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Community
Profile
Boots
& Bucks
Fayetteville creates an exciting
future by enlisting its stories ties to the military
By Heidi Russell Rafferty |
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Fayetteville
proudly displays its patriotic optimism when, with flags flying high, it
welcomes soldiers home from duty overseas. That respect for the military
also is seen in its impressive paratroopers’ museum. Now, the city
wants to turn its close relationship with the military and the area’s
sprawling bases into an engine driving a revitalized Cumberland County
economy.
Plans are underway to connect businesses with a treasure trove of
military contracts through a new state-funded Military Business Center.
Additionally, local leaders aim to plug a brain drain of military talent
– 8,000 skilled service men and women who each year leave Fort Bragg
and Pope Air Force Base for other cities and states. If more stay in the
area, more businesses and industries will be attracted by their talents
and strengthen the economy, leaders say. |
Above: The
Cumberland County Crown Center Coliseum offers 10,880 seats for theatre,
sports, concerts and more. Below: Patrons stroll the sidewalks in
downtown Fayetteville, where the Cameo is a favorite spot.
Learn more:
Town and gown
a comfortable fit in Fayetteville
What to see and
do in Fayetteville |
The
economic impact of Fort Bragg on Cumberland County is enormous.
Stationed at the 160,770-acre base are 46,826 soldiers, supported by
8,692 civilians. The Army estimates Fort Bragg, which is the largest
military installation in the country, pumps $5.8 billion a year into the
10-county area around Cumberland. Pope Air Force Base, attached to Fort
Bragg, is home to an additional 5,800 military personnel on its 2,187
acre base. Pope injects nearly $516 million into the regional economy
each year.
But that military muscle wasn’t always seen as a plus. During the
Vietnam era, the strong military presence brought downtown Fayetteville
a reputation for catering to the whims of off-duty soldiers. Today
there’s not much evidence of that along the cobblestone, tree-lined
streets downtown.
The enthusiasm for business growth echoes throughout downtown, which is
budding into Renaissance. Eclectic and colorful shops and restaurants
have replaced dilapidated storefronts. Professionals nest in New
York-City-style lofts in renovated historic buildings. The Airborne
& Special Operations Museum, an attraction that rivals the
Smithsonian, lures an unprecedented number of tourists and visitors to
downtown streets.
Building on the post-9/11 patriotism surge, tourism officials in
Fayetteville tout the city’s attractions to veterans and history buffs
alike. And there are many other bonuses to the area – a robust
educational system that includes Fayetteville State University,
Fayetteville Technical Community College and Methodist College. Diverse
cultural offerings include the Fayetteville Symphony and Cape Fear
Regional Theater, and the Crown Coliseum, a magnificent 10,880 seat,
11,552-square foot venue for touring Broadway plays, minor league
baseball and hockey, and various exhibitions and events.
A top-flight medical community of hospitals includes Cape Fear Valley
Medical Center, Womack Army Medical Center, the Veterans Affairs Medical
Center and Highsmith-Rainey Memorial Hospital. The areas’ natural
resources feature the Cape Fear River and the Cape Fear Botanical
Garden.
John Meroski, president and CEO of the Fayetteville Area Convention
& Visitor’s Bureau, notes that local leadership “feels like
it’s Fayetteville’s time to shine. All the right people are in place
that are able to carry forward past efforts to fruition,” he says.
“It’s a whole new mindset, and people want to see us succeed.”
Glenn Jernigan, the former state senator and current member of the NCCBI
board who owns Glenn Jernigan & Associates, has lived in
Fayetteville since 1941. He agrees with Meroski that “all the stars
are in place” to launch an aggressive economic development plan.
“Fayetteville, in my opinion, is a well-kept secret in terms of the
potential and for the good working environment that we have here,”
Jernigan says. “Because of Fort Bragg and our medical centers, we are
beginning to attract higher paying industries.”
A Storied Past
To understand Fayetteville and Cumberland County, you must appreciate
its rich history. Settlers from the Highlands of Scotland began coming
to the Cape Fear Region in 1739, and the community flourished. In 1783,
the small communities of Campbellton and Cross Creek converged to become
Fayetteville, named after the Revolutionary War hero Marquis de
LaFayette.
