BY COREY BYERS
As a declining economy starts to take jobs from the region, 335 new jobs are on the way to King George County.
Last night county officials unanimously agreed to sell at least 100 acres in the county's industrial park to Harris Teeter Inc. for a new food distribution center and grocery warehouse along State Route 3.
The Board of Supervisors went behind closed doors with six members of the county's Economic Development Authority to finalize the deal.
After both boards publicly agreed on the contract, Supervisors' Chairman Joseph Grzeika said the move would help diversify the county's tax base.
"This is a major economic development win for King George County at a time that couldn't be more perfect."
Harris Teeter will spend $101 million to build the 500,000 square foot facility. The average annual wage for jobs at the center, not including benefits, will be $38,000.
A performance agreement on the project calls for the facility to be built within four years of the company's land purchase and the company could receive a maximum incentive package of up to $2.8 million from the county over four years.
An additional 50 acres in the industrial park are available as a purchase option for the company.
The estimated annual tax revenues from the new business was not available last night.
"I think it's all going to pay off handsomely," said At-large Supervisor Dale Sisson, adding that Harris Teeter was "the exact kind of partner we want to have."
Harris Teeter, headquartered in North Carolina, operates food markets in eight states including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Maryland and Delaware. The company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ruddick Corp., has about 21,000 employees.
The local distribution center will serve stores in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware. According to the Harris Teeter Web site, the company currently has 18 stores in Northern Virginia, eight in Hampton Roads and two in Charlottesville.
Gov. Tim Kaine issued a press release yesterday evening announcing the deal.
According to the governor's office, Virginia competed with Maryland and North Carolina for the project.
"I am pleased that King George County will serve as the location for Harris Teeter's first Virginia food distribution operation," Kaine said in the press release. "Harris Teeter is an exciting, well-known brand in the Commonwealth and will certainly increase its presence with an investment of this magnitude. King George and Virginia as a whole will also benefit from more than 300 new job opportunities."
Kaine's office also announced that $200,000 was approved from the Governor's Opportunity Fund to assist King George. The Virginia Department of Business Assistance will provide training assistance through the Virginia Jobs Investment Program.
"The factors that attracted us to the site were its location, work force potential and proximity to major highways that supplement our logistics network," company vice president Larry Cooper said in the press release.
Corey Byers: 540/735-1976
Email: cbyers@freelancestar.com