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Tourism and commercial fishing are big parts of the area's economic picture, but a number of domestic and international companies call Carteret County home. The Carteret County Economic Development Council Inc., (252) 222-6120 or (800) 462-4252, and the Carteret County Chamber of Commerce, (252) 726-6350, can provide detailed information about area businesses and industries. The North Carolina Port at Morehead City is the county's most
visible industry. Situated on the east end of Morehead City, the 116-acre
main facility is just 4 miles from the open sea. The port includes part of
Radio Island, the body of land on the southeast side of the Morehead
City-Beaufort high-rise bridge. With a 45-foot-deep entrance channel and
equally deep bulk berths, the Morehead terminal can accommodate the biggest
ships in the industry. Its turning basin is one of the deepest in any East
Coast port. Regional tire manufacturers rely on imports of raw rubber through Morehead City from Southeast Asia and Indonesia and wood chips are exported from there. Much of the rubber is taken to the two North Carolina plants, one in Fayetteville and one in Reidsville. Agribusiness in the region receives fertilizers through the port. Ore used to manufacture fiberglass products is also imported through Morehead City. Atlantic Veneer Corporation in Beaufort is the world's largest manufacturer of hardwood veneers in North America with manufacturing facilities on three continents. It exports about half of its products. Atlantic Veneer also operates a local retail outlet, which is an important source of lumber and hardwoods for boat builders and cabinet makers. With approximately 327 area employees, this corporation is the county's largest private employer. Veneer Technologies, employing 115 people, has operated a plant in Newport since 1993. It makes three main products: face veneers, flexible-sheet veneers and edge banding, and sells its products throughout the United States and around the world. SPX Air Treatment, formerly Hankinson International, is a manufacturer of compressed-air treatment products, which are used in a variety of industries, such as furniture finishing and painting. The company has substantially expanded its plant, which is located in Newport on N.C. 24. Several new positions were created in 1997 because of the success of Hankinson's new filtration and refrigerated air-dryer product lines. The company employs 178 people in Carteret County. Bally Refrigerated Boxes Inc., located off U.S. 70 in Morehead City, manufactures walk-in refrigerated units, coolers and freezers. Bally specializes in custom cooler units ranging from 6 to 28 feet high. Its freezers are designed to be stacked to create coolers as much as 100 feet high and as long as a football field. Hospitals, restaurant chains, restaurant equipment dealers and refrigeration wholesalers make up most of Bally's customers, and about 30 percent of its business is exported. Recent developments include the addition of mortuary units to the product line and the purchase of the largest lot in the Business Park for future expansion. The company employs about 175 people. Creative Outlet Inc., a family owned-and-operated firm in Morehead City, makes a wide variety of apparel for the healthcare industry -- hospital gowns, scrubs, bed sheets, pajamas -- that are sold throughout the nation. One of a dwindling number of apparel manufacturers in this textile state that was once home to many, this aggressive small manufacturer is growing to retrieve exported jobs still needed at home. Creative Outlet also has retail stores in Morehead, Kinston and Fayetteville and has 139 employees.
Pelicans always know a good
catch when they see one.
Carteret County's largest single landowner is a farming company. Of the 90,000 acres of farmland here, 44,000 acres make up Open Grounds Farm, one of the largest farms east of the Mississippi. The Italian-owned farm tills about 35,000 of these acres, producing corn and wheat for the poultry-feed and hog-feed industries, soybeans for instate processing plants and cotton for North Carolina gin mills. The farm, which stretches north from Merrimon Road outside Beaufort to U.S. 70 east near Sea Level, also raises some livestock. You can get a look at the farm by checking in at the main gate on Merrimon Road. Permission to enter is most often granted, although visits are not recommended on Sundays or during busy planting or harvesting times. Beaufort Fisheries, at the east end of Front Street, opened in 1934 and is called the oldest existing industry in the area. Where once there were many, now there is only one menhaden plant operating in the state. It is now one of only two operating along the Atlantic seaboard. Menhaden, an oily, high-protein fish, is caught by company vessels and brought to the docks along Taylors Creek to be processed into fish meal and oil. Fish meal is used as a protein component in many animal feeds. The fish oil is used in margarine, cosmetics and paints. The oil is also used for human consumption -- the omega-free fatty acids are said to help prevent heart disease and some cancers. During processing, a unique smell can travel through the seaside town. Locals, particularly the older folks who remember when fish plants were the biggest businesses in town, call it "the smell of money." Annual production at Beaufort Fisheries is estimated at 10,000 tons of meal and 300,000 to 450,000 gallons of oil. Today the company has about 55 employees and operates two menhaden boats. Parker Marine Enterprises Inc. specializes in the construction of fiberglass fishing and pleasure boats. The company plant is on N.C. 101 outside Beaufort and recently underwent a significant expansion. Boats are sold through authorized dealers. Parker has about 147 employees. The company has recently expanded and anticipates further development in the near future. Another boating enterprise is Jarrett Bay Boatworks Inc., founded in 1986, located in the heart of the 175-acre JBBW Marine Industrial Park six miles north of Beaufort on N.C. Hwy 101 by land and ICW MM 198 by water. The JBBW Park is a public-private partnership among Jarrett Bay, the town of Beaufort and the Economic Development Council of Carteret County. It is a one-of-a-kind, full-service facility specializing in the building of custom Carolina sport-fishing boats, servicing boats up to 220-tons and brokering new and pre-owned boats. The JBBW Park features on-site marine businesses such as Covington Detroit Diesel, Gregory Poole Caterpillar, Battlecat Marine Electronics, Offshore Marine Electronics, ZF Marine and the JBBW Ship Store with dockage and fuel. There are also a number of large seafood dealers in the county. Two of the largest are Luther