Fayetteville played an important part in early American history. In
1789, North Carolina became the 12th state when leaders ratified the
U.S. Constitution in Fayetteville. Later that same year, the University
of North Carolina, America’s oldest state university, was chartered
during deliberations here. When state leaders decided in 1794 to move
the capitol from New Bern, Fayetteville lost to Raleigh by a single
vote.
Home to the Federal Arsenal, Fayetteville served the Confederacy during
the Civil War until General William Tecumseh Sherman seized the city in
1865 and ordered the Arsenal burned.
Fayetteville has given birth to many sports legends and movie stars.
Babe Ruth hit his first professional home run in the city on March 7,
1914. Golfers Ray and Marlene Floyd grew up and honed their skills on
Fayetteville courses. Archibald “Moonlight” Graham, made famous by
the movie, “Field of Dreams,” was born and raised in Fayetteville. A
19th century artist, Elliott Daingerfield, best known for his painting
“The Grand Canyon,” also grew up in the city. Actress Julianne Moore
was born at Womack Army Medical Center. The accomplishments of those
legends have been chronicled since 1816 in the Fayetteville Observer,
North Carolina’s oldest, continuously-published newspaper.
Today, Fayetteville is home to more than 125,000 residents and
Cumberland County has a population of 300,000. Fayetteville is the
fourth-most diverse city in the United States, with 82 international
cultures represented.
Cumberland County Schools employs 3,291 teachers and a total of 6,255
people for 52,123 students enrolled in 71 elementary, middle, high
school and special schools. The school system embarked on a successful
improvement program several years ago. Superintendent William C.
Harrison says, “The result has been significant improvement in student
achievement.” In 2003, graduating students earned a remarkable $14. 2
million in scholarships, grants and awards.
The school system also boasts a significanly lower teacher turnover rate
than 73 percent of the state’s 117 school districts. The schools have
also formed a working partnership with the Cumberland busniess
community. About 150 businesses provide 2,000 students a year with job
shadowing, mentoring, internships and cooperative education
opportunities.
Fayetteville saw its biggest and most influential change during the
early 20th century. In 1918, Congress established “Camp Bragg” as an
Army field artillery site. Fort Bragg’s Airborne tradition began in
1934. Jernigan notes that the city’s growth centered around its
military neighbor. The military population produces a $5.8 billion
annual economic impact on the community, according to a 2003 study by
East Carolina University. Pope Air Force’s annual economic impact is
$516 million.
Jernigan and others note that for a long while, Fayetteville’s
symbiotic relationship with the military resulted in a heavy emphasis on
the retail and service industries. Fayetteville also fought a seedy
reputation dating from the Vietnam era, when bars and strip clubs were
prevalent in certain areas downtown.
Gary Smith, owner of Smith Advertising, says that when he moved to town
in 1969, “Fayetteville deserved the bad reputation it had. It was a
great place to make new friends and meet new people, but the image of
the city was that it was a wild, wild west show. “
Civic leaders wrestled to produce the types of jobs, wages and business
opportunities that would result in a higher quality of life over the
next couple of decades. Tony Chavonne, owner of business consulting firm
The Chavonne Management Group, says the city became complacent in the
strength of its retail and service industries. “For years, the
community was willing to accept the low-hanging fruit – every
fast-food restaurant, product supply and stereo store – but it did not
work to recognize the great skills in the military and their spouses,”
he says.
The Impetus for Change
Five years ago, the worm turned. In 1999, when Chavonne was chairman of
the Fayetteville Area Chamber of Commerce, he and others challenged
community members to examine issues holding the community back.
During the next year, the private sector raised $150,000 to fund Greater
Fayetteville Futures, a partnership project with the University of North
Carolina’s Office of Economic Development. It involved thousands of
people in small and large meetings and Internet discussions. They
decided on three goals: improving Fayetteville’s image, coordinating
efforts for a common economic vision and leveraging Fayetteville’s
greatest asset – the military.
