Published: Monday, October 15, 2012 at 4:48 p.m.
Last Modified: Monday, October 15, 2012 at 4:48 p.m.
A research and development company could add $7 million in new investment and 106 jobs to the Fletcher area if the firm accepts a package of incentives county commissioners and Fletcher town council members are expected to approve this week.
Henderson County commissioners have scheduled a public hearing at 9 a.m. Wednesday on a proposal to grant up to $197,736 in incentives over 10 years to an anonymous ?research and development operation located inside and outside the United States? that has been code-named ?Project Napoleon? to protect the company?s identity.
Fletcher council will hold its own public hearing at 5 p.m. Oct. 18 on a town proposal to offer the company ? nicknamed for Town Manager Mark Biberdorf?s French bulldog, Napoleon ? an additional $125,125 in incentives over 10 years. If approved, that would mean the county and town will present the company with a combined incentives package of up to $322,861.
The unnamed company is considering several locations for its headquarters, including other states ?that have upped the ante incredibly,? said Andrew Tate of the Henderson County Economic Development Partnership, which is working to lure the operation to Fletcher.
?It has been extremely competitive and we have found ourselves at a disadvantage when competing against some other folks who are willing to give away the store,? said County Manager Steve Wyatt. ?However, the company apparently liked our approach, and the one-on-one personal relationships have gotten us in the position where we?ve got a good shot at landing this project.?
If the company chooses to locate here, it would create 106 full-time jobs that pay better, on average, than the $663 per week average wage for Henderson County, officials said.
?I believe the number is a little bit north of that,? said County Attorney Russell Burrell.
The incentives are designed to off-set the personal property taxes the company would pay the county and Fletcher if it invested $7 million in equipment, which could include computers, furniture and other personal property. Those investments are taxed at .325 cents per $100 assessed value by Fletcher and at .513 cents per $100 assessed value by the county.
If company officials decide to accept the incentives, Burrell said the company would pay personal property taxes on Jan. 3 and ?get their incentives back on Dec. 31? of the same year, assuming they have produced and maintained the number of jobs agreed to by all parties.
Officials are being tight-lipped about the company?s identity because of the competitive nature of industrial recruitment. Burrell said the county almost landed aircraft manufacturer Hawker Beechcraft two years ago, but the company spooked after word got out of their possible relocation.
?We were very close to getting that project,? Burrell said. ?But it was really clear you couldn?t talk about it. It was underlined after a county commissioner in Virginia, where they were also looking, mentioned the deal kind of off-handedly in a tiny newspaper. They immediately eliminated that place from consideration.?
N.C. Rep. Chuck McGrady, a former county commissioner, agreed that negotiations with economic development prospects like ?Project Napoleon? can ?get dicey, particularly if they?re contemplating moving from an existing location.? He cited a case of a company that was considering moving jobs to Alabama, until word of the move leaked out. ?They actually changed 180 degrees and decided to stay in Missouri.?
Biberdorf said the company ?has a manufacturing element to them, as well, but it?s more research and development at this point.? The company was attracted to Fletcher and Henderson County for a number of reasons: a ?business-friendly environment,? relatively low tax rates and North Carolina?s status as a right-to-work state.
?I don?t want to brag unduly about our economic development agency, but Andrew Tate and his team do a really good job of going after these industries,? Biberdorf added.
Because the incentives package doesn?t include offsets for building or land investments, it?s likely the ?Project Napoleon? company has already identified an existing facility for its headquarters in Fletcher. The HCPED website lists 15 potential buildings in town limits, ranging from 1,500 to 282,000 square feet in size.
?These people could go anywhere in North America,? said Wyatt. ?But they were really interested in our community. This is a company where, most likely, the owners will relocate. And they want to live in a nice place, and this is a nice place to live. They were impressed with the beauty of the community. Plus, you?ve got an airport at your front door. The infrastructure was appropriate and they see Henderson County as a dynamic economic engine.?
Chairman Tommy Thompson said the Board of Commissioners has discussed the company?s potential move here at great length in closed session.
?I think you?re going to find that most of us are in favor of (the incentive offer),? he said. ?I haven?t heard any board member say they?re against it. That?s what?s going to build the economy and create jobs for our people.?
Fletcher Mayor Bill Moore said he foresees town council approving the incentives as well.
?Because we?re going to be creating jobs, and that?s exactly what this community needs,? Moore said.
Reach Axtell at 828-694-7860 or than.axtell@blueridgenow.com.
Source: http://www.blueridgenow.com/article/20121015/articles/121019851
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