Bob OwensThere are at least a dozen gun companies considering leaving the Northeast because of their absurd gun laws. One of them is testing the waters in Rockingham County… but who?
The Rockingham County Partnership for Economic andTourism Development and the Town of Mayodan announced Tuesday that an industry-leading firearms company is trying to determine if the Western Rockingham area would be the right location for a new manufacturing plant.
A key factor in that decision will be the availability of an experienced pool of skilled manufacturing workers. In order to determine that, the company will conduct pre-employment screenings and hold an open house for qualified candidates June 18 in Mayodan.
“We’re pretty excited about what this could mean for our community,” Mayodan Town Manager Michael Brandt said. “This offers the potential to reuse one of our existing buildings and provide hundreds of much needed jobs for the area.”
Brandt said the amount of support demonstrated in this early candidate screening process would be a major determining factor in the company’s decision on location.
“So we really need people with the right skills and experience toapply as soon as possible,” Brandt said. “There’s a short timeframe here and we want to show the workforce is here and ready.”
Rick Perry has been garnering a lot of screen time—and constant complaints from blue state governors—for his very public attempts to draft companies to move to Texas. But while Perry is making the headlines, it is North Carolina’s first-term Governor Pat McCrory that is quietly making noise, encouraging Cape Fear Arsenal to move up from Dillion, SC up the road to Lumberton, NC, and now this mystery gun company looking at Mayodan as a potential relocation site.
Momentum is a funny thing. If whoever it is decides Mayodan or another North Carolina location is where they want to move, their decision-making process is going to be analyzed by their peers. The gun industry is a uniquely friendly competitive environment with a lot of respect between manufacturers. If one announces “come on down, we love it here,” others might follow them down in short order.
http://www.bob-owens.com/2013/06/unknown-gun-manufacturer-eyes-north-carolina-for-relocation/