CHATHAM EDC ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CORPORATION.

• Author: Smith, C. Michael

Chatham County has been preparing for this dramatic moment. Several years ago, resolute community leaders took steps to ensure the viability of the county for years to come. They asked residents to believe that two megasites would bring jobs and opportunity. More importantly, they asked residents to be patient while they readied the sites and recruited companies. That faith and patience has paid off! Chatham County now calls itself home to two of North Carolina's largest economic development projects ever announced. And we're still just getting started.

In March of 2022, Vietnamese vehicle manufacturer VinFast announced that they would purchase 2,000 acres at the Triangle Innovation Point (TIP) Site in Moncure for its first American electric vehicle production facility. The project will generate $4 billion in investment and 7,500 jobs. In September of that same year, Durham-based semiconductor manufacturer Wolfspeed announced that it would build a new facility on 450 acres in Siler City, at the Chatham-Siler City Advanced Manufacturing (CAM) Site, investing $5 billion and creating 1,800 jobs. This meant that in 2022 alone, Chatham County saw over $9 billion in investment and 9,000 jobs planned. Currently, both projects are moving forward and ramping up their presence around the county.

This is all just the beginning. As we continue working with VinFast and Wolfspeed on their facilities, we are launching a new business retention and expansion program and putting together information on our remaining industrial land. With Wolfspeed's site plan, the remaining 1,400 rail-served acres of the CAM Site is ready for a user, primed for advanced manufacturing...