Halifax County has been recognized for having one of the top industrial sites in the state, Economic Development Director Cathy Scott said today.

The Economic Development Partnership of North Carolina in its SelectSite Readiness Program Report identified the Highway 301 Industrial Site in the Enfield area as one of 15 SelectSites for North Carolina. “This designation means the US 301 Industrial Site, located on US Highway 301 north of Enfield, will be targeted for major advanced manufacturing projects and receive increased development and marketing support from the state and EDPNC,” Scott said.

Site Selection Group, a national site location consulting firm, and Thomas & Hutton, a full-service engineering design firm, conducted the site analyses, starting their work with over 60 sites. 

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The evaluation included not only technical and engineering assessments of each site, but also evaluations of workforce availability, site development costs, and overall operating costs that are ultimate drivers for a site’s overall competitiveness.

“This 251-acre heavy industrial site with all utilities in place, including rail, has tremendous potential to create jobs and attract significant investment for Halifax County,” said Scott. “The vision of the board of commissioners for the US 301 Industrial Site, along with early support from Halifax Horizons and the Golden LEAF Foundation for important due diligence, paved the way for the site to be a strong competitor for major manufacturing projects.” 

She told commissioners this morning that the designation “guarantees us to be at the table with manufacturing companies looking at our state. I’m really excited about that. It will be a game changer. Thank you for your vision.” 

According to EDPNC Chair Gene McLaurin, the state General Assembly established the SelectSite Readiness Program in 2023 “to support the development of sites that would increase North Carolina’s competitiveness for the siting or expansion of major manufacturing projects in key industry sectors.”

The program is a counterpart to the Megasite Readiness Program. “The creation of the SRP recognized that not all major manufacturing projects require the 1,000-acre minimum needed to qualify as a megasite,” McLaurin said. “Recognizing that independent analysis was needed, the EDPNC was authorized to engage a national site selection firm to evaluate North Carolina sites and identify up to 15 best positioned to successfully serve major advanced manufacturing projects with the goal that these (sites) would receive increased development and marketing support from the state and the EDPNC.”

He said, “We recognize that site development is the foundation of industrial economic development growth. Not every site is a perfect fit for every opportunity but North Carolina as a state is positioned well for continued investment by our targeted industries and needs to be able to provide the critical product and infrastructure to meet these demands.”