As part of this week’s cover package on the local beer business, we prepared an extensive timeline of the high points in its evolution, from when the Smoky Mountain Brewery first opened its doors in 1993 in Waynesville to Asheville Brewing Company’s current plans to start offering the area’s first canned brews.
With rumors flying about local governments’ closed sessions on economic development (a New Belgium brewery?), government incentives for private business are once again in the news. Whether they’re spat on as “corporate welfare” or lauded as “job creation,” they remain controversial as ever.
Follow live Twitter coverage of the keynote address at the Southeast Economic and Workforce Development Conference, where U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development John Fernandez and U.S. Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training Administration Jane Oates will talk on the overall economic situation and efforts to promote job growth.
The Buncombe County commissioners unanimously approved a $10 million economic-incentives package for Linamar Corp. July 26, as part of an agreement with the Canadian auto-parts manufacturer announced last month.
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners is expected July 26 to approve a large real-estate sale to Linamar Corp. as part of an economic incentives package aimed at ensuring the Canadian-based auto-parts manufacturer fulfills its plans to operate in Buncombe County.
Linamar Corporation is hosting a management job fair July 5, from noon to 8 p.m. and July 6, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the A-B Tech Enka campus.
County buys Volvo plant. County sells Volvo plant to Linamar Group, a Canadian manufacturer, the following year. Asheville gives Linamar $2.2 million in incentives over four years. Buncombe puts up $6.8 million in incentives. North Carolina pitches in $9 million. The hoped-for results? Almost 400 jobs for the Asheville-Buncombe area that pay, on average, more than $39,000 a year.
Governor Bev Perdue announces Linamar’s expansion. Photo by Jonathan Welch
Live Twitter coverage of tonight’s awaited economic development news from the Asheville Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner beginning at 5:30 p.m.. Reportedly, the deal involves Canadian auto-parts manufacturer Linamar occupying the old Volvo plant, recently purchased by the county.
The Buncombe County Board of Commissioners voted unanimously June 28 to purchase the former Volvo plant at 2169 Hendersonville Road for $7 million in taxpayer funds. In the weeks leading up to the vote, county, city and state leaders have hinted that the purchase is part of a larger, multifaceted arrangement with a private employer to take over the site. And in the hours leading up to the vote, WLOS News 13 began reporting that the employer is the Canadian-based Linamar Corporation, a large manufacturer of engines, transmissions and drive trains.
Signs from county, city and state officials are pointing towards a possible big jobs announcement soon. However, many questions remain, including the details of Buncombe County’s plan to purchase the former Volvo plant at 2169 Hendersonville Road.
What would allow our North Carolina legislators to fulfill their campaign promises to create jobs [and] protect homeowners and the environment without new nuclear plants? They have a win-win opportunity if they adopt the new 2012 Energy Conservation Code, which would increase energy efficiency by 15 percent in new residential and 30 percent in commercial […]
According to Jake Frankel's article, It's the Economy, Stupid [Dec. 15, 2010 Xpress), the Buncombe County Commissioners approved a "$99.74 million federal stimulus loan to Ingles Markets Inc." The loan is to help Ingles [expand] their facility in Black Mountain. The "completed projects would create at least 190 new full-time jobs, plus an unspecified number […]
Xpress staff reporter Michael Muller interviews Sam Powers, General Manager of the Civic Center and Director of Economic Development for the City of Asheville. In this exclusive video, Powers takes Xpress viewers on a guided tour and explains some of the changes coming to the 35-year old downtown institution.
Given the astounding growth in Asheville and the surrounding area, it would appear that efforts to spur economic development are proceeding quite nicely, thank you. But according to a new study that’s now nearing completion, those efforts are far from ideal. To begin with, there are some 30 entities in Asheville and Buncombe County that […]
Ever wondered who’s in charge of economic development in Asheville and Buncombe County? It’s a good question, but the answer is not so simple. In fact, there are literally dozens of players—some big, some small—that help shape the area’s economy. They include governmental agencies such as the city’s Office of Economic Development, quasi-governmental agencies such […]
In the past, the city’s Office of Economic Development has often been at odds with other local organizations that also seek to grow the local economy. But that’s changing, says Sam Powers, Asheville’s economic-development director. Bringing home the bacon: It takes a lot of groups to grow the area’s economy, and Asheville’s Economic Development Director, […]
