Praising the ability of rural communities to attract biotechnology companies, Governor Mike Easley joined Scotland County in welcoming one such facility to the community -- Embrex.
     "Technology enhances the industries that built this State," Easley said.  "Biotechnology is expanding in not just in RTP but in rural North Carolina where this effort is coming of age."
     Embrex, a 30,000 square-foot facility on 58 acres adjacent to Laurinburg-Maxton Airport, will manufacture the company's Inovocox ^TM vaccine upon approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The vaccine will be used for the prevention of a parasitic disease of poultry called coccodiosis.
     The facility location to Scotland County by Durham-based Embrex, Inc. represents a $11.6 million investment for the land, buildings, equipment and furniture for the facility. The company initially will employ 13 people, growing to nearly 40 when in full production.
     "If you're a rural county every job is precious," said David L. Burns, Chairman of the Scotland County Board of Commissioners.  "This is a big day for us.  Embrex had the confidence to come here, and Embrex made the right decision."
    The manufacturing facility includes brooder houses, purification and sterilization suites, quality control laboratories and a master seed production area.
     With offices worldwide, Embrex realized more than $46 million in revenues last year.

From the left, Chairman David L. Burns, Governor Mike Easley and Embrex President and CEO Randall Marcuson cut the ribbon at the new facility.

Above, the Embrex logo.  Below, a graphic rendering of the Embrex facility on Skyway Church Road where the company's Inovocox ^TM vaccine will be manufactured  upon approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. 

QualPak is located at 16000 Joy Street off Highway 401.

Mark Lerner, President and Chief Operating Officer for GOJO and QualPak thanks officials for their support.

Administrator Don Wood, left, escorts former Senator Aaron Plyler, State Representative Doug Yongue and Chairman David L. Burns, left to right, on a tour of Scotland Correctional Institution.

Fast Facts:  Scotland Correctional Institution

The Facility: 864 beds, 128 segregation cells, 8 health care beds, 147 acres 410,000 square feet 

Economic Picture: 401 employees, $12 million in salaries, $18 million annual operating budget

Correctional Administrator: Don Wood

    
     Nearly 300 area and State representatives celebrated the ribbon cutting at Scotland Correctional Institution. The 1,000-cell close custody facility cost $70 million to construct over a 21-month period.
     Inmates, all adult males, will be transported in stages to the facility beginning this week. No death row inmates are housed at the institution.
     "This project transcends nearly a decade of united leadership for the Board of Commissioners who had the vision and the political will to invest County tax dollars to buy the land and insure the infrastructure was ready ahead of schedule for the prison," said Chairman David L. Burns in an opening statement.
     "To buy a piece of raw land for something that might happen is a gutsy thing to do," said Burns. "I want to commend all the County Commissioners over the past eight years who put it all on the line."
     Former State Senator Aaron Plyler, credited with being the driving force behind getting the prison located in Scotland County, said it would not have been possible without the joint effort and support of the State, citizens and local governments of the surrounding counties. "This will be good for the economy and the community."
     Repeatedly during the dedication ceremony Plyler was praised for his work on the project by Senator William R. Purcell and State Representatives Doug Yongue and Donald Bonner.
     "If you’re for the same thing as Senator Plyler, you would jump on the band wagon," said Bonner. "If you were against something he was for, just get out of the way so you don’t get run over."
     Keynote Speaker Theodis Beck, Secretary, Department of Correction, said, "This facility brings jobs and not just bricks and mortar.
     "We will strive to be good neighbors in the community, and we would like to thank everyone who made this facility a reality," said Beck. "This is a shining example of a public/private relationship."
     Tours were conducted immediately following the ribbon-cutting and dedication. An open house and planned tours conducted the Saturday and Sunday following the August 22 dedication attracted thousands of visitors from the community.

Surrounded by his employees, FCC President Shizuka Nakamura cuts the ribbon celebrating facility expansion at FCC (North Carolina) Inc.
 

    
     As more than 125 employees gathered around, Shizuka Nakamura cut the ribbon to celebrate the 24,000-square-foot expansion now in progress at FCC (North Carolina) Inc. Completion of the expanded space is expected by the end of the year.  When completed, total square footage of the manufacturing facility will be 107,000.
     The expansion at FCC, manufacturer of automotive and motorcycle clutches, comes just two years after the Japanese firm located in Laurel Hill.
     State Department of Commerce representatives, community leaders, elected officials and the Laurinburg/Scotland County Area Chamber of Commerce also were on hand to celebrate with FCC President Nakamura and his employees.
 

Ray Denny, left, Director of the Business and Industry Division of the North Carolina Department of Commerce, presents a commemorative gift to President Nakamura.