WHERE WORK AND PLAY COLLIDE: Business and industry parks are tailored to fit the landscape of their communities.

• Author: Saylor, Teri

Across North Carolina, industrial, commerce and research parks are becoming magnets for clusters of businesses seeking the perfect environment to locate and expand.

Whether designed as live, work and play environments; branded as business and commerce parks to reflect the shift from the manufacturing facilities of old to the high-tech environment today; or developed as smaller sites in search of companies seeking a perfect fit, modern industrial parks have fashioned their own unique amenities and are marketing to potential clients.

PENDER COMMERCE PARK

Pender Commerce Park was created through a two-part land purchase from the chemical company BASF. Pender County bought the first tract of 380 acres in 2006 for $4 million and acquired the second tract of 396 acres in 2010 for about $1.6 million. BASF shuttered the facility in 2009, according to Scott Satterfield, CEO of Wilmington Business Development, a nonprofit that leads business-development initiatives for New Flanover and Pender counties and Wilmington.

Of the nearly 800 acres, about 450 are suitable for development. The other acreage is wetlands.

"BASF left behind a fantastic site," Satterfield says. "It's in close proximity to Wilmington and the state port and accessible by U.S. Route 421, a four-lane highway."

Growth has been swift at Pender Commerce Park, starting with the Brooklyn, N.Y.-based Acme Smoked Fish, which moved to the park in 2012 and operates a $30 million production site with 138 employees.

Since 2012, Coastal Beverage, Empire Distributors, FedEx and Polyhose India have joined Acme in the commerce park, occupying more than

600,000 square feet of building space and investing $100 million.

BURTON BUSINESS AND INDUSTRIAL PARK

About 30 miles north of Pender County, the Burton Business and Industrial Park in Onslow County is also thriving, according to Sheila Knight, Jacksonville Onslow Economic Development project director. The 735-acre park was established two decades ago as a cornerstone project in Onslow County's effort to attract world-class companies.

In 2010, the park opened a 50,000-square-foot shell building. The investment paid off with American Builders & Contractors Supply occupying the site since 2014.

The park recently completed construction of a 30,000-square-foot shell building with 30-foot ceilings and accommodations to double in size if needed, according to Knight. The economic-development officials have their focus on light manufacturing and small to...