January 2017 | Business View Magazine

94 95 New bern, North Carolina the New Bern Industrial Park. Bosch is going through an $80-million expansion, bringing 480 new jobs, while Moen recently added a second warehouse (200,000 sq. ft.). In other exciting news, the Carolina East Health Sys- tem announced a $27-million expansion to the cancer center – a complete comprehensive Cancer Unit in partnership with UNC Chapel Hill. The military is another huge employer, located only 25 miles from New Bern in Have- lock. Hatteras Yachts needs a trained work- force. Carolina Technical Plastics supplies all the plastic components for Bosch, Moen, and Mer- cedes BMW– they and other local industries, including lumber, need skilled tradespeople. “We have a lot more growth here now than we have people to fill the positions,” says New Bern Director of Development Services, Jeff Ruggieri. That’s a sticking point that New Bern is tackling full force. In 2014, New Bern received a $400,000 CNI (Choice Neigh- borhoods Initiatives) planning grant, which was the catalyst for a five-point transformation plan.Within that plan, issues were identified that needed to be addressed, including public housing projects of which the city has two. Cindy Blot, New Bern’s Community & Eco- nomic Development Manager, says, “One of the sites is under a $27-million renovation through CINDY BLOT