UNION COUNTY MIXES IT UP: Touted as a hub for economic diversity in the state, Union County nurtures strong industrial, agricultural and regional sectors.

AuthorSaylor, Teri
PositionREGIONAL REPORT: UNION COUNTY

From agribusiness to precision manufacturing, recreation to retail, Union County is banking on its diverse economic base to foster prosperity in a region long dominated by Charlotte.

Despite its diversity, Union County has created a name for itself as a hub for the aerospace industry. North Carolina is home to a total of 70 aerospace-specific manufacturing facilities.

Last year, PricewaterhouseCoopers ranked the "First in Flight" state No. 4 in the United States for Aerospace Manufacturing Attractiveness. Nowhere in North Carolina is this economic sector more concentrated as in Union County, where 23 companies support the aerospace industry.

That this industry has experienced a growth spurt in Union County over the last 16 years is no accident but rather a result of a targeted recruitment strategy focused on aerospace companies, according to Chris Plate, executive director of the Monroe-Union County Economic Development Commission.

"Back in February 2002, we were trying to figure out how to create an industrial cluster," he says. "We had a very good, diverse industrial mix already and were metals and machine-building focused, so it made sense to try to figure out a way to go after something that was based in machine building."

Many North Carolina counties and regions were focused on automotive machinery, an industry that had been migrating farther south. Instead of trying to get ahead of the automotive curve, Plate and his team decided to go after the aerospace market.

"9/11 had just happened, so everybody was pulling out of aerospace at that point, and that industry disappeared for a little bit," he says. "We had three base companies at the time that were aerospace, and we told the Monroe City Council that we were going to go after this industry for multiple reasons, one of them being long-term strategy."

Plate is convinced the council looked at him as if he were crazy, but his team landed its first aerospace project in late 2002.

"It was Caledonian Alloys," he said. "After that, in 2004, we got Goodrich UTC Aerospace Systems, and that was the stamp of approval. The floodgates opened up."

Today, Union County is among the top 10 aerospace clusters in the Southeast, representing more than $800 million in tax base and employing 4,500 people, or 26% of Monroe's manufacturing workforce, according to Plate.

"Virtually every commercial plane flying in the world today has parts on them from Monroe and Union County," he says.

This cluster has improved wages in Union County. "Around 1999, the average manufacturing wage was between $9 and $11 per hour, and today it's $18.62," he says. "Aerospace is largely responsible for pushing that, and now all of our industries are paying more."

Allegheny Technologies Inc., located in Union County since 1957, is a giant in the aerospace industry and the cornerstone of this sector, Plate adds.

"ATI has always been in high-end metals and they have continually reinvented themselves to stay relevant," he says. "Through research and development, they make some of the best metals in the world. They have been a leader in this...

To continue reading

Request your trial

VLEX uses login cookies to provide you with a better browsing experience. If you click on 'Accept' or continue browsing this site we consider that you accept our cookie policy. ACCEPT