Harnett Economic Development Update from Stephen Barrington

A Look Forward

Fiscal Year 2026 is projected to be one for the books, a start to a succession of “winning” new and expanding company projects. We plan to celebrate every win, big and small, and our economic development team has no plans to take our feet off the gas. 

The reason we are more confident today than we were 18 months ago is directly tied to the County’s investment in industrial real estate and product development initiatives. Private developers have also started investing in Harnett County, helping expand our inventory of market-ready buildings and sites to support continued growth.

Real estate and product development is one of our top priorities, and a key area where our team invests time and resources. This year, we plan to grow our inventory of market-ready sites and acreage by 50%, reaching six market-ready sites and 450 acres of market-ready property. In addition, we aim to identify at least one 250-acre-plus site with potential for future industrial use. 

A major step forward in this effort is our partnership with Samet Corporation to bring Harnett County’s first Class A industrial building to market. Building 1, a 175,000-square-foot facility, represents a significant milestone in our product development strategy and our commitment to driving growth in the County.

Targeted storytelling will be a significant activity, accomplished through various mediums. It will be imperative for our team to keep Harnett County in front of site selectors, state business recruiters, brokers, developers, investors, and targeted companies, based on industry sectors we pursue. Technology and research data tools will be critical to this effort. 

We consistently support our existing businesses, and we are taking steps to better leverage their insight and leadership to enhance our business recruitment efforts.   

Setting the Stage

Fiscal Year 2025 was full of groundwork-level activities necessary to compete for new and expanding companies. For our purposes, groundwork activities are centered around real estate and product development, communications and marketing, and existing business and industry. Groundwork activities are the foundation of our efforts and never stop. They are the bread and butter of what we do.  

New and Expanding Companies

• Cape Fear Valley Health added a new 66,000-square-foot medical building, anchored by Cape Fear Valley Cancer Center, and broke ground on an Adolescent Behavioral Health facility, expanding critical healthcare services in our region.
• Rooms to Go started its 336,000-square-foot expansion at its current Harnett County location.
• Revels Turf & Tractor relocated its operations to Harnett County.
• ILC Dover – Ingersoll Rand started upfit construction at their new location in Lillington.

Real Estate and Product Development

• Market-Ready Site Locations: 4
• Market-Ready Acreage: 300 acres (ranging from 18 – 135 acres)
• Class A Building Locations: 2
• Planned Class A Building SF: 2.1 million SF (range: 27,000 – 1,065,000 SF)
• *Other Flex/Industrial/Warehouse Building Locations: 2
• *Other Flex/Industrial/Warehouse Building SF:  221,373 SF (range: 3,000 – 120,000 SF)

*These buildings rarely align with project inquiries represented by Site Selectors or Economic Development Partnership of NC (EDPNC) Business Recruiters.

Harnett 95 Industrial Center (Harnett 95) – In Fall 2024, land was acquired to establish the County’s first Class A industrial park, a public-private joint venture. Once fully developed, the park is projected to offer approximately 800,000 square feet of industrial building space  

Completed a Reverse Site Selection Report specific to Harnett 95 Industrial Center with Global Location Strategies (GLS) that yielded:  

• Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Analysis;  
• A Target Industry Analysis;
• Location Benchmarking; and  
• Gap + Improvement Analysis.

The report will guide future product development and business attraction activities.

MidPort 95 – In December 2024, a private developer acquired land to build 1.3 million square feet of space for manufacturing, distribution, and logistics users.

Edgerton Industrial Park – Harnett Economic Development Corporation (HEDC) received a $547,885 clearing and grading grant that will allow for an industrial building of up to 100,000 square feet.

Engineering design was awarded and completed on Edgerton Industrial Park – Site 1.  This resulted in a better understanding of the site and its two distinct developable areas. One area can support an industrial building of up to 100,000 square feet, and a second area can support a flex/light industrial building up to 10,000 square feet.        

Byrd Site – Completed due diligence activities on this privately-owned property in partnership with the Town of Lillington. The property, located just outside downtown, currently offers a 67-acre industrial rail site and a 29-acre site conducive for light industrial users or a small business/professional park.

Launched two new initiatives in partnership with Harnett Economic Development Corporation (HEDC):

1. The Harnett County Jobs Campaign aims to create 1,000 new jobs by the end of 2030, offering wages at or above 125% of the County’s average, as set by the North Carolina Department of Commerce. 
2. The Industrial Land Program encourages collaboration with private landowners to complete Due Diligence on their property to transition available land to a market-ready site for industrial users.

Secured $148,500 in public and private financial commitments for FY 2026 specific to the Harnett County Jobs Campaign.  Funds will largely be used for product development activities, including the Industrial Land Program.

Communications and Marketing

• Launched Strong Roots, New Growth, Harnett County’s economic development marketing video.   
• Published four news releases and nine blog posts to our website spotlighting Harnett County’s progress which led to a 389% jump in news page traffic, rising from 162 to 792 visitors.
• Created Harnett Economic Development Corporation’s refreshed brand and logo, reflecting the organization’s role and forward momentum while strengthening its visual identity.   

All of the progress that we have made isn’t just about numbers or buildings – it’s about creating real opportunities for the residents of Harnett County. As we grow and attract new businesses and investment, we’re building a stronger community with better jobs and a higher quality of life. That’s what drives us, and that’s what will keep us moving forward together.

Email Stephen Directly  

Contributed.