Charla Duncan, Economic Development Director, Granville County

Invest: spoke with Charla Duncan, economic development director for Granville County, about the county’s position along the I-85 corridor, its manufacturing base, and the challenge of managing growth while preserving local character. As development moves north from Raleigh-Durham, Duncan emphasized the importance of intentional engagement with investors and developers. “We want to work with development. We don’t want development to happen to us,” Duncan said.

What changes over the past year have had the greatest impact on Granville County’s economy, and what do they reveal about where the county is headed?

The growth of North Carolina and the Raleigh-Durham region is having a major impact on Granville County. We border both Wake and Durham counties to the north, and I-85 is a major transportation asset that has untapped capacity. As industrial development opportunities become more limited and more costly in the core Triangle market, we are seeing businesses and developers move north.

In the last year, Trinity Capital Advisors started construction on Falls Lake Industrial Park in the Town of Butner, which will be the first major industrial park constructed in Granville County in roughly a decade. Most of our industries are legacy industries that have been here for decades, and we are seeing them expand as well. The continued growth of the Raleigh market has been the biggest change for us over the past year.

What are companies looking for when they evaluate communities for expansion or relocation, and how is Granville County standing out?

A lot of it is driven by speed to market and cost of development. Whether projects come through the state, brokers, or other partners, that has not let up over the last few years.

Existing buildings are a major factor because companies want facilities that are ready to go. Infrastructure is also critical, especially utilities and energy capacity. Workforce remains one of the leading considerations, which is why our partnership with Vance-Granville Community College is so important. The North Carolina community college system is an incredible asset, and we have to be able to tell companies that we either have the workforce they need or can develop those skills.

Which industries do you see driving the county’s next phase of economic growth, and why are they a good fit for the region?

Manufacturing is the backbone of our economy. Our latest numbers show our workforce is around 17% in manufacturing, topping the state’s rate and roughly double the national rate. Like many North Carolina counties, we make things.

Advanced manufacturing is where we continue to focus our recruitment efforts. Vance-Granville Community College is developing a new Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Applied Technologies at Triangle North Business Park. It will provide dedicated training opportunities for students and employers as the sector continues to grow.

We also see opportunities in metal manufacturing, construction manufacturing, chemical manufacturing, rubber manufacturing, and other industry clusters where we already have strengths.

How are you partnering with schools, community colleges, local businesses, and others to prepare residents for the jobs employers need to fill?

We are redefining and reinforcing how our office interacts with partners. As a local government, we are a convener. We do not have the resources to provide direct workforce programming ourselves, so our role is to facilitate partnerships and help get conversations started.

We are a rural community with different resources than larger counties, but I am excited about where our partnerships with education providers, workforce partners, and employers are headed. We have legacy employers such as Revlon, Bridgestone, CertainTeed, and Altec that have been here for decades, and we are working to strengthen those relationships.

Our businesses already partner well with the community college system, and NC State’s Rural Works program has been valuable in connecting engineering students with manufacturers. We are also revisiting how we work with our K-12 partners so the entire education pipeline is aligned with workforce needs.

What opportunities do you see for supporting entrepreneurship and helping locally owned businesses grow alongside larger economic development projects?

Historically, our department has primarily focused on larger industrial employers because of limited staff and resources. Over the last six months, as we have rebuilt our team, we have also been looking at how to better support Main Street businesses, retailers, entrepreneurs, and startups.

Oxford has a strong Main Street community, and there is new energy downtown. A bakery that opened during COVID with support from a CDBG grant has become an anchor business and inspired additional investment. We are exploring how our office can better support that momentum.

Instead, we are trying to determine how we can support entrepreneurs, guide them, and connect their efforts with the county’s broader plans while recognizing that they are the ones taking the investment risks.

How is Granville County balancing the attraction of new investment with preserving the character and quality of life that make the county unique?

That is the challenge of every community that is experiencing growth. We cannot really control the market. The market is going to do what the market is going to do. We have to work with developers and development because we want to work with development. We don’t want development to happen to us.

When people want to invest here, we appreciate that, but we also believe Granville County is a special place. We want to use those relationships to help direct development toward what the community wants instead of simply reacting to it.

For me, this work is about relationship building and understanding what the community values. I work for the people. Many residents want thoughtful growth while maintaining the character of a rural community. I am from this area, and I chose to move back here because I value that as well. The challenge is bridging the growth coming from the Triangle with the values that make this community unique.

What message would you want business leaders and investors to understand about Granville County?

One of my biggest focuses this year, and something we will continue building on, is product development. It is hard to recruit businesses if you do not have sites ready for them to consider. We are grateful for the support we have received to strengthen our portfolio of development sites, and we are also seeing reputable private developers looking at large parcels throughout the county. I think the next year or two will bring many of those opportunities to fruition.

It is also important for people looking at the RTP region to recognize how close we are to the larger employment centers. One of our biggest challenges is perception. Communities such as Butner and Oxford may seem farther away than they really are. The southern end of our county is only about 6 miles from Treyburn Business Park in Durham, and we share a similar labor shed. Partners regularly tell us they are surprised by how quick the drive is. 

It will be interesting to see who recognizes that we are not a distant location, but an asset for future development, and who takes advantage of that first.