Smith & Son Inc. and Clayton Fulcher Seafood. Both of these family-owned businesses operate from fish houses in the Down East community of Atlantic. Smith, which has been in business since 1940, operates several steel-hulled trawlers in waters up and down the East Coast and has a second fish house in Beaufort. Fulcher buys seafood directly from independent commercial fishermen; it also owns a fish house on Harkers Island. Just as fishing is big business in Carteret, fishing gear grows annually as a significant part of its economy. Henry's Tackle, a division of the international Big Rock Sports company, is the 10th largest privately held company in the state. Growing also is Sea Striker, a locally owned and operated manufacturer of fishing tackle. Quietly entering the business community here is national giant Securities Services of America, which employs over 40,000 internationally. The company set up a shop in Morehead City that is 62nd in North Carolina in annual gross sales. The largest employers in Carteret County are the Carteret County Public School System, 1,100 employees; Carteret General Hospital, 830 employees; Wal-Mart, 500 employees; Food Lion, 435 employees; and Carteret County, 410 employees. New employment opportunities arrive with regularity. The stretch westward continues in Morehead City. New chains and businesses move to the area on an almost monthly basis, offering residents a variety of options when seeking employment. As the natural westward progression into open land continues, Morehead City is working to make its downtown area more attractive. Business and property owners formed the Downtown Morehead City Revitalization Association in the late 1990s to help maintain the vitality of the downtown area. The group's goal is to improve the physical appearance of downtown, beautify Arendell Street, preserve historic buildings and provide better transportation to and around Morehead City. It also helps foster current businesses in the area and helps promote the downtown area as a great place for new business. The DMCRA promotes festivals and special events in pursuit of its goals. It is the sponsor of the annual Blackbeard Festival (see our Annual Events chapter). To help attract new industry, Carteret County has developed the Crystal Coast Business Park, a 58-acre park located west of Morehead City on U.S. 70. The park is zoned for industrial purposes, including warehousing and distribution facilities. It offers 11 parcels ranging in size from 1.84 acres to 13.78 acres. Morehead City provides the water, sewer and utilities. With proximity to railroad service, the N.C. State Port and U.S. 70, the park promises to be an excellent location for business and light industry. As with any seasonal community, unemployment rates peak in December and January in Carteret County. The September 2003 figure of 3.6 percent showed a departure from the state and national average. With a growing number of the county's residents retired, the actual number in the labor force is presently less than 30,000. The military continues to be a major factor in the county's economic well-being (see our Military chapter) with 1,770 Carteret County residents, about 30 percent of the civilian workforce, employed at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point and the Naval Air Depot. Carteret County is also home to a number of the active-duty military personnel and their families. About 10 percent of the active and retired military population from Cherry Point lives in Carteret County, making up about 16 percent of its total population. In addition, the U.S. Coast Guard has a strong presence in Carteret County as it helps monitor the area's waterways and state port. While continuing to depend on service industry jobs to
support its robust tourism industry, the economic base for Carteret County
continues to diversify and remain healthy. Wages do not compete with those
in metropolitan areas,
but compare well when held against the cost of living. Many Insiders find
Carteret County and its small-town, laid-back way of doing things to be the ideal
place to live, work and play. |
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Business ServicesThe UPS Store, formerly Mail Boxes Etc. 4915 Arendell St., Morehead City (252) 726-4433 Mail Boxes Etc., the world's largest pack and ship business service, has a location in Morehead City at 4915 Arendell Street. Now known as the UPS Store, it offers all the conveniences you would expect to receive in any major city. Services include packing and shipping, fax sending and receiving, color and black and white photocopying, as well as computer station rental. Now offering notary, laminating and blueprint copy services. |
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Starfish Internet Service Starfish Internet Service
started business in the county in 1997 and it continues to grow. The
company now serves all of Carteret, Pitt and Craven counties. Residential
customers are offered three e-mail addresses at no extra charge, technical
support seven days a week and five megabytes of space for personal
websites. Business plans include hosting of commercial websites, dial-in
access, up to 10 e-mail addresses and 50 megabytes of space. The company's connection speeds are
56K and ISDN service, which is either 64K or 128K. T-1 and frame relay
service are also available. Starfish also offers
dedicated connections (24/7) and co-location of servers. DSL and wireless
DSL service is now available as well.
CPG - The Visual Communications Company CPG combines the creative graphic design and photography of Clayton Photo/Graphics with the marketing expertise of Brantley Innovations to provide a wide range of advertising services that can best meet the promotional needs of eastern North Carolina businesses. Capps Printing and
Business Services John Capps may be known around the world as the founder and annual host for the Bald Headed Men of America's national conference in Morehead City, but locally he's known for his printing expertise. Capps and his wife, Jane, own a small shop, but don't let the size fool you. The couple helps support a large portion of Carteret County's business environment with their printing and business ideas. Crystal Coast Landscapes Crystal Coast Landscapes with partners Dick Kemp, Peter Hargett and Lloyd Hines, is a group of professionals headed by registered landscape architect Kemp. Backed by more than 40 years of experience, they have the design expertise and management skills needed to keep commercial and residential landscapes looking good for years to come. The business handles: irrigation, night lighting, site planning, garden paving, erosion control, pesticides, master planning, and putting greens.
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