Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation

Shell building dedicated at Patriot Centre

Sep 27, 2007
By DEBBIE HALL - Bulletin Staff Writer. A new $2.7 million shell building dedicated Wednesday represents the future of economic development for Martinsville and Henry County, but it also symbolizes something more intangible, a city official said.

“It symbolizes what we can accomplish when we work together,” said Martinsville Mayor Kimble Reynolds.

H.G. Vaughn, chairman of the Henry County Board of Supervisors, said the building “is part of a litany of cooperative efforts” between the city, county and other organizations.

The project makes it “crystal clear that Henry County is committed to working with any party at any time” if a cooperative effort will benefit area residents, Vaughn said.

Mark Heath, president and CEO of the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corp. (EDC), said he considers the 79,480-square-foot building “an economic development tool.”

Heath said within the past 60 days, he has had “22 opportunities to talk to prospects we did not have the opportunity to talk to before” the shell building project. Before, “we were not in the game.”

Those companies were diversified in location and industry but are in the target sectors, such as food processing and plastics, identified by the EDC, he said after the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Heath would not estimate how long it will take to sell the shell building.

“This building will sell,” he said, but added he would not speculate on when or if he still would be with the EDC when it happened.

Recent uncertainties in the national economy should not affect efforts to market the building, Heath said. “We’re not marketing to the housing industry,” he said, adding that the EDC’s target industries such as plastics and food processing are growing.

Five companies have located here in the past due to shell buildings — Owens-Corning, Nautica, MasterBrand Cabinets, Mehler and 5-B’s, according to Heath.

Located on Lot 5 in the Patriot Centre at Beaver Creek, the new shell building can be doubled in size to 154,480 square feet, Heath said.

The 20-acre site features 10 graded acres.

The building has a minimum ceiling height of 30 feet that slopes upward to 40 feet, according to Tim Pace, a county engineer.

Its walls are made of precast insulated concrete panels, Pace said. Utilities — including water, sewer and natural gas — are extended to the site.

The floors and interior are unfinished because “we have learned the hard way” that it is best to leave interiors undone, Heath said.

For instance, if a food processing operation locates in a building that has a finished floor, “the first thing they would do is come in and tear it out” to accommodate its drains and other special needs, Heath said.

A shell building also saves a company 18 to 24 months that it would spend on site preparation, design and other work if it started a building from scratch, he said.

Heath also said the building will serve as one less reason for companies to eliminate Henry County and Martinsville as a location.

When company representatives tour the area, “they come here not looking for a reason to put Martinsville and Henry County on the list,” Heath said. Rather, “they’re looking for a reason to eliminate us.”

“This building gives them one less reason to check us off,” Heath said.

Joe Roach, president of the EDC board, said he is “extremely proud of the building and what it represents for our community.”

New tracts of land recently optioned by the county for further economic development efforts combined with the shell building “make this area more attractive,” Roach said.

The county has options on a $2.3 million, 1,206-acre site near the Patriot Centre and a $2,174,000, 621-acre site near the North Carolina line.

“Since the building has been in place” it has meant “increased traffic” in terms of companies considering locating here, Roach said. “Very good traffic, I might add.”

The building is being marketed on the Web; through the Virginia Economic Development Partnership (VEDP), which had 10 people present for Wednesday’s ceremony; and through Hart Corp., a national industrial real estate company, Heath said.

The shell building project required “political courage,” Heath said, adding that officials in the city and county, as well as the involvement of The Harvest Foundation, Patrick Henry Community College, Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce, C-PEG, the Tobacco Commission, VEDP and other organizations, were responsible for bringing the project to fruition.

“The dedication of this building represents more than just a structure,” said Rob McClintock, director, research division of VEDP.

“It represents tangible evidence” that Martinsville and Henry County are well prepared for economic development, he said.

There are only four shell buildings on the market now in the state, he said.

“Seventy percent of prospects start their search looking for existing space” to locate in because it allows them to ramp up faster and saves the company time and money, McClintock said.

That, he said, “is a winning combination.”