Ready & willing: local EDCs and state Commerce offices are trying to grow existing businesses in North Carolina.

• Author: Thiede, Barbara
• Position: Economic development corporations

Bonnie Renfro, retention and expansion specialist with the Randolph County Economic Development Corp., spends most of her working hours on the road, traveling to meetings with manufacturers of anything from textiles to dried soups and sauces.

In the morning, she might talk with a plant manager at Klaussner Furniture Industries about training or retraining the company's 3,000 employees. In the afternoon, she might drive to the Dreamland Mattress Co., a small manufacturer with a staff of four, to discuss expanding output.

The point of the visits? To help hold on to North Carolina's 10,400 manufacturing companies and to help them, whenever possible, expand operations in the state.

In North Carolina, 70% to 80% of job creation and investments comes from industries already here. "The fact is," says Sam Sloan, senior vice president and economic and business development officer at NationsBank, "your best market is your present customer." Banks, state agencies, local chambers of commerce - all must pay attention to the needs of industries already operating in the state. As Sloan advises: "Dance with the one who brung you."

The North Carolina Department of Commerce has been devoting plenty of energy in that direction. Its seven regional economic-development partnerships, each of which covers II to 23 counties, are now staffed with specialists in business retention and expansion. Commerce's regional offices, say their representatives, are "one-stop shopping" for information.

"Once existing industry is aware of our services, they can make one phone call on any question and we'll try to find the answer," says Chuck Wedemeyer, economic-development representative for the Department of Commerce's southeastern regional office in Fayetteville.

The regional offices aren't alone in trying to help existing industries with everything from infrastructure to workforce training. Regional partnerships, local economic-development commissions and chambers of commerce are all providing information and practical aid that can help a company grow. That could mean anything from a new turn lane for its expanded facility to more water pressure for its plant to expert advice on regulatory issues. But many existing industries are just now becoming aware of the state, regional, county and city organizations eager to serve their needs.

As Terry Orell, group vice president of business growth at the Charlotte Chamber, points out: "It's easy to forget about those that are already...