Donny Hicks, Executive Director, Gaston County EDC

Invest: spoke with Donny Hicks, executive director of Gaston County EDC, about the region’s infrastructure momentum, its evolving industrial base, and the long-term balance between development and preservation. “We may not be the center where technology is invented, but we can absolutely be the place where the highest-quality technology is applied,” Hicks said.

Over the past 12 to 18 months, what developments have most reshaped Gaston County’s investment landscape?

We’ve seen major movement on infrastructure. Significant upgrades are coming to US Highway 74, including widening and the replacement of bridges over the Catawba and South Fork rivers that link directly to Mecklenburg County. The first phase of the I-85 widening has been funded as well and will add new interchanges and overpasses from the Catawba River to McAdenville. These regional-scale projects improve mobility for both Gaston and Mecklenburg counties.

On the industrial side, we’ve had a strong year. Spec construction remains active — three buildings are underway now, with the potential for two more in 2026 or early 2027 — so we have a solid pipeline of modern industrial space. A standout project is Walmart’s 1.25-million-square-foot spec facility. For years, people viewed warehouses as low-wage, low-investment operations, but this project disproves that. Walmart will invest about $300 million and hire more than 300 people at an average salary of $69,000, a number surpassed by only a handful of counties in North Carolina.

We’ve also had valuable expansions from existing firms. REPI, an Italian colorants manufacturer, is growing after more than a decade here. Premix from Finland, which produces technical resins used in medical testing, completed its project and celebrated its opening earlier this year. Fit Precast plans to invest $100 million and create more than 100 jobs with an average salary of $104,000. These projects reflect the modern face of manufacturing — highly technical operations with strong wages and high capital investment.

All of this creates workforce opportunities beyond traditional perceptions of manufacturing. These facilities require IT support, automation specialists, industrial electricians and other well-paid technical roles. We’re also seeing continued residential growth, including higher-end multifamily projects such as Center City Crossings in downtown Gastonia. Those developments strengthen center-city areas and fill gaps in housing product that previously limited who chose to live here.

We’ve paired this growth with meaningful land preservation. Gaston County currently leads the region in acres conserved through the Catawba Lands Conservancy and expansions of local parks. I think the value of that will be most visible in 20 or 30 years as open space becomes harder to protect. We’re trying to secure long-term balance between needed development and permanent preservation.

Beyond industrial, what sectors are showing strong interest in Gaston County, and where do you see untapped potential?
Center-city residential will continue to attract investment; if these projects move forward, they’ll represent sizable capital commitments. But in terms of employment, we remain a manufacturing location with a strong emphasis on high-wage, technology-enabled facilities and significant foreign direct investment.

People often say we need to “recruit more technology companies.” For me, that means attracting firms that use the best technology in their industries — not necessarily those inventing it — and that apply sophisticated processes at scale. The Walmart facility will be heavily technology-driven. We also have leading food science companies in the county that develop proprietary processes and manufacture them here.

Premix is another example: they create specialty resins for medical testing using advanced methods like carbon black to form precise molecular chains. That’s technology. We may not be the center where technology is invented, but we can absolutely be the place where the highest-quality technology is applied.

How does the EDC maintain a strong pipeline of new projects while supporting existing businesses?
We prioritize both equally. Our existing industry program keeps close communication with companies we’ve recruited over the years, helping them navigate challenges and connect with available resources.

Workforce is typically the number-one issue, so we work closely with Gaston College and the community college system to support training, retraining, and talent pipeline development. Gaston College has facilities dedicated to workforce programs, and regionally we collaborate with UNC Charlotte, especially its engineering programs and the Charlotte Research Institute. Those partnerships help companies access engineers, solve technical problems and stay current with emerging needs.

We also support companies with permitting, regulatory issues and connections to regional leadership. The goal is to remove obstacles so they can continue to invest and grow here.

How investment-ready is Gaston County for companies needing speed — in land, infrastructure and permitting?
We’ve intentionally structured our systems around rapid investment timelines. All county permitting functions — building permits, plan review, the fire marshal, soil and erosion control, environmental health — are now consolidated under one department. Companies have a single point of contact and faster turnaround times.

The county also operates its own business park with genuine pad-ready sites. If a site is designed for a 200,000-square-foot facility, the grading, zoning and utilities are already in place. Companies don’t have to manage dirt import or export, and they avoid entitlement risks.

On utilities, especially in Gastonia, we benefit from a strong regional system with significant remaining capacity. Investments made 30 years ago in new and expanded plants still give us advantages today. We also coordinate with Charlotte Water on sewer needs, which creates a rational, regional capacity system.

In terms of space availability, we’re in excellent shape. Even after Walmart leased more than a million square feet, we still have over 6 million square feet of new space on the market, with options ranging from 50,000 to nearly 900,000 square feet. Having modern product available immediately is a major competitive benefit.

How is Gaston County balancing ongoing growth with environmental and sustainability considerations?
This is one of the core challenges for the Charlotte region. Growth brings opportunity, but it also forces more intentional planning. When I started my career, the region operated as if land, utilities, and road capacity were unlimited. No county is in that position today.

That’s why land must be treated as an asset rather than a commodity. Cities like Gastonia have recently overhauled their land-use ordinances, and the county is reviewing its own policies. Several municipalities are doing similar work to ensure they achieve the type of growth they want.

On preservation, Gaston County stands out. We lead the region in conserved acres thanks to willing private landowners, county land purchases and park expansions. One notable example is the large tract we bought around Mountain Island Lake roughly 30 years ago to protect water intakes for Gastonia, Mount Holly and Charlotte Water. That land now serves as a state educational forest — protecting the watershed while creating space for recreation and education. Conservation requires deliberate action, but long-term balance depends on it.

Which infrastructure or public-private investments will further strengthen the county’s competitiveness?
The widening of US 74 is a significant improvement. It shortens travel time to the airport and modernizes bridges that people have struggled with for years. If a future Silver Line extension moves forward, it would run through that corridor as well. The new bridge designs will also be pedestrian- and bike-friendly, allowing us to connect parks on both sides of the river for the first time.

I-85 widening will also play an important role as the corridor is a major commercial artery across the South. At the local level, Gastonia’s $75 million bond referendum is funding upgrades to intersections, signalization and secondary roads that feed into state and federal routes.

Investments at Gaston College will be equally important. Across the country, we’re facing shortages in the skilled trades as many experienced workers age out of the workforce. Community colleges can quickly address that gap, making their role central to our future competitiveness.

Looking ahead, what key priorities will ensure Gaston County maintains its competitive edge?
The first is the desire to compete. If a community doesn’t want to compete, the rest doesn’t work. From that mindset, you build the fundamentals: infrastructure, workforce and product.

Infrastructure will always be a continuous process — never a static one. Workforce is equally critical. We’re creating jobs people will move to Charlotte for, but we must also ensure we train and support our residents. That means helping young people find pathways through the community college or four-year systems and providing ongoing retraining as technology evolves. The pace of change is only going to accelerate, so we need systems that help people keep up.

Anything else you believe regional readers should understand about Gaston County’s role in the Charlotte economy?
I’d emphasize the significant impact that outlying counties have on Mecklenburg County. Charlotte is a major driver thanks to Center City and the airport, but when counties like ours land major projects, a substantial portion of the economic benefit flows back to firms in Charlotte.

On a $90 million spec building, for example, the developer, architect, engineering firm, testing firm, surveyor, accounting firm and legal team are all based in Charlotte. Even the sales tax on materials like concrete and steel goes to Mecklenburg. That’s not a complaint — it’s simply a reminder that the region is deeply interconnected. When one county succeeds, the entire Charlotte metro benefits.