Staff Writer

A trip to Florida to promote tourism wound up recruiting a prospective industry for Union County.

Mike Petrie briefed Union County Council Wednesday on the tourism commission's activities at the Performance Racing Industry show in Orlando, Fla., Dec. 6-8. Petrie, two other commission members, Union Mayor Bruce Morgan and representatives of the Team Aruba drag racing team attended the show. Though the commission's purpose was to increase tourism to Union County, they ended up serving as industrial recruiters, Petrie said.

“We actually had people approach us about relocating,” he said. “Most of these industries are located in the northern states and they were dissatisfied with the climate, naturally, the cold weather. After we discussed the lower tax rates, the availability of industrial sites, the price of housing in Union County and also the lack of labor unions they were very interested in relocating.”

Petrie said that when the group returned from Florida they brought with them a lead on a plant that manufactures injection molded parts for the automotive industry. The information was turned over to the Union County Development Board to continue the recruitment process.

During the show, Petrie said, he discovered that many people don't know where Union County is and this could be hindering the county's efforts to attract new industry.

“I've talked to many, many, many people who did not know where we were located,” he said. “We actually had to reference ourselves from either Charlotte, N.C., or Spartanburg, S.C. Everybody seems to know where those two cities are.”

Petrie also reiterated a point he made in an August briefing to council that motorsports and related industry could play a major role in revitalizing Union County's economy. He repeated his call for the county to aggressively pursue it.

“We all know textiles are gone and we assume they're not coming back,” he said. “Motorsports and related industry could be our niche; it could be the answer, partially, to improving our economy.”

Petrie mentioned that Team Aruba, which located in Union County earlier this year, has purchased the old Hobby Prints building on U.S. 176. The building will serve as both the team's race shop and the North American distribution center for three Aruban exports - a line of aloe products, Aruba Water and Balashi Beer - and could generate a number of jobs in the future. He said the team plans to hold an open house at the facility in April.