Dell deal could open door for Toyota plant
Thursday, April 27th, 2006
By Chris Fitzsimon
Incentives showed N.C. is serious
KERRY HALL
khall@charlotteobserver.com
If North Carolina were to land a Toyota Motor Corp. assembly plant, economic developers might want to thank computer-maker Dell Inc.
The state hadn’t had much luck landing big-ticket projects until Dell announced in late 2004 that it was opening an assembly plant in Forsyth County in exchange for $279 million in state and local economic incentives. The key, economic developers say, is the state ponied up its largest incentives package ever to attract the computer giant.
Other companies around the country noticed.
Greensboro has been identified as a potential site for a $2.5 billion Toyota assembly plant that could employ more than 1,000 employees, The New York Times reported last week. Other contenders include Roanoke, Va.; Chattanooga, Tenn.; and northeast Arkansas, according to the Times.
"North Carolina signaled it is open for business," said Ed McCallum, a senior principal with McCallum Sweeney Consulting in Greenville, S.C.
McCallum, whose firm has worked in the past with such heavy hitters as the Boeing Corp. and Nissan Motor Co., said his company has had more inquiries about North Carolina since Dell’s announcement. "There’s momentum building," he said, noting that when people in the recruiting industry talk about Dell, they also now mention North Carolina.
"North Carolina used to have a neutral image, which can be bad," McCallum said. "Now you can see they’ve won something." (more…)
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