Charles Hayes, who used to serve as Moore County’s economic developer, is president of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership, a 13-county economic development group that includes Moore County.

He recently stopped by The Pilot to discuss economic development issues from a regional perspective.

Hayes was interviewed at The Pilot’s offices by Publisher David Woronoff, Editor Steve Bouser, Managing Editor David Sinclair and Staff Writer Matthew Moriarty.

The following is an edited transcript of that conversation.

Q: When we think of regionally, what we find here is that Moore County is kind of right where several of these tectonic plates come together with other economic regions, so we often feel like we get left out of the thinking. So, then we’ve talked some about kind of creating our own little region here. The problem with that is that Moore County has so little in common with surrounding counties economically. What should Moore County do in terms of regionalism?

A: Basically, we answered that question about seven years ago when the state decided to put its strategy towards a regional economic development program. Moore County at that time, quite frankly, tried to create its own region.

We’re different here in Moore County — it’s just different for all the reasons you said. That didn’t work out for the reasons you said and others, so Moore County was given a choice. They said you can go to the Triad region, with Montgomery County and Randolph County that you join in, you could go to the southeast region with Cumberland County and Scotland and Richmond in, or you can go to the Research Triangle region. Well that wasn’t much of a decision.

Most of the people, most of the population here in the southern end of the county, felt very clearly that the affiliation should be with the Raleigh/Durham area, Research Triangle area, for lots of reasons. That was that decision.

Q: When we looked at the U.S. Open and how we did in 1999, we’re very proud of the job opportunities that were created on that Open. When we look back at the impact that has, it’s been significant.

As we look at the 2005 Open, a lot of the community thinks that perhaps the legacy of the 2005 Open will be the catalyst that really jump starts our corporate economic development initiative. If that’s the case, how do that, how do we leverage this huge event in a relatively small town?

A: The venue of any event is obviously an asset to have the venue in your community. Having said that, just because you have the event now doesn’t mean anything else will follow over a long period of time.

There has to be a message that’s gotten out that what you want to follow and then a plan of action put together to execute that. I think the community has to say, “OK, we’ve got this exposure, what do we want the result of this exposure to be?”

Q: Did you see results after the Open was held here in 1999, as far it benefiting the region in terms of economic development?

A: It’s hard to quantify. Clearly, again, it’s on the asset side, but can we say yes we have someone that has made an investment in this area of this state, of this region, of this county, because the Open was here? I can’t quote anyone. But it’s exposure, it’s marketing, it’s all positive, it’s good, it’s on the asset side.

Q: As we look at figuring out what we want to do, what we want to be when we grow up, I hear the terms biotechnology and biomedical and you’re about to talk a lot about the pharmaceutical and health-care industry, how do we factor into that? All of what you’re doing in a regional way, what is our community’s role in that quantity?

A: You have factored into it; you are in it. If you look at your health services here through your hospital and others, I mean it’s your largest employer, it’s certainly a magnet, it’s a growth area, it’s your lifestyle, your livability, all of that.

I think that Moore County has been attractive for a number of years. It’s been a real asset and a gem for the State of North Carolina. I think that will be more so in the future than it has been in the past because of some of those reasons.

Q: We’ve suffered some real hits over the last couple of years in terms of manufacturing plant closings, which means our economy seems to be more and more dependent on various kinds of service — medical, resort and retirement, all that. Is that too many of our eggs in one basket? Should we be trying to seek out more manufacturing or should we just give up on that?

A: Moore County’s economy used to be pretty well dispersed between manufacturing, tourism and retirement — the three legs of the stool.

Manufacturing people that looked at those sorts of thing knew that was going to be decreasing significantly because of the type of manufacturing that was here. So the fact that all that has been lost is no surprise. What was perhaps a surprise is how the hospital and the health services industry fill that gap as rapidly as the manufacturing was losing. So even though you lost thousands of manufacturing jobs, the unemployment rate didn’t soar because of that increase in the health services.

I think you are well diversified between retirees, tourism and health services. Now, within each one of those you could perhaps be more focused and find growth opportunities. That’s probably your future, those three things.

Q: Can you give us an example of growth opportunity connected to the pharmaceutical industry that Moore County can target?

A: Medical devices, that’s not really pharmaceutical, but it’s health industry, as we talked about, or analytical instruments or anything that people would like the lifestyle that’s here.

That will be attractive to some people and it won’t be attractive to some people. But people that would like this lifestyle — it’s certainly different than most rural areas in this state, I would say, than any rural areas of this state or other areas — so people that would like that and would want to have the close proximity to the major research universities and hospitals that we have in the region, and also want a base of a good and growing health services center, that’s here with FirstHealth.

Q: Say you did pick out a very narrow target, like orthopedics, just as an example, then what would you do? Would you start trying to develop programs at the community college aimed in that direction? Would you go travel to these places where these companies are and sell the area to bring them in? How would you do that?

A: The short answer to that question is yes. That is exactly what you would do.

You would make sure that your community colleges and whole educational system had the courses and the training that would be available that would be attractive to someone in that industry. You would find out companies in that industry that have expansion plans and you would go say, “Look what we’ve done in our community colleges. Look what we have here in our base. Come here and put your investment and not there.”

