THOMASVILLE, N.C. (WGHP) — The Thomasville City Council is exploring economic incentives to keep a manufacturing company in the city.
During the city council meeting agenda on Monday night, council members discussed proposing a public hearing for their January meeting about Project Viceroy.
City leaders tell FOX8 they can’t discuss the specifics of Project Viceroy yet. They say it involves a manufacturing company with around 100 workers.
The company is considering either closing or expanding its facility in Thomasville. The expansion would be around $17 million and add up to 90 more jobs.
The idea of additional jobs coming to the area is exciting to business owners who say they’ve seen a lot of additional foot traffic lately.
“90% of our businesses and our buildings are occupied right now with a couple still opening,” said Keith Tobin, president of the Thomasville Area Chamber of Commerce.
According to Tobin, in a time of so much uncertainty, it’s been a good year for this small town.
“We’ve had about eight different businesses…move in over the last couple months,” Tobin said.
Vanessa Holt owns DeeJay Sneaks. She says storefronts that were once vacant are filling up fast.
“They’re just starting to pop up, and that’s a good thing. That means people are starting to put a little faith in themselves and venturing out and starting to open up their business,” Holt said.
Local leaders hope more large companies expanding in the area is the first step to long-term growth.
“Are where we want to be? No. We have work to do, but we’re still looking better moving forward,” Tobin said.
Read More: Possible business expansions coming to Thomasville