Economic developer reflects on 5 years in Anson

WADESBORO — John Marek will soon reach the fifth anniversary of his arrival in Anson County as executive director of the Anson Economic Development Partnership on Oct. 3, 2021, and he’s reflected on his relatively short time in the area.

In his role, he leads marketing ventures, works with Chamber of Commerce President Shelby Emrich on expanding industry projects, and helps entrepreneurs bring in new services. He came from a strong business background working in various positions in clothing retail, the manufacturing of inner hydraulic seals in automotive components, consulting with a firm in the Carolinas, and working as a full-time economic developer in Statesville in 2007.

Marek’s time with AnsonEDP can be felt around the county. Coming into the role in 2016, he would be working with a Tier 1 county, ranking among the least prosperous counties in North Carolina dating back to when the tier system was first created. The county was still feeling the effects of the 2008 recession’s effects with the unemployment rate hovering around 6-7%, according to Marek.

He said the economic development team started from “scratch” to get Anson moving in the right direction. They sought to create “an ecosystem that promotes entrepreneurship” with additions like REV Uptown, started in 2019 as an incubator and coworking space. They wanted to invest in the local area, support retail, add fast food options in Plank Plaza and along the U.S. 74. Examples of this are the recent renovations to Popeye’s and the coming addition of Dunkin.

Making these local investments has increased the amount of passive tourism from people stopping in the area from highway, which generates sales tax revenue and has attracted other businesses to the area. Thanks to the new investments and increased revenue, the unemployment went down and Anson moved to approximately the 19th ranking in least prosperous, indicating economic growth. Marek noted that there are about 300 jobs currently available in Anson County for those seeking employment.

Anson County is still experiencing economic struggles, heightened by the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant in recent months. Businesses are struggling and the unemployment rate has gone back up, but that is expected to go down with industry continuing to move in.

“You have to put an asterisk on everything,” said Marek about the county’s progress over the last year-and-a-half.

Marek highlighted some of the upcoming investments: Dunkin’ and T-Mobile are expected to open early November, the new Dollar General at the intersection of 52 North and 74 is expected to be breaking ground soon, and new prospects are planned for the old Goody’s. The East Wadesboro Shopping Plaza, colloquially known as the old mini-mart site, will have a national restaurant tenant and a mix of smaller local and national retail — all easy access and having a “national cache” to bring people off of the eastbound highway.

The old Walmart will be a headquarters for Big Toys Direct, an Amazon-style warehouse shipping products all over the United States and Canada, beginning in 2022. Investment is also happening at construction sites including the Anson 74 Rail Park, the Wadesboro Industrial Park, and the Atlantic Gateway Logistics Park. The Atlantic Gateway is supposed to open in three weeks, enabling more company space and jobs.

Entrepreneurship is critical to building Anson’s prosperity.

“I really like working with the entrepreneurs,” said Marek. “I like working with people that have interesting business ideas.”

For more from Marek, you can reach him in his office on 114 West Wade St. inside of Speckled Paw, or visit www.ansonedp.com.