Q: The role of the Research Triangle Regional Partnership in working with the local economic development agencies, like Moore County Partners In Progress, how do you work with them? What is the relationship in terms of what you do versus what Partners In Progress would do?

A: We work for Partners In Progress. Partners In Progress appoints three people to our board — technically, they appoint two and the chief executive of Partners In Progress is an ex-officio member of the board. They help set our strategies, they help set our direction, and we are there as a resource for them and we work very closely with them.

Q: You obviously were in economic development here six or seven years ago. Our economic development efforts have seen some fits and starts since your departure. How are we doing now? Are we back on track or have we always been on right track?

A: Communities ebb and flow with lots of things. Moore County did go through and is going through a huge transition when it was losing its manufacturing jobs, etc. — it was trying times.

It was trying to say, “OK, what are we going to do with all this? How are we going to move forward?” So I think it was a lot of trying times, like how the program was going to be organized, who was going to fund it, that sort of stuff. But it appears, from what I can see now, that you’re on the right track. You have a good Partners In Progress board. I’ve made presentations to that group and the thing that has impressed me with that group is that often times you look at groups like that — that is a sophisticated, knowledgeable group of interested citizens that would be comfortable in any setting. It’s not just a sophisticated, knowledgeable group for a small rural county. It’s very good.

I think you’ve got the right people engaged in trying to do the right things. Of course, time will tell whether you’re successful.

Q: I also recall from your time here, you used to preach while we are viewed as a wealthy county — our per capita is well above the state average — our average wage is well below the state average. Just as we have that sort of dichotomy here, how do we balance the need to grow our economy without sort of killing the goose that’s laying the golden egg and ruining all that makes us so attractive to tourists and retirees?

A: That’s a long answer to that question, but I don’t think they are mutually exclusive. I think you certainly can do all of that because all you’re talking about is how we make our citizens have more money. I think if we can do that, that’s a good thing.

Q: If Moore County tries to make an objective portrait of itself, what makes us unique? What are our particular strengths that we should try to capitalize and build on that makes us different from the other counties?

A: Tourism and your health services, that’s the difference. Tourism is different from anywhere in the state, as Pat Corso and others have said lots of times, we don’t have mountains, we don’t have a beach, we just have what’s here, that’s it, it’s all man-made. So that’s clearly different from anywhere in the state and health services is clearly different from any rural area in the state. So they are the two things that make Moore County different.

Q: One thing that makes the region strong is the education and the universities. How can our education system here, specifically Sandhills Community College, fit in with that?

A: Sandhills Community College is the best community college in the state and has always had one of the reputations of being a very good academic institution. I think that needs to be continued, to tell people that, also the relationship you have with four year institutions — I know you have one with Pembroke and Saint Andrews and perhaps others. But the ability to get an education that gives an educated worker, not only from a technical standpoint but from a local arts standpoint, is very important and I think Sandhills is doing it like that.

Q: Do they need to think about becoming a four-year university?

A: I don’t know. I wouldn’t advise that without having to look further; I’d really ask [SCC President] John Dempsey. Probably not because the affiliations that you are able to, as I understand, go to the Sandhills Community College campus out of high school or really out of dropped out of high school and get you a GED or associate and even your undergraduate degree there, perhaps a master’s there, already. So I don’t think you need to say you’re a four-year college.

Q: We’ve got the U.S. 1 bypass — U.S. 1 widening from Raleigh to down here, of course the bypass of Vass and Cameron is on the last leg of that — what’s next once that’s finished? What benefits do you think that will bring to Moore County in terms of economic development?

A: Fifteen minutes less drive time [to Raleigh], probably.

Q: How does that translate into economic development, if at all?

A: It’s an asset, but it can also be a liability to a certain extent. You see as people are able to move from point A to point B quicker then you can say, “OK, well there’s no need to make the investment here because I can make the investment somewhere down the road and still live here.” So that would be the argument.

You’re seeing some of that down in Lee County with the executives moving back and forth. The assets obviously are linkages; we have to have good linkages. Transportation issues, when we are talking to companies that are considering expanding or relocating to our region, very rarely ask about drive time to and from work.

We get some now, but usually what they ask is where your airplanes fly and how frequently they do they fly there. So if you’re within an hour of a major airport, there’s a huge asset. When you get that four-lane, easier access will be a tremendous asset.

Q: Speaking of airlines, we don’t have any here right now. That is, negotiations are going on to return regularly scheduled service to Moore County Airport. That’s pretty important isn’t it?

A: Extremely important. Air service in any community is extremely important and certainly would be an asset if Moore County can have direct commercial service.

The advantages, I think, are obvious and so yes, that would be an advantage. That may be an example of how the roads we were just talking about may be a negative. Because the quicker you can get to Raleigh/Durham, the less need it is for an airport.

Q: Anything we should have asked you that we didn’t? Anything you want to talk about that you didn’t get a chance to?

A: I look forward to continuing to work with Moore County and the economic development activities here to create a better standard of living for people.