The Macon County Economic Development Commission is always looking for ways to bring businesses to the area.
On Thursday, the EDC board got the opportunity to look at one specific sector where growth opportunities are possible when consultant Tom Johnson with Sanford Holshouser presented his report on information technology business recruitment.
“This board asked us to take a look at technology businesses specifically and we did a pretty deep dive into Macon County’s strengths and weaknesses when it comes to finding those businesses and bringing them here,” Johnson said. “The good news is, Franklin and Highlands have more strengths than most rural communities.”
Johnson noted that Macon County’s biggest strengths were overall high-speed connectivity and a proven business model courtesy of Drake Enterprises.
“We reached out to tech companies all over the region, Charlotte, Raleigh, Atlanta, etc., and the one thing they all agreed upon was without connectivity you have nothing and fortunately you all have BalsamWest and several internet service providers in place,” Johnson said. “The other thing we found was no one wants to be the pioneer company moving to a rural area. With Drake already here, and already employing 700 people, it makes Macon County much more attractive to other IT businesses.”
Johnson also pointed to Macon County’s low tax rate, high quality of life and proximity to major cities as advantages in the business recruitment process.
“I can’t think of many nicer places to live than Western North Carolina, and Franklin and Highlands each have their own characteristics that make them desirable locations,” Johnson said. “Throw in the fact that Macon County has the third lowest tax rate in the entire state of North Carolina and it’s an added bonus.”
As for Macon County’s weaknesses, Johnson pointed out two well-known issues facing the area – lack of workforce and low workforce housing inventory.
“The average home price in Macon County is over $300,000, and even at that price point there is nothing in Highlands,” Johnson said. “Building a workforce is possible because Macon County has such close ties with Southwestern Community College, Western Carolina University and UNC Asheville, which all have IT and computer science programs. But finding workers is only half the battle, because they have to have somewhere to live.”
Johnson encouraged the EDC board to continue working with state and regional partners to figure out ways to address the workforce housing gap. He also encouraged the board to come up with an information technology-specific marketing program.
“IT jobs are the kind of jobs you want to bring in,” Johnson said. “They pay well above the county average, they are a draw for young people and young families, and they don’t take a massive amount of infrastructure to accommodate as long as the connectivity is available.”
He also encouraged the board to look for open commercial spaces that could be used as shared IT facilities. Johnson pointed to the former Entegra Bank corporate center as one possibility should it ever be sold.
EDC Director Tommy Jenkins encouraged the board to read Johnson’s report and come back at a future meeting with suggestions for a potential marketing/recruiting informational presentation that could be used to attract IT businesses.
“This report gives us a good starting point and I think we should all take some time to digest it and see what we think as a group,” Jenkins said. “I think with the right plan in place and the right message we can make Macon County very attractive to information technology-based businesses.”
The next meeting of the EDC board is scheduled for 5;30 p.m. on Sept. 9 at SCC Macon Center in Franklin.