“I remember one remark that it would be surprising if Orlando (Fla.)
did something without thinking of Disney World or Cary, the Research
Triangle,” Chavonne says. “In many ways, Pope and Fort Bragg are our
Research Triangle and our Disney.”
To reinvent the city’s image, the participants came up with a new
slogan for Fayetteville: “History, Heroes and a Hometown Feeling.”
The idea, Chavonne says, was “to no longer look back embarrassingly at
the military community title, but to appreciate it for what it is. It
lifted the entire spirit.” The
Fayetteville Convention & Visitors Bureau then included the concept
as part of a broader marketing and branding effort, built on the
patriotism theme. Chavonne notes that in a recent community survey, 83
percent of respondents said that Fayetteville was changing for the
better. “Nothing breeds support like success. People see we are able
to recruit and that we have better jobs,” he says.
The Cumberland County Business Council, which Chavonne chairs, formed to
oversee the cohesive economic evolution. The CCBC coordinates efforts
between the local chamber, the Fayetteville Area Economic Development
Corp. and the Downtown Development Corp.
Since the CCBC’s inception, industry recruitment increased and
retention efforts remain strong, says Phyllis Owens, executive vice
president for the Fayetteville Area Economic Development Corp. Her group
has sent out 4,000 solicitations to potential industries and hired
Whitaker and Associates to determine growth industries that fit into
Fayetteville’s niche. Those include distribution, automotive, plastics
and the pharmaceutical and biotech industries.
In particular, Owens says, distribution companies have come calling.
Fayetteville’s proximity to Interstate 95, and its central location
along the corridor between New York City and Miami, makes it a prime
spot.
The Fayetteville Area Economic Development Corp. markets the Cumberland
Industrial Center near I-95, where Wal-Mart built its 1.2 milllion
square foot national distribution center. The publicly-owned park has
all utilities in place. Mark IV Industries (Purolator) constructed its
state-of-the-art distribution center there. Maidenform, Coca-Cola and
Belk also chose to locate in the center.
Local officials also scored by convincing Kelly-Springfield Tire &
Rubber Co. to invest $50.3 million in its Fayetteville facility, which
employs 1,200. The funds will go into a new production line in the plant
and also to add a 196,000-square-foot warehouse, Owens says.
Fayetteville boasts a diverse manufacturing base, with such companies as
Black & Decker Corp. and MJ Soffee.
Newcomers to the city in the past year include NFI Consumer Products,
which manufactures dietary supplements, vitamins, pain relief products
and emu oils; and Lear Siegler Inc., which refurbishes Humvees for the
war zone. The company already employs nearly 400 people.
Lear Siegler’s presence signals a new emphasis on recruiting
businesses that fulfill military contracts, says Bill Martin, president
of the CCBC and the chamber. It’s part of the third goal that came out
of Greater Fayetteville Futures – leveraging the military resource.
The goal: recruit companies that can service the military and foster
more participation in military contracts, not just among Fayetteville
businesses, but also among those in the rest of the state. Recent data
suggest that a high percentage of contract dollars for Fort Bragg flow
to companies outside of North Carolina. Economic officials project that
construction spending on Fort Bragg alone will reach $900 million during
the next four years
Money in the Military
In partnership with Fayetteville Technical Community College, community
leaders and state legislators created the North Carolina Military
Business Center. It assists companies in identifying military contracts,
developing proposals and following through with government requirements
and paperwork to improve chances for contract renewals. In June, at the
behest of Lt. Gov. Bev Perdue and state Sen. Tony Rand, the state
legislature approved a $2 million appropriation for the center.
Dr. Larry Norris, president of FTCC, says the college will work with all
of the counties in the state through each of the 58 community
colleges’ small business centers. The center will open in early 2005,
guided by an advisory committee that consists of 22 voting members and
18 ex-officio members who are from the military, government and business
sectors in communities with military bases. There also are
representatives from different regions in the state.
