Comeback Story: Industrial Growth and Economic Development in Surry County, NC

Courtesy of Altec

For generations, Surry County was recognized across the Southeast as a major producer of traditional tobacco and heritage textiles.

Then came the turn of the century.

“This community lost nearly 10,000 manufacturing jobs between 1995 and 2005,” says Blake Moyer, president and CEO of the Surry County Economic Development Partnership (EDP).

“The population here was about 70,000 at the time, so that’s about one in three (workers), but we’ve done a lot in the last 20 years to combat that,” he says. “We now have a lot of opportunities we didn’t have 20 years ago.”

During that last couple of decades, Moyer says, the poultry industry has become the region’s predominant agricultural influence. The buildings left empty when the textile jobs vanished have been filled by employers of various stripes.

“Everything from metal building manufacturing and utility vehicle assembly to auto parts and furniture,” he says.

Courtesy of Altec

Diversification Drives the Modern Manufacturing Sector

For the past decade, Altec Inc. has operated a sizable corporate campus in Mount Airy – the historic town widely known as the real-life inspiration for Mayberry in The Andy Griffith Show. Based in Birmingham, Alabama, Altec is a leading global provider of custom products and technical services to the electric-utility, telecommunications, heavy-contractor and professional tree-care industries.

Daniel Haymore, a program manager for Altec in his native Mount Airy, says the company has two plants at that location, one for fabrication and one for final assembly.

“We’re able to fabricate raw steel, assemble the equipment and everything in between,” Haymore says. “Cutting, welding, painting the bucket truck you see on the road, supply chain, assembly and a full gamut of engineers. Because we don’t just manufacture it, we design and engineer it right here.”

Altec also has several other business units on its Mount Airy campus – transportation, tool repair, parts and supply, service, and a back-office operation.

Moyer says the key to Surry County’s renaissance has been, and is, diversification.

“The area’s economy is certainly more balanced,” he says. “Manufacturing makes up 13% of the workforce – it’s no longer 50%, not reliant on one or two major industries.”

SYEMC

Developing a Broader Skill Set in Public Utilities

The employment landscape has changed just as drastically over at the Surry-Yadkin Electric Membership Corporation (SYEMC), says Anna Jones, the utility’s vice president of human resources and safety.

“In the beginning, our roles were hands-on, labor-intensive positions focused on bringing power to the rural communities – essentially ‘keeping the lights on,’” she says. “While that work remains vital, today’s careers at SYEMC require a broader skill set; we’ve grown to include GIS mapping, data analytics, cybersecurity positions and many more.”

Jones says Surry Yadkin has responded to member demand for more options, information and services by creating additional careers.

“(We’ve) developed a more diverse workforce,” she says. “This diversity has strengthened our workforce and helped us reflect on the communities we serve and allowed us to continue providing outstanding service.”

Renfro Brands

Legacy Innovation: Renfro Brands Offers Modern Mobility

While the county’s legacy textile footprint certainly isn’t the singular monolithic engine it once was, legendary sock and apparel manufacturer Renfro Brands is more than holding its own after more than 100 years of operation in the community.

Senior Vice President Corena Norris says there’s a pretty good chance that anyone who wears socks has likely had a Renfro product on his or her foot at some point.

“Our hope is that we will always be a leading manufacturer of socks, and we don’t see that changing anytime soon,” she says.

Norris, who also serves as Renfro’s chief human resources officer and general counsel, says one of Renfro’s strengths is its diverse range of career opportunities.

©Journal Communications/Nathan Lambrecht

“Trade jobs, clerical jobs, distribution jobs, creative, design, finance, supply chain, sales and back office,” she says. “Everything that goes into a sock – we touch every part of that process.”

Norris says it’s possible to start and finish a career at Renfro, as the company is open to employee mobility.

“If you have the ability to cross departments, if you want to try something new and your skill set matches up, you can,” she says. “I think that’s one of the things I’m most proud of Renfro for.”