#ncpol: Art Pope sending jobs to GEORGIA ?????
He’s been a big cheerleader for North Carolina. He was pat McCrory’s budget director. He campaigned for the ConnectNC bonds as a way to build North Carolina’s econmy. Now, it appears that Art Pope’s business is doing its part to grow the economy in the state of Georgia:
Gov. Nathan Deal today announced that Variety Wholesalers, Inc., a retail store chain, will establish its second major distribution center in Coweta County, creating 320 jobs and investing approximately $10.5 million in the Newnan area.
The distribution center will support Variety Wholesalers stores as the company expands its presence in the southeastern, midwestern and south central United States.
“Georgia’s business climate and transportation infrastructure continue to attract major businesses such as Variety Wholesalers to the state,” said Deal. “Variety Wholesalers’ decision to expand to Coweta County speaks to Georgia’s growing commercial infrastructure, demonstrates the significant investment opportunities offered by our ports and will further establish our state as an industrial magnet.”
Variety Wholesalers is based in Henderson, N.C., and operates 360 stores in 16 states. The newly created jobs will include positions in management, operations, transportation and logistics. Georgia Quick Start will provide customized training for new distribution center employees. […]
Okay. I understand that distribution centers for major companies need to be spread out and placed in close proximity to facilities they serve. But it’s not like Georgia is all that far from North Carolina. (I could see setting one up in New York for dealing with the northeast, or one in Nevada to serve west coast operations.) MORE: 
[…] “We are very excited about opening this distribution center in Newnan, our first outside of North Carolina,” said Wilson Sawyer, chief operating officer of Variety Wholesalers. “The reception from the local, state and ports officials has been outstanding. We have enjoyed many years doing business in the state of Georgia, as we currently operate 48 of our 360 stores in Georgia with a new store opening in Newnan.”
Variety Wholesalers offers merchandise including apparel, shoes and accessories for the family, as well as home décor and furniture. The new distribution center will be located on Herring Road.
“We are delighted that Variety Wholesalers has chosen to locate in Coweta County,” said Coweta County Commission Chairman Tim Lassetter. “This is a great family-owned company with a long and distinguished business history.
Variety Wholesalers will be an excellent addition to our local industrial community, and we look forward to having the company in Coweta County.”
“This project would not have been possible without the strong support of the Georgia Department of Economic Development, Georgia Power, and our local economic development team led by Development Authority President Greg Wright,” said Coweta County Development Authority Chairman Terry Daviston. “We are grateful to have Variety Wholesalers in Coweta County, and we look forward to working with them as they grow in our community.”
Translation: Money changed hands. MORE:
“We are very pleased to see this family-owned business grow in our state,” said Georgia Ports Authority Executive Director Griff Lynch. “Variety Wholesalers’ announcement brings substantial business to Georgia’s logistics industry, with solid volume forecasts for the future.”
Georgia Department of Economic Development (GDEcD) project manager Josh Stephens represented the Global Commerce Division in partnership with the Georgia Ports Authority, Coweta County Development Authority, the Coweta County Commission, Georgia Power, Georgia Quick Start and the North Carolina and Georgia offices of Binswanger Management Corporation.
“Georgia’s presence as a global logistics hub has and will continue to attract business, generating quality jobs and investment opportunities across the state,” said GDEcD Commissioner Chris Carr. “We are proud of the partnerships that led to Variety Wholesalers’ decision to expand in Georgia, and we look forward to working with the Coweta County Development Authority and the Georgia Ports Authority to support the company’s continued growth.”
About Variety Wholesalers, Inc.
Variety Wholesalers, Inc., is a family owned business that began in eastern North Carolina in 1922. In 1949, John W. Pope, then 24 years old, took over his family’s 5 “Five and Dime” stores, eventually growing them to one of the largest privately owned companies in the U.S. Today Variety Wholesalers is based in Henderson, NC and John Pope’s son, Art Pope, serves as chairman. Variety Wholesalers operates approximately 360 stores in 16 states throughout the Southeast.
“Georgia’s business climate”…another export of jobs thanks to Hate Bill 2. Even those close to McCrory are bailing.
Uh PBJ, where are there any references to Trannies in restrooms in the above stories? It is not like Pope is shutting down his NC operations, this is just an economic incentives and likely strategic growth motivated decision. Contrary to the leftist narrative, nobody is moving their business away from NC due to the HB2 thing. Your little straw man is burning away quickly as can be seen by the veritable lack of tranny time on the nighly We aRe All Liberals newscast.
WRAL = We Really Are Liberal.
It’s simple. Georgia Ports Authority has been more aggressive in attracting Chinese import container ships, and the importers that depend on them. Cheap Chinese crap is Art Pope’s stock in trade – his stores are chock full of it (why buy American when the Chinese make it 10 times cheaper, right Art?).
I’m guessing the lower shipping costs from China to Georgia, vs. to North Carolina, looks too good to Art’s bottom line. Loyalty to your home state doesn’t feed the bulldog, does it?
This is a good deal – for those 300 people in Georgia who will have a job shoving cheap Chinese crap onto American shelves, and for Art’s shareholders. The rest of us can suck it.
The only real loser in this that I can see (other than American workers and consumers), is Rep. John Torbett. He’s the one who’s supposed to be improving the transportation infrastructure to attract and keep industrial clients in North Carolina.
Maybe if he hadn’t spent so much of the past three years on that drone stuff (loosening up state laws on govt. surveillance, testing military drones at Blackwater, etc.) he’d have found a way to keep Art Pope from moving those jobs to our competitors…
Although, to be fair, it may not be Torbett’s fault.
“Charleston, Norfolk and Savannah today are just behemoth container operators,” he said. “Engaging in an arms race with those guys is a prescription for a serious loss. We just can’t go toe-to-toe with them today.”
Ports director: N.C. ‘can’t go toe-to-toe’ with neighboring East Coast ports
bit.ly/2bA32EV
This is the primary reason. When you look at Wilmington and Morehead they are just tiny and cannot handle the ever larger ships that will be going through the Panama Canal with the expansion there. Our ports are just not deep or wide enough to be major players. It certainly makes for a better strategic decision to be located nearer to Savannah and Charleston. At least a Henderson distribution center is pretty convenient to Norfolk and can remain viable.
And what major store can you go to and not get the cheap China crap? Wally world, Tranyville (aka Target), and all other major players are reliant on Asia.