A feasibility study is underway for a Homeland Security Incubator. The
incubator would process research done by national labs and universities
for the military and Homeland Security agencies, Martin says. A planned
military business park, at a location yet to be determined, would
provide a home for the incubator, he says.
Additionally, FTCC works with Advanced Internet Technologies Inc. (AIT),
which developed a software tool to connect businesses to military
contracts up for bid. It also matches job seekers – those leaving the
military or spouses of active personnel – with area businesses. The
site, www.matchforce.org,
started in April 2004.
Martin notes that 99.25 percent of those exiting the military have a
high school diploma, compared to 80 percent of the general population,
and 20 percent have college degrees. “They’re highly skilled,
trained, highly educated, hard working and have a lot of leadership and
managerial qualities, and you hate to lose them. If there aren’t job
opportunities, they will leave here,” Martin says.
Norris points to another component of the program, a gap analysis to
identify technological changes and advances likely during the next five
to 20 years. Companies that can meet those needs will be solicited to
come to North Carolina to serve the military.
“To me, this is both historic and far-reaching, as far as economic
development and quality of living for the entire state. The military is
clearly the largest industry,” Norris says. “The more we help
businesses, the more our local communities can prosper. Capturing the
skills of those exiting the military and their spouses will help us
recruit industry. This is really a major economic development initiative
for the state, and we were fortunate that we were funded by the
legislature.”
A Downtown Renaissance
Meanwhile, Fayetteville’s downtown banks on continued community
support to bring empty storefronts to life and fill historic buildings
with residents, retail businesses and offices. A variety of cultural and
shopping venues have increased foot traffic substantially, says Kirk
deViere, chairman of the Downtown Development Corp. and chief operating
officer for AIT, an anchor downtown tenant. He relocated from Savannah,
Ga., four years ago to take advantage of the revitalization
opportunities and now lives in one of the downtown lofts.
Some of the current offerings include a micro-brewery, coffee shops, the
Cameo Theater, the Airborne & Special Operations Museum, Fascinate-U
Children’s Museum, the Arts Council of Fayetteville and a variety of
architectural styles ranging from Federal to Art Deco.
“We’re really on the
move now. If you look at the last three years, a lot of foundation has
been laid by the efforts of a lot of different people,” deViere says.
Other business people agree. Tom Keith, owner of property appraisal firm
Tom J. Keith and Associates, notes that “people are pulling together
and working together. More unified efforts have involved competent
people who are doing their best to improve Fayetteville, and the
business climate and educational standards have improved a lot.”
Keith Allison, president and CEO of information technology company
Systel, notes that people questioned his decision when he bought the
largest building downtown in 1998, “but now, downtown is the place to
be. Most people recognize it as a vibrant part of our community,” he
says. He has invested $6 to $7 million in his property.
A “Renaissance Plan” is underway to add even more attractions in the
3,000-acre area, says Marshall Isler, executive vice president of the
downtown corporation. He notes that a study of building permits and
costs associated with building renovations reveals a “big bump in
investment.” For example, during calendar 2003, 20 building permits
were issued for projects whose costs totaled $4.2 million. But in the
first five months of 2004, 15 permits were issued for projects whose
costs totaled $4.9 million.
“As you can see, it’s about to explode,” Isler says. The
Renaissance Plan will steer future development, he notes. “If left to
economic forces, something will happen downtown, because the price has
gotten to the point where people say, ‘Hey – there’s a deal down
here!’ “Isler says. “The only problem with just leaving it alone
is, you don’t know which direction it’s going to go. If you have a
vision for downtown, then you have to get involved and steer that
development.”
Under the plan, city incentives such as land donation, tax credits and
loans support the privately developed and owned projects. Among major
projects currently underway is a $7 million family entertainment complex
modeled on the Dave and Buster’s chain, which has U.S. locations in
the Northeast, the Mid West, California, Texas, Georgia, Colorado,
Hawaii and Florida. The chain features state-of-the-art video games,
simulators, billiards, shuffleboard, food and signature drinks.
Fayetteville’s facility would not carry the same name but would be
similar, Isler says. It is expected to draw 175,000 visitors per year
and would be located in the old Capitol Department Store. Isler predicts
construction should begin by early 2005.
