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2009: A Look Back
These are the top 10 stories that had the biggest effect on Cabarrus County in 2009.
Illustration by James Nix
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Published: December 31, 2009
1 - Philip Morris closes its doors
It was supposed to close in 2010, but that wasn't soon enough. Philip Morris, the Richmond, Va.-based cigarette maker, moved up its timetable and closed the Concord manufacturing plant at the end of July. About 1,500 people lost their jobs.
The closure, announced in 2008, was just another nail in the coffin for Cabarrus County's manufacturing industry. The plant on Concord Parkway sits empty now, but state and local economic development officials have toured the massive manufacturing complex with interested companies on multiple occasions.
2 - Unemployment, economy hits area hard
There isn't any corner of the country that wasn't affected by the Great Recession. Unemployment in Cabarrus County, the hobgoblin that has plagued the area for nearly a decade, reared his ugly head again, with the rate hovering around 12 percent in October.
In Rowan County, it was much worse, with an unemployment rate of 13.3 percent. The Philip Morris closure didn't help with the county's unemployment rate, but there is a silver lining: Rowan-Cabarrus Community College saw its largest enrollment since Pillowtex closed in 2003. Enrollment continues to rise, even though its budget from the state shrinks.
3 - Research Campus loses PPD; gains USDA, RCCC
Even David Murdock wasn't immune to the recession. In June, PPD, the Wilmington-based contract research organization, left the N.C. Research Campus after a year in temporary offices in Kannapolis. The year before, in April 2008, then-CEO Fred Eshelman promised to bring 300 jobs to Kannapolis. PPD's partnership was to play a critical role in the development of the research campus, as it would be an enticement for pharmaceutical companies to move to Kannapolis. But when the bad economy dried up, so did the financing for the building PPD was supposed to move into.
It was not all bad news at the research campus this year. Campus leaders secured financing to begin construction on the Rowan-Cabarrus Community College building. Crews broke ground in May and the exterior is nearly complete. The building will house RCCC's biotechnology programs and is expected to be operational by the beginning of the fall semester.
Later in the year, Congress approved $1 million for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to place human nutrition scientists at the research campus. The USDA also started the Kannapolis Scholars program with a $1 million grant. This program is expected to bring 20 graduate scholars to work at the campus for 10 weeks.
4 - Lowe's drops naming rights for speedway
The economy hit NASCAR hard, forcing cutbacks and layoffs at race teams as sponsors pulled out their money. Even Lowe's Home Improvement, hit hard by the home construction slump, ended its naming rights agreement with Speedway Motorsports.
For more than a decade, Lowe's had its name on the speedway, but after negotiations fell through in the fall, the Mooresville-based company decided to walk away. Selling the naming rights for a speedway was a big first for NASCAR, but now, multimillion-dollar sponsorships are becoming hard to come by.
No word on a new name for the speedway, but Coca-Cola already has its name on one of the biggest races of the year. Would the beverage giant also put its name on the speedway?
5 - Cox Mill High School opens
Cabarrus County's newest high school opened in August, pulling its students from Northwest Cabarrus High School in Kannapolis. The newly-minted Cox Mill building houses biotechnology labs and has environment-friendly features, such as rainwater harvesting and energy-efficient roofing. Students entered the new school year in a stellar new building and the Cox Mill Chargers took to the football field. The season, however, which was less than stellar, winning only one game in the new all-county South Piedmont Conference.
6 - CVB sacks half its staff
In a surprising move, the Cabarrus Convention & Visitors Bureau fired half its staff in September. The new CEO, Donna Carpenter, who came from Visit Charlotte in August, said the cuts were necessary because "the current structure ... was not being effective."
The move appeared to have solidified the county's control of the CVB. The county wants to move away from attracting tourists to the Concord Mills area and more toward recreational events, like softball tournaments. The CVB gets its operating budget from the hotel occupancy tax, which generated about $3.8 million last year. Six people were given severance packages in exchange for their silence about the firings.
7 - Obama, Perdue inaugurated
After the historic 2008 election, President Barack Obama was inaugurated on Jan. 20 in front of millions who braved the cold to stand out on the National Mall. Kannapolis resident Estelle Wiley was one of the them. The 89-year-old poll worker and community activist received a coveted ticket to the inauguration ceremony to see Obama installed as the first African-American president.
North Carolina also made history in January, when Bev Perdue was inaugurated as the first female governor. The South Rowan Marching Raiders won a rare chance to march in the inaugural parade. The high school band performed the Doobie Brother's "China Grove" in honor of the Rowan County town and represented the county and area with distinction.
