Jones County, North Carolina

99 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 9, ISSUE 12 lumber as the county’s principal resources. “It’s still technically very much an agricultural community,” affirms John Bender, Director of Economic Development. “That’s by far our biggest industry here. But we’ve also been working on gaining some new business, and getting some more commercial [activity] going on around here.” Three industrial parks currently operate in Jones County, one in Pollocksville, one in Maysville, and the county’s own at the edge of Trenton. There are several vacant properties still available for businesses to snatch up, including a building for sale located at 181, Industrial Park Drive, in Trenton. “We’ve got two parcels of land still open, and that building is the first product we’ve had since I started in this position three years ago,” Bender continues. “Our 25,000-square-foot facility would be perfect for some small manufacturing. We’re so close to the coast—you know, 30 minutes from the Emerald Isle beaches—any type of boat manufacturer, or anything dealing with the marine industry, would be a good fit.” These industrial parks are well-equipped and serviced with a full complement of water, sewer, natural gas, and electricity. “We have wonderful relationships with Duke Energy and Jones- Onslow, which is the local electric co-op,” Bender says. “I’ve even received grants through them that have helped us fund certain opportunities.” Jones-Onslow powers the industrial park in Trenton, while Duke Energy services the Maysville and Pollocksville facilities. “Those two companies work hard to provide electricity to all of our sites,” Bender continues. “We’d love to see more sewer in certain areas, especially now with the Highway 17 Bypass that just opened two years ago. There’s a lack of infrastructure along there just because