Also planned is a mixed-use retail and residential area along the 300
block of downtown’s main thoroughfare, Hay Street. The $12 million
public-private partnership involves land owned by the city. City
officials have to approve their portion of the project. Construction
could start by January or February, Isler says.
A third project, the Cool Springs residential housing development, would
consist of 86 homes nestled in a park between Cross Creek and Blood
Creek. Regulatory environmental issues are still being identified, and
land still must be acquired, Isler says. The estimated cost is $10
million.
Other projects also are evolving. Festival Park Plaza, a $5.7 million
building, would feature a combination of retail and office space and
would sit at the opening of the city’s planned Festival Park. The park
itself, costing $8 to $10 million, would accommodate 10,000 to 12,000
visitors and include a small amphitheater for festivals and plays, says
Fayetteville Mayor Marshall B. Pitts Jr. It is scheduled to open in
September 2005. The money for the project came through negotiations of a
power supply contract with the city and also from an environmental
cleanup project sponsored by Progress Energy.
In spring 2005, the city intends to open a transportation museum in a
former train depot. The museum will detail the history of how
transportation evolved in the Fayetteville community, Pitts says. A $3.1
million grant through the state Department of Transportation funds the
museum.
Also in the conceptual stage is a hotel/conference center that would be
located near Fayetteville’s current train station. The upscale
106-room, 30,000-square-foot hotel would offer a spa and pool, a small
amount of retail shops and 800 to 900 parking spaces, Isler says.
“This project is very complicated. I think we will need another six
months of conceptualizing and preliminary architectural things done
before we’re in a position to start talking about recruiting
developers,” Isler says. Estimated cost is about $35 million.
Smith of Smith Advertising says the changes downtown forced people to
start taking Fayetteville more seriously as an economic competitor.
“I’ve been saying it for years – you need to take care of downtown
because it’s part of our body. If you have cancer on your neck, you
can’t ignore it. People used to say, ‘Forget downtown – put it
behind the curtain and look at the mall and residential areas.’ It
just was an impossibility to do that,” he says.
Town
and Gown a Comfortable Fit in Fayetteville
Below:
Fayetteville Technical Community College students get hands-on
experience
 Fayetteville
usually is thought of as a military town but it deserves a reputation
for town and gown. That’s because Fayetteville and Cumberland County
are home to three institutions of higher education – Fayetteville
Technical Community College, Methodist College and Fayetteville State
University. The three offer students a host of progressive learning
opportunities, including a nationally recognized golf course management
program, biotechnology and horticultural studies and a distance learning
technology that addresses the needs of the widely-deployed military.
Fayetteville State University, a historically black college, is the
second-oldest public institution of higher education in the state. With
more than 5,300 students, it offers undergraduate degrees in more than
20 disciplines and a master’s in business administration. The
university has a number of up-and-coming initiatives, says Dr. T.J.
Bryan, the new chancellor who was inaugurated last April. It expects to
offer a forensic science program in fall 2006. The college is also
developing a master’s of international studies program and, in
conjunction with that, an undergraduate program in intelligence studies.
A fire science program in development addresses the need for more women
and minorities in the field, Bryan says. Under a partnership with the
Fayetteville Fire Department and Fayetteville Tech, the university will
build a fire station on campus and students in the program may opt to
live there. It may be on the fall 2006 schedule.
Dr. Juliette Bell, dean of Fayetteville State’s College of Basic and
Applied Sciences, says the university plans to start offering a
biotechnology program in fall 2005, with an enrollment of about 20
students. Students may begin the first two years of the program at
Fayetteville Tech and complete the last two years at the university, she
says.
“It’s going to be a very popular program beneficial to the area and
may help to draw industry to the Fayetteville/Cumberland County area by
developing a trained workforce,” Bell says.
Bryan notes the university is trying to send students “a message that
we live in a very small global village.” It recently entertained a
delegation from the Hiroshima College of Foreign Languages and
anticipates that 10 of those students will complete their bachelor’s
at FSU. The university also will host three graduate students from the
Inner Mongolia Normal University in China this summer. Bryan anticipates
that some university students will attend the Chinese school for a
short-term summer program.
