Wes Wolfe
Kinston Free Press
September 26,2013
Janet S. Carter / The Free Press
Gov. Pat McCrory toured the facilities at Spirit AeroSystems Thursday afternoon in part of what he said is a commitment to business growth and the creation of skilled jobs.
“One of the things all of us are trying to push — Republicans, Democrats, the executive branch — is we’re trying to encourage industries that build things, make things and produce things and grow things,” McCrory said at his media availability at Spirit’s Global TransPark offices. “The policies that we’ve been working on the past year are trying to help these industries grow and make money and employ people.”
Spirit Senior Vice President John Pilla, the head of the company’s Airbus programs, flew in from Spirit’s Kansas headquarters and led McCrory and a group of local legislators and county officials through Spirit’s plant earlier in the afternoon. He has responsibility for the Kinston site’s operations, along with facilities in Malaysia, and Saint-Nazaire and Toulouse in France.
“We had a lot of fun walking through the factory,” Pilla said. “Since our guests were here last, we created a lot more product. I think we had a great time talking about economics — education, especially.”
He mentioned the Kinston facility, which employs more than 400 people, has the ability to expand.
“We have room in the building to grow, and product and employees to do that,” Pilla said.
Plans are in the works in the McCrory administration to ramp up operations at the GTP, and the GTP’s connection to the Port of Morehead City.
“(Transportation) Secretary (Tony) Tata and Secretary (Sharon) Decker, with the Commerce Department, are working on a full-scale plan on ways to further develop this park and make it an inland port for the southeast region,” McCrory said. “And some of the ways we do that will also reduce the overhead and the operating cost of this park.”
He continued, “So, this is a major priority for this administration, on how to grow new companies in this park, take advantage of the incredible runway and infrastructure we have here, yet also reduce some of our outstanding debt on this park.”
McCrory said that enhancements at the Port of Morehead City and Wilmington are in the works. But, with amped-up competition between ports in Charleston, S.C., Norfolk, Va., and Savannah, Ga., for business from newer, larger Panamax ships, he wants to position the state’s maritime ports for a niche role in shipping and transportation.
He said he also wants to take advantage of Norfolk’s facility for communities in the northeastern region, the same way he said Rock Hill, S.C., benefitted from economic growth in Charlotte when he was mayor.
There have been discussions about linking the GTP by rail to Norfolk, which would put it in a unique position to be a hub between Norfolk and Morehead City by rail, then over the road to further destinations, and vice-versa.
Lenoir County’s entire state legislative delegation — Rep. John Bell, R-Wayne; Sen. Don Davis, D-Greene; Rep. George Graham, D-Lenoir; and Sen. Louis Pate, R-Wayne — were in attendance and talked among themselves at the end of the news conference.
“What we were talking about was keeping in tune with what’s going on,” Bell said. “This is an easy one to be united on. There will be other things there will be division on, but 100 percent of the time, if it’s for Lenoir County and Eastern North Carolina, we’re going to be right there with you.”
After the event, McCrory went to Neuse Sport Shop to make some purchases and the Dairy Bar for ice cream, talking to and taking questions from local residents.