Orange County NC Website
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6 <br /> 1 Technical guidance and training support is provided to cocoa farmers through various programs that <br /> 2 protect the natural and social environment. <br /> 3 Chronology of Events: <br /> 4 Project Rainbow made a total of 11 site selection visits to Orange County, over the previous 19 months, as <br /> 5 follows: <br /> 6 <br /> 7 • February 1, 2012 N.C. Department of Commerce first contacted Orange County regarding an <br /> 8 unidentified site search for "Project Rainbow". <br /> 9 • April 5 — 6, 2012 First visit to see sites in NC & Orange County by Morinaga America & the <br /> 10 firm's Portland, OR-based site selection consultant, InSpec Group. <br /> 11 • May 18, 2012 Morinaga America & consultant returned to see NC and Orange County sites. <br /> 12 • July 11 — 16, 2012 Morinaga America & consultant returned to Orange County. <br /> 13 • August 22, 2012 Consultant returned to Orange County. No other NC sites were visited. <br /> 14 • August 27, 2012 BOCC first met in closed session to discuss a potential incentive. <br /> 15 <br /> 16 • January 11, 2013 Morinaga & Co.'s senior staff from Japan, Managing Director Toru Arai & <br /> 17 Senior Managing Director Osamu Noda, travelled from Tokyo to see the <br /> 18 Orange County (and Atlanta) sites, and met with Governor McCrory & N. C. <br /> 19 Dept. of Commerce Secretary Decker. <br /> 20 • January 24, 2013 BOCC received a second closed session briefing on the project. <br /> 21 January 31, 2013 Orange County was notified it had emerged as one of 2 finalist locations, <br /> 22 along with a competing site near Atlanta. <br /> 23 • March 19 — 21, 2013 Morinaga America's President from Los Angeles, Masao Hoshino, visited & <br /> 24 met with BOCC in closed session; Orange County's proposed incentive was <br /> 25 discussed and tentatively approved. <br /> 26 • April 14 — 15, 2013 Consultant returned. <br /> 27 • June 11, 2013 Consultant returned. <br /> 28 • July 1, 2013 Mr. Toru Arai, who first visited Orange County in January 2013, was promoted <br /> 29 to President of Morinaga & Co., Ltd. in Japan. <br /> 30 • July 10 — 12, 2013 Chairman Gota Morinaga visited to review our site and meet with the <br /> 31 Governor. <br /> 32 • July 20, 2013 Morinaga & consultant returned to view additional acreage. <br /> 33 • August 30, 2013 Morinaga & consultant returned to observe the site survey. <br /> 34 • September 3, 2013 Official public announcement of Morinaga's decision to select Orange County. <br /> 35 • September 17, 2013 Next scheduled consultant visit to discuss site infrastructure development. <br /> 36 <br /> 37 <br /> 38 Competition & Initial Site Search: <br /> 39 In early 2012, Morinaga and site selection consultant InSpec Group began a multi-state site search to <br /> 40 identify a "Hi-Chew" manufacturing location. Competition for this project included the following <br /> 41 communities: <br /> 42 • Portland, OR <br /> 43 • Ontario, Canada <br /> 44 • Philadelphia, PA <br /> 45 • Richmond, VA <br /> 46 • Atlanta, GA <br /> 47 • North Carolina (18 total sites in 12 counties) <br /> 48 <br /> 49 <br /> 50 Morinaga's Planned Investment in Orange County: <br /> 51 On September 3, 2013 the company announced its' decision to invest in Orange County, as follows: <br /> 52 • Capital Investment: $48 million <br /> 53 • Employment: 90 - 120 jobs <br /> 54 • Average Salary: $37,969 <br />