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<br /> In 2015, UNC Health Care System opened a new medical campus in Hillsborough. The new
<br /> campus includes 50 acute care beds, an 18-bed intensive care unit, six operating rooms, two procedure
<br /> rooms, an emergency department and outpatient medical and surgical specialty services, including urgent
<br /> care, imaging and oncology. The new facilities were constructed at a cost of approximately$200 million.
<br /> The County is also the place of residence for many technical, professional and executive people
<br /> who work in the Research Triangle Park and neighboring cities of Durham, Raleigh, and Burlington. The
<br /> Research Triangle refers to an area located among three municipalities: Chapel Hill,Durham and Raleigh.
<br /> In addition to The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill,universities located in these municipalities
<br /> include Duke University and North Carolina Central University in the City of Durham and North Carolina
<br /> State University in the City of Raleigh. The proximity of these universities makes the Research Triangle
<br /> area well-suited to many types of research activities.
<br /> The Research Triangle Park(the"Park"),located ten miles east of the County,contains 7,000 acres
<br /> of land which has been reserved for research and research-oriented manufacturing. Since its inception in
<br /> the 1950's, approximately 250 private and governmental organizations have located facilities in the Park
<br /> and currently employ approximately 50,000 people.Approximately 87%of the employees in the Park work
<br /> for multinational corporations. The largest employers in the Park include: IBM Corporation,
<br /> G1axoSmithKline,Cisco Systems,Inc.,Nortel,Credit Suisse,Cree,Inc.,Grifols,RTI International,Fidelity
<br /> Investments, US Environmental Protection Agency,National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences,
<br /> NetApp,and BASF Corporation.Because of its close proximity to the County and the fact that many of the
<br /> Park's employees reside in the County,the impact of the Park on the County's economy is significant.
<br /> In addition to the Park,the County has several areas within its borders that are focused on industry
<br /> and manufacturing. Several manufacturing firms are located along Interstate Highway 85 in the western
<br /> portion of the County, and the County is targeting this area for future growth of industrial and commercial
<br /> concerns.Additionally,the County has designated over 2,450 acres in three strategically-placed areas along
<br /> Interstates 85 and 40 as Economic Development Districts. The County's location, midway between the
<br /> Piedmont Triad and Research Triangle metropolitan areas, makes these sites extremely attractive. The
<br /> districts offer development potential for light industrial, warehouse/flex space, office, retail and business
<br /> service.Numerous tracts,ranging in size from 20 to 100 acres or more, are available.
<br /> The County is also seeking to spur economic development by providing funds through the Article
<br /> 46 Sales Tax to finance the development of utility extensions for commercial entities. The County uses the
<br /> Article 46 Sales Tax to provide a portion of the upfront water/sewer infrastructure costs for businesses. The
<br /> first project funded by the County was a $4 million water and sewer infrastructure project in the
<br /> MebaneBuckhorn area, on land owned by the County. The site is being developed as an industrial park.
<br /> Morinaga American Foods, Inc., the American affiliate of the Japanese candy maker of Hi-Chew candies
<br /> purchased 21 acres of land and has constructed a manufacturing plant that initially employed 90 people.
<br /> The 100,000 square foot plant opened in 2015,representing a$48 million investment within the County.
<br /> In July 2019,Swiss-Swedish company ABB announced an expansion to its existing 400,000 square
<br /> foot manufacturing facility in the County. The company said it would spend$40 million over five years to
<br /> build a new 200,000 square foot manufacturing facility and create approximately 400 new manufacturing
<br /> jobs at the site. ABB has its United States headquarters in nearby Cary,North Carolina.
<br /> In September 2019, Medline Industries, a distributor and manufacturer of medical supplies
<br /> announced plans to invest$65 million to construct an approximately 1.2 million square foot facility located
<br /> near the City of Mebane in the County. The company anticipates the creation of 250 new jobs in its first
<br /> five years, and Medline ultimately expects to employ up to 700 full time workers. Construction on the
<br /> company's new facility began in fall 2019,with the facility expected to open in late 2020.
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