May 2, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Leigh Cockram
Director of Marketing/Recruiting
Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation
276.403.5940
lcockram@yesmartinsville.com
Heath and Area Recognized in Southern Business & Development Magazine’s “Ten Top 10’s” Issue. Martinsville, VA (May 2, 2008) – Southern Business & Development Magazine (SB&D), a national economic development publication focusing on 17 states in the South, has named Martinsville-Henry County one of ten “Incredibly Large, Nicely Positioned Distribution Sites in the South You May Not Know About” and one of ten “Comeback Kids in the South”. The magazine has also named the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation’s President and CEO, Mark Heath, as one of the “Top 10 People Who Made a Difference”.
According to the magazine, the new FedEx hub locating at the Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTI) combined with the fact that we have an abundance of land with competitive construction and electric rates makes us an ideal location for companies with transportation and distribution needs. Mark Heath stated “we understand the importance of our strategic location to PTI and the East Coast as a whole and we made value added warehouse/distribution one of the targets in our economic development strategy two years ago.”
SB&D also named Martinsville-Henry County as one of the “Top 10 Comeback Kids” claiming that “Martinsville is the poster child of a small Southern town that has diversified itself and overcome its dependency on old-line Southern industries” using the example of RTI International Metals which will invest $100 million and create 150 new, higher wage jobs in fabricating titanium for the aerospace industry. “The area has really worked hard to diversify our industrial base and credit goes to our elected leadership for being open to the idea of investing in land, buildings and new companies to make this happen. It is gratifying for our area to receive the recognition it deserves,” said Heath.
Heath also stated that this recognition, “proves that while, Martinsville-Henry County has had some turbulent times in the past, so have many other communities across the country. The difference now is that Martinsville-Henry County has been proactive in positioning ourselves for growth and a comeback” citing examples of land acquisition, the shell building program and a combined effort between the City of Martinsville, Henry County, Harvest Foundation, Chamber of Commerce and C-PEG for economic development. “We are more attractive to outside consultants and companies than we think.”
Due in part to the RTI location and the first net gain in jobs in ten years, SB&D named Mark Heath as one of their “Top 10 People Who Made a Difference”. Heath stated, “This has been a work in progress for well over 10 years. Our current and past leadership have put our community on this path to success and I applaud their visions and hard work done in a time when it was difficult to envision better days.”
Heath has been the EDC’s President and CEO since February 2006.
The mission of the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corporation is to create new job opportunities and expand the tax base for the area. The organization strives to support and develop local industry, as well as market Martinsville-Henry County globally as an exceptional place to live, work and play.
The EDC is a public-private partnership between the City of Martinsville, Henry County, the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce, the Martinsville-Henry County Chamber’s Partnership for Economic Growth (C-PEG) and the Harvest Foundation of the Piedmont.
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