She notes that FSU is one of the most diverse schools in the country: 75
percent of students are African-American, 20 percent are white and 4
percent are Hispanic. The rest are Asian and Native American.
Fayetteville Tech President Dr. Larry Norris says it was “a 2004
milestone” when a campus center was dedicated in Spring Lake, a
community adjacent to Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base. The center is
convenient for military personnel and their families, as well as others
in the area.
FTCC, which offers 112 certificate and diploma degrees, also is building
a center at the Cape Fear Botanical Garden to house the college’s
horticulture and landscape gardening program. Students will use the
garden as their laboratory. Besides being educational, the garden is a
major visitor attraction.
“We’re talking about tourism and quality of living,” Norris says.
“We have a wonderful garden with unique terrain that attracts visitors
from I-95. It’s a major destination.”
Additionally, the college is creating an online virtual center to house
its rapidly-growing distance education program. FTCC is the only
community college that is part of eArmyU, a distance learning program
for the U.S. military, Norris says.
Methodist College, with 2,200 students, is nationally recognized for its
outstanding program in professional golf management, says Dr. M. Elton
Hendricks, college president. There’s even an 18-hole golf course on
the 617-acre campus. “Those students are quickly employed before they
graduate and are generally recognized as well-prepared members of the
field,” Hendricks says.
The college offers bachelor’s degrees in 57 fields of study and a
physician’s assistant graduate program which aims to meet much of the
medical needs of underserved Eastern North Carolina. Methodist will
introduce a second master’s degree program in a few months focused on
the resort industry. Additionally, the college plans to launch a justice
management program.
Metodist recently enrolled students in an occupational and environmental
management program. Graduates are trained to advise businesses on
occupational and environmental compliance.
The college’s Center for Entrepreneurship brings together Fayetteville
area entrepreneurs and fosters new entrepreneurial ventures, Hendricks
says.
Methodist College provides educational opportunities for the military.
Many graduates are active-duty personnel. Of the 700 students enrolled
in evening courses, 40 to 50 percent are in the Armed Forces.
The college is growing and raising $13 million to erect an addition to
the science building and a health and fitness center.
Fayetteville
Offers Many Things to See and Do
The
Fayetteville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau has a new mission to
focus on: telling Cumberland County’s story through cultural and
heritage tours. “Cultural tourism helps bridge the gap and gives
people a reason to stay here for additional time,” says John Meroski,
president and CEO of the bureau. “As we improve and get our name out
in the marketplace, we see people choosing Fayetteville as a vacation
spot.”
In 2003, Cumberland County ranked 9th among the state’s 100 counties
in economic impact from domestic tourism, up one notch from 10th place
in 2002. Domestic tourism generated $299.39 million, a 7.1 percent
increase from the year before. More than 4,070 jobs, generating a
payroll of $71.47 million, are directly attributable to travel and
tourism.
The Civil War Trail marks 14 locations in the county that played
significant roles during that era. The program links Fayetteville with
the North Carolina Civil War Trails as well as pertinent sites in South
Carolina and Virginia.
The Cape Fear River Trail will link Fayetteville and Cumberland County
to the East Coast Greenway. Currently in development across the East
Coast, the greenway will be the nation’s first long-distance,
city-to-city, multi-modal transportation corridor for cyclists, hikers
and tourists on foot.
The bureau is recruiting conventions, and more than $3.5 million will be
pumped into the Fayetteville area economy from four secured since June.
More than 1,400 delegates of the 173rd Airborne Brigade will attend a
reunion in June 2006.
The 5,200-seat Crown Center Coliseum draws crowds for minor league
baseball and hockey, touring Broadway productions, and many other
attractions. Fayetteville also boasts the semi-professional Cape Fear
Regional Theater, which began its 43rd season recently. The theater
brings in guest artists from New York City and the local area. A
full-time staff of 10 runs the operation.
— Heidi Russell Rafferty
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