Articles/Press Releases

January 15, 2010: GE Lighting Combines LED and Fixture Businesses to Form GE Lighting Solutions

PRESS RELEASE

GE Lighting Combines LED and Fixture Businesses to Form GE Lighting Solutions

CLEVELAND — GE Lighting, a unit of GE Appliances & Lighting, continues a reshaping effort designed to better serve customers and enable profitable growth with the establishment of GE Lighting Solutions, a combination of its light-emitting diode (LED) systems operation, Lumination, based at GE Lighting’s world headquarters in Cleveland, and its commercial and industrial fixture group, GE Lighting Systems in Hendersonville, North Carolina.

April 29, 2009: Elkamet provides solutions for EPA fuel tank requirements

East Flat Rock, NC – April 27, 2009 – Elkamet, Inc. a custom rotational molder located in East Flat Rock, Western North Carolina, announces that they can provide solutions for EPA fuel tank evaporative emission requirements for Small Off-Road (e.g. ATV) and Non-Road Spark-Ignition Engines and Equipment (e.g. Chainsaws , Lawn Tractors, Personnel watercraft). http://www.elkamet.de/en/epapress.php

March 18, 2009: Morris Communications Group Considering Job & Investment Expansion

The Henderson County Board of Commissioners held a public hearing today, March 18, 2009 for consideration of economic development incentives for Morris Broadband, LLC. The project was defined as a network operating center/call center for the company’s cable television operations. Morris could create as many as 41-46 new jobs, in addition to the 54 currently employed. The project would require a taxable, capital investment of roughly $1.8 million. The operations and call center would service all of western North Carolina.The operations and call center would service all of western North Carolina.

January 13, 2009: Scott Hamilton Appointed to Head AdvantageWest Economic Development Group

January 13, 2009 - Today in a special-called meeting, the AdvantageWest board of directors selected a demonstrated leader in regional and state economic development as the commission's new president and chief executive officer. AdvantageWest Executive Vice President Scott Hamilton, 47, of Hendersonville, was the unanimous choice for the position. He succeeds Dale Carroll who began work as deputy secretary/chief operating officer of the NC Dept. of Commerce on Saturday following Gov.-elect Beverly Perdue taking the oath of office. Carroll, 51, led AdvantageWest for 12 years before his cabinet appointment.

November 21, 2008: World’s Largest Solar Thermal Heating & Cooling Project Announced

Executive Vice President Scott Clark said the first Vanir project will be a solar thermal installation at Fletcher Business Park, a 900,000-square-foot facility where the company is headquartered.

“With the Fletcher Business Park project, we’re creating 58 jobs in less than 60 days,” Clark said. The business park will be the largest installation of solar thermal heating and cooling technology in the world, according to the International Energy Agency.* The 640 panels will produce 1.5 megawatts of power. Vanir Energy will own and operate the system at no capital expenditure to Fletcher Business Park, a model the company plans to repeat across the state.

November 20, 2008: Hallingse Hired to Lead Industrial Retention & Expansion Program for HCPED

Josh M. Hallingse was hired by The Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development, Inc. as Director of Industry Relations. Hallingse assumes the lead role in managing the HCPED existing industry program, focused on retaining and growing quality jobs in Henderson County, NC.

Originally from Fletcher, NC, Josh Hallingse is a life-long resident of Western North Carolina. Hallingse recently earned his Masters in Public Administration from Appalachian State University, where he concentrated on municipal and county government. Prior to returning to Henderson County, Hallingse served as a Field Representative for United States Congresswoman Virginia Foxx (NC05). Before assuming his position with the U.S. House of Representatives, Hallingse interned for the City of Asheville Office of Economic Development.

November 19, 2008: Elkamet Exceeds Investment & Job Creation Goals

On Wednesday, November 19, 2008 Elkamet Plant Manager, Carsten Erkel, announced at the Henderson County Board of Commissioners meeting that the business has met and exceeded goals outlined by Henderson County and the State of North Carolina.

On March 20, 2006 Elkamet announced that they would locate their first U.S. manufacturing facility in Henderson County, NC. A component of the agreement to locate in Henderson County included commitments to create 50 jobs and invest $4.8 million in real and business personal property. Elkamet worked within a prescribed capital investment term to meet these goals, and was able to exceed both well before the conclusion of that term. Erkel presented to the Board of Commissioners that investment in the facility exceeded $6.7 million and that total employment for October 31, 2008 was 61 employees.

August 28, 2008: SELEE Corporation Announces Job Creation & Investment Expansion

On Thursday, August 28, 2008 SELEE Corporation and Henderson County proudly announced a job creation and investment expansion at SELEE’s facility in Hendersonville. The project includes a $3,000,000 investment through early 2010, primarily in machinery and equipment capitalization. In addition to the two jobs already created, SELEE will create 23 additional jobs. The jobs created will include engineers with approximate wages of $80,000/year ($109,000 with benefits) and production employees at $32,200/year ($46,100 with benefits). Average wages and benefits are expected to exceed $56,000/year.

June 19, 2008: Prince Manufacturing Positioned for Job & Investment Growth

On Wednesday, June 18^th a public hearing for Henderson County Board of Commissioners to consider economic development incentives for Prince Manufacturing was held. The prospective expansion was summarized by the Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development as an internal machinery and equipment investment paired with the creation of new jobs.

June 5, 2008: Kimberly-Clark donates 59 acres to the City of Hendersonville

The City of Hendersonville announced today the donation of 59 acres from Kimberly-Clark Berkeley Mills valued at over $1,700,000. The property being donated is currently used for recreational purposes by mill employees and retirees, the community Babe Ruth league, and the YMCA. The donation of this property to the City will help solidify the continued and permanent recreational use of this land to an even larger segment of the community and will expand the City’s plan to develop additional green space and offer recreational opportunities to the public.

April 7, 2008: Bright Star Industrial Site Moves Forward

The Henderson County Partnership for Economic Development, the Town of Mills River, Henderson County and Bright Star are pleased to announce the marketing of the Bright Star site as an industrial location for advanced manufacturing. The 262 acre site is in northern Henderson County, bordered on the east by the Asheville Regional Airport and to the north and west by the French Broad River.

July 28, 2006: Governor Easley Sign Bill to Strengthen Industry Recruiting Programs

Distributed by the NC Department of Commerce outlining extension of JDIG and William S. Lee programs.

May 15, 2006: North Carolina Selected as the Winner of the 2005 Competitiveness Award

Press release from the NC Department of Commerce announcing that Site Selection Magazine has named North Carolina the winner of the 2005 Competitiveness Award.

November 11, 2005: Success Label

Distributed by the Times News detailing the celebration of Henderson County manufacturer Raflatac on their recent expansion announcements.

November 9, 2005: Business Climate Rankings: NC Reclaims Top Billing

One year not perched atop Site Selection\'s annual ranking of state business climates was long enough for the Tar Heel State, which sent last year\'s winner — Texas — to second place.