CONCORD GOES INTERNATIONAL

Cabarrus County's pro-business attitude is attracting interest from all over the world. Much of that interest is being turned into investments at The International Business Park in Concord.

The investment began more than 10 years ago when Latin American investors formed The Nolim Group, S.A., Inc. and began developing the 517-acre industrial park at the intersection of I-85 and Davidson Highway (NC 73).

"The very concept of the park being international is an extension of the investors, who are involved in international commerce," says Michael Schneider, vice president of The Nolim Group. "Using our skills and talents in a global perspective, we've concentrated the development and investment strategy into providing a world-class business park environment with many amenities, one that's attractive and run cost efficiently from a park tenant owner's perspective."

That strategy began producing results six years ago with Oiles America Corporation decided to build a 45,000-square-foot facility on 25 acres at the park. Seven companies are now located there; three are foreign-based. Most do business internationally. Capital investment in the park already exceeds $100 million.

Sysco Food Service of Charlotte, the nation's largest food supplier, is one of the most recent additions to the park. Last August, Sysco held the grand opening of its $33-million, state of the art, 300,000-squarefoot facility on 40 acres. Other companies located at the park are Advent Corporation of North Carolina, Concord Engineering and Surveying, Inc., Dai Nippon IMS (America) Corp., Federal Express, Pass & Seymour/Legrand and Oiles America Corporation.

Development at The International Business Park is occurring in three phases. Phase I is 75% complete, and Sysco is on the first site to be developed in Phase II. Both phases are planned for industrial, distribution and office uses.

Phase III provides ready accessibility and visibility from I-85 and NC 73, and is planned as a mixed-use commercial center, with office, office/distribution, retail and hotel facilities. About 25% of the total park has been developed.

"In Cabarrus County, The International Business Park is a one-of-a-kind property," says Maurice Ewing, president of Cabarrus Economic Development, a publicly funded, not-for-profit corporation aiding economic development in the county. "There is nothing that can compare to it in terms of quality of development."

Michael Schneider believes many factors have contributed to the success of the park. Primary among them are the location, the area's quality of life, and the pro-business attitude of Concord and Cabarrus County. "When industries, corporations or any decision-makers do a site search, location is one of the principle issues," he says. "We're very fortunate to be located in Cabarrus County of I-85, and the improvements being made in the entire infrastructure of the county and the metro Charlotte region also help. When the park opened, Concord was considered quite a bit away from Charlotte. It was an issue we had to address in our marketing strategy. Now location has become one of the more attractive features of the park."

"For quality of life, there was just no comparing other places Oiles considered," says Branson Jones, formerly a vice president and now a consultant with Oiles America. "We're still not in the big city, but we have it nearby."

Says Schneider, "The growth of the hospitals, the continuous improvements in the school systems, the private sector meeting the demand for housing, proximity to the cultural amenities of Charlotte, Lake Norman being just 20 minutes away, all these are contributing factors to the quality of life. "And the change in the political climate of Concord and Cabarrus County has also helped. In fact, Cabarrus was the first county in North Carolina to offer tax incentive packages."

"Everybody perceives Cabarrus County as pro-business now," Jones says. "The city and the county both work with you ver closely. Everyone here is working towards the same end."

"In order to be competitive for the projects we want here, we have to come to the table with some form of inducement," Ewing says. "But I'm of the belief that we would still get a significant amount of business here, even without inducements.

"The biggest desirability of Cabarrus County is the labor force," Ewing continues. "We have 20,000 people a day who leave Cabarrus County to work. Eighteen thousand of those go into Mecklenburg County. Many people world like to stay close to home. I think a lot of projects that go into The International Business Park go there as much to capitalize on the labor draw as they do anything else."

Jones says all this leaves out the paramount consideration. "Ownership is the most important factor," he asserts. "You have to know the owners have the wherewithal to keep the park going. We have always felt very confident of that."

"An important attribute we offer to companies is our ability to respond in a timely way to the diverse specifications of a project, whether the issues are related to site planning, investment, managing or financial considerations," Schneider says. "We listen carefully and respond accordingly to find creative ways to make The International Business Park their home."

"The Nolim Group has been very easy to work with," Ewing says. "They have a wonderful product. We get decisions from them very easily on a project. They create proposals on a short turnaround. It's just about the best situation we could ask for. They're very well financed themselves, so they don't have to get a lot of permission to do things. They can do things on their own in a very short time."

"The owners may be far away, but they're committed to the park," Jones says. "They're committed to quality. It's a great park, one to be proud of."

Written By Brian Falk © 2003 Business Properties