HomeMy WebLinkAboutEcon Dev Advisory Board minutes 031919 ORANGE COUNTY ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY BOARD
March 19, 2019
Piedmont Food Processing Center
500 Valley Forge Rd
Hillsborough
Minutes
Members Present: Jim Kitchen, Mark O'Neal, James Watts, Anthony Carey, Keith Coleman,
Barbara Jessie-Black, John Morris
Orange County Staff: Steve Brantley, Amanda Garner, Yvonne Scarlett,
Guest: Eric Hallman
Call to Order
Jim Kitchen, Chair called the meeting to order at 12:14 pm.
January 8, 2018 minutes were approved with one correct: Keith Coleman was reported absent,
but he was in attendance.
New Business
Piedmont Food Processing Center presentation - Eric Hallman, Executive Director
PFPC is located in Hillsborough and was started as a joint project of Alamance, Chatham,
Durham, and Orange Counties as a base for launching and growing food businesses in the
Piedmont. The facility offers commercial kitchen space in order to enable local food and
agricultural entrepreneurship. With 10,000 square feet, PFPC has four kitchen spaces, dry,
refrigerated and frozen storage, and office space available for rent. Hallman provided the
Advisory Board a tour of the facility.
Additional discussion included:
• Requirement to use PFPC
o Attend consultation to discuss product
o Complete required paperwork
■ User agreement
■ Standard operating procedures
■ Fee structure
■ Regulatory permits
o Provide proof of$2,000,000 of general liability and product liability insurance
o Pay initial processing fee and related fees in full
• Fifty companies currently use PFPC (caterers, food trucks, chocolates, pickles, sauces,
kubucha)
• Self-sustaining from fees
• Orange County (building owner) provides the building rent free ($26,000)
• Orange County Business Investment Grant Program - provided 2 grants
• Bottling line will be added soon
• Rate structure
o $120 processing fee
o $25/hour per day
o $50/month — storage
• Beau Bennett (Beau's Catering) provided an insight of his use of PFPC
Advisory Board Vision - Jim Kitchen, Chair
Kitchen stated that it has never been clearer that the BOCC needs to hear from the
Advisory Board; to make a strong strategic plan recommendation of some sort and to
include a plan for Article 46 monies and suggestion of what land needs to be targeted in
the EDDs.
Kitchen suggested a meeting in the fall dedicated to formulating a strategic plan with a
knowledgeable moderator that can guide the conversation.
Old Business
SWOT Analysis (sites, EDD's and CITAN's evaluations) update -Amanda Garner
Goal is to review the Timmons report and rate the sites (as well as sites outside study) based on
sewer, water, strength and weaknesses.
Orange County Small Business Loan programs update - Yvonne Scarlett
To date, the Loan program has awarded 27 loans totaling $1,151,520. There are 12 current
loans totally$506,000; 3 were approved in late 2018 and 1 approved in 2019.
Director's Report - Steve Brantley
• Project update
o Local millwork business to relocate to Orange County.
o Retail prospect in Efland (200 potential jobs)
o Developer interested in building a 100,000 sf shell building in Hillsborough
o Grocery store chain has shown interest in Daniel Boone
o Large medical supply manufacturer and distributor has shown interest in
Orange County ($80-90M investment and 500 jobs) and has invited
Brantley to visit their headquarters in Chicago
o Inquires - 55% looking for existing buildings (if we had an inventory, that
would increase activity)
Meeting was adjourned at 1:30 p.m. by Chair.