I am on the executive board of the Southwestern Regional Planning Commis-sion. I received an invitation from the Mountain West Partnership, a subsidiary of the commission, concerning a big economic development an-nouncement in Robbinsville.
So, last Tuesday, I traveled to Robbinsville for the event. Sallie and I recently did a weekend getaway at a lodge close to Robbinsville. On our way back, we drove through Robbinsville and passed by the old, vacant Stanley Furniture Factory. I told Sallie that it was a shame that that building was vacant and no longer in use, that so many people had worked there for many years.
The meeting for the economic development announcement was packed with people from various sectors, including citizens, nonprofit representa-tives, business professionals, and elected officials. My colleagues from the Southwestern Commission were also there in full strength.
The big announcement was that Eco-pack Company, also known as EcoKing, a Chinese company, was buying the old Stanley Furniture Plant building and would begin producing bowls, plates, and clamshell containers for fast food restaurants like Chick-fil-A and Chipotle. The great news is that all their products are biodegradable.
The meeting room was a buzz with excitement, especially for the folks from Robbinsville and Graham County. They had a lot to celebrate. At the start of operations, EcoKing will employ approximately 300 workers and is expected to exceed 500 eventually. The average salary will be $46,700. That is a strong living wage salary for this region.
The president of EcoKing stated that they would produce approximately 75,000 tons of product annually and sell it worldwide. Shaun Adams, the mayor of Robbinsville, gave welcoming remarks to the new company and its leaders. It was a special moment for him since he had worked at the old Stanley plant before it closed over a decade ago.
The wonderful impact of this new manufacturing facility is the spin-off effect it will have on the area. Five hundred well-paying jobs will result in addi-tional secondary employment opportunities, and new businesses will also be created.
As I was leaving the event, I told my Southwestern Commission colleagues that it had been a wonderful day for Western North Carolina, and I was hon-ored to be there in Robbinsville. A rising economic tide will float the boats of many communities in this wonderful Appalachian Mountain region. Also, a diversified economy of manufacturing and tourism will give resiliency to the area.
I do not see any major manufacturing jobs being created here on the plateau, but I certainly see opportunities in Western Carolina. What we do need eve-rywhere is an educated and prepared workforce. Our high schools, such as the new one in Franklin, our community colleges, and Western Carolina Uni-versity, have key roles to play as we move toward a new era of economic prosperity.
Globalism may be taking a new form. It used to mean jobs leaving America for countries with lower labor costs. This new manufacturing facility in Western North Carolina may be indicative of a new trend: foreign compa-nies investing in the United States, exporting from here to places all over the world.
Thirty-five years ago, I was a visiting art professor at a Chinese University. I was there just after the Tiananmen Square incident. The Chinese were adrift and desperate to reconnect with America and Europe to restart their econo-my. And restart they did in later years. At that time, I could not have imag-ined being an elected official in Western Carolina celebrating the new location of a Chinese manufacturer. My Chinese colleagues back then probably could imagine a similar scenario. Hopefully, everyone will benefit. Life has a way of being a full circle.