Business View Civil & Municipal l November 2022

129 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 3, ISSUE 9 GASTONI A , NORTH CAROL INA Gastonia’s director of economic development. “We are home to a lot of advanced manufacturing facilities located in our Gastonia Technology Park,” she says. “We have very much an international feel there. We have companies from Spain, Germany, and Italy, all located in the Gastonia Technology Park, all of which are in some form of advanced manufacturing. “We have a very diverse economy here and we’re really proud of the direction that it’s going. We’ve seen a lot of growth in all of our sectors.” Crisp credits Gastonia’s attraction to its proximity to nearby Charlotte – North Carolina’s most populous city – particularly the ease of getting to Charlotte Douglas International Airport. “You can be at the airport from Gastonia faster than some places even in Charlotte,” she says. “It’s really our backyard and it’s a great draw for locating businesses here in Gastonia.” The city’s international connection is having a trickle-down impact, causing more businesses to want to set up shop or invest more in the city. Gastonia’s largest employer, CaroMont Regional Medical Center, is building a new critical care tower that will add more beds and medical advancements to the current hospital. And Hans Kissle recently announced plans to invest $42 million into a new food manufacturing facility in the county’s Apple Creek Corporate Center. “We used to have to go out and seek those types of businesses to come to the City of Gastonia. Now since it’s a known fact that we have branched out to having international businesses here in Gastonia and Gaston County, the hotels are coming to us, and developers are coming to Gastonia. They want to be part of what we are doing,” Reid says. “It’s very diverse now. It’s very energizing to see those that want to be part of Gastonia. I’m amazed at the things that are happening weekly here and it’s only for the betterment of the City of Gastonia, our county, and the region.”