“The businesses that are here in Butner found themselves where they are because of the location, because of the business-friendly environment that the town has offered, and because they’re able to access one of the best and well-educated labor forces in the nation, or even in the world, right here in the Triangle,” he explains. “Being only 10-20 minutes from downtown Durham and RTP, 30 minutes from RDU, and about 40 minutes from Raleigh proper, really positions Butner as the front door to Granville County as you come up through the Triangle on I-85. So, as developers and businesses look to locate in this area, they want to be in the Triangle but are looking for a little more of a rural or suburban feel for their corporate campus or business. In my opinion, it’s a fantastic time to be in Butner because we are sitting in the catbird’s seat to capture and shape the town’s future for generations to come.” Stallings says that Butner is looking to attract the same types of companies that already inhabit the Triangle while leveraging the area’s long history of making things. “Over a quarter of the labor force in Granville County shows up to a manufacturer every single day to work,” he notes. “That’s double the state average and higher than the nation’s average. But, a lot of the manufacturing that we’re recruiting is not the manufacturing of the ‘1950s, 60s, and 70s. It is much different; much more automated and highly technically skilled. So, we are excited about the opportunity of taking that labor force and preparing it for, and turning it into, jobs for the 21st century, focused on aerospace, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing.” THE SEWER PROJECT While the East End Connector is finished, improving Butner’s already desirable location for commerce and industry, another infrastructure project, not yet begun, is poised to further enhance the town’s ability to attract new businesses, as well as grow its population. “In 2017 and ’18, a lot of developers came in and wanted to build housing subdivisions,” says Town Manager, Jordan McMillen. “This led to the realization that our sewer capacity was getting to its limits. So, a lot of those housing subdivisions were put on hold. Now, the town does 147 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 05, ISSUE 07 BUTNER, NC
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