By Jimmy Randolph, CEO
As reflected in the recent Triangle Business Journal cover story, Lee County and its two municipalities, Sanford and Broadway, are currently at the epicenter of unprecedented business and residential growth. Central Carolina Enterprise Park, with its certified industrial sites and Class A shell building program, is less than 20 minutes from I-540 and the globally renowned Research Triangle, while the world class golf resorts and cultural amenities of Pinehurst are a similar short drive to our south.
Traveling from west to east, Lee County enjoys an equally strategic location relative to the Carolina Core economic development region, which extends from Winston-Salem to Fayetteville along the US Hwy 421 (proposed Interstate 685) corridor, and boasts four advanced manufacturing “megasites”, all of which have the potential to bring significant manufacturing supply chain opportunities to Lee County.
Sanford’s “Well-Centered” motto not only reflects our strategic location for both businesses and residents, but it also sums up Lee County’s character as a community. When Lee County was established in 1907, it was a regional transportation and commercial center, but quickly gained a reputation as a community of makers, inventors, and innovators, adept at using our heads as well as our hands in our diverse and ever-expanding manufacturing operations.
When the leaders at SAGA and the Chamber promote all the assets that make our community so attractive, we are ever mindful of why it is that we do what we do. Expanding the tax base through large new capital investments and creating new, high-quality jobs creates sustainable pathways to a better life for all our existing residents and taxpayers.
The strong work ethic and willingness of our community to embrace new challenges has made our community an excellent place for us to live, work and play, and positive, sustainable growth offers the prospect of an ever-improving quality of life for future generations as well.