News & Media

First Annual Industry Leaders Event Sharing Business Perceptions of the Local Business Climate and Economic Outlook

Mooresville, NC – Iredell EDC held its first inaugural Industry Leaders event on Friday October 1, 2021, in partnership with Mitchell Community College.  This year’s event was held virtually and in conjunction with National Manufacturing Day.  The program featured keynote speaker Ray Pittard, Executive Vice President for Supply Chain, Engineering, and Information Technologies, with Trane Technologies.  Iredell EDC also presented the results of the first annual 2021 Business Pulse Survey on perceptions of the local business climate and the economic outlook of Iredell County.

In August, Iredell EDC launched a Business Pulse Survey to take the pulse of local companies and their perceptions of the business climate.  The Business Pulse Survey helps Iredell County leaders understand the level of satisfaction with the overall business climate as well as identifying the specific needs of businesses.  The survey was open to businesses of all sizes and types operating in Iredell County.

Key takeaways for the survey include:

  • The outlook for Iredell County businesses is strong: 60% of businesses anticipate employment and sales growth over the next year.
  • Public safety (police, fire, and EMS) received excellent marks for satisfaction (86%) by businesses.
  • The County received high marks for Quality of Life (88%) and overall Business Climate (77%).
  • Nearly a third of businesses anticipate expanding over the next year
  • The on-going impacts of COVID remain a concern of businesses across the county.
  • The impact of COVID may be reflected in the concerns about disruption to supply chains, inflation, and the difficulty of acquiring and retaining employees.

The Business Pulse survey, combined with industry interviews throughout the year, provide Iredell EDC with insights on the needs of local businesses and perceptions of our community. Iredell EDC will continue to gather information about the business community to tell our story, dive deeper into industry needs, and work with partners to respond to those needs.

Iredell EDC, President & CEO, Jenn Bosser spoke on the importance of existing industry engagement in Iredell County and the activities that have resulted from the EDC’s efforts:

  • Announcements by existing industries that created 1,080 new jobs, $409 M in capital investment, and occupying 2.2 M sq/ft of industrial space.
  • 156 existing industry engagements and assisting 24 small business ombudsman clients, resulting in 230 referrals
  • Hosting 4 Industry Leaders Councils
  • In July, Iredell EDC launched a Workforce Council, bringing together local industry, education, and workforce partners to strengthen conversations, share resources, and promote best practices.

“Iredell EDC has enhanced programing and outreach with our existing industry over the last several years,” said Jenn Bosser.”  By understanding the perceptions of businesses, we can address and respond to the needs of our local economy.”

The keynote speaker for the event was Ray Pittard, Executive Vice President of Supply Chain, Engineering, and Information Technology, at Trane Technologies.  Pittard provides leadership to manufacturing, procurement, information technology, engineering, and other critical elements of the company’s operating system.  He continues to lead Trane’s pursuit of enterprise excellence on the path to becoming a world-class lean organization, while overseeing ongoing transformation initiatives.  Trane Technologies’ goal, as a climate innovator, strives to solve sustainability challenges through heating and cooling industries.  The brands that are most visible in the market include Trane and Thermo King.

 

Pittard spoke on Trane Technologies commitment to 2030 sustainability with the Gigaton Challenge, which is a movement to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emission by one gigaton.  This could equate to 2% of the world’s annual greenhouse gas emissions.  Trane is focusing on their footprint by creating a carbon neutral footprint within their products and supply chain.  Lastly, Trane Technologies is committed to an inclusive workforce and giving back to the local community.   In 2020, Trane had 22% of women in leadership positions and $11 million dollars of philanthropic giving.

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About: Iredell County Economic Development Corporation is a public-private partnership that promotes economic growth and stability in our community by supporting the creation of new jobs and encouraging investment.  We accomplish this through new business attraction, support of existing industry, building a world-class workforce, and collaboration with our community to build prosperity for all.  For more information visit, www.Iredelledc.com.

About National Manufacturing Day (MFG Day): October 1, 2021, marked the 11th MFG Day, a day established to celebrate manufacturing and its contribution to the American economy.  MFG Day provides an opportunity to showcase modern manufacturing environments to students, teachers, parents, and community leaders.