Quarterly Progress Report: Moore County Economic Development Partnership (MCEDP)

For the Quarter Ended June 30, 2025

The Moore County Economic Development Partnership (MCEDP) concluded fiscal year 2025 with significant progress in advancing economic, community, and workforce development initiatives. Activities during the fourth quarter directly supported several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including fostering economic growth, building resilient infrastructure, creating sustainable communities, and promoting strategic partnerships.

Key Achievements and Progress Aligned with Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

MCEDP’s efforts to stimulate economic prosperity and create employment opportunities yielded measurable results.

• Job Creation: OA Defense announced the relocation of its headquarters and manufacturing operations to Robbins, a project expected to create 25 new jobs, directly contributing to local employment.
• Business Attraction: A record 147 business leads were received in FY 2025, representing a 19.5% increase over the previous fiscal year. This indicates a strong pipeline for future economic growth and job creation in the county.
• Industry Support: 30 industry visits were conducted throughout FY 2025 to support existing Moore County businesses, ensuring their stability and potential for growth.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure & SDG 15: Life on Land

Significant focus was placed on developing and improving industrial and community infrastructure to support sustainable industrialization.

1. Iron Horse Industrial Park: Following a revised cost estimate for the park’s access road, MCEDP is evaluating alternative development options. This includes a potential road relocation to reduce construction costs and minimize environmental disruption by avoiding wetland impacts, in alignment with SDG 15.
2. Robbins Business Park Site: Due diligence on a 42-acre site in Robbins was completed. A geotechnical study and a water & sewer capacity study confirmed the site’s viability for development as a future business park, laying the groundwork for future industrial infrastructure.
3. Air Service Reestablishment: MCEDP coordinated a meeting with state legislators and business leaders to advance efforts to restore commercial air service at Moore County Airport. A regional carrier has proposed daily service to Washington Dulles International Airport, a critical infrastructure enhancement for regional connectivity.

SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

Recognizing the foundational role of housing in community well-being, MCEDP has initiated a collaborative effort to address local housing needs.

• Workforce Housing Initiative: In response to the Moore County Housing Needs Assessment, MCEDP has partnered with the Moore County Chamber of Commerce and the Mid Carolina Regional Association of Realtors.
• Housing Coalition Formation: The partnership is exploring the establishment of a Moore County Housing Coalition. The objective is to unite business leaders, developers, and housing advocates to accelerate the development of attainable workforce housing, making the community more inclusive and sustainable for essential workers.

SDG 4: Quality Education & SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

MCEDP leveraged strategic partnerships to enhance educational opportunities and engage stakeholders in development efforts.

• Educational Partnership (SDG 4): Through a partnership with North Carolina State University’s Rural Works! Internship Program, MCEDP facilitated the placement of five engineering interns at local manufacturing companies, including Carolina Crate & Pallet, Hamilton Beach Brands, and Reliance Packaging. This program provides students with valuable work experience and supports local industry.
• Stakeholder Engagement (SDG 17): MCEDP hosted its 13th annual Progress Cup golf tournament and a Moore 100 Members Meeting. The meeting provided a platform for the NC Department of Transportation to update members on transportation improvement projects, reinforcing partnerships between public and private sector entities for sustainable development.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

1. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth
2. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
3. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • Target 8.2: Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation. The article highlights MCEDP’s support for local manufacturing companies, including helping them secure five engineering interns through the NC State University Rural Works! Internship Program. This initiative directly contributes to technological upgrading and innovation within local industries.
   • Target 8.3: Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation. The entire mission of the MCEDP, as stated in the article, is to “create economic prosperity and improve the quality of life for Moore County’s citizens.” This is demonstrated through their success in attracting OA Defense, which will hire 25 employees, and receiving a record 147 business leads, fostering an environment for job creation and entrepreneurship.

2. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

   • Target 9.1: Develop quality, reliable, sustainable and resilient infrastructure, including regional and transborder infrastructure, to support economic development and human well-being. The article discusses several infrastructure projects. This includes the development of the Iron Horse Industrial Park, the construction of its access road, and efforts to reestablish commercial air service at Moore County Airport. The re-evaluation of the access road to reduce costs and “less wetlands impacts” also points towards developing more sustainable infrastructure.
   • Target 9.3: Increase the access of small-scale industrial and other enterprises, in particular in developing countries, to financial services, including affordable credit, and their integration into value chains and markets. MCEDP’s 30 industry visits to local manufacturing companies and other businesses, and their use of grant funding from NC’s Southeast to conduct due diligence on a new business park site, are actions that support local enterprises and their integration into the broader economy.

3. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Target 11.1: By 2030, ensure access for all to adequate, safe and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums. The article explicitly identifies an “urgent need for attainable workforce housing in Moore County” based on a Housing Needs Assessment report. The formation of a Moore County Housing Coalition to “accelerate the development of workforce housing” is a direct action toward achieving this target.

4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships. The article is replete with examples of such partnerships. MCEDP itself is a partnership, and it collaborates with NC State University for internships, the NC Department of Transportation (NCDOT) for infrastructure, the Moore County Chamber of Commerce and the Mid Carolina Regional Association of Realtors for housing, and state legislators to advance local economic interests like air service.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • Number of new jobs created: The announcement that OA Defense will “hire 25 employees” is a direct quantitative indicator of job creation.
   • Number of business leads: The report of receiving “a record 147 business leads in FY 2025,” a 19.5% increase, serves as a leading indicator for future economic activity and potential job growth.
   • Number of industry support actions: The “30 industry visits” conducted and the placement of “five engineering interns” are indicators of direct support provided to local businesses to enhance productivity.

2. SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

   • Investment in infrastructure projects: The revised cost estimate for the access road to the Iron Horse Industrial Park, while a challenge, is an indicator of the financial scale of infrastructure investment.
   • Development of industrial sites: The completion of due diligence analyses (geotechnical study, water & sewer capacity study) on a 42-acre site, confirming its viability as a business park, is a clear indicator of progress in developing industrial infrastructure.
   • Progress on transportation services: The update on efforts to reestablish commercial air service, including an offer from a regional carrier, indicates progress toward enhancing transportation infrastructure.

3. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities

   • Existence of a housing needs assessment: The mention of the “Moore County Housing Needs Assessment report” is an indicator that the housing problem has been formally studied and quantified.
   • Formation of multi-stakeholder partnerships for housing: The establishment of the “Moore County Housing Coalition” involving the MCEDP, Chamber of Commerce, and Realtors Association is a qualitative indicator of a structured approach to solving the housing shortage.

4. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • Number and diversity of partnerships: The article implicitly lists numerous partnerships: with a university (NCSU), a state agency (NCDOT), business associations (Chamber of Commerce), professional groups (Realtors), and elected officials (Senator Tom McInnis, Representative Neal Jackson). The count and variety of these collaborations serve as an indicator of a strong partnership-based approach.

4. SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Table

Source: bizfayetteville.com