In his first year as the county’s economic development director, Ferdinand Rouse has become better acquainted with the area he is charged with promoting to recruit new business and industry. Rouse had set some short- and long-term goals for himself in his new role, and he said on Tuesday’s TownTalk that he’s satisfied those first-year goals and he looks forward to what the future holds.
“My one-year goal was to understand the community, take stock of our inventory – land and existing buildings, businesses and major employers,” Rouse said.
He said he feels well-equipped to go out and spread the word about why Vance County is the place that businesses should come to and invest in.
Change is inevitable, and Rouse said that there is lots changing in Vance County. “I just want to make sure that I’m providing the information and choosing and trying to create industry to make sure that change is a positive one” in Henderson and Vance County.
When it comes to economic development, Rouse said he and the Henderson-Vance Economic Development board are poised to make Vance County and Henderson a better place to live and to invest resources.
The board is eager to figure out new methods for us to either gain more resources, find new strategies to be successful in bot attraction of new businesses and retaining existing ones, he said.
One innovative idea – construction of a shell building in the industrial park – is just waiting for the right person or business to come along.
The shell building located in the industrial park has been a source of interest since construction began in late 2022. Proponents theorized that prospective buyers would be interested in being able to purchase a structure and then upfit it to meet their specific needs.
The news had been back in May that the shell building had a buyer, but Rouse said that deal had fallen through.
It’s a puzzle to Rouse and others why that building remains on the market, but he chalks it up to a combination of the uncertainties of the current national economic climate and plain old bad luck.
“The shell building has been caught up in unfortunate occurrences,” Rouse said, adding that nothing or nobody in particular is at fault. “The times haven’t been cooperating in selling this building and getting it off the market.”
A new enterprise locating off Poplar Creed Road is getting a little more traction, however.
Syntec Precision Technology, which Gov. Josh Stein announced in February 2025 would establish its first North American production and warehouse facility here, is upfitting the space to fit its needs and is in the process of hiring managers. The company engineers and produces precision machining parts for the hydraulic, life sciences and transportation industries.
Maintaining strong partnerships with entities like Vance-Granville Community College. the Kerr-Tar COG, the local tourism authority and the Chamber of Commerce – not to mention the city of Henderson, are critical components to attract new business and industry to the area, Rouse said.
Syntec will add dozens of jobs when it opens, but Rouse said economic developers are always talking about “employment multipliers” when they are thinking about recruiting new business and industry.
“When you recruit industry, that industry creates direct jobs,” he said, but that industry also has a ripple effect out into the wider community. Those employees will need housing, they’ll eat in area restaurants, get haircuts, he said. Other businesses who supply materials or service machinery at that industry may decide to relocate, too. That ripple effect has a positive impact on the overall economy of the county, he said.
“That’s what we try to do – create an environment where folks invest in our community and bring in others.”
Sometimes, a prospective business may be attracted by certain incentives – often financial incentives in the form of grants or tax breaks – but Rouse said there are other types of incentives that could prove useful. Things like fine-tuning the permitting process to cut down on wait times may be beneficial. And for those companies that may be creating dozens or hundreds of jobs, well, they need to have some special designation, Rouse said, “to make sure they go to the front of the line.”
Rouse praised the county’s inspections and planning departments, adding that “we all have our part to play when it comes to creating an environment for our businesses to be successful.”
Sometimes, it’s visitors who help spread the word about Vance County and the opportunities that are to be had here, Rouse said. The county’s tourism authority does a great job with events like the recent car show, the annual fireworks display at Kerr Lake and, now the Catfish drop on New Year’s Eve.
“Tourism’s essential,” Rouse said. “A lot of the things that tourism does attracts visitors to our community.” As people move farther from Durham and Wake counties, we have an opportunity to attract additional industry and residential housing, he said.
The county’s recent designation as a Retirement Community, along with signage proclaiming Henderson a Purple Heart Community all serve to promote positive branding, he said.
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