, Southpoint Business Park consists of eight buildings, seven of which are occupied, with only one in inventory and available. The seven existing businesses have resulted in millions of dollars of investment with hundreds of jobs created.
According to Davie County Economic Development Commission President Terry Bralley, “Ninety Percent of all companies seeking a new location are looking for an existing building to move into. Our partnership with The Hollingsworth Companies means that we have an inventory of available buildings and permitted lots for people who don’t have time to waste. Further, we are blessed with a developer like Joe Hollingsworth who is flexible enough to lease, sell, or provide equity capital for companies locating in our community. This is an advantage that every small community and every economic developer would love to have and it continues to bring jobs and opportunity to Mocksville and Davie County.”
Chip Sisk, Industrial Real Estate Director for the Hollingsworth Companies, said “We continue to be bullish on Davie County. This forward thinking infrastructure investment will pay dividends for years to come. This is a low cost, labor-rich community with a pro-business mindset on an interstate highway. And that’s a winning formula for business success.”
About the Rural Infrastructure Authority
The Rural Infrastructure Authority was established as part of the Rural Economic Development Division at the NC Department of Commerce to assist with the review and approval of grants for rural areas in the state. The grants-making programs of the Division include assistance for building reuse and restoration, water and sewer infrastructure, and economic innovation in rural communities.