8 - Kannapolis at 25
Twenty-five years ago, Kannapolis became an official city. It was a daring, but necessary move, as Cannon Mills, which founded the city in 1906, began its decline. Lead by attorney Bachman Brown, the fledgling city government set up services for residents and held everything together when Pillowtex closed in 2003, throwing 4,800 people out of work.
Now, moving forward into another quarter-century, city government faces a new set of challenges as it transforms the city from a textile powerhouse into a biotechnology hub. Kannapolis honored Brown in December as the city's first mayor and "founding father" with a bust that will sit in the train station.
9 - Cabarrus school board makes district changes
Moving school district lines never makes anyone happy, but the Cabarrus County Board of Education took on the task late this year, approving plans for districts for Harrisburg Elementary and the new Patriots Elementary schools. Board members balked at new districts that affected students at Northwest Cabarrus middle and high schools, Concord middle and high schools and the new Harold Winkler Middle School. Those will be decided in the new year.
10 - Swine flu hits Cabarrus
The H1N1 virus, better known as the swine flu, loomed over the population and made headlines all over the country. As the illness overran the state, Cabarrus Health Alliance and local health care providers administered thousands of vaccine doses to schoolchildren, elderly residents and the general public to try and stem the tide of infection. Signs were everywhere reminding people to wash their hands frequently and to cough or sneeze into their elbows instead of their hands. Schools began sending children home if they exhibited flu-like symptoms.
Honorable Mentions
These stories were signs of the times living in Cabarrus County in 2009:
"Pinks All Out" comes to zMax Dragway
Thousands of "gearheads" and fans of the Speed Network show came out to zMax Dragway in April to see homegrown dragsters race for glory. The big moment: When four dragsters ran at one time for the first time on television. "Pinks" returns to Concord this April. Participants hoping for their chance at motorsport glory crashed the servers at Speedway Motorsports as they tried to sign up.
Spiders defeat Wonders in annual Bell game
Coming out on top in the newly-formed South Piedmont Conference, the Kannapolis Wonders went into the biggest game of the year — the Battle of the Bell game — confident of victory against a struggling Concord Spiders team. The Spiders entered Memorial Stadium with a new coach, a new quarterback and a losing record, but stymied Kannapolis' star running back Travis Riley in a 13-10 rout that sent the bell back to Concord for the first time in three years.
N.C. Music Hall of Fame opens in Kannapolis
North Carolina has a rich music history, and now that history has a home in Kannapolis.
The N.C. Music Hall of Fame moved into the old Kannapolis Police building in downtown and opened in May. With the likes of James Taylor, Earl Scruggs, Andy Griffith and Randy Travis to name a few, exhibited in the museum, it's another tourist feather in Kannapolis' hat. Backed by music label owner Mike Curb, a friend of David Murdock's from California, the Music Hall of Fame found a permanent home in Kannapolis after more than a decade without one.
Byerly retires; Nantz resigns
Two community leaders announced this year they were moving on. Kannapolis Schools superintendent Jo Anne Byerly said on Nov. 20 she would retire at the end of the school year. CMC-NorthEast president Mark Nantz announced he is leaving the Concord hospital in February.
Byerly, who has served as superintendent since 2001, transformed the school system to prepare students for a knowledge-based economy. Under her leadership, Kannapolis City Schools established an Early College program with Cabarrus County Schools, started a Freshman Academy to help reduce the dropout rate and earned millions of dollars in technology grants.
Nantz lead the hospital through its 2007 merger with Carolinas HealthCare System and helped grow it into the largest employer in the county. He leaves to go to Greenville, S.C., where he will be the CEO of Bon Secours St. Francis Health System.
Bruton Smith, homebuilders sue county
Here's hoping the commissioners have paid up County Attorney Richard Koch's retainer, because
Bruton Smith and the county's homebuilders are after the county for serious money.
Smith, CEO of speedway Motorsports, filed his suit on Sept. 17, saying Cabarrus County and Concord have not held up their end of an agreement to keep the speedway in the county. In a 2007 agreement, Concord and Cabarrus County offered to pay Speedway Motorsports $80 million in incentives after Smith threatened to move the speedway out of Cabarrus County.
This is in exchange for building the zMax Dragway and making road improvements around the speedway complex. Smith contends the county and city haven't lived up to their end of the agreement, while local officials say there was no timetable agreed upon for payment of the incentives.
In another filing, homebuilders filed suit, saying the county's adequate public facilities ordinance is illegal and puts an undue burden on the housing industry in the county. The county contends the ordinance is not illegal and that it is needed to help fund school construction. As with most legal entanglements, it may take months, or ever years, to sort all this out.
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