Town Praised at "State of Clayton" Seminar

Nearly 200 of the area's leaders in business, industry and government came together here recently to explore the moves and decisions that have turned Clayton from a sleepy southern village into one of the strongest and most desirable small towns in America.

They wanted to know how, during an economic downturn, a small town can continue luring multiple new industries to town, continue spending millions on infrastructure while trimming its operating budget, get credit rating upgrades from both of the country's leading bond rating institutions and get ranked in the nation's top 10 for affordability and quality of schools.

"What makes Clayton so successful?," asked NC Dept. of Commerce Asst. Sec. Katharine Neal. "I'll tell you. Communities have to have the basics in place. Clayton has all the pieces. You have to have the things in place that Clayton has worked hard to have in place."

Speaking at a seminar sponsored by the Triangle Business Journal, Neal joined several others in praising town officials for their skill and professionalism.

"Boy, what a long way you've come," she said. "Congratulations on all you've achieved. I look forward to more good things coming out of Clayton."

Others speaking at the seminar, which explored Clayton's business model, included Business Journal Advertising Director Jay Diamond, Capital Bank CEO Grant Yarber, Johnston Health Marketing & Community Relations Director Jim Perpich, Chamber of Commerce President Wanda Markuson, Mayor Jody McLeod, Town Manager Steve Biggs, Talecris Biotherapeutics Executive Tim Hamm, NC Dept. of Transportation Engineer Bobby Lewis and Johnston Medical Center-Clayton COO Jackie Ring.

Yarber, whose bank opened a branch here a little over a year ago that quickly became the bank's top performer, said the town's secret is its progressive attitude.

"You've got a wonderful community," he said, "and you're very pro business."

Hamm, whose company recently announced a $269 million expansion that should mean more than 250 new jobs, praised the town's "positive economic environment."

"We're fortunate to operate the heart of our business in Clayton," he said. "We intend to continue to expand and grow at this site."

He said work to prepare the expansion site for construction should begin in March.

Acknowledging that "it's a good time to be in Clayton," Biggs said the vision and drive of the town's elected officials over the last decade has helped build what industry likes--financial stability and good quality of life. Plus, he said town officials try to make it easy for new industry to locate here.

"The first thing we try to do when we work with industry is listen to them," he told the crowd. "We try to show cooperation. We don't think investing in Clayton should be one-sided. We've been able to convince them that the right climate for their business future exists here in Clayton."

Part of the reason for the town's appeal, he said, is its willingness to continue spending on public infrastructure, despite the economic downtown that's forced a reduction in the town budget. He listed a few of the projects currently in the works:

• Several streets got improvements recently, including new sewer lines, and through a voter approved three million dollar bond project streets all over town will get upgrades, including more sidewalks, later this year.

• Work is underway on a new $2.8 million 60-acre park development project in East Clayton. Other town parks are getting upgrades, and town officials are attempting to purchase more land for parks.

• Work is scheduled to begin later this year on a new $6 million Law Enforcement Center. The town's police force became one of the state's few to earn total accreditation last year.

• The town unveiled its first public art--a mural at The Clayton Center--last year and has another project underway at the town library.

• Work is scheduled later this year on a project that officials expect to help revitalize downtown. The town will build an "aesthetic centerpiece" in the center of downtown that is envisioned as a meeting place for downtown shoppers and the new home of the Clayton Farmers Market.

• The town is speeding up construction of the portion of the Mountains-to-Sea Trail that comes through Clayton, linking with greenways and other parts of the trail much sooner than expected.

• Town computers and phones are in the midst of an upgrade.

• The town is spending millions to upgrade its sewer capacity.

• Land has been acquired for a new fire station that's in the planning stages.

• A new $3.2 million million-gallon water tower in on the way.

• A new 30,000-sq.ft, six million dollar Community Center is ready to open this month.

"I don't know how we could be busier," the Town Manager said. "We feel like our plate is full, and we're in good position to take advantage of the economic recovery."

Mayor Jody McLeod told the crowd that officials always consider "what's best for Clayton" before making decisions.

"The future for Clayton is phenomenally bright," he said.

Clayton has gotten a lot of attention over the last year for its economic development successes, its financial strength and its ranking as one of the nation's ten best for affordability and quality of schools.

Video clips of some of the speakers can be accessed on the Downtown Clayton Blog.